The next day, before daylight, Shen Zhuxi climbed over Li Wu and slipped out of bed, easing her feet into her shoes with quiet, careful movements.

Li Wu cracked one eye open and peered at her through the slit.

“…Are you going to the privy?” he said, his voice muffled and indistinct — making it hard to tell whether he was awake or asleep.

“I need to go to the morning market. Sleep soundly — I’ve asked Niang to come with me.”

Shen Zhuxi lowered her voice on purpose, not wanting to disturb his drowsiness.

“Niang?” He repeated the name he had caught.

“Yes, Niang will walk with me — everything will be fine.” Shen Zhuxi said.

Li Wu made a sound from the back of his throat, still peering at her through that narrow slit. After a moment, the slit closed completely.

Only then did Shen Zhuxi put on her outer robe and leave the bedroom.

She eased the door shut behind her, washed up in the kitchen, picked up her money pouch, and pushed open the gate of the courtyard.

A milky white morning mist had swallowed the small path in front of the courtyard. Niang was crouched against the stone wall pulling at wild grass for fun, and at the sound of the gate opening, she dropped the weeds in her hand and looked up with a cheerful cry. “Mistress!”

“Have you eaten yet?” Shen Zhuxi smiled at her.

“I had a bowl of thin porridge — what about you, Mistress?” She came bounding over.

“Not yet — we’ll get something good to eat at the market later.” Shen Zhuxi said. “Did you manage to find out the things I asked you to look into?”

“Don’t you worry, Mistress — everything you asked me to find out, I found!” Niang said, lifting her little face with a proud tilt.

Hearing this, Shen Zhuxi felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

A good beginning was half the battle, and Niang had given her a fine start. Shen Zhuxi quietly hoped that the rest of the day would go just as smoothly.

The two of them walked out of the alley and headed toward the busiest morning market in Pengcheng County.

The sun had yet to appear, but the horizon was already bright. A layer of soft, hazy morning mist blanketed the quiet street. Here and there, a shop had already rolled up its shutters, its proprietor busy inside preparing for the day’s business.

There were no other pedestrians — only Shen Zhuxi and Niang walking along a street not yet stirred from its sleep.

Niang, with the playfulness of someone still young, first reached out to try to catch the thread-thin wisps of mist drifting in the air, then puckered her lips and blew hard to scatter them. Watching Niang entertain herself so thoroughly all on her own, Shen Zhuxi walked behind her with a smile on her face the entire way.

“Niang.” She called out.

Niang, walking ahead, heard her name and immediately came running back.

“Mistress, what is it?”

“How did your sleeve get torn?” Shen Zhuxi took hold of her arm and looked at the small hole, no bigger than a black bean, at the bend of her elbow.

Niang rubbed the back of her head, not entirely certain herself. “A few days ago, when I was delivering flower stationery to the bookshop for you, I caught it on the edge of a table… probably tore it then.”

Shen Zhuxi said: “When we pass a cloth shop later, I’ll buy you a new one.”

“No, no, please don’t —” Niang immediately shook her head. “You’ve already paid me my wages, Mistress. I tore the sleeve through my own carelessness. I can’t let you spend money on my account again.”

A new cloth garment was nothing significant to Shen Zhuxi, but Niang was firm, and even after two attempts to persuade her she hadn’t budged.

“Then you should patch up the hole as quickly as you can,” Shen Zhuxi said with genuine concern. “A small hole left unattended will only grow bigger over time.”

“I don’t know how to sew…” Niang hung her head and said softly. “Before I came to work for you, Mistress, my days were spent helping my parents gut and sell fish, and when I got home in the evenings I still had to wash clothes, cook, and clean for the whole family. My mother was the daughter of a butcher — she didn’t know needlework either. In our house, when clothes needed mending, we always paid someone else to do it.”

Niang’s expression grew downcast.

“A hole this small — my mother would rather leave it torn than spend money having it mended for me. But my brother’s clothes — even the tiniest hole, and she’d take them out and have them patched up properly.”

Shen Zhuxi thought for a moment, then said: “Take the shirt off when you get a chance, bring it to me, and I’ll have Li…”

Meeting Niang’s puzzled gaze, Shen Zhuxi paused, then said:

“I’ll have you wearing a mended shirt before long.”

The change in Niang’s expression was visible to the naked eye — her face lit up so brightly she looked ready to leap off the ground. She burst out excitedly: “Really? You’d really be willing to help mend it for me?”

“Of course I mean it.” Shen Zhuxi laughed.

Niang spun around with delight and looked at Shen Zhuxi with stars in her eyes. “Mistress, you’re so wonderful! Beautiful and kind-hearted — no wonder Master Li dotes on you so much!”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Shen Zhuxi put on a stern expression, deliberately pulling a straight face.

Niang was not fooled in the slightest. She stuck out her tongue and grinned: “It’s not nonsense at all — everyone in Pengcheng County knows how deeply in love you and Master Li are!”

That was naturally the result of the horseback ride they had shared that day. Thinking of it, Shen Zhuxi felt the heat rise to her face unbidden.

“Keep talking like that and I won’t mend it for you!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please mend it for me, Mistress — I’m begging you —” Niang switched at once to a pitiful look, caught hold of Shen Zhuxi’s sleeve, and began shaking it gently.

“No more nonsense, and I’ll mend it.”

“I won’t say another word, not one more word!”

“That’s more like it.”

Niang gave a sheepish grin and looked at Shen Zhuxi with longing, admiring eyes.

“Do you have a younger sister, Mistress?”

Shen Zhuxi thought of the princess of Chu whose identity she was currently borrowing, and her smile faltered for a moment.

“…Yes.”

“I’m so envious of her…” Niang said wistfully. “You must be very close, you and her?”

Shen Zhuxi didn’t answer, and instead took her by the hand and quickened her pace.

“Come along — I can already see the morning market!”

True to her youthful nature, Niang instantly forgot the question she had just asked, and in the very next breath it was she who was pulling Shen Zhuxi along with quick, eager steps.

“Walk faster, Mistress — I know a stall that sells the most delicious fried tofu residue cakes! If we get there late, they’ll all be gone!”

Shen Zhuxi laughed and hurried her steps to match.

Pengcheng County was still dreaming, but the morning market was already in full, lively swing.

Shen Zhuxi and Niang bought fried tofu residue cakes from a stall with a long queue, and had deep-fried savory pastries and soy milk from a neighboring fry stall, filling both their stomachs before Shen Zhuxi at last began in earnest on the day’s real challenge.

The Wang, Zhao, Sun, He, Fang, and Ji families were the prominent clans of Xuzhou, and the primary guests Li Wu was to entertain at the banquet. Niang had already determined where each of the six families purchased their vegetables and fruit. Now all that remained was to go around, gift in hand, calling on each of them one by one — to find out which households bought the most chilis, which bought the most vegetables and fruit, and which never bought fish or seafood at all.

From these small, seemingly trivial details, she could make a rough estimate of each of the six families’ preferences in terms of flavor intensity and choice of ingredients.

After delivering six sets of premium bath soap specially ordered from the apothecary, along with a small pouch of broken silver of equal weight to each, Shen Zhuxi obtained the monthly grocery purchase lists for all six households.

The Wang family loved freshwater delicacies; the Zhao family had an aversion to river shrimp; the Sun family enjoyed spicy food; the He family ate no mutton; the Fang family kept a vegetarian diet; and the Ji family would not eat without meat.

With a general picture established, the next thing to address was the specific menu.

By the time she had visited all six fruit and vegetable suppliers, Shen Zhuxi had walked the length of Pengcheng County’s main street back and forth several times. The morning mist had long since cleared, the sun hanging high above, and her feet had begun to voice their fierce protest through pain.

She wiped the light perspiration from the tip of her nose and led Niang into the most popular restaurant in Pengcheng County, choosing a table by the window.

The moment she sat down on the bench, aching soreness spread from the soles of her feet through her entire body. She forced herself to ignore the discomfort and smiled at the server, who had a hand towel draped over his shoulder. “Just the two of us eating — could you recommend a few dishes that are particular to Xuzhou?”

The server rattled off several dish names without pause. Shen Zhuxi didn’t ask for details and simply nodded. “We’ll have what you suggested.”

“Right away — please wait a moment.” The server gripped his towel and turned away, calling out the order to the kitchen at the top of his voice.

After he left, Shen Zhuxi couldn’t help shifting into a different position on the bench.

Changing positions did nothing for her aching feet. Perhaps the discomfort showed on her face, because Niang was looking at her with concern. “Are you all right, Mistress?”

“I’m fine.” Shen Zhuxi gave her a reassuring smile.

After about an incense stick’s time of sitting, the server began bringing out the dishes. Shen Zhuxi picked up the long chopsticks from the chopstick holder and held them out to Niang. “Go ahead and eat.”

Niang looked puzzled. “Just like this?”

“Just like this.” Shen Zhuxi confirmed.

Niang followed Shen Zhuxi’s lead in mild bewilderment, and together they finished all three dishes — though the greater share was Niang’s doing.

After the meal, Shen Zhuxi called the server over to settle the bill. He looked over the table quickly and said: “Three hundred and twenty-seven wen altogether — let’s call it three hundred even.”

Meeting Shen Zhuxi’s surprised look, the server grinned. “Your husband helped us get rid of those Jinzhu Stronghold bandits who were blocking the roads — my father can travel alone for business now without being afraid. This is my way of thanking you.”

“He who holds a position must fulfill the duties of that position…” catching the server’s look of confusion, Shen Zhuxi quickly rephrased it. “My husband is the Xuzhou Centurion now, so the safety of Xuzhou’s people is naturally his own concern. All of this is what he ought to do.”

Shen Zhuxi smiled and slid a piece of broken silver weighing about one tael from her sleeve and pushed it across.

“Wait a moment while I make change —”

“No need for change — the rest is for you.”

The server came to an abrupt halt, staring at her in astonishment.

“I would like to ask you about something.” Shen Zhuxi said.

“What would you like to know?”

“This is the largest restaurant in Pengcheng County, so business must be very good?”

“Naturally —” the server said with pride. “Our head chef escaped here from the capital during the unrest — his skill is unrivaled, and every major and minor household in the city likes to come here to eat.”

Shen Zhuxi smiled.

“Then would you happen to know what dishes the Wang, Zhao, Sun, He, Fang, and Ji families prefer?”

By the time she walked out of the restaurant, Shen Zhuxi already had a clear picture in her mind.

Old Master Wang loved crab — whenever he came to the restaurant, he always ordered drunken crab. Yet whenever Madam Wang dined out alone, she never touched crab. Every time she ordered, there was always steamed spiced beef.

Old Master Zhao loved tripe soup; Madam Zhao loved ginseng chicken soup. Neither of them ate spring onions.

Old Master Sun and Madam Sun had no particular restrictions, but both preferred bold, heavy flavors — Old Master Sun most of all. He was especially fond of chili paste, and could not eat a proper meal without chili on the table.

Madam He could not tolerate the smell of mutton, and so the entire He household ate no mutton. If someone at the restaurant happened to order mutton on the same day, Madam He would seat herself as far away as possible — and if she couldn’t get far enough, she would rather pack up and leave than sit anywhere near it.

The elderly Madam Fang of the Fang family kept a vegetarian diet out of devotion to Buddhism, and the entire household ate accordingly — their food was light and mild, and they would not put their chopsticks to anything salty or spicy.

Old Master Ji and his wife had no particular preferences — they simply enjoyed rice, noodles, and pork and beef dishes.

The most important element of a banquet was the food. Now that she had a clear picture of the six families’ tastes and preferences, only one final matter remained — and it was the most critical of all: who would do the cooking for this banquet.

It was impossible for Shen Zhuxi to hire the head chef of the largest restaurant to cook for them.

First, she lacked the connections. Second, she lacked the funds to buy the head chef’s time for a full day.

Regardless of the truth, she needed to give outsiders a certain impression.

Too much success invited attention, and too great a name invited trouble. Given Li Wu’s current standing, this banquet could not be flawless.

Merely satisfactory was the goal she needed to aim for.

A banquet impressive enough to leave a good impression, yet not so impressive as to raise suspicion or curiosity.

Concealing one’s true capabilities was a skill Shen Zhuxi had spent the past sixteen years learning — and she was pleased to find a use for it now.

“There is just one last thing left…”

Shen Zhuxi stood on the busy main street, drew a long, deep breath.

“What is it?” Niang asked with curiosity.

“Eat our way down this entire street!”