Chapter 44: Xi'an Prefecture (Bonus Chapter for 160 Pink Votes)
"Business?" Fu Tingyun asked in surprise. "What kind of business?"
Zhao Ling replied, "Mo Yi said we're running low on water and need to find a way to get more. But when he goes out, someone needs to stay behind and keep an eye on things. Since Zheng San used to be an escort guard, have Zheng Sanniang pass him a message—five steamed buns a day. If he's willing, he can come meet Mo Yi first thing tomorrow."
Zheng Sanniang was naturally willing.
Early the next morning, Zheng San arrived.
He was about thirty-two or thirty-three, of medium height, with a long face and thick lips, appearing both honest and simple. Fu Tingyun couldn't reconcile the man before her with the one who had harshly scolded his wife that day.
Mo Yi asked Zheng San a few questions, seemed satisfied, and paid him five steamed buns upfront. After giving him some instructions, Mo Yi grabbed a stick and left.
Zheng San had Zheng Sanniang, who was holding their child, accompany Fu Tingyun upstairs to rest. He then closed the back door and stood guard at the staircase.
Before long, commotion erupted from the street.
Zheng Sanniang looked terrified.
Fu Tingyun wanted to open the window to look, but Zhao Ling stopped her. "Just wait for the outcome," he said, utterly unconcerned.
His calmness steadied Fu Tingyun. She took Zheng Sanniang and her child to her own bedroom and played with Linchun.
About half an hour later, Mo Yi returned.
He looked disheveled but pleased, even a little smug. "I took care of all of them. From now on, we can fetch water whenever we want." He clapped Zheng San on the shoulder. "You did well. Knowing you were alone and couldn’t handle intruders, you moved everyone to the second floor and guarded the staircase—one man holding the pass against ten thousand." His tone carried a hint of approval. Then he asked, "Interested in continuing this business with us?"
Zheng San replied respectfully, "Just give the order, Manager Mo!"
Mo Yi nodded with a smile. "Carry four buckets of water from the street for us every day. Payment is two steamed buns."
Zheng San agreed immediately.
Thanks to this, Fu Tingyun had water to bathe and wash clothes.
Zheng Sanniang came daily to help.
A few days later, Chen Liu and the others returned with a small cart piled high with goods.
"Master, Master!" A Sen shouted as he ran upstairs with a large bundle on his back. "I'm back, I'm back!"
His cries startled the nearby migrant bandits.
He set down the bundle and kowtowed several times to Zhao Ling.
"Master, I've done everything you asked," he said, looking up at Zhao Ling with reddened eyes. "Master, are you feeling better?" His expression was full of concern.
"Get up," Zhao Ling said gently, setting aside the book he was reading and patting A Sen's head. "I'm much better. What about you? Have you eaten?"
"Yes, yes!" A Sen grinned as he scrambled to his feet. "We had rations on the road." Then he added, "Master, your complexion looks much better than when I left!" Spotting Fu Tingyun, he eagerly bowed to her. "Miss Fu!" His joy was unmistakable.
"You're finally back!" Fu Tingyun smiled as she looked A Sen over, relieved to see he was just as he had been when he left.A Sen ran to the side and untied the bundle he had brought back, taking out a round silk fan with an orchid embroidery and a bamboo handle to hand to Fu Tingyun: "Miss Fu, this is what the master asked me to buy for you. There are also a few pieces of clothing..." As he spoke, he handed her a small bundle.
Fu Tingyun was quite surprised.
"I noticed you weren’t used to using a fan, so when A Sen went to Xi’an Prefecture this time, I had him bring back a round fan for you," Zhao Ling said nonchalantly. "I also instructed him to buy us a few sets of clothes." He explained, "Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. Since we’re returning to Xi’an Prefecture, we need to dress properly. Otherwise, those city gate guards might look down on us and cause trouble."
"Oh!" Fu Tingyun held the fan, feeling her face grow warm, unsure of what to say.
A Sen didn’t notice any of this. He was animatedly telling Zhao Ling about his experiences on the trip to Xi’an Prefecture: "Brother Chen Liu and Brother Xiao Wu took good care of me. They even took me to the most famous restaurant in Xi’an Prefecture for a meal..."
Zhao Ling glanced at Fu Tingyun, who stood silently to the side, her jade-white fingers lightly tracing the fan’s rattan-yellow handle. A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered in his eyes as he softly interrupted A Sen, "Alright, alright. We can talk more after dinner."
A Sen caught on and grinned in agreement, heading downstairs to see Mo Yi and help Chen Liu and the others move the goods from the handcart to the side room.
For dinner, Fu Tingyun prepared seven or eight dishes—scallion-fried lamb, shredded green pepper with scrambled eggs, braised old hen with mushrooms... She set aside two portions of each dish for A Sen to deliver to Zheng San and his wife, then carried Zhao Ling’s meal upstairs. After dinner, she brought up tea.
A Sen sat beside Zhao Ling, still talking: "...They spent thirty taels of silver to bribe the city guards and entered the city in the middle of the night using a hanging basket. Besides us, a few others got in the same way."
"Once inside, Chen Liu wanted to take me to my 'relatives’ house.' I led them to a decent-looking residence and knocked on the door... I just said the master and mistress had given me this address. Then they took me shopping in the streets. I managed to leave a signal for Brother Yucheng and Brother Yuanbao, and as you instructed, I bought shoes, socks, and clothes before coming back."
"On the way back, we exited through Yongning Gate in the south. We gave the guards a few taels of silver, and they didn’t search us thoroughly. After walking about a mile, we ran into a merchant group heading to Lantian County. Chen Liu paid ten taels to join them, and they agreed to bring us to Linchun."
Downstairs, Mo Yi was questioning Chen Liu: "...What exactly did that kid do?"
Chen Liu replied, "He stuck with us the whole time. We took him to the relatives’ house as he said, knocked on the door, and the family claimed they’d lived there for thirty years and had never heard of the relatives A Sen mentioned. Later, A Sen went shopping with us. Besides buying that round fan for Miss Fu, he also bought several well-made outfits for Miss Fu, Zhao Ling, and himself. Then we all came back together."
Mo Yi frowned. "That’s it?"
Chen Liu nodded. "That’s it!"
Mo Yi looked at Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu added, "Apart from eyeing street snacks and begging Brother Liu for a few coins to buy some twice, he stayed obediently with us the whole time."
Mo Yi’s expression turned thoughtful.There were faint noises outside the house, like a cat slipping over the wall or the wind whistling through the hallway.
Mo Yi and the others immediately stood up, alert.
Soon, sounds of a scuffle came from downstairs.
A Sen hesitated, "Should we go down and help them?"
"No need!" Zhao Ling chuckled. "He brought so much food—of course it would attract envy. Let him deal with the trouble himself." Then he inquired carefully about the merchant convoy: "How many people are there? How old is the leader? How do they arrange their overnight stays?"
A Sen recalled the details carefully.
The more Zhao Ling listened, the graver his expression became.
Fu Tingyun watched with growing unease. "What's wrong?"
"I suspect they might be from a garrison," Zhao Ling mused. "What are the odds that they're all men in their twenties or thirties, each one strong and robust..."
Before he could finish, a hearty laugh rang out from downstairs: "Trying to rob me? You're still wet behind the ears. Just the right time for some fun."
A Sen and Fu Tingyun were stunned, but Zhao Ling could only shake his head helplessly.
From then on, Mo Yi took great pleasure in fighting off those who came to rob or steal. Even Zheng Sanniang, who came daily to wash their clothes, got caught up in the trouble.
"They thought I had food on me," Zheng Sanniang recalled with lingering fear. "If my husband hadn't arrived in time, my child and I might not have made it."
"Why don't you and Zheng San move in with us?" Fu Tingyun felt this situation couldn't go on. "After all, in their eyes, you're already part of our group. Living on the street is too dangerous."
After much hesitation, Zheng Sanniang finally agreed to discuss it with Zheng San.
That evening, Zheng San moved in with his wife and son.
Within days, the courtyard returned to its former tranquility. Even the migrant bandits who had lived nearby moved away. Mo Yi complained about being bored, while Zheng Sanniang grew even more fearful of him, no matter how much Fu Tingyun tried to reassure her.
But this peaceful interlude didn’t last long—soon, another group came to rob them.
Mo Yi perked up at the prospect.
Zheng San, however, came to see Zhao Ling.
"Master Zhao, this can't go on!" His brow furrowed with worry. "More and more people are settling in Linchun Town. Even if Manager Mo had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t hold out against daily attacks. Besides, there are hidden talents among the common folk. Though Manager Mo is skilled, if he encounters a true master, he might not come out unscathed."
Zhao Ling's gaze sharpened, his usually calm expression turning stern. The atmosphere in the room grew icy, sending a shiver down Zheng San's spine. His eyes flickered with sudden unease under Zhao Ling's piercing stare.
"So, you've noticed something?" Zhao Ling spoke slowly, his tone making Zheng San's mouth go dry with tension.
"I haven’t noticed anything specific," Zheng San licked his parched lips, unconsciously altering his address to Zhao Ling. "But during our escape, I saw hundreds of migrant bandits armed with clubs beat a renowned martial artist to death over a few steamed buns..."
And they had far more than just a few buns.
Zhao Ling immediately said, "Go invite Manager Mo up. I need to speak with him."
Zheng San exhaled in relief and hurried off to fetch Mo Yi."We leave tonight," Zhao Ling said with an icy gaze, his tone brooking no argument. "I hope Brother Mo will stand with us."
The implication was clear—if Mo Yi refused, Zhao Ling would take Fu Tingyun and the others and go without him.
This version of Zhao Ling felt utterly unfamiliar to Mo Yi... He froze in stunned silence.
Zhao Ling watched him quietly, his deep, inscrutable eyes stirring an inexplicable wariness in Mo Yi—a reluctance to oppose him.
"What are your plans, Brother Zhao?" Mo Yi asked slowly, his usual teasing replaced by cautious deliberation.
"We go to Xi'an Prefecture," Zhao Ling declared without hesitation. "As the provincial capital, with Prince Jian and Dong Hanwen there—if the city falls, the nation won't be far behind."
Mo Yi drew a sharp breath.
Yet his gaze now held undisguised admiration as he looked at Zhao Ling: "Very well. To Xi'an Prefecture we go!"
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Written groggily in the morning... now crawling back to bed...
(End of Chapter)
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