Chapter 55: Comparing Merchandise
A Sen, suspecting nothing, replied, "Ninth Master said that before we had no capital, but now that we do, with our skills, we can certainly make money through legitimate business. We plan to go to Yangzhou and start fresh." He rested his chin on his hand and sighed softly, "But now we can't go to Jiangnan!" He looked utterly distressed. "I heard from Brother Yuanbao that Jiangnan is like a painting, completely different from here. The wind is gentle, the rain is soft, plants and trees come back to life, flowers bloom everywhere, and fish are dirt cheap..." He nearly drooled as he spoke, making Fu Tingyun burst into laughter. "Has Jin Yuanbao been to Jiangnan?"
"No," A Sen admitted sheepishly. "He... he read about it in a book." Feeling this excuse was too flimsy, he raised his voice emphatically, "But Ninth Master said so too—Ninth Master has been to Jiangnan! When Brother Yuanbao was talking about it, Ninth Master was listening and even nodded with a smile. So it must be true!"
Fu Tingyun was surprised.
Could Ninth Master be from Nanzhili?
But his stature didn’t seem to match!
Men and women from Jiangnan were all delicate in appearance. When she visited Nanjing, Madam Yu, hearing she was only ten, took her hand and examined her closely, saying, "You look more like thirteen or fourteen."
Yang Yucheng arrived in high spirits to see her. "Miss Fu, Ninth Master has changed his mind..." He spotted A Sen grinning nearby and flicked him on the forehead. "If I’d known you were coming, I wouldn’t have bothered—I still have errands to run for Ninth Master!"
Fu Tingyun stopped him. "No matter how skilled Ninth Master is, he can’t fight off many with just two fists. Why not call Zheng San over to discuss this? He used to be an escort and has dealt with such situations before. He might have some good ideas!"
Yang Yucheng agreed wholeheartedly. "Then I’ll trouble you, Miss Fu."
"Ninth Master saved my life too," Fu Tingyun said with a smile. "There’s no need for such formalities, Young Master Yang."
Yang Yucheng, being straightforward, laughed. "Then I won’t stand on ceremony."
Fu Tingyun sent A Sen to fetch Zheng San and invited Yang Yucheng to sit. "Ninth Master’s health hasn’t fully recovered. Is it really alright for him to engage in combat?" She was deeply concerned.
"In all the years I’ve followed Ninth Master, he’s never failed," Yang Yucheng said confidently. "It’s not just because of his martial prowess, but because he assesses situations carefully and plans prudently. That Wu Xin is the Judicial Commissioner of Shaanxi’s Regional Military Commission, which means the Commander of Shaanxi’s Regional Military Commission is likely Sixteenth Master’s man. Once we send out these Name Cards, we’ll be seen as Sixteenth Master’s people. The Prince of Shu merely regarded the Songpan Governor as a close friend and was impeached by Shi Wenbin, demoted to commoner status. Yet Sixteenth Master has connections with Marquis Yingchuan Meng Shu, Guangdong General Commander Mo Shang, and Shaanxi’s Regional Military Commander Li Jinru—all without anyone knowing. This shows how formidable he is. Who knows if aligning with him will bring fortune or disaster? For such a major decision, Ninth Master must have weighed the pros and cons repeatedly. He wouldn’t act without absolute certainty."
Previously, she had only focused on how to ensure Zhao Ling’s survival. Now, hearing Yang Yucheng’s explanation, she realized the situation was far more complicated—it felt like escaping the wolf’s den only to enter the tiger’s lair.Fu Tingyun sighed, "I knew before that the Sixteenth Master was no ordinary man. I originally thought that after spending three to five years in the military, you could secure some official position, then find a way to connect with the Ministry of War's Military Selection Office and get transferred elsewhere. That way, this entanglement would gradually fade. That’s why I came up with this plan to escape unnoticed. But now, with Ninth Master and Mo Yi engaging in this 'comparison of three options,' if they lose, their lives might be at stake. And if they win, how would the Sixteenth Master’s men ever let Ninth Master leave? Unless they fight to a draw? But in a fight, who can predict the outcome?"
"There’s no other way," Yang Yucheng said coldly. "That Mo Yi looks down on us, treating us like mere ruffians from the martial world, thinking we should grovel at his slightest smile. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he openly recruit us? Instead, he resorts to such tactics. If we obediently followed his wishes and went to the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission, we’d likely have a miserable time. This fight is inevitable—not only must we fight, but we must fight fiercely, so fiercely that they remember it, so fiercely that they think twice whenever they see Ninth Master." His expression was icy as he added, "A gentle horse is ridden hard; a kind man is bullied easily."
It seemed Yang Yucheng had his own share of bitterness.
"It’s all my fault for giving such reckless advice!" Fu Tingyun said with guilt. "But even if I persuaded Ninth Master to submit to the Sixteenth Master, it wouldn’t resolve this crisis. In the end, I blame myself for choosing the City God Temple as our refuge, which led to all these troubles." Her tone then shifted, resolute and firm. "But what’s done is done—regret is useless now. The only thing left is to find a way to fix it!"
Yang Yucheng was momentarily taken aback.
He hadn’t expected Fu Tingyun to face adversity with such strength, and admiration flickered in his eyes. "How could this be Miss Fu’s fault?" he said sincerely. If not for her idea, Ninth Master wouldn’t have confided in him at all. He had assumed Ninth Master was at his wit’s end and had planned to secretly station himself around Rising Joy Inn to support him—which would have backfired terribly. "Without you, our recklessness might have ruined Ninth Master’s plans." He comforted her, "Ninth Master often says, 'Fortune follows misfortune, and misfortune lurks within fortune. The ways of heaven are unpredictable, but one must never give up. Persevere, and once you cross that hurdle, the road ahead will be smooth.' Right now, the Emperor is in good health. Even if the Sixteenth Master has schemes, they won’t unfold overnight. By then, we might have already transferred to another regional commission, just as you suggested."
As they spoke, A Sen entered with tea, leading Zheng San behind him.
Yang Yucheng trusted those he employed and didn’t employ those he distrusted. He explained the situation to Zheng San in detail: "You used to be an escort—you must have strategies for protection. Given Ninth Master’s predicament, do you have any good ideas?"
Zheng San was stunned.
He knew Zhao Ling was in trouble, but he hadn’t imagined it involved a feudal prince and two regional commanders. Cold sweat broke out on his back, but after calming down, he thought carefully for a long time. "Rising Joy Inn has courtyards packed closely together, connected only by narrow alleys with no open spaces. The more people they bring, the harder it’ll be for them to maneuver. If we set up defenses properly on the rooftops and in the courtyards, we should be able to hold out until dawn.""I was thinking the same," Yang Yucheng said. "I plan to install some tiger traps on the roof and in the courtyard. Do you have any better ideas?"
Just as Zheng San was about to speak, Fu Tingyun's voice rang out loudly, "Wait, wait!"
Both men turned to look at her.
Her eyes sparkled. "Ninth Master and Mo Yi haven't openly broken relations yet, have they?"
Yang Yucheng looked puzzled.
"In that case, why don't we pretend we don't know anything either!" Fu Tingyun smiled brightly at them. "If anyone attacks, we'll take a gong to the street center and make a huge racket while shouting. I refuse to believe the night patrol from the Provincial Administration Commission would ignore it!"
Yang Yucheng clapped his hands. "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" He laughed heartily. "This time we'll make sure Mo Yi drops the stone on his own foot." Then he stood up. "I'll report this to Ninth Master."
Zheng San chuckled along with them.
Fu Tingyun cautioned Yang Yucheng, "Tell Ninth Master one more thing—no matter what happens, he mustn't break openly with Mo Yi. We might still need to use his influence to resolve this crisis!"
Yang Yucheng nodded repeatedly, bowed to Fu Tingyun with clasped hands, and left with Zheng San for the Rising Joy Inn.
When Zhao Ling heard the plan, he shook his head with a smile. "If we want them to see clearly, there's no need for traps. As for taking a gong to the street and shouting 'thieves,' that's not a bad idea. As for breaking relations, tell Miss Fu not to worry—I know what I'm doing." With that, he drew the sword Yang Yucheng had brought.
The blade's cold gleam was sharp enough to sting the eyes.
"This is a fine sword. Where did you get it?" Zhao Ling asked Yang Yucheng.
Yang Yucheng laughed. "I ran into Tang Daishan and his daughter on Baoqing Street—they're also taking refuge in Xi'an. When Miss Tang heard I needed a sword for urgent business, she lent me this one."
Zhao Ling nodded, and Zheng San watched as he casually flicked the sword, producing nine gleaming arcs in the air.
A shiver ran down Zheng San's spine, and his gaze toward Zhao Ling grew more solemn.
"Thank Sect Leader Tang for me," Zhao Ling said. "But it's best to avoid such connections in the future."
"Understood," Yang Yucheng said quickly. "I only accepted because I couldn't find a good weapon in time..."
Zhao Ling said nothing more.
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Mo Yi asked Chen Liu, "What was that Zheng San doing here?"
"He said that with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Zhao Ling's aunt invited him over for the celebration."
Mo Yi sneered. "Don't let them slip away under that pretext."
Chen Liu hesitated, then bowed and said, "Understood," before withdrawing.
Xiao Wu stood in the courtyard and asked quietly when Chen Liu emerged, "How did it go?"
"Zhao Ling might go to his aunt's for Mid-Autumn Festival. Mo Yi says not to let him slip away," Chen Liu replied, his tone resigned.
"Then let's wrap this up quickly," Xiao Wu said, glancing at Zhao Ling's quarters. "So we can celebrate the festival too."
Chen Liu nodded, though a sense of unease lingered. Since even Lord Tao had agreed with General Mo's plan, all he could do was tread carefully to avoid bungling the operation.
※※※※※
Fu Tingyun examined the mooncake mold carved with eighteen arhats from elm wood for a long time and sighed. "I thought the set of eighteen arhats our family treasured was already rare, but I never expected to find one for sale on Baoqing Street in Xi'an—and it's just as exquisite. Truly, as the ancients said, traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. How right they were.""This was a fortunate coincidence. Such fine things aren't usually seen," Madam Lu chuckled, her kind face softening further. "The master guessed Miss Fu would like it, so he bought it back."
"Mmm!" Fu Tingyun couldn't put it down. "I really like it."
Zheng Sanniang, who had brought tea over, smiled and said, "This mold must be quite expensive!"
"Not too bad, not too bad!" Madam Lu avoided answering directly and changed the subject. "Since Ninth Master is spending the Mid-Autumn Festival in Xi'an this year, shall we use this mold to make mooncakes?"
"Wonderful!" Knowing how attentive the Lu couple had been to her, Fu Tingyun didn't press about how much effort or money they'd spent on the mold. She smiled and asked, "What ingredients do we have at home? What fillings are popular in Xi'an for mooncakes?"
"Just mixed fillings, nut fillings, and crystal sugar fillings," Madam Lu replied with a smile. "Miss, you just tell us what filling you'd like, and I'll have someone prepare it."
Fu Tingyun pondered for a moment. "I've heard that in Jiangnan, they're fond of 'su yue'—mooncakes with a crust like shortbread and filled with crystal sugar and melon seeds. Shall we try making those?"
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Does every girl, upon meeting a boy she fancies, suddenly feel the urge to "roll up her sleeves and cook for him"...
(End of Chapter)
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