The next morning, Fan Changyu got up early as usual to slaughter pigs.

During these first few days after the New Year, most people in town were busy visiting relatives. With meat served at nearly every meal, everyone had plenty of grease in their stomachs and little craving for fresh pork, so business at the butcher shop was rather poor. The braised meat business, however, was booming. Every household was willing to buy ready-made braised dishes to serve guests. Putting a plate of braised meat on the table also made for an impressive centerpiece.

In the past, Fan Changyu’s shop could sell the fresh meat from two pigs in a day. These past few days, she only slaughtered one pig for fresh cuts.

As for the braised meat supplied to Yixiang Tower, all of it came from pork she bought elsewhere. Along that street of butcher stalls, she had practically bought up all the pig heads and pig trotters.

The other butchers were no longer merely her competitors; she had become one of their biggest customers as well. In order to secure this long-term business with her, every butcher on the street greeted her with broad smiles whenever they saw her. Even their greetings had become much warmer than before.

If she encountered any difficulties in her shop, all she had to do was speak up and a whole crowd would rush over to help.

For the first time, Fan Changyu somewhat understood why, after Song Yan passed the provincial examination and became a juren, some people in town had gone out of their way to curry favor with the Song family by trampling on her.

Yan Zheng had been right all along. When she had nothing, no matter how good her personality was, people could always find fault with her.

But now that she was even slightly connected to wealth and influence, the goodwill she received was several times greater than before.

Everything was moving in a better direction. The only problem was that Fan Changyu now had to deliver meat to both Yixiang Tower and Fat Shopkeeper’s place while also managing her own butcher shop. She was stretched impossibly thin.

And finding a helper on short notice was no easy matter either.

At breakfast, she kept glancing at Xie Zheng, hesitating to speak.

Xie Zheng had slept poorly the night before. The dark circles beneath his eyes were even heavier than usual. After noticing her repeated looks, he set down his bowl of porridge and asked, “What is it?”

Only then did Fan Changyu clearly notice just how much darker the circles under his eyes had become. She stared blankly for a moment before asking, “Did you stay up all night?”

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes and replied, “No. There were rats in the room last night. I spent some time looking for them.”

There really had been a rat, though he had killed it with a single bamboo skewer and tossed it to the sea eagle.

The moment Fan Changyu heard the word “rats,” she immediately thought of the cured meat hanging above the hearth. Alarmed, she hurried over to check it. Seeing no signs that anything had been gnawed on, she finally relaxed.

“In the past, we never stored this much braised meat or cured meat at home,” she said. “We only sold fresh pork, so there weren’t many rats around. I overlooked it. I should get a cat to keep around.”

Changning had already finished breakfast and gone to check on the sea eagle in the chicken coop. Suddenly, she burst into tears.

“The falcon’s gone again!”

Fan Changyu was puzzled too. “It flew away again?”

The sisters both turned to look at Xie Zheng.

The man who had secretly sent the sea eagle out to deliver a message in the middle of the night paused briefly before saying, “That thing is wild by nature. Maybe it still hasn’t been fully tamed.”

Tears immediately began streaming down Changning’s face one after another.

Fan Changyu sighed helplessly. “Alright, don’t cry anymore. How about I raise a nest of chicks for you when spring comes?”

Changning continued sobbing. “I don’t want chicks! I want Falcon!”

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Falcon will come back!”

After saying that, she looked expectantly at Xie Zheng.

This time, however, he did not give her a firm answer. He only said, “Maybe it will come back.”

Changning’s lips immediately trembled, and she cried even harder.

Fan Changyu coaxed her gently. “How about we go catch another one in the wild?”

Changning shook her head stubbornly. “I don’t want another one. I only want Falcon.”

Fan Changyu knew children could be incredibly stubborn once they set their minds on something. She said, “The merlin already flew away. It belongs in the wild to begin with, and your sister can’t find it. The only thing I can do is catch you another one if you still want a bird. But you don’t want that. You’re only crying. Ningniang, tell me—what else can your sister do?”

Changning sniffled miserably, then raised her chubby arms and hugged Fan Changyu.

“Sorry, Sister. Ningniang isn’t being willful… I just can’t bear to part with Falcon.”

Fan Changyu patted the child’s back gently.

Changning buried her head against her shoulder and mumbled, “Then raise chicks in spring.”

Fan Changyu agreed.

Changning straightened up, her eyes still red. “When the chicks grow up, Falcon might fly by and come down to eat them.”

Fan Changyu, who had thought she had successfully comforted the child: “…Alright.”

At least the little girl had finally stopped crying.

Fan Changyu returned to the table and sat down again. Feeling conflicted, she finished the remaining half bowl of porridge. Thinking about how short-handed the butcher shop was, she scratched her head and asked Xie Zheng, “Are you going back to sleep later?”

Earlier, when she had hesitated to speak, Xie Zheng had already guessed she wanted his help with something. He said, “If there’s something you need, just say it.”

Fan Changyu shamelessly took the opportunity. “My butcher shop reopened today, but I still need to deliver braised meat to Shopkeeper Yu’s restaurant. If you’re free, could you watch the shop for half a day? I’ll come back as soon as I finish delivering everything.”

Although he had only said last night that he was leaving soon, asking him for help now felt somewhat inappropriate. But Fan Changyu truly could not manage everything alone, so she could only exploit him a little longer.

Xie Zheng nodded, and Fan Changyu immediately let out a breath of relief.

If he had refused, no matter how thick-skinned she was, she still would have felt awkward.

She had become a little more tactful in dealing with people and no longer mentioned paying wages aloud. After all, his willingness to help was already a favor. Offering money would only cheapen that goodwill into a transaction.

If she truly wanted to thank him, it would be better to quietly prepare more things for him before he left. That sort of subtle repayment after the fact was genuine gratitude—not immediately promising benefits like some business deal.

Since both she and Xie Zheng needed to go out, Fan Changyu did not feel comfortable leaving Changning home alone. As usual, she sent the little girl next door to Aunt Zhao’s house.

Afterward, she stopped an ox cart outside the alley and loaded the fresh pork onto it first before heading to the Fan family butcher shop.

The meat alone was already heavy enough, so Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng did not ride the cart. Instead, they walked alongside it all the way to the shop.

After living in this town for so long, this was Xie Zheng’s first time seeing the morning market here. It could not compare to the prosperity of the capital, but it was unexpectedly lively.

Steam billowed from the stoves in front of breakfast stalls. Hawkers’ cries mixed with the bustling flow of carts and people. Crowds came and went in a hurry. It was the smoke and fire of ordinary life—the vitality of this small town.

When they arrived at the shop, Fan Changyu had just carried down a basin of braised meat when Xie Zheng finished unloading all the fresh pork afterward.

She glanced at him and could not help sighing inwardly. Having someone help really did make things much easier.

After setting down the basin of braised meat, she began arranging the fresh cuts on the chopping block while explaining to Xie Zheng which part each cut came from and how much each sold for.

The butcher’s wife from the shop diagonally across the street noticed Xie Zheng’s handsome appearance and teased, “Changyu, you finally decided to let everyone see your husband! Such a handsome young man! No wonder you kept him hidden at home all this time!”

After being teased so often by Yu Qianqian, Fan Changyu’s skin had thickened somewhat whenever people joked about her and Xie Zheng together. She replied, “Auntie, you’re joking. He was recovering from injuries at home before. Only recently did he get better enough to come help because I’ve been too busy to handle everything myself.”

The butcher’s wife knew Xie Zheng was the live-in husband Fan Changyu had taken in, which was why she dared joke like this. Being much older than Fan Changyu, she also knew many men were sensitive about being a live-in son-in-law. One careless joke might cause the young couple to argue later.

Seeing Fan Changyu explain so seriously, she immediately corrected herself. “I was only joking. Little brother, don’t take offense.”

Xie Zheng replied, “I won’t.”

The butcher’s wife added, “In the past, Changyu handled this whole shop alone. Now that she’s married, she finally has someone to help her out.”

Xie Zheng silently helped arrange the pork on the counter and glanced at Fan Changyu, who was scraping pork haunches clean with an iron hook nearby.

Even in the dead of winter, despite wearing thick clothing, sweat had already gathered on her forehead after only working for a short while.

In the past, when she came to the butcher shop alone, she must have handled everything herself as well.

“Pork haunches are thirty-five wen per jin. If customers haggle, don’t go lower than thirty…” Fan Changyu continued explaining prices. After hanging up another cut of meat, she turned back and found Xie Zheng staring at her.

Frowning, she asked, “You didn’t remember?”

Xie Zheng withdrew his gaze and replied, “I remembered.”

Fan Changyu was doubtful. “Then what did I just say?”

A faint smile flickered across Xie Zheng’s lips. “Pork haunches are thirty-five wen per jin. If they bargain, don’t go below thirty.”

Fan Changyu nodded approvingly. “Exactly.”

As they spoke, an elderly woman buying groceries passed by the stall. Seeing Xie Zheng standing inside the butcher shop and finding his appearance striking, she asked, “Young man, how much is this hind leg pork?”

Fan Changyu deliberately kept silent. She wanted to see how Xie Zheng sold meat.

Xie Zheng answered calmly, “Thirty-three wen per jin.”

The old woman muttered, “That expensive?”

Xie Zheng merely half-lifted his eyes and said nothing further, carrying an attitude that clearly implied: buy it if you want, don’t if you don’t.

Fan Changyu’s eyelids twitched at the sight. She quickly added, “You can look around at the other stalls first. If you still think ours looks best, come back.”

The old woman had only complained in hopes of bargaining anyway. Seeing the price would not budge and the meat truly looked excellent, she said, “You two youngsters seem honest enough. You wouldn’t cheat an old woman like me. Cut me two jin.”

Just as Fan Changyu reached for the knife, she saw Xie Zheng already pick it up. He estimated the weight and sliced off a piece that turned out to be exactly two jin.

Fan Changyu wrapped the meat and handed it to the old woman. While counting out copper coins, the old woman kept sneaking glances at Xie Zheng.

“Young man, are you married? If not, I’ve got a granddaughter who just turned seventeen this year. She’s pretty and has a good temperament…”

Xie Zheng answered indifferently, “This butcher shop belongs to my wife. I’m just helping her out.”

The old woman immediately looked embarrassed. “Oh… I see…”

She turned to Fan Changyu. Having lived for decades, she was quick enough to smooth things over with a smile. “You young couple are both so good-looking. At first glance, I thought you were siblings. Turns out you’ve got husband-and-wife features—that’s a sign of good fortune!”

Fan Changyu could only force a slight smile in response.

As soon as the old woman left, she could not help lecturing Xie Zheng. “When doing business, you’ve got to greet customers with a smile no matter what. You kept such a cold face like someone owed you money. Who’d dare buy your meat?”

Just then, another young woman shopping for groceries approached, blushing as she looked at Xie Zheng.

“How much are the ribs?”

Xie Zheng’s face still showed no extra expression. “Thirty-nine wen per jin.”

Ribs were the most expensive cut among fresh pork.

The young woman did not even dare look directly at him. Lowering her head, she said shyly, “I want three jin. Please chop them into small pieces.”

Xie Zheng picked up the cleaver and chopped the ribs several times before wrapping them up and handing them over.

Fan Changyu stared in shock from the side.

For convenience, people often strung together a hundred copper coins with thin rope during transactions.

Xie Zheng took the one hundred and seventeen wen from the young woman and handed it to Fan Changyu, who still looked dazed.

Then she slowly accepted reality.

Other people sold pork with smooth talking. This guy sold pork with his face.

Supporting her forehead with one hand, she joked, “I should’ve brought you to help at the shop earlier. Maybe business before the New Year would’ve been even better.”

Xie Zheng glanced at her but said nothing.

At this early hour, there still were not many people shopping at the market. The entrances of the other butcher shops were deserted, while the Fan family butcher shop had already completed two sales.

The other butchers were naturally envious, but since Fan Changyu often bought pig heads, trotters, and occasionally offal from them for her braised meat business, she was also helping their livelihoods. No one felt particularly bitter toward her.

Butcher Guo, however, had long-standing grievances with Fan Changyu. Since she never bought meat from his stall, the hostility between them only grew sharper.

As he swept snow from in front of his shop, he deliberately flung the shoveled snow toward the street and sneered sarcastically, “Selling meat sure has become real selling these days. Since you’re already here, why not just go work at a brothel instead? Wouldn’t business be even better there?”

He was obviously mocking Xie Zheng for relying on his looks to attract customers to the Fan family butcher shop.

Fan Changyu’s face darkened instantly.

She was fiercely protective of her own people. Xie Zheng had pretended to marry into her family to help her keep her property safe. People gossiping behind their backs about him being a live-in husband was one thing—but now someone was openly spouting filthy insults right in front of her face. How could she possibly tolerate it?

Not to mention that Butcher Guo’s uncle had recently helped Fan Da try to seize her property. Old grudges and new hatred together made it time to settle accounts.

Fan Changyu strode out of her butcher shop and stood in the middle of the street with her hands on her hips, glaring at Butcher Guo.

“Repeat what you just said.”

Her shout drew the attention of everyone on the street—shopkeepers and the few scattered shoppers alike.

Having suffered before at Fan Changyu’s hands, Butcher Guo did not dare confront her directly. Instead, he continued hiding behind his sharp tongue.

“What did I say? Oh right, I just saw a prostitute and some pretty-boy catamite walking arm in arm down the street. I was talking about them. Why are you rushing forward to claim the insult yourself?”

Before he even finished speaking, a heavy blow struck his jaw.

The force sent him staggering backward several steps until he slammed into the cabinet inside his shop.

Clutching his jaw with one hand, he felt as though all his teeth had been jammed together. The taste of blood spread through his mouth. He pointed at Fan Changyu with his other hand, unable to speak.

When he raised his head, he met Fan Changyu’s icy gaze.

She only said two words.

“Apologize.”

After enduring the throbbing pain in his jaw, Butcher Guo spat out a mouthful of blood. Rage surged up in him and he barked, “I wasn’t talking about you or your pretty-boy husband! You’re the one who jumped in to claim it! What the hell should I apologize for?”

Too lazy to waste words with him, Fan Changyu thrust the long staff in her hand forward again. Terrified, Butcher Guo hurriedly ducked.

The staff had no spearhead, yet with sheer brute force it pierced straight through the wooden cabinet door behind him.

Anyone seeing it could not help thinking that if it had struck someone’s skull instead, it might have punched a bloody hole straight through.

Butcher Guo’s legs trembled in fear, though he still tried to sound tough. “You dare touch me? My uncle’s the county magistrate’s advisor! If this goes to court, I’ll make sure you rot in prison!”

Fan Changyu replied, “Do you believe that before your advisor uncle gets here, I can twist your head off and use it as a dog bowl?”

When it came to acting ruthless, Butcher Guo truly could not outmatch her. His expression immediately turned ugly.

Fan Changyu barked again, “Apologize!”

Deeply unwilling, Butcher Guo glanced at the staff pointed directly at his face. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and say before everyone, “Sorry.”

Fan Changyu withdrew the staff with a cold snort.

“People say eunuchs love spreading gossip and stirring up trouble. But your talent for running your mouth is even worse than theirs! So what if you’re jealous of the little business my butcher shop gets? With your skills, if you don’t go to the palace and become chief eunuch, it’d really be a waste of that tongue of yours!”

The crowd burst into laughter.

Even the other butchers struggled to suppress their grins.

“Eunuch? Come to think of it, with Guo’s all-bark-no-bite attitude, maybe he really can’t perform!”

“I heard his son looks exactly like his cousin. Maybe the kid wasn’t even his to begin with!”

“Haven’t people always secretly said his wife cheated on him? Poor woman’s been insulted behind her back for years. Turns out she wasn’t promiscuous—he’s the useless one!”

“He’s such a big man. How could that thing not work?”

“I heard back when he slaughtered pigs, one got loose and stepped on him there!”

Listening to the crowd’s increasingly outrageous gossip, Butcher Guo’s face turned bright red with rage. Veins bulged along his neck.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Believe it or not, I’ll hack every last one of you to death!”

The crowd retreated farther away, but the discussions only continued.

“Look at him. He’s obviously been struck where it hurts. Could it actually be true?”

“I always thought it was strange how a grown man could gossip so much and constantly insult handsome young men as catamites. Turns out maybe he’s the catamite himself!”

The rumors became more absurd with every passing moment. The angrier Butcher Guo became at the crowd, the more detailed everyone made the story.

In the end, he could only glare hatefully at Fan Changyu.

“Just you wait!”

Fan Changyu could not even be bothered to spare him another glance.

“When your filthy mouth was spreading rumors about others, you sure didn’t mind being vicious. But now that people are gossiping about you, suddenly you know what discomfort feels like?”

With that, she carried her staff back into her butcher shop.

Listening to the endless gossip around him, Butcher Guo had no mood left to continue business for the day. He simply shut his doors and hid at home.

After returning to the shop, Fan Changyu looked somewhat apologetic toward Xie Zheng.

“Sorry. You’re about to leave, and you still got dragged into that nonsense from Guo.”

Xie Zheng had seen clearly how fiercely she defended him outside earlier. He only said, “It’s alright.”

But his gaze was somewhat complicated.

Fan Changyu said, “He’s only arrogant because he has an uncle serving as an advisor. Once the county magistrate’s term ends and he’s transferred away, that uncle of his won’t amount to anything!”

During the earlier confrontation, the cloth ties around her sleeves had come loose.

Frowning, she untied them and started wrapping them again. Wanting them tighter, she bit one end of the cloth strip between her teeth while awkwardly winding the rest around her sleeve with one hand.

Even though winter sleeves were narrower than summer robes, they were still inconvenient while working. Since she frequently chopped bones with heavy knives, she wrapped cloth tightly around her wrists for protection.

Seeing this, Xie Zheng took the cloth strip from her hand.

“I’ll help you.”

It sounded less like a request and more like a statement. Before Fan Changyu could respond, his other hand had already pinched the end of the cloth between her teeth.

“Let go.”

For a moment, Fan Changyu did not react. She blankly loosened her bite.

By the time she came back to her senses, Xie Zheng had already begun carefully folding and layering her sleeve before pressing lightly but firmly against her wrist and winding the cloth tighter little by little.

The sensation against her wrist became unusually distinct.

Fan Changyu unconsciously curled her fingertips slightly.

The cloth strip was dark blue-green. Wrapped around it were his long, slender fingers—pale yet sharply defined with strong joints. They were inexplicably beautiful.

His expression looked focused, yet he still asked casually, “When does your county magistrate’s term end?”

Fan Changyu had already felt the atmosphere turning somewhat strange, but his question eased the awkwardness.

“Calculating it out, his three-year term will be complete right after the New Year.”

Xie Zheng said, “Then that advisor’s good days are about to end.”

Under Great Yin law, county magistrates assigned outside the capital were rotated every three years. Usually they were transferred elsewhere; only those with major achievements could be promoted. If local citizens jointly petitioned for them to stay, they could remain in office.

When Fan Changyu asked why, Xie Zheng explained the official regulations. She suddenly understood and laughed.

“Then I’m even less afraid of that Guo fellow now!”

An advisor was merely a private strategist hired by the magistrate, not an actual government official paid by the court.

Since such advisors inevitably knew many of the magistrate’s dirty secrets, whenever a magistrate was transferred or promoted, he either brought his advisor along or paid him a sum of silver and forbade him from serving anyone else in the future.

Given the county magistrate’s conduct over these past years in Qingping County, there was no chance the people would ever submit a petition asking him to stay.

So whether he was promoted or demoted, he would not remain in Qingping County. Even if Butcher Guo’s uncle continued serving him as advisor, once they left the county, he naturally would no longer be able to throw his weight around here.

After Xie Zheng finished tying the cloth around her sleeve, he looked up and saw the bright, unrestrained smile on her face.

His eyes lowered slightly as he looked away.

“It’s done.”

Fan Changyu moved her wrist around and smiled broadly.

“It really is tighter than when I do it myself. Thanks!”

The lingering tightness around her wrist felt almost as though his hand was still resting there. Only after rubbing it a few times did the strange sensation fade somewhat.

Xie Zheng replied, “It was nothing.”

Fan Changyu glanced at the sky outside. “I need to hurry and deliver the goods to Yixiang Tower. I’ll leave the shop to you.”

Xie Zheng said, “Don’t worry.”

As Fan Changyu reached the doorway, she turned back to remind him, “If anyone comes to buy meat and we sell out, help me write down their orders if they want to reserve some.”

Xie Zheng nodded.

Only then did Fan Changyu leave with peace of mind. Yet even after climbing onto the ox cart, she could not help rubbing her wrist again lightly, though she could not quite pinpoint what felt strange about it.

—

The roads were slippery from snow, and it took Fan Changyu half an hour by cart to reach Yixiang Tower in the county town.

From far away, she could already see a crowd gathered outside the entrance. Faint crying drifted through the air, as though people were mourning the dead. The crowd was so packed the ox cart could not get through.

Fan Changyu had no choice but to climb down and ask one of the bystanders watching the commotion.

“What happened at Yixiang Tower?”

The auntie turned to glance at her. “Someone died after eating there. The family carried the coffin straight to the entrance this morning and came demanding justice!”

Fan Changyu’s heart skipped a beat.

She had worked at Yixiang Tower before and knew the ingredients there were always of the highest quality. Yu Qianqian had never been careless about food safety. How could someone suddenly die from eating there?

Grabbing the woman’s sleeve, she asked urgently, “When did this happen?”

Seeing how agitated she was, the woman answered, “Apparently yesterday at noon. The old man was eating there when he suddenly started foaming at the mouth. They immediately called a doctor, but he still didn’t survive. So early this morning, the family came here demanding compensation.”

Nearby, two men in felt hats clicked their tongues while eyeing Fan Changyu.

“They charge such outrageous prices and still serve food that kills people. That restaurant owner’s heart is black!”

“If the authorities don’t investigate properly, who’ll dare eat out in restaurants again?”

“I heard that female owner of Yixiang Tower uses crooked methods. Supposedly she adds something to the food that makes people addicted. Otherwise how could she suddenly open two restaurants within just a few years and still have such booming business? Maybe this time she added too much and killed someone!”

“In my opinion, a life for a life! They should arrest that woman and execute her. Just looking at her face, you can tell she’s not a proper woman!”

Listening to the two rat-faced men sneering at Yu Qianqian, Fan Changyu’s lips pressed into a thin line with anger.

After withdrawing from the crowd, she asked the elderly cart driver to wait in a less crowded area while she herself headed for the alley behind Yixiang Tower.

Entering through the back door, she found the kitchen nearly empty. The managers and waiters who usually received distinguished guests were all at the front arguing with the deceased man’s family.

After much difficulty, Fan Changyu finally spotted a waiter and hurriedly stopped him.

“Where’s Shopkeeper Yu?”

Thinking she was there to deliver braised meat, the waiter waved his hands repeatedly.

“Boss Fan, you’ve seen the situation outside yourself. We can’t accept your goods today.”

Fan Changyu replied, “I’m not here about that. What exactly happened with the person who died yesterday?”

The waiter looked deeply frustrated.

“Who knows? Yesterday one of the customers suddenly collapsed. The shopkeeper said it looked like epilepsy and immediately sent for a doctor. At first the family was even grateful. But after taking him home, the old man suddenly died during the night. Early this morning they brought the coffin here and demanded the restaurant pay with the old man’s life! Isn’t this obviously extortion?”

“The shopkeeper tried persuading them every way she could and even planned to spend money to settle the matter quietly, but they refused. They clearly came specifically to cause trouble. The shopkeeper suspects another restaurant is behind this. She reported it to the authorities, but no officers have shown up. So she personally went to the yamen to pull some strings, but she’s been gone quite a while and still hasn’t returned.”

Although Fan Changyu was not highly educated, she understood the principle that a tall tree catches the wind.

The banquet Yu Qianqian hosted a few days ago had been extremely successful. Yixiang Tower had become famous throughout the county and stolen plenty of business from other large restaurants. Naturally, people would become jealous. But using such despicable methods against Yu Qianqian was truly vile.

There were so many people gathered outside not only because the grieving family had brought a coffin to cause a scene, but also because everyone was condemning Yu Qianqian. Not a single person spoke in her defense. Some were even spreading rumors that Yixiang Tower put addictive substances in its dishes.

Immediately, Fan Changyu thought of the two rat-faced men in felt hats.

The way they echoed each other clearly showed they were deliberately inciting the ignorant crowd.

If they could not drive away the family with the coffin, then they should first silence the people fueling public outrage.

After thinking for a moment, Fan Changyu said to the waiter, “Gather a few more people. Change out of your uniforms and come outside with me.”

The waiter looked overwhelmed. “Sorry, Boss Fan. The restaurant really doesn’t have spare hands today…”

Fan Changyu interrupted him. “There are people outside deliberately smearing Yixiang Tower. Bring some men with me and we’ll drag them out.”

Hearing that, the waiter immediately went to gather people.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Fan Changyu led seven or eight waiters dressed in ordinary clothes out through the back door and back into the crowd.

After observing for a while, she noticed ordinary passersby usually watched for a bit before eventually leaving to attend to other matters.

Only one particular group—similar to those two felt-hat men—remained planted at the entrance the entire time. They shouted louder than anyone else. Whenever uninformed passersby asked what happened, they immediately launched into their story about Yixiang Tower adding addictive substances to the food.

Fan Changyu quickly identified them as the troublemakers and gave the waiters a look.

The waiters all regarded Yixiang Tower as their own home. How could they tolerate such slander? Following Fan Changyu’s instructions, they pretended to squeeze toward the center of the crowd, gradually pushing the troublemakers outward. The waiters behind them then hooked arms over their shoulders and dragged them away.

The men already felt guilty to begin with. The moment they were seized, they tried to shout. But Fan Changyu moved quickly and drove several heavy punches into their stomachs, successfully forcing their cries back down their throats.

When nearby citizens looked over suspiciously, Fan Changyu snarled viciously, “What are you staring at? Never seen a gambling den collect debts before?”

As she spoke, she kicked one of the felt-hat men.

“You little bastard! Run all you want! You think you can escape forever?”

The Yixiang Tower waiters stared blankly for a moment at the normally kind and approachable Boss Fan suddenly acting like a street tyrant while kicking people in public. Then they hurriedly joined in, dragging the men by their collars toward a corner while taking the opportunity to vent their own frustrations through punches and kicks.

“Debts must be repaid! Keep running and we’ll break your legs!”

The bystanders heard it was gambling debt collection. Seeing how shifty the men looked, everyone immediately backed away and dared not interfere.

The troublemakers still tried to yell, but filthy rags were soon stuffed into their mouths. They could only whimper as they were dragged into the courtyard behind Yixiang Tower and tied together like livestock.

Terrified, they stared at Fan Changyu and the Yixiang Tower waiters disguised as thugs.

Fan Changyu sat on a chair brought over by the waiters like some mountain bandit chief, idly playing with a boning knife in her hand.

The moment she raised her eyes, the sharp knife suddenly flew out.

It pierced straight through the felt hat of one of the men and pinned it firmly to the tree trunk behind him.

The blade still quivered.

This was the very man who had cursed Yu Qianqian the loudest earlier.

Fan Changyu had just opened her mouth to deliver a threatening line when she froze briefly.

Under the hat… the man was bald.

No wonder he wore a hat!

Without the hat covering him, the bald man’s scalp immediately felt icy under the winter wind. Remembering that a knife had just flown past his head moments ago, his face turned deathly pale.

Suppressing her momentary surprise, Fan Changyu resumed her fierce expression and demanded, “Who sent you to stir up trouble in front of Yixiang Tower?”

One rat-faced man beside the bald one sneered, “Nobody sent us. Yixiang Tower’s food killed someone. Aren’t people allowed to seek justice? You drag us here tied up like this—what, planning to kill us to silence everyone too? This isn’t a restaurant. It’s clearly a murderous black shop!”

Fan Changyu grew irritated just listening to his endless blabbering. He was exactly the same type of disgusting creature as Butcher Guo.

She grabbed the wooden mallet leaning nearby and slammed it three times against his forehead.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The crisp sounds were far more pleasing to hear.

The man was obviously stunned.

Fan Changyu barked viciously, “Did I give you permission to speak?”

The other bound hooligans swallowed hard and subtly shuffled away from him, shrinking themselves down in hopes of drawing less attention.

The man still wanted to continue talking, but after glancing at the mallet in Fan Changyu’s hand—and feeling the splitting ache in his forehead—he resentfully shut his mouth.

Fan Changyu snorted coldly.

“That tongue of yours is useless anyway. Men, drag him away and chop it up to feed the dogs!”

The Yixiang Tower waiters first exchanged confused looks, then immediately stepped forward. Two of them dragged the tightly bound hooligan toward the back courtyard.

Soon afterward came the sound of sharpening knives.

Then a heavy chopping sound on a cutting board.

Followed by the man’s miserable screams.

Moments later, even the screams stopped, leaving only muffled whimpers.

The remaining bound hooligans were so frightened their faces turned ashen.

Even Fan Changyu nearly lost her composure in the chair.

She had only been imitating scenes from storybooks to scare these people. Surely the waiters had not misunderstood her and actually cut out someone’s tongue?

Before long, one waiter returned carrying a tray.

On it lay a bloody piece of tongue.

“The bastard struggled too much,” the waiter reported to Fan Changyu. “We couldn’t pull out the whole thing, only cut off this part.”

The hooligans nearly wet themselves upon seeing the bloody chunk of flesh.

Fan Changyu, however, slaughtered pigs regularly and recognized it immediately as a piece of pig tongue. It was not even fresh. Someone had smeared chicken or duck blood over it to make it look convincing.

Relieved, she thought the Yixiang Tower waiters were surprisingly clever.

Maintaining her fierce expression, she ordered, “Bring a dog. Feed it to the dog!”

A waiter immediately brought over a wolfdog and tossed out the pig tongue. The dog instantly devoured it ravenously.

The hooligans watched in horror, gagging uncontrollably. Some even lost control of their bladders from fright.

Figuring they were terrified enough to tell the truth now, Fan Changyu glared at the bald man again.

“Speak. Who ordered you to come cause trouble at Yixiang Tower? If you lie even once, your tongues will feed the dogs too!”

The bald man gagged so hard tears streamed down his face.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! It was the servant beside Advisor He who hired us!”

Hearing this answer, Fan Changyu froze.

Why was it connected to that troublemaking Advisor He again?

She shouted, “You’re lying!”

Still tied up, the bald man repeatedly kowtowed toward her.

“Grandmother, I swear I’m not lying! It really was the advisor’s servant who hired us!”

Fan Changyu frowned. “Advisor He has no grudge against Yixiang Tower. Why would he order you to do this?”

The bald man cried miserably. “How would we know?”

The other hooligans also began crying and identifying Advisor He as the culprit.

“Let them go.”

A woman’s voice suddenly sounded from the moon gate entrance.

Fan Changyu looked up and saw Yu Qianqian standing there. She immediately rose from the chair.

“Shopkeeper Yu, you’re back?”

Yu Qianqian nodded. Though exhausted, she smiled gratefully at Fan Changyu.

“I just returned. I happened to overhear you interrogating them. Thank you, Sister Changyu.”

Fan Changyu replied, “I didn’t really help much.”

Yu Qianqian said, “This is already enough. Release them.”

She gestured for the waiters to untie the hooligans.

The man Fan Changyu had ordered dragged away earlier was also brought back out. His tongue had not actually been cut off. His mouth had simply been stuffed shut, and the earlier screams had clearly been fabricated somehow by Yu Qianqian’s people.

Confused, Fan Changyu asked, “Aren’t you taking them to court for confrontation?”

Yu Qianqian merely shook her head, exhaustion heavy in her expression.

Only after the hooligans had been escorted away did she speak.

“You already found out just now—it was Advisor He who instructed them.”

Fan Changyu frowned. “Did another restaurant bribe Advisor He in order to suppress Yixiang Tower?”

Yu Qianqian gave a bitter smile.

“It’s even worse than that.”

Fan Changyu had already thought that was the worst possibility. Hearing Yu Qianqian say it was worse left her unable to imagine further.

“What exactly happened?”

Yu Qianqian’s once perfectly smoothed bangs were now a mess from constantly running her hands through them.

Closing her eyes, she said quietly, “Yixiang Tower can’t be saved. It’s my fault too. I was too aggressive. If I hadn’t rushed to open a restaurant in the county last year, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened…”

In Fan Changyu’s impression, Yu Qianqian was always composed and confident. She rarely showed such helplessness.

“Our friendship may not be especially deep yet,” Fan Changyu said, “but you’ve helped me many times, and I haven’t forgotten it. I still don’t know exactly what trouble Yixiang Tower has run into, but if you need anything, my family has some connection with Constable Wang from the county office. I can go ask him for help and see whether he can assist Yixiang Tower.”

Yu Qianqian shook her head.

“It’s useless.”

She clasped Fan Changyu’s hand and forced out a smile.

“I appreciate your intentions. I’ve spent half the day visiting every connection I could. If there were any solution, I wouldn’t be sitting here waiting to die. Don’t go asking Constable Wang either—you’d only drag trouble onto him.”

Fan Changyu could sense her exhaustion.

Even she herself had never imagined Yixiang Tower could collapse into disaster overnight like this.

“I still can’t understand what kind of trouble Yixiang Tower got involved in,” she said. “The old man who died yesterday—I heard from the waiters he foamed at the mouth because of epilepsy. How can that possibly be blamed on the restaurant’s food? If this goes to court, there are doctors who can testify.”

Yu Qianqian looked at her and asked quietly, “Do you know who Advisor He works for?”

Fan Changyu answered with two words.

“The county magistrate?”

Yu Qianqian nodded tiredly.

“The highest official in all Qingping County wants to seize my property. In court, right and wrong are whatever he says they are. What ordinary commoner dares oppose an official?”

Fan Changyu said, “Then take the case to Jizhou Prefecture. The magistrate may be the highest authority in Qingping County, but outside this county, what is he worth?”

Yu Qianqian still shook her head, pain flashing across her face.

“I heard rumors from the households of noble ladies and realized the magistrate was behind this. I immediately sent guards by carriage toward Jizhou Prefecture. But just before I returned…”

Her voice trembled.

“Someone delivered something.”

“It was one of my guard’s severed fingers. Officials and bandits have joined forces. Every road leading to Jizhou Prefecture has been blocked by mountain bandits.”

Only now did Fan Changyu truly understand what it meant for someone to wield overwhelming power.

What Yu Qianqian faced now was even more hopeless than when Fan Da tried to seize her inheritance.

The authorities had already spread rumors claiming Yixiang Tower put strange substances in its food. Coincidentally, an old man had died after eating there. The government could easily declare the restaurant guilty, confiscate all Yu Qianqian’s assets, and even arrest her.

Suddenly, Fan Changyu remembered what Xie Zheng had previously said about military grain collection in Jizhou Prefecture.

She immediately said, “Alone, you’re definitely powerless. But if the entire population of Qingping County opposes the magistrate, then neither blocked roads nor yamen runners can suppress us!”

Yu Qianqian asked, “What do you mean?”

Fan Changyu replied, “Jizhou Prefecture is collecting military grain. Our county charges one dan of grain per person, and if you can’t pay grain, you pay silver instead. Qingping County has over one hundred thousand people. That means this single county alone can be forced to hand over more than one hundred thousand dan of grain. Jizhou Prefecture wouldn’t drive the people to starvation like this. The magistrate is clearly using the situation to extort wealth!”

But when Yu Qianqian heard this, her expression changed drastically.

She muttered, “The magistrate isn’t extorting wealth… At this critical moment before his transfer, he suddenly squeezes so much silver from the common people while targeting my Yixiang Tower. Even if he can hide it temporarily, someone would eventually expose him. Whether transferred or promoted, he still wouldn’t escape punishment.”

A horrifying realization dawned in her eyes.

“Perhaps… Yixiang Tower was only the chicken killed to scare the monkeys. The wealthy merchants of all Qingping County are his real target!”

She looked at Fan Changyu, her face deathly pale.

“Chongzhou borders Jizhou. The magistrate… is trying to defect to the rebel king!”