The northern wind poured in through the window, dispersing the steam rising from the teacup and making the handsome, refined face of the man seated opposite even clearer. His cold phoenix eyes were so sharp that few dared meet them directly.

“You went to such lengths just to see me, Young Master Zhao, only to say these things?”

The richly dressed man knew Xie Zheng was referring to his earlier declaration of loyalty. For a moment, he wondered if mentioning the Marquis’s wife had touched a taboo and hurriedly replied, “Of course not.”

He immediately handed over a brocade box. Seeing that Xie Zheng had no intention of opening it himself, he opened it and presented its contents with the practiced smile unique to merchants.

“I wonder if this is enough sincerity?”

Xie Zheng merely glanced at it lightly. “Gold and silver are useless to me.”

The man fell silent for a breath before suddenly standing and giving Xie Zheng a deep bow.

“I, Zhao Xun, am merely a merchant and naturally unworthy of entering the Marquis’s eyes. But last Lantern Festival, when my younger sister first entered the capital, Wei Xuan abducted her from the lantern fair and she died miserably in his bedchamber…”

His eyes reddened, tears and snot nearly streaming down his face.

“If I do not avenge this hatred, I’ll have no face to meet my parents in the underworld.”

Only then did Xie Zheng truly look at Zhao Xun.

“The fact that you found me and even know that I’ve fallen out with the Wei father and son means you do possess some capability.”

Zhao Xun quickly replied that he dared not accept such praise.

“The Zhao family business isn’t especially large, but it isn’t small either. Our trade stretches across several major prefectures, and we have dealings with government offices, so we hear more rumors than most. Since Wei Xuan took over Huizhou, many of the Marquis’s important generals have been demoted and sent to remote frontier regions. Meanwhile, in the capital, the scholars raised under Wei Yan have been writing articles condemning the Marquis on a massive scale. That’s when I noticed something was wrong.”

“I guessed the Marquis had encountered trouble and had people secretly searching for traces of you, though we found nothing. Coincidentally, a few days ago, the main city of Jizhou arrested a large number of refugees. Some soldiers from Huizhou came specifically carrying portraits, seemingly searching for someone among those refugees. I used some methods to obtain one of those portraits from the Huizhou soldiers. Looking at the person in the portrait, so heroic and imposing, I guessed the one they were seeking must be the Marquis.”

At this point, Zhao Xun’s face showed delight.

“Heaven truly pitied me. Recently, one of the Zhao family bookstores acquired a batch of essays. The shopkeeper praised one of them as a masterpiece of rare brilliance. After reading it, I found every line exquisite and assumed it had been written by some talented scholar from a humble background, so I specially came to visit. Who would’ve thought the Marquis himself was here!”

Xie Zheng’s long fingers continued tapping leisurely against the redwood table, but he said nothing. The dull knocking sounds echoed in a way that made one’s heart uneasy.

Zhao Xun’s explanation had thoroughly clarified how he found him.

When writing those essays, Xie Zheng had deliberately disguised his handwriting. The fact that Zhao Xun still managed to track him down really did seem like coincidence.

For a long time, Xie Zheng remained silent. Zhao Xun appeared increasingly uneasy, yet he held his composure and didn’t say anything further.

He looked like someone capable of accomplishing things.

Xie Zheng half-lifted his eyelids and finally spoke.

“Convert the banknotes in that brocade box into two hundred thousand shi of grain before spring arrives.”

At first, Zhao Xun looked stunned, then immense joy spread across his face. Earlier, Xie Zheng had said gold and silver were useless to him. Now, by telling him to exchange the banknotes for grain, he was clearly giving him a path forward.

Normally, however, the court requisitioned grain during autumn, and grain merchants also purchased grain then since it was harvest season. The people had no shortage of grain at that time, making prices cheap.

Now it was the end of the twelfth lunar month. The common people certainly still had surplus grain, though buying now would cost slightly more than during harvest season. That itself wasn’t an issue.

But the northwest had never been a rich grain-producing region. If they bought up two hundred thousand shi before spring, and the next autumn harvest was still far away, then should war break out again, stationed troops would have no grain left to requisition locally.

Thinking this through, Zhao Xun’s heart pounded violently.

He immediately cupped his hands and said, “Zhao Xun will absolutely not fail the Marquis’s trust!”

Seeing Xie Zheng dressed plainly, Zhao Xun tried to ingratiate himself further.

“How about I prepare another residence for the Marquis and Madam and arrange some servants for your use?”

Xie Zheng looked at him calmly. The scrutiny and pressure hidden beneath that calmness made Zhao Xun bend even lower.

“Do not try to be clever.”

Zhao Xun no longer dared mention buying a residence or servants and spoke even more cautiously.

“Then… shall I send someone to escort the Marquis back?”

He had personally gone to fetch him from the alley in the western district earlier.

Xie Zheng recalled Fan Chang Yu leading a group of street hooligans through the streets earlier. His brows drew together slightly as he refused.

“No need.”

His beautiful yet sharp phoenix eyes swept toward the richly dressed merchant before him.

“Focus on carrying out the tasks I assigned you. Pretend you know nothing about my presence here. If word leaks out…”

Zhao Xun hurriedly said, “I wouldn’t dare. Zhao merely came to Lin’an Town today to meet a talented scholar of humble origins. Unfortunately, the scholar’s whereabouts were uncertain, so Zhao never met him. As for purchasing grain, Zhao simply saw how profitable grain merchants are and wanted a share of the profits.”

The corners of Xie Zheng’s eyes lifted slightly.

This truly was a smart man. He understood with only a hint.

“You may leave.”

Only then did Zhao Xun bow and withdraw.

After the room door closed again, Xie Zheng slowly shut his eyes amid the steam rising from the boiling water on the clay stove. His exquisite features blurred beneath the mist, leaving only the murderous aura in his eyes, stripped of their usual laziness.

This Zhao Xun had appeared far too coincidentally.

But one thing was certain for now: he was not one of the Wei father and son’s people. Otherwise, officials would have come instead of someone pretending loyalty and speaking these words to him.

The two hundred thousand shi of grain was the touchstone Xie Zheng had set.

If Zhao Xun truly could be used by him, then with that grain, his future plans would become much easier.

If Zhao Xun had ulterior motives, then after the grain would come an even larger trap waiting for both him and the master behind him.

Voices drifted in from outside the private room.

“Come on, let’s go watch the excitement! I heard Wang Family Braised Meat Shop got jealous of Fan Family Meat Shop’s business and smashed up their place. Now the Fan family’s gone to make trouble at the Wang shop!”

Someone sighed.

“The Wang family’s been a respected old establishment for a hundred years. They’d really stoop so low?”

“What won’t people do for business?”

Xie Zheng halted his thoughts and opened his eyes. By the time he stood, his legs moved as steadily as a normal person’s. Only after leaving the private room did he pick up his cane again.

—

A huge crowd had already gathered outside Wang Family Braised Meat Shop.

The shop assistants looked at Fan Chang Yu, then at the fierce-looking Jin Lao San and the others standing behind her with crossed arms. Their legs trembled, and even their voices shook.

“Wh… what business do you all have here?”

Seeing the assistant’s face turn pale with fright, Fan Chang Yu frowned slightly.

She hadn’t come to beat anyone up the moment she arrived. She was here to reason things out and demand an explanation. So why were the shop assistants this terrified?

Could it be guilty conscience?

She said, “Call your shopkeeper out. I’m here to demand an explanation today.”

The assistant stammered, “The… the shopkeeper isn’t in the store.”

Fan Chang Yu’s brows rose sharply.

“He dared send people to smash things in my shop, but now he’s hiding like a turtle?”

Behind her, Jin Lao San and the others immediately snorted heavily through their noses, frightening the assistant so badly his face turned ashen.

Fan Chang Yu turned back and glanced at Jin Lao San, the corner of her eye twitching slightly.

She’d brought these people here to confront them. Why did it suddenly look like she’d brought them to wreck the place?

The assistant said shakily, “We’ve already sent someone to notify the shopkeeper. Whatever the matter is, w-wait until the shopkeeper arrives.”

After speaking, he tremblingly brought over a grand chair for Fan Chang Yu to sit on and even carried out a brazier for her to warm herself.

Fan Chang Yu glanced at the expressions of the assistants and surrounding onlookers and also began feeling something was strange.

Why did it seem like she was the female tyrant coming to bully people?

Still, since they’d brought out both a chair and a brazier, and the weather was so cold, there was no reason not to sit and warm herself while waiting.

Not long after, Shopkeeper Wang arrived, dragging his obese body over while sweating profusely.

As a businessman, he had always valued harmony and profit. The moment he saw Fan Chang Yu, he plastered on a smile.

“Miss Fan, I’ve already heard from the assistants about what happened at your shop. The Wang family signboard has been passed down from my ancestors. I, Wang, would never use such methods to bully an orphaned girl…”

As he spoke, he glanced at Jin Lao San and the others behind Fan Chang Yu. Though his tone remained polite, his posture carried faint contempt.

“Miss Fan, are you certain there isn’t some misunderstanding in believing these people’s one-sided claims?”

Fan Chang Yu sat firmly in the grand chair without moving, merely casting Jin Lao San a sidelong glance.

“You speak.”

Jin Lao San immediately said, “There’s an assistant at your Wang shop called Chunsheng. Yesterday he brought five taels of silver to the tavern in the east district and hired us brothers to cause trouble at Fan Family Shop. The people at the tavern can testify.”

The moment Shopkeeper Wang heard the assistant’s name, his expression changed. His attitude also softened somewhat.

“That assistant is my eldest son’s personal servant. Please wait a moment, Miss Fan. I’ll call my eldest son over and question him directly.”

The Wang family’s young master was infamous throughout Lin’an Town as a wastrel. A house full of concubines still wasn’t enough for him; he spent his days indulging in brothels and pleasure houses.

This time, the Wang shop assistants had practically dug him out of a brothel and dragged him back.

Even upon returning, he remained drunk, his clothes disheveled. Only after his father forced a bowl of sobering soup down his throat did he become slightly clearer-headed.

In front of Fan Chang Yu, Shopkeeper Wang angrily demanded, “You worthless son! Did you send people to smash up Fan Family Shop?”

The Wang family young master’s swollen fish-like eyes swept over Fan Chang Yu, sizing her up repeatedly before he sneered.

“Oh? So you really are quite pretty. Sleeping with that old bastard Chef Li to steal our family’s business with Yixiang Tower, and you still dare come knocking at our door? Your skin’s even thicker than a prostitute’s.”

It was common knowledge that Yixiang Tower often purchased famous dishes from elsewhere to serve in their restaurant.

The female owner had her own methods of doing business. Others claimed her approach would only lead to losses, yet after gathering the strengths of various establishments, Yixiang Tower’s business far surpassed the rigidly traditional restaurants.

After all, the people wealthy enough to dine there were local gentry and rich merchants. Famous foods in town came from only a handful of shops, and usually servants had to make several trips to buy them separately. But at Yixiang Tower, diners could not only enjoy the restaurant’s signature dishes but also order famous local specialties directly from the servers.

Thus, whether they sold pastries or braised meats, shops throughout town considered it an honor to partner with Yixiang Tower.

Hearing the Wang young master’s words, the expressions on the surrounding crowd instantly became varied—shock, disbelief, and enjoyment of the drama alike.

Their gazes continuously swept toward Fan Chang Yu.

She certainly was beautiful, but with such a fierce personality… people might believe she robbed others by force, but to say she’d carried on an affair for business…

The crowd collectively shivered.

Who among them had a death wish to even fantasize about her? Anyone who had seen her slaughter pigs and chop meat wouldn’t dare harbor such thoughts.

Even Shopkeeper Wang widened his eyes and shouted, “You worthless son! What nonsense are you spewing?”

The Wang young master remained unconcerned. Having bullied men and women throughout town for years, he didn’t take Fan Chang Yu seriously at all.

“Father, our family already lost the Yixiang Tower business anyway, so why won’t you let me say it? Are you afraid of offending that old bastard Chef Li?”

His gaze swept obscenely over Fan Chang Yu.

“You slept with such an old—”

A loud bang exploded.

Jin Lao San and the others turned to look.

The thick chopping board displaying braised meat outside the Wang shop had been kicked over by Fan Chang Yu with a single strike. The board couldn’t withstand the force and split open with a huge hole. Braised meat scattered everywhere, while the drunken Wang young master was pinned beneath half the board.

Jin Lao San and the little hooligans stared at the massive hole punched through the iron pearwood and collectively swallowed.

They quietly edged backward, thinking that when this terrifying woman had dealt with them before, she’d actually been holding back.

If she’d used this much strength then, several of their bones would probably have shattered. They might still be bedridden now.

The Wang young master screamed in pain and shouted at the two servants beside him, “Are you dead? Hurry and pull me up!”

The servants glanced at the black iron bone-cleaving knife Fan Chang Yu had drawn. Behind her, Jin Lao San’s group were cracking their knuckles, clearly eager for a fight.

Neither servant dared step forward. Instead, they retreated two shaky steps.

Seeing this situation, sweat streamed down Shopkeeper Wang’s forehead. The sight of Fan Chang Yu holding the knife terrified him too.

“Miss Fan! My son spoke recklessly. I’ll definitely discipline this unfilial child properly. Please don’t be angry…”

Fan Chang Yu ignored him completely.

She stomped heavily onto the chopping board again. The board, which normally required two men to carry, gained another giant hole beneath her foot. The Wang young master foamed at the mouth and rolled his eyes on the spot.

The surrounding crowd gasped in shock. Some timid women even covered their eyes with their sleeves, afraid Fan Chang Yu would chop the Wang young master’s head off in the next second.

Shopkeeper Wang pointed at her with trembling fingers.

“Y-you… are you trying to kill someone?”

Fan Chang Yu shot him a glance and sneered.

“How could I kill someone? Murder gets you thrown into prison. At most, I’ll cut out your precious son’s tongue and make him chew it up and swallow it himself so he stops wagging it around spreading nonsense.”

Shopkeeper Wang nearly collapsed from fright. Only the support of several servants kept him from crumpling to the ground. His face pale, he pointed at Fan Chang Yu, stammering “You…” repeatedly without managing a complete sentence.

The Wang young master pinned beneath the board finally realized fear. His face turned deathly pale as he cried toward his father.

“Dad, save me…”

Shopkeeper Wang trembled.

“Report to the authorities! Hurry and report this!”

The Wang family servants tried to leave, but Jin Lao San’s group blocked them.

“So only your family’s allowed to bully others, but others can’t come seek justice?”

Fan Chang Yu heavily slapped the Wang young master’s disgusting fat face with the side of her cleaver.

“Tell me. Since when did I steal Yixiang Tower’s business from you?”

The knife in her hand was heavy and cold. Because it had spent years chopping bones and slicing meat, a bloody scent lingered permanently on its blade. Half the Wang young master’s face went numb from being struck with it. His entire body shook violently.

“Th-the Wang family’s braised meat business with Yixiang Tower stopped. I heard… heard Chef Li recommended your family’s braised meat…”

Fan Chang Yu sneered.

“And just because of that, you spread rumors about me?”

The women in the crowd hadn’t expected that after all the filthy accusations the Wang young master had thrown around, this was the entire truth.

A woman’s reputation was incredibly important. He’d clearly intended to drive her to ruin.

Several women spat at him furiously.

“What a piece of trash! Seeing Fan Family Shop’s braised meat business booming, he started attacking the girl’s reputation?”

“So that’s why Chef Li hasn’t gone to Fan Family Shop to buy meat lately. He was avoiding suspicion because of this black-hearted bastard’s rumors!”

“The Wang family is wealthy and powerful, bullying an orphan girl. They’ve truly lost all shame!”

“He spends every day in brothels, so naturally his brain can only think about such filthy things!”

“If you ask me, Wang Family Shop just bullies customers because they’re a big establishment. Their food tastes worse and worse nowadays. Once I even bought spoiled meat there! No wonder Yixiang Tower stopped buying braised meat from them!”

Listening to the discussions around him, Shopkeeper Wang’s face flushed with humiliation. He stomped furiously.

“You worthless son! Worthless son!”

The Wang young master cried so hard snot bubbles formed.

“Please let me go! I’ll give you money! Lots and lots of money! I know your family desperately needs it…”

Fan Chang Yu said nothing. Her eyes turned fierce as she suddenly hurled the cleaver toward the ground.

The surrounding crowd erupted in screams and commotion.

Shopkeeper Wang nearly fainted from terror, while the Wang young master shrieked miserably.

Crack!

The knife didn’t strike the Wang young master. Instead, it sliced directly past his scalp, severing his hair crown and a chunk of his hair. The blade embedded itself deep into the stone pavement, trembling violently.

Only after a long while did the Wang young master recover his senses. His face was as pale as a corpse’s, and a foul smell spread beneath him as yellow liquid seeped from under the board.

Supported by servants, Shopkeeper Wang gasped for breath in huge gulps.

Feeling the lingering chill against his scalp, the Wang young master had completely lost his courage. Forgetting all dignity, he burst into tears with snot and tears smeared all over his face.

“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

Shopkeeper Wang had only this one useless son. Nearly crying himself, he begged:

“Miss Fan, my son spoke recklessly and damaged your reputation. I will discipline this unfilial child properly. Another day I’ll personally bring gifts to your residence to apologize. The ancients said cutting hair could substitute for cutting off the head. Since you’ve already cut his hair, please show mercy and spare him!”

Fan Chang Yu retrieved her knife and coldly stared at the Wang young master.

“If I ever see you again, you’re finished.”

With that, she turned and left, carrying her knife without another glance at the Wang father and son.

The Wang young master had bullied men and women for years. Fan Chang Yu teaching him a lesson today was immensely satisfying.

The surrounding townspeople even cheered and applauded.

“Well done!”

“Good thing she’s Fan Tiger’s daughter. If this had happened to anyone else, they’d have cried to heaven and earth with no one to help them!”

“Exactly! There was a village girl from Liu Village who was incredibly pretty. This Wang young master got her pregnant, and when the Wang family refused to acknowledge it, the poor girl threw herself into the river!”

“That’s only what became public. Who knows how many evil things he’s done in secret? And honestly, the Wang family’s braised meat isn’t even as good as Fan Family Shop’s. Fan Family Shop uses freshly slaughtered meat every day. Who knows what kind of meat the Wang family uses!”

Hearing the surrounding criticism and pointing fingers, Shopkeeper Wang’s old face nearly dragged to the ground in shame.

The board pinning the Wang young master was finally lifted away by two grunting servants. The grown man burst into tears toward his father.

“Dad…”

Instead of comfort, the furious Shopkeeper Wang kicked him twice.

“You useless thing! Fooling around in brothels every day was bad enough, but you had to pull something like this too! The Wang family’s reputation has been completely ruined by you today!”

—

Fan Chang Yu no longer cared about what happened afterward at Wang Family Shop.

Having vented her anger, she was about to head home when someone suddenly called out behind her.

“Miss Fan, please wait.”

Fan Chang Yu turned around in confusion and saw a man with a small mustache walking toward her.

“Miss Fan truly possesses remarkable skills. I’m a manager from Hui Xian Bank. Would Miss Fan be interested in working for our bank?”

“A bank?” Fan Chang Yu frowned. “What would I even do there?”

The manager smiled cheerfully.

“Debt collection.”

Fan Chang Yu: “…”

Meanwhile, Jin Lao San and the others immediately rubbed their hands eagerly.

“Miss Fan, if you take debt collection jobs, we’ll follow you from now on!”

Fan Chang Yu glared at them.

“Didn’t you all say you wanted to make an honest living?”

Jin Lao San and the others instantly shrank their necks and dared not utter another word.

Fan Chang Yu declined the manager’s offer. The manager didn’t insist. Before leaving, he merely handed her a paper listing all the benefits of working as an enforcer for Hui Xian Bank.

“There’s no need to rush your answer, Miss Fan. You can think it over.”

Holding the paper in her hand, Fan Chang Yu felt rather conflicted.

Exactly what sort of person had she become in the eyes of the townspeople?

She sighed and turned to head back, only to see someone standing at the street corner ahead.

Snow drifted through the air. His wide robes fluttered open in the wind. Behind him bustled the lively marketplace, while his cool, indifferent eyes regarded her with an indescribably subtle expression.

Fan Chang Yu glanced down at the paper in her hand that clearly mentioned debt collection and instinctively blurted out:

“I didn’t go rob people.”

The moment Jin Lao San and the others saw Xie Zheng, their scalps instantly tightened.

In unison, they shouted:

“Greetings, Young Master!”

Xie Zheng: “…”

Fan Chang Yu: “…”

It somehow felt even harder to explain now.