From sunrise, Fangu City was bustling with activity, like a pot of boiling water. The herders from various tribes of the grasslands who had come to Fangu City to trade all wore joyful expressions. Trading in Fangu City was reassuring and reassuring because a strict Han Chinese general had established rigorous trading rules, simple yet effective, which could be summarized in four words:
Fair Trade.
The herders exchanged their goods, gold, silver, and jade for tea, salt, and thick, beautiful Shu brocade from the Sui Dynasty merchants, each getting what they needed.
Generally, trading ended around noon. During the time before the city gates closed at nightfall, the herders would quickly flock to their preferred places for entertainment. Some would go to teahouses to pretend to be Han Chinese, enjoying tea and listening to storytelling; others would gamble shirtless in casinos; still others would go to the Red Sleeve Pavilion to watch the dazzling and beautiful dances.
If you're lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of Xi Zhuxin, the top figure at Hongxiuzhao, performing her flowing sleeve dance.
Legend has it that a prince from a small tribe was so captivated by Xi Zhuxin's dance that he ordered his men to bring a huge chest full of gold, silver, and jade to buy her back to his tribe. He was laughed at, called a country bumpkin from a small place.
A chest full of gold, silver, and jade to buy Xi Zhuxin… it's certainly laughable.
Enraged, the tribal prince ordered his men to seize her. Dozens of strong steppe warriors rushed forward, ready to fight, but the lame old man guarding Hongxiuzhao single-handedly took them all down. That day, people realized for the first time that appearances can be deceiving; the seemingly frail old man had broken at least three bones in each of the dozens of burly steppe warriors with just his right hand.
And he only threw one punch at each of them, and the whole thing took less than a minute.
The border soldiers who arrived later dragged all the troublemaking steppe people away without explanation, took them to the foot of Wolf Milk Mountain, and beheaded them all while they faced Nirvana City from afar. But everyone knew that the wolf riders from Nirvana City would never come to rescue these errant herders. This was an agreement reached between Emperor Yang Yi of the Sui Dynasty and Möngke Khan of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty: any herders who entered Fangu City and committed a crime would be punished by the Sui Dynasty.
Often, after the Sui border troops withdrew, the wolf riders from Nirvana City would come to collect the bodies. They would find a random spot on Wolf Milk Mountain and abandon the corpses, leaving them to be devoured by wolves and vultures.
It is said that later, the Ejin of that small tribe went to the Mongol Yuan court because he was a relative of Huixiu Khatun, the wife of Möngke Khan. Without Möngke Khan's permission, Huixiu Khatun directly ordered the Golden Horde guards to drag the troublemaking Ejin out and whip him one hundred times. The unfortunate Ejin, severely wounded, was attacked by bandits on his way home and died a gruesome death.
Of course, everyone knew what the bandit was all about.
Huixiu Khatun wouldn't allow anyone to tarnish her reputation; she knew what the Great Khan Möngke hated most.
Normally, by the time the sun was nearly due south, the herdsmen would have all gone off to relax. But today was clearly different. A considerable number of Han Chinese merchants and grassland herdsmen were still gathered in the market, their hearts trembling at the shocking scene.
Horses!
Someone actually came to Fangu City to sell horses!
Since His Majesty the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty and the Great Khan Möngke signed the agreement, trade between the two sides had indeed flourished. However, two things were absolutely forbidden; if discovered, the merchant or herdsman would be immediately executed.
Han Chinese from the Central Plains were absolutely forbidden from selling ironware to the grassland people.
Grassland people were absolutely forbidden from selling horses, especially warhorses, to the Han Chinese from the Central Plains.
Of course, as the transactions dragged on, the border troops enforcing the law in Fangu City often turned a blind eye. For example, merchants from the Central Plains would sell inferior iron pots to the nomads, and the nomads would sell weak, cart-pulling horses to the Han Chinese. Such transactions, conducted covertly, went unpunished.
But today was clearly different.
The merchant, dressed in a filthy fur robe, was selling over five hundred horses—warhorses perfectly suited to equip an army!
The reason the border troops hadn't arrested him was because of his unusual identity.
He wasn't a pure Mongol nomad; he was a Northern Liao person.
The Northern Liao wasn't even a country, but a large semi-nomadic tribe living near the grasslands and the Ten Thousand Mountains. Their population was less than one percent of the Mongol Empire's, and they didn't border the Sui Dynasty, separated by a vast expanse of grassland belonging to the Mongol Empire. The Northern Liao people were extremely fierce and warlike, and their long-term residence in the frigid lands of the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River had forged their resilient and courageous character. Although their warriors were few in number, even the wolf cavalry were hesitant to provoke them.
The Northern Liao was a vassal state of the Mongol Yuan Empire.
The Northern Liao and the Sui Dynasty had no direct trade relations.
This was the most troublesome aspect.
Northern Liao envoys had visited the Sui capital, Chang'an, several times to meet with the Sui emperor, expressing their willingness to submit. However, the emperor never granted them an audience, merely instructing the Ministry of Rites to treat them well. The Northern Liao envoys always received generous rewards upon departure. The court's attitude towards the Northern Liao remained ambiguous.
Therefore, Emperor Xiaozong was deeply troubled.
If this matter was not handled properly, it might escalate into a conflict.
Standing atop the two-story wooden building housing the market offices, Li Xiaozong waved his hand angrily, saying, "Clear out all those onlookers, Han Chinese and herdsmen alike, leave no one behind... Close the market! And... send someone to fetch Fang Jie, quickly!"
...
...
Red Sleeve Pavilion, Red Sleeve Banner.
No one knew why such a talented song and dance troupe as Red Sleeve Banner would choose to settle in the small town of Fangu. And no one doubted that a troupe with such talent could quickly establish itself in Chang'an, and might even become the leading song and dance troupe there.
Fangu was too small, too remote. Even if you planted a phoenix tree, how could you attract a golden phoenix?
For Fangu, Red Sleeve Banner was indeed a golden phoenix.
Although they had settled in Fangu for a year and a half, the origins of Red Sleeve Banner remained a mystery. No one knew where they came from, nor why they were content to live in this remote and desolate place.
Although there was a Red Sleeve Pavilion here, there was no doubt that even its luxuriousness couldn't match the celestial beauty of these women. Even Li Xiaozong, the border general, was still baffled as to what madness had possessed the owner of the Red Sleeve Pavilion to actually stay. And what was most intriguing was who set the rule that the Red Sleeve Pavilion only performed songs and dances and didn't entertain guests.
On the second floor of the Red Sleeve Pavilion, directly opposite the stage, there was a private room that was always reserved for someone. Whether that person came or not, no one else was allowed to enter this room. Even the head of the Red Sleeve Pavilion wouldn't easily enter this room, not even the owner of the Red Sleeve Pavilion, Fang Jie… Not even that.
The pavilion was built by Fang Jie, and the land deed was in his name.
But he had neither the right nor the power to enter that private room directly opposite the stage. Not only him, but even Li Xiaozong, the border general, had neither the right nor the power to enter this private room. Once, Li Xiaozong tried to enter, but he found that no matter which way he went, he couldn't avoid the old cripple.
Fang Jie had always been curious about who this private room was reserved for.
Even his closest maid, Xiao Dingdian, wouldn't tell him, saying it was a strict order from the Xi family. There were two Xi families in Hongxiuzhao: one was the head of Hongxiuzhao, Madam Xi, and the other was naturally Xi Zhuxin, who could dance the flowing sleeve dance. Xi Zhuxin wasn't Madam Xi's daughter, but she shared her surname, Xi.
While idly watching the performances at Hongxiuzhao, Fang Jie couldn't help but glance back at the private room on the second floor, shaking his head and asking Xiao Dingdian, who was sitting beside him eating melon seeds, "Really not going to reveal anything?"
Xiao Dingdian was indeed a little girl, only twelve or thirteen years old. With rosy lips and white teeth, she was a striking beauty. Although young, she was already unbelievably beautiful. It was said that she was currently learning dance from Xi Zhuxin and had a high chance of becoming Hongxiuzhao's next star performer.
She was Madam Xi's personal maid, naturally holding a position far above that of a maid.
The girls in the entire brothel spoke to Xiao Dingdian with utmost politeness. Not to mention, their monthly dividends were all distributed through Xiao Dingdian's hands. From this alone, Xiao Dingdian's status in the Red Sleeve Pavilion was self-evident.
The little girl wore a pale yellow velvet dress, looking extremely cute.
While cracking sunflower seeds, she shook her head and said very seriously, "Didn't I tell you? This is the last thing you can talk about in this brothel. If Aunt Xi finds out I've been gossiping, she'll definitely spank me."
"A sore bottom can heal, but curiosity can't be suppressed."
Xiao Dingdian rolled her eyes at him and spat, "How can you be so heartless? You only care about your own curiosity, not my bottom?"
After saying this, she suddenly realized something and blushed.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Dingdian suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Fang Juexiao, you're always coming to this building, have you got your eye on some girl?"
Fang Jie was taken aback, then smiled knowingly.
"Tell me, which one? You seem like a nice guy, always bringing me treats when you come. I might play matchmaker for you... If it works out, it wouldn't be a bad deal for any girl to be with you, since you're a rich man. And you seem like a good guy, a loyal one."
Fang Jie was deeply shocked: "Are you pimping...?"
"I won't take your money," Xiao Dingdian said seriously.
"Sigh..."
Fang Jie sighed, "Fortresses are always breached from within. What if I told you I've taken a liking to you?"
Little Dingdian was terrified, her face turning cold as she pointed at Fang Jie's nose and cursed, "Shameless!"
Fang Jie chuckled, "What kind of thinking is that? I can pick any other girl, but not you? If Aunt Xi finds out, she'll spank you."
"You...please don't tell anyone, okay?"
Little Dingdian's momentum immediately weakened.
"Fine, then tell me, who's that private room reserved for?"
"No way!"
"I'm going to see Aunt Xi right now and tell her you're a pimp!"
"No..."
"Will you tell or not?"
"Yes...yes...ah!"
Little Dingdian suddenly screamed, as if someone had suddenly touched her buttocks. Of course, no one in the Red Sleeve Pavilion dared to touch her buttocks; she was genuinely frightened. Fang Jie turned back, puzzled, wanting to see what had frightened the carefree little girl so much.
"It's...it's him."
The little girl trembled as she looked at the doorway, her face filled with disbelief: "He really came...he really came!"
A man stood in the doorway.
A man Fang Jie would never forget after just one glance.
He wore a faded blue robe, his long hair casually tied back. His eyebrows were like distant mountains, his eyes like the sun and moon; he looked extremely clean and refreshing, his expression calm, his gaze indifferent. He was the type who could instantly captivate a group of young girls, around thirty years old, exuding a mature charm. Although he wasn't extremely handsome, nor was he extremely muscular.
He had a scholarly air, a touch of unconventional freedom.
But judging from his attire, he didn't seem like a wealthy man. What convinced Fang Jie was...this man had entered empty-handed, without bringing anything.
What man would enter Hongxiuzhao empty-handed? Without carrying a bundle of silver, one wouldn't even dare to step into the Red Sleeve Inn!
Of course, Fang Jie often came to freeload tea, posing as the landlord.
Seemingly sensing Fang Jie's gaze, the seemingly ordinary but undeniably handsome middle-aged man slowly shifted his gaze as well. He glanced at Fang Jie indifferently, then suddenly raised an eyebrow, couldn't help but look again, and then let out a very soft "Eh."
"Such domineering methods!"