After a long silence, the Emperor let out a long sigh and looked at the landlady, asking, "Are you trying to deliberately provoke me? What good will that do you? Do you really think I wouldn't dare to touch you?"
As he spoke, Su Buwei, the eunuch who had been standing bowed behind the Emperor, took a small step forward. Although still standing behind the Emperor, the landlady's eyes narrowed slightly. This eunuch was easily overlooked in the room, but when he took a step forward, no one could ignore him.
Even the landlady couldn't.
"Your Majesty will soon be leading your troops to the Western Barbarians, how could you not dare to kill a village woman like me?"
The landlady's answer was neither humble nor arrogant, revealing no respect for the Emperor. Her previous words were direct and cold, like new wine or a drawn sword. She was right; Prince Zhong, Yang Qi, went west ultimately for his fourth brother. And those wandering swordsmen went west ultimately for Yang Qi. The landlady said the Emperor owed Prince Zhong, and Prince Zhong owed them.
Although the landlady knew in her heart that Prince Zhong's westward journey hadn't been entirely innocent, her respect for him remained unchanged. When she mentioned "Master," the respect in her tone was far stronger than when she mentioned "Your Majesty."
"I remember what you said today."
The Emperor slowly walked back to the earthen bed and sat down. He lowered his head, looked at the name still on the talent register, pondered for a moment, and said, "I won't kill him casually… but I won't release him casually either. I am the supreme ruler of the land, holding the lives of countless people in my hands, responsible for the peace of this vast territory. You may think I'm cowardly, that I imprisoned him because I feared Fang Jie might one day truly be a member of the Buddhist sect and harm me. But my life is intertwined with the lives of millions; even if I wanted to, I couldn't be indifferent."
Hearing this, the landlady couldn't help but think of Fang Jie. The young man she remembered was also a scoundrel who could make cowardice sound noble.
"This humble woman takes her leave."
She had nothing more to say, so she took her leave.
The Emperor thought for a moment and said, "Don't stay at the inn. Seventh Prince's residence in Chang'an is still there. You are one of his people, so stay at Prince Zhong's residence. The servants are the same old ones from back then. You may not recognize them, but as long as you mention that you accompanied Seventh Prince on his westward journey, they will respect you as much as they respect Seventh Prince."
"As for your suggestion to go back to Fangu to build three earthen graves… forget it. Seventh Prince isn't someone who dies easily. When he guarded the city gates with his servants, many thought he was surely dead, but he didn't." "Death. When he traveled thousands of miles west, sword in hand, plunging into the vast grasslands, many thought he was doomed, yet he survived. This time… I firmly believe he will not die either, for he is my seventh brother, the loyal prince of the Sui Dynasty."
"Furthermore… if the seventh prince truly dies, it's not your place to erect a mound in Fangu. The seventh prince will be buried in the imperial mausoleum! Right beside my tomb!"
This time, it was the landlady who was startled. She couldn't help but glance at the emperor again, but said nothing more. Instead, she gave a slight bow and turned to leave the yurt.
This was not a pleasant conversation, nor even a smooth one.
The emperor's tolerance of the landlady's audacity had already surprised her. She had expected the emperor to fly into a rage after uttering such treasonous words. But the emperor didn't, although he was indeed angry. What impressed the landlady most was not the emperor's magnanimity, but the seemingly humble, submissive, and harmless eunuch. She was certain this man was difficult to deal with.
Li Nan was a ninth-rank expert, but eleven years ago he wasn't. That day, during her battle with the old monk Zhihui outside Chang'an, the landlady witnessed Li Nan's sword strike, as swift as a shooting star. The sword intent was sorrowful and resentful, perhaps a true reflection of his state of mind over the past eleven years. Because of what happened eleven years ago, even after advancing to the ninth rank, his sword intent carried that same meaning.
However, he had advanced to the ninth rank too late. Not only was he far inferior to the old monk, but he was also a step below Crane Cry Daoist and Zhuo Buyi. Otherwise, the old cripple wouldn't have been able to easily rescue Shen Qingshan that night, and Li Nan wouldn't have been able to track him down.
The landlady couldn't discern Su Buwei's level, but she felt he should be stronger than Li Nan.
As she stepped out of the yurt, the landlady looked up at the sky. She didn't know when the once clear sky had turned gray, a thick layer of dark clouds pressing down on Chang'an. Perhaps a torrential downpour would come soon; rain could relieve the heat, but it would always bring a sense of oppression.
The young eunuch Mu San had been waiting outside. Upon seeing the proprietress emerge, he respectfully approached, bowing and smiling, "The carriage is waiting outside Changchun Garden. His Majesty instructed beforehand to take you directly to Prince Zhong's residence."
The proprietress nodded and followed Mu San out. As she left Changchun Garden, she looked at Mu San's retreating figure and uttered a few words.
"Fang Jiehui will be very happy to have a friend like you."
Mu San paused slightly, then smiled and said in a very low voice, "You should forget about my indiscretion today, at least... until Lord Fang is released from prison."
The proprietress nodded. "I know, nobody wants to die."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Mu San smiled obsequiously. "Exactly, especially someone of my lowly status. I feel even more grateful to be alive. I dare not die easily, otherwise, what a loss!"
"But don't worry, precisely because Fang Jiehui likes a friend like you, he certainly doesn't want to be alone after he dies. I don't want him to be alone either, do you understand?"
The proprietress said as she boarded the carriage.
Mu San's body stiffened abruptly, and a layer of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. "Why is it so hot today?"
He murmured, a chill running through him. ...
The Sanjin Marquis's residence appeared no different from usual. Since the Marquis was not home, and his young mistress, Wu Yinyu, had gone to the Yiqi Temple on Qingle Mountain for meditation, the main gates were closed, and no guests were seen. Even the side gates were ajar, and there were no servants or attendants to greet guests.
The Sanjin Marquis's residence was not particularly conspicuous in Chang'an, and the house itself seemed rather shabby. Compared to Wu Yidao's residence before he was ennobled, it was pitifully small.
The shop Fang Jie rented on East Twenty-Three Street was not close to the Sanjin Marquis's residence; if one was not in a hurry, it would take at least an hour to walk there. Because Chang'an was so vast, there were carriages that transported passengers throughout the city. And the fare was not high; a ride from the east to the west of the city cost only five copper coins.
When Qilin returned to the Sanjin Marquis's residence, both Daquan and Shen Qingshan were somewhat surprised. They asked Qilin why he had returned. Qilin explained that Dean Zhou had personally spoken to him, informing him that Fang Jie would be going into seclusion in the back mountains for a period of time to cultivate. No one was to disturb him during this time. He could return to the Sanjin Marquis's residence and wait; Fang Jie would naturally send someone to inform him when he emerged from seclusion.
If someone else had told him this, Qilin would have been suspicious, but since Dean Zhou had told him personally, Qilin had no reason to doubt anything.
After staying at the Sanjin Marquis's residence for two days, he found himself with nothing to do. Remembering Fang Jie's instructions, Daquan invited Qilin to go out together, intending to check on the tailors' progress at Fang Jie's shop. Daquan knew how talented Fang Jie was in business; he never doubted Fang Jie's ability to make money. He only thought about how much money this business would earn. How much more would it be compared to the three buildings in Fanggu?
That said, this small tailor shop, in theory, couldn't possibly earn more than Jin Yuan Fang, but Da Quan firmly believed that Fang Jie would make a fortune from this little shop.
The two went out. Qi Lin wanted to walk, but Da Quan, who had no concept of money, was too lazy to walk and waited for the passing carriage to arrive before taking it. Da Quan was a very strange person; despite being a down-on-his-luck beggar, he insisted on some inexplicable habits. He didn't wash clothes, didn't cook, and was never stingy with money.
This seemingly sleazy and dirty fellow always considered himself an aristocrat and wouldn't allow any questioning. Even in summer, he never changed his fur robe, yet he insisted he could exude the air of a young master. But to Qi Lin, it smelled nothing but sourness.
The two boarded the carriage and it took them almost half an hour to reach East Twenty-Three Street. The shop door remained closed. The couple selling hot noodle soup and steamed buns had probably packed up their stall because the sky had suddenly turned overcast, which disappointed Big Dog. He hadn't had those steamed buns for days, and he was really craving them. However, there were a few other unfamiliar businesses on the street.
Pushing open the shop door, Big Dog swaggered in, shouting, "I wondered why I couldn't hear a sound! The boss hired you, trusted you, you get the highest wages, the best food, the most comfortable accommodations, and no one even supervises your work! How can you be so lazy and do this to him?"
But no one paid him any attention.
Big Dog paused, then gave Qilin a wink.
The burly Qilin nodded, casually grabbing a wooden stick from behind the door and slowly walking upstairs. Big Dog climbed up the pillar on the other side, and the two of them slowly made their way to the second-floor room where the tailors lived. Just as they approached, the door creaked open, startling Big Dog and Qilin. They exchanged a glance and then darted inside.
Upon entering, both were stunned.
Inside, a fat man in a black Taoist robe was squatting on the floor, panting heavily, wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve and giving them a resentful glare.
"Fang Jie was blind to hire people like you to run the shop," the young, fat Taoist said, wiping his sweat. "I've been waiting for you here for ages! If you hadn't come, I would have stormed into the Sanjin Marquis's mansion to strip you of your blankets!"
Big Dog looked at the man and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Master Xiang, what... what are you doing?"
He pointed to the four or five tailors tied up like dumplings behind him. The tailors' mouths were gagged, making muffled noises, their eyes pleading for Big Dog's help.
"These guys, damn it, they're quite a handful. It took me a good sweat to tie them all up. I told them I was a friend of their boss, but they wouldn't believe me. They insisted I was a thief or a fortune teller swindling people. Do you think I look like a fortune teller swindling people when I'm dressed in a Taoist robe? To keep them from making a scene, I had to tie them all up."
"Huh..."
After saying this, the fat Taoist Xiang Qingniu asked, "Where's Fang Jie's pretty girl?"
Big Dog hadn't reacted yet and subconsciously asked, "What happened?"
Xiang Qingniu looked outside Seeing the door was closed, he pulled Daquan and Qilin into another room and said in a very low voice, "The outside is full of spies from the Imperial Guards. I won't go into details, but tonight the three of you will sneak out of the Sanjin Marquis's residence and head straight for the Taoist temple. I'll arrange for you to hide there, and tomorrow morning I'll find a way to get you out of Chang'an."
He pulled a strip of cloth soaked with sweat from his pocket and handed it to Daquan, saying, "Fang Jie is in trouble."
"Huh?"
Qilin was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "What happened to him?"
Xiang Qingniu, having received instructions from Qiu Yu, dared not tell Daquan the truth, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with a good reason. He paused for a moment, then looked earnestly into Qilin's eyes and said, "Fang Jie has been caught peeping at palace maids bathing. The Emperor is furious, and the consequences will be severe. He asked me to send you out first, and you'll be back in a while!"
The big dog was silent for a while, then looked into Xiang Qingniu's eyes and asked, "Do you think I believe you?"
Xiang Qingniu wiped his sweat, sighed, and said, "Damn it, even I don't believe it!"