In the afternoon, Fang Linyuan personally led the troops from the Sixteenth Guard Garrison to Rongchang Street.

Compared to last night, Rongchang Street was significantly quieter. Many of the vendors near the burnt shops were closed, and now only the rows of spring flowers were bustling.

However, there were still many vendors who came to clean up their stalls, gathering the overturned stalls and goods from yesterday.

Seeing the officials from the Sixteenth Guard Garrison approaching, the vendors and merchants all lowered their heads, cautiously avoiding eye contact.

Fang Linyuan noticed everything and gave a faint glance at the Sixteenth Guard behind him.

Many of the guards and squad leaders who followed him had been beaten at noon, and now they were limping as they walked.

Fang Linyuan separated them at the street corner.

Some were sent to contact craftsmen, some were sent to spread the news, asking the vendors who suffered losses yesterday to come forward with their credentials for compensation, and the rest were tasked with counting and recording the losses household by household.

The Sixteenth Guard dispersed on Rongchang Street according to his instructions.

*

Lou Shuo was sent to gather the vendors.

To avoid getting another ten lashes, he had to come out to the street to help these commoners count their worthless broken goods and then spend money to compensate them?

He had never been ordered to clean up the mess for the commoners since he was born and he was reluctant from the bottom of his heart.

But... the Marquis of Anping's beatings were too painful. He didn't want to come, but he was afraid of being beaten to death by him on the drill ground, making his father rush back to the capital only to mourn for him.

Lou Shuo was annoyed, his back still burning, and his face darkened as if he wanted to eat someone alive.

Leading a team of guards, he stopped in front of an old woman who was bending over to clean up the broken flower pots on the ground.

A shadow enveloped the old woman immediately.

She turned around and saw a group of guards from the Sixteenth Guard standing behind her, led by a man with a gloomy face who was coldly staring at her.

"How much money did you lose from this stall?" he asked aggressively.

The old woman trembled in fear, and the flower pot in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Please forgive me, sir! Yesterday, there were bandits killing people here, and the flower shop was knocked down, which made the ground dirty! The commoners are already cleaning up, and it will be clean by tomorrow. Please rest assured, sir..." She turned around, bowing repeatedly to Lou Shuo, clearly frightened.

What was she doing?

Lou Shuo impatiently frowned, "I asked you how much money you lost, why is it so difficult!"

The wrinkles on the old woman's face trembled, and tears welled up in her cloudy eyes. "I... I don't know how much compensation is needed. Our family is poor, please forgive me, sir..."

"Tsk..."

Lou Shuo ran out of patience. Just as he was about to erupt, a soldier next to him urgently pulled his sleeve.

Annoyed, Lou Shuo turned around and saw Fang Linyuan standing five steps behind him, arms crossed, looking at him with a smile that seemed to be both mocking and ambiguous.

Today he was wearing the golden attire bestowed by His Majesty, his waist tightened with a jade belt, looking like a fair-skinned young master who had never seen the sun. His features were handsome indeed.

But then again, who wouldn't look good in clothes bestowed by the emperor?

Facing the gaze that seemed to want to beat him with a military stick on the spot, Lou Shuo gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

Just as he was about to argue with the old woman again, the soldier beside him quickly grabbed him and whispered, "Sir Lou, let me handle the questioning. You just...".

As he spoke, he gestured as if to pull out his purse, smiling ingratiatingly at Lou Shuo.

Lou Shuo lifted his chin with a scowl, "Go ahead."

The soldier stepped forward, cleared his throat, and softened his expression, saying, "Our commander hasn't said anything yet, don't be afraid. Today we are here on the orders of the general to investigate the matter of the barbarian bandits. Your shop was overturned, how much silver did you lose, just tell us, and we'll compensate you."

"This..." The old woman's face showed an incredulous expression.

"How much?" the soldier asked.

"Altogether... three taels and four qian," the old woman timidly replied, then hurriedly turned around to rummage through her damaged cart behind her. "I have receipts for buying flowers at the market here, I'll get them for the officials."

The soldier looked at Lou Shuo, but saw a strange expression on his face.

Three taels of silver, was it enough for this old lady to set up a stall at her age? It was truly a wonder that these common folks hadn't starved to death.

He opened his purse, took out ten taels of silver, and put them on the old woman's cart.

"This..." The old woman was at a loss for words, too flustered to take the money.

"Take it." Lou Shuo said. "And get your broken cart replaced while you're at it."

The old woman was shocked for a while before she realized what Lou Shuo meant.

Without reaching for the money, she bowed deeply to Lou Shuo, choked with tears, and said, "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir! My grandson fell ill a few days ago and was waiting for money to buy medicine. Sir, you really saved my grandson's life!"

Lou Shuo awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away.

For him, these ten taels of silver were just a glass of good wine, but in front of this old woman, they became something lifesaving.

He rarely received such sincere and warm thanks, and for a moment, he didn't know where to put his hands.

Before today, he had only seen others worshiping Buddha like this.

He had never thought that standing in the position of Buddha would feel so difficult, and with a cold face and after leaving a silver ingot behind, he stepped aside to let the soldier in charge of the records approach the old woman to record her stall, name, and the amount of loss.

"After you receive the money today and sign here, you are not allowed to come back for more money. If we find out, you will be punished," the soldier explained. "If you know any stall owners who didn't come out today, tell them as soon as possible that we will be here for the next few days."

The old woman nodded repeatedly.

Then she saw the soldier flipping to the last page of the notebook, which contained the questions Fang Linyuan had instructed to ask after compensation was given.

"Did you see those bandits when you were here yesterday? If you saw anything, tell me everything."

"Yes, yes, yes! I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth!"

*

Fang Linyuan knew that these pampered sons were not very reliable, but considering their numbers and wealth, he reluctantly used them.

After patrolling the streets for a few rounds, these members of the Sixteen Guards gradually became more obedient, compensating and inquiring about each stall and shop in an orderly manner.

Finally, Fang Linyuan had some free time and took out the casualty list he had submitted to the authorities last night.

The names on the list were all the commoners who had died yesterday, and he wanted the Sixteen Guards to ask about them because he was worried. Moreover, these households were all concentrated near the place where the fire started, so they would likely have clearer information.

Leading a few people, he went to the burnt-down shop where the fire started.

It was an old and well-established silk and satin shop that had been in business for many years. Last night, in order to attract customers, they had set up a colourful tent outside the door, hung with many silk fabrics, which caught fire first.

The shop's door had also been burned down last night, and people could be seen walking around from the outside. As Fang Linyuan ascended the stairs to the store, he saw the shop assistants clearing away the burnt door, and in the innermost part, fresh offerings and candles were placed on the altar.

According to Fang Linyuan's list, the first person who died was the head of this silk and satin shop.

Seeing Fang Linyuan enter, the shop assistant outside quickly went in to report and brought out a chair for Fang Linyuan to sit on.

"Please have a seat, sir. I'll go make some tea for you right away," the shop assistant said. "Our master will be here shortly."

"Not in a hurry," Fang Linyuan stopped him. "Who is the current head of your household?"

"The head of the household had an accident yesterday. The one in charge now is our young lady," the shop assistant replied.

Fang Linyuan nodded and asked, "My condolences."

As the two were talking, a curtain was pulled aside, and a young woman came out from behind.

The woman's eyes were red, her face pale, and she looked somewhat familiar.

She stopped in front of Fang Linyuan and bowed to him. "This humble woman greets the sir."

Fang Linyuan nodded and gestured for her to sit on the other side. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the woman ask, "Are you the gentleman who saved me yesterday?"

Fang Linyuan looked at the woman in surprise, and she continued, "Yesterday, you were on the roof and dropped down a person, saving me from the bandits' hands."

Fang Linyuan then remembered. "Ah, it's you."

"If it weren't for the sir's rescue yesterday, I wouldn't know where I would be now. Please allow me to thank you again," she said, wiping away her tears and about to kneel down to Fang Linyuan.

Fang Linyuan quickly reached out to support her. "There's no need. It was just a small effort. Please, have a seat first."

The woman sat down opposite him.

"I don't know the lady's name yet?" Fang Linyuan asked.

"I am surnamed Su, the only daughter in the family," she said.

"Miss Su," Fang Linyuan nodded. "I understand that your family has encountered a disaster, and I shouldn't be so rude. However, those foreign bandits are still at large, causing panic in the city. If we don't investigate in time, there may be further trouble."

Miss Su nodded. "I understand, sir. Feel free to ask."

"How did the fire start at your family's shop yesterday?" Fang Linyuan asked.

Miss Su replied, "I was originally inside the shop, and my father was setting up a stall outside the colourful tent at the door. I heard a dispute outside and went out to see. Two Huns had overturned the lantern shop across the street and set fire to our shop."

"Two?" Fang Linyuan asked. "Did you see them clearly?"

"They were two of them," Miss Su lowered her eyes and gently wiped away the tears with her handkerchief. "When the colourful tent caught fire... my father tried to put it out, but he ran into them head-on, and then..."

Her words were choked in her throat, and Fang Linyuan quickly said, "It's alright, you don't need to tell me these details."

Miss Su nodded.

Fang Linyuan pondered for a moment and then asked, "So, were the others present before this or did they appear afterward?"

"They were there before," Miss Su said. "There was chaos elsewhere even before the fire broke out in front of our shop."

"Did you notice any signals? Like sounds or fireworks?"

Miss Su wiped away her tears and said, "Before that, I heard a strange sound in the shop, like a bird call, but very loud, almost like a whistle."

Fang Linyuan quickly asked, "What kind of sound was it exactly? Do you remember?"

Miss Su pondered for a moment and said, "It was sharp but not smooth, unlike the brass whistles children play with. But it was loud, and at the time, we were moving things in the shop, and the assistants thought someone had accidentally hit the table leg."

Fang Linyuan frowned.

"A bone whistle..." he muttered to himself.

He had seen such whistles at Hu Pass. They were made from the smaller bones of wolves by the Turkic nomads and used to command eagles and herd sheep. However, these whistles were crude and rudimentary, and even among the Turkic nobility, he had never seen them. Even for falconry, they used specially made golden whistles embedded with gemstones.

"Thank you," Fang Linyuan came back to his senses and said to Miss Su. "What you said is very useful to me."

"That's good to hear," Miss Su forced a smile.

Fang Linyuan nodded and stood up. "Please wait here for a moment, Miss. I'll go outside to take a look."

The street here should be quite wide, and with so many people last night, it should be difficult for the lantern shop's fire to attract attention here.

Miss Su also got up.

Fang Linyuan nodded to her and then stepped out of the shop door.

The colourful tent outside had been burnt to ruins. As the sun gradually set, the warm red light shone on Fang Linyuan's shoulders and hair, making his golden-red robe shimmer.

"My lord!" Miss Su suddenly called out from behind.

Fang Linyuan turned around and saw Miss Su catching up to him at the doorway. She said to him, "Are the corpses of those bandits still intact?"

Fang Linyuan nodded.

"Something just occurred to me. Though it was dark that night, the firelight illuminated the clothes of the bandit you dropped," Miss Su said. "It was a cloth made of lamb's skin."

"Lamb's skin?" Fang Linyuan repeated, puzzled.

Miss Su nodded. "It's a fabric spun by the merchants from the Western Regions who settled in the capital in recent years. They prefer using wool to weave fabric, but there isn't much wool from Daxuan, so they gradually began using a blend of wool and cotton, known as lamb's skin cloth. Because of the wool, lamb's skin cloth has a different lustre compared to silk and cotton fabric."

She took a deep breath. "Nowadays, lamb's skin cloth is only sold in the settlement area of the Western Region merchants in the northern part of the capital."

Fang Linyuan was shaken.

"You mean, this type of fabric became popular in the capital?" he asked. "Is it not available elsewhere?"

Miss Su nodded.

Fang Linyuan's expression darkened slightly.

In that case, these people even had their clothes made in the capital, indicating they have been lurking for a long time and operating under unified commands.

Therefore, there must be a stronghold in the capital.

"Thank you, Miss Su!" Fang Linyuan sincerely bowed to Miss Su. "I will certainly capture those bandits and avenge your father."

"My lord already saved my life last night," Miss Su said. "My mother specifically instructed me today that if I saw you, I must thank you deeply. Except for weaving cloth and making clothes, my family doesn't have many skills. If my lord doesn't mind, I will send some fabric to your mansion tomorrow as a token of gratitude."

Fang Linyuan's gaze swept over the dilapidated shop behind her.

Such merchants all had their own workshops. With the shop burned like this, apart from losses, it would take at least a month to reopen. With someone dead in her family now, it looked like they were struggling.

After hesitating for a moment, Fang Linyuan smiled and nodded.

"Then I'll trouble you," he said. "Since summer outfits need to be made at my mansion soon, bring more colourful fabrics. If they're suitable, my family's new clothes for this year will be ordered from your house."

Although there were few people in the Marquis of Anping's mansion, there were still many servants. If they could secure the order from his family, they would be able to get through these few months.

Seeing Miss Su about to thank him again, Fang Linyuan quickly waved his hand to stop her. "It's nothing. I'll make arrangements when I get back, so just send the fabric to the Marquis of Anping's mansion."

*

The sky gradually darkened. Vendors needed to return home for dinner, and the guards of the Sixteenth Battalion also needed to change shifts and rest.

During the shift change, Fang Linyuan reiterated the discipline once again. His iron-fisted style today had already spread among the Sixteenth Guards.

These people feared him and dared not slack off anymore. After announcing that they would start rotational training according to the regulations of the Sixteenth Battalion from tomorrow, Fang Linyuan returned to his mansion.

Just as he arrived at the mansion gate, he saw the servants from the Huaiyu Pavilion waiting for him there. They said that Her Highness the Princess had prepared dinner and was waiting to dine with him.

Fang Linyuan happened to be hungry as well. Since there was already food prepared at Zhao Chu's place, he followed the servants from the Huaiyu Pavilion.

It had been a long time since he had dinner with Zhao Chu, and he didn't expect his taste to have changed quite a bit.

As soon as he entered the main hall of the Huaiyu Pavilion, Fang Linyuan smelled a strong fragrance.

Looking at the table, he saw dishes of braised pig trotters, chestnut-fried chicken, a plate of grapes that were rare for this season, and a dish of lamb stewed with onions, which he had only tasted at Hulao Pass.

The aroma of the lamb was strong, and Fang Linyuan picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Zhao Chu leisurely emerged from behind a moment later. He had tied his hair up casually and only lightly adorned his face with makeup.

Fang Linyuan scolded himself inwardly for being impolite and put down his chopsticks, waiting for Zhao Chu to sit down.

Zhao Chu raised his eyebrows and gestured to the silk servant, who then led the maids out, closing the door behind them.

Fang Linyuan picked up his chopsticks and picked up a large piece of lamb.

"Why didn't I see you enjoy these before?" he asked. "Is it that strict in the palace now, and you can't eat anything too heavy?"

Zhao Chu gave him a faint glance but didn't say that the spices and lamb in the small kitchen were purchased from the Western Region merchants in the north just a few days ago.

"Just trying something new," he said, but he picked up a piece of steamed fish that looked plain in front of him.

Fang Linyuan was too focused on eating meat to notice what Zhao Chu had picked up, so he simply nodded in agreement.

"How was it at the Sixteenth Battalion today?" Zhao Chu asked again.

"A bunch of idle rich kids. I felt like I was herding sheep all day, even more tiring than training soldiers," Fang Linyuan said.

"There are few major cases in the capital, so places like the Garrison Division are inevitably breeding grounds for idlers," Zhao Chu said, noticing his complaints and unconsciously curling his lips into a soft curve.

Fang Linyuan nodded. "But after a day, there are some results."

"Hmm?" Zhao Chu looked at him.

"The subordinates collected quite a bit of information, which I'll review later," Fang Linyuan said. "But today I found out that they made clothes together in the north of the city. They must have been residing in the city for some time and likely have a stronghold. They need housing and horses, so the stronghold must be considerable, and most likely located in the north of the city. Once we've dealt with the matter in Rongchang Street in the next two days, I'll take people to investigate."

"I still have some people under my command," Zhao Chu said. "You can use them."

But Fang Linyuan waved his hand. "No need. Nowadays, it's not allowed for Hu people to come and go in the city. With so many people in the Sixteenth Battalion, we can conduct investigations openly. All the Western Region merchants residing in the north of the city are registered, and their houses and courtyards all have owners. If they want to find a stronghold, they'll definitely need to find merchants as insiders. There are only a few Hu merchants in the city with large compounds, so they're easy to investigate."

Zhao Chu nodded at Fang Linyuan's decision.

But Fang Linyuan smiled at him and said, "Actually, there's something I need to trouble you with."

"What is it?" Zhao Chu asked.

"Tomorrow, a girl named Su is likely to come to deliver some cloth," Fang Linyuan said. "Her surname is Su, and she's from the silk shop on Rongchang Street. Her family has suffered a disaster, and her father has passed away. The days ahead might be tough for them."

Zhao Chu paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth and looked at Fang Linyuan.

Unaware of Zhao Qi's reaction, Fang Linyuan continued, "So, I plan to order some clothes from her family. Tomorrow, take a look. If their cloth is average, have our servants make a few outfits. If they have good fabric, you can buy a few more."

Since it was a significant matter like ordering new clothes, Fang Linyuan couldn't make decisions alone. Moreover, his sister-in-law's eyesight wasn't good, so he had to trouble Zhao Chu.

After a long pause, Zhao Chu finally asked, "…A girl?"

Yes, what’s wrong with the girl?

Fang Linyuan looked puzzled. When he looked up at Zhao Chu, he saw him holding his chopsticks, looking no different from usual.

Oh well, Zhao Chu sometimes asked inexplicable questions.

"Yes, I happened to save her yesterday, and she wants to repay the favour by sending cloth to me," Fang Linyuan patiently explained.

"But she really helped me a lot today, and I don't feel right accepting things from her, especially considering the serious losses her family suffered. Cloth can be ordered from anywhere, so I thought I'd just consider it as saving someone's life and help them through a difficult time."

Nowadays, Fang Linyuan felt a bit more relaxed in front of Zhao Chu compared to before, and he spoke a bit more.

However, he didn't notice the shadow that fell over Zhao Qi's eyelashes, who sat quietly with his gaze fixed on the plate of grapes on the table.

His shipyard was about to start construction these days, and a lot of wood had been shipped from the south. The suppliers from the south rarely received such a big order and had specially sent some grapes stored in the ice cellar to him.

He remembered that Fang Linyuan liked them, so he had kept them all for him.

But unexpectedly...

Zhao Qi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he suppressed the sourness that suddenly rose in his heart.

Unexpectedly, he hadn't spared a glance at the grapes and kept talking incessantly, his mind focused on taking care of some girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

...A girl.

The pronunciation of these two words seemed quite tricky, and every time Zhao Chu thought of them, the sourness in his heart intensified.

Particularly annoying.

 

--

The author has something to say:

Zhao Chu: If she comes tomorrow, I won't show up.

Fang Linyuan: ??? What's going on?

Zhao Chu: I mean, these grapes are very sour.

Fang Linyuan: ???

 

Translator : DarNan