In the Great Xiangguo Temple, crowds of people jostled shoulder to shoulder.
This was not only one of the most famous temples in the Capital City with flourishing incense offerings, but also an extremely well-known temple fair and market. Entering through the outer gate of the Great Xiangguo Temple, shops lined both sides of the road.
Zhi bounced along in front, holding a colorfully spinning pinwheel high above her head.
Today marked the beginning of autumn, but the weather was still hot and stuffy, with warm gusts of wind carrying the lingering summer heat.
Ying Xiaoman wore a sun-shading bamboo hat, holding a pinwheel in her left hand while her right hand was grasped by the gentleman beside her. As they walked among the bustling market stalls, her ears filled with the rising and falling cries of vendors hawking their wares, her mind felt somewhat bewildered. Why had she come here? How had she ended up walking together with him again?
"Today happens to be the temple fair day, so it's especially crowded," explained Yan Rongshi in detail, taking on the role of knowledgeable local guide as a native of the Capital City:
"But temple fair days are particularly lively. We can browse around first if you'd like, or go straight to the main hall to offer incense. Did you buy incense and candles?"
Of course, Ying Xiaoman hadn't prepared anything. She hadn't originally planned to enter the temple to worship Buddha today.
Yan Rongshi said, "No matter, I prepared some in advance."
"..."
Zhi excitedly squeezed into every shop to look around, while the two adults followed behind, browsing the market. They held hands without speaking.
After passing through the second temple gate, the flow of people became even more intense. Zhi couldn't squeeze into one particularly crowded shop, so she ran back with outstretched arms calling, "Seventh Brother!"
Yan Rongshi easily picked up Zhi and parted the crowd to enter the shop. When they emerged, he held two small five-angled charm pouches for good fortune.
Ying Xiaoman waited under a leafy ancient tree, watching as the first charm pouch was tied around Zhi's wrist. The little girl happily stroked it nonstop.
As he moved to tie the second pouch around her wrist, she instinctively pulled back her hand, causing the long silk cord to slip loose. The man's slender fingers paused near her wrist.
"The temple sells these little charms for good fortune, claiming they've been offered before Buddha and blessed by high monks," Yan Rongshi stood before her, speaking softly. "When I was young and visited the Great Xiangguo Temple, I'd wear one home every time. Though they may not truly be blessed by high monks, it's the thought that counts. Even if you only wear it for an hour and throw it away when you get home, that's fine. Or just humor me by wearing it in front of me."
His clear, melodious voice held a smile, but the final notes seemed to carry a faint sigh. The voice speaking so close to her ear clearly belonged to Seventh Brother.
Ying Xiaoman remained silent, but the wrist she had turned away moved slightly, offering itself back to the warmth of the gentleman's fingertips.
The two stood beneath the lush hundred-year-old Bodhi tree in the ancient temple, as streams of worshippers passed by. Both gazed at the small five-angled pouch, the moment seemingly frozen in time around this tiny charm.
Yan Rongshi lowered his eyes in concentration as he picked up the second pouch and tied the colorful cord around the snow-white wrist of the young lady before him.
Ying Xiaoman raised her hand to touch the charm pouch.
Passing through the second gate, the main hall loomed ahead. The smoke from incense offerings suddenly grew thick in the air around them.
Sui Miao brought over a large package of incense and candles, quietly asking Yan Rongshi how many he needed.
Zhi ran ahead holding her pinwheel, while Ying Xiaoman and Yan Rongshi walked side by side at a leisurely pace, gazing from afar at the majestic main hall when—
A sturdy man hurriedly approached from the direction of the temple gate, striding directly towards them. He stopped behind Yan Rongshi and urgently reported: "Young Master Yan, there's a situation outside the gate!"
This cry of "Young Master Yan" seemed to shatter some dreamy daytime reverie. Ying Xiaoman's footsteps immediately halted. Yan Rongshi's gaze also instantly turned towards her.
As expected, Ying Xiaoman refused to go any further, gently pulling her hand free from his grasp.
She spoke: "I won't be going to offer incense at the main hall."
She took a few steps forward to take Zhi's hand, "Little one, let's go home."
Zhi: "Huh?"
It was Zhi's first time visiting the Great Xiangguo Temple and the temple fair. Her eyes were full of wonder and she was thoroughly enjoying herself. How could she be willing to leave? Her small body twisted into a knot of resistance.
"Sister, I don't want to go home, I still want to play," she protested.
Ying Xiaoman tried coaxing her with a headache: "I'll give you big, sweet grapes when we get home."
Zhi grumbled: "I can still eat grapes after we finish playing and go home."
Yan Rongshi waited a moment, seeing that Zhi remained unwilling to leave. He spoke up to persuade them:
"We already have the incense and candles on hand. The main hall is right ahead, why not take Zhi to offer some incense before the Buddha? Firstly, having endured great hardship, you can pray for blessings and the dispelling of misfortune for your family. Secondly, let the little one experience the inside of the main hall. Once her curiosity is satisfied, perhaps she'll be willing to go home."
His reasoning was sound, better than struggling with a child in the crowded temple.
Ying Xiaoman considered for a moment, then bypassed Yan Rongshi standing before her. She didn't take the tall incense sticks from his hand, but instead turned to retrieve a few sticks of incense and candles from Sui Miao behind them.
"Don't follow us," she tossed back as she took Zhi's hand and walked towards the towering main hall ahead.
After walking about a dozen paces through the crowd, she suddenly stopped and glanced back towards where they had come from.
Yan Rongshi stood gripping the incense sticks in his hand, following not too far behind them. Their eyes met across the distance. Ying Xiaoman glared at him from afar, and the gentleman in ash-gray robes waved his hand to indicate she shouldn't misunderstand.
He stepped to the side, not entering the main hall, but stopping beside a large bronze incense burner with thriving offerings outside the hall. He pinched some incense, closed his eyes, and prayed silently.
Ying Xiaoman paused at the entrance to the main hall, watching for a while. Seeing that he was indeed obediently offering incense outside and not attempting to follow them in, she relaxed slightly and led Zhi into the hall.
Yan Rongshi turned his gaze back, standing beside the large incense burner as he continued his silent prayer: "Merciful Buddha, savior of all living beings. Before the Buddha, I ask only for one red thread of destiny to connect Xiaoman inside the hall and Rongshi outside. May our hearts be joined as one, our fates intertwined for two lifetimes."
Having finished his prayer, he inserted the incense sticks into the six-foot-tall incense burner.
The sturdy man who had caused trouble by speaking earlier stood behind him with lowered head, not daring to speak. Though he didn't know which word he had said wrong, the atmosphere had clearly soured as soon as he opened his mouth...
He was actually an undercover imperial guard mixed in with the crowd.
A mere sixth-rank secretary of the Ministry of Justice, merely suspected of involvement in a major case of weapons trafficking, had been doused with oil and set ablaze, his entire household burned to the ground. In addition to his outrage, the Emperor had strictly ordered increased vigilance.
As one of the chief judges in the joint trial by two ministries, even though Yan Rongshi had taken leave for personal matters today, he was still accompanied by a squad of elite imperial guards for protection, guarding against unexpected incidents.
Unexpectedly, they had truly discovered something unusual.
Yan Rongshi sighed, "It's not your fault. What's the situation outside? Tell me."
"We're being followed," the guard said nervously, not daring to lower his head. "There are too many people around. At first, the brothers thought we were being overly cautious, but things seemed increasingly odd."
"There were five or six people in total. Ordinary temple fair visitors look at the goods being sold in the stalls on both sides, but these people had their eyes fixed on us. In a temple fair market, anyone whose eyes are focused solely on people from start to finish is either a thief or a spy keeping watch."
"After Young Master Yan entered the temple, the brothers spread out to guard various locations outside the temple gates. That group watched from a distance for a while but didn't approach. They left one after another, leaving only two to continue keeping watch outside the gates."
Yan Rongshi pondered for a moment, "Were they following me the whole way?"
The guard also seemed puzzled as he explained: "Logically, they should have been following Young Master Yan. But one of our brothers skilled in tailing just tracked them back and saw that group actually enter the Yuqing Restaurant. Isn't the Yuqing Restaurant where the young lady with Young Master Yan came from this morning? Could they possibly have some connection to the young lady?"
Earlier that morning, Ying Xiaoman had just come out of the Yuqing Restaurant. If people from the restaurant were secretly following her, it was indeed possible they were keeping watch on Ying Xiaoman.
Yan Rongshi carefully recalled the scene from that morning when he had run into her on the street – Ying Xiaoman angrily carrying Zhi as she quickly walked out from under the festive doorway of the restaurant.
At the time, he had thought Xiaoman was angry at Yan Erlang, but now that he considered it, she may well have gotten angry inside the restaurant.
After pondering for a while, he instructed, "Send a few skilled men to keep an eye on the movements inside the Yuqing Restaurant."
After a moment's thought, he added an extra instruction to the capable guard before him: "You had some acquaintance with Yan Erlang in the imperial guard before he was dismissed from his post, didn't you? Please trouble yourself to ask him what conflict occurred at the Yuqing Restaurant this morning."
The guard assented and strode quickly towards the temple's main gate.
Through the open temple gates teeming with people, a man in his fifties wearing a lake-green silk robe with floral patterns entered unhurriedly. With a kindly, round face that marked him as a merchant of many years' experience, he carried incense and candles as he stepped over the temple threshold.
Ying Xiaoman led Zhi on a tour around the main hall. The spacious, imposing hall was solemn and magnificent, with golden Buddha statues gazing down with eyes full of compassion.
The little girl craned her neck to look up, her mouth agape for quite some time. "Wow~"
Ying Xiaoman led her to offer incense.
Yan Rongshi, wearing the face and voice of Qilang, actually made a reasonable point.
The family had just suffered a great misfortune, so since they had come to the temple, why not enter the hall to offer incense and pray for peace before the Buddha?
The main hall was filled with devout men and women, with hundreds of prayer mats scattered about. Behind the solemn Buddha hall, many monks were chanting sutras for the morning service, the sound of wooden fish mingling with the chanting reaching their ears.
The many unsettled thoughts floating in the air settled into reality amidst the swirling incense smoke of the Buddha hall.
Ying Xiaoman was not a person of complicated thoughts.
The affairs of the Capital City were too complex, and its people too complicated, but for Ying Xiaoman, she was always the child of a hunter's family who grew up by the Han River and entered the mountains with her father at the age of eight.
On this journey to the Capital City, she didn't ask for much. Since the plan to avenge her adoptive father had failed, the Ying family planned to leave the capital, and she still didn't ask for much.
Leading Zhi by the hand, holding lit incense sticks, they knelt side by side on a row of prayer mats towards the back center, raising the incense high above their foreheads, bowing devoutly twice before the Buddha, silently praying in their hearts.
"Merciful Buddha, save all living beings. May the Buddha bestow blessings, protect my mother and Zhi, keep them safe and free from disaster."
"May the Buddha bestow blessings, protect my father underground, keep him free from worry, sleep peacefully, and not be angry. We will return home soon to accompany him."
"May the Buddha bestow blessings, protect... also protect that person outside the hall. He was scolded by me and dares not enter the hall, but it's not that he doesn't want to worship the Buddha. There are too many bad people in the Capital City, and he's at a crucial point in his investigation recently. I don't know if bad people will try to harm him... Merciful Buddha, please also protect Qilang, keep him safe and free from disaster."
Someone knelt down on the empty prayer mat beside her, also holding incense sticks and murmuring prayers.
At first, she didn't notice, as she was teaching Zhi how to hold the incense sticks high above her forehead. However, the person beside her slightly raised his voice and said with a smile:
"Miss Zhuang, you ran away too hastily earlier. This old man didn't even have a chance to say a word to keep you, and you had already left in anger. Ah, truly worthy of being Zhuang Jiu's daughter."
Ying Xiaoman suddenly turned her head.
The man kneeling on the prayer mat beside her, now smiling amiably at her, wearing a long robe of lake-green silk, was none other than Shopkeeper Fang from the Yuqing Restaurant where they had parted unhappily this morning!
"What are you doing here again?" It was too coincidental; out of hundreds of prayer mats in the great hall, he had to sit on the one next to her. Ying Xiaoman didn't quite believe it was a coincidence and looked at him with suspicion:
"I've already returned my father's old belongings to you."
Shopkeeper Fang said with a smile: "Daughter of Zhuang Jiu, Miss Zhuang. Did Zhuang Jiu only tell you to bring back the fifty taels of silver, without mentioning anything else? Where is he now?"
Ying Xiaoman's expression improved slightly.
At least he was asking about her adoptive father. It seemed the friendship between her father and these people in the Capital City hadn't been completely forgotten.
"My father instructed me to seek revenge," she said straightforwardly. "But many things happened after I entered the capital, and I can no longer avenge my father's master. I plan to leave the capital in a few days and return to my hometown to keep my father company at his grave."
Shopkeeper Fang showed a surprised expression.
"Zhuang Jiu has passed away?"
"Yes, he has." Speaking of her deceased adoptive father, Ying Xiaoman's tone softened a bit more:
"He passed away last December. Father's grave is in our hometown, quite far from the Capital City. If you want to—"
"Before Zhuang Jiu passed away, he instructed you to avenge his master. You say you can't do it. What about the old belongings he gave you?" Shopkeeper Fang interrupted the conversation, staring intently at Ying Xiaoman:
"Miss Zhuang, smart people don't speak in riddles. The silver ingot you threw at me this morning is not the one Zhuang Jiu had. The difference in quality between a newly cast silver ingot and one that's many years old is quite noticeable, distinguishable at a glance. Hehe, if you're trying to fool people by pretending to be clever, you should at least make it more convincing."
"..." Ying Xiaoman suddenly closed her mouth.
She fell silent, turning her gaze away to stare at the ground.
Anger gradually rose in her eyes.
She had originally wanted to tell him where her adoptive father's grave was located.
If these so-called old friends from the Capital City truly cherished the old friendship, even if they couldn't personally pay respects due to the long distance, they should at least ask her to convey a few words at her father's grave to express their condolences.
But what happened? This man interrupted her words, showing no concern for her adoptive father's life or death, or where he was buried. He only cared about the fifty-tael silver ingot in her father's possession!
Yes, the newly cast silver ingot in her hand weighed only twenty-two taels when measured last night, indeed eighteen taels short.
But her father had been cheated when he first received it years ago!
This morning, in her anger, she had thrown the silver directly back to Shopkeeper Fang. Now that she had calmed down and thought about it, it wasn't appropriate.
If she had known that Shopkeeper Fang was such a money-grubbing scoundrel, she should have listened to her mother's advice: "When you encounter dishonest people, just turn and leave."
Ying Xiaoman took a deep breath. Those who didn't cherish her adoptive father's old friendship were no true old friends at all.
Having made up her mind, she opened her palm, her tone as cold as icicles hanging from long eaves in winter.
"Since you say it's not the right one, then it's not. Give me back the silver ingot I gave you this morning."
Shopkeeper Fang, of course, refused to give it back.
Inside the great hall filled with incense smoke and the sound of chanting, with people coming and going, under the public eye, he had no scruples.
Shopkeeper Fang continued to chuckle: "The silver ingot has already melted into a pool of silver in the restaurant, how can I return it to you? Miss Zhuang, you're not even putting effort into your deception. Zhuang Jiu's fifty-tael pure silver ingot, and you try to fool this old man with a twenty-something tael silver ingot. As soon as I received it in my hand, I could tell the weight was off."
"Now that there's no one else around, Miss Zhuang, let's speak some truth face to face. Is Zhuang Jiu really your father? Has he truly passed away? If you don't bring out the real thing Zhuang Jiu left behind, no matter how you spin your tale, hehe, this old man finds it hard to believe..."
Ying Xiaoman shot him a sharp glance, not saying another word to Shopkeeper Fang. She stood up, holding Zhi's hand, and turned to walk out of the great hall.
Yan Rongshi was waiting by the large incense burner outside the hall, surrounded by swirling smoke.
He held two rainbow pinwheels in his hand, and being tall, he was very conspicuous in the crowd. Ying Xiaoman spotted him at first glance as she exited the hall.
Yan Rongshi was talking to several capable-looking men who were closely guarding him.
Halfway through their conversation, Sui Miao saw Ying Xiaoman coming out of the main hall from afar and quickly reported back. Yan Rongshi stopped talking, turned, and walked towards the direction of the great hall.
Seeing Ying Xiaoman's expression at this moment, his originally smiling face became serious, and he looked at her carefully.
"Did something happen in the short time it took to offer incense? Surely Zhi didn't make you angry?"
"It wasn't me," Zhi innocently held up her pinwheel, which spun in the wind with a whirling sound. "It was the bad man from the restaurant this morning, chasing after Sister to ask for money. He made Sister angry."
Ying Xiaoman picked up Zhi and placed her in Yan Rongshi's arms. "Help me watch Zhi for a while."
Yan Rongshi: ...?
"Where are you going?"
Ying Xiaoman pressed her lips together. "I made a mistake this morning, accidentally giving my father's keepsake to a bad person. I'm going to get my father's keepsake back."
With that, she quickened her pace and walked towards the temple gate, disappearing into the crowd in an instant.
Yan Rongshi, holding Zhi, pondered for a moment before following leisurely behind.
As he walked, he asked Zhi, "Little girl, do you know what your sister's father's keepsake is? Where is she going to get it?"
Zhi gestured to show, "It's a big piece of silver about this~ big. Sister brought it home yesterday, saying it was her father's keepsake. Auntie even let me touch it."
"A big piece of silver?... A silver ingot?"
Just then, the guard who had gone to inquire from Yan Erlang returned, jogging back to report.
"Young Lord Yan, I've inquired as instructed. Commander Yan's exact words were: 'Miss Xiaoman's father and Shopkeeper Fang of the Yuqing Restaurant were old acquaintances, and it seems he owed the restaurant fifty taels. Miss Xiaoman went to repay the debt, but Shopkeeper Fang kept pressing for money. They couldn't reach an agreement, and Miss Xiaoman angrily threw a silver ingot at him before leaving.'"
At this point, the guard coughed and said, "Commander Yan also had a message for Young Lord Yan, but I'm not sure if I should repeat it..."
"It's fine, just repeat his exact words."
The guard's face reddened.
He had only been assigned to follow Young Lord Yan for a few days, and already he was hearing about Young Lord Yan and Young Lord Yan competing for a woman's affections. It was quite embarrassing.
"Commander Yan said... ahem, isn't Young Lord Yan's relationship with Miss Xiaoman very good? Shopkeeper Fang of the Yuqing Restaurant was blind not to see it and angered Miss Xiaoman. He has already gathered men and plans to smash up the restaurant on Miss Xiaoman's behalf, to vent her anger."
"If Young Master Yan wants to cheer up Miss Ying Xiaoman, it's actually quite simple. After Yan Erlang finishes wrecking the restaurant, he should go and seal off Yuqing Restaurant to vent Miss Ying Xiaoman's anger. Just ask Young Master Yan, with the reputation of the Yan family of Changle Alley behind him, does he dare to do such a small thing?"
Yan Rongshi listened impassively.
His peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly in the sunlight: "Seal off Yuqing Restaurant? Yan Erlang is inciting me to take action, but what about him?"
"When this humble servant was returning, Commander Yan had already led several dozen men to wreck the restaurant!"