Even though Yuqing Tower had been a long-standing establishment in the Capital City for many years, when faced with nobles from the Xingning Marquis Mansion seeking trouble, it could not escape unscathed.
Ying Xiaoman left the Great Xiangguo Temple and quickly headed north towards Yuqing Tower. After walking five or six hundred steps, she could see in the distance that the ten-foot-high festive red and green gate of Yuqing Tower was surrounded by a dense crowd, three layers deep inside and out.
Several loud sounds echoed like muffled thunder on a clear day.
She watched as the welcoming gate, adorned with wooden branches entwined with fresh flowers and silk ribbons, suddenly tilted under the sunlight.
Then, amid the shouts of the onlookers, it fell crookedly.
The dense crowd below hurriedly scattered left and right.
With a loud crash, the festive gate collapsed, shattering into wooden splinters on the ground, revealing the wooden corridor of the restaurant behind it.
The wooden corridor had also lost its orderly shape.
Plaques and couplets were strewn on the ground, and the delicate lanterns were torn and tattered. In the open hall at the end of the corridor, not a single table, chair, or cup was intact, and the floor was covered in shards of porcelain.
Yan Erlang stood at the front of the corridor, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, and surveyed the miserable scene of destruction with satisfaction.
"Let it be known to all!" shouted a trusted attendant beside Yan Erlang:
"Yuqing Tower has bullied its customers and behaved disrespectfully, angering a young lady who is friends with our Young Master. The Young Master has meted out a slight punishment, and today is just the first day."
"If the young lady offended by Yuqing Tower calms down, we'll consider the grudge settled and won't return. But if she's still angry, hehe, we'll continue to wreck the place tomorrow. People of Yuqing Tower, tell your shopkeeper not to bother rebuilding the welcome gate or opening for business. If you set it up today, we'll come tear it down again tomorrow morning!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
"Yuqing Tower has offended someone they shouldn't have this time."
"Hey, I recognize him. Isn't that the young lord from the Xingning Marquis Mansion in the east of the city, Yan Erlang? He's a notorious troublemaker in the Capital City."
"I wonder how Yuqing Tower offended the young lady who's friends with Yan Erlang?"
"If I were their shopkeeper, I'd hurry to apologize to the young lady and try to resolve this disaster as quickly as possible..."
Ying Xiaoman: ??
Could she be the young lady Yan Erlang kept mentioning as the one he was "avenging"? When did she become friends with this scoundrel?
He really knew how to flatter himself!
Ying Xiaoman pushed her conical hat down, parted the dense crowd, and without acknowledging Yan Erlang standing at the front of the corridor, walked straight into the restaurant through the main door.
"Is anyone in the restaurant?" she called out, stepping over the shards of broken bowls, plates, and trampled silver wine vessels on the floor:
"Where's the old silver ingot that Shopkeeper Fang took this morning? That's a keepsake from my father, give it back to me!"
Yan Erlang, used to being ignored by her, wasn't angry. He followed a few steps behind, entering the main hall and standing behind Ying Xiaoman in a protective stance, shouting along: "Where are the restaurant staff? Get out here now."
The crowd outside burst into discussion: "The main person involved has arrived!"
"So it turns out they took an old silver ingot left by her father, and she's here to get it back!"
"Was the young lady really bullied by the restaurant?"
With Shopkeeper Fang out and the restaurant leaderless, a man in a long silk robe reluctantly came down the wooden stairs from the second floor. He bowed with a forced smile:
"Might you be Miss Zhuang? I am the restaurant's accountant. The matter of your father is a long story, and only Shopkeeper Fang knows the full details. Please take a seat, Miss, and we can settle this when Shopkeeper Fang returns. Uh..." Looking at the wrecked main hall with nowhere to sit, the accountant smiled apologetically and gestured towards the second floor: "The first floor is unusable. Please, let's go upstairs—"
Ying Xiaoman's wariness towards Yuqing Tower was already at its peak.
It wasn't just an unscrupulous restaurant, but it also had a shopkeeper with ill intentions!
She refused to go upstairs, standing in the main hall under everyone's gaze, and held out her hand directly:
"No need to beat around the bush. I just ran into your Shopkeeper Fang outside. He said my father's keepsake has already been melted into silver liquid. Where is it? Give it to me to take home, I'll recast it into an ingot myself."
Yan Erlang, listening with interest on the side, chimed in:
"So the silver ingot is an heirloom from her late father. This isn't about money then. It must be returned."
Ying Xiaoman gave him a surprised glance. It was rare for something sensible to come out of Yan Erlang's mouth!
Having grasped the situation, Yan Erlang began to lecture the accountant.
"The young lady is asking for her father's keepsake, but to you, it's just money. Rebuilding the welcome gate outside will cost at least a hundred taels of silver, right? Even if your shopkeeper isn't here, can't you, the head accountant, do the math?"
"The young lady only wants her father's silver ingot keepsake. If you return the melted silver to her, the matter is settled, and I'll leave immediately, never to bother you again. But if you refuse to give it back, well, there's nothing more to say. I'll just keep dropping by your restaurant when I have time. We can keep this up as long as you like."
With that, he waved his hand, and his entourage quickly cleaned up a relatively tidy corner, rearranged some intact tables and chairs, and set up a neat screen in front of a table.
Yan Erlang lifted his robe and sat down casually at the square table, familiarly inviting Ying Xiaoman: "Xiaoman, don't just stand there, come sit over here. Your face is all red with anger, it pains your big brother to see."
Ying Xiaoman: "...Pah!"
This guy had just said one sensible thing, and now he was back to being insufferable!
She angrily said: "Whose brother are you? Watch your mouth and stop calling yourself my brother. I'm not your sister."
She walked a few steps away, keeping her distance from Yan Erlang, and stood by the bare wooden door of the main hall where the couplets had been torn down, still holding out her hand to the restaurant manager.
"Where have you put my father's keepsake? Don't try any tricks. Just tell me where it is, stay where you are, and I'll go find it myself."
Yan Erlang, used to her outbursts, didn't take offense. Instead, he savored a hint of closeness in the "brother-sister" exchange and smiled, raising his voice: "I'll follow wherever Miss Xiaoman searches. Think carefully and speak honestly, don't try anything clever."
Another man dressed as an accountant hurriedly came down from the upper floor. He pulled the first accountant aside, and they whispered to each other. The first accountant in the lake-blue robe sighed, came over, and bowed deeply:
"We truly don't know the history between Miss's father and Shopkeeper Fang. But since the old silver ingot is Miss's father's keepsake, Yuqing Tower feels uneasy about keeping it. It has indeed been melted into liquid silver... How about this: I'll bring the liquid silver along with the small pot used for melting directly to Miss. We humbly request Young Lord Yan to be merciful and spare our small establishment."
Yan Erlang leaned against the wooden table, lazily crossing his legs: "If you want me to be merciful, it's simple. Just don't try to be clever."
"Yes, yes. The room for melting silver is on the third floor, in Shopkeeper Fang's private accounting room. Please wait a moment, Miss. I'll bring it down right away, I promise there are no tricks."
The silver had been melted into liquid, making it impossible to tell which ingot it originally came from. Ying Xiaoman wanted her father's keepsake, not just any random pool of liquid silver.
Her wariness heightened in this restaurant run by the ill-intentioned Shopkeeper Fang, and she stopped the accountant in front of her: "I'll go up to the third floor with you. You can show it to me in person."
Yan Erlang's smile faded as he stood up and said, "I'll go up with you."
Suddenly, the dense crowd outside parted on both sides.
Dozens of imperial guards dispersed the crowd, shouting loudly: "Palace Front Command executing official duties! Bystanders, disperse!"
Around the collapsed welcome gate and its wooden debris, the crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion scattered like a receding tide.
Several light cavalry parted the crowd and stopped by the restaurant's long wooden corridor.
A few skilled imperial guards escorted Yan Rongshi as he dismounted. Yan Rongshi handed the reins to Sui Miao and surveyed the scene of destruction around him, as if a whirlwind had passed through.
His gaze swept towards the open main hall at the end of the long corridor, where Ying Xiaoman stood in the center amidst the shattered porcelain on the floor.
Their eyes met, and the person outside quickened his pace to enter, while the one inside unconsciously paused, waiting.
"Is your father's keepsake still in the restaurant? Have you retrieved it yet?" Yan Rongshi stood in front of Ying Xiaoman.
Ying Xiaoman looked up at the many chambers on the third floor, surrounded by balconies and hidden behind curtains.
"Father's keepsake is on the third floor. They say it's in Shopkeeper Fang's accounting room. I was about to go up and get it."
Yan Rongshi adjusted the conical hat on her head, then naturally took hold of her hand.
"I'll go up with you. Today, some skilled trackers from the imperial guard came along. It's a good opportunity to verify the authenticity of the heirloom."
"Mm-hmm."
The accountant of the restaurant led the way, with imperial guards escorting in front and behind, surrounding the two who walked side by side up the stairs.
About twenty people ascended the stairs in succession, the wooden steps creaking rapidly. The group's shadows moved along the second-floor corridor towards the northeast.
The first-floor hall fell quiet.
With a swish, an ivory fan opened. Yan Erlang, sitting at a wooden table behind a screen, fanned himself, forcibly suppressing the fire rising in his heart.
"Do you think this one from Changle Alley is naturally at odds with me?"
Yan Erlang gritted his teeth and smiled, "Listen to how he sweet-talks Xiaoman, 'Skilled trackers from the imperial guard, verifying the authenticity of heirlooms?' Do you believe that? What does the imperial guard have to do with authenticating objects? That's the old job of his Ministry of Justice! Heh, Xiaoman actually believed his words and went upstairs hand in hand with him!"
Several confidants who had witnessed everything from start to finish sighed and advised their master:
"Young master, I have to say it again, you can't force love. Even if that Yan fellow says nice things to coax her, it takes two willing parties, and Miss Xiaoman is willing to listen..."
"Of course she believes everything he says when they're lovey-dovey. But didn't you notice something off today? When we ran into them on the street this morning, they were clearly having a tiff."
Although Yan Erlang loved to cause trouble, he wasn't a hot-tempered firecracker. Why did he suddenly decide to wreck the restaurant today? It was because of the odd interaction he witnessed between the two this morning.
They clearly hadn't arranged to meet beforehand, and Ying Xiaoman's expression was very surprised when she saw Yan Rongshi.
Holding hands on the street, one coaxing, one avoiding.
The two headed towards the Great Xiangguo Temple, and along the way, only Yan Rongshi's voice could be heard, with Xiaoman not speaking at all.
Yan Erlang's mind started working then.
If these two were having a falling out, wouldn't that be his chance?
At a critical moment, if there were any more slip-ups, their remaining affection would be like wet paper on a window: easily torn apart.
Yan Erlang put away his folding fan, brazenly propped his feet up on the square table, and fixed his eyes on the gauze-curtained northern chamber on the second floor.
"Even waiting by a tree stump for rabbits requires patience. I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait."
Ying Xiaoman was led to Shopkeeper Fang's private accounting room on the third floor.
Passing through many elegantly decorated chambers, this small room at the northernmost end was somewhat cramped due to its corner location.
Four skilled imperial guards vigilantly guarded the four corners, while two accountants led Ying Xiaoman around the floor-length screen in the room.
"This way, young miss. Be careful not to disturb the books on Shopkeeper Fang's desk. This is Shopkeeper Fang's accounting room, where private business matters are handled. He usually doesn't like others entering. Ah, bringing the young miss in today will surely earn us a scolding."
Yan Rongshi leisurely paced around the room.
Walking to Shopkeeper Fang's desk that the accountant had specifically warned not to touch, he examined each item one by one.
Ordinary abacus, counting rods, account books, blank paper, desk books – he touched each one, confirming nothing unusual, and put them back in their original places.
A moment later, he let out a soft exclamation, picked up a teacup, and held it up to the sunlight.
What remained in the teacup was not tea, but half a cup of goat's milk.
Although it was rare for an elderly person to enjoy drinking goat's milk, it wasn't illegal or criminal. He still put the teacup back in its original place.
The large embroidered screen placed in the center divided the room into inner and outer sections.
At this moment, shadows moved behind the screen.
Ying Xiaoman held a small pot that once contained a pool of liquid silver... now cooled into a large silver lump.
She struggled to scrape the silver lump from the bottom of the stone pot with a small iron spatula, weighing it in her hand. It was indeed about thirty taels.
It must be her father's silver ingot heirloom, without a doubt.
She dropped the pot, hugged the silver lump, and emerged from behind the screen. She nodded at Yan Rongshi, "Found it. Let's go."
But Yan Rongshi was in no hurry to leave.
First, he picked up the discarded stone pot, examining it carefully, then meticulously inspected the small spatula and flint. There was nothing unusual.
After putting them down, he strolled behind the screen again, carefully observing the embroidered landscape pattern on the screen.
What appeared to be an ordinary embroidered screen was actually a rare double-sided embroidery.
Looking from the room's entrance, one could only see a common freehand landscape painting: green mountains and clear waters, light boats and heavy mountains, a scene often seen in literati paintings, nothing remarkable.
But looking from the inner room outwards, the other side of the screen presented a vastly different view. It was an embroidered panorama of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains, grand and magnificent.
The two accountants initially stood waiting with hands lowered, but as the wait dragged on, the more impatient one couldn't help but speak up:
"Now that the ancestor's heirloom has been returned to the young miss, this is after all our shopkeeper's private accounting chamber, containing important ledgers of our establishment. If the esteemed guests are not in a hurry to leave, perhaps you'd like to move to another chamber? Our establishment would be honored to treat you to our signature wine, Yulouqun—"
"Indeed, we're not in a hurry to leave," Yan Rongshi said with a half-smile as he looked up to examine the screen.
"What a fine embroidery of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains. The rise and fall of the terrain across the great land, the direction of mountains and rivers, the location of cities and important towns, all precise. I daresay even carefully drawn maps wouldn't be more accurate. Such a rare masterpiece deserves more time for appreciation."
The two accountants turned to look at the screen as well.
One of them politely flattered, "The esteemed guest has a good eye. This double-sided embroidered screen is indeed a masterpiece of Su embroidery, created by embroiderers over an entire year. Shopkeeper Fang has managed this restaurant in the Capital City for many years and rarely has the chance to travel and explore. Therefore, he particularly loves this embroidery of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains, treasuring it and admiring it often..."
Yan Rongshi turned back to the desk, lowering his gaze to examine the half cup of goat's milk left behind.
"Your esteemed restaurant has stood in the Capital City for many years, a grand establishment with many skilled individuals. My men just saw them return to the restaurant. I wonder where they are hiding now?"
The accountants looked bewildered, glancing at each other in confusion. One of them suddenly realized, "Oh, them. There are many ruffians and hooligans on the streets of the Capital City, so Shopkeeper Fang gathered a group of skilled individuals to protect the restaurant, fearing it might be vandalized by local thugs—"
"Then why didn't they come out to protect the restaurant when Yan Erlang was wrecking it earlier?"
The accountant who had been speaking suddenly choked, his eyes also showing some bewilderment.
Indeed, why didn't the guards, who were paid handsomely and clearly inside the restaurant, come out earlier?
Suddenly, a distant shout was heard, followed by a series of loud crashes, as if people were fighting somewhere in the restaurant.
One of the skilled imperial guards quickly came to report: "We found that group on the third floor. Two escaped, two were seriously injured and unconscious, and two were captured alive. The two who were caught behaved unusually, and one died."
Ying Xiaoman, holding the silver lump and standing by the door, swiftly turned her gaze. Today was supposed to be just about wrecking the restaurant, how did it end up with a death?
"How did one die?" Yan Rongshi also asked.
"Suicide by poison," the skilled guard said. "They're all desperate men, definitely not ordinary restaurant guards, more like trained suicide troops. The other one also tried to take poison but was a step too slow. Our brothers restrained him, so we managed to keep one alive."
The accountants were dumbfounded, beating their chests and stamping their feet: "How did it come to a death! With a death in the restaurant, how can we open for business? No, we must report this to the authorities—"
"Detain them." The two accountants were pressed to the ground, bound, and taken away.
Yan Rongshi stood by the door, his gaze thoughtful.
The two accountants who were taken away didn't seem to be knowingly involved. They were detained only to prevent them from spreading the news.
The key witness they needed to find was the person in charge of the restaurant, Shopkeeper Fang.
Harboring suicide troops in the bustling market of the Capital City, and a suspected map hidden in the restaurant – these two points alone were enough to investigate Yuqing Tower...
Ying Xiaoman said, "I just ran into Shopkeeper Fang at the Great Xiangguo Temple."
"Oh?" Yan Rongshi immediately turned around.
So they had come too quickly. At this moment, Shopkeeper Fang was lagging behind, perhaps walking back to the restaurant.
"So, we know his whereabouts, but his own people might not."
A rare opportunity. Yan Rongshi immediately ordered: "Leave the restaurant as it is. Spread out and search for Shopkeeper Fang along the few routes from the Great Xiangguo Temple back to the restaurant. Don't startle him, let him return on his own."
The imperial guards quickly divided into two groups and rushed out.
Ying Xiaoman stood by the second-floor wooden railing, looking outside. A crowd was gathering outside the restaurant, growing larger and larger, seemingly seven or eight hundred people now.
Yan Rongshi stood at the side, his gaze lowered.
In the messy great hall strewn with broken porcelain and silver, a group of people had not yet left.
Yan Erlang sat at a table with his legs crossed, picking up a pair of long ivory chopsticks. He tapped them on the table downstairs, laughing loudly: "Seventh son of Changle Alley, the Yan family's prodigy, Yan Rongshi! Did you hear the message I sent through someone?"
"Last time I invited you to meet at the martial grounds, you refused. Fine, your family has a civil official background, mine is from a military family. Even if I won against you in the martial grounds, it would be an unfair victory for me, Yan Yixing. This time, let's use this restaurant as a wager. Do you dare to accept?"
As more and more onlookers gathered, Ying Xiaoman, having recovered her father's lost heirloom, wanted to leave.
She tugged on her lord's sleeve, muttering softly, "Don't pay attention to him, this fellow's gone mad again."
Yan Rongshi patted her hand reassuringly.
"It's just a case of jealousy in front of the girl he fancies, a common occurrence among the young men of the Capital City."
Ying Xiaoman: "...Huh?"
Yan Rongshi walked down the wooden stairs, saying leisurely, "This time, I accept. What do you intend to do?"
Yan Erlang immediately laughed. "Now that's more like it!"
He abruptly pushed away the table, stepping on broken porcelain as he stood up.
"I came as promised, publicly smashing up the restaurant to vent Xiaoman's anger. What about you? Do you dare to publicly seal off the restaurant to vent Xiaoman's anger? Or is the reputation of your Yan family in Changle Alley more important?"
Yan Erlang smiled provokingly: "In front of Xiaoman, don't play those underhanded word games. If you've got the guts, do it right here and now."
Yan Rongshi turned back and ordered the imperial guards: "Return to the office and fetch the Ministry of Justice sealing orders. Seal off Yuqing Tower."
Yan Erlang: "..."
The Yan family's group retreated half a step, watching in stunned silence as several imperial guards left to fetch horses, parting the crowd of onlookers, and indeed galloping swiftly towards the Ministry of Justice.
Hey, he's really doing it!