Although Xuan Ou Zi had already realized that the smiling fatty before him was actually a hard nut to crack and had prepared several approaches combining threats with persuasion, Fu Xi Yan’s sudden demand for money still caught him off guard.
Without waiting for him to propose a method of repayment, Fu Xi Yan continued on his own. “Since you’ve come in person, you’re no outsider, so let me speak frankly from the heart. Zhang Da Shan truly chose the worst possible time to steal those five thousand taels!”
This sudden outpouring of heartfelt sincerity interrupted Xuan Ou Zi’s train of thought yet again. He had no idea what sort of performance Fu Xi Yan was putting on now.
“Ever since the Third Prince established himself in Luoyang, land prices have changed by the day. Five thousand taels used to be enough for me to acquire two or three shops in good locations. Now I’d struggle to buy even one—and all of that happened within the span of a few days.”
He sighed with such genuine feeling that it sounded as though he truly regarded Xuan Ou Zi as a friend to whom he could pour out his troubles.
After a brief moment of astonishment, Xuan Ou Zi sneered. “It seems you want more than five thousand taels.”
Fu Xi Yan shook his head. “Talking about money damages relationships.”
Xuan Ou Zi: “…”
Who was the one who had brought up money?
“So,” Fu Xi Yan said with a smile, “why don’t we settle those five thousand taels with two storefronts in Fengdu Market?”
It had been a long time since anyone had dared bargain with Xuan Ou Zi to his face. The stronger the killing intent in his heart became, the broader his smile grew. “Does money mean that much to you?”
Interrogation was psychological warfare, and negotiation was no different.
Xuan Ou Zi released the commanding presence of an expert who controlled the entire situation, causing everyone present to feel a deep, instinctive fear rising from within. Fu Xi Yan, however, only sensed the change during the first instant before returning to complete calm.
There seemed to be an all-purpose defensive system hidden inside his body, capable of activating both mental and physical immunity whenever necessary. Fu Xi Yan did not know where its upper limit lay, but the man before him clearly had not yet reached the warning line.
He smiled. “One’s body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents, so one must not dare harm them. That is the beginning of filial piety. As it happens, the money I possess was also received from my parents, so I don’t dare let it suffer harm either. That is also part of my filial duty.”
Elio’s Notes: Fu Xi Yan is twisting a famous line from the Classic of Filial Piety, which teaches that preserving the body received from one’s parents is the beginning of filial conduct. He extends the principle shamelessly to the money his parents gave him.
Seeing Fu Xi Yan converse and laugh with perfect ease, entirely unaffected by his aura, Xuan Ou Zi became increasingly suspicious. He was in the late Mortal-Shedding Stage, yet he could not gauge Fu Xi Yan’s true depth. At Fu Xi Yan’s age, even if he had begun cultivating the moment he left his mother’s womb, he could not possibly have reached the same realm. According to every rumor, moreover, he was a useless failure who had remained stalled at the early True Origin Stage for nine years.
Yet it was also an undeniable fact that Fu Xi Yan stood before him without the slightest change in expression, speaking with confidence and composure.
Before Xuan Ou Zi came to Luoyang, his senior martial uncle had repeatedly instructed him to find a suitable opportunity to kill Fu Xi Yan. Xuan Ou Zi had assumed it would be a trivial task and intended to dispose of him whenever convenient, but the mysterious behavior of the fatty before him was beginning to make him uneasy.
At this point, Xuan Ou Zi still did not know that Fu Xi Yan had established ties with the Immortal Treasury Palace. Once he learned of that connection, he would naturally feel even more grateful for the caution he displayed today.
Xuan Ou Zi behaved without restraint and had committed countless evil acts, but he was by no means stupid. When intimidation failed, he decisively pulled two banknotes from inside his robes and tossed them onto the table.
Fu Xi Yan was just about to reach for them when someone announced from the doorway that the Third Prince and Commander of the Brocade Guard Chu Guang had arrived.
Xuan Ou Zi and Fu Xi Yan both cursed inwardly.
The deal was about to be completed. Why had those two suddenly appeared to remind everyone of their existence?
The Third Prince had no idea that his arrival had disrupted a matter already nearing its conclusion. He believed he had chosen an excellent moment to intervene.
Ever since learning that Fu Xi Yan had some connection with the Immortal Treasury Palace, the concubine-born son of a count whom he had once treated as a convenient troublemaker had risen considerably in his estimation. The Third Prince had even begun considering lowering himself to cultivate a personal friendship with him.
Naturally, he could not appear too eager or take the initiative to cling to Fu Xi Yan. The ideal approach would be to grant him an appropriately timed favor, move him to tears of gratitude, and inspire him to offer his allegiance voluntarily.
Xuan Ou Zi’s arrival presented an opportunity. However, the fact that the Immortal Treasury Palace had not stepped forward on Fu Xi Yan’s behalf made the Third Prince hesitate.
His adviser Chen Yi had counseled, “A small favor may be bestowed, but a great favor is difficult to repay.”
The Third Prince automatically understood “repay” as meaning that Fu Xi Yan would owe him something in return.
He had planted an informant in the dining hall long ago. When he learned that Xuan Ou Zi wanted Zhang Da Shan while Fu Xi Yan wanted money, Chen Yi advised him to wait until their negotiations reached an impasse and then step forward as mediator. If Xuan Ou Zi refused to compromise, the Third Prince could make up the difference with his private funds.
That way, all three parties would receive a satisfactory return.
Xuan Ou Zi would obtain the man he had come for.
Fu Xi Yan would receive his money.
And the Third Prince would establish a connection to the Immortal Treasury Palace.
Imagination only seemed beautiful when contrasted with cruel reality.
In the short interval between the announcement of their arrival and the moment they entered, Fu Xi Yan seized the opportunity to snatch the banknotes away and glance at their values.
One was worth five thousand taels.
The other was also worth five thousand.
Fu Xi Yan beamed as he greeted the Third Prince and Chu Guang, then took charge of the situation as though he were the host. “Guard Zhang has been confined for so many days. I’ve often wondered whether he has eaten well, dressed warmly, and slept soundly. If I weren’t still on leave and therefore unable to wander freely through the encampment, I would gladly take Guard Zhang by the hand myself and place it in Senior Xuan Ou Zi’s, allowing the two martial brothers to reunite.”
The final part of that description was so revolting that Xuan Ou Zi could no longer endure it. He rose to his feet. “Why haven’t you released him yet?”
Seeing that Fu Xi Yan no longer objected, Chu Shao Yang tactfully left to free Zhang Da Shan.
Once he and Xuan Ou Zi were gone, the atmosphere inside the dining hall relaxed considerably.
The Third Prince looked at Fu Xi Yan with an unreadable expression. “Have you truly decided to let him go?”
Fu Xi Yan replied, “Zhang Da Shan attempted to murder an official of the court, and the evidence against him is conclusive. If Your Highness wishes to keep him imprisoned in order to uphold the law, I would naturally support you with both hands.” In other words, Fu Xi Yan was willing to follow behind someone else, but he had no intention of becoming the first bird to stick its head out.
The Third Prince remained privately annoyed. “…As long as you’re satisfied.”
Chu Guang sat nearby without saying a word.
He had assumed that whoever came to rescue Zhang Da Shan would be connected to Hu Yu, and he had already prepared an explanation. He had never expected Xuan Ou Zi to appear. This differed so greatly from his assumptions that it left him deeply unsettled. He had always believed that the person behind Hu Yu was Consort Dowager Chen.
Being used by an elderly imperial consort who wielded political power was entirely different from being controlled by a notorious martial sect.
Before coming here, Chu Guang had considered encouraging the Third Prince to reject Xuan Ou Zi’s demand and use the opportunity to sever all ties with Hu Yu and the force behind him. Yet after seeing the harmonious scene before him, with everyone pretending that peace and prosperity prevailed, he no longer had any opening to speak.
Fu Xi Yan did not know that his “friendly negotiations” with Xuan Ou Zi had accidentally destroyed two separate schemes. Even if he had known, he would not have cared. Such insubstantial plans were no match for the practical pleasure of real silver already in his hands.
Now that he had the money, he began thinking about buying gifts for his lifesaving benefactors, his wealthy patron, and the caring older sisters who understood him.
After bidding farewell to the Third Prince and Chu Guang, Fu Xi Yan left the dining hall in a cheerful mood. From a distance, he saw Chu Shao Yang leading Zhang Da Shan toward the entrance of the encampment.
They had not seen each other for more than ten days. Fu Xi Yan did not know whether Zhang Da Shan regretted his actions, but he certainly looked haggard. The corners of his eyes, which had already naturally drooped, now sagged even farther, and not a trace remained of his earlier arrogant shouting.
Prison reeducation truly could transform a person from the bones up.
Xuan Ou Zi had not gone with Chu Shao Yang to collect him. Instead, he stood at the encampment gate, staring darkly at the Brocade Guards on duty.
When Zhang Da Shan reached the entrance, he looked around in confusion before taking two steps toward Fu Xi Yan.
Assuming Zhang Da Shan had something to say, Fu Xi Yan instinctively stopped.
Yet after Zhang Da Shan came to stand before him, he remained silent.
Each man believed the other had approached him, so both waited for the other to speak first.
“Junior Brother! Why are you dawdling over there? Hurry up and come here!” Xuan Ou Zi’s voice carried a slightly soft, feminine quality, which made even a modest increase in volume sound like a vicious threat.
Zhang Da Shan looked even more bewildered and turned toward Chu Shao Yang as though seeking help.
Xuan Ou Zi’s expression darkened. “Junior Brother, I came all the way from the City of Ten Thousand Beasts on Master’s orders specifically to rescue you. Why are you still throwing a tantrum?”
That one sentence conveyed a great deal. First, it clearly identified Xuan Ou Zi’s origins. Second, it disguised Zhang Da Shan’s abnormal behavior as childish sulking.
Unfortunately, although Chu Shao Yang and Fu Xi Yan both appeared young, each was remarkably shrewd. How could they fail to notice that Zhang Da Shan did not recognize this supposed senior brother from the City of Ten Thousand Beasts at all?
Now this was interesting.
Who exactly was Zhang Da Shan, that the City of Ten Thousand Beasts would send someone to falsely claim him?
Fortunately, Zhang Da Shan was not entirely foolish. He hesitantly called, “Senior Brother.”
Xuan Ou Zi immediately adopted the bold swagger of a man who had paid his money and now owned the place. He turned and strode away. Zhang Da Shan hesitated, then followed him like a nervous new bride.
Fu Xi Yan watched until the two had gone some distance, then stopped Chu Shao Yang and asked, “Does this encampment have another exit?” The meaningful glance Xuan Ou Zi cast at him before leaving had put him on alert. Every experience in Fu Xi Yan’s life had demonstrated that he was difficult to kill but painfully short on good fortune. When it came to preventing assassination, there was no such thing as excessive caution.
Unfortunately, Chu Shao Yang regretfully informed him that the encampment did have another exit, but it was useful only for leaving. To return to Xiangyun Cloth Shop, Fu Xi Yan would still have to circle back past the main gate.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Company Commander Chu, do you like roast goose? I know a place that makes an excellent one. Since neither of us has anything to do tonight, why don’t I treat you?”
Chu Shao Yang immediately saw through his attempt to recruit someone as protection. “Where are Zhong Xin and Geng Geng?”
“I’m afraid that if danger appears, I’ll drag them into it.”
Chu Shao Yang laughed in anger. “But you aren’t afraid of dragging me into it?”
Fu Xi Yan replied sincerely, “Would you believe me if I said that comes from a profound trust in you?”
Chu Shao Yang turned and walked away, using his actions to express, I wouldn’t believe a ghost coming out of your mouth.
Fortunately, Fu Xi Yan’s return journey remained peaceful.
A night market was open that evening, so he walked around it once. He found no suitable gifts and returned empty-handed.
Finding gifts capable of pleasing people like Pei Yuan Jin and Yu Su Huan, who occupied high positions and lacked nothing, was never easy, especially in an ordinary marketplace catering mainly to common people. Fu Xi Yan once again envied the protagonists of level-up stories, who could uncover priceless treasures merely by taking a casual stroll. He wanted to experience that kind of happiness too.
On the ninth day of his leave, he returned to the pawnshop.
When he entered at noon, no one stood behind the counter.
Fu Xi Yan knocked on its surface. After a considerable wait, the shopkeeper finally emerged with a grin. “Oh, you’re here again.”
Fu Xi Yan teased him. “Did you finally go into the back room to eat your noodles?”
“Listen to you. I was entertaining a customer!”
A thought occurred to Fu Xi Yan. “A transaction worth more than a thousand taels?”
The shopkeeper smiled. “Silver-Coin customers are invited inside for tea even when conducting business worth only one copper cash.”
Fu Xi Yan had asked casually, but the answer immediately caught his interest. “Am I a Copper-Coin customer? How do I advance to the next tier?”
“By not bargaining so viciously.” The shopkeeper’s heart still ached whenever he remembered the transaction worth one-tenth of a tael. “The information about the Harmonized Yang Pills truly did sell for fifty thousand taels when it first became available. Buy two pieces of information at that price, and you’ll immediately become a Silver-Coin customer.”
Was this not precisely the gold-card and silver-card membership system Fu Xi Yan had dreamed of establishing? In his previous life, however, stores were connected through networks, so spending in one location could be checked elsewhere. How did they accomplish that here?
“The person who gave you the copper coin should have explained this. Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you again.”
The shopkeeper continued, “Any transaction above ten thousand taels is immediately registered with headquarters. Transactions below ten thousand are compiled once a year. Therefore, even if someone has spent more than ninety thousand taels and gradually reaches the required amount a few months later, they must still wait until the following year to advance. If you’re in a hurry after spending ninety thousand, simply purchase something worth more than ten thousand.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Is there also a Gold-Coin tier?”
The shopkeeper smiled. “Why not find out for yourself when the time comes?”
Fu Xi Yan sighed. “My pockets are empty. That day is impossibly far away.” He had believed that carrying ten thousand taels made him wealthy, only to discover that he was merely a frog at the bottom of a well.
The shopkeeper immediately displayed the professional instincts of someone in the service industry and comforted him. “You don’t necessarily need to buy anything. If the information you sell is worth one hundred thousand taels, we will upgrade you all the same.”
Fu Xi Yan’s heart stirred. He currently possessed a great deal of valuable information: the Seventh Princess had eloped, the whereabouts of the Harmonized Yang Pills…
He abruptly became alert.
No wonder the pawnshop’s information business was so profitable. Information entered through one door and left through another, while they collected a fee in the middle and made money hand over fist.
The shopkeeper chuckled without urging him. “Why don’t you first tell me what information you want to purchase?”
Fu Xi Yan decided to ask about something obscure. “I want information on Zhang Da Shan.”
The shopkeeper found five men named Zhang Da Shan and asked which one he meant.
After eliminating the dead one, the one close to death, and the woman, two remained.
For two taels, he received both reports.
“One is a Squad Commander in the Brocade Guard who followed the Third Prince to Luoyang. The other is a villager from Xingwu Village. Everyone else died in an earthquake years ago, and he alone escaped as a refugee.”
A flash of inspiration struck Fu Xi Yan. “Are they the same person?” Why else would an ordinary refugee have his own dedicated record?
The question seemed to stump the shopkeeper. He asked suspiciously, “Why do you want to know whether they’re the same person?”
“If they are, you should refund one tael.”
The shopkeeper: “…”
Fu Xi Yan next asked about Xuan Ou Zi. Information on him came in two grades: ordinary information for ten taels and exclusive information for two hundred and fifty.
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
He could not tell whether the number “two hundred and fifty” was insulting Xuan Ou Zi or the fool who bought the information.
Elio’s Notes: In Chinese slang, two hundred and fifty can mean a foolish or simple-minded person, so the price itself sounds like an insult.
“I want to know whether he has any weaknesses.”
“Then you need the two-hundred-and-fifty-tael report!” The shopkeeper collected the money with one hand while delivering the information. “He has three weaknesses. First, he isn’t actually very capable. He only became Second Senior Brother because of his face. Second, he secretly loves Tong Fang Yu but doesn’t dare let her find out. Third, he is on bad terms with the former unorthodox figures from the western frontier who later joined the City of Ten Thousand Beasts.”
“Why are they on bad terms?”
“Because many people from the western frontier joined the City of Ten Thousand Beasts for Tong Fang Yu’s sake. How could romantic rivals possibly live in harmony?”
Because of Tong Fang Yu’s history of cruelty, Fu Xi Yan had always pictured her as Mei Chao Feng from the 1983 television adaptation. The sudden addition of an irresistible-beauty aura was difficult to process.
Elio’s Notes: Mei Chao Feng is a fearsome and sinister martial artist from The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The 1983 television portrayal became especially iconic, so Fu Xi Yan imagines Tong Fang Yu as terrifying rather than romantically irresistible.
“What’s so strange about that? The Puppet Path only accepts beautiful people. Mo Xiao Ran goes without saying—he is publicly acknowledged as the most handsome man beneath Heaven. His four great disciples—Iron, Copper, Silver, and Gold—are all exceptionally beautiful as well. Even when the Heaven-Earth Mirror and the Immortal Treasury Palace called upon every righteous sect to exterminate them, infatuated young men and women from the various sects still slipped away to warn them or secretly held back during the fighting.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
A character setup as outrageously perfect as the universally acknowledged most handsome man beneath Heaven should have belonged to a transmigrator!
Why wasn’t this a novel?
Why hadn’t he transmigrated into a book?
Elio’s Notes: Fu Xi Yan is complaining that Mo Xiao Ran has the excessively glamorous profile of a “Gary Stu,” a male character portrayed as implausibly perfect and universally admired.
Fu Xi Yan became numb with anger and wore an expression that said, I know the request I’m about to make is unreasonable, but I’m too angry to be rational, so you had better agree.
“I want to buy the most expensive gift possible for the least amount of money.”
The shopkeeper had broad experience. “Your heartfelt good wishes.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
In the end, he paid the shopkeeper sixty taels for information about the Ruixue Divine Cattle currently in Luoyang.
After learning that the Third Prince was coming, Luoyang’s wealthy merchants had begun planning an impressive gift. Like Fu Xi Yan, they wanted to achieve something enormous while spending as little as possible, so they imported twelve Ruixue Divine Cattle, a breed renowned for its rich and tender meat, from across the sea.
They had included extra animals to account for possible losses during the journey. Unexpectedly, all twelve arrived safely, leaving a surplus.
The next day, Fu Xi Yan sent Zhou Zhong Xin to the merchants with his calling card and payment. They naturally agreed at once and even sent over a famous chef whom they had hired from Jiangnan at great expense.
They prepared two tables for the beef feast.
Fu Xi Yan, Pei Yuan Jin, and Yu Su Huan sat at one.
Zhong Xin, Geng Geng, Xiao Sang, and Xiao Zhang sat at the other.
Everyone ate to complete satisfaction.
Drinking his tea, Pei Yuan Jin asked, “Does that household have any more?”
Picking his teeth, Fu Xi Yan replied, “Whatever remains is probably meant as a gift for the Third Prince.”
…
On the final day before he returned to work, Fu Xi Yan benefited from Pei Yuan Jin’s generosity and ate two more delicious beef feasts, both even more abundant than the one the day before. As a result, reporting back to work became unbearably painful.
His tall bed and soft pillows were gone. His brocade clothes and fine food were gone. All that remained was the Brocade Guard—a title with “brocade” in its name and nothing else.
Wearing a mask of pure suffering, Fu Xi Yan left for the Brocade Guard encampment. The moment he arrived, Chu Shao Yang greeted him cheerfully. “Your timing is perfect! We’re having Ruixue Divine Cattle today!”
No matter how delicious something was, eating it at every meal eventually became tiring.
Fu Xi Yan said, “That’s all right. I’ve been absent from work for so long that I haven’t earned it. There’s no need to count a share for me.”
Thinking he was merely being polite, Chu Shao Yang hurriedly reassured him. “Don’t worry. Luoyang’s wealthy merchants sent us two whole cattle. There’s more than enough for everyone.”
Fu Xi Yan: “?”
Had there not been twelve? Two was practically just the leftover fraction.
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Exactly how many cattle had Pei Yuan Jin bought from those merchants?
At Xiangyun Cloth Shop, Yu Su Huan asked Pei Yuan Jin, who was sitting contentedly by the window eating dried beef, “When are we leaving?”
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “How many cattle remain?”
“Eight.”
Pei Yuan Jin’s foot swung in a small but unmistakably cheerful motion. “We shouldn’t waste them.”
Construction of the new imperial palace finally began on a grand scale. Although Emperor Jianhong had already stockpiled some timber and stone, the reserves were nowhere near sufficient for a palace of the size shown in Luoyang’s architectural plans. The first group of recruited laborers was therefore sent into the mountains to fell trees and quarry stone.
The Brocade Guards were not idle either. They were assigned throughout the surrounding area to provide security.
Chu Guang wanted to repair his relationship with the Fu family, so he deliberately assigned Fu Xi Yan to the mountains nearest Luoyang. If Fu Xi Yan did not mind the inconvenience, he could even live at Xiangyun Cloth Shop and travel back and forth each day.
Fu Xi Yan did not dare become too closely associated with the Immortal Treasury Palace, however. He only sent them game from the nearby villages from time to time, while Yu Su Huan returned the gesture with dried fruits and pastries from the city. Both sides tacitly maintained the relationship at the level of ordinary friends.
Just as Fu Xi Yan began to believe his career in the Brocade Guard would continue like this for some time, an imperial edict suddenly arrived from the palace in Haojing. It reprimanded Chu Guang for disregarding the law and privately releasing the wanted criminal Zhang Da Shan, ordering him to submit a memorial in his own defense. Fu Xi Yan, as the victim, also received consolation from the emperor, who praised him for possessing the bearing of his forebears, remaining unruffled by sudden changes, and keeping calm in the face of trouble. He was commanded to hand over his duties immediately and return to the capital to receive a reward.
The two decrees threw the entire encampment into turmoil.
The relationship between Chu Shao Yang and Fu Xi Yan, which had only just begun to improve, immediately became strained again. Although Chu Shao Yang said nothing aloud, he suspected that Fu Xi Yan had secretly submitted a complaint. Fu Xi Yan knew exactly what he suspected but had no way to defend himself.
Because—
He had discovered that the memorial Wei Gang gave him was genuinely missing!
If that memorial had caused the imperial decree, then Fu Xi Yan had not only offended Chu Guang but also dragged Wei Gang into the affair.
When he discovered the memorial was gone, his first suspect was Zhang Da Shan, who had a history of stealing from him. On further thought, however, unless Zhang Da Shan wanted them both destroyed, there was no reason for him to bring the matter before the emperor and earn himself the official status of a wanted criminal.
His second suspect was Xuan Ou Zi.
Fu Xi Yan had extorted ten thousand taels from him, which provided a motive. Xuan Ou Zi’s cultivation was also far above Zhang Da Shan’s, making it more likely that he could steal the memorial without anyone noticing.
Fu Xi Yan had also suspiciously considered people such as the Third Prince and Pei Yuan Jin, but none of them appeared to have a convincing motive.
At this point, brooding over the matter was useless. Under the envious gazes of the Brocade Guards, Fu Xi Yan could only pack his belongings and prepare to depart.
The imperial envoy sent by Emperor Jianhong was a talkative eunuch surnamed Zhang. Once the decree had been proclaimed and everyone else had left, he immediately drew Fu Xi Yan aside and began cultivating familiarity.
“This servant took my surname from my adoptive father. A Gu was the name my birth parents gave me.” Zhang A Gu sighed wistfully. “I wonder whether the Count has ever mentioned my adoptive father.”
A thought occurred to Fu Xi Yan. “Could your adoptive father have been Eunuch Zhang?”
Perhaps it had been a long time since Zhang A Gu had heard that form of address, because his eyes immediately reddened. “My adoptive father was right. Among all the civil and military officials at court, Count Yongfeng is still the one with a conscience. How many others even remember him?”
Fu Xi Yan thought that those words were placing his father directly over a fire.
Fortunately, Zhang A Gu merely wanted to use his adoptive father’s former relationship with Fu Fu to draw closer to Fu Xi Yan. Once he saw that his words had produced an effect, he changed the subject. “In truth, this servant personally requested the assignment to proclaim the decree. Both Masters Fu are currently the hottest figures in the capital, and no one knows how many people envy them. If someone with ill intentions had been sent instead, this servant feared Young Master might come to harm.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Before he left Haojing, had his father not complained that their family had gone completely cold and that no one had even warned them in advance about something as important as moving the capital? How had they suddenly become popular again as soon as he departed?
Seeing his confusion, Zhang A Gu hurriedly slapped his forehead and laughed. “Look how anxious this servant has become—I forgot to tell you. The younger Master Fu has now become Commander of the Yulin Guard, while the elder Master Fu is waiting for a vacancy in the Ministry of War. The moment a suitable position opens, he can assume office.”
Although Zhang A Gu had brought good news, and Zhong Xin and Geng Geng were visibly delighted—Chu Guang’s appointment as Commander of the Brocade Guard had infuriated the Fu faction at the time—Fu Xi Yan could not explain why a faint but persistent sense of unease had settled over him.
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