"Village sisters come into town,
Yellow mud clinging to their flowered shoes.
They sway a little by the boat—
Could it be they’re coming aboard?
Yo-heave-ho, yo-heave-ho,
Mast to port, mast to port, mast to port!"
"Yo—heave—ho…"
"Yo—heave—ho…"
At dawn, the boatmen’s chant rang out into the sky.
Miss Player arrived at the restaurant as agreed, taking her seat once more in yesterday’s private room.
The merchant with the salt license had come especially early. Casting a smug glance at his rival, he stepped into the room first.
A screen separated Miss Player from the merchant. Each could only make out the other’s vague silhouette. From his appearance, the man was not from any foreign group—and indeed, the moment he opened his mouth, he spoke in the local Cuixi dialect.
His surname was Zhu. In Great Xi, salt was tightly controlled, but salt licenses were not monopolized by major merchants. In theory, anyone could obtain one by paying taxes to the authorities. A salt license was, in essence, a legal permit to sell salt.
Shu Province produced well salt, which, once refined, became snow-white crystals, full and lustrous.
Merchant Zhu purchased salt at its place of production, then transported it to Lingnan. On the return journey, carrying a few baskets of lychees was merely a matter of convenience.
"Lingnan is warm and humid year-round. Even at its coldest, one only needs a short jacket over a single layer…"
"Many of the native peoples there worship Wotulin, believing it to be the guardian of all life. Its name may be translated as ‘the heart of grass and trees, the soul of rivers and streams’…"
After a full hour, Merchant Zhu finally paused, lifting his tea and draining it in a single gulp. Changing the subject, he asked, "Aside from lychees, does Miss wish to purchase anything else?"
Miss Player asked him, "What goods do you have that you can sell to me?"
When Merchant Zhu left the room, he looked utterly deflated. He could tell Miss Player truly intended to buy—but his wares held no appeal for a young girl.
The other merchant, seeing him emerge, immediately straightened his clothes and entered the room carrying an exquisitely crafted wooden box. As he passed Merchant Zhu, he even flashed him a provocative smile.
After taking his seat, this merchant was likewise asked to tell a story first.
Only after he finished did Miss Player ask, "What goods do you have?"
"I’ve brought a fine gemstone," the merchant said, opening the box and presenting it carefully.
Taozi stepped around the screen to receive it. Inside, cushioned on soft cloth, lay a ruby the size of a pigeon’s egg—flawless and brilliant, dazzling at first glance.
Seeing the maid’s reaction, the merchant could not help but feel a surge of pride. This gemstone had not been easy to obtain. He had originally planned to sell it in Jialing Prefecture and had only stopped in Cuixi County to rest along the way. Had this young lady not so clearly been someone extraordinary, he would never have taken out such a fine piece.
The box was passed to Miss Player. She casually lifted the ruby and held it up to the light streaming through the window, turning it slowly between her fingers.
"How much for this stone?" she asked.
The merchant raised a hand—five fingers.
Miss Player raised two fingers in response. Wen Yan spoke on her behalf, "Two hundred taels."
The price struck precisely at the merchant’s bottom line. He could sell—or not.
If he sold, he would profit, and not insignificantly, though it would fall short of his expectations. If he did not, he might not find another suitable buyer for some time, and the stone would remain tied up in inventory.
For a merchant in need of liquidity, that too was a form of loss.
After several rounds of negotiation, they settled at two hundred and twenty taels.
The same contract drafter from the Accounting House Gang was summoned again. He was effectively employed by the restaurant, which provided a convenient venue for business transactions. For the sake of customers, the proprietor had hired multiple members of the Accounting House Gang—some to draft contracts, others to negotiate prices or act as guarantors.
This, too, Wen Yan had explained to Miss Player.
As usual, the waiter brought in a table for the contract drafting. When the document—called a contract, or agreement—reached its final stage, the drafter said, "This is a transaction of considerable value, and the goods are ready at hand. The best course is to settle payment and delivery simultaneously."
"If Miss does not have sufficient funds at the moment, you may opt for dockside settlement. However, you cannot simply leave an address—you must reveal your identity."
Miss Player could not produce two hundred taels at present. Her personal wealth was already considerable for a girl her age—perhaps one or two hundred taels in total—but most of it consisted of gifts from Lady Huang during festivals and occasions, and was in the form of goods. Liquidating them in haste would mean taking a loss.
She had no intention of selling them.
In any case, it would not be long before she had money.
For now, she could only choose dockside settlement.
The dock authority—effectively represented by the Accounting House Gang—would act as an intermediary. She could take the gemstone now without paying a single coin, and settle the debt later, whether in installments or a lump sum, with a small amount of interest.
The amount was not large.
"The daughter of the County Deputy Magistrate would not default on a dock account."
The drafter immediately rose and bowed. "So it is the young lady of the Jiang family. My respects."
Upon learning the buyer was from an official household, the merchant also hurriedly stood and bowed. "A young lady of the officials’ family—your discernment is truly exceptional. This gemstone, once set in gold—"
Taozi gently pushed the screen aside. The three parties finally came face to face.
Miss Player sat in her chair, holding the ruby between two fingers, turning it toward the light.
The merchant’s voice stopped abruptly.
He could no longer bring himself to praise it.
The gemstone that had filled him with pride now seemed dim in her hand—its color insufficiently rich, its size too small, its craftsmanship too crude. It was unworthy of her. Amusing to toy with, perhaps—but far from worthy of being worn by her.
Outside, Merchant Zhu, who had been lingering unwilling to leave, rushed forward when he saw his rival exit.
"Was it a gemstone you sold to the young lady inside?"
But the man seemed absent-minded, as if he had heard nothing and seen no one. He walked away in a daze, glancing back every few steps.
Merchant Zhu: "…"
What just happened?
Inside the private room, all irrelevant people had already left. Miss Player made no move to depart. She casually tossed the gemstone to Wen Yan and asked, "It hasn’t even been seven days since Zhang Kang and the others were imprisoned, yet the verdict has already been issued. Since when has the court become so efficient?"
"That is because," Wen Yan said with a smile, "reinforcing the dam requires money."
Miss Player lifted her gaze. "What do you mean?"
Wen Yan did not keep her in suspense. "Once the verdict is issued, confiscation can begin. Recovering the embezzled funds that should have gone into the Cang River dam will cover thirty to forty percent of the reinforcement costs."
As for why it was not seventy or eighty percent—
That was because the principal offender was now serving in the Imperial Capital.
The money he had taken was the greater portion.
The Imperial Capital was a place where right and wrong held little weight, and power struggles ran deep. Whether punishment would be carried out was uncertain. Even if it was, how much he would return was unclear—and where that money would ultimately go was even less certain.
In any case, it would not be sent back to Cuixi County for the dam.
Over the next twenty days, Miss Player went out daily to meet merchants from Lingnan. She had already demonstrated both purchasing power and a willingness to spend freely on fine goods. Merchants, driven by profit, did not consider meeting her a waste of time—on the contrary, they competed eagerly for the chance.
This was precisely why she had purchased the ruby.
Of course, she could not buy only gemstones. Whenever the number of merchants waiting for her decreased, she would purchase another expensive item.
As a result, her debt to the Accounting House Gang grew larger and larger.
This inevitably made them more eager to collect—but it did not matter. After all, the account was under Jiang Yan’s name.
On this particular day, Wen Yan drove the carriage out of the city. As the reinforcement of the Cang River dam progressed at full speed, Cuixi County’s center of trade had shifted from Dock One within the city to Dock Two near the dam.
Merchants from all regions brought materials there, unloading at the docks.
Conducting transactions there was now far more convenient.
Miss Player settled into a modest inn. The conditions were far inferior to the restaurant, but anyone who had traveled in ancient times would not complain about such roughness.
The inn struggled to clear out a private room for her use. The first merchant to enter had clearly learned her habits—after sitting down, he immediately began speaking of Lingnan.
"I often travel between Cuixi County and Two Realms Town. That town lies at the border between Lingnan and Shu Province, hence its name. Once you enter it, you are already within Lingnan territory—but the road there is difficult. You must pass through a forest stretching twenty to thirty li. It’s called the Ghost Cry Forest. It is often shrouded in dense mist. When walking through it, you can often hear eerie wailing…"
Far away, within the Ghost Cry Forest—
A group of young men in prison garb trudged forward under the escort of armed Yamen Runners, each step heavy and uncertain.
Suddenly, a gust of wind stirred the leaves with a rustling sound. From deep within the mist came a drawn-out wail, like a woman crying.
The prisoners were terrified and refused to move forward.
"There’s a ghost! A ghost!"
"Don’t be afraid. It’s broad daylight—where would a ghost come from?"
The speaker emerged from the mist some ten paces away. The sound of wheels and hooves, previously masked by the wailing, grew clear.
Five wagons, several horses, and more than fifty merchants and guards broke through the fog, joining the group of officers and prisoners.
The speaker’s surname was Guan. He was the leader of the caravan.
"That sound comes from plants and animals, not ghosts," he said, thumping his chest. "I’ve traveled through this forest more than ten times. I guarantee there’s no danger during the day."
He clapped a young prisoner on the shoulder. "This young brother Zhang is steady."
That young man was Zhang Kang, more than twenty days since leaving Cuixi County.
Along the journey, they traveled by day and rested at night. Though Constable Zou and the accompanying officers had not abused them, and food and water had been sufficient, the heavy shackles—over ten jin—combined with hundreds or even thousands of li traveled on foot inevitably took their toll.
People fell ill.
People died.
Among them were his own relatives.
Just days ago, his second brother had contracted dysentery. His face had turned ashen, blood mixed in his stool. He had not survived the night.
Ghosts no longer frightened Zhang Kang.
After encountering the caravan, both groups had tacitly agreed to travel together. The merchants valued the armed officers, whose presence could deter bandits.
The officers, flattered by the caravan leader, were willing to oblige. In terms of food alone, what the caravan provided far surpassed official rations.
The leader knew the prisoners were educated and some had practiced martial arts, and did not treat them harshly. Among them, Zhang Kang had earned his quiet admiration for his composure along the journey.
Seeing the officers growing impatient, the leader urged, "Brother Zhang, have everyone pick up the pace. It’s getting late. If we don’t leave the forest before sunset, we may be attacked by wild beasts."
Before his words had fully fallen—
Everything changed.
A burly man dressed in black, face covered, leapt down from the trees. A ring-bladed saber whistled through the air—
Slash.
A flash of silver.
One of the officers felt the world spin.
He saw masked men appear like bamboo shoots after rain, surrounding the caravan in an instant.
He saw his own headless body collapse.
Blood sprayed into the air.