The rooster crowed.
There was just a hint of pale light in the east when a sudden commotion erupted inside Jixiang Old Shop.
Because the city gates were sealed, those Jianghu People who needed to leave the city for outside business had no choice but to return to the inn in frustration.
Then, all the Jianghu People staying at the inn learned a piece of news that shocked the entire county.
Last night, the richest man in Langling County, the Head of the Zhang Family, was murdered by a bandit in his bridal chamber on his wedding night— his throat slit, his heart stabbed to pieces.
A joyous occasion turned into a funeral.
Someone sighed, “Poor Bride, she just got married, hadn’t even lifted her bridal veil, and her husband was already brutally killed. How is she supposed to go on living after this?”
Another said, “What’s there to pity? She just got married and her husband died because of her! She’s a Doombringer, that’s what she is!”
But what everyone discussed most was still the murderer.
“Who would’ve thought, the culprit was actually a woman.”
“Isn’t that something.” Someone glanced at the Wanted Poster and echoed, “Look at this girl’s portrait, she’s quite pretty, but who’d have thought she’s a cold-blooded killer who doesn’t even blink at murder.”
“The Zhang Family is offering a reward of Ten Thousand Silver Dollars! Damn, I couldn’t earn that much in ten lifetimes.”
“Whoever catches this Shen Mingming will strike it rich! From then on, beef noodles every day, and sorghum wine with every meal.”
Someone else complained, “The city gates are shut, the Zhang Family’s gone mad, and they’ve dragged over hundreds of Soldiers from the infantry yamen to search for people. No one unrelated is allowed to leave the city.”
“When city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer too. Poor us honest business folk, dragged down by her, can’t even do business now.”
With such a racket, even if Jiang Mingxi was a heavy sleeper, she would have been woken up.
Jiang Mingxi stretched lazily and got out of bed with a yawn.
After washing up, she sat before the mirror and used charcoal powder to draw her brows.
It was strange, really.
When she was just a little maid called Shen Mingming, her looks could only be called delicate.
But after she changed her name to Jiang Mingxi, cut her hair short, thickened her eyebrows, and dressed as a man, she became, by worldly standards, a handsome young man with sharp brows and starry eyes.
It just went to show how low the standards for men’s looks were in this world.
When Jiang Mingxi strolled downstairs at her leisure, the people below were all jostling to pass around her Wanted Poster.
She glanced at the portrait on the poster and was not at all surprised to see that it depicted a gentle, small-eyed woman with thin brows.
Trying to catch a criminal with such a distorted portrait was pure wishful thinking.
A Photograph taken by a Foreign Camera— that was what you called lifelike.
Jiang Mingxi suddenly realized that she’d never had her picture taken before.
After all, even the cheapest Photograph cost several Silver Dollars, which, at current prices, could buy dozens of catties of pork.
So even when she was at her richest, she’d never thought about getting a picture taken.
A Jianghu Person was animatedly describing everything that had happened last night, as if they’d seen it all with their own eyes.
Jiang Mingxi found it amusing and listened with great interest for a while.
According to their telling, she was practically a blue-faced, fang-toothed, demonic Demoness—just one step short of eating raw meat and drinking blood.
She might have sounded ugly, but she came across as awe-inspiring, and Jiang Mingxi thought it wasn’t bad at all.
But someone had to disagree, “I’ve seen Zhang Laoye before, he’s a strapping man. How could a little woman like her possibly kill him? She must’ve seduced Zhang Laoye with her looks, and then…”
He flashed a lewd grin and spouted a string of filthy, vulgar words.
Jiang Mingxi couldn’t be bothered to listen; it was always the same lines anyway.
It was always like this— in any trade, in any case, as long as a woman was involved, people’s imaginations would run wild, and it became the perfect topic for these “heroes” to gossip over drinks.
Jiang Mingxi didn’t get angry.
She’d heard far worse in her past life.
Back then, someone had even mocked her, “Aren’t you shameless? Why are you wagging your tail at everyone like a lapdog?”
At the time, Jiang Mingxi had thought to herself: If I’m already a dog, what’s the use of saving face? Can face be exchanged for money? Can it fill my belly?
Jiang Mingxi stopped listening to the commotion and walked straight to the counter.
The shop assistant was also craning his neck to listen to the gossip. She tapped on the counter, and he snapped back to attention.
Before she could speak, he took the initiative to say that he’d already gone to pay his respects to High President first thing in the morning, and that High President would be available tomorrow morning.
Young Master Xiao would only be in town for five days— after today, only four were left. Jiang Mingxi was anxious, but she couldn’t rush things, lest she give herself away.
She knew not to put all her eggs in one basket. To connect with Young Master Xiao, aside from working through the Changchun Society, she needed to find other avenues as well.
Jiang Mingxi fished a brand new Silver Dollar from her pocket and pushed it to the assistant with a smile, as a referral fee.
The assistant held it up to the light— it was a Silver Dollar from the previous dynasty, not a New Government Coin, and immediately beamed with delight, becoming even more attentive to Jiang Mingxi.
“All right! Enough talk, mind your tongues!”
Jiang Mingxi snapped out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw a man with a Gua Pi Hat and a Black Horse Gown, sporting a goatee, walk out from the inner room.
The assistant, leaning on the counter, immediately straightened up and greeted, “Shopkeeper.”
The other Jianghu People also greeted him, “Old Zhao!”
Zhao Shopkeeper clasped his hands in return and sighed, “That girl is a pitiful soul too. Falling into the hands of Grand Philanthropist Zhang, who knows what she suffered.”
The men’s faces froze, looking rather embarrassed.
Grand Philanthropist Zhang’s kindness was well-known throughout the city.
He couldn’t bear to see the poor suffer, so nearly all the impoverished farmers in the city became part of the Zhang Family. Grand Philanthropist Zhang was so benevolent, he even parceled out land for the poor to farm, and helped them raise their children. How could one not call that mercy?
After a moment of silence, someone suddenly muttered, “Heaven’s justice comes full circle, retribution never misses.”
Zhao Shopkeeper chuckled and changed the subject, “My goodness, the Zhang Family is really generous— offering Ten Thousand Silver Dollars as a reward in one go.”
At the mention of money, everyone perked up and began fantasizing about how they’d spend the reward if they caught the culprit.
Jiang Mingxi said nothing, quietly watching them.
Zhao Shopkeeper noticed Jiang Mingxi’s gaze and clasped his hands toward her, greeting warmly, “Master Jiang, did you sleep well last night?”
Jiang Mingxi immediately smiled and replied, “I slept soundly.”
“My surname’s Zhao, Zhao Xisheng. You can just call me Old Zhao like everyone else.” Zhao Xisheng stroked his goatee and smiled amiably. “You’re new in town—if you need anything, just ask the shop staff.”
Jiang Mingxi took the opportunity to draw him aside for a private word, then hesitantly said she’d just arrived and wanted to buy some suitable clothes.
Zhao Xisheng enthusiastically pointed out a few Estimate Shops in the city.
Jiang Mingxi had her own considerations and hesitated again, “There are Old Chai and Haileng everywhere in the streets now, and I’m an outsider…”
She didn’t finish, but Zhao Xisheng already understood.
Since ancient times, Soldiers and bandits were cut from the same cloth.
On ordinary days, the city’s military and police would find all sorts of ways to extort and squeeze people.
Now that Zhang Laoye was dead, they had even more reason.
For outsiders like Master Jiang, whose background was unknown, they’d be the first to be thrown into jail on any excuse. Want to get out? Write home and have your family pay a ransom.
Zhao Xisheng considered for a moment, “I see that you and I are about the same build. I have a few old outfits I don’t wear anymore— if you don’t mind…”
“You’re doing me a huge favor— how could I mind?” Jiang Mingxi was overjoyed and respectfully clasped hands to Zhao Xisheng.
Just like that, without risking herself, Jiang Mingxi easily bought two sets of clothes from Zhao Xisheng— simple, coarse long robes that wouldn’t attract attention when worn outside.
But this meant her savings had shrunk rapidly, leaving her with only 30 Silver Dollars.
Nowadays, silver was precious and copper worthless. One Silver Dollar could exchange for about 1,500 Copper Coins, and a catty of meat cost around 250 Copper Coins.
If she was frugal, her remaining Silver Dollars could last her about half a year.
But if she wanted to make connections with Chu Young Master, she’d have to appear wealthy— and that meant throwing money around.
Jiang Mingxi returned to her room, took off her ill-fitting Silk Clothing, changed into Zhao Xisheng’s clothes, and strolled out the door.
Just as the Jianghu People in the shop had said, the streets were crawling with Soldiers checking passersby.
Anyone without proper identification would be detained and held until their family paid a ransom.
Fortunately, Jiang Mingxi was quick-witted and made it to her destination— the Estimate Shop— without incident.
But it wasn’t one of the shops Zhao Xisheng had recommended; it was another Estimate Shop.
Zhao Shopkeeper was honest, and the shops he’d recommended to this outsider all had fair prices.
But this Estimate Shop had clothes of dubious origin— stolen goods fenced by thieves and swindlers.
Considering Young Master Xiao’s overseas background, Jiang Mingxi walked straight to the rack selling Foreign Style Clothing as soon as she entered.
No matter which Estimate Shop you went to, it was always dark inside.
This was a little trick of the shop owners. Since Estimate Shops sold second-hand clothes, there were bound to be flaws big and small.
For an old hand like Jiang Mingxi, even if she couldn’t see clearly, she could tell the quality just by touch.
The assistant greeted her enthusiastically, “Sir, you have a sharp eye! This Overcoat is genuine Western goods. The original price was sixty-five Silver Dollars, but since we haven’t made a sale yet today, that’s bad luck, so we’ll let it go for fifty!”
Jiang Mingxi smiled and named her price, “This coat is worth five Silver Dollars at most.”
The assistant glared, about to protest, when Jiang Mingxi added, “Estimate Business Slang: fen wai ku.”
That was code in the Estimate Shop trade, meaning five Silver Dollars and fifty cents.
The assistant instantly understood— this was an insider. Their little tricks wouldn’t work on her.
This kind of coat was pieced together from small scraps of wool. A skilled tailor could hide the seams, but after a few months, the stitching would come apart, and the coat would be unwearable.
The assistant secretly clicked his tongue. What sharp eyes— she was a pro. The boss’s lowest price for this coat was exactly five Silver Dollars.
Five fifty still left him a profit, so he readily agreed.
Jiang Mingxi then picked out a Shirt and Trousers for one Silver Dollar, and had the assistant add a two-tenth Silver Dollar Scarf— all Imitation Goods that looked good but didn’t wear well.
When it came time to pay, she felt a pang in her heart and grumbled inwardly. Foreign Style Clothing really was expensive— poor quality, yet pricier than old-fashioned clothes.
But Chu Young Master would only be in town for a few days. This outfit would be more than enough to impress.
When Jiang Mingxi came out in her new outfit, the assistant’s eyes lit up— the whole shop seemed brighter.
Many Chinese people looked awkward in Western clothes, hunched and uncomfortable, making everyone uneasy.
This guest had looked ordinary in a long robe, but once she changed into Western clothes, she seemed like a different person.
She held her head high and strode confidently, completely at ease— as if she’d dressed like this since childhood.
Even though it was all second-hand Imitation Goods, she carried herself like a Rich Young Master heading to a banquet.
The newly-minted Rich Young Master took out a piece of Silk Clothing to sell, haggling fiercely with the assistant.
On account of her being an insider, the assistant finally gave her a fair price.
Jiang Mingxi was satisfied, and didn’t worry that the Zhang Family might trace her through the clothes.
After all, for clothes with such uncertain origins, Estimate Shops would always have a tailor alter them.
As she was about to leave with her clothes, someone came in from outside and shouted, “Hey, assistant! This piece of clothing is torn, I want to return it.”
Jiang Mingxi’s heart skipped a beat, and she paused.
The newcomer’s accent was soft and lilting— a classic Jiangnan accent.
The Xiao Family was a famous aristocratic clan from Jiangnan.
Langling County was a remote and isolated northern town, with a simple population. It was rare to see anyone from the south.
Hearing about a return, the assistant’s face fell at once. “Sir, our Estimate Shop’s policy is no returns once you leave. There was no problem when you bought it, so if you find an issue at home, that’s not our fault.”
The person instantly stomped in anger, “Your shop is so dark, I couldn’t see clearly just now!”
Jiang Mingxi sized up the newcomer. He looked about fifteen or sixteen, dressed plainly—probably a servant of the Xiao Family.
What luck— just what she needed.
She’d been fretting about how to connect with Young Master Xiao, and here someone from the Xiao Family had come knocking on her door.