Zhao Huai slept straight through until noon the next day before getting up.
If there was nothing to do, he would not rise early. If he could sleep a while longer, he would. Business at the pawnshop was mediocre every day anyway, so he was in no hurry.
Seeing that his wife was already busy in the kitchen, Zhao Huai smiled faintly.
He intended to habitually open the pawnshop doors and flip the sign to "Open."
But when he opened the door, he spotted a bloodstained Storage Ring on the mat outside.
Zhao Huai stepped outside and swept his gaze over the street on both sides. People flowed back and forth, but there was nothing unusual.
"Whose ring is this?"
So, he examined it curiously.
Yet the contents surprised him somewhat.
Piles upon piles of spirit stones and banknotes, no small quantity by the look of them, along with a great number of antiques. Finally, there was a seal and a sheet of white paper.
"Aren't these the same banknotes I gave out yesterday?"
"And these antique trinkets were the ones left over after yesterday's selection."
Zhao Huai immediately knew where these things had come from. Weren't they all from that crooked merchant yesterday? In almost an instant, Zhao Huai realized something.
He hurriedly took out the final seal and the sheet of paper.
It was a tiny seal, still stained with dried blood, only about the length of a thumb. Made of amber jade and carved in the shape of a tiger's body, its underside bore characters in small seal script.
"This is... a Tiger Seal?"
Zhao Huai recognized the object before him at once.
It was precisely the Tiger Seal required in ancient times to mobilize troops for marching and battle, also called a Military Seal.
He immediately unfolded the white paper as well to see what it said.
"Shopkeeper, your words yesterday enlightened me greatly. I leave these things in your care."
Zhao Huai had barely read the opening when he had already guessed who had written the letter. It was that sword-bearing guard, wasn't it? He continued reading.
In no time, Zhao Huai finished the letter. Seeing the signature—An old man of Great Yan—he became even more certain that the letter had been left by that guard.
At last, Zhao Huai pieced together what had happened the previous night, as well as the origins of those treasures.
The letter had been left by an old soldier of Great Yan. He had once served in the capital, and after Yan Capital fell, he had taken away a great number of treasures. Yet afterward, he had been overcome with guilt. Unable to tolerate the crooked merchant's many cruel and vicious deeds, he had ultimately acted and personally cut the man down.
Thinking carefully about the divination result from that day, Zhao Huai understood why the outcome had been "calamity" whether he bought from that crooked merchant or not.
Because the man had never relied on those artifacts to make money. He relied on robbing the robbers.
Had it not been for that old soldier, the crooked merchant would surely have sent men to deal with him. Looking at it that way, the merchant's death had resolved one of his own troubles.
"I never thought he was a member of Great Yan's army." Zhao Huai still felt a trace of admiration for the old soldier.
Though he had been defeated on the battlefield, it was rare and precious that he could still preserve a measure of loyalty and righteousness for past kindnesses.
Of course, perhaps Zhao Huai was overthinking it. That crooked merchant may simply have been detestable. If he had not courted death himself, that guard might not have killed him so quickly.
Zhao Huai tightened his grip on the Tiger Seal, gathered the antiques and banknotes before him, and returned them to the Storage Ring.
No matter what, the matter was already over. People had to look ahead.
"Constables investigating a case! Everyone, make way!"
A shout rang out, and blue-robed constables appeared on the street one after another.
Holding iron rulers and wearing solemn expressions, they strode toward the entrance of Huai Pawnshop. Several of them directly surrounded the shop door.
Seeing this, Zhao Huai remained rather calm.
He had thought the yamen men would arrive early this morning, but they had only come strolling in at noon. It seemed he and Yan Jing had overestimated the yamen's efficiency.
"Gentlemen, what case brings you to my shop? I'm a law-abiding citizen. I don't do illegal things."
Zhao Huai put on a puzzled, innocent expression as he spoke.
The lead constable did not answer. Instead, he first sized Zhao Huai up.
It was part of their professional discipline: first glean some basic information by observing the person.
Yet the man before him had fair skin, sword-like brows, and eyes that held stars. He was quite handsome.
He looked like the frail sort kept by some wealthy madam, utterly unlike a ferocious and wicked criminal.
"Here is the situation, Shopkeeper. At Mao Time last night, a merchant was killed outside the city. I investigated his movements, and he only came here that day. Moreover, he stayed here the longest, so you are highly suspicious."
As the constable chief spoke, he kept his eyes fixed on Zhao Huai, trying to find the slightest flicker of expression on his face.
"That merchant... is dead!?"
Zhao Huai's face filled with shock, as though he had only just learned the news.
"Why do you suspect me? I had no reason to kill him!"
Zhao Huai's tone was full of grievance.
"You still had a motive. Perhaps the business deal fell through, perhaps the price was unsatisfactory—either is possible," said another constable standing nearby.
Zhao Huai smiled bitterly. "What business? What price? I was completely scammed, all right?"
"Briefly describe it."
Zhao Huai immediately cried injustice. "That merchant was clearly a crooked swindler! I kindly tried to haggle with him that day, but he actually used a fake Night-Shining Pearl to deceive me. My wife can testify to this."
"A fake Night-Shining Pearl? Did you kill him out of humiliation and rage after being deceived?"
"Impossible. It was only one pearl. It wasn't worth that."
Zhao Huai shook his head.
The constable chief kept intentionally or unintentionally steering Zhao Huai toward murder, but Zhao Huai was not affected in the slightest.
The constable chief and the several constables behind him swiftly exchanged glances.
They had watched every one of Zhao Huai's reactions, yet found nothing out of the ordinary.
"Come with us to the yamen and explain the details. It will count as making a report," the constable chief said, turning back to Zhao Huai.
"To the yamen?"
Naturally, Zhao Huai was unwilling when he heard that.
"Can't we talk here?"
"The yamen has clerks who will record the circumstances. Everything you say will be written down," said the constable chief.
Zhao Huai understood. They wanted him to go to the yamen and give a statement.
But who would want to go to that ice-cold prison? Did he not understand what these constables were thinking? Rather than taking a statement, they wanted to use the threat of imprisonment to see whether they could force him to reveal some flaw.
"Move aside! Don't block your grandpa's path!"
Just as Zhao Huai was about to take out his copper coins and divine fortune and misfortune, an arrogant voice came from the roadside.
He and the surrounding constables all looked over.
A young master from a wealthy family arrived, dressed in brocade robes and wearing three rings on one hand.
"Li Yanqing?"
Zhao Huai could not help but laugh when he saw the newcomer.
Li Yanqing strode straight toward the pawnshop, smug and high-spirited. But when he saw the constables blocking the way and Zhao Huai in their midst—
His expression immediately darkened, and he roared:
"Damn it, are you all tired of living!?"
"You dare surround this young master's lifesaving benefactor and teacher!"
Before you continue