In a quieter district in the north of Capital City lay a street where many merchants lived. Most of the houses had been bought by merchants from elsewhere, and few stayed there regularly, making this street different from the others.
Large residences stood alongside tightly packed little houses. Though reasonably orderly in appearance, the street had few inhabitants and an air of lonely desolation. Even the occasional ox cart passed through in a hurry.
One such residence had two courtyards, one behind the other. Since an ordinary merchant lived there, its entrance was narrow and its grounds fairly small. Beyond the main gate were the quarters for the merchant himself and a few servants; the rear was used to store miscellaneous things and otherwise saw little use.
Even with the gate thrown fully open, an ordinary ox cart could barely squeeze through. A patch of land beside the residence had therefore been cleared specifically for parking carts.
As dusk approached, cooking smoke rose from only a few courtyards. The sound of hooves came from afar, and a plain cart drawn by a single ox approached and stopped outside this residence.
"Whoa-" The driver was a burly man. He pulled on the reins, then jumped down from the cart. A middle-aged scholar followed, but he was not the true master. Turning back, the scholar helped another man down. This last passenger wore a blue-green robe and had finely shaped brows and handsome eyes. Though dressed as an ordinary provincial graduate, he possessed an indescribable bearing.
"Is this Liu Da's residence?" The young man looked up at the house and asked quietly.
The middle-aged scholar replied, "Young master, this is the place."
"A-Da, knock." The young man withdrew his gaze and gave the order evenly.
The burly man answered, strode up the