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"Then come back early."

"I will."

Xie Jin went out the front gate and reached a shadowy corner. Two figures emerged from the darkness.

"Let's go."

The figures leaped across several rooftops and soon vanished into the night.

The county town was no Zhaojing. After dark, most shops closed, and those still open had homes attached. Much of the street lay in darkness, making the few brightly lit buildings stand out all the more. They were the county town's finest restaurants.

Xie Jin and his companions landed on a rooftop. They were about to continue when he suddenly stopped.

Over a hundred feet away, someone had booked the second floor of a restaurant. Its windows stood wide open. More than a dozen people filled a table, and beside the seat of honor sat a pretty woman with a touch of sharpness about her. She smiled as she entertained the guests.

As cups passed around the table, she chatted and laughed with practiced ease. She must have drunk quite a bit; her cheeks were flushed, though not deeply. Her gaze remained clear and keen. She looked every inch a seasoned businesswoman.

His wife usually seemed so muddleheaded, agreeing with whatever anyone said. This was his first time seeing her in business. His mother's descriptions of her as "steady and down-to-earth" and "shrewd and trustworthy" did fit her.

Xie Jin was about to leave when the young man from earlier that day rose from the banquet and approached Shen Lantang with a cup in hand, looking eager to flatter her. Xie Jin could not hear what he said, but her expression eased, and she smiled.

"..."

"Let's go."

"Yes, my lord."

They crossed above the county town and soon reached the home of a local gentryman surnamed Liu. The house blazed with