At six ten that morning, Zeng Mu and Ma Linya woke on the sofa and bed. They had not intended to wake at that hour-the palace gathering would not officially begin until evening-but their excitement had roused them early, leaving them unable to settle down and go back to sleep.
After quickly freshening up, they went out and stayed outside until they had eaten lunch, then returned to their room to wait for someone to escort them.
That morning, the Temple Capital seemed much quieter. Gone was the bustling splendor of the Flower Festival over the previous two days. Instead, people stayed in their homes, and hardly anyone could be seen on the streets. In a few hours, a great host of knights arriving from every direction would fill most of those streets, proclaiming the highest level of security the Temple Capital could muster.
Cobert had risen early, a little after five. When he noticed at dawn that very few customers were visiting the Herbal Medicine Shop, he knew the most profitable period had passed. For the next two days, every business in the Temple Capital would be just as quiet.
He turned around and went back to his spacious, comfortable bed, leaving all the shop's work-dirty or tiring, light or heavy-to his three young apprentices. Several hours later, in the afternoon, he got up again to inspect things. Seeing rows of armored knights standing motionless along the walls and corners opposite the shop, he completely abandoned any thought of making money. He covered one yawn after another with his hand, looking as though he still had not fully awakened.
Then he went back to sleep again. Before coming to the Temple Capital, he had known he was there for two reasons: first, to make a tidy fortune during the