The East Market was bustling, with carriages and horses moving like shuttles and pedestrians weaving like threads. With the New Year approaching, the long street was filled with people buying festive goods. Vendors set up stalls along the street, some selling Spring Festival couplets, others paper flowers, joss paper, and candles for offerings to the City God, and still others hawking cured meats, sausages, wind-dried chickens, and pressed ducks—a dazzling array of goods.

Surrounded by the bustling market, Chen Ji suddenly felt the holiday spirit. This was his first New Year in this world… no, it should be called “Sui Ri” now.

Chen Ji walked ahead, with Xiaoman skipping happily behind him. He turned back, asking curiously, “Why are you so happy?”

Xiaoman smiled and said, “After Young Master went to the medical hall, Wang Gui was angry that I contradicted him, so he demoted me to a third-class maid. I only get one day off every two months. And several times during my days off, Wang Gui ordered me to wash chamber pots, trim flowers, and pick vegetables. I haven’t been out of the manor for a very long time!”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. “Xiaoman, why were you sold to the Chen family?”

Xiaoman replied casually, “My elder brother wanted to get married, and our family had no money, so my parents sold me to a human trafficker when I was nine.”

Chen Ji asked idly, “Who bought you into the Chen manor?”

Xiaoman said as if it were obvious, “Auntie did! Don’t you remember? I remember it very clearly. It was so cold that day. The human trafficker stuck straw in our hair and led us to stand at the entrance of the capital’s livestock market. Auntie was just passing by and didn’t intend to buy me because I was too young to work. But at that time, the trafficker was hitting and scolding me, and Auntie took pity on me, so she bought me back for two taels of silver.”

On the street, Chen Ji moved aside to avoid an old man carrying a pole of candied hawthorns and asked curiously, “Why was that human trafficker hitting you?”

Xiaoman whispered, “At that time, a family wanted to buy me as a child bride. The trafficker said my face was bright and asked for seven taels, but the other party disagreed and left. The trafficker got angry and started hitting and scolding me, saying I hadn’t said nice, auspicious words to them.”

Chen Ji wondered, “Huh, wasn’t he asking for seven taels? How did Auntie buy you for only two?”

Xiaoman smiled, revealing two small canine teeth. “Auntie is very shrewd and patient. She haggled for an hour, forcing the price down to four taels. Then, Auntie discovered that the human trafficker didn’t have an official license, so she called people to have him arrested and thrown into prison. Those two taels weren’t for the trafficker; they were for the officials…”

In the Ning Dynasty, human trafficking agencies required an ‘official license’ to operate, otherwise, they would be imprisoned. The Ning Code states: “For trade, a broker is required; for loading, a dock. If goods are bought without a broker, scales may be light, and goods counterfeit. All types of brokers in cities and villages, as well as at boat docks, shall be chosen from households with registered businesses. The government shall issue seals and registers, in which merchants’ and boatmen’s addresses, names, travel permits, firm names, and quantities of goods shall be recorded, and checked by officials monthly.”

Chen Ji was momentarily speechless. His birth mother, Lu Shi, had bought a cheap maid and even managed to send the broker to prison. Xiaoman’s shrewdness probably wasn’t learned from Lu Shi…

He scrutinized Xiaoman carefully, then said, “Wait here for me. I have something to do.”

Xiaoman replied with an “Oh.” “Young Master, can I record this matter?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Chen Ji, holding Wuyun, left and slipped into a small alley. Xiaoman remained standing alone, curiously looking around, her gaze finally settling on the donkey meat pastry at the neighboring stall. She watched for a while, tempted to buy one to taste, but each time she took out her purse, she tucked it back into her waist, reluctant to spend. Xiaoman just stood there on the bustling street, openly staring. The pastry shop assistant became uncomfortable under her prolonged gaze. “Little girl, you’ve been looking for so long, do you want to buy one?”

Xiaoman gazed wistfully at the pastry. “Since I’ve been looking for so long, can you give me one for free?”

The assistant rolled his eyes and muttered, “Are you crazy?”

Meanwhile, in the shadow of the alley’s eaves, Chen Ji silently watched Xiaoman’s back and said to Wuyun, “Her linguistic logic seems fine; she doesn’t sound like she’s lying. But her appearance was too sudden.”

Wuyun meowed, “You think she’s suspicious?”

Chen Ji mused, “If she’s suspicious, she hasn’t secretly followed me while I’m moving around alone; she’s truly just standing there waiting… I’ll have to keep observing.”

“What are you out to do today?”

“Buy ginseng.”

With that, he held Wuyun and turned into the alley’s shadow.

Meanwhile, Xiaoman was still looking around when a group of eight or nine-year-old children playing Cuju passed by her. The children were disheveled and untidy, often bumping into pedestrians while scrambling for the ball. One child bumped into Xiaoman while running, and was about to leave without apologizing when Xiaoman suddenly reached out, grabbed the child’s index and middle fingers, and bent them downward. The child cried out in surprise and instantly knelt. He tried to struggle to his feet, but his two fingers were held firmly by Xiaoman, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. Yet, he glared fiercely and, with his other hand, pulled out a razor blade hidden under his tongue, moving to cut Xiaoman’s wrist. With a sharp slap, Xiaoman knocked the blade from his hand and said fiercely, “Such a young age, and you’re already learning bad habits!”

The child froze for two breaths, then quickly began to beg for mercy. “Ow, ow, ow, please spare my life, Bodhisattva, please spare my life!”

Xiaoman glanced at the passersby on both sides, and seeing no sign of Chen Ji, she turned to the child. “How dare you steal from Xiaoman? Are you tired of living? Hand over the purse!”

The child pulled out a light blue silk purse from his bosom. “Here, here you go.”

Xiaoman released him, put her hands on her hips, and angrily snapped, “Scram!”

***

Dingchang Pawn Shop.

Chen Ji stepped over the threshold. Behind the tall counter, the white-bearded old pawnbroker, squinting through a small hole, lazily said, “What do you want to pawn… Oh, my lord, what brings you here!” With that, the old pawnbroker jumped off his chair, nimbly opened the side door, and ushered Chen Ji in. He angrily rebuked his assistant, “What are you standing there for? Get tea for the lord!”

Chen Ji waved his hand. “No need for tea; I have other matters. How are the ginseng roots I asked you to collect for me? How many have you acquired?”

“My lord, please wait,” the old pawnbroker bowed and went to a side room, returning with an assistant carrying two long red sandalwood boxes. When opened, forty ginseng roots were neatly arranged inside, their rootlets bound with gold thread onto red silk cloth. The old pawnbroker explained, “My lord had previously instructed that after Bailu Pavilion was sealed, the court would surely auction its assets. Your humble servant arranged for people to make connections and acquired forty-two roots in one go!”

Chen Ji reached out, lightly tracing an imaginary line over each ginseng root from a distance. “Is this all of Bailu Pavilion’s stock?”

The old pawnbroker looked troubled. “It was already difficult for your humble servant to acquire this many, especially at such a low price of fifteen taels of silver per root. Many pharmacies are snatching them up.”

Chen Ji hummed, then pointed to two of them. “I don’t want these two; I’ll take all the others.”

The old pawnbroker was astonished. “My lord, why not these two?”

Chen Ji glanced at him. “Poor quality.”

The old pawnbroker wondered, “Just by reaching out like that, you’re certain its age is wrong? Your humble servant has run a pawnshop for over forty years and never made a mistake with ginseng. Whether it’s cultivated or wild mountain ginseng, or if it has sufficient age, I can tell at a glance; there’s absolutely no mistake. You were the one who told me to buy them in the first place, how can you go back on your word after buying? Although this pawnshop of mine is small, behind it is…”

Chen Ji reached out and swept his hand past the old pawnbroker’s face. “Sixty-one years old.”

The old pawnbroker’s eyes widened. “You really have such ability? You can even detect your humble servant’s age?”

Chen Ji smiled slightly. “Not only do I know your age, but I also know you have two sons working in the yamen—one as a scribe, one as a constable. Your constable son constantly patrols the East Market pier and enjoys extorting money and blackmailing people. Shall I send someone to bring them here for questioning?”

The old pawnbroker was struck dumb with fear.

Chen Ji took out the string of Buddhist tokens Chen Wenzong had given him from his bosom. “Forty ginseng roots, fifteen taels each, totaling six hundred taels. I have Buddhist tokens worth one thousand seven hundred taels of silver here.”

The old pawnbroker said, “Please wait.” With that, he retrieved another string of Buddhist tokens from the back storeroom. “My lord, these tokens are worth one thousand one hundred taels.”

Chen Ji casually asked, “Are these Buddhist tokens real or fake? Are they truly worth one thousand one hundred taels? You’re not deceiving me, are you?”

The old pawnbroker cautiously glanced at him. How could this lord not even know about this? Had he just become an official? The pawnbroker said with a deferential smile, “You see, these tokens have a total of eighteen beads. The first six beads represent which temple they originated from, the middle six represent to whom they were given (for easy traceability), and the last six represent the amount.” The pawnbroker continued, “And one of the anti-counterfeiting measures for these tokens is that the first six, middle six, and last six beads are carved by specific monks assigned by Luocheng Tuoluo Temple, Jingcheng Yuanjue Temple, and Jinling Qixia Temple respectively. Their unique brushstrokes and knife work cannot be imitated.”

At this point, the pawnbroker brought over a glass magnifying glass and aimed it at the prayer beads. “The second is a secret mark. If you look closely, these tokens actually have extremely tiny scriptures carved on them. Over a hundred characters fit into a space the size of a grain of rice, which ordinary people cannot do. Moreover, the scripture corresponding to these hundred-plus characters is only known to the Buddhist order… In short, once you hold these tokens, it’s very easy to distinguish between real and fake; the texture is completely different.”

Chen Ji understood. It wasn’t uncommon for ancient Jin merchants’ draft banks to use specialized calligraphers for banknote anti-counterfeiting. As for this micro-engraving technique, it was like the banknotes he used: touching the raised dots of braille, checking the watermark, and feeling the material—real and fake notes were easy to distinguish; the texture was different. He thought for a moment. “If someone else also mastered this micro-engraving technique, wouldn’t it be…”

The pawnbroker panicked. “My lord, be careful with your words! This idea of yours absolutely cannot be known by the Buddhist order. Furthermore, anyone in the jianghu who knew micro-engraving has been arrested and made into monks. This skill has been lost among the common people!”

Chen Ji smiled, picked up the two wooden boxes, and headed out. “Don’t be afraid, just a joke.”

By the time he reunited with Xiaoman, his hands were empty. Chen Ji bought two donkey meat pastries and handed them to Xiaoman. “Eat.”

Xiaoman’s eyes sparkled. “Young Master bought them for me?”

“Otherwise?”

Xiaoman took the pastry, her face beaming, and took a big bite. With a mouthful, she asked, “Young Master, can I record this matter?”

“Yes, you can.”

***

It was late at night, and all was quiet. Chen Ji was already asleep on his bed, and Wuyun was nowhere to be found. Outside Mingquan Garden, Liqiu’s cough could be heard. Xiaoman, curled up on a small stool guarding a charcoal basin, immediately opened her eyes. She got up, unlatched the door, and squeezed out through the gap.

Liqiu pulled her aside. “I heard from people in the manor that the Third Young Master took you out today?”

Xiaoman hummed in affirmation.

Liqiu asked again, “Did you record everything?”

Xiaoman pulled a folded piece of paper from her sleeve. “Here, it’s all recorded.”

Liqiu’s eyebrows rose in delight. She quickly unfolded the paper and murmured, “On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of the Jia’ning thirty-first year, Young Master took Xiaoman to the East Market.”

“Young Master bought Xiaoman donkey meat pastries.”
“Young Master bought Xiaoman candied hawthorns.”
“Young Master bought Xiaoman sugar figures.”
“Young Master bought Xiaoman honey-glazed pastries.”
“Xiaoman also wanted peach crisps, but Young Master didn’t allow it.”

Liqiu: “?” She looked up, expressionless. “What exactly have you recorded?”

Xiaoman let out a contented burp with a cheerful grin. “Sister Liqiu, just tell me if it’s detailed enough.”

Liqiu frowned. “It’s certainly detailed enough, but you haven’t recorded anything important. Are you perhaps deceiving me?”

Xiaoman said, feeling wronged, “There really wasn’t much happening today, and I recorded everything. If there are other things in the future, I’ll definitely record them all. Don’t worry, Sister Liqiu, I wouldn’t deceive you of all people.”

“Alright, I suppose you still have some conscience,” Liqiu said, turning to leave. Behind her, Xiaoman slowly let her smile fade, turned back into the room, and closed the door tightly. She glanced at Chen Ji on the bed, then picked up a few honey-glazed pastries from the table, stuffed her mouth with them, and sat back on the small stool to doze off.

On a small path in the Chen manor, Liqiu hurried with her head down, occasionally glancing left and right, afraid of being seen. After passing through several moon gates, Liqiu arrived at a corner of a wall and coughed softly a few times. When a cough responded from outside the wall, she threw the crumpled paper in her hand over and quickly returned to Qunfang Garden.