As the sun climbed over the walls of Fangu and cast its light into the small town, the early risers were utterly stunned by the scene before them. Soon, the news spread, and all the people of Fangu, including the elderly, women, and children, flocked to the widest main street, sighing in astonishment at what they saw.
Hundreds of tables were lined up along the street, each laden with wine bowls.
There were no dishes, only wine.
Except for Li Xiaozong, the Fangu border general, all seven hundred-plus border soldiers of Fangu were present. At this time of day, not a single soldier could be seen patrolling the city walls. Over three thousand wine bowls were densely packed on the tables, each filled to the brim.
The four taverns, six inns, and more than a dozen other restaurants and taverns in Fangu, along with their owners, waiters, cooks, apprentices, and all the servants and guards of Jinyuanfang, had worked all night, almost emptying their entire wine stash and transporting it to the main street. The seven hundred-odd border soldiers wanted to help, but the villagers refused, insisting they sit and rest at the tables.
Over two thousand people had gathered on the main street, and looking at the long line of tables before them, a sudden pang of sadness gripped their hearts.
Only the border soldiers who had guarded Fangu City for years were entitled to sit at these tables. Even Fang Jie, who had arranged everything, stood to the side, a look of shame on his face as he looked at the border soldiers.
"Fang Jie! Are you really leaving?!"
Someone couldn't help but ask.
Fang Jie waved his hand, offering no answer.
He picked up a bowl of wine, slowly knelt down, and poured it on the ground: "This bowl of wine is dedicated to my comrades who tragically died that night. I, Fang Jie, am sorry for what I did!"
Besides the border soldiers, few understood his meaning.
What happened that night could be kept secret from the city's residents, but not from these elite Sui soldiers. They knew who Fang Jie's wine was for, and their faces showed a hint of sadness. That night, at the west gate of the city, over twenty border soldiers died in battle. Their killer… was Fang Jie.
Logically, the border soldiers shouldn't have forgiven Fang Jie, but for some reason, someone in the silent crowd suddenly shouted, "May you rest in peace!" Over seven hundred soldiers stood up in unison, each raising their wine bowl and pouring it on the ground, then chanting in unison, "May you rest in peace!"
Qu Feng, the most senior captain in the border army, murmured as he poured his wine, "Don't blame Fang Jie."
Over seven hundred soldiers toasted in unison, wishing their fallen comrades peace in heaven.
Fang Jie finished pouring his wine, then solemnly kowtowed three times towards the west gate. The soldiers stood on either side of the long table, and someone called out, "Salute!" Over seven hundred soldiers uniformly placed their right fists across their chests, solemnly performing the Sui Dynasty military salute.
Qu Feng walked slowly over, reaching out to pull Fang Jie's forehead, which was pressed against the cold cobblestone pavement, to his feet. "No one blames you. We soldiers hate nothing more than comrades killing each other, but that doesn't mean we can't distinguish right from wrong. Li Xiaozong didn't come today; he said he was imprisoned in the general's mansion, but we didn't go to call him. Look, even the brothers on duty at the general's mansion are here, and they don't treat you like an enemy!"
"Whether you're at the Imperial Martial Arts Academy in the capital or anywhere else, the border soldiers in Fangu City will always be your brothers!"
"To our brothers!"
Qu Feng picked up a bowl of wine again, looking up to the sky and shouting.
More than seven hundred border soldiers also raised their cups, chanting in unison towards Fang Jie: "To our brothers!"
Fang Jie wanted to cry, but he held it back.
He took the bowl of wine from the large dog and drank it all in one gulp. "I know you hate Li Xiaozong. Even we hate him, so how much more so you?"
Qu Feng placed the wine bowl on the long table and pulled a stack of silver notes from his pocket, handing them to Fang Jie. "This was given to you by the guards of the General's Mansion, entrusted by Li Xiaozong. The guards said they were too ashamed to face you and asked me to give it to you. This is the profit you've earned over the years in Fangu City, not all of it, about a third… You hate him, but this money is yours. In the capital, you'll need to bribe officials in every department, and it's hard to talk to anyone wearing official robes. Don't refuse; money is money. If you're unhappy taking this money, then each of us seven hundred brothers will drip a drop of blood on these silver notes to wash away your resentment!"
"I'll take it!"
Fang Jie nodded vigorously, solemnly accepting the silver notes.
"Fang Jie, will you come back?"
A little girl with a childlike voice was held in her mother's arms, her pure eyes filled with reluctance. Though not as intense as the adults', it was purer.
"Come back!"
Fang Jie nodded and said with a smile.
"I originally planned to treat everyone to a bowl of wine before I left, to spend all the silver in my baggage before I went. But all the shopkeepers in the city wouldn't accept my money, so this bowl of wine is more like everyone treating me! I, Fang Jie, may not be some towering hero, but I'm still a man! This wine is a farewell drink, not a drink of heartbreak! Those who think I'm worthy of being your friend, drink this bowl together today!"
Everyone held a bowl of wine, even the children had one shoved into their hands.
The little girl who had asked Fang Jie if he would return looked timidly at the wine bowl in her hand and said, "Mother, the wine is spicy, I don't want to drink it."
Her mother rubbed her sore nose and said, "My dear child, you must drink even a small sip. After drinking this bowl of wine, you must remember Fang Jie. He is family to everyone in our Fangu City."
The little girl seemed to understand, but nodded nonetheless.
Not far away, a burly man dipped his finger in the wine and fed it to the baby in his wife's arms. The baby instinctively sucked, but the wine was too spicy, and the baby immediately frowned, its little arms flailing wildly from its swaddling clothes, and it burst into tears.
The baby's cries brought tears to the eyes of many.
"Today we part, may we meet again!"
Fang Jie finished the wine, tears finally streaming down his face. Da Quan sighed, and even a woman like Mu Xiaoyao felt a lump in her throat.
...
...
That day, there was no wine left in Fan Gu City.
Perhaps not wanting to see such a scene, the women from Hongxiuzhao had already left the city the night before. Countless people lay drunk on the city's widest street. Young girls in their prime, after drinking, had faces as red as peach blossoms blooming in the spring breeze, their eyes red and swollen from crying.
For them, Fang Jie was more than just a name. Perhaps many years later, when she was married, she would recall the past with a shy smile, unable to forget the young man she had longed for in her youth. Perhaps Fan Gu City was too small, so Fang Jie changed it. The capital was so vast; perhaps what he changed was himself.
The more than seven hundred border soldiers, having drunk their fill, returned to their posts under the leadership of their captains. Up in the upper city, those patrolling outside also led their warhorses out of the city. Qu Feng was the last to leave, patting Fang Jie on the shoulder, slightly drunk, and said, "Whether you pass the entrance exam for the Martial Arts Academy or not, you have to come back and see. If you don't pass, that's best; we can come back and drink and kill bandits together again. Others may not know, but I know very well… Every time we kill bandits, you hide, but you secretly shoot the most threatening bandits dead with an arrow. The most conscientious thing Li Xiaozong did was not to take your military merits for granted."
"You're a qualified scout. Within a radius of several hundred miles, which bandit from Wolf Milk Mountain didn't you find? In three years, the people of Fanggu City have become incredibly wealthy, and the peace is truly remarkable… Fanggu City has existed for decades, and the surrounding area has never been so clean."
"Brother Qu…"
Fang Jie opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. Qu Feng smiled and said, "But I still hope you can get into the Martial Arts Academy. At the very least, you'll be a captain. I know your abilities. What's there to be afraid of if you can't cultivate? There are plenty of generals in the army who can contend with cultivation masters through pure physical training. Don't forget Luo Yao, who guards the southern border of our Great Sui. His pure external skills are said to be comparable to a ninth-rank master, yet he still roams the world freely! It would be best if you became a general and came back to be a general in our Fan Gu!"
"Yes!"
Fang Jie nodded vigorously.
"I'm leaving. Today I'm leading troops to patrol Wolf Milk Mountain, so I can't see you off. Don't mind... Have a safe journey!"
After saying this, Qu Feng turned and left.
After the border soldiers left, the people surrounded him again. They talked to Fang Jie all at once, and in the chaos, Fang Jie couldn't hear what they were saying at all. Someone said that Fang Jie should treat Fan Gu like his maternal home, and only after being scolded did he realize that Fang Jie wasn't a woman.
But for some reason, everyone felt a kind of reluctance, like parents marrying off their daughter.
"Manager, don't worry about Jin Yuan Fang. I'll take good care of it. If you don't return, I'll send someone to deliver the annual accounts for you to review."
Chu Huaili, the second manager of Jin Yuan Fang, rubbed his eyes and said.
"Yes, money from the grassland barbarians is easy to make. Jin Yuan Fang can't fall. Although Hongxiu Tower is gone, Keshengju and Jin Yuan Fang are still the cash cows of Fangu City. As long as these two buildings exist, the villagers won't live as hard a life as before."
Fang Jie gave a brief instruction, then lowered his voice and said, "Li Xiaozong wants to get rid of any trace of greed. He'll definitely burn all the old accounts. Keep a copy and hide it well. Also, he'll definitely sever ties with all businesses in the city. This is an opportunity… Without him, making the profitable businesses belong to the villagers themselves. Even without Hongxiu Tower's share of the profits, it will be much more than before."
"I'll remember, Manager!"
Chu Huaili nodded vigorously. He was originally a down-on-his-luck scholar in Fang Gu City, but Fang Jie changed his life. If it weren't for Fang Jie, this poor, despised scholar might have ended up wandering the world.
"Save some money for yourself."
Fang Jie smiled: "You're too honest. You haven't saved enough to marry a beautiful wife yet. But after I leave, I reckon you'll be the object of every girl's affections in Fang Gu City."
The honest and taciturn Chu Huaili blushed, unsure how to reply.
...
...
"Let's go! Go back, it's not like we're parting forever. If one day I become as wealthy as Wu Yidao, I'll bring you all to live in the capital, Chang'an! Of course, don't get your hopes up."
Fang Jie stood on the carriage, waved, and said loudly, "Our friendship will last forever... Until we meet again!"
Aunt He stood on tiptoe and shouted through the crowd, "No matter how beautiful the girls in the capital are, the girls from Fan Gu are the most reliable for finding a wife!"
"Aunt He... I'll have Chu Huaili allocate some silver from his account for you later, to set up a pimping service..." "Uh, no, it's a marriage agency, right? I've even thought of a name: Century Lily!"
"Fang Jie! Remember me! I'm waiting for you to come back and marry me!"
"Give up! I haven't come back for ten years, does that mean you won't marry for ten years?! Once you're old and faded, no one will want you. While you're still young, be more selective!"
"Fang Jie, the capital is too big, don't lose yourself!"
"Don't worry, if I lose myself, I'll report it to the authorities!"
"Fang Jie, they say your little brother has grown wildly. Before you left, tell me how you did that!"
"Brother, you've been exposed!"
General's Mansion.
Li Xiaozong poured himself a cup of old wine and downed it in one gulp. Listening to the lively shouts outside, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "How wondrous are the twists and turns of life! I never imagined that I, a general, would be so far inferior to a mere merchant. I wonder how many people saw me off when I left Fangu, and how many cursed me… Fang Jie… over seven hundred border soldiers came to see you off, are you trying to tell me… you're better than me?"
Fangu East Gate.
Under an oil-paper umbrella, a woman in a snow-white mink fur dress smiled slightly at the scene in the city, turned around, and said softly, "Let's go." It was unclear whether the oil-paper umbrella, painted with peonies, made her appear ethereal, or whether her beauty enhanced the umbrella's charm.
Three maids, around sixteen or seventeen years old, followed her out of the city. Not far outside, a carriage procession led by Hongxiu Zhao was quietly parked by the roadside.
"How is it?"
The voice of Aunt Xi came from one of the carriages. "Nothing special, just a commoner."
The stunningly beautiful woman replied, then boarded the carriage.
"When he sheds this commoner air... he'll achieve great things."
"If he loses this commoner air, he'll be even less special."