Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Back at Mingyue Tower, Yuanmin was not there. She had gone to Qinghua Lane to look at Shangwan Tower. She wanted to take it down. Qinghua Lane was right next to Xuanren Gate of the Imperial Palace and was the main place for the palace officials and guards to eat. The business was booming for both breakfast and dinner.

The dozen or so restaurants in Qinghuafang were doing very well, especially those near the gate, which were considered golden goose businesses and were generally not sold. Unexpectedly, Shangguan Wan'er was selling her Shangwanlou. Many people had their eyes on this opportunity, and Yuan Min did not want to let it go either.

Gan Ning handed the Zhijie Sword to Xiaoluo'er and asked her to run a errand for Hu Ping. Xue Wei's old donkey was given to Xiaoluo'er to ride.

In the afternoon, Yuan Min returned, looking rather unwell.

"What's wrong?"

Xue Wei poured her a cup of tea and asked with a smile, "Didn't you compete with anyone else?"

"No! Shangguan Wan'er's asking price is outrageous. She asked for 50,000 guan for that restaurant, and the land isn't even hers. She also has to pay an additional 3,000 guan in land rent every year. I can only give her 30,000 guan at most. No one else can offer that price."

Actually, the price isn't too bad; I can earn back 30,000 strings of cash in two years. The key is the land; the land is the biggest risk. What if the landowner gets unhappy and wants to take the land back? Shangguan Wan'er wouldn't dare offend her, but it's a different story for me.”

"The land isn't theirs, yet they're selling it for such a high price?"

Xue Wei remembered what Old Sun had told him: his grandfather had bought that noodle shop for 100 strings of cash, including the land, and it had supported three generations of his family.

Yuan Min sighed, "Old Xue, you really... need to learn about worldly affairs and human relationships."

"What do you mean?"

"My Qingfeng Restaurant only costs two thousand strings of cash at the official price, but I earn one hundred and twenty strings a day, forty thousand strings a year. After deducting less than half of the various costs, three percent tax, and two percent guild fees, what's left is my net profit of twenty thousand strings a year. Old Xue, do you think I would sell it to someone else for the official price of two thousand strings of cash?"

"Anything else?" Xue Wei gave a wry smile.

"Furthermore, the official price of the Twelve Palaces is only three thousand strings of cash, but its annual net profit exceeds fifty thousand strings of cash. Can you buy it with three thousand strings of cash?"

You can say the official price is useless, but in the small shops in the southern noodle market, the official price and the market price are the same, around one hundred strings of cash. The official price is very realistic.

"What could be the reason for such a large difference?"

"Because the official price was set in the early Tang Dynasty, based on the land value plus the construction cost, and taking into account the difference in location, it was determined just like that. Now, ninety years have passed, and the official price has never changed, but the market price has changed dramatically."

"If that's the case, why isn't the official price revised in a timely manner?"

Yuan Min shook her head with a wry smile. "The worldly wisdom and social customs I want you to learn are right here. If I, Yuan Min, commit a crime and the restaurant is confiscated by the government, do you know how much the official auction price will be? Two thousand strings of cash. At that point, what do you think is most important?"

"that power!"

"Are you stupid? So the higher the position and power of a person, the more they like official prices. If I didn't have a powerful background, my shop would have a murder case today, and I would be the prime suspect, arrested, tortured into confessing, convicted, and the shop would be confiscated and auctioned off by the government. Everything would be in accordance with the law, clean and honest. That's how human relationships are."

"I understand, I don't need to learn!"

Xue Wei said calmly, "So why would Shangguan Wan'er sell such a prime location, such a profitable restaurant?"

"That's what I don't understand either."

Xue Wei closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. After a while, he slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze became unusually clear.

Princess Taiping knew the capital would be moved back to Chang'an!

Yuan Min was startled. "Really?"

Xue Wei nodded. "The emperor doesn't have many years left. If the Li family regains control of the country, moving the capital back to Chang'an is almost a certainty."

Xue Wei knew that historically, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang moved the capital back to Chang'an after ascending the throne, which was in the first year of Shennong's reign, three years away.

Yuan Min became worried, "Then I need to make preparations too."

How many shops do you have in Chang'an?

"It's half in Luoyang and half in Jiangdu and Chengdu, and there are also more than twenty each in Chengdu."

"It's alright, there are still three years. It's not too late to start planning now!"

"What three years?"

Xue Wei realized he had let something slip and quickly corrected himself, "I meant that the emperor has at most three or four more years."

Who knows?

At this moment, two maids brought in dinner, and the two sat facing each other and ate together.

After dinner, Yuan Min called Xue Wei into the study. "Old Xue, I've figured it out!"

"What have you figured out?"

"Think about the matter of cheating in the competition. The emperor clearly knows that you have no chance of winning, but he still asks you to turn the impossible into the possible. This is actually a test of your wisdom and methods."

So that's not cheating, that's using tactics. You have to let the emperor know you have courage, wisdom, and skill. She's not watching you play ball; she's watching how you turn adversity around.

Xue Wei nodded. "You're right. Polo is just a medium. What the emperor wants to see is never how I play polo, but my ability. She said it herself: writing poetry is just having a brain. She also needs to see my ability to turn the impossible into the possible."

The two grasped each other's hands at the same time. In that instant, they reached a consensus: it wasn't cheating, but a means to turn the tide.

"Now I'll tell you how to play the finals."

Yuan Min took out a stack of cards, which contained information she had carefully collected.

"The final had a total of 20 players, and it was also a horse-riding game of hitting the ball. It took 90 steps to hit 20 balls, and it was completed in 60 drumbeats. The time was halved, and it was not a set ball, but a toss ball."

Xue Wei was taken aback. "A toss a ball through the air?"

Yuan Min was startled and asked nervously, "You don't even know what a toss ball is?"

"I know how to toss a ball, but I don't know who should toss it?"

"Initially, a dedicated thrower was used, but many problems arose, and everyone blamed the thrower. So, we switched to having our own throwers. In the final, you can bring two throwers. Also, to increase the competitiveness and tension, two people will play at the same time for elimination."

"Wait a minute!"

Xue Wei stopped Yuan Min and asked, puzzled, "How many rounds are there in the finals? Why are there still two people competing against each other?"

"Don't rush, let me explain slowly."

Yuan Min shook her head at Xue Wei's impatience and continued, "The final is a one-on-one battle. The top three can choose their opponents, and the remaining fourteen will draw lots to choose their opponents. Half will be eliminated each time, so that twenty people will eliminate ten, and ten will eliminate five more."

"How will the remaining five find opponents?"

"The remaining five players will form a set to play set pieces. The two players with the highest scores will have a final showdown. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be a showdown between you and Liu Jingren. The previous scores will not count. The final showdown is to hit 20 volleys from 100 steps. It will not be a round-robin match, but a round-robin match. There will be 90 drumbeats."

"It's really difficult!" Xue Wei exclaimed.

Yuan Min nodded. "Yes! The pressure is astonishing. In the end, it's all about stability and willpower, which is exactly Liu Jingren's strength. Every year, he completely crushes his opponents, surpassing them by more than 20 points. You need to get plenty of rest, so you must decline the team competition tomorrow. If you're too embarrassed to say it, I'll say it for you."

"Wouldn't that mean the silver inner armor was bought for nothing?"

Yuan Min rolled her eyes at him. "Can't I be filial to my grandfather?"

"It's feasible, but something feels off. We'll prepare his funeral clothes now."

"My grandfather even prepared his own coffin and burial site. Besides, this is a silver-threaded robe. There are only five left in the world. If we don't get it soon, where will we find it at the last minute?" Yuan Min said confidently.

"Okay! Let's talk about cheating again, no! The details of the methods, how to do it?"

…………

At 3 PM, the Peony Room of Qingfeng Restaurant was packed with guests, including Xue Chongjian, Chen Xuanli, Li Linfu, Chang Yuankai, and Li Ci. Li Guo'er was not there today, but Wu Suisui was. She sat next to Xue Chongjian, while Xue Wei and Yuan Min sat together.

During the Tang Dynasty, meals were served individually. Instead of round tables, there was a large couch with several small tables on it. People would gather or disperse and find their own seats at will.

In the open space, a Hu woman was dancing the Hu Xuan dance, accompanied by intense drumbeats.

Chen Xuanli raised his cup to Xue Wei and said, "Our General Xue was supposed to come today, but something came up and he couldn't leave. He can only say 'I'll clasp my hands in greeting' to Chongyin and ask me to offer him a toast on his behalf."

He downed the wine in one gulp, then showed the empty glass to Xue Wei, saying, "Cheers first!"

Xue Wei also picked up his wine and drank it all in one gulp, then laughed and said, "We agreed last time, so today it's my treat. Everyone, please eat and drink as you please."

Yuan Min smiled without saying a word. In fact, she was treating, but in public, she had to give Xue Wei face.

Xue Chongjian raised his glass and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, what a rare occasion! It's been many years since we've drunk together. I'd like to toast you, wishing your shop booming business and prosperity every day!"

Yuan Min smiled slightly and said, "Chongjian, you should pay respects to your elder brother first. If you bypass him, he will be unhappy."

Everyone jumped up, "That's right! That's right! Chongjian, you were rude! You're punishable by three cups of wine! No! Three bowls!"

"Spare me! Three cups will do, please don't have three bowls! I haven't even had any food yet!"

Amidst the commotion, Xue Chongjian drank three cups of wine in succession. Seeing that Chen Xuanli wanted to speak with Xue Wei, Yuan Min beckoned to Wu Suisui, saying, "Suisui, come to your sister, let's talk."

Wu Suisui ran over happily and sat down next to Yuan Min. "Sister Min, let me toast you."

"Does Sui Sui have a boyfriend she likes? Tell your sister and I'll help you find him."

"No!"

Wu Suisui was a little embarrassed. "The Taoist priest Hu Chao said I should get married at fifteen, but I still have three years before I can get married, so there's no rush!"

"That's true, take your time looking and choosing!"

Chen Xuanli sat down next to Xue Wei, put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Your performance in these two matches has been amazing, much better than before. Our general wants to arrange for you to play as the vanguard in the competition, and I'll switch to the rearguard. What do you think?"

Xue Wei glanced at Yuan Min and said calmly, "There is something I need to tell General Chen. I originally wanted to take a good rest for a year and not play polo this year, but the Emperor summoned me and appointed me to participate in the individual competition this year, and I must win. I am under a lot of pressure, so I can only play in the competition on the 16th at the latest. Please tell General Xue that I beg him to understand my difficulties."

Xue Wei spoke frankly, saying that as long as the key points weren't revealed, using the emperor as an excuse would be more effective than anything else.

Chen Xuanli immediately understood. He patted Xue Wei on the shoulder and said, "I understand. Then it will be the 16th. If we can make it to the final day, we will definitely arrange for you to compete. I wish you the best of luck in winning the individual competition."

"General Chen, I'm sorry, but you're also participating in the individual competition."

Chen Xuanli laughed heartily, "With Liu Jingren here, we're all just supporting characters. But today, I hope you can thoroughly deflate his arrogance, my worthy brother. You're only one point behind him, let's wait and see."

Wu Suisui was also talking to Yuan Min, but a sentence Wu Suisui said plunged Yuan Min's heart into an abyss.