Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

At noon, Xue Wei returned to Xuanyangfang, where Yuan Min was waiting for him to have lunch together.

Xue Wei was surprised to discover that the Mingyue Restaurant in Xuanyangfang was also owned by Yuan Min.

"Why do you still have a Mingyue Restaurant?"

"Not surprising at all! I own more than a dozen restaurants in Chang'an all named Mingyue Restaurant. Luoyang's gentle breeze and Chang'an's bright moon complement each other perfectly, don't they?"

Xue Wei nodded. "So the place we live in is called Mingyue Tower, and the one next door is called Qingfeng Tower. There were clues to that all along."

"Do you understand now?"

Yuan Min laughed and took his arm, her face beaming, and said, "Hey Lao Xue! You're eating, drinking, and staying at Mingyue Tower for free, can't you at least pay some rent and food expenses?"

Xue Wei pinched her cheek. "Those evil capitalists exploit me. I'm your consultant but they don't pay me. You complain about the food and drinks. Which shop doesn't provide room and board these days?"

Yuan Min was already used to the various novel terms Xue Wei used, and sometimes she even used them herself, such as "A-San".

The two chatted and laughed as they went up to the third floor and entered a private room. The manager came in and greeted the owner.

Yuan Min smiled and introduced Xue Wei to the shopkeeper, "This is my..."

"Husband!" Xue Wei quickly replied.

Yu Xiangzi couldn't help but chuckle. Yuan Min rolled her eyes at Xue Wei and continued to say to the shopkeeper, "He's my ex-husband, now he's my advisor. Does he even have time to ask how I'm feeling?"

The shopkeeper smiled and nodded repeatedly, "Understood! Understood! My name is Liang Kuan, the shopkeeper. I hope you will give me your guidance in the future."

Even a fool would know that the two have reconciled and are now a couple.

The two ordered a pot of wine, several signature dishes, and three catties of flatbread for Xue Wei.

The private room was a suite, and the four female warriors and the maid Xiaoluo'er were having dinner in the outer room.

"How did it go today when we met with the Plum Blossom Guard?" Yuan Min asked, personally pouring Xue Wei a full glass of wine.

"I feel like they really want to investigate this case, but they're not allowed to because of their superiors. They're pinning their hopes on me and are being very cooperative with me."

"Any clues?"

Xue Wei nodded. "Huanglong has appeared three times. The first two times were related to Wugong County. It seems like this group's hideout is in Wugong County. I'm considering whether we should make a trip there."

"I suggest you don't rush. Wait until you've figured things out before you go. It's like when I invest; I won't put my money in without understanding the details. It's the same for you. If Wugong County turns out to be a crocodile pond, you'll be feeding the crocodiles if you go there."

"That makes sense. I'll observe for a few more days and not rush into a move."

Xue Wei then asked with a smile, "How did your market research go this morning?"

"This morning I signed a contract to buy a restaurant in Pingkangfang called Manfulou. I've decided to rename it Mingyue Restaurant."

Xue Wei was stunned. "You just said you wouldn't act until you saw the results, so how come you only came yesterday and signed the contract today?"

"Don't release the hawk until you see the rabbit, that's an interesting saying. But anyway! I already had the manager in Chang'an make the arrangements. We've been negotiating with two restaurants in Pingkangfang for half a month, and we know all the details very well. Manfulou has a great location and a good size, and its business is booming."

"If that's the case, why sell it?"

"Because the owner's only son was framed and incurred a huge gambling debt, which ballooned to eight thousand strings of cash in two years, the owner had no choice but to sell the restaurant to pay off the debt. He was in a hurry for money, so he sold the five-acre restaurant to me for twenty thousand strings of cash."

"Only 20,000 guan? Even a half-price room upstairs costs 50,000 guan, not including land."

"Are you stupid? This is Chang'an, not the capital. Pingkang Ward is only worth 20,000 strings of cash. Other wards are worth 10,000 strings of cash, and you can get them for a few thousand strings of cash."

Xue Wei then understood why Shangguan Wan'er was desperately selling off her properties in Luoyang; there were huge bargains everywhere in Chang'an now!

"You have to seize this opportunity!"

Yuan Min nodded. "I only buy high-quality shops and residences in good locations, especially residences over five acres. Those will definitely fetch several times the price. I've been very busy these past few days, with over twenty business deals to discuss, so I might not be able to take care of you for the time being."

Xue Wei laughed and said, "Today, Commander Yu of the Plum Blossom Guard told me that nothing can be found in Chang'an during the day, and that all sorts of demons and monsters only come out at night. The Plum Blossom Guard sleeps during the day and only moves out at night. I also plan to sleep during the day."

"That's true. Chang'an is much more lax at night than Luoyang. It's always more lively at night than during the day. How about I take you somewhere tonight?"

"A music hall?"

"The music troupe is scheduled for tomorrow night. Tonight we're going somewhere else. Don't ask now, you'll find out when we get there."

.........

As night fell, the group set off in carriages. Their carriages, like those in Luoyang, were wide and long, with two carriages, one inside and one outside, and a small space in the back for storing chamber pots.

Normally, four female warriors sit in the outer carriage, while Xue Wei and Yuan Min sit in the inner carriage. However, tonight only Zuo Qingling and Zuo Baiyun accompany them.

As soon as they drove out of the city gate, the first six hundred drumbeats sounded. Although the city gates were closed, the pedestrians on the street were not in a hurry, unlike in Luoyang where people were rushing around.

Yuan Min laughed and said, "Isn't it a little strange that everyone isn't in a hurry?"

"That's strange, why?"

"Because Chang'an had a curfew, but there were no Imperial Guards patrolling the streets. After the ward gates were closed, people still walked on the streets without any rush. Night walking had become an industry. After the ward gates were closed, you would see people riding on the walls of each ward. There was a ladder inside. For ten coins, they would pull out the ladder, and you could climb over the wall to go back."

If the Yong'an Canal, Qingming Canal, or Longshou Canal happens to flow through the neighborhood, it's even easier; there are small boats on the canals to take you back to the neighborhood, which is especially convenient for women, as it's generally considered unseemly for women to climb over walls.

Xue Wei nodded. "Are the restrictions even more relaxed in other counties?"

"Of course. Cities like Jiangdu and Chengdu are commercially developed, and many shops are owned by local gentry. They need to do business at night, and the curfew affects their vital interests. Does the county magistrate consider the imperial regulations or the interests of the local gentry?"

In my opinion, both should be considered!

"That's right, so there is a curfew system, which is posted on the city wall in black and white. Every night, the city gates and ward gates are closed by drum. But what? Even though the land gates are closed, people can enter the city by water. Even though the ward gates are closed, people can enter and exit through the small gates of the City God Temple or other temples. This is the case in both Jiangdu and Chengdu. The system is to be strictly enforced, but loopholes can be turned a blind eye."

Xue Wei smiled slightly, "This is what they mean by 'There's no perfect solution in this world, to be true to both Buddha and my beloved!'"

"You're here again!"

Yuan Min playfully pounced on him, playfully punching his chest with her small fists, "Don't tease me like that all the time!"

..........

The carriage slowly entered Chongren Ward, but Xue Wei was stunned. "I was just here during the day."

"I know, but Chongrenfang is completely different at night from daytime. Together with Pingkangfang, Xuanyangfang, and Qinrenfang, it is known as one of the four great cities in Chang'an that never sleeps. There is also the ghost market in Chongyefang, where maids and servants would steal valuables from their masters and then secretly sell them at night."

Xue Wei immediately became interested. He wondered when he could go to Chongye Fang to try his luck and maybe he could buy something good for a small amount of money.

The air inside Chongrenfang was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments and the bustling crowd. Red gauze palace lanterns hung high in front of the restaurant, their light and shadows swaying and scattering gold fragments on the bluestone slabs.

Xue Wei saw the Mingyue Restaurant, but the carriage did not stop. Instead, it arrived at a small square deep inside the neighborhood, where a crowd had gathered. A large man was performing illusions in the square.

He buried a watermelon seed in the ground, and soon he saw it sprout, grow vines, bloom, and bear fruit. The small watermelon quickly turned into a big watermelon. The big man held the watermelon high, took out a knife, and cut it down. Juice splattered everywhere, and it turned out to be a real watermelon with red flesh and black seeds.

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from all around.

Xue Wei was surprised. "What's going on?"

Yuan Min smiled slightly and said, "There is a bamboo tube buried in the ground. The melon seedlings and vines are real. They are stuffed into the bamboo tube beforehand and slowly pulled out with a thin thread. It looks like they are growing out, but the melons are fake. They are made of paper and can slowly grow bigger, just like they are growing up."

He had a real melon hidden in his clothes. With a quick movement of his left hand, he pulled out the fake melon, and with his right hand, he produced the real one. The movement was so fast that the eyes couldn't react in time.

Xue Wei suddenly realized, "This is magic! It was transformed into illusion in the Tang Dynasty by using props and techniques."

"You brought me here to see illusions?" Xue Wei asked.

Yuan Min shook her head. "No, I brought you here to find someone."

At this moment, Zuo Baiyun ran out from a nearby courtyard, "Miss, Young Master Xue, Grandma invites you in!"

Xue Wei was taken aback. "Grandma Zuo?"

Yuan Min smiled and nodded. "Come inside with me!"

Xue Wei was a little confused. "Isn't Granny Zuo in Luoyang?"

"Sometimes she was in Luoyang, sometimes in Chang'an. She adopted thirteen orphans, including Qingling and Baiyun. Qingling was Zuo Qiniang, and Baiyun was Zuo Shisan Niang. I named Qingling and Baiyun."

"Then why did they become Taoist nuns?"

"Of course, it's for learning martial arts. Besides, Granny Zuo herself is an old Taoist nun. She used to be called Fairy Zuo."

The two walked into the room, which was very dark and secluded, filled with various medicinal herbs and strange utensils.

Xue Wei suddenly saw a spray gun, exactly the same as the spray gun used to spray insecticide when he was a child. It had a metal copper tube with a pull-out piston. A small copper gourd was attached to the bottom of the tube. Pulling out the piston would draw water from the gourd into the tube, and pushing the piston forward would spray water out from the nozzle at the front of the tube.

"What is this?" Xue Wei was completely confused.

Li Qingling laughed and said, "This is the key tool of illusion. It is used to spray hallucinogenic drugs. After people inhale it, they will have hallucinations, seeing the paper crane grass immortal as a real god riding a crane, and seeing the Guanyin kite floating in the air as the real Guanyin."

Xue Wei wanted to look at other utensils, so Yuan Min gently pulled him along, saying, "Let's go! Grandma is waiting for us!"

She pulled Xue Wei into the innermost courtyard.

A kind old lady stood in the courtyard. She was very thin and wore the smallest size Taoist robe, giving her a somewhat childlike appearance.

"Amin, is this your ex-husband, Mr. Xue?" the old lady asked with a smile.

Xue Wei quickly bowed and greeted, "Junior Xue Wei greets Grandmother!"

The old lady stepped forward to look Xue Wei up and down, then suddenly chuckled softly, "Young Master Xue, you have an extraordinary background!"

Xue Wei's heart skipped a beat. Did this old lady see through his transmigrated identity?

The old lady was very kind and explained slowly, "My husband is Ming Chongyan. I am his wife and also his senior sister. I studied medicine and mechanical devices, which is different from his. Chongyan was the third generation of the Hidden Guard. In the first year of Tiaolu, due to the intensified conflict between the emperor and empress over the crown prince, he faked his death and went into seclusion."

Five years ago, he went into seclusion to ascend to heaven. Before his ascension, he told me that the fourth Hidden Guard would be the son of Princess Taiping. That's why I know why you've come to Chang'an. Today, I had Thirteen Sister invite you and Amin here."

Xue Wei was secretly surprised. Ming Chongyan was the most famous magician in the mid-Tang Dynasty. He was proficient in witchcraft, physiognomy and medicine. He was highly regarded by Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian. Later, he was said to have been assassinated, but it turned out that he had faked his death and gone into seclusion.

However, it is not surprising that Ming Chongyan knew that the fourth generation of hidden guards was the son of Princess Taiping; he could understand Wu Zetian's political schemes.

Moreover, this old lady is proficient in medicine and mechanical arts, so she shouldn't be able to see through my transmigrated identity. Perhaps when she said that she had an extraordinary background, she was referring to her identity as a hidden guard.

Thinking of this, Xue Wei felt somewhat relieved, and then asked, "Does Grandma know why I came to Chang'an?"

Grandma Zuo nodded. "Come with me!"

She led Xue Wei and Yuan Min into the back hall. As soon as they entered, the two of them stopped abruptly and froze in place.