Chapter 13#

Boss, the Wealthy Young Master Pei Buys “Golden” Fish, Unaware That…#

Pei Xiting followed the two as they wandered, buying a mini candied hawthorn skewer on the way—two hawthorns threaded onto one stick.

“Hey, look over there!” Pei Jintang, walking at the front, waved for the other two to look at the shop at the end of the street. “‘Crispy Bone Fish,’ Xiting, do you want some?”

Pei Xiting was in the middle of struggling with the sticky candied hawthorn, and upon hearing this, he mumbled indistinctly, “Yeah.”

The three of them went over and saw a tiny shop with only a table piled high with boxes and stacks inside—clearly not for entertaining customers. At the shop entrance was a stove, and in the pot, a batch of fragrant fish was covered with green bamboo leaves.

“Just out of the pot, still fragrant. One tael per fish,” the owner said as he came out of the shop, holding a steaming scallion pancake.

“How much?!” Pei Jintang, who had been sniffing the aroma of the scallion pancake, said incredulously, “What kind of golden dragon spawned this fish, that you’d sell it for one tael? Even the big restaurants in Yejing wouldn’t dare charge this price!”

“It’s just common crucian carp,” the owner said with a smile. “But if I sold it cheaply, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demand alone.”

Zhao Yi tried to reason, “Is the owner deliberately driving away customers?”

“Not at all. I’m selecting my customers—only those with money and taste are worthy of being my patrons.” The owner took a bite of his pancake and said boldly.

Pei Jintang thought to himself: Money and taste? More like rich fools who don’t know any better!

Zhao Yi was also curious. “And if no such… well-off and discerning customer buys, or if you can’t sell them all?”

“I’ll eat them myself,” the owner said, “or feed them to the little beggars.”

Zhao Yi and Pei Jintang exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing: He might as well just rob us outright, but he’s kind enough to throw in a fish! Only a sucker would patronize this place!

Clink.

Pei Xiting placed money on the table, and under the astonished gazes of the other two, he said, “It smells good. I’ll take one to try.”

“Coming right up.” The owner, with the pancake still in his mouth, walked over to a bamboo basket, took out a clean bamboo leaf, and deftly wrapped a fish for Pei Xiting. “Here.”

The hand holding out the bamboo leaf wrap was fair and slender, with clear bones and tendons. The tiger’s mouth, fingertips, and the palm area below the thumb were all covered in calluses.

Pei Xiting blinked and withdrew his gaze. At the same time, he reached out to take the bamboo leaf wrap, took a bite under the unwavering stares of Pei Jintang and Zhao Yi, savored it with relish, swallowed, and after a moment of aftertaste, opened his eyes and said, “Mm, the meat and bones are tender, the sauce is rich and thick. Delicious.”

The owner raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Young master has refined taste!”

“I’ll be a frequent customer from now on.” Pei Xiting asked the owner to wrap one for Pei Jintang and Zhao Yi each, and another for himself, settling the bill all at once.

Pei Jintang and Zhao Yi stood awkwardly behind the sucker.

“I like to sleep in, so I don’t sell fish in the morning. This time of day is about right,” the owner said as he worked, reminding them so that discerning customers wouldn’t come at the wrong time and make a wasted trip.

Pei Jintang had an indifferent attitude toward the fish, but it tasted quite good. Still, in his opinion, it wasn’t worth even fifty coppers, let alone one tael. He finished that tiny fish with a mix of anger, dismay, and respect, then said, “So you make one sale a month, and that one sale feeds you for the month.”

“Exactly.” The owner showed no shame for his outrageous pricing. He winked at the sucker. “Come again.”

“Thanks.” Pei Xiting picked up the wrapped fish, turned, and left.

Pei Jintang and Zhao Yi quickly followed.

The owner watched Pei Xiting’s retreating figure, took a bite of his pancake, and chuckled. “What a stunning beauty. Why haven’t I seen him before?”

“The third young master of the Court of Imperial Entertainments’ Deputy Minister’s mansion, Pei Xiting. His portrait is on the Jade Beauty List,” said a man who leaped down from behind the rooftop, snatching the pancake from the owner’s hand and shoving it into his own mouth, letting out a satisfied “Mm.”

“My pancake!” The owner chased after him in agony. “I’ll give you the whole pot of fish—can you just spare my pancake next time?! This was the very first one out of the oven!”

The man, with his long legs, leisurely sat down on the table, stuffing his face and mumbling, “Can’t do that. Don’t be stingy. It’s not like I come around often.”

The owner, resigned to his fate, sighed and said, “I’ve heard of Pei San. He truly lives up to his reputation—no, even more strikingly beautiful by three parts. But didn’t everyone say he had a soft temperament? The one just now clearly had the air of someone accustomed to a life of luxury and privilege from childhood.”

The man finished the pancake, gestured for the owner to pour him a glass of water, downed it to wet his throat, and said, “What fool relies on hearsay? Everything must be seen to be believed… Enough, let’s get down to business.”

He wiped his mouth and said, “I need to track down Po Yinlin.”

“You’re too late.” The owner picked up the cup, washed it in the basin, and put it back. “A month ago, someone stole Po Yinlin from the young Marquis Shangguan, brought it to Baiyou Mountain to exchange with a buyer. The buyer took Po Yinlin but still hasn’t left the outskirts of the capital to this day.”

The man frowned. “Dead?”

“Mhm.” The owner said slowly, “Hacked to death by random knives, his head barely hanging by the neck, and his face was mutilated. Discovered this morning. By now, the body is probably at the Crane Division.”

“Strange. If they wanted Po Yinlin, why bother disfiguring the face after killing him?” The man pondered. “Could it be that the buyer has a special identity, and the killer was afraid someone might trace clues from him?”

“Possible,” the owner said.

“For now, it seems the only option is to find the one who stole Po Yinlin in the first place. He might have clues about the buyer’s identity.” The man lifted his chin. “Name your price.”

“No price will do.” The owner said apologetically, “Someone has bought all the information on him. If I utter a single word, I’ll lose my head by tomorrow.”

The man said, “I’ll pay more.”

The owner remained unmoved. “I, Qi, am not someone who is swayed by money. I have professional integrity—”

The man pulled out a cleaver strapped to his lower back and, with a swish, pressed it against Boss Qi’s neck. His eyes, clear black and white, stared at him indifferently.

“…” Boss Qi changed his tune smoothly. “Pei Xiting.”

The man was confused. “Huh?”

“On the day Po Yinlin was stolen, the person who met with Shangguan Jie was none other than Pei Xiting. But then again,” the owner said with a smile, “if you meddle in this, aren’t you afraid of incurring the wrath of the Eastern Palace?”

The man sheathed his cleaver and said, “If you don’t sell me out, how would the Eastern Palace know?”

“Hard to say.” Boss Qi retreated to a nearby lounge chair, lay down, and looked at him with a grin. “That one is not easy to fool. You’re on your own.”

“If you dare sell me out, before the Eastern Palace gets me, I’ll chop you into minced meat, roll it into meatballs, cook them, and feed them to the dogs!” The cleaver-wielding man issued his threat, then turned and pushed through the curtain, leaving.

Boss Qi stepped on the footrest, leaned back, closed his eyes, and said softly, “Young people, so hot-tempered.”

Pei Xiting was completely unaware that he’d been sold out. He was busy chasing someone—about three minutes earlier, a little beggar had lifted Fourth Young Master Zhao’s money pouch. According to Fourth Young Master Zhao, it contained three silver ingots and a hundred-tael silver note, which he had taken out to treat them to a good time.

“Stop right there!” Pei Jintang charged at the front, roaring, “You little brat, just wait till I smack your bottom black and blue!”

The little beggar was clearly a familiar face around here, running incredibly fast, and thanks to his small size, he weaved through the narrow alleys with ease, keeping all three of them at bay.

Pei Xiting glanced at Pei Jintang, who was leading the charge as if wearing flaming wheels, then looked back at Zhao Yi at the rear, who was bent over with his hands on his knees. He figured relying on the two of them to catch the thief wasn’t likely, so he planned to go around and mobilize the public. But just then, a hand suddenly reached out from the corner ahead—

Pei Xiting’s pupils contracted. He instinctively tried to stop, but it was too late. Within two inches, he was yanked around the corner and pinned against the mountain wall.

The person covered his mouth and warned in a low voice, “Don’t scream.”

It was Shangguan Jie.