It was too hot to have much of an appetite. At noon, a few clerks at the magistrate’s office were discussing what to eat. Their conversation always came back to the same few options: steamed buns, cold noodles, and multigrain rice—at most, they’d switch up the side dishes.

“It’s either Chinese cabbage or tofu—at most, they’ll swap the Chinese cabbage for spinach.”

“Don’t forget about the loofah.”

Everyone laughed at the joke, and after the laughter died down, they returned to their original topic: what to eat for lunch today.

“Why don’t we go to Brother Tang’s in Baxing District? I haven’t eaten well for the past few days, and after working all morning today, I’m really tired. My stomach’s growling, but I’m not really in the mood for anything.”

“Baxing District is too far.”

“So what if we take a cart? We’ve been working nonstop these past few days. It’s rare to finally finish a job, and we’ll have a bit of free time this afternoon.”

“That’s true.”

As they chatted, the clerks decided to head to Brother Tang’s in Baxing District for lunch. Mainly because they’d been so busy lately, and Brother Tang’s place had even been closed for two weekends in a row—easier than their own office. It was a hot day, and when they thought about it, it had been over ten days since they’d last eaten there.

As lunchtime rolled around, the group set out as planned. There were quite a few carriages parked outside the magistrate’s office; they picked one they often rode in and told the driver to head to Baxing District.

As soon as the driver heard this, he knew these gentlemen were headed to Brother Tang’s restaurant.

The ride from the government office took about half an hour. Upon arrival, they got out and headed toward Main Street. Before they even reached the restaurant’s entrance, they saw quite a few people waiting outside, and a look of annoyance flashed across their faces.

“Oh no, I forgot we have to wait in line at mealtime there.”

“Don’t miss your afternoon shift.”

“If I’d known, I would’ve come for the evening meal.”

“Never mind that. We’re already here, so let’s go take a look. Before the weekend, I heard from Owner Tang that he’s been planning to introduce some new dishes.”

“New dishes? Is it another pork recipe?”

“I have no idea.”

As they chatted, they made their way over. By the time they reached the door, they could hear the lively chatter inside, along with shouts of “Another plate, please!” The group momentarily regretted coming—waiting in line now would definitely be a waste of time—

“How about…” Never mind, let’s just eat somewhere else. But then someone caught a whiff of the aroma, and the words that came out were, “Do you guys smell that? It’s a really, really unique scent—one I’ve never smelled before.”

The other two nodded in agreement. From a distance, they could make out the dishes on the tables inside—dishes he’d never seen before.

“What is that?”

A-Liang brought out a stool and invited the guests to sit and wait. A few clerks asked A-Liang if there were any seats left and how long they’d have to wait.

Others, unable to contain their curiosity, pointed to a dish on a table inside and asked, “What’s that? Is that the new dish your boss mentioned?”

“If there are four of you, it’ll be about half an incense stick’s worth of time,” A-Liang replied first, then added, “It’s new on today’s menu: chili stir-fried pork. Our boss’s son went to Lujing last year and happened to run into an overseas fleet returning home. He specifically paid a high price for these chili seeds. They were just harvested this year and are even spicier than evodia. If you like a kick, you’ve got to order this.”

There were those in the line who loved spicy food. They’d always thought evodia wasn’t particularly hot, but upon hearing this, they couldn’t bring themselves to move. No matter what anyone said, they refused to leave. They asked A-Liang for a number and waited right there.

Seeing this, the others decided to wait as well.

At Tang’s Restaurant, during mealtimes, the number of tickets issued is strictly limited—they don’t hand out too many, for fear of making customers wait too long. Generally, if there are too many latecomers, the waitstaff will advise them to eat elsewhere; otherwise, waiting for a full hour wouldn’t be worth it, and they’d end up starving.

The four of them sat down in the shade by the entrance, and A-Liang brought them some iced tea and pastries from inside, inviting them to help themselves. As they ate the slightly sweet cold cakes—which were actually quite delicious—the aroma wafting from inside made the cakes in their hands seem bland and unappetizing; eating sweets on a summer day had become a bit too cloying.

Someone inside called out, “These chili peppers smell so good—can you sell them separately?”

“I’m afraid not, sir. We have a limited supply of chili peppers—once this week’s batch is sold out, that’s it,” came Aunt Tong’s voice.

“Then I’ll have another serving of chili stir-fried pork to go.”

Is it really that good? The four of them wondered.

They weren’t sure how long they’d been waiting—it hadn’t actually been that long—but the aroma had made their stomachs growl with hunger. Even though they’d said earlier that morning that the heat had killed their appetites, now they could hardly wait to devour bowl after bowl of rice.

Finally, it was their turn, and they picked an empty table.

One of them quickly spoke up: “We’ll have your new dish—chili pork.”

“Please take a look, sir. One serving of chili stir-fried pork is eighty wen.”

“That expensive?” one of them exclaimed in surprise.

Aunt Tong explained, “Chili seeds are hard to come by. Our boss not only had to pull some strings just to buy the seeds, but he also hired people to grow them. In Fengyuan City, this chili is only available at Brother Tang’s restaurant.”

“Let’s get a serving then.”

“Let’s give it a try.”

“If it’s not good, we won’t order it next time.” 

“Actually, eighty wen isn’t too bad. Let’s split it between the four of us and order a few more dishes.”

Aunt Tong placed the order and sent the slip to the kitchen.

Before long, the dish arrived—a plate of red and green chili peppers stir-fried with pork, mixed with other vegetables. The portion was decent. As Mrs. Tong brought it out, she said, “Guests, this dish is very spicy. If you can’t handle spicy food, you might want to eat just a little.”

“Got it.”

“Bring the rice.”

A-Liang brought out a pot of steamed rice and let the four guests serve themselves.

The guest who loved evodia “struck first”—he picked up some chili peppers with his chopsticks, examined them closely for a moment, and said to his companion, “I’ve really never seen a dish like this before.”

His companion replied, “It’s certainly unusual.”

“Go ahead and try it. If it’s too spicy, I won’t eat it.”

The diner with the chili on his chopsticks popped it into his mouth. His companions at the table asked how it tasted. As he chewed, he squinted his eyes, then suddenly opened them wide, his eyes sparkling as he looked at his colleagues.

One of his colleagues, seeing this, laughed first: “It must be delicious.”

The man eating the chili nodded repeatedly and said, “You should try it too. You can handle it. The texture is really unique. The kick is different from that of evodia fruit. Even though it’s stir-fried in lard, it’s not greasy at all—it’s really whetted my appetite.”

“Is it really that good? You’re making it sound so amazing,” someone said skeptically.

“Pick up a piece of meat and try it.”

The person picked up a piece of meat. It was glistening with oil. Normally, people don’t like to eat meat in the summer, let alone pork—it’s usually too greasy and cloying. But here, the fat had been stir-fried off, leaving the fatty parts slightly translucent and golden-brown. When he put it in his mouth, the taste was immediately extraordinary.

It had a slightly stimulating spiciness, and the texture of the meat was just right—

“Let’s have another bite of rice,” said his colleague.

He quickly shoveled another mouthful of rice in, letting the flavors blend together.

“So satisfying, so satisfying—it’s delicious.”

This chili-stir-fried pork is truly a summer staple that goes perfectly with rice. Of course, diners who can’t handle spice won’t be able to stand it at all, but most of the restaurant’s customers love it.

By the time they finished eating, the plates on the table were completely clean, and even the bowl of rice was empty. The four of us ate until our bellies were round as balls. We paid the bill, and at that moment, we didn’t even think the chili-stir-fried pork was expensive; instead, we said we’d come back for it again next time.

They strolled out of the restaurant, planning to take a taxi back to the government office shortly.

“I remember that Mr. Tang and the young boss went to Lujing last year.” 

“If these chili seeds were brought back by merchant ships from abroad, then they really aren’t expensive.”

Everyone nodded.

“In Fengyuan City, Brother Tang’s place really is one of a kind.”

“Don’t let the small size of his restaurant fool you—the goods he gets are anything but ordinary.”

“With the imperial caravans—as soon as they arrive in Lujing, Mr. Tang can pull some strings to get his hands on chili seeds—”

“Mr. Tang has connections in Lujing, too.”

“I seem to recall that the young boss’s ancestor served as a fifth-rank military official in Lujing?”

“There must be other connections as well. Otherwise, how could Mr. Tang—just a small-time shopkeeper from outside Fengyuan City—get his hands on seeds like these?”

“That’s true.”

As the clerks speculated, word soon spread that—due to the high demand for chili peppers—restaurants in both the East and West Markets had added new dishes featuring them. Since chili peppers were a novelty they’d never even seen before, they inquired about the story behind it. Once they learned the truth, each had their own thoughts—the Tang family must have connections in Lujing as well.

“Even though we’re in Fengyuan City and Lujing is too far away, there’s no need to clash head-on.”

“Lujing is, after all, the capital. Let’s just keep our business separate from Brother Tang’s restaurant. Never mind—let him do as he pleases.”

“Proprietor, I heard from a waiter at the Jade Full Gold Pavilion that their proprietor is looking to buy some chili peppers.”

“Hmph, he’s quite the tricky one, but Mr. Tang isn’t a fool either—we’ll see.”

And indeed, he couldn’t get any.

Tang Xianling turned down every “customer” who came to his shop asking to buy chili peppers—he didn’t even have enough for his own use.

On Thursday, Uncle Zhang stopped by to deliver some chili peppers. Tang Xianling thought, Thank goodness.

Uncle Zhang arrived early in the morning. After delivering the chili peppers, he had a simple meal and caught a bus back that afternoon. Before leaving, he told Xianling and Tieniu, “You two just keep busy with your work. Once the chili peppers are ready, they can’t be left to sit—the red ones are already out drying, and I’ll bring you the larger green ones.”

“Your uncle says that because of these chili peppers, you two haven’t had a single day off since the New Year. You’ve been running back to the village every weekend. Stop rushing around—get a good night’s sleep and rest up.”

Tang Xianling was truly grateful to Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wang.

This week, Tang Xianling slept soundly at home and rested for a couple of days. Next weekend, he’ll have to go back to the village to check on the sun-dried chili peppers. He plans to make chili sauce and spicy hot pot base once the weather cools down a bit—but before that, he needs to find a source for beef tallow, or a substitute for it.

Venison has a texture very similar to beef; he wonders how deer fat would work.

The imperial court has explicit regulations prohibiting the arbitrary slaughter of cattle for food. Cattle are used for plowing fields.

However, this rule isn’t really a restriction for the upper-class elite. But now that Tang Xianling is just an ordinary commoner, he’ll have to figure out a way to get beef tallow. His first thought was to ask Liu Baojian for some; otherwise, he’d have to settle for deer tallow.

After a good rest over the weekend, with his basic needs met, he began to think about—ahem.

By Monday, Big Boss Tang had a healthy, rosy complexion. Combined with a steady supply of chili peppers—he’d been preparing spicy dishes in ever-changing variations every day during the summer—he’d actually put on a little weight compared to last year.

Jiang Yun was a bit surprised. “Wu-ger seems a little rounder—a rounder face looks good on you.”

Tieniu didn’t need to take a closer look—he knew exactly where his husband had put on weight—and he was quite pleased about it, saying, “We made a good choice buying those chili peppers.”

Uncle Zhang would drop by every few days with villagers to deliver chili peppers—or sometimes chili powder—

In the summer, the Tang family’s night market was set up again. This time, with the chili powder on hand, the aroma of the grilled meat—which was already overpowering—was enhanced by the chili and cumin powders, wafting for ten li. Eventually, the Tang family stopped serving stir-fried dishes and rice for their evening meals, focusing exclusively on grilled food.

Xiao Mi couldn’t keep up with the workload, so he called in Da Yuan to help.

Mr. Tang not only sold the food but also ate it himself. He never put down his meat skewers, telling Xiao Mi, “Sprinkle some more chili powder on it—I want it extra spicy.”

The meat skewers were so bright red from the chili powder that Jiang Yun was scared just looking at them, but Tang Xianling devoured them one by one without so much as a cough. Tieniu could only hold a cup of mung bean water and herbal tea up to his husband’s lips, coaxing him to drink more.

Thanks to the chili, the Tang family’s business was booming—the place was packed every day, with people even lining up outside.

Tang Xianling also tracked down Old Master Liu Baojian, who was a true “jack-of-all-trades,” especially when it came to navigating the twists and turns of government offices—not to break the law, but to exploit loopholes.

Liu Baojian didn’t bat an eye at the money Mr. Tang slipped him; in fact, he almost had to laugh. Mr. Tang had been in business for several years, yet his attempt to grease the wheels with a bribe was still quite clumsy—it was obvious he’d never done this before.

“Do you want beef tallow or deer tallow? Deer tallow isn’t exactly scarce. You’ll need to negotiate with a few restaurants in the West Market—they use deer meat, and you use deer tallow. I can help put you in touch with the managers of those restaurants…”

Tang Xianling knew the first suggestion was a dead end as soon as he heard it. “Earlier, several managers came to ask me to sell them chili peppers, and I turned them all down,” he said. “Now that I’m begging them, they certainly won’t be happy about it. Even if they were willing, they’d want a cut of the chili pepper profits. It’s not that I won’t give it to them—it’s just that I don’t have enough for myself.”

In truth, he didn’t want to give it away. These proprietors were shrewder than he was; if they found out he needed deer fat and that the terms seemed to “work in their favor”—as if they weren’t charging for it—he’d still end up at a disadvantage once they started working with him.

I’m not willing to be at their mercy. Forget it.

“Uncle Liu, are there any other options?”

Liu Baojian nodded impassively, though inwardly he agreed with Boss Tang’s rejection of the suggestion. “There are also the estates that raise deer outside their manors,” he said, “but those high-and-mighty families don’t bother with the petty profits from deer tallow.”

“Unless you have connections—” like with the Wei or Gu families.

Tang Xianling shook his head, knowing exactly what Uncle Liu was getting at, and spoke frankly: “Our little restaurant doesn’t have much of a relationship—or a deep one—with the Wei or Gu families.” Especially in business, equality and mutual benefit are key. The high-ranking families wouldn’t bother with the pittance he earned; it offered them no real benefit, only trouble, so any partnership wouldn’t last long.

It was better not to bring it up at all, so as not to squander the goodwill they’d built up.

Liu Baojian nodded. “Those are the only two ways to get deer fat—after all, ordinary people can’t raise deer.”

Tang Xianling frowned deeply, and the thought “If it comes to it, I’ll raise deer myself” even flashed through his mind—all for the sake of a little dough to make another batch of dumplings.

“However—” Liu Baojian introduced a twist.

Tang Xianling immediately looked over; Grandpa Liu’s tone seemed to imply there was more to say, so he eagerly asked, “Please go ahead—what’s the ‘however’?”

“Deer tallow is hard to come by, but I know a way to get beef tallow.”

Tang Xianling:！！！

Wait, Old Man Liu, why didn’t you say that sooner?

“Go on.”

Liu Baojian: “Our imperial court has a regulation prohibiting the slaughter of draft oxen by commoners. However, there are merchants from the north in Fengyuan City. These small foreign tribes rely on nomadic herding for their livelihood—they have herds of cattle and sheep, so they have plenty of beef tallow back home.”

!!!

Tang Xianling blurted out, “But last time Uncle Liu came to my house for dinner, wasn’t that the Lord Pus you brought with you?”

“You have a good memory—he’s from that very tribe.” In fact, when Mr. Tang came to see him, Liu Baojian already knew that Mr. Tang had his sights set on beef tallow first; deer tallow was a backup option—he’d only choose it if beef tallow wasn’t available. So he first went on at length about deer tallow before mentioning beef tallow. And just like that, Mr. Tang realized just how capable he was.

He could also count on Mr. Tang to remember this major favor.

But afterward, Liu Baojian thought to himself: He didn’t accept any cash from Mr. Tang as a bribe, and even if Mr. Tang were to make the most of this favor, he wouldn’t really need anything from him—

At most, Mr. Tang might send some pastries and snacks to his home during festivals and holidays, as he had done in the past.

Liu Baojian mulled it over and over, finally concluding: That’s just the kind of person he is—when he helps others, he naturally expects them to remember it deeply. Whether or not they repay the favor, they must at least take note that Liu Baojian is a big shot.

Fat is easy to store and transport, especially since Tang Xianling planned to sell his spicy beef tallow hot pot base to capture the fall and winter market.

Many people in Fengyuan City enjoy hot pot during the fall and winter.

But with autumn fast approaching, Tang Xianling didn’t dare delay. He quickly invited Liu Baojian to host a banquet, spoke highly of him, and asked him to act as an intermediary to help set up a meeting—he wanted to discuss business with Lord Pus.

In reality, Lord Pus held little actual power—it was merely an honorary title newly established by the Rong Dynasty for foreign dignitaries, specifically to oversee merchant affairs.

Over the weekend, Tang Xianling and Tieniu put on new clothes and set up a banquet in his courtyard.

Tang Xianling had first obtained a jar of deer fat—which Tieniu had gone to great lengths to purchase—and used it to prepare a spicy hot pot. As the weather had turned cooler, the courtyard felt refreshingly cool, and the clay pot on the stone table bubbled away, filling the air with its aroma.

A variety of dishes were arranged on the side.

The broth had been simmering for a while, and the longer it simmered, the more fragrant it became. Even though Jiang Yun didn’t like spicy food, the aroma alone made her say, “That looks so tempting.”

Not to mention everyone else here, who had never tried spicy hot pot before.

The aroma was truly irresistible.

Tang Xianling invited the guests inside. Today, Lord Pus was accompanied by two of his clan members and subordinates, as well as Liu Baojian acting as the intermediary. As soon as they entered the small courtyard, Liu Baojian sniffed the air and said, “It smells so good!”

“Today’s spicy hot pot base is stir-fried with deer fat. Please, honored guests, have a taste first.” Tang Xianling made a gesture of invitation and asked the two to take their seats.

Tieniu then mentioned that there was another table set up at the front of the shop for Lord Pus’s men to dine at.

The two looked at Lord Pus, who nodded, signaling for them to go ahead.

Then they took their seats to eat and enjoy the dishes. Tang Xianling and Tieniu attended to their guests. Normally, when discussing business over a meal, eating takes a back seat to talking and drinking, but at Boss Tang’s place, it was the other way around.

Freshly sliced meat was dropped into the pot, scooped out, and placed in the two guests’ bowls. As soon as they took a bite, they were completely speechless—they couldn’t even manage small talk.

All that could be heard were exclamations like “Hot!” “Sha!” “Delicious!” and “So fragrant!”

The early autumn evening was quite cool, especially out in the courtyard where a light breeze blew from time to time, making it very refreshing. Yet by the end of the meal, Liu Baojian and Pus were drenched in sweat, their faces flushed red.

Lord Pus wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief while skillfully wielding his chopsticks. When he finished eating, he sat back in his chair and exclaimed, “Delicious—and piping hot. If we had this in winter, we’d get through the cold season just fine.”

“The northern tribes endure bitter cold in winter, so Mr. Tang’s spicy hot pot base is indeed perfect for them,” Liu Baojian nodded, understanding exactly what Pus meant.

Upon hearing this, Tang Xianling felt a surge of joy and was just about to say that he could supply the beef tallow hot pot base to Lord Pus’s establishment at cost.

But Liu Baojian immediately interjected, “Lord Pus may not have much of anything else, but he certainly has plenty of unused beef tallow.”

In reality, how could there ever be any surplus beef tallow? It was a precious treasure for warding off the cold.

Pus: “Mr. Tang, how much are you selling this hot pot base for? I can give you the beef tallow for free, but you’ll have to lower the price of the base.”

Tang Xianling: …No, Your Excellency, I haven’t even played my trump card yet, and you’ve already laid all your cards on the table.

No wonder Old Man Liu beat him to the punch—Tang Xianling was also a straight shooter who believed in laying his cards on the table right away to facilitate cooperation.

“The spices used in this base are rare and precious—cassia leaves, star anise, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and so on—and quite valuable. So this isn’t me asking for an exorbitant price: two hundred wen for a base the size of a palm.” Was Tang Xianling making a profit, or were they splitting it fifty-fifty?

Spicy beef tallow hot pot really has no choice but to go the high-end route—it just can’t be made any cheaper.

Pus: “Huh? Two hundred wen?” He turned to look at Uncle Liu—had he heard that right?

Liu Baojian laughed heartily and said, “Mr. Tang is a man of integrity. He’s a young man—unlike those out there who’d try to rip you off, asking for three or five taels, or even ten or so taels. He’s giving you a lower price out of respect for me, and because he wants your beef tallow.”

Tang Xianling:……

Two hundred wen wasn’t exactly a “special discount,” though.

Is Lord Pus finding two hundred wen too cheap?

In the end, thanks to Liu Baojian’s “intercession,” Pus’s tribe agreed to supply tallow to Boss Tang at five taels of silver per hundred jin—including transportation costs—while Tang Xianling agreed to provide Pus’s tribe with three hundred portions of spicy beef hot pot every winter, at one and a half taels of silver per portion, totaling one hundred and fifty taels.

Tang Xianling:……

Old Man Liu isn’t just a merchant—he’s better than any merchant.

Not only did he secure the tallow for him, but he also sold 150 portions of the hot pot base—even though it wasn’t ready yet.

Lord Pus felt he’d struck it rich and kept patting Tieniu on the shoulder. Having lived in Fengyuan City for several years as a foreigner, he already knew that Boss Tang was a ger, so he couldn’t make a move on him directly; he could only “make a move” on this young man instead.

Tieniu endured the “thump, thump” of the pats without batting an eye, smiling cheerfully as he saw Lord Pus and Liu Baojian out. Lord Pus’s two attendants were also beaming with satisfaction; upon hearing that their lord had sealed the deal, they praised him in their native tongue for his wisdom, valor, and sheer brilliance.

Finally, Liu Baojian also accompanied Lord Pus to his carriage. Once the carriage had driven off, Liu Baojian—who had been slightly tipsy but now had a clear look in his eyes—turned to Mr. Tang and said, “Mr. Tang, it’s not that I want to tell you how to run your business, but since you’re selling this base ingredient at a high price, you might as well keep it high all the way through—it can’t be cheaper than what you’re selling to Lord Pus.”

“Of course, of course. Then shall I set the retail price at six hundred wen?” Tang Xianling asked tentatively. He really wasn’t a crooked merchant; at six hundred wen, his net profit would still be five hundred wen.

Um… he’d never thought of making a profit this way before.

Liu Baojian shook his head. “That’s too cheap. Raise it some more, or else it’ll look like you’re not being sincere with Lord Pus. He just called you his good brother and a good friend to his people—are you going to charge a friend just 100 wen less than a stranger?”

Tang Xianling’s face practically “twisted.”

Liu Baojian couldn’t help but chuckle. It was the first time he’d seen someone look so unhappy and uncomfortable while making money. He swallowed the one tael of silver and said, “All right, all right. Then it’s seven hundred wen—not a penny less.”

“Any less, and it won’t look good with Pus.”

Tang Xianling had no choice but to agree readily: “Deal.”

Later, when Jiang Yun heard about this, she was so startled that her face turned a bit pale. “How can we run a business like this? Won’t people criticize us?”

“They’ll say we’re making money with a black heart.”

Tang Xianling felt a bit numb. Lying on the four-poster bed and rubbing his stomach, he admitted he’d had a few bites too—that spicy hot pot was truly delicious.

Tieniu sat beside his mother, recounting what Old Man Liu had just said—that they couldn’t afford to offend people—and added, “…Mother, wealthy families don’t care whether it’s seven hundred wen or seven taels of silver.”

“They might even think that something bought with seven taels of silver is better.”

Jiang Yun suddenly remembered that Tieniu had mentioned before that yogurt in Lujing was also sold by the tael.

“Do you think we’ll be able to sell our hot pot base? It’s so expensive.”

Tieniu replied with absolute certainty, “We definitely can. Don’t worry, Mother.”

Tang Xianling didn’t join the discussion because he’d already drifted off to sleep. It had gotten cold recently, and as the old saying goes, “Spring drowsiness, autumn lethargy, summer naps”—he tended to get sleepy as soon as he’d eaten his fill.

Tieniu took a soft pillow and tucked it under his husband’s head, then tucked the quilt around him.

Jiang Yun saw this and tiptoed out, whispering, “Wu-ger’s been working so hard lately. When he uses his mind too much, he gets sleepy. Let’s go talk outside and let him get some rest.”

“I know, Mother.” Tieniu headed out as well.

Just as they reached the courtyard, they heard a knock at the door. Tieniu closed the main hall door as he passed, afraid of waking his husband, who had just fallen asleep.

Jiang Yun said, “I’ll go answer the door. It’s so late—I wonder who it could be.”

It was already dark.

As soon as the door opened, Jiang Yun froze and cried out in surprise, “Erniang, Erniang, h-how did you end up here at a time like this?”

Tang Zhen had arrived at the very last moment before the city gates closed.

“Mother—” Having endured so much grief on the way, Tang Zhen couldn’t hold back any longer the moment she saw her mother. She threw herself into her mother’s arms and burst into tears: “Cui Bo’an is no human being. He’s taken another woman on the side, and she’s borne him a son…”