Chapter 2: The Overbearing Shopkeeper

  Out of the General's Mansion, Fang Xie trudged through the thick snow all the way to Jinyuan Alley. Because the snow was too thick, the sound made by stepping on it was particularly clear.

  "Fang Jie, I heard you're going out to kill bandits today?"

  Not far away, He Shu came out to pour dirty laundry water and asked with a smile.

  This is a woman who insists that she was as beautiful as a flower ten years ago, perhaps life is really a piece of fat, and after being fed for ten years, it turned a flower into a bucket-waisted, pockmarked aunt, but there's no doubt that this doesn't prevent Aunt He from still being proud now.

  "Yes, Aunt He is even more beautiful recently. The new daughter-in-law of the Chen family who just got married a few days ago doesn't look as good as you."

  "Oh dear...... You little scamp only now realize that I'm more charming than a flower? Back in the day when I was traveling the world, there were people chasing after me all the way from Fanggu Castle to the Imperial Capital."

  "Aunt He, your words have really hit the spot. Every time I see you, I feel a sense of delight and pleasure. It's like sitting on a lush green lawn in spring, admiring a blooming flower - it's incredibly enjoyable."

  He Taitai's round face suddenly turned red, and she couldn't help but ask with a coquettish tone: "Then tell me, what kind of flower does old mother resemble?"

  After careful consideration, Fang Jie sincerely said: "Trumpet Creeper."

  "Why?"

  He Aunt was taken aback and asked in puzzlement.

  Fang Jie looked at He Shu's ample bosom and round face, then sincerely praised: "The higher it opens, the bigger it gets."

  "It's dawn!"

  A loud, furious shout suddenly exploded in the alleyway, and then someone darted out of the alleyway like a dog that had lost its home, with a speed that was astonishing. Immediately following, a huge wooden basin flew out of the alleyway and crashed to the ground with a loud "bang", smashing into pieces.

  Fang Jie only felt a gust of wind by his ear and thought with satisfaction that it seemed his lightness skill had improved significantly over the past few days.

  Not even thirty steps away, he heard He Shu shouting behind him in a voice that could shake the entire city of Fanggu: "Fang Jue Xiao, I've arranged for you to go on a blind date with the daughter of Old Wu from East City the day after tomorrow. If you dare to be late, I'll smash the signboard of your Golden Yuan Pawnshop!"

  Fang Jie immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around to ask He Shu: "You're going to smash Jin Yuan Fang... don't you want your share of the profits?"

  "What, you tell me whether you're going or not!"

  Before Fang could respond, the doors and windows of the houses on the street began to open one after another. A young girl stood at a window and shouted anxiously: "Fang Jue Xiao, if you dare go on this blind date, I'll jump down!"

  "Fang Jue Xiao, if you dare to look for another woman, I will become a nun right now!"

  "Ah, Fang Jue Xiao! You heartless scoundrel!"

  A woman suddenly flew into a rage and shouted: "Fang Jue! If you dare to wrong my family's daughter, I'll chop off your ancestral line and feed it to the dogs!"

  There are young women who weep and lament, regretting that they married so early.

  Only twenty-six years old, Sun widow had been a widow for five years, leaning against the door frame and cracking melon seeds, said softly: "Xiao Fang Jie, after you get married, you must come back often."

  He didn't dare to linger anymore and took off like a cannonball. As he sprinted past Sun Widow's door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and quickly pinched her full chest: "Every time it's you who doesn't mind the mess, always making me take the blame. If I really ate you, that would be fine, but stealing a glance at you taking a bath once, do you want to take revenge on me for the rest of my life?"

  Pinched it, the hand feels great, Fang Jie couldn't help but pinch it again, and even through the thick cotton clothes, he could accurately find that one raised spot: "This is interest!"

  After getting rid of Fang Jie's hand, she immediately started running again, leaving behind the red-faced Sun widow who had dropped a handful of melon seeds.

  Thinking that this time was actually really being taken advantage of by that little thing, Sun Widow couldn't help but get angry: "Fang Jue Xiao, if you have the ability, come and try to touch me again next time!"

  Fang Jie ran away while turning back and shouting: "I won't be fooled a second time! You look quite puffed up... how many layers of cotton did you pad yourself with?!"

  The widow Sun's face turned red with embarrassment, she covered her face and returned to her room without daring to look back.

  The widow Sun in the room unbuttoned her top, and from her undergarment, she pulled out a large bundle of soft, fluffy cloth, which she casually threw on the ground. The widow Sun muttered to herself with slight anger: "If I didn't pad it thickly, could you have grasped it?"

  Just thinking about it earlier, separated by such a thick object, Fang Jie was able to accurately touch a certain point on her face, and she couldn't help but blush.

  "Damn it... I was actually flirted with by a half-grown kid."

  At this thought, Sun's widow suddenly stood up with a determined look on her face.

  Eating my tofu is not that easy, let me seize the opportunity and drain your tofu brain in one breath! Sun Widow, standing in the house, was like a fighter, with high morale. At this time, those young wives and girls who were watching Fang Jie running away from the window, their eyes were blurred, and some of them couldn't help but look at his back and sigh: "He's so handsome even when he's running..."

  Good grief!

  Someone at the street corner slipped and fell forward with a splat.

  ……

  ……

  Fan Gu is the westernmost border town of Great Sui, this small city with a circumference of only three and a half miles is the most forward outpost of the northwest border of Great Sui. Leaving the city gate and heading west for less than sixty miles, there is a mountain range that is not high or majestic, stretching continuously from south to north, in the words of those border troops in Fan Gu City, that piece of mountain ridge is like countless breasts.

  In fact, this mountain range is called the Wolf's Milk Mountain Range. It is said that in the endless grasslands, the Mongol Empire royal family who ruled over the land were descendants of the gray wolf, and their ancestors were born in these mountains.

  But what makes the people of the Mongol Empire feel sad and helpless is that since the rise of the empire called Great Sui in the southeast, this mountain range has not been completely theirs. Of course, it does not completely belong to Great Sui either.

  One hundred and twenty years ago, after Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty founded the country, the Sui army expanded its territory continuously like a rising sun in the east. In thirty years, they fought hundreds of battles big and small, never losing once.

  Until the army of Great Sui marched west to the Wolf's Milk Mountains, the strongest Mongolian Empire in the West could no longer tolerate this newly emerging country. Four hundred thousand iron knights came out of the grasslands and crossed the Wolf's Milk Mountains to attack the Sui army, but it was really speechless that the so-called invincible grassland elite cavalry did not gain any advantage in the decisive battle with the 120,000 imperial guards of Great Sui.

  Although the Sui army lacked warhorses, their elite infantry formations were as solid and unshakeable as the Yan Mountains in the south. The Mongol-Yuan cavalry suffered 110,000 casualties, while the Sui's elite soldiers lost a full 40,000. The Mongol-Yuan Empire, unwilling to accept defeat, mobilized its heavy troops, with the Khan himself leading 200,000 Golden Horde cavalry to support, just as the founder of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang Jian, personally led his army to arrive at the same time.

  One hundred thousand elite troops of the Sui Dynasty, including the Left and Right Wuwei, Left Xiwu and Left Yuyue, clashed with two hundred thousand Golden Horde cavalrymen of the Mongol Empire. Relying on their dense formations of long spears and giant shields, Yang Jian emerged victorious in three battles, forcing M?ngke to retreat back to the western side of the Wolf's Milk Mountains. This battle was regarded by the Mongolian royal family as a most shameful defeat.

  After that, both sides fought fiercely for six years. The Mongol Empire could not regain its face, and the newly-born Sui Dynasty was powerless to enter the grasslands. In the end, both sides signed an agreement under the Wolf's Milk Mountain, with the Wolf's Milk Mountains as the boundary. West of the Wolf's Milk Mountains belonged to the territory of the Mongol Empire, and east of the Wolf's Milk Mountains belonged to the domain of the Sui Dynasty.

  Then there was Langru Mountain's border town of Fanggu, and on the other side of Langru Mountain, there was a stone city called Niepan.

  It has been nearly a hundred years since this agreement was made, and both sides have maintained peace. However, whether it is the Sui or the Mongols, each successive emperor has thought about truly defeating the other to achieve eternal fame.

  The Great Plains are mainly agricultural and pastoral, lacking various furs, jade, cattle and sheep, especially no war horses to fight deep into the grasslands. The Mongol Empire lacks ironware, salt, brocade, tea leaves and fine wine from the Central Plains, their infantry is too weak, and they have no way to deal with the numerous cities in the Central Plains.

  The Langya Mountain Range's Fanggu Border Army, as well as the Wolf Riders from the other side of Nirvana City, have always thought that one day they would conquer each other's towns and ride on top of their opponent's soldiers' heads to take a good dump. However, three years ago, after the sixth emperor of Great Sui, Yang Yi, met with the 30th Khan of the Mong Yuan Empire, M?nke, Fanggu City gained another identity.

  Market

  Merchants of the Great Sui can transport goods from the grasslands to Fan Gu City, exchanging them for cattle, sheep, hides, and jade stones in the hands of the grassland herders. On the 1st, 8th, 11th, 18th, 21st, and 28th days of each month, the market is open, and to exchange for necessities like salt, tea leaves, and brocade fabrics, the herders line up early outside the city gate, regardless of the cold or heat.

  In the eyes of these herdsmen, the Sui border army in Fan'er Castle was indeed detestable. However, no one dared to make trouble because General Li Xiaozong of the border army was a very just and severe person. Any herdsman who made trouble would be flogged thirty times at best or have his head cut off and hung on a flagpole as an example at worst. Therefore, the herdsmen hated him yet feared him.

  Not only that, if the merchants of Zhongyuan were found to be deceitful and cheating the nomads, or engaging in forced buying and selling, Li Xianzong would punish them severely. The rules were simple, with punishments varying according to the severity of the offense: for lighter offenses, thirty lashes; for more serious ones, beheading and displaying the head on a flagpole as a warning to others. As a result, the nomads both respected and loved him.

  It should be noted that no one who has been flogged thirty times has survived for five days.

  It is also worth noting that the whip used for execution was tied with copper coins, and one whip would make blood and flesh blurred. Therefore, the only difference between flogging thirty times and beheading is that the former can barely drop a complete corpse that still looks like a human being.

  But General Li Xiangzong of the border army also said that bullying the grassland people is nothing, but breaking the rules of Fan City is not allowed. If those grassland people are forced to dare not come, tens of millions of silver coins will be gone every year, which is absolutely unbearable.

  ……

  ……

  February 8th is the day when the trading market opens. The herdsmen honestly paid the entrance tax at the city gate and then rushed to the market to exchange what they needed. By noon, Fan Gucheng began to become more lively. Herdsmen with spare money and Central Plains merchants who made money would flood into wine houses, brothels, and casinos to revel in luxury. So every time it's a market day, the prostitutes hate it when their bodies are inconvenient at this time, earning less silver from the customers' pockets.

  The herdsmen highly praised the brocade and tea of the Central Plains, but what they admired even more were the fair skin and beauty of the women of the Central Plains. Although the grassland women were not lacking in beauties either, most of them had to herd sheep under the scorching sun and strong winds, so their skin was very dark, and their waists were thick like a bucket. Compared with those women in the brothel who lightly applied powder and rouge, they were simply worlds apart.

  These herdsmen are generous, and they basically won't leave Fanggu City with any spare money. They only need to take away the goods, which is enough for them. The five-cash coins of the Great Sui Dynasty have no meaning to them at all. So Lou Zi's daughter actually likes the grassland herdsmen more, while those merchants from the Central Plains are stingy and miserly.

  In fact, many herdsmen come to Fanggu Castle mainly not for exchanging goods, but for entertainment and seeking stimulation in the three buildings of Fanggu.

  The so-called third floor is the guest-winning residence, red sleeves invite, Jin Yuan Fang.

  A wine house, a brothel, a gambling den.