Chapter 1038: I Want It All

“What method?” Sang Hong eagerly asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” Zu’an said gravely, “I need to go out for a bit.”

“Alright, I’ll stay here and hold the fort, to prevent anyone from the Yunzhong officialdom from discovering what happened to Zuo Su again.” Sang Hong snorted, “I’d like to see who rushes here the moment Zuo Su dies.”

Although an order had just been given that no one with knowledge of the situation could leave the manor, it clearly didn’t apply to Zu’an.

“Thank you for your trouble, Uncle.” Zu’an cupped his hands and quietly left through the back door.

As usual, he shook off his pursuers and arrived at the Prefect’s Mansion, which was exceptionally chaotic without a leader. Fortunately, the Assistant Prefect, Xu Yu, was there to manage the overall situation, which barely kept Yunzhong Commandery functioning normally.

Seeing Zu’an arrive for a visit, he hurried out to greet him, then subtly inquired about the progress of the investigation regarding Zuo Su. Zu’an, of course, couldn’t tell him the truth, so he casually brushed him off with a few remarks before stating his purpose.

“The Duke’s audio-visual materials? Yes, we do have them. The Duke recorded them with an audio-visual stone when he presided over the Heaven Worship Ceremony years ago. They are archived in the yamen. But what do you need them for?” Xu Yu felt a little strange.

Hearing the answer, Zu’an secretly breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a smile, “Minister Sang needs them. I’m not sure what for exactly.”

“Could it be related to Minister Zuo’s case?” Xu Yu still didn’t give up and continued to probe indirectly.

Zu’an chuckled, “Minister Xu, you’re overthinking it. It’s just for investigating the Duke’s disappearance.”

“Oh.” Xu Yu nodded, but his heart was in turmoil. The other party seemed rather unconcerned about Minister Zuo’s case. At a time like this, did he still have the energy to investigate the Duke’s disappearance? Or perhaps, Minister Zuo’s case already had a conclusion?

Officials are best at reading body language and tend to overthink things. Seeing Zu’an’s mysterious demeanor, Xu Yu had already imagined many possibilities, each one making him tremble with fear. Fortunately, the yamen runner who went to retrieve the audio-visual stone returned. Xu Yu composed himself and handed the stone to Zu’an, saying, “Although this item isn’t a rare treasure, it’s the only one left since the Duke’s disappearance. Please inform Minister Sang to keep it safe and return it for archiving after use.”

Zu’an took it and examined it. It indeed contained the image of the Yunzhong Duke, and he was overjoyed. “Rest assured, Minister Xu, I will return it perfectly intact after use.”

“Return it perfectly intact?” Xu Yu was a little puzzled. He had never heard that phrase before, but he roughly guessed its meaning. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

After leaving Xu Yu, Zu’an specifically made a detour to see Gao Ying, worried that he might not be able to control the proud and fierce soldiers. He found that Gao Ying was actually doing quite well.

Gao Ying chuckled happily, “Thanks to Minister Xu’s help, he’s come to support me several times these past few days, which has allowed me to firmly establish myself as the county lieutenant.”

“Of course, I also owe it to your Yulin Guards. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to rally anyone by myself.”

“You’re too kind. These are just external factors. Ultimately, it’s your personal ability that allows you to secure this position.” Zu’an thought to himself, 'No wonder Xu Yu could befriend Xiao Yao; he must be a rare and staunch supporter of the imperial court in Yunzhong Commandery.'

The two chatted for a while longer. Gao Ying asked about the situation at the manor, but Zu’an, fearing a leak of information, didn’t tell him, saying, “You focus on controlling the commandery troops here. Leave the manor to us. Who knows, we might need your soldiers later!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll win them over completely as soon as possible,” Gao Ying said earnestly.

Zu’an nodded. After bidding him farewell, he walked along the street, pondering his next steps. Now that he had the Yunzhong Duke’s image, he could privately practice imitating it until it was ingrained in his memory. This way, if absolutely necessary in the future, he could impersonate the Duke to break the deadlock.

Just then, he suddenly smelled a fragrance. He looked up and saw a bustling restaurant not far away, with “Guìyuèlóu” written in elegant, flowing script on the signboard above the entrance. Zu’an’s heart stirred. He suddenly recalled information from Xiao Jianren, which mentioned that before visiting the Pei residence daily, the Prince of Qi’s heir often went to places like Guiyuelou to buy gifts for Pei Mianman. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but what if he was using gift-buying as an excuse and was actually here to meet someone?

So he walked straight in. A waiter quickly came forward, and seeing Zu’an’s imposing demeanor and excellent clothes, his eyes lit up. “What would you like to eat, sir? Our Guiyuelou is the most famous restaurant in Yunzhong Commandery. We can make anything you can imagine, from all corners of the land.”

“That impressive? Then I must have a good taste.” He hadn’t eaten all morning, so he might as well settle his meal here.

Soon, the waiter led him upstairs. Zu’an chose a private room with a window overlooking the entire floor. After ordering a few signature dishes, he quietly observed the people coming and going while sipping the local specialty, honey black tea. Unfortunately, after a long time, he didn't see anyone suspicious. When the waiter came to serve the dishes, he casually asked, “Waiter, I see this place is quite good. I’d like to buy your Guiyuelou. How much silver would that cost?”

The waiter was startled. “You’re joking, young master. How could Guiyuelou, with such good business, possibly be for sale?”

“Not necessarily. Often, things aren’t for sale because the price isn’t right,” Zu’an chuckled, tossing a silver ingot to him. “Who’s your boss here? If I want to buy it, who should I talk to?”

The waiter hadn’t expected such a large tip. He was delighted and surprised as he tucked it into his pocket, his face full of eager smiles. “Young master is truly generous! I’ll tell you a secret: it’s useless even if you go to our boss. He can’t make decisions about this.”

“Oh, why not?” Zu’an’s heart stirred. It seemed the money he spent today was worth it.

“Please don’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you, young master,” the waiter looked around, and seeing no one else, he leaned in and whispered to Zu’an, “The manager downstairs is just the nominal owner of Guiyuelou. The real decision-makers are at the Flying Horse Merchant Association.”

“Flying Horse Merchant Association?” Zu’an was startled. The Zhenyuan Merchant Association had been involved in Shen Zhou’s previous case, and he had learned about the Flying Horse Merchant Association while investigating related information at that time. The Flying Horse Merchant Association was a guild on par with the Zhenyuan Merchant Association, and they competed fiercely everywhere. However, the Zhenyuan Merchant Association had a longer history and was somewhat larger. The Flying Horse Merchant Association, on the other hand, was an emerging force, but its recent momentum was strong, seemingly poised to replace the Zhenyuan Merchant Association.

Zu’an suddenly exclaimed, “How do you know such confidential information?”

The waiter puffed out his chest, “Because the manager is the youngest son of my grandfather’s second aunt’s niece’s great-uncle’s nephew.”

Zu’an: "..."

He thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out their exact relationship; it was clearly one of those distant, convoluted family ties.

“It seems you have a bright future in this establishment, young man.”

“You flatter me, young master.”

After gathering information at Guiyuelou, Zu’an headed to the next location.

Before long, another sweet, cloying fragrance wafted through the air. Unlike the food aroma of Guiyuelou, this was the scent of cosmetics.

“Rouge & Bloom!”

A few elegant characters were carved onto the signboard. It was one of the shops the Prince of Qi’s heir frequently visited before going to the Pei residence. Various ladies and young women went in and out, discussing the newly arrived rouges and different shades of lipstick.

When Zu’an entered the shop, it felt like he had stepped into a land of women. Compared to Jade Pavilion, the women here were dressed much more conservatively. Seeing a man enter, the ladies and young women all frowned, wondering where this lecher had come from. However, after looking up and getting a clear view of Zu’an’s appearance, they were all stunned, and a slight blush appeared on each of their faces. Their intended scolding turned into shy smiles, and they whispered among themselves, “Whose young master is that? He’s so handsome.”

“Judging by his appearance, he’s probably buying rouge for his wife.”

“Oh, what a shame! To make her own husband buy rouge for her, such a woman must be too lazy.”

“Should we go talk to him? It’s been so long since I’ve seen someone so handsome.”

“Are you crazy? If your husband finds out, won’t he beat you black and blue?”

“If he used *that* to hit me, I’d be overjoyed!”

Although their voices were very soft, Zu’an’s keen hearing and sharp eyes meant that not even a rustle in the wind could escape him. Hearing their chatter, he couldn’t help but sweat profusely. He knew Yunzhong Commandery had an open culture, but this was perhaps a bit *too* open. No wonder the married women were the most adept at telling dirty jokes in his previous life’s office. It seemed every world was pretty much the same.

He cleared his throat and quickly found the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, though somewhat surprised to see a man buying cosmetics, had encountered it before.

“What would you like to buy, young master?”

“Just, you know, all those things women use for makeup.”

“Oh, there’s a lot! We have cleansers, moisturizers, skincare essences, primers, color-correcting foundations, concealers, contouring powders, setting sprays, and…”

Zu’an was utterly confused. He was completely lost amidst the jargon, not knowing one from the other. He simply said, “I’ll take everything!”

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. “Which specific types and shades would you like? We have…”

Zu’an interrupted him directly. He naturally didn’t have time to choose carefully. “Give me one of each of the most expensive ones... er, make that ten of each.” He needed to talk business and extract information, so it was natural to display some wealth. Otherwise, if he just walked in and said he wanted to buy the store, they wouldn’t take him seriously. As for the items themselves, they would be useful anyway. With so many female confidantes, he would at least have gifts to give them in the future.

The ladies and young women around them gasped in astonishment, casting strange glances from time to time:

“What a scoundrel! He’s buying so much.”

“What do you know? This is called having great charm. For a young, wealthy young master like him, is it strange to have ten concubines in his mansion?”

“Exactly! Look at the rich and powerful in the city; which one doesn’t have a hundred or so concubines at home? This young master only has ten, he’s practically devoted!”

“And everyone gets a gift! He’s so good to all his women. It’s truly enviable.”

“Oh, it’s a pity I’m already married. Otherwise, I’d want to offer myself to him.”

“You could always try, what if he prefers married women?”

Zu’an’s face darkened with exasperation. Just then, the shopkeeper placed the various cosmetics into exquisite boxes and handed them over. “Young master, these are your items. May I know your address? We can arrange for delivery.”

Just as Zu’an was about to reply, a familiar voice came from nearby. “Tsk tsk, you really are quite the playboy.”