Today’s inspection was attended not only by the Hong family but also by the leading merchants of the prefectural chamber of commerce. Within the chamber, the three dominant families were the Hong, the Ling, and the Bai. The organization of the grand market was decided by election among the member firms. This year it was the Hong family’s turn to take the lead.
The Hong family sent Hong Chu to represent them. The other families also dispatched younger members—most of them youthful and inexperienced.
Li Feng followed Hong Fifth Master, first going to the Hong ancestral residence to escort their party. They rode on horseback the whole way. Upon reaching the streets outside the market district, they dismounted and proceeded on foot. Today there was only Li Feng as guard, accompanied by six clerks.
The Hong family’s eldest young master was named Hong Chu, about twenty years of age. He wore silk and satin, gold and jade ornaments, and a jade band across his forehead. The other merchants looked at him with faint disdain.
He was a ge’er.
The inspection itself was simple: walk through each area, identify hidden dangers, and note anything not properly arranged.
Each family split up to examine different sections. At the end they regrouped, shared opinions, discussed improvements, and unified their plans so that all issues would be resolved before the market opened.
Hong Fifth walked slightly to the side, guiding and explaining things to Hong Chu.
“All participating firms have been confirmed. Large and small businesses together number one hundred seventy-two. There are sixty-six stalls. The grand market lasts three days. Each stall’s rental hours have been finalized. No one may exceed three hours, and none may be less than one hour. Smaller firms may share stalls. Everything has been arranged.”
The stalls were all set up outside. For fairness—and to prevent congestion of people and goods entering the grounds—each had been furnished with low tables. As they walked along, Hong family clerks surrounded the tables, shaking and pressing them to test their sturdiness.
Hong Fifth then gestured upward at the shade cloths overhead. “This year our family is hosting the market. The cloth is provided by us. According to past custom, when the market closes, these fabrics will be gifted to the merchants who purchase the most goods. In previous years coarse cloth was used, and the merchants complained quite a bit. After accounting with the shop managers, we chose plain silk gauze this time. The eight main streets use silk gauze; the twelve side lanes use homespun cloth. The cost is over six hundred taels more than last year.”
Hong Chu looked up, but from the street it was difficult to see clearly into the second floors of the storefronts.
“Is it too dense?” he asked.
Hong Fifth glanced at Li Feng. Li Feng studied the sky and nodded. “It is indeed too dense. But if we cannot see them, they cannot see us either.”
To carry out a precise assassination, one would need to deliberately damage the fabric to let in light—or descend to ground level.
“No need to worry about the sky,” Li Feng said.
Hong Chu turned to him. “If you were to kill me, how would you do it?”
Li Feng was a hunter; he thought like one.
He surveyed the surroundings and said, “One could set an ambush along your necessary route, though that risks harming bystanders. Or one could wait quietly in a place you must visit and linger in, waiting for the right moment. The best ambush would be after the market ends. You and your attendants would be relaxed by then. Fewer people would remain, and the cloth overhead would have been taken down. Whether shooting from above, striking with a blade below, or adding something to the celebratory wine—those would all be ideal moments. If planned thoroughly, they could even retreat unscathed. If they were bold enough to attack at your own gate, that would be even harder to guard against. The instant you step down from your carriage, everyone’s vigilance disappears.”
Hong Fifth cast him a look. “Brother Li, what did you used to do?”
“I was a hunter,” Li Feng replied. “I spent my days figuring out how to hunt. Small animals in the mountains are not worth much. To take down large beasts and live to enjoy the profit, you need more than strength—you need brains.”
Hong Fifth frowned and scolded him. “Who allowed you to compare my young master to a beast?”
Hong Chu tapped his folded fan lightly against his palm. “Fifth Uncle, he is not wrong. At the moment, I am a prize worth a thousand pieces of gold—a fine quarry.”
He seemed particularly interested in the idea of an attack at his gate and asked Li Feng for specifics.
After thinking a moment, Li Feng said, “If someone acts there, it will be an acquaintance. They strike, run a short distance, and are home. Blend into the crowd and you cannot find them.”
“Is that something you learned from hunting as well?” Hong Chu asked.
“In the mountains,” Li Feng explained, “we strive to merge with the forest so that insects, snakes, and beasts accept us as part of it. Hunting in the city is the same. You merge with the surroundings. Others see you, yet treat you as if you are invisible. That is true success.”
Hong Fifth quietly moved closer. Previously he and Li Feng had walked on either side of Hong Chu. Now he positioned himself squarely between them.
Li Feng laughed. “Manager Hong, that is unnecessary. I am not tired of living.”
Hong Fifth cupped his hands toward him. “Brother Li, you are a good man. We have known each other over a year. I will not speak in falsehoods. I fear someone might offer double the price and buy you over. Let us walk like this.”
Li Feng: “……”
There was no need to be quite so blunt.
Hong Chu opened his fan to conceal a smile. “Fifth Uncle, what price did you pay to hire this Boss Li as my guard?”
Hong Fifth rubbed his nose, somewhat embarrassed. “Fifty taels for three days.”
Hong Chu asked Li Feng, “Will your firm participate in the grand market?”
Li Feng shook his head. With talk of assassination in the air, Lu Yang had decided they would not attend. The market was held once every three months; the next would be in the ninth month. There was no urgency.
Hong Chu nodded and told Hong Fifth to explain the market’s business in detail.
Hong Fifth turned to Li Feng. “You have seen the business at the docks, so I need not elaborate. At the docks, profits pour in daily. But when the grand market opens, profits pour in by the hundred thousand per day. This market is established by the prefectural office and hosted by the chamber of commerce. In addition to private merchants, imperial suppliers come to purchase goods. For example, tea: at the docks, itinerant traders buy tea bricks starting at one thousand pieces. At the grand market, merchants purchase starting at one thousand crates, each crate containing thirty tea bricks. Or take homespun cloth: at the docks, shipments are five hundred or one thousand bolts. At the grand market, they are three or five thousand bolts at a time.
“All participating firms are vetted by the chamber. Goods are inspected in advance. Prices must be lower than outside rates, and merchants must offer rebates to buyers. Established firms may deduct rebates directly from the price of goods rather than paying silver. The next time the buyer returns, they pay less. In this way, partnerships last for years and everyone earns handsomely. New firms must pay rebates in silver, but you can find ways to retain clients and secure the next deal. Boss Li, here you can earn a year’s income in a single day. The number of clients you gather in one day surpasses half a year at the docks.”
Li Feng was tempted, but said he would need to return and discuss it.
Hong Fifth looked to Hong Chu and explained, “Boss Li’s firm is a partnership. His spouse is a ge’er, very skilled in business.”
He briefly recounted Lu Yang’s accomplishments at the docks—beyond decorating stalls and storefronts, there were methods for attracting and retaining customers.
When Hong Chu heard that Lu Yang was a ge’er, his eyes brightened.
“My Fifth Uncle is stingy,” he said. “My life is worth much. The market lasts three days. I will grant you half a day at a main-street stall. How much you earn depends entirely on your ability.”
Though called “Fifth Uncle,” Hong Fifth looked almost alarmed, hastily assuring him he would make the arrangements.
Li Feng still insisted he must consult at home. During the market he would be occupied as a guard and have no time to sell goods, nor was he as skilled at it as Lu Yang. It would depend on whether Lu Yang wished to come.
After touring the eight main streets, they moved into the side lanes.
There, they spoke little. Li Feng examined the height of the walls and asked Hong Fifth, “When the market opens, will the young master walk this route?”
Hong Fifth shook his head. “Unless something serious occurs, there is no need.”
Li Feng looked again at the fabric overhead. For a wealthy family like the Hongs, a little extra expense was nothing.
“Place nails along the tops of the walls,” he said. “At that height, legitimate businessmen will not climb. Anyone who does will tear their hands.”
A small trap—to see if any fool would take the bait.
Hong Fifth agreed.
These were minor matters.
Hong Chu was curious about something else. “How did you learn to apply mountain ways to the city?”
Li Feng paused in recollection and answered honestly.
When they first arrived in the prefectural city, he and his brothers were ill at ease, uncertain of the future. At that time, Lu Yang had told them that living in the city was no different from living in the mountains.
The rules were the same.
