Chapter 875: The Splendor of Two Fair Ones

North of Shenzhou City, Yongchun Street, Jixiang Restaurant.

Yang Hongbin said: “Duan Chunjiang has no family in Shenzhou City—that means this woman is his mistress.”

He’s a single man, a wealthy merchant—such urban amorous tales aren’t unusual.”

But this woman lives alone; if she’s unattached, why does Duan Chunjiang meet her so furtively?”

Have you checked whether this woman is married, or if her husband is away long-term due to business or other reasons?”

Zhou Tai said: “I also found Duan Chunjiang’s behavior suspicious, so I consulted a property agent about the woman’s residence.”

The deed is solely in her name; she’s still an unmarried maiden, and the house is far from cheap.”

She stays home daily, leaving only to order clothes from a tailor or buy rouge and powder—she rarely steps out.”

Clearly, she doesn’t need to earn a living, and she keeps maidservants—by common sense, she couldn’t afford such a house.”

Yang Hongbin’s gaze brightened slightly: “If so, this matter grows strange.”

If this woman is unmarried and unattached, and she’s beautiful, why would Duan Chunjiang consort with her so secretly?”

In the streets, a solitary beauty like her draws many suitors.”

Duan Chunjiang has no wife—what’s he afraid of? He should court her openly, and that would deter others.”

His furtive behavior, as if terrified of being discovered, makes no sense—what is he hiding from?”

…

Zhou Tai suddenly thought of something: “Since this woman is attractive and owns property, she should easily find a husband.”

Yet she refuses to marry, content to dally with Duan Chunjiang—she’s no respectable woman.”

If she can entangle Duan Chunjiang, couldn’t she entangle others too?”

Perhaps she has another lover—and Duan Chunjiang knows it, which is why he’s so discreet, afraid the man will find out.”

My lord, but that still makes no sense—what normal man would tolerate his woman bedding another? It’s outrageous!”

Yang Hongbin couldn’t help laughing: “Zhou Tai, your mind is quick, your ideas bold, your reasoning thorough—you were born for this work.”

You’ve hit the nail on the head: a normal man can’t tolerate this.”

But Duan Chunjiang endures it silently, deliberately concealing it—unless this affair grants him immense benefit!”

You’ve watched him for days and found no flaw—he’s either not the spy, or he’s extremely calculating.”

If he is the spy, he’s cautious by nature and won’t act rashly.”

He might not act at all himself, but use intermediaries.”

Zhou Tai suddenly understood: “Like through Chen Ruichang or Xue Pan—or even this strange lone woman.”

Yang Hongbin’s smile turned cold: “This woman is suspicious. Increase surveillance—watch her residence day and night, see who else she meets.”

Zhou Tai said: “My lord, this woman may know the truth. The court is closely monitoring the military grain leak case, and war is imminent.”

If we follow procedure strictly, progress will be slow. Why not secretly arrest her?”

She’s a frail woman—once inside the Dalisi ’s interrogation chamber, even without torture, I have many ways to make her talk!”

…

Yang Hongbin’s expression turned serious: “I know your method works, but the Dalisi is one of the Three Judicial Offices.”

It’s not the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Investigative Court—we must act with restraint.”

Besides, we’re not at that point yet—we’ve only speculated, with no concrete evidence.”

If this woman has nothing to do with it, and she’s merely Duan Chunjiang’s casual fling, her sudden disappearance will alert him.”

If Duan Chunjiang is the spy, and he must smuggle secrets out of Shenzhou City, he must have other accomplices—even implicating many others.”

If he senses danger, they’ll scatter like birds and beasts—once even a few escape, they’ll plant roots of trouble in Shenzhou City.”

In such a vast imperial capital, hiding a few people is nearly impossible to trace.”

If we don’t root out these Mongol spies lurking in Shenzhou City, the consequences will be endless—we’ll have wasted all our efforts.”

First, station men to watch her closely. Once you find new evidence confirming her involvement, act accordingly.”

…

Zhou Tai bowed respectfully: “My lord, your foresight is profound—I was rash.”

Yang Hongbin smiled: “You’ve been very capable. Is Duan Chunjiang at his shop?”

Zhou Tai said: “Half an hour ago, he left the shop. Our men reported he went north to negotiate grain deals—nothing suspicious.”

Now only a few clerks remain at the shop—I’ve checked them all; they’re all locals from Shenzhou City, no red flags.”

Yang Hongbin said: “Good. I’ll visit his shop—see if I can find anything.”

Zhou Tai understood: his superior was meticulous—Duan Chunjiang had shown no flaw, and the Director didn’t want him to see his face.”

Senior Dalisi officials, seasoned in interrogations and judgments, carry an aura unlike ordinary men—before a sharp, suspicious man, they might draw suspicion.”

…

North of Shenzhou City, Yongchun Street, Duan Family Grain Shop.

The crowd waiting to buy grain shuffled forward slowly; clerks weighed and collected silver with swift hands, completing each transaction in moments.”

Yet the crowd remained impatient, often shoving and quarreling; clerks shouted sharply to silence them.”

With war looming, grain prices soared, supply couldn’t meet demand—grain was king, and they feared no lack of buyers.”

The grain clerks were haughty—even when customers came, they showed indifference.”

Buyers’ spirits sank; though they grumbled and jostled among themselves, they dared not argue fiercely with clerks—only desperate to buy and hoard grain.”

Several clerks were swamped with work when two men suddenly cut through the queue and stepped into the shop.”

One clerk stepped forward, impatiently shouting: “Wait in line outside—who let you in?!”

But when he saw their attire and bearing, the curse died on his lips.”

The two men looked distinguished: the leader stood tall, dressed in refined, noble garments, calm and composed—clearly a man of status.”

The other wore plain clothes, his expression deferential—obviously the first man’s attendant.”

Any seasoned shop clerk, accustomed to dealing with customers, could read people’s demeanor.”

These two were no ordinary folk—they were men of great influence; the clerk dared not speak rudely.”

He instantly switched to a smiling bow: “Sir, may I ask your purpose here? Our shop has ample grain—anything you need, just say the word.”

…

Yang Hongbin said slowly: “Do you have any premium Yanzhi rice or Big Green Rice?”

The clerk’s heart jolted—he’d been right; these men were truly important—they asked for top-grade rice.”

He bowed apologetically: “Sir, you’re truly a nobleman—but Yanzhi rice is exceedingly rare; we get almost none each year. We simply don’t have any.”

But we do have plenty of premium Big Green Rice—fresh from Yutian County in Beizhili, the finest available. You’ll be satisfied.”

Yang Hongbin said calmly: “Bring me a sample. If it meets my standard, I’ll buy.”

The clerk saw Yang Hongbin barely glanced at him, his demeanor slightly haughty—his certainty deepened: this was a genuine big buyer.”

He hurriedly said: “Honored guest, please wait. Big Green Rice is premium—ordinary households can’t afford it, so we don’t display it. I’ll fetch a sample immediately.”

Before heading to the warehouse, the clerk even brewed tea for them. Yang Hongbin paid no mind, merely strolling through the shop, idly handling the sample grains on the shelves.”

He appeared to wander casually, but when he reached the counter, he noticed the abacus, ledgers, and teapot.”

Suddenly, he caught a faint, foul odor—not overpowering, but unmistakable.”

He saw a small dish beside the abacus, filled with dark red, dried food—likely beef or mutton intestines, emitting a faint, pungent stench.”

Yang Hongbin frowned slightly—he couldn’t identify the dish, but found it odd. His fingers tapped twice unconsciously on the counter…”

…

The clerk’s voice came from behind: “Honored guest, here is your sample of Big Green Rice—please inspect it.”

Yang Hongbin turned and walked over. The clerk held a round dish filled with pale green Big Green Rice—its quality looked excellent.”

He reached out, pinched a handful of grains, rolled them in his palm, lifted them to his nose to inhale their fragrance—his posture and manner betrayed a true connoisseur.”

He said: “Your Big Green Rice is indeed top-grade. I’ll take twenty dan—I’ll pay cash on the spot.”

The clerk’s expression turned shocked: “Honored guest, we only have eight dan of Big Green Rice—we simply don’t have twenty dan.”

Yang Hongbin said: “I want to buy it all at once—I won’t bother going elsewhere. If you don’t have it, I’ll find another seller.”

The clerk, seeing his sale slip away, hurriedly said: “Honored guest, we only have eight dan of Big Green Rice.”

But no one else has much more. I see you’re a man of means—our manager has connections in Yutian County. Could you wait two days? He’ll secure another twelve dan for you—guaranteed you won’t leave empty-handed.”

Give me two more days, and the shopkeeper will surely arrange another twelve dan for you, guaranteeing you won’t leave empty-handed.