Chapter 1049

Just after eating breakfast, snowflakes began to drift down outside.

Pan Yun stood at the door, gazing upward for a long while; when the two veteran soldiers grew uneasy, she turned back and said, "Let's go buy a house."

Zhao Shizhu blinked: "A house?"

Pan Yun nodded: "A house. Whether or not you stay here, this place must be guarded by our Great Ming scouts. If people are to remain, they must have a place to settle."

Zhao Shizhu froze, swallowed hard, and asked: "Does the National Teacher mean we can return to our homeland?"

"Why not?" Pan Yun's gaze swept over their streaked white hair. "At your age, even in the military, you should be returning home to spend your final years in peace."

Zhao Shizhu smiled bitterly: "Even in times of peace, our bodies are too worn to return—how much less now, with the Oirats constantly clashing among themselves and frequently skirmishing with our Great Ming? It's likely…"

Pan Yun: "As long as you wish to return, I will safely escort you back. But first, buy a house—prepare everything in advance."

She came without followers, intending to use the personnel cultivated by Zhao Shizhu and the others, since outsiders always draw attention, while those already living here inspire greater trust.

But seeing Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning, Pan Yun softened.

They had devoted their entire lives to their country—how could she possibly prevent them from returning home?

Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning immediately pulled on their worn fur coats, shut the wooden door, and led them to the local government office.

Zhao Shizhu walked closely behind Pan Yun, whispering: "National Teacher, how large a house do you wish to buy?"

Pan Yun: "It must be large. New arrivals will come under the guise of a caravan. You can rent or resell the house to them—they can also train additional personnel here."

Zhao Shizhu: "The Oirats and Tatars are proud; the Golden Mongols are even more arrogant. If they learn we serve Great Ming, they'll immediately report us."

Pan Yun: "Who said we'd tell them? The caravan trains its own enforcers and builds its own influence—they provide the gold, the personnel provide the labor. The gathered intelligence must be processed to be useful; only our Great Ming scouts handle the processing and signaling. Everyone else are auxiliary personnel—no need to know too much."

This was also a method used by the military to gather intelligence; most of the personnel Zhao Shizhu and the others cultivated here fell into this category.

Seeing that Pan Yun understood the rules, not just making arbitrary demands, Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning exhaled in relief, then curiously asked: "What is 'signaling'?"

"I'll explain later. This city doesn't seem large—there aren't many vacant houses, are there? Can we find a suitable one?"

Zhao Shizhu: "Six months ago, we'd have struggled to find a house meeting your requirements. But now, we can."

Pan Yun: "Why?"

"After Esen became Khan, he executed a group of people. Some here rebelled and were killed twice over. The steppe people slaughter entire families—anyone taller than a cartwheel is killed; those shorter are taken as slaves into the army. So many houses have been left vacant. If you look carefully, you can still find a few—though…"

Pan Yun said generously: "Money isn't an issue."

"Here, it's different from our homeland. They recognize gold bars, but prefer gold cakes—gold cakes hold higher value."

Pan Yun: "No taste at all. Gold bars are so solid. Gold cakes… fine, I'll manage. First, let's see the houses. Tonight, I'll refine them."

She had no gold cakes, but she could melt gold bars and mold them into cakes—it wasn't difficult for her.

Zhao Shizhu sighed: "If only we had silk and cloth. Great Ming silk is extremely popular here—it can serve as hard currency, even more sought-after than gold cakes."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "That… isn't impossible."

Zhao Shizhu blinked, glanced at Hu Ning, remembered the endless items they'd pulled out yesterday and this morning, suppressed his urge to ask, and fell silent.

The cold winter meant the government office had tightly shut windows and doors; they had to knock and wait outside for a long while before being admitted.

Inside, a hearth burned warmly.

The architecture here differed greatly from Great Ming's—it was built in multi-story stone-and-mud structures, with small rooms and tiny windows, effectively blocking wind and cold.

But their windows were distinctive: the office's windows were made of colored stained glass, forming intricate patterns; light filtering through the glass cast dreamlike, dizzying hues into the room.

Pan Yun had seen such craftsmanship often in her past life, but Seeing Miao Zhen and the others were seeing it for the first time—all three stared intently, astonished.

Zhao Shizhu, as representative, spoke with the official and soon returned with a plump, fur-clad official—deep-set eyes, high nose, yet black hair like theirs, resembling someone from Hami Garrison.

Pan Yun knew this region belonged to Central Asia—a disputed area in later times, sometimes classified as Asia, sometimes as Europe; this stretch and the lands westward lay on the Eurasian border.

But Pan Yun felt they were clearly Asian—if they tried to claim Europe, Europe wouldn't accept them.

The plump official had no concept of Eurasia; even if he did, what he yearned for was Great Ming.

Throughout their journey, he had gone out of his way to speak directly to Zhao Shizhu and Pan Yun, overflowing with warmth.

He adored Great Ming. In his view, the Oirats should never have fought Great Ming—they were already part of Great Ming. Great Ming never taxed them, allowed them autonomy, and required only annual tribute to grant them the honor of being Great Ming subjects. How glorious!

The official—oh, his name was Aodeng—was a noble; only nobles could hold office here.

He told Pan Yun that the people here had no interest in fighting Great Ming—they longed to trade with Great Ming.

"If I could just visit Great Ming, see its splendor and might, I'd die content," Aodeng sighed longingly. "Noble Young Lady, do you know? The demon Timur conquered the Chagatai Khanate, defeated the Ottoman Empire, swept through the Golden Horde, and captured Damascus—but he still had to submit to Great Ming and pay tribute."

Pan Yun felt immense pride—let alone Zhao Shizhu and the others beside her.

Zhao Shizhu whispered: "Since arriving here, we've managed to establish ourselves quickly only by leveraging Great Ming's prestige. Alas, we are old, and over the past decade, the border defenses have decayed—so…"

Aodeng smiled warmly, shifting from ancient history to the present: "I heard the Great Ming Emperor died on the battlefield—is that true?"

Meeting the official's humble yet subtly arrogant and condescending gaze, Pan Yun nodded: "True. The late Emperor personally led troops to halt the Oirats' southern advance and died heroically on the battlefield. The new Emperor is his younger brother, only one year younger, wiser and braver. Upon ascending the throne, he swore to avenge his brother. Sir, since you sincerely revere Great Ming, I'll give you a favor: Esen is a usurper—he murdered his own Khan and the sovereign of the suzerain state. Heaven and Great Ming will surely punish him. Prepare yourself."

Aodeng stared, stunned. After a moment, he forced a stiff smile: "I won't go to battle—I'm far from Great Ming's border. What preparation do I need?"

Pan Yun smiled, her tone laden with meaning: "Great Ming has an ancient saying: 'Those who defy Huaxia, however distant, shall surely be destroyed!' You, too, are a subject of Great Ming. From your words, I sense you acknowledge our Emperor. Rest assured—Esen is cruel and unjust; the Emperor will surely act on your behalf."

Aodeng fell silent.

Zhao Shizhu beside him also fell silent.

Only after viewing the houses did Zhao Shizhu say: "National Teacher, that Aodeng isn't ordinary." Pan Yun: "Oh?"

Zhao Shizhu: "That place you called the government office—it was once the royal palace. Here, the government and palace are combined: the front and lower floors are for administration; the back and upper floors are where the king and queen live."

Pan Yun: "What king?"

"It was built by a prince of the former Yuan dynasty, then seized by the Golden Horde. Soon after, the Golden Horde fell. When the Timurid Empire rose, it was granted to one of Timur's sons. Then Timur died en route, chaos erupted here—sometimes a king moves in today, another tomorrow. I've lost track of who ruled which palace—it changed so often we just stopped calling it a palace and named it the government office."

Pan Yun whistled: "That's chaotic indeed."

Zhao Shizhu: "So what you said to him just now…"

"Just scared him a bit. Who can't bluff?"

Zhao Shizhu stared: "Is that… bluffing?"

"Yes. But if you work hard enough, become powerful enough, and make it real—then the Daoist isn't bluffing. She foresaw it."

Zhao Shizhu remained silent.

Hu Ning changed the subject and asked, "What do you think of the few houses we just saw, State Tutor?"

"The third one. It's large enough, faces the street, convenient for transport, and best of all—the rear of the building is close to the city wall; we can do many things there."

Zhao Shizhu's eyebrows twitched.

Hu Ning also thought the third house was best: "It's not as luxurious as the first or second, but easier to hide in, less conspicuous."

Pan Yun nodded: "I checked the rooms—squeeze everyone in, front and back, and we can fit a hundred people. Normally you can live more comfortably, but two people in such a big house is still dangerous. Do any of the people you trained before still work for you?"

Zhao Shizhu hurriedly said, "Yes. These past few years, thanks to their covert care, we two old men would've died in the cold long ago. Back then we had no money and couldn't contact the imperial court, so we dared not get too close to them, lest we drag them down. But now that the State Tutor has come, we must recall everyone we can."

Pan Yun nodded: "They don't need to know your identities, nor that you serve the Great Ming—but they must be trustworthy. I have something important to give you later, and when others arrive to take over, they'll also be responsible for this important item."

Zhao Shizhu agreed.

That night, back home, Pan Yun and the others pulled out more than a dozen bolts of silk.

Zhao Shizhu didn't ask where they'd gotten them or where they'd hidden them; he directly picked out eight bolts with bright colors and said, "These eight bolts are enough to buy that house."

Miao and Zhang gaped: "This… these houses are this cheap?"

Zhao Shizhu chuckled: "It's not that houses here are cheap—it's that silk here is expensive. Especially since the war with the Great Ming three years ago, goods from the Great Ming have become scarcer and more valuable."

Hu Ning added softly: "Otherwise, do you think why Aodeng has been so flattering toward you? He wants to do business with you—he wants your trade routes."

Who else would dare come to Tie Liang Gutai at this time—and arrive safely? How powerful must your caravan be?

If Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning hadn't lived with them and witnessed the four's miraculous abilities, they too would've been deeply curious about their caravan.

Money makes things easy.

Zhao Shizhu, clutching the eight bolts Pan Yun gave him, swiftly completed the paperwork and bought the entire house. That same night, the group rolled up everything from their straw shed and moved straight in.

The whole street erupted. Locals braved the snow, thronging warmly around Zhao Shizhu to his new home.

Had the locals not held deep privacy norms and disliked strangers entering their homes, they'd have rushed inside to touch, rub against it—such a big house, and Old Zhao's family bought it without blinking, giving it to them? So generous!

Not only was Zhao Shizhu's street in uproar—neighbors nearby were stunned too. It was winter, everyone stayed indoors, or the news would've spread even faster.

Even so, that night the new house drew many unwelcome guests.

Pan Yun ignored them; Seeing Miao Zhen and the others guarded the courtyard—knock one out as he entered, knock two out as they came.

They searched their bodies, emptied all their money, confiscated their weapons, then tossed them over the wall—thump! —they landed on the road and were left alone.

In this weather, a person unconscious outside overnight wouldn't need a full night—half a night would freeze them to death.

Zhao Shizhu saw the three move swiftly, with practiced ease, and silently shut the door. He glanced back at Hu Ning, then walked toward the back.

His voice was hoarse: "I'll go cook."

Hu Ning also turned away, coldly saying, "I'll join you."

Because they had to tidy the rooms, they ate a very late dinner.

Pan Yun said to the three still alert: "You two haven't slept properly in days. Tonight, ignore everything—just sleep well."

The three had already chosen their rooms.

The building had many rooms—they could each have one. But sadly, the rooms had been stripped bare, not even beds left; the dining table was a small one dragged from the wooden shed, no stools either—they'd eaten standing up.

Fortunately, there were plenty of miscellaneous items inside; with careful searching, they could still find many wooden planks.

So they built their own beds.

Zhao Shizhu worried about the cold, wondering whether to go back and haul the straw mats and wheat stalks from the shed—when Pan Yun pulled out several quilts and gave four to Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning.

Pan Yun said: "Before coming, knowing we'd come to this extreme cold land, we brought plenty of everything—quilts were top priority. Don't hesitate to use them; if you need more, I have more."

Zhao Shizhu touched the familiar backing, deeply moved.

"State Tutor…"

Pan Yun quickly raised a hand: "No, no, no crying—I can't stand people crying."