(T/N:  There are two parts to this story, Part 1 and 2 but I have combined and translated the two parts as Book 4 so that you can enjoy a smooth and seamless story.  The rest of the chapters will be posted on Foxaholic via the following link.)

Beloved at the Door 

Chapter 1 – Baolai Pawnshop

In Baolai Pawnshop a young man was wiping the items on the counter. 

An employee of the pawnshop, Cui Lang looks handsome and gentle but has extraordinary martial arts. 

The curtains of the pawnshop were suddenly pulled apart and two men walked in.  One was tall and the other was short.  The tall one was as strong as an ox and the short one was thin and had a wretched look.  The two men’s appearance was repulsively ugly and shifty-looking and even without the words ‘bad guys’ written on their faces, it could be guessed that their origin was not honorable.

Cui Lang raised his head and beamed a bright smile that was especially for welcoming customers. 

It is the signature smile of Baolai Pawnshop.  Regardless of whether one is the Ox-head and Horse-face* or the Black and White Impermanence*, as long as one enters Baolai Pawnshop to do business, one is considered a guest.

(Ox-head and Horse-face are the two netherworld guardians in Chinese Taoism mythology who are responsible for leading the dead souls to their destinations to receive punishment.  As the name implies, these two guardians have bodies of humans but their heads would be in the form of an ox and a horse.)

(Black and White Impermanence are the two netherworld guardians in Chinese Taoism mythology who are responsible for leading or capturing the souls of those who had just passed away and take them to the netherworld and as the name implies, they have sinister hideous white and black faces and wear cone hats.)

“Misters, do you want to pawn or take a look at the goods?”

There are only two types of people who enter pawnshops.   The first type is those who pawn things as they need the money and the second type is those who come to dig for treasures hoping to buy the things that other people had pawned at a price lower than the market value.

“Pawn.”  When the thin man spoke, the tall man beside him placed a long wooden box on the counter.

Cui Lang stretched out his hand to unlock the wooden box’s lock and lifted the lid of the box.  Lying inside the box was a good-quality green jade flute.

The flute is clear and translucent with a warm color and fine workmanship.  With one glance, it can be seen that it was made by the Hang Family.

When Cui Lang was scrutinizing the jade flute, the thin man said.  “Boy, take a closer look.  It’s a top-quality product.”

Cui Lang smiled and said.  “Just a moment, I have to let our Shopkeeper inspect this.”  Then he turned around, lifted the curtain, and entered the inner room.

A little while later, the curtain of the inner room was lifted and the shopkeeper who was dressed unlike an employee came out.  He was slightly shorter than Cui Lang and not as handsome as Cui Lang.  He had a mustache and had an elegant bearing. 

“Shopkeeper, these are the two guests who wanted to pawn this flute.  Please supervise.”

The shopkeeper walked up with a smile and stretched out his hand to pick up the green jade flute to inspect it carefully.  His bright and lively eyes lit up sharply and he praised.

“This is the finest green jade, flawless in color and the workmanship on this flute is very meticulous.  This is made by the Hang Familly.”

The thin man was very satisfied.  “Shopkeeper, you have great vision.”

The shopkeeper also smiled and asked.  “What is Mister’s intention.......‘live’ pawn or ‘dead’ pawn?”

For a “live’ pawn, the customer must write out an IOU with a handprint attached and interest will be charged.  In the future, the item can be redeemed by repaying the silver.  As for a ‘dead’ pawn,  the item is pawned straightaway in exchange for silver and not redeemable in the future.  Of course, the price will be higher than a ‘live’ pawn.

“Dead pawn.”  The thin man answered without hesitation.

The shopkeeper nodded then took out an abacus and after fiddling with it, he showed the thin man an amount.

“How about this price?”

A thousand two hundred taels?!

When the two men saw the price quoted, their eyes lit up.  They knew this jade flute is not cheap and its worth would be more than a thousand five hundred taels.  However, this flute could not be sold openly and they were hurrying on their journey with no time to get rid of it in the black market.  Therefore, pawning it was the fastest way.

“That’s too cheap, add a bit more.  Shopkeeper, if I sell this to other places, it won’t be this price.”

The strong man could not help but bargain.

The shopkeeper was silent for a while then touched the mustache on his face as if he was thinking and then flipped a number on the abacus again.

“Add on another hundred taels.  If you want more, then I can’t do anything.”

Instantly, the two men became very happy.  With one hundred taels more, the sum was not small and they also appreciated the shopkeeper’s generosity.

“Alright, deal!”

The shopkeeper smiled and said.  “Please go to the guest room for a cup of tea and sit for a while.  I’ll bring the silver banknotes over.”

The two men nodded.  It was indeed very stuffy on this hot day.  They followed Cui Lang to the guest room and waited to count the money.

As soon as Cui Lang left, the strong man immediately whispered to the thin man.  “This shopkeeper of Baolai Pawnshop is indeed straightforward.  After inquiring for some time, we finally heard it’s easy to pawn in this shop.  They never ask for the origin of the goods and the price offered is usually higher than other pawnshops.”

The thin man nodded and then said with some pity.  “If we’re not afraid the Dongchuan incident might be exposed, or that we can’t get rid of this flute.......this flute can be sold for more than a thousand five hundred taels.”

The jade flute was stolen from a town in the south and because it was already put up on the official list, the situation became tensed and no one dared to accept it.  Then they fled to the north and their money depleted on the journey thus they needed money.  It was heard that Baolai Pawnshop would never ask about the origin of the goods and as long as the goods could capture the shopkeeper’s eyes, a deal could be done.  Besides, the price the shopkeeper offered would be higher than other pawnshops, so they came here and it was indeed a worthwhile trip.

At this time, a young man brought in tea and snacks and invited them to enjoy slowly.  After the young man left, the tall and strong man was about to pick up the teacup when the thin man stopped him.

“Wait!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Test for poison first.”

“This can’t be possible.  This pawnshop has a good reputation.”

“It’s always good to be cautious lest we fall into a trap set by villains.”

First, the thin man used a silver needle to test for poison and then inspected the inside and outside of the plates and the rims of the cups.  In the end, he noticed a little yellow dog sitting at the side with its mouth opened and its tongue hanging out.  It was watching them with an expectant look while wagging its tail as though it was hoping they would feed him a bite.

(In ancient times, silver needles were used to test for poison in food and drinks.  It was said that needles would immediately turn black once they come into contact with poison.) 

The thin man was still worried even after using the silver needle to test for poison.  He broke off a small piece of cake to feed the dog and then poured some water for it to drink as well.

After the little yellow dog had eaten up the cake and drank up the water, it raised its head again to look at them eagerly with an expression of unfulfilled satisfaction. 

A little while later, after seeing that the little yellow dog was still fine, the two men finally felt relieved and ate up all the remaining snacks and finished off the tea without a drop left.  Not long after, the shopkeeper came in with Cui Lang following behind.

“Here is one thousand three hundred taels.  Please count them.”

When the two men saw the banknotes, they were ecstatic.  On top of the banknotes, the name Kangding Bank was printed.  After the thin man had counted the banknotes, he divided them into half then gave one half to the strong man and kept the other half.  Then they held out their hands with their hands over their fists in salute and said.  “Everything is settled.  We’re leaving.”

“Don’t be anxious, wait for a while longer.”

The two men looked at the shopkeeper in puzzlement.  “What is there to wait for?”

“A little while later, I’m getting someone to send you off on your journey.”

The thin man was about to reply with - ‘It’s not necessary to send us off, why should you?’.  Unexpectedly, before they had time to speak, the two men suddenly felt their legs turning weak and they collapsed on the ground in shock.

“You.......you drugged the tea?”

“Yes.”  The shopkeeper smiled.

“How is it possible?  I’ve tested and found nothing wrong.  Even your dog was fine after eating.”

“Because that drug was only one half of it.  It’s still alright if you had just taken it.”  The shopkeeper casually retrieved the silver banknotes from them and continued.  “But if you touch the other half of the drug, then it will start to react.”

The thin man was initially puzzled and then he came to a realization.  “Did you also put poison on the banknotes?”

The shopkeeper nodded.  “Mister’s analysis is not bad.”

“You......”  The thin man became angry but his eyes suddenly closed and he fainted.  The same thing also happened to the strong man beside him.

After they had passed out, the shopkeeper ordered Cui Lang.  “Tie them up and send them to the secret room to interrogate them.  They must have committed a lot of crimes.”

Cui Lang held up his hands to acknowledge the order.  “Yes.” 

When he saw the shopkeeper still holding the jade flute, Cui Lang asked.  “This jade flute......”

“Leave it here.”

Cui Lang showed his disapproval.  “Young Miss, this jade flute must have been stolen.  It’s not good to send people to Yamen without handing over the stolen goods.”

The ‘Young Miss’ that Cui Lang mentioned is the shopkeeper of the pawnshop.  The shopkeeper is not a man but Shangguan Yan who is in a disguise.  Other than her own people, it would be difficult for others to see through her perfect disguise.

Shangguan Yan touched the fake mustache above her lips and said carefully with precise calculation.

“With one glance, it can be deduced that these two people are habitual offenders and they had stolen more than once.   This jade flute should be a property that belongs to a rich family and there might already be a reward offered for the return of this lost property.  If this is handed over to Yamen now, doesn’t this benefit them?  And also, find out the whereabouts of the thieves' den and dig out all the other stolen goods.  Use one of the stolen items as criminal evidence to hand over to the Yamen.  In addition, before handing over the stolen goods, check the account book first to see if there are any private rewards offered for the stolen goods and remember to collect the rewards.”

When she mentioned checking the account book, she was referring to the account book that listed all the treasures lost from wealthy households over the years.  The publicly announced private rewards were different from the rewards given out by the government.  Shangguan Yan is not only a businesswoman but also a secret constable.  She had listed down all the rewards offered and compiled them into an account book.

In fact, she opened this Baolai Pawnshop with ulterior motives.  According to her thinking, this pawnshop also has the function of catching thieves.  On the surface, it is a pawnshop but it is also a channel for thieves to get rid of stolen goods.  Once she receives suspicious stolen goods then it is time for Shangguan Yan, this secret constable to draw in the net and harvest the catch. 

Cui Lang shook his head and knew it would be difficult to change this Young Miss’s mind once she had made a decision. 

“This subordinate obeys.”

Following that, he dragged the two men, one in each hand towards the back of the pawnshop and splashed them with water to wake them up.  Before long, he was able to get the required information after interrogating the two men and reported to Shangguan Yan.

After the two men were handed over to the government and the reward was received, Shangguan Yan drew a mark in the account book.

She likes to do business and being a secret constable is also one of her businesses.  She is probably the most relaxed secret constable in the whole of the Daxing Dynasty.  After opening the pawnshop, any prey that ventures into the net would be captured and if there is no prey, the Baolai Pawnshop will conduct business as normal. 

However, this Baolaii Pawnshop is only one of her many shops.

She changed out of the shopkeeper’s clothes and pulled off her fake mustache.  Then she put on a set of commoner’s clothes to resume her female appearance and walked out of the pawnshop through the back door.  When she came to the main street, she passed a few alleys and entered a lively market street.

On both sides of this wide lively street, there are silk shops, cloth shops, tea shops, bookshops, jade shops, and many others.  The shops here are the most expensive in the imperial capital and Shangguan Yan’s cosmetics shop is located here.

The people who patronize pawnshops usually want face, therefore the pawnshop operates on a quiet street with very few people.  However, this cosmetics shop is a girl’s favorite place so it must be opened in a crowded lively place. 

When Shangguan Yan came to the door of Xinlan Cosmetics Shop and saw the crowd in her powder shop, the corners of her lips lifted involuntarily. 

How can one not feel happy when the business of one’s shop is booming?  The thing she likes to do every day is not to look at the account books but to visit her shops everywhere.