Chapter 24

Fang Yun smiled and asked, "Big Ox, who told you to call me Young Master?"

"Mom and Dad said so. They said you're different now and can't be called Little Brother anymore. Now, you're Young Master. When you pass the provincial exam, I'll have to call you Master," Fang Da Niu replied.

"It's all family, no need to be so formal."

"That won't do. I can't disgrace the Fang family. I'll call you as I should. Otherwise, how can I be your personal attendant? My mother said that it's rare for the Fang family in Ji County to have someone like you, a golden phoenix. She told me to take good care of you, and I'll definitely benefit in the future."

Fang Yun didn't say anything, his gaze falling on the three letters in his hand. Fang Da Niu was right; his status had indeed changed.

As the sun rose and the weather warmed, Fang Yun opened the curtain and took out a copy of the *Book of Rites* from his book box, beginning to recite softly.

Yang Yuhuan watched Fang Yun quietly, occasionally smiling, her cheeks blushing, lost in thought.

The carriage continued on its way. When Fang Yun got tired of reading, he would close his eyes to rest, and after a short break, he would continue reciting softly.

After an unknown amount of time, the carriage got closer to Dayuan Prefecture. Fang Yun was reading "A gentleman keeps his kitchen at a distance" when suddenly a white figure darted in through the window.

Fang Yun, caught off guard, was startled. A snow-white fox pounced onto his lap, carrying a faint fragrance and a slight bloody smell, but no animal stench.

Yang Yuhuan looked at the fox curiously, her expression showing pity, while Old Lady Jiang's face changed, and she exclaimed, "Young Master, be careful, it might be a demon!"

Fang Yun was startled and was about to throw the fox away, but the fox suddenly raised its head, looking at him with black eyes, pleading. Then it closed its eyes, let out a soft cry, and fainted.

Under normal circumstances, Fang Yun might have thrown it away, but since he had just read "A gentleman keeps his kitchen at a distance," he hesitated.

The phrase "A gentleman keeps his kitchen at a distance" also appears in the *Mencius*. It doesn't mean looking down on those who cook, but rather that everyone has a compassionate heart. If not a cook, one would feel sorry when encountering the killing of living creatures in the kitchen, so it's best not to see such scenes or hear the cries of the dying. Therefore, a gentleman should keep his kitchen at a distance.

However, in an era where scholars go to battle, the original meaning of this phrase seemed somewhat out of place, so it was extended to mean that anyone has the right to eat meat, but should not take pleasure in killing living creatures and should not torture them.

Yang Yuhuan whispered, "This should be an ordinary fox. Even if it's a demon, it hasn't killed anyone. If a demon kills someone, its eye circles turn red, and it has a fishy smell, like rotten fish. I've smelled it before."

Fang Yun thought for a moment and examined the fox's wound. It seemed to have been scratched by an animal's claws. The blood around the wound had dried, and the wound had already scabbed over, indicating that the fight had been several hours ago. The possibility of being followed by an enemy was low, so keeping it wouldn't be dangerous.

Fang Yun didn't let his guard down. He stuck his head out the window, and the forest by the roadside was quiet. There were other carriages a few dozen yards away, and he could already see the outline of Dayuan Prefecture's city walls. Even the most daring demon beasts wouldn't dare to act here because the holy temples in the academy were always vigilant.

"Xiao Yun, what should we do with this fox?" Yang Yuhuan asked.

Fang Yun replied, "When we pass through the city gate, we'll ask the guards. If they think it's not a harmful demon, we'll take it in. If it is, we'll let the soldiers handle it."

"Okay." Yang Yuhuan wanted to save the little fox, but Fang Yun's attitude was more important, so she didn't say anything.

Fang Yun sniffed the fox lightly. It smelled particularly fragrant.

Fang Yun immediately used the *Book of Heaven and Earth* to search and quickly found a travelogue by the half-saint Chen Guanhai, mentioning the most precious fragrant foxes, describing them as "having a unique fragrance" and "rare in the world."

Fang Yun suspected that this fox was the priceless fragrant fox, and the fur of such foxes could be used to make fragrant fox brushes.

A fragrant fox brush could sell for over ten thousand taels of silver because using it to write battle poetry could enhance the power by at least ten percent. If used with ink made from demon beast blood, the power could be increased by over twenty percent. The larger the fragrant fox, the better the effect.

Fragrant foxes were extremely rare, with only a dozen or so in existence.

This fox was too small, its tail as long as its body, and the tail was only as long as Fang Yun's palm, making it look like a small squirrel.

Fang Yun examined the fox's wound again. It had already scabbed over and didn't need special treatment.

At the city gate, Fang Yun asked Fang Da Niu to stop the carriage, then he got out, holding the little fox.

The city walls of Dayuan Prefecture were four zhang high, built of blue stone, solid and impregnable, giving a sense of security. It was said to have been built by a great scholar.

There were five armored soldiers on each side of the city gate, not checking passing vehicles or collecting entry taxes.

Fang Yun walked up to a soldier and asked, "I found a fox on the road and want to keep it, but I'm not sure if it's a demon. Is there a way to test it?"

The soldier, seeing Fang Yun in a scholar's robe, replied, "This place is covered by the power of the holy temple. If there's a problem with the fox, the holy temple will suppress it immediately. You can take it in anytime."

"Thank you." Fang Yun thanked the soldier and returned to the carriage.

Fang Da Niu continued driving the carriage to the residence Liang Yuan had already chosen.

Fang Yun had never been to Dayuan Prefecture, but no matter how prosperous it was, it couldn't compare to the highly commercialized world he knew, so he wasn't particularly interested. He was thinking about how to set up his bookshop and what books to sell first.

Yang Yuhuan, on the other hand, lifted the curtain and looked curiously at Dayuan Prefecture, which was much larger than Ji County, with a constant flow of people.

Dayuan Prefecture was the capital of Jiangzhou and the political center, but the military and commercial centers of Jiangzhou were not Dayuan Prefecture but Yuhai Prefecture, five hundred miles away. Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, it bordered the East Sea and was the place for trade between Jing State and the sea people, incredibly prosperous.

Liang Yuan had arrived in Dayuan Prefecture five days ago and sent a letter to Fang Yun yesterday, helping him choose a cheap independent courtyard to rent for three months at five taels of silver per month. He also chose a bookshop that was ready to be sold, waiting for Fang Yun to come and complete the procedures with the government.

Following the address in the letter, the carriage arrived at Lao Shi Alley, where Liang Yuan was waiting.

Fang Yun got out of the carriage and greeted Liang Yuan, discussing the details of the residence and the bookshop as they walked.

The residence was a bit smaller than Fang Yun's home, a very ordinary small courtyard, but Fang Yun didn't mind. He planned to buy a larger courtyard when the bookshop started making a profit.

After a brief tidy-up and lunch, Fang Yun, Yang Yuhuan, and Liang Yuan left, first to sign the lease contract, then to visit the Fang family in Dayuan. He had agreed to give the Dayuan Fang family a ten percent share and wanted to use their name to avoid trouble, especially from the Liu family.

The carriage stopped at the Fang family's gate, which was open, with a plaque reading "Fang Family."

Fang Yun looked inside and saw not a large courtyard but a garden.

Behind the gate was a path of pebbles, with gardens on both sides. The path split at the artificial hill, and the main garden was behind the hill.

Two servants in black stood at the gate, one without a left arm and the other with a right eye covered by an eye patch. They looked resolute, like veterans.

Fang Yun respected Fang Shouye even more. No wonder everyone said Fang Shouye was the first hero of Dayuan Prefecture.

Fang Yun bowed and said, "Greetings, I am Fang Yun from Ji County, the nephew of Uncle Fang Shouye. I have an appointment with Uncle to discuss the bookshop shares."

One of the servants immediately said, "General received an urgent report yesterday and has returned to Yuhai City. The lady of the house instructed that if you come, you should be taken directly to see her. Please follow me."

Fang Yun smiled and said, "Thank you," then gestured for Yang Yuhuan and Liang Yuan to follow.

The servant led them around the artificial hill to the second courtyard, which had no buildings, only more artificial hills, streams, and plants. There were three arched doors on the east, west, and north sides, each leading to another courtyard.

There were also doors leading to more courtyards on the east and west sides.

"True to the legend of the big tycoon, worthy of a noble family," Fang Yun thought.

In the third courtyard, Fang Yun finally saw the main hall of the Fang family, which was larger than his entire courtyard and house combined.

Inside the main hall were two armchairs at the back, with six pairs of square tables on either side, each with chairs.

However, no one was in the main hall.

The servant asked Fang Yun to sit in the main hall and said he would go find the lady of the house.

Liang Yuan looked around secretly, excitedly whispering, "Fang Yun, it seems the Fang family values you highly, bringing you directly to the main hall. If it were someone else, they would probably have to wait in a side hall. This is a noble family; ordinary provincial scholars would have to go to the side hall."

Yang Yuhuan nodded involuntarily, her hands on her lap, looking very restrained.

Fang Yun, however, looked around the main hall boldly. As a two-generation noble family and a scholarly household, the main hall had ancient vases, calligraphy, potted plants, and landscapes, elegant and simple, with no hint of luxury.

On the wall was a couplet:

"Mountains turn dark, yet the red sun still stands proud against the wind and clouds.

The setting sun drips blood, yet it still flows into the green heart."

Fang Yun nodded in approval.

"Xiao Yun has arrived? Your uncle has praised you a lot. Let me see the prodigy of our Fang family."

The voice came before the person, filled with surprise and warmth.

The three immediately stood up, hearing the sound of jingling rings. The pearl curtain on the east side of the main hall was lifted by two maids, and a dignified and elegant middle-aged woman walked in.

She wore a red dress, not particularly beautiful, but with clear, beautiful eyes and a noble aura. Her smile was very kind.

Behind her was a slightly younger middle-aged woman in a green dress, also smiling, but her smile seemed forced.

Fang Yun wasn't sure who the person behind the lady of the house was, so he bowed and said, "Nephew greets Aunt."

Yang Yuhuan and Liang Yuan hurriedly bowed but didn't speak.

The lady of the house smiled and said, "What a handsome young man. No wonder Shouye praises you so much. Come, let me have a good look. By the way, this is your second aunt. We were just talking about you."

Fang Yun knew that Fang Shouye had a younger brother, a scholar, but with a bad reputation, always hanging around brothels. This must be the second lady of the Fang family, while a concubine would be called a lady, not a lady of the house.