Chapter Twenty-Nine: How High an Official

That price...

All three of them stared in astonishment, mouths agape.

“How much did you say?”

“One million Kaiyuan coins?” Li Zhi was the first to recover. “Shopkeeper, don’t think you can take advantage of us just because we’re young! Do you really think your restaurant is worth a million?”

“Young master, you’re welcome to ask elsewhere and see how much my restaurant is worth!”

“That’s way too expensive!” Luo Tong tugged at Li Zhi’s sleeve. “Your Highness, we don’t even have ten thousand; we’re worlds apart from that…”

“Ahem… calm down!” Li Zhi cleared his throat, raised his head, and said, “Shopkeeper, business is always negotiated, where’s the sense in a fixed price?”

“You’re right, young master. How much are you prepared to offer?”

“Eight thousand!” Li Zhi threw caution to the wind. Whether it worked or not, he would put his price on the table first. That would be the basis to slowly raise it; any shortfall, he’d figure out a way later.

Pffft… Luo Tong spat out a mouthful of tea.

“Brother Zhi…” Li Lizhi was mortified.

They asked a million, and he countered with eight thousand?

That gap was far too much!

“It seems there’s no deal to be made… Gentlemen, please see yourselves out!” The shopkeeper’s face twitched, and he directly showed them the door.

“Wait, can’t we talk it over?”

“You want to buy my restaurant, worth a million, for eight thousand? That’s nothing short of daylight robbery! I know you’re no ordinary folks—you’re from the palace, aren’t you? But I still won’t hand over my restaurant!”

The words were out in the open.

The shopkeeper was no longer polite. He called for several of his men, who promptly threw Li Zhi and his companions out.

“Crummy place, I’m never coming back…” Li Lizhi grumbled as they left.

“Brother Zhi, let’s return to the palace!”

“Master, Master…” At that moment, Cheng Chubi came running up. “Master, you called me?”

“Yes!” Li Zhi grabbed him. “Look at that restaurant. If we wanted to buy it, how much would it cost?”

“Tianyi Restaurant?”

“Yes!”

“Well… it’d take about four or five hundred thousand. Tianyi Restaurant is the most luxurious in Chang’an, and it’s in the busiest district. Day or night, the crowds are huge and business is always booming!”

Hiss!

Li Zhi sucked in a breath. “So that guy wasn’t lying. This place really is worth several hundred thousand…”

“The shopkeeper asked a million!” Luo Tong said.

“He’s asking a million to leave room for negotiation—nothing wrong with that! But even several hundred thousand Kaiyuan coins is a staggering amount. We can’t afford it!”

“Sigh…”

Li Zhi was ready to give up.

His original plan had been to negotiate a price with the owner, sneak back to the palace for an imperial decree, and use Cheng Yaojin as a mediator to drive the price as low as possible. Eight thousand as a down payment, settling the rest in installments—no big deal!

But now, the gap was just too wide.

“Master, you really want to buy that restaurant?” Cheng Chubi asked.

“I do!”

Cheng Chubi hurried to catch up. “Master, don’t worry. I might have a way… Maybe we can get the restaurant for nothing at all!”

“Haha… Are you dreaming?”

“I’m serious!” Cheng Chubi leaned close and whispered, “Master, you might not know—the so-called shopkeeper of Tianyi Restaurant isn’t the real boss. From what I’ve heard, there’s a powerful backer behind him—an official in the court!”

“Oh?”

“What’s the story?” Li Zhi’s interest was piqued.

There were strict regulations forbidding officials from engaging in commerce.

If what Cheng Chubi said was true, the matter would be easy to resolve!

Cheng Chubi continued, “Master, you must have heard of the strict curfew in our dynasty. At night, commoners can’t go out, and all shops must close. Only the East and West Markets are exempt.”

“Tianyi Restaurant is situated between the East and West Markets—by rights, it should be subject to the curfew. Yet, for years, it’s never closed its doors!”

“Everyone says there’s someone powerful backing it!”

Li Zhi knew something about the curfew.

It had existed since the Zhou Dynasty, meant to strictly manage the city’s residents and reduce theft, robbery, and other crimes.

By the Tang Dynasty, the curfew was enforced to the utmost.

Anyone caught violating it would be severely punished.

“Hmph!” Li Zhi said coldly, “I don’t care who’s backing him. If he dares flout the curfew, I’ll make sure he pays dearly!”

“Chubi… who enforces the curfew?”

“The Wuhou Bureau, the Irregulars, the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Office, and the Six Armies of the Northern Office!” Cheng Chubi replied without hesitation.

“Tell me more,” Li Zhi said, sitting down at a teahouse by the road. “You all sit—let’s figure out how the curfew works before we deal with Tianyi Restaurant.”

“Hehe…” Li Lizhi said excitedly, “I can’t wait to give that shopkeeper a beating later!”

“Princess, he didn’t do anything to you—why beat him up?”

“He served me such revolting food, I didn’t touch a bite. I’m still starving!” Li Lizhi patted her empty stomach.

“No more interruptions! Chubi, continue!” Li Zhi gestured.

“Master, the Wuhou Bureau, the Irregulars, the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Office, and the Six Armies of the Northern Office are the four agencies responsible for law and order in Chang’an. The Wuhou Bureau is everywhere—almost every city gate has one, manned by twenty to a hundred people, handling patrols, arrests, and searches.”

“And the Irregulars?” Li Zhi asked.

The term was familiar to him—he’d seen it in later dramas, where it referred to an elite, almost legendary force.

Cheng Chubi explained, “The Irregulars have the lowest status. Originally, the Wuhou Bureau handled all security in Chang’an, but with over a million residents, it was impossible to manage. So they rounded up the local ruffians and formed a new unit: the Irregulars, to assist the Wuhou Bureau!”

“What?” Li Zhi was dumbfounded.

So that was the Irregulars?

He’d thought they were something akin to the Ming Dynasty’s Embroidered Uniform Guards. Who’d have guessed they were just a bunch of small-time thugs organized into a ragtag department?

“And the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Office and the Six Armies of the Northern Office?” he pressed.

“The Sixteen Guards of the Southern Office number over three thousand. Twelve of them command the provincial troops across the empire; the other four guard the main gates of Chang’an and serve as escort for the emperor.”

“As for the Six Armies of the Northern Office, now that’s a powerful group!”

“They are the Left and Right Feathered Forest Armies, the Left and Right Dragon Martial Armies, and the Left and Right Divine Martial Armies—all imperial guards, directly protecting the emperor!”

“The Sixteen Guards and Six Armies also patrol regularly, enforcing strict order in the city. Anyone caught breaking the curfew is handed over to the Wuhou Bureau for harsh punishment!”

Li Zhi took a deep breath. “So, according to you, the backer behind Tianyi Restaurant isn’t even afraid of the Six Armies of the Northern Office? What kind of official could have that much power?”