Reincarnation In The Shanghai Dynasty

Untitled Episodechapter 11

Chapter 11 : The Market of Shadows

The morning air was thick with the smell of wet ash as A-Mei walked toward the South Market. She wore a simple, faded robe of gray linen and a thin veil over her face. In her pocket, she gripped the small pouch of coins Lin Xia had given her—money "borrowed" from the Master’s hidden drawer.

"Don’t look at the high-end shops," her mother had warned her. "The merchants there are sharks. Go to the herb stalls in the back alleys. We need medicine for Nian and supplies for the looms. Be invisible."

But being invisible was hard when the entire city was talking about your family’s ruin. As A-Mei stepped into the bustling marketplace, she felt the eyes of the city on her. The news of the fire and the Imperial Audit had spread wild fire.

Near the center of the market, a group of young women from the city’s most powerful families stood under a silk canopy. Among them was Cousin Wei, a girl who had always hated A-Mei’s status as the eldest daughter of the primary wife. Next to her was Lady Su, the daughter of a wealthy tea merchant.

"Did you hear?" Cousin Wei giggled, her voice loud enough to carry across the street. "The North Pavilion burned to the ground. My poor Uncle Chen is so desperate, he’s looking for anyone to take his 'useless' daughters off his hands."

Lady Su fanned herself with a look of mock pity. "I heard he offered A-Mei to my father’s stable master as a fourth concubine. It’s a tragedy, really. But what can you expect? Their mother is a madwoman who thinks she can talk back to the Emperor’s guards."

A-Mei’s face burned behind her veil. She wanted to scream that her mother wasn't mad—she was the only one with a brain in the whole estate. But she remembered the lessons in the "Command Center." Control the emotion, or the emotion controls the profit.

She turned her head away and hurried toward a stall selling Lingzhi herbs. She needed them to help Nian’s lungs recover from the smoke. But as she reached for her coins, a group of servants from the Wei house intentionally shoved past her.

A-Mei tripped. Her shopping basket flew from her hands, and the precious herbs scattered across the muddy cobblestones. Worse, her veil caught on a wooden post and tore away, revealing her face to the laughing crowd.

The laughter died down as a heavy, black carriage turned the corner. It was pulled by four midnight-black horses and bore a single, elegant silver plum blossom on the door. It didn't look like a merchant’s carriage; it looked like a piece of the night sky moving through the mud.

A-Mei scrambled to pick up her herbs, her fingers shaking. The carriage didn't slow down.

"Move, you beggar!" a guard on horseback shouted, raising a whip over A-Mei’s head.

A-Mei flinched, closing her eyes. But the whip never landed.

"Stop."

The word was quiet, yet it carried more power than the guard’s shout. The horses were pulled back so sharply they reared up, their hooves splashing mud onto A-Mei’s robes.

The carriage door opened. A man stepped out. He was tall, dressed in robes of ink-black silk that seemed to shimmer in the light. A narrow silver band was tied firmly across his eyes. This was Lord Yan, the man the city called "The Blind Justice."

He didn't look at A-Mei. He couldn't. But his head tilted toward her as if he were reading a book only he could see.

"The air here smells of bitter Lingzhi and burnt silk," Lord Yan said. His voice was calm, like the sound of a deep bell. "And I hear the heartbeat of a woman who is trying very hard not to cry. Why are you blocking my path?"

A-Mei stared at him, frozen. "I... my herbs fell. I was only trying to save them."

Before A-Mei could say more, a beautiful young woman rushed out from the crowd and grabbed Lord Yan’s arm. This was Lady Ming, his cousin. She was famous for two things: her beauty and her obsession with becoming Lord Yan’s Princess Consort.

"Brother Yan!" Lady Ming cried, her voice high and annoying. "Don't let this filthy girl touch your robes! She is from the Chen house. They are under Imperial investigation. To even speak to her is a stain on your name."

Lord Yan didn't pull his arm away, but he didn't move toward Lady Ming either. He stepped closer to A-Mei. He tilted his head again, sniffing the air once.

"You don't smell like a thief?"

A-Mei backed away, her heart hammering against her ribs. This man was dangerous. He couldn't see her face, but he seemed to see right through her soul.

"I am just a daughter of a failing house," A-Mei said, grabbing her ruined basket. "I don't know about anything ."

She didn't wait for him to respond. She turned and ran, weaving through the stalls until she was far from the black carriage and the jealous eyes of Lady Ming.

A-Mei burst back into the West Wing, her chest heaving. She found Lin Xia standing at the rosewood table, surrounded by the other three sisters.

"Mother! Lord Yan... he was there," A-Mei panted. "He knew who I was. He knew we were at the Audit. He’s not like other men. He can hear things... smell things."

Lin Xia’s eyes narrowed. "He is an observer, A-Mei. A man like that is either a great ally or a final boss. But we don't have time to worry about him yet."

Lin Xia pointed out the window. A group of wealthy, older merchants was marching into the courtyard. They were led by Master Hong, a man with a greasy smile and a reputation for being cruel to his many concubines.

Master Chen was standing on the porch, looking small and defeated.

"Master Chen!" Master Hong shouted. "We heard your house is in debt and your factories are empty! We have come to help you. We will take your four 'useless' daughters as concubines for our families. We’ll give you enough gold to keep your 'Golden Son' in silk for ten years! It’s a fair trade for girls no one else will want."

The daughters gasped in horror. Master Chen looked at the gold the merchants were carrying. He looked at the "Golden Son" in the nursery. His hand reached out for the marriage contracts.

"Stop right there," Lin Xia’s voice boomed from the balcony.

She stepped forward, looking down at the merchants with a look of pure disgust. Behind her, A-Jiao was already holding a bucket of boiling water, and A-Ling was holding a ledger.

"My daughters are not for sale," Lin Xia said, her voice echoing through the courtyard. "And if you want my husband’s factories, you will have to pay the market price—plus the interest you owe for trespassing on my land."

The merchants laughed. "You are just a wife! You have no power here!"

"A-Jiao," Lin Xia whispered. "Show them our 'Welcome' gift."

A-Jiao didn't hesitate. She tipped the bucket. It wasn't boiling water—it was cold, slippery oil mixed with the soot from the fire. The merchants screamed as they slipped and fell into the mud, their expensive robes ruined.

As the merchants scrambled to get up, a silent black carriage pulled up to the gate. Lord Yan didn't get out this time. The window just slid down a crack.

A-Mei stood on the balcony next to her mother, her heart still racing from their encounter. She saw the silver plum blossom on the carriage door.

"He’s watching us, Mother," A-Mei whispered.

"Let him watch," Lin Xia said. "Let the whole city watch. They think we are the prey. They have no idea that we’ve already started the hunt."

But then, a small arrow thudded into the wooden railing right next to Lin Xia’s hand. Attached to the arrow was a small note with a crimson seal.

Lin Xia opened it. Her face went pale.

“The Imperial Prince is coming to see his son tomorrow. If the boy is not healthy, the North Pavilion fire will be the least of your worries.”

Lin Xia looked toward the nursery. They had twenty-four hours to hide the fact that the "Golden Son" was actually a very sick, fake heir.