Chapter 39: The Mysterious Passage of the Green Fu Copper Coin

The Qinglong Temple was located in Xinchang Ward, just east of Xuanping Ward, and not far from the Tan family’s shop.

Dressed in the mourning clothes prepared by Tan Qingshou, Ye Chang bowed three times before the coffin, then slowly stepped back. After him, Tan Qingshou also offered incense and a respectful bow. The monk Shanzhi stood silently in front of the coffin, murmuring prayers. Ye Chang couldn’t help but wonder if the monk could actually recite a complete sutra.

“The weather is too hot, the remains are hard to keep. I’ll take them back after cremation,” Ye Chang said to Tan Qingshou. “I must trouble you with the cremation arrangements as well.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Tan Qingshou replied hastily.

Cremating the remains was not a Tang tradition, but under current circumstances, it was a necessary compromise. Even though Tan Qingshou and the monks of Qinglong Temple had taken precautions, Ye Chang could still catch a faint whiff of decay.

At this moment, Tan Qingshou’s admiration for Ye Chang only deepened. Upon arrival, Ye Chang had already won over He Zhizhang and Zhang Xu. What’s more, when parting with them, Ye Chang hadn’t asked for help dealing with Princess Xianyi, but instead requested that they help promote folding fans—claiming it was a debt of gratitude to Tan Qingshou.

This left He Zhizhang and Zhang Xu sighing in appreciation; due to the princess’s status, they couldn’t simply side with Ye Chang on a single account, but helping to popularize folding fans was a trivial favor.

“What other plans do you have, Eleventh Master?” Tan Qingshou asked.

“Plans?” Ye Chang narrowed his eyes slightly.

In his memory, he hadn’t spent much time with Ye Shu, but this timid, ordinary man had shown him the warmth of an elder brother. His sister-in-law treated him with genuine affection, and his nephew and niece were close to him as well. Such familial ties, he could not leave unreturned. That was his way: if someone treated him with seven parts sincerity, he would repay with ten; but if shown three parts malice, he would return five parts enmity.

Thus, though he’d promised He Zhizhang and Zhang Xu not to act rashly, that didn’t mean he would simply leave Chang’an with his brother’s ashes. He had to leave something behind—informers, eyes and ears—to keep watch on the princess’s consort. If the chance arose, he would certainly confront Yang Fu, the man directly responsible for Ye Shu’s death; if he could eliminate him, all the better. If not, he would at least find a way to learn the truth behind the conflict.

“Since I’ve come to Chang’an, I won’t rush back. I’ve already written a letter, and if it’s convenient, I’ll trouble you to send someone to deliver it to my family in Xiuwu,” said Ye Chang. “I expect to stay in Chang’an for as long as half a year, at least three months.”

It was now early June; a three-month stay would see him returning after the autumn harvest. “Inns in Chang’an are terribly expensive,” Tan Qingshou remarked. “Why not move in with me? I have a courtyard nearby, and it’s quite peaceful.”

“We’ll see,” Ye Chang replied with a smile. “But if I find myself short of funds, I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Tan. By the way, as for promoting the folding fans, I do have a plan… but first, I need to see someone.”

“See someone?” Tan Qingshou sounded surprised.

Leaving the temple, Ye Chang headed straight for a corner near the main gate. There, two ruffians were squatting and chatting. Seeing Ye Chang approach, they both looked up. Ye Chang addressed one of them: “Please, go fetch Xiao Wulang for me. I wish to see him.”

“You think you can just summon him? Who do you think you are?” sneered the ruffian.

Ye Chang fixed him with a stare. “Then open the gate and let the monk out!”

As he spoke, he stepped aside, just as Shanzhi charged forward, grabbed the two ruffians, and tossed them aside. “Refuse a polite invitation and wait for a beating, is that it? Go, unless you’re looking for trouble!”

It took a villain to deal with villains. These ruffians feared Shanzhi, who had once single-handedly knocked down seven or eight of them in an alley. The two scrambled up, exchanged a glance; one turned and ran, the other kept his distance but continued to watch.

Ye Chang then turned toward two Hu people nearby. They glared at him, eyes fierce, neither flinching nor backing down.

Ye Chang couldn’t fathom why these Hu men were fixated on him. Their constant surveillance made it impossible for him to act freely; he needed a way to drive them off.

With this in mind, he slowly approached the Hu men. They instinctively reached for the knives at their waists.

“Master Ye!” Shanzhi stepped forward, shielding him. Unlike the petty thugs, these two Hu men clearly harbored murderous intent!

Ye Chang sensed this as well; he would not risk his life to test a mere suspicion. He stepped back. “Let’s return to the temple.”

“Who are these people?” asked Tan Qingshou, who’d followed outside.

“Some trouble I picked up,” Ye Chang explained, briefly recounting the events. “Those ruffians have cause to bother me, but these Hu men keep provoking me for no reason—Brother Tan, could you look into their background?”

“I’ll have someone find out,” Tan Qingshou replied, a little exasperated. Ye Chang had been in Chang’an only a day and already stirred up trouble. Remembering Ye Chang’s exploits back in Xiuwu, he couldn’t help but wonder if this man attracted grudges wherever he went.

Ye Chang himself felt wronged. How was he to know so much trouble would find him—these Hu men, the princess—even though he had nothing to do with them, misfortune had still descended unbidden.

Not long after, Xiao Bailang appeared outside Qinglong Temple. Since Ye Chang had called him out by name, to refuse would be to show weakness. A street rogue like him would never back down in front of his peers. This time, though, he brought more than twenty men, emboldened by numbers. He glared at Ye Chang impatiently. “Why did you call me here?”

“Monk, can you take on more than twenty men?” Ye Chang asked Shanzhi.

“If it were a battlefield, I couldn’t manage so many. But these are just rabble—if I’m allowed to use force, I could finish them all off in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea,” the monk replied honestly.

It was precisely Shanzhi’s bluntness that led Ye Chang to ask. “These chickens and dogs dare call themselves lords in your presence—what do you say to that?”

At this, Xiao Bailang panicked, but with so many eyes on him, he couldn’t back down. Some of his more foolish followers, having never been beaten before, began cursing loudly.

Shanzhi frowned and pondered, then pressed his palms together. “My master once said, ‘All men are lords.’ If this Xiao benefactor calls himself lord before me, I see no harm in it.”

“Ah… what a useless ally,” Ye Chang could only curse the monk in his heart as the ruffians burst out laughing.

His plan was to subdue the local thugs of Chang’an, making use of their networks to gather information. But now, without power or money, he could only rely on the monk’s martial prowess—and the monk hadn’t played along. He would have to find another way.

“Xiao Wulang, I see you’re fond of cockfights and gambling, aren’t you?”

“So what?”

“Let’s bet today. If I lose, I’m at your mercy—you can even make me and the monk strip to the waist and plead forgiveness. But if I win, we’ll write off our past grievances. How about it?”

Xiao Bailang eyed Ye Chang, weighing the situation: if it came to a fight, the monk’s strength was beyond them. This proposal to settle things with a bet was worth considering. If he won, all was well; if he lost, he could always renege later.

“I won’t take advantage—you win and my brothers and I are at your disposal,” he proclaimed. “But what shall we bet on? Dice, cockfights?”

“Dice and cockfights are too easy to cheat at, and even if we settle it, disputes can arise. Let’s do this: which of you has Kaiyuan Tongbao coins on you?”

At Xiao Bailang’s signal, his men produced their coins—three from one, five from another—soon making a pile. Ye Chang scooped them up: twenty-one in total. He weighed them in his hand, then scattered them on the ground.

“Are we comparing the inscriptions?” Xiao Bailang asked.

“No. See, these twenty-one coins all come from your men. Count them, make sure. Now, let’s see who’s got the skill: we’ll take turns picking up one to three coins each time. Whoever takes the last coin loses. What do you say?”

Xiao Bailang found the game novel. He thought it over. “Who goes first?”

“I made the rules, so you go first,” Ye Chang replied.

Xiao Bailang stared at the coins, asked again about the rules, then frowned in thought. He pondered for a while but couldn’t see through the trick. This kid was so confident—where did his assurance come from?

He wanted to back out, but he’d already agreed and refusing now would mean a fight, which was unwise given Shanzhi’s prowess. He decided to bet.

“I’ll start.” He first took three coins, then reconsidered and put two back, taking only one. “One!”

Twenty coins remained. Ye Chang smiled and casually took three. Xiao Bailang, after pondering, also took three, leaving fourteen. Ye Chang then took just one. Xiao Bailang calculated—thirteen left—it didn’t seem right, but he followed suit and took one.

Twelve coins. Ye Chang took three. Xiao Bailang matched him, taking three. Ye Chang took one, leaving five coins.

Xiao Bailang froze, his mind racing. If he took one, Ye Chang would take three, leaving the last for him. If he took two, Ye Chang would also take two. If he took three, Ye Chang would take one… In every case, he’d be left with the last coin!

He stared at the coins, baffled—how could he lose?

Not only he, but some of the other ruffians caught on and began shouting, “It doesn’t count! Fifth Brother isn’t familiar with the rules, this round doesn’t count!”

Ye Chang agreed readily, “Fine, let’s start over!”

At this point, Xiao Bailang was more interested in the game itself than in his grudge against Ye Chang. He was clever and sensed there was a trick to this game—if he figured it out, he could use it to win countless bets! Since Ye Chang was so generous, he was happy to play again. “This time you go first, I won’t take advantage.”

Ye Chang chuckled, “Such fairness!”

Xiao Bailang flushed, but kept his eyes on Ye Chang’s hand. Ye Chang casually took two coins.

Xiao Bailang thought for a moment, then also took two, determined to mimic Ye Chang’s moves.

Ye Chang smiled and took three. Xiao Bailang did the same. Eleven coins left. Ye Chang took two, leaving nine. Xiao Bailang matched him. Seven coins left—if Ye Chang took two, Xiao Bailang would again be faced with the five-coin deadlock. Anxious, he grabbed just one coin this time.

Ye Chang also took one, leaving five before Xiao Bailang again. No matter how many he took, the last would be his.

“This… this…”

“Xiao Wulang, want to play again? You go first this time,” Ye Chang smiled.

“Let’s! Win or lose, our past grudges are settled!” Xiao Bailang shouted.

Of course, he lost again. Even when he copied Ye Chang’s moves by starting with two coins, he still ended up stuck at five coins, fretting over the result. Ye Chang suggested adding more coins, and they played nine rounds in a row. Each time, Xiao Bailang lost miserably.

Even his thick skin couldn’t withstand it—he stood up, his mind spinning with images of copper coins. He cupped his hands to Ye Chang, turned, and left. Ye Chang watched him go, smiling. The ruffians gathered around, whispering, “Just leave it at that?” Xiao Bailang waved them off and led the group away.

Ye Chang said nothing, but when he turned, he saw Shanzhi fiddling with a handful of stones, shifting them left and right, trying to figure out the trick. Unable to hold back, Ye Chang went over and kicked him. “Monk, you’ll never figure this one out in your life!”

“Why not?”

“Master Zhang could watch Gongsun Daniu’s sword dance and comprehend calligraphy. The Jia family’s child could enter the palace thanks to cockfights. Everyone has their own chance—when opportunity and fate meet, it’s a gift from heaven. If you miss it, it’s gone. You, monk, simply don’t have that kind of fate.”

As he spoke, Xiao Bailang’s body trembled, and he turned around.