The hustle and bustle of Suzaku Street gradually subsided like the ebbing tide. The afternoon breeze, carrying icing sugar and dust, carried the Jinwu Guards escorting the bandits out of the alley. Broken abacus beads and torn talisman paper lay scattered across the bluestone slabs. Sun-baked sugar strands clung to the cracks between the bricks, like countless tiny golden threads. Siyan squatted, the jujube wood abacus clacking against his knees. The shadows of the locust leaves flickered on the beads, like floating gold fragments.

"Three taels of silver calculated at a daily interest rate of one cent," his little finger was dipped in dried icing sugar, and every time he moved a bead, it made a "sticky" sound. "From the third quarter of the morning to the first quarter of the evening, a total of four hours and three incense sticks, the repayment is three taels, one hundred and twenty-seven coins and four cents..." The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves onto the ash stain on the tip of his nose, making it sparkle.

"Okay, okay, my little accountant." Su Jinli wiped the dust off her son's nose with a silk handkerchief, her fingertips touching his skin that was hot from concentration. "The person has been taken to the Ministry of Justice's prison, so what's the point of interest?" Her skirt swept across the ground, bringing up a few pieces of talisman paper, the crooked cinnabar words on them swirling in the wind.

Jiang Yan stood aside, chuckling softly. The bamboo embroidery on the sleeves of his moon-white gown was clearly visible in the sunlight, and a few gold foil fragments from sugar painting stained the sleeves. "Si Yan, this money-obsessed man, I wonder who he got it from?" He recalled his son clinging to the bandit's thigh to collect a debt this morning, and a smile formed in the corners of his eyes. "I'm afraid he's even more obsessed than the bank owner."

Before he could finish his words, the sound of hurried horse hooves approached, and the clang of bronze bells echoed from the distant palace gates. A young eunuch in a green robe rode a short pony, the bright yellow imperial edict tucked under his arm. He was sweating profusely as he ran, and the jade hairpin in his bun was tilted. He reined in his horse in front of the old fortune-telling stall. The horse's hooves crushed the talisman paper on the ground, startling three gray sparrows that were pecking at sugar scraps. The birds fluttered over Su Jinli's head.

"Su Jinli, Jiang Yan, receive the order!" The young eunuch's voice was shrill, yet it carried an unconcealable smile. The old man selling Hu pancakes nearby had forgotten to knead the dough, the tea vendors froze in their spots, their tea bowls in hand, and even the dozing yellow dog raised its head, its ears twitching.

Su Jinli and Jiang Yan exchanged a glance, then pulled the curious children to their knees in greeting. Si Yan still clutched the abacus, the beads clacking softly against his knees. Nian Li, clutching Jiang Yan's collar, stared at the goldfish bag dangling from the eunuch's waist, whispering, "Dad, is that fish alive?"

The young eunuch cleared his throat and unfolded a bright yellow silk imperial edict. The scent of vermilion ink mingled with the ambergris he wore. "By the Mandate of Heaven and the Successor of Heaven, I decree," he drawled, his eyes darting over the edict. "Su Jinli and Jiang Yan, your meritorious wife, have captured the bandit leader of Black Wind Stronghold and his gang on Zhuque Street in Chang'an, bringing peace to the region! You are hereby rewarded with one hundred taels of silver and ten pieces of silk..." At this point, he suddenly paused, his mouth twitching twice, a strange expression on his face. "...I have heard that you have journeyed from Hangzhou, through Yangzhou and Chang'an. Wherever you go, catching thieves is as easy as taking candy from your purse, and traveling is like a police patrol. Next time you travel, remember to hand over your nametag so that I can send the Jinwu Guards to guide you! This is my order."

"Puff..." Su Jinli couldn't help laughing and quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, but her shoulders couldn't stop shaking. Jiang Yan lowered his head to suppress his laughter, his tall and graceful figure swaying, and the hem of his moon-white long gown swept across the abacus beads on the ground. Si Yan's eyes lit up, and he stood up with a "squeak", almost dropping the abacus on his knees: "One hundred taels of silver! It's enough for me to buy ten red sandalwood abacuses! And I can also buy embroidery thread from Suzhou for my sister..."

"Si Yan!" Su Jinli tugged at her son's collar, but couldn't help but glance at Jiang Yan. Both of them were in a state of confusion. The emperor's edict was like a storyteller's joke, even more lively than a street novel.

Nian Li clapped her hands and jumped up and down. The sugar phoenix in her hand brushed across Jiang Yan's trouser legs, and the sugar thread stretched out a thin golden thread: "I want to buy sugar paintings! I want ten phoenixes! Ten dragons! And rouge!"

The onlookers roared with laughter. The old man selling sugar paintings raised his sugar spoon and shouted, "Madam Su is amazing! She's even more amazing than the captain of the Jinwu Guard! Yesterday she was swindling people out of their money, and today you've tied her up like a dumpling!" The tea stall owner came over with a tea bowl, his beard grinning, "That's right! I think from now on, the bandits in Chang'an will have to avoid you!"

Su Jinli stood up, brushed off her skirt, and looked at the scattered abacus beads on the floor. She muttered to herself, "This emperor is really as casual as my grandfather said. In my previous life, I only heard that His Majesty loved to go on incognito visits. I didn't expect that even the imperial edicts were written so interestingly, like a chat with neighbors."

The young eunuch handed the imperial edict to Jiang Yan and pulled a brocade purse from his sleeve. It was so heavy that it made his cuffs droop. "Madam Su, Lord Jiang, this is a reward of one hundred taels of silver." He blinked and lowered his voice. "His Majesty also said that you should have fun and not get too tired. In fact, His Majesty has long been dissatisfied with the bandits in Black Wind Stronghold. You have finally helped him vent his anger."

Jiang Yan took the purse; it felt heavy in his hand, the lotus pattern on the brocade scratching his palm. "Thank you, eunuch." He calmly handed the young eunuch a five-liang ingot of silver. "Buy tea on the way."

The young eunuch beamed, tucked the silver coins into his pocket, and as he mounted his horse, his green robe billowed like a lotus leaf in the wind. "Then I won't bother you any more. You two can continue your journey. If you need anything, just let me know!" With that, he patted the horse's rump, and the short-legged horse trotted off, leaving the street filled with laughter.

When Siyan returned to the inn that evening, he dumped his brocade purse onto the table. The white silver rolled all over the floor, gleaming softly in the candlelight. He squatted on the ground and counted it three times, his little finger touching each ingot before carefully dividing it into three piles: "One for Mom, one for Dad, and one for me!"

Nianli pouted, her little finger poking at Siyan's pile of silver, her pearl hairnet tilted to one side: "Where's mine? Why don't you give me some?"

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