“Sir, two bowls of century egg and lean pork porridge, and one bowl of vegetable and lean pork porridge.”0

“Alright—wait! Mr. Song?”0

The shopkeeper, busy tending to his customers, had just acknowledged the order when he suddenly found the voice familiar. He turned his head and, upon recognizing Song You, exclaimed in surprise, “You’re back?!”0

“I just returned.” Song You casually found a seat. “It’s been a while, sir. I trust you’ve been well?”0

“Thanks to your blessings, I’m still in good health.”0

“I heard that when Prince Shun led his troops into Changjing, he allowed his soldiers to plunder the city for three days. Did it affect your business?”0

“Oh, that’s true! It was a disaster!” The shopkeeper shook his head as he worked, lamenting, “But funny enough, those imperial guards looted half of Changjing, yet they never came to our area. The whole of Willow Street was spared—not a single soldier set foot here. We all got lucky...”0

“Is that so?” Song You narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the shopkeeper carefully.0

“Later on, we heard that while Prince Shun allowed the three days of plundering, he still laid down some rules. The soldiers were forbidden from arson and murder, and forbidden from harming women. There were also certain places in the city they were not allowed to enter.”0

The shopkeeper...0