Chapter 26: Frozen in Place

It was a sensation that could only be felt, not described.

As soon as the young man appeared, he instantly dispelled the tense atmosphere that had just permeated the air. He was like a rising sun; his arrival chased away the shadows and brought forth light, causing the mood of everyone present to lift involuntarily.

Fortunately, all eyes were now fixed on Jia Ping'an, and no one cared that Chan Shi had missed a note during her performance. Seeing him, beyond admiring his handsome features, many wondered: whose son was this, arriving so late and with such poor etiquette?

Jia Ping'an had been in Ningguta for over ten days, but his time was spent either foraging for ginseng in the mountains or visiting the General’s residence. He rarely ventured elsewhere, so many did not recognize him or know his status.

Yet, some among those present did.

For instance, General Hu Buyun of Ningguta, the man who ostensibly held the greatest power in the entire region.

Noticing the General’s gaze upon him, Jia Ping'an offered a polite, graceful bow. "Greetings, General Hu."

"Haha, Young Master Jia, no need for such formalities. Your father has not fully recovered, so you have come in his stead, is that it?" General Hu chuckled. His words were a deliberate show of support, a signal to the others that this young man was under his protection and they should harbor no untoward intentions toward him.

This brief exchange only fueled the curiosity of those already watching. They could not fathom who this handsome youth was to have earned such favor from the General. Could he be a young nobleman from Changdu?

Just as the crowd puzzled over his identity, Tong Weixing and Guo Tongfang, sitting among the distinguished guests, spoke almost in unison: "Brother An... Brother Jia."

The sound of their voices drew even more attention. For anyone of consequence in Ningguta with a decent ear for news, the identities of Tong and Guo were well known. Though they were disgraced officials in exile, one was a master of horse administration often consulted by the General’s office, and the other was a former top-ranking scholar whose reputation had once shaken the empire. They were not strangers to the public, and many had even sought to cultivate favor with them.

In this era, two types of people always commanded a sense of detached respect: those with genuine scholarly talent, and those with exceptional expertise in a specific field. Since these two were the very embodiment of those types, their every move naturally drew intense scrutiny.

The fact that both men had greeted this youth, and simultaneously, made it impossible for the crowd to ignore him. Earlier, others had tried to curry favor with Tong and Guo to no avail; that they would now take the initiative to greet someone else was nothing short of astonishing.

"Brother Guo, Brother Tong," Jia Ping'an replied, a natural smile lighting his face.

Seeing that a mere youth—one who had arrived late and appeared to lack decorum—could command such respect from these three men, Zheng Yugong, the secretary who had been sitting as still as a mountain, finally felt a flicker of interest.

Zheng Yugong considered Ningguta his own backyard and prided himself on knowing every detail of what transpired there. The sudden emergence of a youth he did not recognize caught him off guard. However, his long training had taught him to keep his emotions hidden. Though intensely curious, his expression remained impassive, as if he were merely an observer watching a scene that held no relevance to him. He was certain that if he wanted to, he could uncover the boy’s background by the end of the day.

What he did not realize was that Jia Ping'an’s arrival had everything to do with him. In fact, Jia Ping'an was about to dismantle his plans.

Thanks to his companion, Xiao Bai, who had quietly infiltrated the courtyard earlier, Jia Ping'an had already seen everything through his "god-eye" perspective. He had arrived late precisely to wait for this exact moment.

In the film *Let the Bullets Fly*, there was a classic line about earning money while standing tall. Today, Jia Ping'an intended to do exactly that—and earn the gratitude of the very person handing the money over.

"General, this talented young man is..." Unlike Zheng Yugong, who hid his anxiety behind a calm face, Zhou Wenbing could no longer remain composed. This was the grand opening of the Zhou Ginseng Firm, and with so many guests present, the event had been a cold, lackluster affair that cost him dearly in face. Now, with a new distraction to divert the crowd’s attention, he grabbed onto it tightly. He no longer cared who stole his spotlight; he only wanted to salvage what was left of his dignity.

"Oh, Brother Zhou is asking about him? Haha, he is the son of the Imperial Physician Jia Fanghao. Don't let his youth fool you; his medical skills are profound. My mother’s chronic cough was greatly alleviated by his miraculous hands." General Hu was more than happy to introduce him. Since the young man had saved his mother, he was a benefactor, and the General was more than willing to trade a few words for such easy credit.

"So, he is the son of Imperial Physician Jia. A truly impressive young man." Zhou Wenbing was a shrewd man who knew the situation in Changdu well. If Jia Fanghao were merely an ordinary physician, he might not have known him. But because Jia had offended the Noble Consort De and been exiled, it was impossible for Zhou—a loyalist to the Noble Consort Xian—not to know him.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Though Jia Fanghao’s actions were not intended to target the Consort De, the result had pleased his cousin, the Noble Consort Xian. Naturally, Zhou Wenbing favored him. By extension, he felt no ill will toward the son.

Jia Ping'an stood there, bathed in the gazes of the crowd. He knew he wasn't gold or silver and couldn't be liked by everyone, but as long as he wasn't disliked, that would suffice.

Hearing Zhou Wenbing’s praise, he bowed in humble modesty. As he straightened up, he reached into his bag and produced a rectangular box. "Shopkeeper Zhou, hearing of your grand opening and having nothing prepared, I offer this item I just retrieved from the mountains. May it be a joy upon a joy."

Needless to say, the box contained ginseng.

With so many people watching, Jia Ping'an could not simply pull ginseng boxes from his robes as he usually did. He had a lot to accomplish, and he needed a prop to mask the source of his goods. The bag served as the perfect cover for what he was actually pulling from his spatial storage.

"A ginseng box!" Zhou Cai, the manager of the Zhou Ginseng Firm, felt his eyes light up. He couldn't help but take a step forward. The cold atmosphere had been humiliating, and this box was his lifeline. He had already decided that no matter the quality of the ginseng, he would praise it to the heavens and pay a price far above market value. It would be the perfect face-saving mask to prove that the Zhou firm had received premium goods on its opening day.

He took only a small step before remembering the occasion. His eyes darted toward Zhou Wenbing at the head of the table. As a servant, he could not overstep his master’s authority without appearing unrefined and damaging the firm’s reputation.

Zhou Wenbing saw the look and understood his manager’s intent. He, too, was desperate to recover from the embarrassment of the day, and he was more than willing to seize this lifeline.

"Haha, a kind gesture from Young Master Jia. Zhou Cai, go ahead and take a look." Zhou Wenbing nodded, silently condoning the breach of etiquette. When it came to saving face, rules could be set aside.

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Cai, eager to seize the moment, moved toward the box with long, hurried strides. He offered a quick nod to Jia Ping'an, opened the lid, and then... he froze in his tracks.

At that moment, the attention of everyone in the room was fixed on Zhou Cai, waiting for him to speak. Zheng Denggao, the owner of the Zheng Ginseng Firm who had come with Zheng Yugong, was already prepared to expose any lies. If the Zhou firm tried to inflate the value of the ginseng to save face, he would not hesitate to humiliate them in front of everyone.

Zheng Denggao waited, as did the other shopkeepers, eager to see what excuses Zhou Cai would conjure to salvage the day.