across the table. ‘Here is your payment for the month and I want to discuss terms for resolving the entirety of my father’s debt.’
‘Terms?’ Zōu barked out a laugh. ‘I rather like the current terms as they are.’
Of all the creditors, his father’s debt to Zōu was the greatest and the most unfathomable. Fei Long found out that Old Man Liang had been making monthly payments for over a year, yet the debt had not decreased.
‘How much does my father owe you in total, my lord?’ He forced the honorific out through gritted teeth. ‘This debt will be settled.’
At that, Zōu’s smile dissipated to be replaced with a cold, shrewd look. ‘Your father is dead,’ he sneered. ‘This is money you now owe me, my lord.’
‘And I intend to pay our debt, but you will no longer bleed us each month. Tell me how much.’
Zōu shook his head patronisingly. ‘Fei Long, my friend. You would do well to learn to be more like your father. He was a spirited fellow. The room always glowed brighter when he arrived. We regret his loss.’
‘The number,’ Fei Long demanded.
Zōu didn’t blink. ‘Two million cash.’
Hot anger speared through him. ‘You lie.’
‘Two million,’ Zōu repeated calmly, ‘since you’ve shown yourself to be so inflexible.’
‘There is no way my father could owe you that much.’
‘What do you wish to see, my young lord? Proof? Your father was always a cheerful, charismatic fellow. We’d drink, trade jokes. “Bull,” he’d say. “Just between friends, I don’t have your money today.” “No problem,” I’d say. Never a problem. I have marker after marker, stamped with your father’s seal. I have marker after marker that he signed when he couldn’t pay for those first markers. The Bull is a businessman, not a cheat.’
Fei Long’s stomach turned. This is what Liang had been afraid to tell him.
‘There must be—’ he shoved the words out ‘—some deal we can arrange.’
‘There is no deal. The Chang family owes and it must pay. You see, your father was a remarkable man. As a gambler, he was always a failure, but he had such powerful friends behind him. There was always more money to be found somewhere. Why, I hear you had several expensive gifts delivered to your beloved sister from the Emperor himself.’ Zōu nodded smugly. ‘I think I like the arrangement we had. Why change such a beautiful partnership?’
Fei Long clenched his fists so tight they shook. His father had let himself be trapped by this demon. He couldn’t let it go on. He wouldn’t.
‘This is something we’ll no doubt need to discuss.’ He regarded the slum lord evenly. To show his anger would be a weakness. ‘For now, I’ll take one of those markers.’
Zōu’s smile dropped. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
‘My father owed you money and I’ve paid part of his debt. Return the marker.’
‘You don’t understand, young Lord Chang. This monthly payment is merely interest.’
‘I do understand. Money lenders are not allowed to collect excessive penalties. Abusive usury is quite illegal. I’ll have the marker now…or should I consider what other illegal activities you practise?’
They locked gazes. The den lord’s eyes beaded within his rounded face.
‘You did mention how my father had some very powerful friends,’ Fei Long said lightly.
Zōu’s mouth twisted. ‘Orchid! Bring the box.’
The Bull continued to scowl at him while his painted concubine brought over a lacquered box inlaid with mother of pearl. He opened it and, without looking, fished out a wooden marker and tossed it across the table.
‘I’ll see you again next month, Chang Fei Long.’
Chapter Twelve
Summer was coming to Changan and so was the light, easy gaiety that came with it. The trees along the main avenues yielded a bounty of peaches and plums. The morning sun roused the household into activity early and by the afternoon all of the windows and doors of the house were thrown open to let the breeze flow through.
It was the sort of day that made it hard to concentrate indoors. Fei Long found himself rising to look out the window into the courtyard, or scan the bookshelves. Anything to stop from thinking about numbers. Fei Long had come to hate the clicking of Old Man Liang’s abacus. He listened to the desolate sound of the counting beads every morning while the steward went through the accounts.
He was still staring out the window when the door opened. He turned to find Yan Ling standing beside the desk and he willed himself to relax. Their hours together were a sanctuary of