Han Qian retrieved the slip of paper from Gao Shao’s hand and methodically tore the palm-sized note into tiny pieces, but his face had already turned ice-cold.
Xue Ruogu felt even more awkward. Not understanding the situation, he assumed that Han Daoxun and the others were extremely enraged by the arrogant posture of Yang Zaili, Xiang Jianlong, Xi Zhen, and Feng Changyu in avoiding their arrival.
Though Xue Ruogu served as Chief Clerk, he was isolated from news in Xuzhou.
Officials previously assigned to this godforsaken place called Xuzhou were typically those who had fallen from grace or favor.
Take Wang Yu, for instance—even as Prefect, he had only two old servants and two household guards attending him. When he died, his remains nearly couldn’t be sent back to his hometown.
Han Daoxun’s assignment to Xuzhou this time was entirely different in style.
Even though Han Qian had ordered a considerable portion of the elite troops to travel covertly through the wilderness midway, the three boats still carried over sixty people in total, nearly forty of whom were robust and fully armed elite soldiers—more than enough to project the imposing authority of the new Prefect.
Seeing Han Daoxun’s grim expression, Xue Ruogu assumed he was annoyed by the local officials’ neglect, which seemed perfectly normal.
However, Zhou Yourui secretly detected something amiss. After all, having followed the Han father and son back to Xuzhou for seven or eight days on the same boat, she had learned from their conversations that they possessed a clear understanding of Xuzhou’s situation.
If it were merely Yang Zaili and other officials avoiding them, it shouldn’t have caused Han Daoxun and his closest confidants to suddenly act as if facing a great enemy.
“This servant should also return to the Music Bureau offices to report from leave. Many thanks to Your Excellency for your care along the way.” Zhou Yourui didn’t know what had happened, but sensing an atmosphere of oppressive tension like gathering storm clouds, she thought that having arrived in Qianyang, she should tactfully take her leave first.
“Having just arrived in Xuzhou, I will host a welcoming banquet at the residence tonight. Please don’t find it too tiresome, Miss Zhou—remember to come for a cup of wine after reporting at the offices.” Han Daoxun said to Zhou Yourui.
Zhou Yourui was slightly startled, feeling it somewhat inappropriate. Just as she was about to politely decline, she heard Han Qian standing beside him say with a laugh to his father, “Father, do you still insist on entering the city?”
“If they’ve deliberately set up an empty city stratagem and I’m too frightened to enter, wouldn’t that make me the laughingstock of the realm?” Han Daoxun smiled coldly.
Zhou Yourui’s heart trembled as she realized that the Han father and son’s words meant they believed Qianyang City was filled with murderous intent.
Zhou Yourui bowed respectfully to Han Daoxun and said, “Attending banquets with song is this servant’s duty. I shall first return to the offices, then come pay my respects to Your Excellency.” She then took her bundle of change clothes and disembarked first to enter the city.
The bewildered Xue Ruogu sent an old soldier running to the city gate to summon the junior officer of the provincial garrison on duty.
The provincial garrison officer didn’t dare show disrespect to the new Prefect. While commandeering several carriages near the gate, he brought over a dozen soldiers to help unload trunks and other items from the boats onto the carts.
Han Qian noticed the thirty-some bare-chested trackers still waiting at the dock and quietly instructed Fan Xicheng, “Go tell Feng Xuan to come into the city with us to collect his reward money.”
Though Feng Xuan also bore the surname Feng, he wasn’t from the same branch as Qianyang County Magistrate Feng Changyu, and he shouldn’t have any direct collusion with the Feng, Yang, Xi, and Xiang families.
Otherwise, others wouldn’t need to plant additional spies among his tracker crew to monitor them.
However, with two spies planted by others among the trackers Feng Xuan led, it was impossible he didn’t know about it.
The four families had all evacuated their dependents from the city. Qianyang City was filled with murderous intent. Han Qian still didn’t know what schemes the opposition had, but since his father wasn’t afraid of danger and insisted on entering the city, he thought having Feng Xuan come in with them to collect reward money would further test how much this man actually knew.
Fan Xicheng jumped off the boat to speak with Feng Xuan. Looking over in surprise a couple times, Feng Xuan appeared puzzled but raised no objections. Instead, he brought several people to help load the trunks and other items onto carts before heading into the city.
Qianyang City measured six hundred paces square. Riding a fast horse around the city wouldn’t even take the time to brew a cup of tea—the city was truly small. Yet the provincial and county offices, the six administrative bureaus, the Music Bureau offices, along with teahouses, taverns, markets, and pleasure quarters were all present.
Lotus Garden, where successive Prefects resided, served as the rear residence of the provincial office. Built in the early years of the previous dynasty and renovated and expanded during the tenure of over a dozen Prefects, it had become a six-acre estate with considerable water-town charm from south of the Yangtze River. The buildings all featured blue brick and black tile, distinctly different from the local stilt-house dwellings, and had high courtyard walls separating it from the surrounding streets and alleys.
Walking into Lotus Garden, if not for Xuzhou’s remote location and the pervasive murderous atmosphere, Han Qian would have wanted to stay here rather than return to Jinling.
The garden contained numerous buildings in orderly arrangement, with over a dozen courtyards—not only enough to house Fan Xicheng and others with their families, but also with many rooms to spare for temporary lodging of Left Bureau scouts and the troops Yang Qin had brought.
As everyone entered Lotus Garden, Han Zhou Shi, Qing Yun, and Zhao Ting’er led the womenfolk in busily cleaning the residence while frantically preparing for the evening banquet—none of them understanding why it had to be held today, when everyone was in such chaos.
Lin Jingzong and Guo Nu’er led the household guards and assembled Left Bureau scouts in monitoring activities inside and outside the compound.
Apart from Xue Ruogu, other officials had remained in the city.
These officials were mostly appointed through the Ministry of Personnel’s selection process, primarily mid and low-ranking clerks. They didn’t believe Han Daoxun could stir up anything upon arrival, nor that a man demoted to this godforsaken post could bring them any benefit.
Not wanting to offend the four clans, they hadn’t joined Xue Ruogu in greeting at the provincial border, but with the new Prefect now residing in the official residence, they still had to come pay their respects.
Han Daoxun needed to receive Xue Ruogu and other officials in the west courtyard. Han Qian had Fan Xicheng bring Feng Xuan to the east courtyard to see him.
Feng Xuan entered the hall to find Prefect’s son Han Qian seated by an eight-immortals table, beside which sat over a dozen strings of copper coins. Truly believing there was reward money beyond the agreed wages, he was about to express gratitude when he saw brilliant light flashing in Han Qian’s eyes. Looking again at Zhao Wuji, Gao Shao, Tian Cheng, Yang Qin and others standing beside Han Qian, all emanating murderous aura with hands pressed to sword hilts or bow arms at their waists, he instinctively felt a chill shoot straight up his spine from his tailbone.
“…” Not knowing what had happened, Feng Xuan stepped back slightly, like a wild beast fallen into a trap, watching everyone with wariness and slight agitation.
“Do you know that conspiring with others to assassinate the new Prefect is a crime punishable by clan extermination?” Since Feng Xuan entered the residence unarmed, Han Qian didn’t rush to bind him but stared into his eyes and asked coldly.
“Feng Xuan doesn’t know what the Young Master is talking about.” As Han Daoxun would be the parental official of all Xuzhou, Feng Xuan naturally addressed Han Qian as “Young Master” with respect.
“Yang Zaili, Xiang Jianlong, Xi Zhen, and Feng Changyu aren’t in the city to receive my father, and last night they even evacuated their dependents from the city. Do you truly not know what this means?” Han Qian asked.
From entering the provincial border to mooring outside Qianyang City, then taking up residence at Lotus Garden, Yang Zaili, Xiang Jianlong, Xi Zhen, and Feng Changyu had never appeared, nor had any local officials born of the four great clans shown themselves. Feng Xuan had assumed the four great clans wanted to intimidate the new Prefect, but hadn’t imagined they had evacuated their families from the city yesterday.
However foolish, Feng Xuan knew great upheaval would occur in the city, and that Han Qian suspected him of colluding with the four clans.
If he couldn’t explain clearly now, whether the Han father and son survived the deadly trap set by the four great clans was another matter—he certainly couldn’t expect to leave Lotus Garden alive.
“Gao Bao and Xi Cheng were forcibly planted by Feng Changyu’s son, Judicial Participant Feng Jin,” seeing that Han Qian had already thoroughly investigated everything in Qianyang City upon arrival, Feng Xuan could understand why he’d been detained. “Whichever crew of trackers waiting at the riverbank Your Young Master hired, these two men had to be included. All boatmen and trackers traveling the Wu and Yuan Rivers dare not easily offend the Feng Changyu and Feng Jin father and son. But beyond this, Feng Xuan knew nothing of their intent to harm the Prefect.”
“How can I prove you harbor no murderous intent toward my father and spare you?” Han Qian asked coldly, staring into Feng Xuan’s eyes.
“What does the Young Master wish Feng Xuan to do to prove himself?” Feng Xuan asked.
Han Qian waved his hand. Feng Xuan then saw that Gao Bao and Xi Cheng had somehow been captured by Han Qian’s men and were being brought in bound hand and foot, their mouths gagged with large hollow wooden beads that didn’t obstruct breathing but prevented them from making sounds.
“You kill these two men, and I’ll believe you have no murderous intent toward my father.” Han Qian gestured for Gao Shao to hand Feng Xuan a short blade, continuing to stare at him. “You have calluses from gripping blades—surely you don’t lack the courage to kill?”
Feng Xuan gasped, dropping to his knees. He didn’t take the blade Gao Shao offered, instead saying stubbornly, “Feng Xuan’s family has tilled land and pulled trackers for generations. My martial training was merely to strengthen my body—I dare not kill anyone. Moreover, though Gao Bao and Xi Cheng harbored spying intentions, their crime doesn’t warrant death.”
Han Qian stared at Feng Xuan for a long moment, watching him clench his jaw and adamantly refuse to take the blade and kill.
Tian Cheng and Zhao Kuo took rope and bound Feng Xuan securely. Han Qian asked again, “You still have a chance to reconsider. Once I verify that someone in the city truly plots to harm my father, don’t blame me for being ruthless—I’ll slaughter your village until not even chickens or dogs remain!”
Seeing the murderous intent in Han Qian’s eyes and that he didn’t seem to be merely threatening, Feng Xuan’s heart trembled and his lips twitched for a moment. Finally closing his eyes, he said, “Feng Xuan acts only to maintain a clear conscience.”
“You’re certainly stubborn, damn you!” Han Qian kicked Feng Xuan to the ground, then turned his cold stare toward Gao Bao and Xi Cheng. “Between you two, I only need one alive for questioning. Whoever is willing to live and answer my questions, please nod your head. The first to nod lives.”
Xi Cheng stared fearlessly at Han Qian, his eyes filled with hatred. Gao Bao hesitated momentarily and was about to nod, but froze pale-faced under Xi Cheng’s piercing gaze.
Han Qian took the short blade from Gao Shao, cut the ropes binding Gao Bao, then forcibly shoved the blade into his hand, saying, “If you want to live, stab Xi Cheng to death. If you want Xi Cheng to live, either stab yourself to death, or you can try taking me hostage…”
Grasping the blade Han Qian had thrust upon him, Gao Bao began trembling involuntarily.