Youzhou Prefecture Jail.

The prefectural magistrate of Youzhou, Yan Youwei, craned his neck to peer toward the cells, then heaved a sigh and muttered to himself: “What in the world is going on?”

Half a day ago, these people had been arrested — and by the garrison troops, no less. By rights, prisoners taken by garrison troops should never have been sent to the Youzhou prefecture jail; they ought to have been taken back to the garrison camp. Yet here they were, delivered to his doorstep, and so Yan Youwei, with his many years of official experience, had concluded with certainty that this business was not nearly so simple as it appeared.

Delivered they were, and not long after, Young General Luo Jing had sent word through a messenger: keep them locked up, no beating, no humiliation — and treat them with courtesy, at that.

What in the world was going on?

If they were to be treated with courtesy, why lock them up at all?

But who dared disobey the Young General’s orders? The prefectural magistrate of Youzhou, for all that he was nominally an official of the imperial court, was no different from a house retainer of the Luo family while in Youzhou. The Great General had passed away, but the Young General had taken command of the Youzhou army, and this was still the Luo family’s territory. Here, Luo Jing was as good as the emperor.

“My lord.”

A jailer came out from the cell block, looking rather put out.

“These people must be out of their minds. Just now, you told me to go in and ask what they needed — and they truly did not see themselves as criminals at all.”

The jailer said: “One of them wants roasted chicken, another wants braised pork knuckle, and yet another wants abalone…”

Yan Youwei said: “Whatever we have, bring it. Whatever we don’t, let it go. These people’s origins are unknown, but the Young General has instructed that they be treated with courtesy. I suspect that these people came to Youzhou either because they have something to ask of the Young General, or the Young General has something to ask of them — otherwise, why such treatment? This is simply the Young General’s way of giving them a little show of authority.”

The jailer said: “You call this a show of authority? One of the fellows in there, after asking for food, turned around and asked me — do you have any girls available…”

Yan Youwei burst out laughing despite himself.

He gave his instructions: “Off you go. Bring whatever food we have. If all else fails, order a full table from Jude Tower and have it brought over. Wine too.”

The jailer asked: “And the girls?”

Yan Youwei planted a kick squarely on the jailer’s backside and cursed: “What the hell is wrong with you? He asks for girls and you provide them too?”

He turned and walked away, still wondering to himself just what in the hell these people’s backgrounds were — truly not treating themselves as outsiders at all.

“My lord, my lord.”

The jailer came chasing after him again, looking utterly exasperated: “That fellow who asked for girls just said that if there are no girls to be had, could we please send him a foot-masseuse — he says he wants his feet kneaded…”

Yan Youwei stamped his foot in fury: “Find one! Find the lot of it! Just find whatever they want!”

He left the jail and had barely returned to the magistrate’s hall when he looked up and saw Young General Luo Jing sitting in his magistrate’s chair as though it were his own.

Yan Youwei hastened forward and bowed: “This official pays his respects to the Young General.”

Luo Jing made a sound of acknowledgement and asked in an offhand tone: “How are those people doing? Any trouble?”

Yan Youwei replied: “No trouble to speak of, though they are indeed… rather difficult to accommodate. They’ve actually asked for a foot-masseuse…”

Luo Jing was taken aback.

He thought to himself — this fellow truly deserves a good thrashing…

Luo Jing then turned to look at the officer who had arrested Li Chi and the others. “What is your name?”

The officer answered at once: “Reporting to the Young General — this subordinate is called Dou Shaofang.”

Luo Jing said: “Tell me again, carefully, what the situation was when you arrested them.”

Dou Shaofang gave a thorough account of just how arrogant Li Chi had been at the city gate. When Luo Jing heard the part where Li Chi had told Dou Shaofang to write him a receipt, his brow arched slightly upward.

Luo Jing asked at once: “And did you write him a receipt?”

Dou Shaofang said: “No — these people were so outrageously bold that after we apprehended them, I had someone report to the Young General with all haste. On receiving the Young General’s orders, I did not bring them to our military camp, but had them sent here to the prefecture jail instead.”

Luo Jing sighed: “That’s going to cause trouble…”

He gave his instructions: “Go at once and take a careful inventory of the confiscated belongings. Draw up a proper receipt and bring it to me. Not a single item short, mind you.”

Dou Shaofang said: “The Young General need not worry. Nothing will be short, and nothing will be added.”

Luo Jing said: “As long as nothing is short — a little extra doesn’t matter much…”

This response left Dou Shaofang and the others thoroughly bewildered, so much so that even Yan Youwei could not resist asking out of sheer curiosity: “Young General, who exactly are these people?”

After a moment’s silence, Luo Jing replied: “Villains.”

Half an hour later, Luo Jing staged a hurried entrance. Walking into the cell, he found Li Chi and the others in the middle of eating dinner.

They had been arrested by midday, with no lunch to speak of, and the dinner spread was actually quite lavish — and from the looks of it, these people were eating very happily indeed.

“Oh my, look at this mess,” Luo Jing said, striding in with an apologetic expression and turning to Li Chi. “You see, my men truly have no manners — didn’t even ask who you were before grabbing you like that. I only just found out…”

Li Chi said: “The Young General has worked hard.”

Luo Jing said: “Not at all, not at all. It is you who have been wronged.”

Li Chi said: “The Young General has worked hard indeed… worked hard at holding it in. If you want to laugh, don’t hold back — it’s bad for you. Your lips are already twitching…”

Luo Jing: “Heh heh… ho ho… ha ha ha ha ha.”

He sat down and looked at Li Chi. “Can you really blame me? You come all this way without sending anyone ahead to give notice. If my men truly had no manners, you’d have gotten a thorough beating first and questions later.”

Li Chi said: “I had that factored in. If they’d beaten us, I could have demanded extra compensation for medical expenses on the way out. I’ve been living rather lean lately.”

Luo Jing narrowed his eyes at him: “The weapons and equipment we confiscated — I’ve already ordered an inventory. Not a single item short. I’ll have the receipt brought to you presently.”

Li Chi said: “Relax. Would I quibble over a trifle like this? No need for an inventory. You don’t really trust me, do you? Given how well you know me — can’t you already tell, receipt or no receipt, the count won’t match up either way…”

Luo Jing: “You truly have no shame.”

Li Chi said: “I’m a poor lad from the countryside, and you’re the big city grandee. I’ve come all this way — how could I go home without carrying a little something extra? There are quite a few mouths back home, all squalling like little piglets waiting to be fed…”

He bit into a chicken leg and mumbled through his mouthful: “They have nothing to eat or drink, and here I am gorging on delicacies. How could I have any appetite?”

Luo Jing said: “You have no appetite?”

He looked at the pile of bones in front of Li Chi.

The jailer, standing by the cell door, muttered as if to himself: “No appetite… you’ve put away four whole roasted chickens yourself. And six steamed buns.”

Luo Jing calculated this intake and nodded: “That does seem like it’s barely enough.”

This thoroughly alarmed the jailer, who thought to himself — barely enough?

“Let’s go,” Luo Jing said. “You’ve eaten and drunk your fill. Let’s move somewhere else to talk. You surely didn’t come all this way just to cadge a meal.”

Li Chi said: “I’m not going.”

Luo Jing: “You’re still trying to squeeze something out of me?”

Li Chi said: “That’s right.”

Luo Jing: “Don’t push it… don’t push it too far.”

Li Chi said: “One thousand suits of iron armor. Unless I get them, I’m not leaving. I’ll just stay here in your jail. The food is quite acceptable.”

Luo Jing said: “Nonsense. One thousand suits of iron armor — why don’t you just eat people instead?”

Li Chi looked at him without a word, blinking those great innocent, guileless eyes of his.

Luo Jing sighed: “Stop looking at me like that. I’m not a fool. You think you can just extort me and I’ll roll over?”

Li Chi kept blinking those big eyes at him. Luo Jing began to feel a little uneasy under the gaze.

After a moment, Luo Jing said: “I’ll give you ten suits of iron armor, plus five hundred suits of leather armor. Not a piece more.”

Li Chi stood up at once: “Deal.”

Luo Jing asked: “Did I give too much?”

Li Chi said: “What do you mean by too much…”

Luo Jing asked again: “You came to me asking for a thousand suits of iron armor — setting aside how unrealistic iron armor is, let’s just talk about the leather armor. If I’d offered three hundred and you’d agreed, that would tell me your rock-bottom figure. So tell me — what did you actually want at minimum?”

Li Chi said: “Fifty.”

Luo Jing: “You absolute son of a—”

Li Chi: “Cursing is unbecoming.”

Luo Jing said: “I’ve been robbed blind and I’m not even allowed to curse?”

Li Chi thought it over — there was something to that — and so said with great magnanimity: “Go ahead then. As long as it makes you feel better…”

That expression — the consummate scoundrel, through and through.

An hour later, in the General’s mansion.

Li Chi took a sip of tea and glanced at Luo Jing. It was clear that Luo Jing had been stirred by the proposal, though he had not yet made up his mind.

“How could you possibly be as good-hearted as you make out?”

Luo Jing narrowed his eyes at Li Chi, his voice laden with distrust.

“You say you don’t want Jizhou, you’ll help me take Jizhou, and you’ll help me find a way to take revenge — and you won’t take advantage of my army going out to launch a sneak attack on my Youzhou. A deal with absolutely nothing in it for you — you’d actually do that?”

When Li Chi finished listening, he sighed: “Why do you think I’m the kind of person who won’t lift a finger without something in it for himself?”

He turned to Mister Yan, who sat beside him: “Sir, am I that kind of person?”

Mister Yan found the question difficult to answer, so he gave an awkward laugh.

Luo Jing thereupon concluded that this Mister Yan was an honest soul…

Li Chi then turned to Yu Jiuling: “Am I?”

Yu Jiuling said: “You are.”

Li Chi said: “Think about it again.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Or — you’re not?”

Luo Jing coughed a few times and said: “Let’s just be direct about it. You’re going to help me take Jizhou and help me take my revenge — what’s your price?”

Li Chi said, with the utmost sincerity: “I want nothing.”

Luo Jing shook his head: “I don’t believe you. You definitely want something. And it’s definitely going to make things difficult for me — which is exactly why you’re saying you want nothing.”

Li Chi said: “Am I the sort of person who turns down good things when they’re on offer? This time, I genuinely only want to help you, with no compensation and no conditions. The lofty and noble-spirited sort.”

Luo Jing said: “You truly want nothing?”

Li Chi said: “Nothing, nothing — I said nothing and I mean nothing.”

Luo Jing suddenly rose to his feet, clasped his hands toward Li Chi in a bow and said: “Consider this my plea — just name a price. A person like you asking for nothing — that makes me afraid to agree at all. If you won’t name your terms yourself, I’ll decide what to give you.”

Li Chi sighed: “Look at you. What’s all this for.”

He turned to Yu Jiuling: “We did genuinely come here with noble intentions. But since General Luo insists with such warmth… I suppose we might reluctantly accept a little something?”

Yu Jiuling: “Ahem…”

Luo Jing said: “Just tell me what you want!”

Li Chi said: “When you take Jizhou, I want grain. There are a few thousand brothers on our side waiting to eat — we need a supply.”

Luo Jing said: “Done!”

Li Chi added: “Winter is just around the corner, and my brothers still don’t have proper clothing…”

Luo Jing: “It’s the height of summer!”

Li Chi: “Is it? The days really do fly!”

Luo Jing: “…”

He looked at Li Chi and said: “Here’s what I’ll do. As long as you help me take Jizhou and kill Pan Nuo — except for the city of Jizhou itself, which cannot be yours — everything inside that city is yours to take, whatever you like.”

Li Chi stood up: “Such sincerity? Such generosity?”

Luo Jing said: “Stop talking in circles. Yes or no?”

Li Chi said: “When you put it so earnestly, how could I not trust you? So why don’t you write it down, and stamp it with your handprint when you’re done.”

Luo Jing: “…”

—