“Uncle Yan, stop!” Lu Ying said. “I was the one who sent people to monitor Ding Wu, I was the one who investigated this place, and I was the one who used the substitution scheme to rescue Ding Wu. The person hanging on the waterwheel just now has always been his body double. By now, Ding Wu has already been sent to the Jinyiwei headquarters. Since things have come to this, Uncle Yan, please let it go.”
Those who associate with ink become black. The upright Lu Ying, under Wang Daxia’s constant influence, had also learned to lie. If Yan Shifan were to barge into neighboring houses to search for people, there was only an old caretaker at the Lu family’s other residence. Ding Wu would definitely fall back into Yan Shifan’s hands again.
So Lu Ying simply claimed that Ding Wu had already been taken away.
“You want me to let it go?” Yan Shifan was so angry his fat trembled. “You people conspired to put on quite a show, deceived me, and you still want me to let it go? You keep calling me Uncle, yet at my age, I’ve been played by a junior like you.”
This wasn’t the time to provoke Yan Shifan, or else Wang Daxia would be roasted into Wang Daxia (prawns). Lu Ying rarely showed submission. “Uncle Yan, my second sister is your daughter-in-law. I’ve always respected you as an elder. You and my father have disagreements about how to handle Ding Rukui, but adult matters—I, as a junior, don’t understand. Whatever father says, I do. I’m merely following orders in rescuing Ding Wu. There’s absolutely no question of playing with elders.”
Lu Ying pushed everything onto his biological father, actually reminding Yan Shifan: protecting the Ding father and son was my father’s idea, nothing to do with me. If you want to settle scores, go find my father.
After all, you’re in-laws; you won’t tear each other’s faces off.
Yan Shifan wouldn’t be easily swayed by Lu Ying’s words. “You follow your father’s orders; he follows yours. Young man, before doing anything, you should consider the consequences. Those who offend me—what becomes of them, I’m sure you understand. If you want to be a pawn charging ahead, you should understand that the pawns who charge into battle are always the first to die.”
Having said this, Yan Shifan took the torch and pressed it against Wang Daxia’s arm.
“Ahhhh!”
Wang Daxia screamed miserably as his arm was immediately burned with a large blister!
“Don’t touch him!” Lu Ying tried to rush over to save Wang Daxia, but was held firmly in his chair by two guards, unable to move.
A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him. Under severe pain, Wang Daxia immediately changed his tune. “I was wrong! I beg Minister Yan for mercy! I shouldn’t have been a pawn for the Lu father and son! They only know to make me do things but don’t know how to protect me. I want to defect to Minister Yan’s service, to work for Minister Yan, through fire and water, whatever it takes!”
Having said this, Wang Daxia knelt on the ground begging for mercy.
Yan Shifan stopped the fire torture and brushed aside the wet hair stuck to Wang Daxia’s face, revealing a handsome face.
Yan Shifan examined him carefully. “The person fanning me when I visited Ding Rukui in the death cell that night was you.”
Wang Daxia maintained his kneeling posture, nodding repeatedly with a fawning expression. “Yes, yes, yes. Minister Yan has such a good memory—it was indeed me. It seems I’m destined to follow Minister Yan. This must be fate arranged by heaven.”
When the scheming genius Yan Shifan met the lying wastrel Wang Daxia, it was a battle of the shameless—to see who could be more shameless.
Yan Shifan said to Lu Ying, “It seems your father also has days when he misjudges people. The people he selects are all loyal—even that ugly Wu Mask would rather die than betray him, not revealing a single word. Tonight, this pretty boy was only touched by a torch and already wants to switch sides, defecting to serve under me, kneeling like a dog.”
Having spent time together, Lu Ying and Wang Daxia had developed some understanding. He immediately realized this was a delaying tactic, waiting for his father to bring reinforcements. He quickly put on an angry expression: “A man’s knees are worth their weight in gold—you traitor!”
“What gold? I haven’t seen a bit of it, but I can see this blister on my arm that’s as big as the longevity god’s forehead.” Wang Daxia said pitifully:
“Ding Wu’s life is a life, but mine isn’t? I listened to you and took Ding Wu’s place hanging on that waterwheel, nearly choking to death, half-drowned, and now about to be burned. Wasn’t it agreed that joining the Jinyiwei would mean eating well, drinking well, and reaching life’s pinnacle? This isn’t life’s pinnacle—this is clearly the road to the King of Hell’s palace. Commander Lu, you’re like a well-fed man who doesn’t know a hungry man’s suffering. I don’t have a powerful father in high position—I need to find ways to stay alive.”
Lu Ying said, “Didn’t I come to rescue you? I didn’t abandon you.”
Wang Daxia pointed to the blister on his right arm. “What use is what you think in your heart if you can’t do it? Fortunately it was burned on my arm—if it had been burned on my face, I wouldn’t be able to preserve my handsome looks! Looking this handsome isn’t easy for me!”
Lu Ying scolded, “Greedy for life, afraid of death! You’ve wasted that handsome face!”
Yan Shifan asked Wang Daxia, “Where is Ding Wu?”
“This—” Wang Daxia paused, glancing at Lu Ying with flickering eyes.
Lu Ying was furious, “You dare—”
Yan Shifan blocked Lu Ying with his wall-like body and personally helped Wang Daxia to his feet. “Switching allegiance isn’t just talk—I need your pledge of loyalty. Ding Wu is the best pledge of loyalty. Tell me, where is Ding Wu? Which route did they take to send him to the Jinyiwei headquarters?”
Wang Daxia said, “Commander Lu was lying to you just now. Ding Wu was never sent to the Jinyiwei headquarters. Because Goldfish Pool is far from the inner city, and soon the inner city will close its gates for curfew, it would be difficult to return in time. If they were locked outside, Minister Yan’s people would probably have already gone to arrest him by then. So Commander Lu ordered people to hide Ding Wu in the temple nearest to Goldfish Pool—inside Tianqing Temple.”
Lu Ying said coldly, “Uncle Yan, how can you trust the words of a traitor? He’s lying to you.”
Wang Daxia said, “Minister Yan, my life and property are all in your hands—how could I dare deceive you? Even if you immediately send people to search Tianqing Temple, it would be useless. Such a large temple—heaven knows where they’ve hidden him. Fortunately, they don’t yet know I’ve defected to serve under you. I’m willing to use myself as bait to lure out Ding Wu as my pledge of loyalty to offer to you.”
Lu Ying fell into despairing silence, leaning back in his chair, no longer struggling. But he thought to himself: Finding a chance to escape at Tian’an Temple would be more convenient than this wolf’s den of a residence. Wang Daxia had once “requisitioned” protective amulets and a copper Buddha from Tian’an Temple—those monks probably all recognize him.
Seeing Lu Ying’s expression, Yan Shifan knew Wang Daxia had spoken correctly. “There’s no time to lose—we go now.”
Wang Daxia pointed to his clothes burned through by the torch and the translucent blister. “I need to change clothes and bandage this wound. If they see my injury, they’ll think I couldn’t withstand torture and betrayed Commander Lu.”
Yan Shifan raised an eyebrow. “Ho, quite clever. Someone, treat his wound and bandage it, give him a set of night clothes.”
Wang Daxia deliberately wailed dramatically while being treated, and dawdled when changing clothes, trying to drag out time waiting for reinforcements.
Yan Shifan urged, “Hurry up. I give you half an hour to bring back Ding Wu.”
When Wang Daxia was changing into new clothes, he quietly took out the oil paper packet Wei Caiwei had given him to check. The oil paper was wrapped tightly—the powder inside hadn’t dissolved or gotten wet.
It could still be used. This thing should be able to instantly knock down five people when they’re not on guard.
Wang Daxia hid the oil paper packet and came out after adjusting his clothes. “I’ll go now. I only need five people to bring back Ding Wu.”
Yan Shifan waved his hand. “I’ll give you fifty.”
Fifty and I won’t be able to escape!
Wang Daxia said, “Too many people will alert them—they won’t trust me anymore.”
Yan Shifan said, “Five people will disguise themselves as monks and go with you to Tianqing Temple. The remaining forty-five will follow you from a distance, surrounding Tianqing Temple and guarding all the necessary routes, just in case.”
Wang Daxia frantically flattered him. “Minister Yan thinks of everything—Minister Yan is brilliant!”
What a cunning old fox.
Wang Daxia realized Yan Shifan wasn’t easy to fool, but in the current situation, delaying even a moment was better than nothing. Otherwise, Yan Shifan would use the torch to greet his handsome face.
I can’t be disfigured! I rely on this handsome face. It made Doctor Wei take a liking to me at first sight, prompting Zhou Xiaoqi to shoot that cold arrow that saved my life.
Currently, this face of mine can match Ding Wu’s. If it’s ruined, my greatest advantage would be gone.
Lu Ying secretly worried for Wang Daxia, concerned for his life, not realizing that Wang Daxia, who had drunk a bellyful of Goldfish Pool water, still had the mood to feel jealous even when facing death.
Yan Shifan’s death warriors immediately shaved their heads, changed into monk’s robes, and followed Wang Daxia. Among them was the man who had impersonated Wu Mask.
Wang Daxia waved grandly, “Let’s go.” Now he could only take things one step at a time.
Just as they walked from Ziyu Pavilion to the pond’s edge, they saw the southeast direction of the estate suddenly light up like lightning!
Then the evening wind brought waves of heat and smoky dust.
“Fire! Fire in the bamboo forest!”
A team of guards ran over. “Minister, sir! The bamboo forest is on fire! This place is not safe for staying—leave immediately!”
The Kong family estate was the only place that could prevent the Jinyiwei from barging in to search. How could Yan Shifan easily leave? He said, “If there’s a fire, go fight it. This is Goldfish Pool—water everywhere. What’s there to fear from a bamboo forest fire!”
As soon as he finished speaking, as if the fire felt Yan Shifan’s words had embarrassed her, the southern night sky was again illuminated red by flames.
“The pine forest is also on fire!”
Yan Shifan felt this couldn’t be a coincidence. He asked Wang Daxia, “This fire was set by your accomplices, wasn’t it?”
Wang Daxia thought: Looking at this method of setting fires everywhere, it’s probably Wei Caiwei’s work. He said, “Not us—them. I’m now Minister Yan’s person. This was agreed upon beforehand—if they don’t see me and Commander Lu return for too long, they’ll set fires.”
Yan Shifan asked, “Why set fires?”
“Because—” Wang Daxia also didn’t understand why Wei Caiwei was setting fires everywhere. “Because they think Minister Yan fears death. Goldfish Pool has water ponds and pools everywhere blocking the way—the fire can’t spread to Ziyu Pavilion, but the smoke is too choking. They fear Minister Yan’s precious body can’t endure it.”
Yan Shifan said, “Playing with fire burns oneself—arson and murder. You people quickly arrest this person, bind him with iron wire, and throw him into the fire.”
“Yes!”
Wang Daxia was greatly alarmed!
Yan Shifan urged, “You do your job—go to Tianqing Temple to capture Ding Wu.”
At the same time, Wei Caiwei’s figure was illuminated by the firelight as a group of guards chased after her. Wei Caiwei couldn’t outrun them at all. She opened the oil paper packet and scattered the powder behind her. The guards were caught off guard—their eyes, noses, throats, everywhere the powder touched felt like flames burning.
The guards screamed and rolled on the ground covering their eyes.
Wei Caiwei temporarily escaped, fleeing toward the plum grove. Another wave of guards gave chase. If not for Yan Shifan’s orders to capture her alive for burning, Wei Caiwei would probably have been shot full of holes already.
Just then, scaling ladders were placed against the estate gates. Well-trained Jinyiwei climbed the ladders, scaled the walls to enter the courtyard, drove off the gatekeepers, and opened the gates.
Lu Bing rode his horse, first to cross the gate threshold and gallop in, followed by about five hundred Jinyiwei cavalry. These elite troops were like a human wall, separating Wei Caiwei from her pursuers.
Wei Caiwei hurriedly told Lu Bing, “Wang Daxia and Commander Lu are both at Ziyu Pavilion.”
Lu Bing rode straight to Ziyu Pavilion, surrounding Goldfish Pool. At this time, the dawdling Wang Daxia hadn’t yet had time to go out to “capture people.”
Minister Yan sneered, “Well done, Commander Lu. You even dare to break into the Sage’s descendant’s estate. It seems tomorrow the censors will have things to say. Commander Lu, just wait to be impeached.”
Lu Bing pointed to the great fires all around and instructed his subordinates, “What are you all standing around for? Go help put out the fires!”
Lu Bing smiled at his in-law, “Minister Yan misunderstands. I came to fight fires. Seeing the neighbors’ houses on fire, how could I stand by and watch? When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. If the Kong family estate burns, my family can’t escape either.”
Wang Daxia immediately understood Wei Caiwei’s purpose in setting the fires: it was to create a reasonable excuse for Lu Bing to enter and exit the Kong family estate.
Author’s Note: Yan Shifan: Another scheme.