While speaking, Ding Wu untied the bundle on the back of the fallen soldier. “Look, from the outside this bundle appears bulging and full, as if he was carrying a lot of luggage for a long journey. But inside there’s only one thick cotton coat and pants, not even a pair of shoes. Moreover, Yunnan has spring-like weather year-round – there’s no need for thick cotton coats at all. This was just for show.”
Taking out the money pouch, he counted the silver inside. “A few pieces of broken silver, half a string of coins – how could this be enough for travel expenses to Yunnan? And all along the way you’d have to stay in free post stations, which require official passes issued by the Embroidered Uniform Guard before the station officials would let you stay. Where are those passes? They don’t exist. If I hadn’t seen through the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s scheme to cross the river and burn the bridge, Wuli Village would have been your burial ground.”
Wu Dianyong immediately knelt and bowed. “Thank you, Boss Ding, for saving my life! I thought Boss Ding had forgotten about me after getting out of prison. I never expected Boss Ding to be so righteous, never forgetting to help me escape.”
“Don’t rush to thank me. I saved you out of selfish motives, not out of righteousness.” Ding Wu vigilantly looked around. Every sound seemed threatening, as if enemies were hidden everywhere. He kicked the fallen soldier into the roadside ditch and covered the bloodstains on the ground with fallen leaves. “Let’s leave this place of trouble first, then I’ll slowly explain to you.”
Wu Dianyong was still in shock, also seeing danger everywhere. Unfamiliar with the roads of Wuli Village, he had no choice but to follow Ding Wu in escape.
After their footsteps faded away, the soldier who had rolled into the ditch and supposedly died opened his eyes and got up. He pulled out the blade from his chest with his bare hands – it was made of cardboard, convincingly fake, stuck to his clothes to look like a knife had pierced through his chest. The blood was pig’s blood. The soldier had acted well, not making a sound when pushed into the ditch.
Ding Wu had pushed him down because he worried Wu Dianyong might discover the fake death. After all, living people need to breathe, and if one looked carefully, the rising and falling chest could still be seen.
The big fish had taken the bait. The soldier immediately returned to report.
Ding Wu led the panicked, fleeing Wu Dianyong through the woodland to a wheat field. Following a small river alongside the wheat field northward, the stream converged with a larger river – the Tongzhou River. They had reached the Tongzhou canal transport area. Summer grain from the south was being transported to Tongzhou Port day and night to supply the capital. Though the Daming Dynasty had moved its capital a hundred years ago, the north’s grain production could never satisfy the huge population, so grain had to be transported from the south via waterways every year.
Along the way, Ding Wu told Wu Dianyong about his father Ding Rukui’s death from illness in prison and how he had become a pariah, notorious throughout the capital.
Wu Dianyong comforted him: “Boss Ding, please accept my condolences. They are blind, causing Boss Ding’s talents to be obscured like a pearl covered in dust.”
Ding Wu gave a mocking laugh. “With my father dead, vindication is hopeless. The Embroidered Uniform Guard still wants to send me back to that bitter cold place Tieling. My sworn sister was of some use, helping to negotiate, so they agreed to wait until after my father’s forty-ninth day memorial before the exile. I hate Tieling – how can it compare to the capital’s prosperity? Once I go there, I’ll never be able to return. So—”
Ding Wu stopped walking and looked directly into Wu Dianyong’s eyes: “I’ve thought it through. The Daming Dynasty abandoned us father and son, killed my mother, and forced me into a corner. Why should I still uphold loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness? I want you to take me to join the White Lotus Sect and surrender to An Da Khan.”
Wu Dianyong was so shocked he stepped back repeatedly. “The Four Great Leaders is a thing of the past. I’ve long since abandoned darkness for light. Besides, because of me, Prince Yu’s branch was completely annihilated. The sect leader will definitely not forgive me and has surely issued a death warrant within the sect. Whoever kills me will have achieved great merit and be rewarded. Now neither the court nor the White Lotus Sect can tolerate me. I must live the rest of my life under a false name. How would I dare show myself again?”
Indeed, the people of the capital most hated the White Lotus Sect members who had guided An Da Khan’s army. Though the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s overnight raid on two White Lotus Sect lairs failed to capture sect leader Zhao Quan, it was still considered a great success. Those White Lotus Sect members who were captured alive, after severe torture, were all marked for beheading by Emperor Jiajing with his vermillion brush, taking the “fast death track” without waiting for the year-end death penalty review, and were beheaded for public display on Chessboard Street at Daming Gate.
On the execution day, the crowd of spectators was like a mountain and sea – they were all people who had lost relatives in the Gengwu Rebellion ten years ago.
That day fifty-seven heads were chopped off, but not the head of Wu Dianyong, the highest-ranking leader. Even thinking with his toes, sect leader Zhao Quan could guess that Wu Dianyong was the culprit who betrayed the White Lotus Sect and caused Prince Yu’s complete annihilation.
Ding Wu pressed closer step by step. “I said before, don’t rush to thank me. I saved you out of selfish motives – this is my selfish motive. I want to join the White Lotus Sect and An Da Khan, to work with them to overthrow the Ming Dynasty and avenge the humiliation I’ve suffered these years. But I lack connections for introduction and have no way to surrender. You don’t need to show yourself – just take me to where the White Lotus Sect gathers, point out the location, and I’ll go myself. Then you can fly far away.”
Wu Dianyong said: “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I’ve truly confessed everything I knew about the White Lotus Sect’s lairs and spies within the Daming territory. Even the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn’t squeeze anything more out of me, which is why they discarded me like worn-out shoes.”
Ding Wu said: “There may be none within Daming territory, but there must be some outside Daming territory, in An Da Khan’s domain, right? Take me to the northwest. I’m going to surrender to him anyway.”
Wu Dianyong still refused. “In An Da Khan’s territory, the White Lotus Sect isn’t a heretical religion but a sect recognized by the Khan’s court. They can openly gather, hold rituals, and recruit new followers. If you cross the border, you can just ask anyone for directions.”
Ding Wu said: “You’re a leader, so of course you speak easily. I’m an exile who killed Embroidered Uniform Guards and saved a White Lotus Sect leader – even crossing the border safely would be problematic. I now have nothing but some silver – I don’t even have travel permits to cross checkpoints. I need your help with everything.”
Wu Dianyong was a selfish person. Though Ding Wu had just saved him, he only wanted to protect himself and quickly said: “Boss Ding, I really want to help you, but following me is dangerous. When the Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn’t get word back from the killers, they’ll definitely send people to search Wuli Village. Their tracking dogs are formidable. Once they find the killed soldier, they’ll know I’ve escaped and will issue a nationwide manhunt. Then my portrait will be posted everywhere. If we travel together, I’ll implicate you. Better that you find your own way to cross mountains and slip out of the country. You won’t need travel permits or border crossing documents – that’s how smuggling merchants do it.”
Ding Wu insisted on traveling with Wu Dianyong: “You’ll be subject to a nationwide manhunt, but I won’t be? My father’s forty-ninth day is at the end of this month. When the Embroidered Uniform Guard comes to take me for exile to Tieling, they’ll discover I’ve taken my valuables and run.”
Wu Dianyong had even more reason to refuse: “So we’re both fugitives – double the danger. All the more reason not to travel together. Besides, we were both in prison together. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will probably guess that we two are – well, birds of a feather. If we travel together, won’t we be walking right into their net?”
Ding Wu said: “Shopkeeper Wu, Leader Wu, with your abilities, you must have accumulated quite a bit of private savings over the years and prepared various escape routes – like a cunning rabbit with three burrows. You must have new travel permits, road passes, border crossing documents, disguise tools and clothes all ready. It’s just that your luck was bad and you were caught by the Embroidered Uniform Guard before you had a chance to use any of your burrows. I saved you, so you help me too. Give me a new identity and show me a way to survive, otherwise—”
Ding Wu pointed at the endless stream of people at Tongzhou Port: “I’ll shout loudly, and both our heads will roll on Chessboard Street together.”
Wu Dianyong couldn’t believe it: “You – how can you do this! If so, what was the point of saving me? You’d be trapping yourself too – you’re the one who killed that soldier, it has nothing to do with me!”
Ding Wu said: “If I don’t take this gamble, I’ll be exiled to Tieling. I saved you, putting us in the same boat, so I can borrow your ‘boat’ to cross the river. Killing that soldier was my pledge of allegiance, showing my sincerity in cooperating with you. How could there be such a thing as a free lunch? I couldn’t incur a murder charge for nothing.”
Both were no good characters, using each other.
Wu Dianyong thought: Indeed so. A person like Ding Wu who lives off others – if he wasn’t seeking profit, how could he help me for no reason?
If he truly had a warm heart and helped for no reason, I’d suspect he had some sinister ulterior motive!
Since it’s an exchange of interests, that makes it easier to discuss.
Wu Dianyong sighed: “Come with me then.”
Wu Dianyong bought a shovel and took Ding Wu to a mass grave in the outskirts of the capital, finding a crooked pine tree on a hilltop. Under the tree was an unmarked grave mound.
The two took turns digging. Inside was buried a chest. Wu Dianyong opened it, revealing a bundle of broken silver, travel permits and road passes, border crossing documents, and several sets of clothes – both men’s and women’s clothing.
Wu Dianyong put on women’s clothing, disguising himself as a crude peasant woman. He even shaved off both eyebrows and pasted on delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, perfectly covering the black mole between his brows.
Wu Dianyong handed the new travel permit to Ding Wu: “I’m your mother, a mute. You’re my son. Your father is dead, and we mother and son are heading north to stay with relatives.”
Indeed, Wu Dianyong had long prepared this escape route, just never had the chance to use it.
A mother and son traveling together would be more inconspicuous and wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Ding Wu looked at the travel permit with admiration: “This will surely fool the border guards.”
Wu Dianyong sighed: “My wanted posters will probably be everywhere tomorrow. Staying in Daming is very dangerous – constantly on edge, could be caught by the Embroidered Uniform Guard at any time. I’d better take the northwest route and go far to the Western Regions to become a wealthy merchant. When I’m old, I’ll return to my roots. By then everything will have settled, the White Lotus Sect might even be gone, I’ll be old, and no one will recognize me.”
Ding Wu praised: “Shopkeeper Wu truly has brilliant ideas. The White Lotus Sect issued a death warrant – they certainly think you’re in Daming territory, so An Da Khan’s domain is actually the safest place. No one would expect you to do the opposite.”
Wu Dianyong laughed: “Staying alive is more important than anything. We’re now in the same boat and can’t have internal strife, or none of us will survive. You saved me, I’ll get you across the border. When we mother and son reach Fengzhou (modern-day Hohhot), the White Lotus Sect’s main altar is there. Our mother-son fate ends there. You go find the White Lotus Sect, I’ll go to the Western Regions – we part ways. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
The two bought horses and headed north. Along the way, the mother was loving and the son filial. They fooled checkpoint after checkpoint and finally reached Fengzhou, which was An Da Khan’s territory – a prosperous and thriving great city.
It was now the fifteenth day of the eighth month. While people in the capital were eating mooncakes and admiring the moon, Fengzhou already had a strong autumn atmosphere, with the grass beginning to turn yellow.
“I won’t enter the city,” Wu Dianyong said. “You can ask any passerby – they all know where the White Lotus Sect’s main altar is.”
Ding Wu bought a jug of wine and toasted Wu Dianyong: “I urge you to drink one more cup of wine; west of Yang Pass, there are no old friends. All along this journey, thanks to ‘mother’s’ care, otherwise your son would have died long ago. Mother, your son toasts you.”
Wu Dianyong accepted the wine cup and drained it in one gulp.
Ding Wu said: “Your son wants to borrow one more thing from mother.”
Northern wine was truly strong – one sip went straight to the head. Wu Dianyong felt somewhat dizzy. He rubbed his forehead and said: “Forget about borrowing money. With your status as the former Minister of War’s son surrendering to An Da Khan, you’ll severely slap Daming’s face and surely receive high office and generous salary with endless enjoyment. But I still need to go trade in the Western Regions – that requires capital.”
Ding Wu shook his head: “No, not borrowing money.”
Wu Dianyong asked: “What do you want to borrow?”
Ding Wu said: “Your life.”
“You—” Wu Dianyong tried to draw the hairpin from his topknot – it concealed a small hammer spike inside – but his whole body was weak. He rolled off the chair: “You ambushed me!”
“I can’t go empty-handed to meet the sect leader at the White Lotus main altar. That would be too impolite.” Ding Wu took out rope and tied up Wu Dianyong. “The White Lotus Sect’s death warrant says whoever kills you can become a leader and receive a reward of a thousand taels of silver. Tell me, how could I let the fat meat at my lips fly away?”
“You are my pledge of allegiance, and also the best gift to bring.”
Author’s Note: Ding Wu is about to start his cheat-mode undercover career.