Li Yuangui received news of “injured and missing Hu people at the mule and horse market in Small West Market” long after midday.
This news was personally reported by the straightforward old man Zhang Zhangtou at the Pei family estate. His expression was not pleasant, and he grumbled about how this request to investigate had delayed his supervision of farming duties. However, since he had promised the master, he naturally took care to handle it.
When Hu merchants had deaths or injuries among their people, they generally wouldn’t report it to the neighborhood head or officials like the Han people would, causing all the neighbors to know about it. The officials also didn’t much interfere with the internal affairs of the merchant Hu people. The stable owner who took in the deceased went to find the local Zoroastrian priest, partly to confirm the death wasn’t caused by the stable, and partly to begin preparing funeral arrangements according to religious customs. The priest spread the word to search for the deceased’s family, and after the news circulated among the merchant Hu people for most of the day, it finally reached Zhang Zhangtou’s ears.
Upon hearing this, Li Yuangui grabbed his bow and sword and called for Yang Xinzhi and other followers to go with him. The lawyer Pei was thoughtful and called several strong men from the estate to bring wooden clubs, repeatedly beseeching Zhang Zhangtou to personally lead the way. He also joined in, and the group followed Li Yuangui straight to the merchant caravan warehouse district behind Small West Market town.
Old Zhang had considerable influence – with just a few words of inquiry, he led them into that earthen storehouse. Li Yuangui immediately recognized the corpse on the ground as An Yanna. When questioning the Hu person guarding the warehouse, they learned that in recent days, two young people – a boy and a girl – had been hiding here with An Yanna. Early this morning, after the warehouse guard opened the door, they discovered the corpse, but the young man and woman were nowhere to be seen…
Through translation of the chalk marks and detailed questioning, the girl’s appearance matched that of the Seventeenth Princess, but they didn’t know who the young man was. The Hu people only said he “looked somewhat like a horse-herding barbarian.” Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi discussed it and both felt it was possible that the Tuyuhun young prince Sangsai had escaped from the Great Peace Palace and came here to meet with An Yanna.
If this was true, how did An Yanna end up dead here?
There weren’t many signs of struggle inside the room. Examining the wounds on the corpse, there was only one – a short dagger thrust into the back of the heart from behind. The dagger had been pulled out and placed to the side. The warehouse guard said when he opened the door early in the morning, An Yanna was lying face down on the straw mat with the knife handle exposed from his back. They had pulled out the knife while attempting to save him.
Li Yuangui asked to see the dagger. The handle was wrapped in gold thread with ornately carved guards, completely in the Western Regions merchant Hu style. He felt it looked like one An Yanna carried himself. If so, this killing was likely committed by someone familiar who caught the victim off guard…
Seventeenth Sister, could you have done this?
A surge of heat rose in his chest. Li Yuangui very much hoped this was true, but reason told him it was unlikely. His sister was small and weak with a gentle nature. Even attacking from behind, she wouldn’t have the ability to kill a strong man with one strike. If it had been Chai Yingge or even the Wei family’s young lady, that would be much more likely…
Now was not the time to think about these things. Li Yuangui turned back and called for A Chen to bring in the hunting dogs they had brought from the Great Peace Palace. His sister and the youth presumed to be Sangsai had stayed in this room for many days – their scent would still be strong. This was the perfect time to make use of the dogs’ noses.
It worked well. The hounds sniffed the scattered straw mats and bedding on the ground, and following commands, left the room and trotted along, leading them to the warehouse compound wall.
This warehouse area was very large, but the compound walls were not high – they were the usual rammed earth walls without whitewash seen around civilian homes. Yang Xinzhi stood by the wall and could see over it without having to stand on tiptoe. Several people carefully examined where the dogs were pawing and scratching, and sure enough, discovered fresh traces of someone climbing and crossing over.
So, after the fight broke out inside the room last night resulting in An Yanna’s death, Sangsai must have decided they couldn’t stay here anymore and forced the Seventeenth Princess to come out and climb over the wall here at night… That barbarian youth was certainly experienced at climbing walls.
This spot was quite far from the warehouse gate. None of them wanted to waste time going around, so they all climbed over the wall, passing the hunting dogs over as well. There were still clear scent trails on the other side. The dogs didn’t hesitate – after some sniffing they led the group forward, onto the market streets, stopping a few times at various corners, and finally led them away from Small West Market’s main road, heading straight for the bridge approach at Weishui Ferry Bridge.
“This isn’t right!” Yang Xinzhi was the first to cry out. “How would that youth dare walk right into a trap?”
Li Yuangui also felt confused and surprised. Weishui Ferry Bridge was the main official road west of the capital Chang’an. Nine years ago, the Emperor had allied with the Turks’ great army right here below the city. In recent years since the Turks were destroyed, trade routes had become increasingly prosperous, with endless streams of people and horses coming and going. Both ends of the ferry bridge had checkpoints with stationed troops.
At this time, the sun was setting in the west and birds were returning to their nests. The bridge guards were scolding and hurrying bridge crossers while pushing and pulling the large wooden barriers to prepare for nighttime bridge closure. Li Yuangui estimated there was around twenty spear and club-wielding men at the bridge approach, and he knew that in the thatched houses along the shore, there were properly equipped bow and sword-carrying garrison troops resting between shifts – altogether their forces must number thirty or forty. Their main duty was to “inspect strangers and prevent evil.”
According to Tang Dynasty law, when common people left their home county for any matter, they first had to apply to their local government office for a transit pass that detailed the traveler’s name, age, appearance, native place, reason for travel, accompanying people and property, etc. Cities and checkpoints along the way all had to inspect and approve these documents before allowing passage. While traffic was heavy at Xianyang Bridge and the guards generally wouldn’t bother with obviously unprofitable local farmers or regular merchant caravans who had their arrangements, unfamiliar travelers who seemed to be of some status would find it hard to escape inspection.
Li Yuangui and his men had been traveling between Xianyang and Chang’an recently, always trying to avoid this main bridge route. How would Sangsai, a barbarian who couldn’t speak Chinese, dare to come here with an inexperienced young lady, carrying no transit passes that could withstand inspection?
Was he truly ignorant of the Tang Dynasty’s checkpoint and bridge system, or was he confident that the gold ingots he carried could smooth over everything?
Speculation was useless. Li Yuangui stopped a hundred paces from the bridge approach, hesitated, then stepped toward the garrison post, intending to question the bridge captain, but was grabbed by the sleeve by Lawyer Pei:
“Young Lord Fourteen, wait!”
“Hmm?” Li Yuangui turned to look at him.
“Didn’t Young Lord Fourteen say…” Pei lowered his voice, “that the palace guards are searching for Young Master? Such search orders are usually quickly distributed to guards inside and outside the capital, especially checkpoint garrisons on major exit routes like Xianyang Bridge, ordering guards to watch for the wanted person’s description. If Young Lord goes over there and shows yourself, I’m afraid…”
Before he finished speaking, Li Yuangui understood. In his hurry, he had forgotten that he was among those “being pursued.” If he went to question the bridge guards personally, regardless of whether he could learn news of his sister, he would likely be immediately arrested and sent to the capital. Then… should he send Yang Xinzhi to ask?
Looking back at Yang’s towering muscular figure, Li Yuangui sighed. Yang Xinzhi’s physical characteristics were even more recognizable than his own – the arrest warrant wouldn’t have left him out.