Cheng Shaogong arrived at Tongniu County amid his twin sister’s eye-rolling. Looking around, he saw desolate population and cold, deserted markets. He wrinkled his nose, dissatisfied: “This Chen prefecture governor is rather derelict in his duties—first a subordinate county magistrate defects, then he neglects his responsibility to comfort the war-torn counties.”

“Before Yan Zhong fled, the Chen prefecture governor had already died for his city.” Ling Buyi said.

Cheng Shaogong was shocked.

Shaoshang said: “Third Brother, didn’t you even look at a map? I did my homework before coming. Chen prefecture borders Shouchen. Before Peng the rebel raised his banner of rebellion and before the court’s armies arrived to suppress the chaos, most of the prefecture’s county seats had fallen into the traitors’ hands. The Chen prefecture governor was among the earliest loyalists who died with their cities. The reason Tongniu County could hold out so long was because the city walls here are solid, the ramparts high—not easily breached.” Pre-class preparation is a top student’s habit, you know.

Cheng Shaogong said in surprise: “Then what about Uncle Wan’s Xu prefecture?”

“Between Xu prefecture and Shouchen lies an entire Qingyang prefecture.”

Cheng Shaogong sighed: “Alas, years ago I cast Uncle’s fate chart—it showed a superior destiny of turning misfortune to fortune, disaster to blessing. He always encounters great fortune within misfortune. His birth father died early? But Old Lady Wan was capable. The world fell into chaos? He encountered Father and Mother.”

Shaoshang complained: “Third Brother, stop being mystical all day long. When Uncle first swore brotherhood with Father, the Cheng family had only gathered a few hundred soldiers. Provisions, weapons, and equipment were all lacking. We came from poor, remote countryside—nobody took us seriously. But Uncle could treat Father with sincerity, associate as equals. That’s what led Father and Mother to reciprocate with utmost sincerity—being able to deeply trust trustworthy people is itself a tremendous ability.”

Ling Buyi suddenly turned back: “Then do you trust me?”

“Trust, naturally trust—trust until seas dry and rocks crumble, never regretting unto death!”

Ling Buyi suddenly turned hostile: “Fine! If you go back on your word in the future, I’ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!”

After speaking, he spurred his horse forward. Young Marquis Ban lowered his head and followed, leaving behind Cheng Shaogong trembling with suppressed laughter and a dazed Shaoshang.

Cheng Shaogong laughed heartily: “Little sister, your brother advises you—sweet words should be spoken, but you can’t just blurt them out thoughtlessly. Insincere sweet words are like flattery slapping the horse’s hoof instead of its rump!”

Shaoshang’s response was a kick aimed at her twin brother’s horse’s hindquarters.

The one who came to receive them was a County Deputy surnamed Yin, also a local. Supposedly he and the Registrar Yin that Old Comrade Wan promoted belonged to the same clan but different branches. He was now the only remaining superior official in Tongniu County. Deputy Yin seemed to have suffered considerably—haggard in appearance, obscure in speech, but very respectful toward Shaoshang’s group, answering almost every question.

Tongniu County was a lucky survivor of wartime calamity. Previously it hadn’t been breached due to its towering walls. Afterward, when County Magistrate Yan defected, he gave his seal and command tokens to a General Ma from Peng the rebel’s camp. That general pretended to be reinforcements County Magistrate Yan had gone out to fetch, tricking open the county gate. Then he imprisoned one batch of officials and soldiers, recruited another batch. The remaining majority who neither wanted to resist to the death nor surrender—seeing the county magistrate vanished and enemy forces entered the city—fled overnight to Qingyang prefecture.

In short, the common people suffered little harm—just some free meals eaten, some wealthy households’ wealth seized. Lives and women were all preserved.

Though Deputy Yin was timid, he still forced himself not to surrender, so he remained imprisoned until the defending general was persuaded by Lou Yao’s elder brother to switch allegiance. Shaoshang immediately held him in solemn respect, using seventeen or eighteen idioms in one breath to praise Deputy Yin as eternally loyal, a pillar of the state, embodying heaven and earth’s spiritual energy, vastly different from those traitors as clouds from mud… and so on.

Deputy Yin smiled: “Actually County Magistrate Yan wasn’t a bad person. Though his temperament was somewhat uncompromising and aloof, and privately he didn’t like talking much with us, during his years in office he truly did many good things for the people. Even when his household became straitened, he managed by himself. Who would have thought…”

Shaoshang smiled. This was the first person so far who spoke for Yan Zhong. She asked: “Why don’t you tell us the whole story of County Magistrate Yan’s defection?”

Deputy Yin gave a long sigh, invited everyone to dismount, and sat down in the rear courtyard of the county office for detailed discussion.

“Speaking of it, it’s like a dream. That morning, County Magistrate Yan was no different from usual, except his expression showed some shame. He asked where I’d settled my wife and children. I said I’d sent my parents and children to hide in the countryside—only my old wife refused to leave. Afterward, I checked the city defenses as usual, inspecting and reviewing the defending soldiers. Who knew that when I returned from lunch at the city wall, I heard the magistrate had left the city with his family and those two thousand catties of refined copper, saying he was going to fetch reinforcements.”

“Who told you County Magistrate Yan was going to fetch reinforcements?” Shaoshang quietly took out the small bamboo slips and charcoal pencil she carried, carefully recording. Ling Buyi glanced at her with a smile.

Deputy Yin said: “Left Deputy Li Feng. The county magistrate left the city first, Li Feng followed after. He’s the one who left word with the gate guards.”

“How many people in County Magistrate Yan’s household?”

“Six people total. The magistrate is a filial son—several years ago he specially brought his elderly mother to his side to care for her. Plus a pair of young sons and two concubines.”

“All six family members left and nobody thought it strange enough to ask?” Shaoshang found this inconceivable.

Deputy Yin smiled bitterly: “The magistrate was stern and unsmiling. Over so many years he’d accumulated considerable authority. We subordinate officials didn’t dare question too much.”

Shaoshang nodded. Deputy Yin continued.

“I was half-believing, half-doubting. When it was nearly dark, I saw dense masses of troops approaching from the city wall. The leading general produced the county magistrate’s seal and command token, and their clothing…”

Ling Buyi indicated understanding—they were originally the same local forces, so naturally wore the same clothing.

“Then the city gate was tricked open. By the time we realized something was wrong, it was too late.” Deputy Yin lowered his head and sighed. “Afterward in prison I saw Li Feng. He said the county magistrate abandoned us and ran, taking the refined copper and selling Tongniu County to the rebels. He was unwilling to follow and took the opportunity to escape, but was still captured. Later, when my old wife brought me food, she told me it was spreading everywhere outside—County Magistrate Yan had defected to the enemy, even taking those two thousand catties of refined copper.”

Shaoshang frowned: “So that means up to now, everything about County Magistrate Yan’s defection has been hearsay?”

Deputy Yin shook his head painfully, taking a bamboo slip from his sleeve and presenting it for everyone to see. Eight characters were written on it: “Born of greed and desire, my heart bears guilt.”

Deputy Yin said: “There were forty or fifty such slips—these are just what remain. Many of the originals were burned. These were all written by the county magistrate those few days. After serving in the same county for so many years, I wouldn’t mistake the magistrate’s handwriting. Servants also said they personally saw the magistrate shut in his study continuously writing these eight characters…”

Cheng Shaogong gave a dry laugh: “For a traitor, this County Magistrate Yan has some conscience—knowing such actions bear guilt.”

But Young Marquis Ban said with a stern face: “So what? Who in the world doesn’t fear death? Is he the only one with greedy desires?!”

Shaoshang knew one of Ban Jia’s uncles had been executed by enemy forces for refusing to surrender unto death. She couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

Ling Buyi suddenly asked: “Where is Li Feng now?”

Deputy Yin said: “Dead.”

Everyone was shocked.

“Alas, when he was first captured and imprisoned, he was still full of vigor, constantly saying we wouldn’t be held long. I asked how he knew. He said the court’s armies would arrive very soon. I became even more dejected, thinking if the armies really arrived and cornered the rebels desperately, they might kill us first as sacrifices. But Li Feng insisted they wouldn’t.”

Deputy Yin’s expression was downcast. “Probably because he spoke without restraint, repeatedly spouting nonsense, he finally angered the soldiers guarding us. One night they burst into the prison and killed him—died right in front of me! Who knew just days later, the rebels defending the city surrendered. We were all released. Alas… Old Li…”

The setting sun sank. Everyone couldn’t help lamenting the impermanence of human affairs. Shaoshang stood to the side, pen poised unhappily, thinking the trail had gone cold again.

Ling Buyi suddenly asked: “You said your lady wife once brought you food. Did Li Feng’s family also bring food?”

Deputy Yin praised: “Lord Ling is truly meticulous and perceptive. Correct, when we were imprisoned, Li Feng’s wife also came once. Alas, speaking of those two spouses, she’s truly a clever wife matched with a clumsy husband. Li Feng was careless and thoughtless, lacking proper judgment, but his wife was very cautious and clever. My old wife had dealings with this woman and said she was the type who’d tap a stone bridge three times to test if it was stable before crossing. When she came to bring food and visit, she constantly worried whether Li Feng could be released. Li Feng whispered in her ear a few words and she left reassured. Now it seems she was right.”

“Where are Li Feng’s wife and children now?” Shaoshang caught on immediately and pressed urgently.

Deputy Yin froze, sighing: “Perhaps they fled. Such a timid, cautious woman—how would she dare remain in the county? Anyway I’ve had no news of them. Later I was the one who collected Li Feng’s corpse.”

…

For the next two days, Shaoshang obediently stayed in the county office as Ling Buyi instructed, only continuously questioning servants and groping around the residence where the Yan family had lived. Ling Buyi led people out searching for the only remaining lead—Li Feng’s wife and children.

Two days later, Shaoshang carried a stack of densely written bamboo slips to the front hall of the county office to find Ling Buyi, hesitating: “…Do you really think County Magistrate Yan defected to the enemy?”

Ling Buyi held a small roll of silk in his hand. Liang Qiqi stood beside him, his expression equally grave.

Hearing this, Ling Buyi replied gently: “What’s wrong? What did you discover?”

Shaoshang took out a long roll of fine linen cloth and unfolded it for Ling Buyi to see: “County Magistrate Yan governed diligently. These years he encouraged agriculture and sericulture, established rural schools, dug three irrigation channels and built two roads… Look, these are two sloping lands he recently planned to cultivate. Every detail is written so completely. If he was about to leave immediately, why plan all this?”

“And then?”

“I thought it over repeatedly and feel we should ask that General Ma who tricked open the city gate—how exactly did he obtain County Magistrate Yan’s seal and command token?”

Ling Buyi sighed slightly, pulling the girl to sit beside him: “I must tell you two things, both bad news. First, yesterday Shouchen city fell. Uncle Cui achieved great victory and captured Peng Zhen alive.”

“That’s good news!” Shaoshang’s face lit up with a smile. “The casualties weren’t great?”

“Casualties weren’t great, but unfortunately that General Ma Rong you wanted to question died.”

Liang Qiqi added: “Reportedly killed by a stray arrow—died on the spot.”

Shaoshang’s expression changed, dark clouds gathering in her heart. This sense of conspiracy was too strong.

Ling Buyi continued: “Second, Li Feng’s wife and children also died. Turns out they left Tongniu County that very night. I had Liang Qiqi divide troops into several routes to inquire along the way. Finally someone saw that woman with several children plus several servant guards. Then we found their hastily buried corpses at the base of a hillside outside the city. All valuables had been looted clean—meant to look like bandits’ work.”

Shaoshang moved close to Ling Buyi, saying nervously: “You also think it wasn’t bandits?”

“Too many coincidences—hard not to be suspicious.”

“What now?” Shaoshang said perplexedly. “Have all leads gone cold? Did you examine Li Feng’s wife’s corpse? Was there…”

“Nothing. Corpse, clothing, carriage and luggage—nothing. The job was done extremely clean.” Ling Buyi showed a trace of self-mockery. “I also had people inquire about what happened between when Li Feng’s wife left visiting the prison that day and fled Tongniu County that night—who she saw, what she left behind. Still nothing. Li Feng was originally from another region, came to Tongniu County not long before taking office. That period was just when Ma Rong had taken over Tongniu County. People in the county were anxious—no neighbors dared chat with her.”

“She went nowhere?” Shaoshang felt somewhat desperate.

Ling Buyi looked at Liang Qiqi. Liang Qiqi thought, then answered: “Only went to a pawnshop, pawned a jade pendant, and quarreled with the pawnshop people.”

Shaoshang smiled slightly: “These two days I’ve inquired everywhere. Everyone says Li Feng’s wife was reticent and good-tempered. Seems she was raising travel funds and couldn’t care about good temper.”

Liang Qiqi said: “Reportedly that woman kept saying back and forth that the jade pendant was left by her magistrate uncle, worth at least a thousand coins. But the pawnshop said the jade’s water quality was poor—at most three hundred coins. So they quarreled. Many people in the shop heard…”

Shaoshang suddenly stood up, imposing.

Liang Qiqi stopped speaking. Ling Buyi looked at her with amusement: “What did you discover?”

Shaoshang’s eyes sparkled: “Li Feng was a posthumous child. His father died by accident at just twenty years old. Li Feng was raised by clansmen. His father never served as a magistrate at all!”

Ling Buyi reacted instantly: “Liang Qiqi, have people search in the direction Yan Zhong departed. If there are pavilions, dig on site!”

Liang Qiqi clasped his fists in acknowledgment and immediately left to execute the order.

Shaoshang’s heart pounded. She felt something could finally be revealed.

After waiting restlessly most of the day, just as the sky darkened, a mounted messenger finally returned with news—found it, at Wangfeng Pavilion eighty li outside Tongniu County.

This time not only Shaoshang wanted to go, even Deputy Yin, Ban Jia and the others wanted to follow and see.

Arriving at the mountain-built Wangfeng Pavilion, under the pitch-black, cold night, near and far owls made piercing cries. Surrounding guards and soldiers all held high torches. No one spoke—like a silent, eerie sacrificial ceremony.

Before the pavilion, a huge pit had been dug open. Inside were twelve dark red corpses lying crisscrossed, clearly killed and burned.

Though faces were unrecognizable, bones remained. After the coroner’s examination, the conclusion: one elderly woman in her sixties, two men around fifty, one woman around forty, two women under thirty, two children under ten, plus two able-bodied young men and two young women—exactly matching the Yan family’s six members, one old servant, one wet nurse, two maidservants, two guards.

Especially that elderly woman in her sixties—her left hand actually had six fingers, precisely County Magistrate Yan’s mother’s physical characteristic.

Shaoshang’s heart filled with fear. She retreated half a step, turning her head to see Ling Buyi’s face like ice and frost, but his eyes brighter and more searing than the surrounding torches. She pushed him: “You… have you figured it all out now…”

Ling Buyi turned and lowered his head: “Do you remember before we departed the post station, we carefully questioned the Wan family servant about where he went while remaining in the capital?”

Shaoshang nodded: “The Han family, Lin family, Lady Wan’s maternal home… Actually Uncle doesn’t have much connection with capital nobility and wouldn’t rashly have A’Fu deliver gifts.”

“You missed one family.”

“Whose?”

“Your Cheng family!”

Shaoshang froze, laughing aloud, but her voice was inexplicably hoarse: “Uncle sent our family’s gifts long ago. A’Fu was very busy then and never came to our house again.”

“Not delivering gifts—attending the betrothal feast.” Ling Buyi’s voice had no fluctuation. “Your and my betrothal feast.”

Shaoshang stopped speaking, only tightly gripping her robe, an inexplicable dread in her heart.

“There’s such a person—richly renowned. Even someone as upright and aloof as Yan Zhong was willing to befriend him wholeheartedly.”

“This person is not only socially adept with broad connections, but while traveling outside also won over many martial world heroes who could be secretly directed to kill and silence people.”

“He also has many fellow disciples from his school who could find intermediaries to persuade Huang Wen to impeach Wan Songbai.”

“Most importantly, he also attended your and my betrothal feast that day. Given the Cheng and Wan families’ relationship, the Wan family servant would definitely personally deliver congratulatory gifts.”

Shaoshang’s pupils constricted. As if struck with aphasia, she said nothing.

Ling Buyi compassionately stroked her head: “Correct. It’s the person you’re thinking of.”

Neither continued speaking. Ling Buyi immediately ordered mounted messengers to the post station to find Wan Songbai and his servant, having them take a shortcut from the rear directly to Qingyang prefecture’s administrative seat—the main base where Marquis Cui’s army was stationed.

After a day’s swift ride by light cavalry, Ling Buyi’s group encountered Wan Songbai and his servant outside Qingyang prefecture’s administrative city. Shaoshang said softly: “Uncle’s wounds haven’t healed yet. Having A’Fu come would be the same.”

Wan Songbai pressed his nearly splitting wound, saying with difficulty: “Though I don’t know your intent, identifying someone is good—better than dying wrongly accused.”

After entering the city, everyone followed Ling Buyi directly to a two-story tavern. Inside, voices boomed, people came and went—either armored soldiers or sword-wearing scholars. Everyone drank wine, struck swords, pounded tables and sang loudly, enthusiastically releasing the joy of Shouchen’s great victory.

Ling Buyi didn’t enter the tavern, standing below a second-floor window platform and calling loudly: “Is Lou Ben, Lou Ziwei present? Ling Zisheng comes to visit.”

The surroundings seemed to quiet slightly. Then the shutters in the center of the second floor slowly opened. Behind stood a young scholar—ordinary appearance but imposing bearing, extraordinary temperament. Like a leader high in court, born to command the realm.

The Wan family master and servant looked up, both giving an “Ah!”

Wan Songbai cried out: “It’s him! …But why would he go meet the traitor Yan Zhong?”

Wan Fu also said: “Correct. That day at Cascading Water Shrine, it was this person. Though he changed his clothing, this humble one would never mistake him!”

Shaoshang’s last hope dissipated. She lowered her head and stood to the side, Lou Yao’s innocent, sunny smile floating before her eyes—it won’t extend to clan extermination, will it?