Moonlight rested on the treetops. At the gate of the chancellor’s residence, tall red lanterns hung high. As Ning Yi and Cheng Zhouhai walked out, a carriage rolled past along the street.
“Brother Ning, you’ve been looking into news about Gao Muen lately, haven’t you?”
When Cheng Zhouhai came out with this line first, honestly, Ning Yi was genuinely startled—though after a moment, he calmed himself.
“Brother Cheng, what makes you say that?”
“On the fourth, I saw you when I was out.”
“…Ah.”
Understanding the reason now, Ning Yi nodded. Cheng Zhouhai smiled. “That you still haven’t told our teacher about this matter, even today, shows you haven’t entirely given up on it—perhaps you’re planning to bring it up right before you leave the day after tomorrow… The Grand Marshal’s residence has been established in Bian Liang for years now. Honestly, killing Gao Muen isn’t very difficult—just deal with Lu Qian and it’s done—but doing it without arousing suspicion, Brother Ning, without going through the Secret Investigation Bureau, that’s probably not something you can manage.”
He smiled amiably. “In this matter, your humble brother can lend you a hand.”
Ning Yi frowned. “Brother Cheng, what are you scheming?”
“I don’t like the look of that lecherous scoundrel.”
“Brother Cheng, are you joking?”
“Heh, it sounds like a joke, but… it’s the truth.”
As the two walked along the road, Cheng Zhouhai spoke of this matter, his expression turning serious. Ning Yi truly found this puzzling—honestly, despite their exchanges these past few days, they couldn’t yet be called close friends or confidants. It was only out of respect for future opportunities to cooperate that they extended each other courtesy. Ning Yi didn’t quite believe what he’d just said, and Cheng Zhouhai, after a long pause, finally continued.
“This lecherous scoundrel has been running rampant against women in the capital, provoking widespread resentment. During my time at the Secret Investigation Bureau, I’ve seen a great deal concerning him. To speak plainly, what he’s done, however heaven-angering and people-resenting it is, at this level, the actual harm caused isn’t really that great—I’ll admit that. If I wanted to put it more seriously, I could say that as the Grand Marshal’s son, behaving so brazenly, his crimes deserve death. But that’s not really the truth of it… I came out to do this work wanting to save the world and help the people—I don’t want to watch such men run rampant. Though I can bear it most of the time, if given the opportunity, your humble brother wouldn’t mind finding an excuse to finish him off. It would clear my mind, ease my thoughts, and keep me from growing to loathe the work in my hands over the long run. That’s the simple reason for it—whether you believe it or not is up to you…”
As Cheng Zhouhai spoke of Young Master Gao’s affairs, he raised his chin, his expression turning icy cold. It seemed this urge to “act” hadn’t formed overnight. Yao Zunian and Qin Siyuan had both mentioned before that Cheng Zhouhai’s temperament ran somewhat fervent, and Ning Yi hadn’t expected this description could be taken so literally. He no longer much cared whether the matter was true or not.
“Brother Cheng, what does this have to do with me?”
Cheng Zhouhai smiled. “A few days ago… no, actually, starting a year ago, certain things have already been in motion. Gao Muen has harmed many women—their families mostly don’t dare voice their grievances, and those who truly tried to come forward were wiped out by the Grand Marshal’s residence. But some others who spoke up slipped through the cracks, and the Grand Marshal’s residence has always been aware of this. Outside the city there’s a landowner surnamed Tian, hot-tempered by nature and with his own share of misdeeds, oppressing the local villagers—but his daughter was violated and killed by Gao Muen. In a moment of fury, he once said he’d pay for someone to right this wrong on his behalf. For that reward, a knight-errant went to see him a few days ago…”
Ning Yi looked at Cheng Zhouhai, who was speaking eloquently.
“Gao Muen has several guards around him—loyal enough, truthfully, but not above taking money for favors. One of them will help someone scheme against Gao Muen tonight, and while fleeing tonight, he’ll be silenced by that knight-errant.”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight it is.” Cheng Zhouhai smiled. “There’s more than one thread like this in motion. Tonight, once something happens to Gao Muen…”
“Brother Cheng, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Ning Yi cut him off, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. He didn’t actually harbor much resentment toward Cheng Zhouhai—with the strength of the Secret Investigation Bureau behind him, scheming against Gao Muen with careful planning against an unprepared target wouldn’t be a problem. He simply didn’t like the feeling of things being sprung on him at the last moment. Sensing this displeasure, Cheng Zhouhai laughed and laid the matter out.
“Actually, that day, there was someone else who saw Gao Muen’s affair alongside me…”
Ning Yi’s gaze suddenly turned sharp. “—Zhou Pei?”
Cheng Zhouhai’s eyes widened in surprise, then he cupped his hands. “Brother Ning is indeed sharp. Because of this, Zhou Pei agreed to serve as bait to eliminate Gao Muen. We’ll have an inside contact swap out the woman Gao Muen has instructed his men to abduct, placing Her Highness the Princess in Gao Muen’s private residence room. When Gao Muen and the Princess come into conflict, we’ll rush in the moment it happens. I’ve planned this for quite some time, but only her status as royalty can fully outweigh Gao Qiu!”
Ning Yi held back his anger. “Did you never consider that a fifteen-year-old girl couldn’t possibly kill anyone, and could very well get hurt?!”
“We’ll have people watching over her—the Princess will certainly not be in any life-threatening danger. As for killing him, of course she can’t—that was clear from the start. Oh, the carriage is here. Brother Ning, get in, we’ll talk on the way.”
A carriage pulled up beside them, and the two got in. Only then did Cheng Zhouhai continue. “We’ve laid out plenty of leads. Gao Qiu will probably suspect you first, because of the relationship between you and the Princess—but afterward he’ll confirm the matter wasn’t your doing. Still, he’ll use it privately to demand an explanation from the chancellor’s residence. We’ll give him a little something in return, both sides will back off a step, and the matter will be settled…”
“How do you know he’ll think along those exact lines?”
“Because Gao Qiu himself is a man who overthinks things,” Cheng Zhouhai said. “If it weren’t for the royal connection, Gao Qiu might investigate calmly and thoroughly. But since this involves the Princess, with pressure from the royal family bearing down, and given that Gao Muen’s conduct has always been poor, Gao Qiu will only feel that his son has caused him trouble, and he’ll start suspecting there’s some scheme behind it—Gao Muen’s misdeeds are notorious, but for the sake of private vendetta, no one capable of killing him would actually want to, just as Brother Ning doesn’t believe I’m doing this out of righteous anger. Brother Ning, everything you’ve done since arriving here, the Grand Marshal’s residence will eventually uncover if they investigate—you only just clashed with Gao Muen, how could you possibly kill him this quickly? That would be far too unwise! So tonight I wanted to invite Brother Ning along—you appearing at the scene right away, such a coincidence, would serve as perfect proof that someone else framed it.”
Cheng Zhouhai smiled. “Gao Qiu’s position as Grand Marshal was arranged deliberately by the current Emperor. He’s a favored courtier, not a powerful minister in his own right—civil and military officials alike, though they fear his brashness, don’t actually respect him, and because of this he walks on eggshells. I’ve studied how he handles matters for a long time now. When the leads eventually point toward other court officials, he’s bound to believe it, and in turn, he’ll take the opportunity to ask the chancellor’s residence for favors. It’s only after that, that what we’ve truly prepared will happen.”
“Whatever Gao Muen has done, regardless of the truth of it, Gao Qiu is bound to be reprimanded by the Emperor. At the same time, several petitioners who’ve previously had family members harmed by Gao Muen will take the opportunity to file a joint complaint. At that point, the Grand Marshal’s residence won’t be able to suppress the matter either. Everything links together—the possibility of you acting behind the scenes will be completely cleared, because you’ve only just arrived in the capital. Even if you truly wanted to kill Gao Muen, you couldn’t possibly have arranged something this elaborate. When things become unmanageable, we, currently responsible for many matters of governance, can offer the Grand Marshal’s residence a bit of help… at that point, he’ll feel he owes us a favor.”
In the carriage, Cheng Zhouhai closed his eyes slightly. “For a long time now, Grand Marshal Gao has been a pawn the Emperor placed between the civil and military officials. On one hand, he can check and balance Grand Marshal Tong’s dominance; on the other, Gao Qiu himself lacks real ability, and by placing him in the position of Grand Marshal, the Emperor avoids appearing to favor the military over the civil officials, which keeps the civil officials from growing wary. Grand Marshal Gao himself has always understood this. Even at full effort he might not accomplish much, but if he wants to cause trouble, he certainly has ways to do it—it’s very hard for us to extend goodwill to him. But this time is different. He can afford to offend anyone else, but offending the royal family too many times, and His Majesty could remove him on a whim, replacing him with someone else just as easily. He’s afraid of that, so he’ll accept this favor and settle the matter.”
“I’ve calculated this many times over and prepared thoroughly. Brother Ning need not worry about anything going wrong.” After a moment, Cheng Zhouhai opened his eyes, smiling as he looked at Ning Yi, then his gaze gradually turned cold. “Once the favor has been fully delivered, once Grand Marshal Gao’s attention is fixed elsewhere, I’ll be able to truly act, to finish off Gao Muen, without any suspicion falling on me.”
Ning Yi sat there, his own gaze cold as ice. He had already grasped Cheng Zhouhai’s entire plan. He knew there wasn’t a single person around Qin Siyuan who was anything less than sharp, but regarding this particular matter, he certainly had a few feelings about it.
“…You’ve got quite the mind for this… you should learn cooking from me.”
“Hm?”
“Never mind… when are you planning to tell the chancellor about this?”
“Once things have happened, before Grand Marshal Gao comes looking for the chancellor’s residence, I’ll naturally lay it all out for our teacher.”
“Ah… you’ve already made your first miscalculation…”
“Er… Brother Ning, what do you mean by that?”
“…Just joking.”
You came to the chancellor’s residence without speaking to Qin Siyuan—that’s how I knew you’d come looking for me. When Qin Siyuan left, he showed no curiosity at all about why you’d come, which means he already knew your purpose. You were too excited about getting me alone to notice that. Just wait to get scolded by the old man, you fool…
Ning Yi thought to himself, his gaze turning toward the world outside the carriage curtain.
For a righteous cause, wringing out every last drop of value from everyone involved, link by link, and then turning around to find his own peace of mind in it. Ning Yi didn’t feel much need to marvel at such a plan—if one truly wanted to work within the Secret Investigation Bureau, one needed at least the ability to carry through such schemes. It was only that particular blend of righteous fury and utter ruthlessness in his methods that vaguely reminded him of a figure from the past, like that of the man back then…
…Tang Mingyuan.
……
That night, when Gao Muen burst excitedly into the private residence room, he ran into the strangest problem he’d ever encountered in his life.
“Hahahaha… little kitten, don’t hide in there anymore, let little Muen set you free… uh, damn it, where’s the rope… what kind of sack is this, damn it! Without a rope how am I supposed to untie it! Little kitten, don’t be scared, I’ll be right there… huh? How did it come undone…”
Then he let out a heartfelt exclamation. “Beauty… Lu Qian, you’re really good to me, you switched me out for an even more—AAAAAHHHHH——”
In an instant, blood bloomed, screams pierced the air deafeningly—men’s voices, women’s voices——
“Help! It hurts so much——Lu Qian——”
“Aaaaahhh——who are you——”
“Aaah——my finger——”
“How dare you treat this Princess like this… Father! Father! Save me…”
When Lu Qian was alerted in the outer courtyard, the courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open with a boom. A guard by the courtyard wall rushed over, only to have his blade seized and turned back on him, blood spraying out.
“Who’s there!”
“Protect the young master!”
Amid the shouting, Lu Qian’s figure leapt out, the light of his precious blade flashing like unrolled silk as it swept forward. He slashed through a thrown fishing net, two crossbow bolts, and when a lime-powder pack came flying at him, he struck it aside with a horizontal cut, sending it several meters away before it burst open. A flash of firelight before his eyes, a thunderous explosion, and a guard beside him had blood spraying from his body.
“Lu Qian——”
“It’s—you!”
“——Do you know who you people just captured!”
“Hm?”
Amid the exchange of words, Lu Qian recognized the man who had rushed in, and in that same instant realized what must be happening inside. His body leapt backward. “Protect the young master! Don’t let them in!”
“You dare touch even the Princess—aren’t you afraid of having your whole clan wiped out!”
The guards in the outer courtyard, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, were being overwhelmed, but Lu Qian had already sealed off the doorway. When the scholar named Ning Yi charged forward, blades clashed back and forth between them. Lu Qian’s heart was on alert—one strike thrust out, then he suddenly leapt back, dodging an impossibly cunning follow-up slash, while landing a strike on the other man’s shoulder in return. He hadn’t expected the other’s technique to be so bizarre, but he now understood the gap between them. He surged forward again, and suddenly, a fierce gust of force came sweeping in from the side.
The spear technique moved like a dragon, wild and sweeping. Lu Qian raised his blade to block by force, and in the next instant, almost instinctively, he shouted out: “Lin Chong!”
In a blink, firelight exploded, and the two combatants had already fought their way into the inner courtyard. Lu Qian, forced into hard defense, was driven back again and again, then swept aside by a horizontal strike of the spear. Holding his precious blade in a defensive stance, his tiger’s mouth numb from the impact, he finally confirmed that the figure before him wasn’t Lin Chong after all—this man was even more powerfully built than Lin Chong, his spear technique bearing some resemblance to Lin Chong’s, but even more grounded, steady, and seasoned. He could fight Lin Chong to a draw, but against this man, he still fell short.
From the room came the young master’s screams and a girl’s sobbing cries. Over there, Ning Yi had already charged toward the doorway. A guard who tried to block him collided with him, and blood burst from his chest in a spray—that was internal force of tremendous explosive power. Lu Qian turned and rushed toward the window of the room, while Ning Yi broke through the door.
Inside the room, bloodstains speckled everywhere. Both Young Master Gao and the crying young girl were covered in blood, but the girl held a dagger in her hand, and all the blood had come from Gao Muen’s body.
Two of Young Master Gao’s fingers had been severed, his chest and back slashed several times. He fled screaming and wailing, grabbing whatever was nearby, trying to fend off the girl, while she chased after him swinging the dagger, crying all the while. It wasn’t until Lu Qian rushed in that he wrapped his arms around Gao Muen and pulled him aside. Ning Yi, also half-covered in blood by now, grabbed the back of Zhou Pei’s robe and pulled her into his arms.
“Teacher… Teacher…” Zhou Pei sobbed loudly.
“My fingers… my fingers…” Gao Muen wailed just as loudly. Lu Qian, shielding him as they retreated, said, “What you’ve all done here—I’ll remember this…”
“Damn you, just wait to die! Scum!” Ning Yi gripped his military saber tight, veins bulging, eyes bloodshot, ready to charge forward on the spot and cut down both master and servant.
Outside, someone shouted: “The Prince of Chong’s household is here! The Prince of Chong’s household is here!”
Voices clamored, firelight blazed bright, the night deep and heavy, as if it were about to catch fire…