CUI BUQU WAS BESIEGED on all sides. He sat calmly under the stares of the army, the steel arrows glinting bright above him, in the moment between life and death. He only had time to say two sentences. So that was what he did.
The first was: "Have you visited the commandery prison lately?"
Followed by: "When you set out, did you leave enough men to guard your study?"
The first sentence made Yang Yun frown. At the second, his eyes went wide in shock. His raised hand remained frozen in the air.
"Governor!" Wu Yi urged him from behind.
"What did you do?" Yang Yun knew he should bring his hand down regardless and have Cui Buqu turned into a pincushion, but for some reason, he hesitated.
"Governor!" Wu Yi was so anxious he yearned to grab Yang Yun's hand and yank it down himself.
"Cui Buqu!" Yang Yun roared.
Cui Buqu smiled. "Scared, Governor Yang?"
The truly ambitious felt no fear. Power was their ultimate pursuit, even if it meant putting their own lives on the line. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty, was the greatest exemplar. When his political opponent Xiang Yu had kidnapped Liu Bang's father, wife, and children and threatened to boil them alive, Liu Bang had calmly responded by asking Xiang Yu to leave him a sip of the soup.
Cui Buqu had initially thought Yang Yun such a person. He had no children of his own and a discordant relationship with his wife, all in order to minimize his weaknesses and avoid being manipulated and threatened. But upon meeting him face-to-face, Cui Buqu knew at once that he'd overestimated him. The man might not care about continuing his family line, but he cared about himself very much.
Yang Yun was over thirty years old, with a short mustache and a neatly trimmed beard. Even on such a stormy night, his hair and clothes were meticulously groomed—as if he couldn't stand untidiness. His position among his men was also telling. Guards flanked him, but no one stood behind him. If he encountered any danger, he could quickly retreat into the circle of his guards to ensure his safety. Here was a person who both valued his appearance and cherished his life. He loved himself most of all, so a wife and children didn't matter. As long as he was well, that was enough.
"Governor Yang, I presume you only wanted to skim off some grain and sell it for a little profit. You never meant to go this far, did you?" Cui Buqu said.
The instant Yang Yun failed to bring his hand down, Cui Buqu knew he'd found his weakness. Now he could turn the tide.
"If you'd only misappropriated a little rice, you could repent to His Majesty. The worst you would suffer is a dismissal and a whipping. But a revolt is different. You were using the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai, but you didn't know they were also using you. They've led you step by step into a trap, allowing the situation to escalate until you were pushed to the edge of the cliff. Now you have no choice but to do what they want."
"Kill him!" Wu Yi roared, "Kill this invalid! He's making up lies! What's so frightening about that!"
He charged forward with the blade in hand, raising it high and slashing toward Cui Buqu.
"Pei Jingzhe!" Cui Buqu shouted.
Almost before he said it, Pei Jingzhe was rushing out of the house. Wu Yi was far slower than an arrow and was quickly knocked to the ground. Pei Jingzhe pinned him down and set a blade to his neck.
The archers on the wall should have shot Cui Buqu the moment Wu Yi charged. Yet instead, they were craning their necks to look behind them, their faces filled with surprise. Their formation quickly fell apart.
In the darkness whence they'd come, pinpoints of light shone, though no one had seen them appear. They grew bigger and bigger, brighter and brighter, transforming from scattered sparks into clusters of flame. Shouts accompanied the lights, rolling toward them like rumbling thunder.
The source of the commotion was a little distance away, growing no closer to the relay station, yet Yang Yun's face went ashen. He knew where that howling, surging tide was heading.
The commandery governor's residence.
"For two years now, you used the tax-exemption donation policy to lie to the court. You conspired with wealthy households to share the spoils and made a handsome profit. Had you been willing to stop there, you wouldn't have found yourself in this disastrous situation. But the human heart is never content, is it? And this year, something unexpected happened: The rain was far heavier than anticipated. The court sent relief grain, but you were greedy and kept every sack. Tens of thousands were displaced; in their desperation, they flocked to the city and almost caused a riot. At the same time, the court sent a censor to oversee relief efforts. Terrified that the longer you waited, the more likely it was that you'd be exposed, you decided to finish what you'd started and killed the refugees. But there were too many for you to murder them all—you shut the remainder inside the prison. You planned to wait until after the censor left to finish the job, so you could pretend those civilians tragically drowned in the floods. With them dead, you wouldn't need to cough up the grain either, thus killing two birds with one stone. All would be well."
Cui Buqu spoke rapidly, laying out Yang Yun's plans as if he'd witnessed each step himself. Yet more horrifying than Cui Buqu's analysis was the reckless gambit he'd chosen: Along with the refugees, he'd also released the prisoners on death row who'd been mixed with them, leading them all to attack the commandery governor's residence.
Yang Yun had brought men here to kill Cui Buqu, yet now his own home was being destroyed. All those desperate prisoners and refugees needed was for someone to open the prison doors and shout a suggestion—perhaps that the residence had food, and that an imperial envoy would protect them if anything happened. They must have rushed to the residence in a frenzy to ransack the place. Cui Buqu's men would surely be among them, and in the study they'd find…
The clamor rose around them, louder and louder.
Citizens in their homes who'd been too afraid to come out now couldn't resist cracking open their windows and peeking outside.
Howls split the air. Yang Yun heard the sound of swords and spears clanging. The mob must have taken the prison guards' weapons. Yang Yun had brought almost every guard and soldier with him, leaving only a few men to watch over the commandery governor's manor. He hadn't anticipated Cui Buqu would be ruthless enough to use this indirect approach to solve his predicament, hoping to draw Yang Yun's army away from the relay station.
If the governor's residence was destroyed, all the secrets he had hidden there would be destroyed with it.
Yang Yun's bloodshot eyes bulged. He glared viciously at Cui Buqu, as if staring down an enemy he'd sworn revenge on for killing his father. "Do you know what will happen now that those refugees are released? All of Guangqian County will suffer thanks to this. Cui Buqu, do you intend to become the villain who brought calamity to Guangqian for your own selfish gain?!"
Such absurd words, twisting truth into lies, yet Yang Yun shouted them with self-righteous conviction. The panic-stricken soldiers were whispering among themselves. None of them had any attention to spare for Yang Yun's pompous blustering.
The scene in the distance grew more chaotic. Flames licked into the sky from the governor's residence, accompanied by thick, billowing smoke. Yang Yun had to do something. Even if Cui Buqu held all of Yang Yun's secrets in his hands, if the man was dead, he would never have a chance to tell them.
"Archers! Release the—"
Before he could say arrows, his voice died like a throttled rooster, wide-eyed and instantly mute. A blade was pressed firmly against his neck.
Screams rose from all around. Everyone stumbled back from Yang Yun and his assailant, a man was wearing the armor of the commandery guard. He raised his head slightly, revealing the face under his helmet.
Guan Shanhai.
While the riots in the city had distracted the soldiers, Guan Shanhai had taken the opportunity to sneak through their ranks. Everyone's eyes were on the refugees occupying the governor's residence, and thus no one had noticed as he quietly approached Yang Yun and got close enough to threaten him.
As agony spread through Yang Yun's neck, he realized his assailant truly meant to kill him. Desperate to save himself, he shouted, "Stop!"
That single cry revealed his thoughts. Now Cui Buqu was even more certain he'd made the right move. Yang Yun was confident as long as his enemies feared death—only when they didn't fear it did he become afraid.
Cui Buqu looked around. "Put down your weapons and surrender," he said coldly. "The culprit will be held accountable, but those who merely followed orders will go unpunished."
The surrounding soldiers were rattled by the commotion in the city and had begun to panic as well. Other than Yang Yun's few confidants, the rest of his men had no unwavering loyalty to him. As for his personal guards, now that he'd been captured, they didn't dare make any rash moves.
Qiao Xian stood in the doorway. She'd been a step too late to catch Wu Yi—after all, Cui Buqu had called Pei Jingzhe's name, not hers.
She saw Guan Shanhai, who'd supposedly been sent to Zhao's Teahouse in search of evidence, yet had instead masqueraded as an ordinary soldier from the governor's residence.
While she'd been mired in indecision, while others thought Cui Buqu completely helpless, he had already laid out the entire game of chess and predetermined the results.
Even Rong Qing finally came in handy.
He stepped forward, full of righteous fervor, and strenuously denounced Yang Yun, then promised not to prosecute anyone else present. At his impassioned speech, the archers finally lowered their bows, and rank after rank of the surrounding soldiers followed suit, throwing down their weapons. At last, only Yang Yun's personal guards were left. No power remained to him.
Qiao Xian had thought she had a thorough understanding of Cui Buqu's abilities. But at that moment, she realized even she had underestimated him.
Lately, Cui Buqu had cooperated frequently with Feng Xiao. The sight of Deputy Chief Feng beside him, flashy and ostentatious, gave many the illusion that the success of their collaboration relied more on Feng-er's martial arts than Cui Buqu's intelligence. After all, no one could turn a blind eye to Feng Xiao's dazzling appearance. Even the members of the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai had focused more of their efforts on Feng Xiao. But all of them were wrong. Although Cui Buqu didn't know martial arts, his frail body was also his shield.
By the time Yang Yun realized he'd underestimated his enemy, it was too late.
As if sensing Qiao Xian's eyes on him, Cui Buqu turned and met her gaze.
"When…when did your lordship send people to the county prison?" Qiao Xian asked her next question with great difficulty: "Why didn't you tell us?"
"In illusion lies truth; in truth lies illusion." Cui Buqu's expression was inscrutable.
No one had noticed the disappearance of the two Zuoyue guards who had accompanied them. Their martial arts were mediocre, and they couldn't be of much help; at most, they could run errands. It hadn't been surprising that they were scarce for several days. Even Qiao Xian hadn't thought much of their departure. But when Yang Yun charged over in readiness to kill, those two guards had been enough to launch a sneak attack on the county prison and release the refugees and prisoners.
Qiao Xian should have been first to hear of this plan, yet she'd been kept in the dark, reduced to the same level as Rong Qing.
Her breath hitched at the thought, and her eyes met Cui Buqu's clear and frigid gaze. She suddenly felt cold all over. "Lord Chief…" You knew everything?
Cui Buqu didn't answer her unspoken question. He didn't even give her a second glance. Instead he turned, his cloak billowing skyward, and resolutely brought his hand down, completing the gesture Yang Yun had failed to perform.
"By authority of the emperor, seize Yang Yun's guards!"
As effortless as blowing away dust.
Yang Yun's face was ashen. He swayed on his feet, watching his personal guards scream and fall to the ground as they were stabbed in the chest. Defeat was as contagious as any disease. Their morale shattered instantly, not least because the man they were loyal to was still in the hands of the enemy.
Considering the matter mostly settled, Pei Jingzhe bound Wu Yi's arms behind his back and went to help Guan Shanhai deal with Yang Yun. When he saw Cui Buqu had mounted Yang Yun's horse, he grabbed a horse of his own to follow him and ordered everyone to accompany them to the governor's residence to clean up the aftermath.
"We're going to the governor's residence. Do you want to come?" He trotted up to Qiao Xian, bending down and extending a hand to her.
Qiao Xian was startled. "The lord chief didn't say I could go."
"You're from the Zuoyue Bureau," said Pei Jingzhe, confused. "If I can go, of course you can too."
Qiao Xian hesitated for a moment. She didn't take Pei Jingzhe's hand. Instead she leapt lightly onto the horse behind him and gathered up the reins. "Hyah!"
Pei Jingzhe was stunned. He suddenly felt that his and Qiao Xian's roles were reversed, and that he looked more like the beautiful woman being protected in her sturdy arms.
Qiao Xian didn't notice his awkwardness and only saw him looking around. She frowned. "What are you looking at? Stop fidgeting so much."
"Strange. Where is my lord?" Pei Jingzhe couldn't locate the deputy chief's familiar figure in the crowd. No matter how perilous Fengyun Tavern was, Feng Xiao had been gone for most of the day. Surely he should have been back by now.
To think that from start to finish, Feng Xiao had played no role in this incident.
***
When Feng Xiao had walked into Fengyun Tavern some hours earlier, the sky was a bruised mixture of purple and blue, the golden glow of sunset clinging to the horizon.
The tavern had only one floor, and the smell of wine wafted out into the street. A handful of people, perhaps ten in total, sat scattered across three or four tables, chatting in low voices.
No one looked up at Feng Xiao's arrival. They kept talking among themselves, paying him no mind, as if he didn't exist at all. Feng Xiao was instantly displeased. He was a grand, dignified, elegant, dashing, peerless young man. If he was second best, no one could claim to be first. He'd never been ignored like this.
He settled himself down cross-legged and slapped a hand on the table. "Where's the owner? The waiters? Are you all dead? Serve the wine!"
Perhaps his attitude was too abrasive because the other guests finally looked over at him.
Feng Xiao smiled gleefully. Others were afraid of the limelight, but he reveled in it. Not only was he not annoyed at being scrutinized by strangers, he even flashed them a toothy grin.
The waiter rushed over with a jar of wine. "How can I help you, sir?"
"Lanling wine!"
The waiter looked troubled. "My apologies, sir, but we have no Lanling wine here. Lanling is too far away."
"Then what kind of wine do you have? Just bring up some good wine. I have plenty of money, if nothing else."
The waiter raised the jar he was holding. "The best-selling wine here is Amber Light. Would your lordship care to try it?"
Feng Xiao smiled. "I don't want to drink Amber Light, I want to drink Lanling wine. If there's no Lanling wine, give me some penalty wine."5
The waiter looked baffled. This wasn't the first time he'd encountered a customer trying to pick a fight, but it was certainly the first time he'd encountered a customer who said he wanted to drink penalty wine.
"You're not going to say you don't even have penalty wine, are you?" Feng Xiao asked.
The corner of the waiter's mouth twitched. "I'm sorry, sir, but we really don't have such a thing."
Feng Xiao's expression modulated from joy to anger in the blink of an eye. He threw up his hands, overturning the table, and the porcelain plates, cups, and bowls all clattered as they fell to the floor. "What kind of rotten tavern are you running where you don't have anything worth serving?!"
He grabbed for the waiter's throat, but the waiter showed no sign of panic. The man hurled the jar of wine at Feng Xiao and twisted to avoid the attack.
At the same time, the seated guests all rose in unison. Some barehanded and some wielding weapons, they leapt toward Feng Xiao.
Feng Xiao laughed loudly and shot into the air. Quick as lightning, he avoided their attacks and caught the waiter. Then he slowed, transitioning from an arrow to a feather as he landed lightly in the rafters overlooking everyone below. "You laid such an inescapable trap, yet Xiao Lü is still too scared to show his face?" he jeered.
"To deal with you, the eleven first-tier martial artists here are plenty," a familiar voice called out. "There's no need for the pavilion leader to appear himself." Yuan Sansi strolled out of the rear hall and stood with his hands behind his back.
Feng Xiao was so high up that Yuan Sansi had to bend his neck back to speak to him. Apparently dissatisfied with the lack of intimidation factor, he followed Feng Xiao's lead and jumped up into the rafters as well.
"A familiar face!" Feng Xiao called. "Lao-Yuan! It's been many days since we parted, and you've grown thin. Could Xiao Lü have been so upset with your failure at Mount Tiannan that he refused to feed you?"
Hearing Feng Xiao gaily rubbing salt in his wounds, Yuan Sansi exploded with fury. At Mount Tiannan, Fan Yun's betrayal and the actions of the Zuoyue and Jiejian Bureaus had severely weakened the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai. The position of commandery governor Yuan Sansi had painstakingly worked toward for many years had also been ripped from him, and he was left with no choice but to adopt a new identity and retreat into the shadows. And after spending so many years basking in the light, how could he possibly be pacified with some expensive clothes and delicacies?
He snorted coldly. "Feng Xiao, can you believe Cui Buqu knew this was a trap, yet still asked you to come?"
"I believe it." Feng Xiao's smile was radiant. "I believe in your mother's ass!"
Before he'd finished speaking, he was rushing toward Yuan Sansi.
The eleven masters watched hungrily from the tavern floor. They were waiting for any sign of weakness from Feng Xiao, ready to seize their chance to dart in and kill him in a single blow.