Hongzhi Year 18, Second Day of the Second Month. Dragon Raises Head.
Firecrackers in the capital exploded from morning to afternoon,hong long long, shaking people's chests stuffy. Sulfur smoke choked the throat tight, mixed with the greasy scent floating from the street-side fried cake stalls,熏 (熏) ing eyes to water. Outside the window smoke billowed, figures swayed inside, like ghost shadows, indistinguishable who were passersby, who were stalkers.
I followed behind Zhu Houzhao, crossing half a street, to reach that signless teahouse. He walked in front, pace unhurried, grayish-blue long gown fluttering in the wind. I trotted two steps to catch up, thinking this person walks like strolling the street, doesn't know how to be nervous.
"Can you walk slower?" I whispered.
"You have short legs." He didn't look back.
I: "..."
Fine.
Inside the teahouse, Jiang Bin had already arrived. He sat by the window, stick leaning against the table, a pot of tea before him, untouched. He stared out the window, like a cat squatting on a wall, whoever on the street looked at him one more time, he glared back.
Qian Ning hadn't arrived yet.
Zhu Houzhao sat opposite Jiang Bin, I sat next to him. He picked up the teacup, didn't drink, placed it on his fingertips, slowly spinning. The cup spun round and round between his fingers, tea water sloshing to the rim, not a drop spilled. I stared at that cup for three rounds, eyes dizzy.
"Don't you get dizzy?" I asked.
"Are you dizzy?" He stopped the cup, looked at me, mouth corner twitching up.
"No."
"Then what are you staring at it for?"
"Seeing when you'll spill."
He smiled, spun the cup again.
Jiang Bin glanced at us, snorted, didn't speak.
Not many people in the teahouse. Two merchants in the corner speaking in low voices, counter assistant abacus beads clickingpi pa.
"Where is Qian Ning?" I asked.
"He will come when it is time." Zhu Houzhao said, the cup in his hand spinning another round.
Jiang Bin snorted. "Mysterious."
Footsteps outside the door. Not one person, but two, one after another, light like stepping on cotton. I didn't look up, hand already feeling for the small porcelain bottle in my sleeve—inside was hemostatic powder, at critical moments could also be thrown into people's eyes.
Zhu Houzhao's cup stopped. He looked at me, slightly shook his head. I pulled my hand out of the sleeve.
The door curtain lifted. Qian Ning alone, moon-white long gown, holding a folding fan. Fanning in the dead of winter, looking just cold. He scanned the two merchants in the corner, then looked at the counter assistant, fan snapping shut, tapping lightly twice on the table.
"People outside." he said.
Zhu Houzhao's cup placed back on the table.
"How many?"
"At least four." Qian Ning sat down, lowering his voice. "Followed from the alley entrance to the door. Wearing casual clothes, walking with military steps."
Jiang Bin's hand pressed onto the stick. "Beat them out?"
Zhu Houzhao looked at him. Jiang Bin didn't let go, but didn't move.
"Know whose people?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
Qian Ning thought about it. "Ministry of War. Or bigger." He paused. "That person you went to see yesterday, was targeted as soon as he left."
"Li Dongyang." Zhu Houzhao said.
Jiang Bin frowned. "That Grand Secretary?"
"Mm."
"What did he say?"
"Help us investigate."
Jiang Bin looked at Qian Ning. Qian Ning smiled, that smile carrying something indescribable—not mockery, but a kind of "I expected it" indifference.
"Grand Secretary Li forbore for three years, suddenly forbears not." He opened the folding fan, slowly fanned. "Either he truly figured it out, or—" He didn't finish.
"Or what?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
Qian Ning looked at him. "Or someone made him figure it out."
Zhu Houzhao didn't respond. He took the fan from Qian Ning's hand, fanned himself twice, then stuffed it back.
"This fan is not bad." he said.
Qian Ning paused. "Brother Zhu is in high spirits."
"Investigating cases also needs air." Zhu Houzhao leaned back in his chair, mouth corner upturned. "Besides, Master Zhengde loves fanning people most—fanning wind fanning enemies, one fan two uses."
Qian Ning's mouth corner twitched. Jiang Bin didn't understand, frowned. "What Master Zhengde?"
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, didn't explain. I sat nearby, thinking you better be careful blowing, the Zhengde era name hasn't been used yet. But Qian Ning and Jiang Bin didn't know. They only thought he was joking.
I secretly kicked Zhu Houzhao's foot. He looked at me, mouth corner upturned higher.
The teahouse suddenly quieted. Those two merchants in the corner stopped speaking, the assistant behind the counter stopped the abacus. The whole teahouse like being choked by the throat, even the air condensed for an instant. Jiang Bin's hand gripped the stick tight. Zhu Houzhao didn't move, but gaze swept to the door.
The door curtain lifted again.
A person in dark blue long gown entered, a copper token hanging at his waist, flashing in the light. Behind him followed three men in casual clothes, stance, eyes, hand placement—all trained.
The leader was thirty-something, square face short beard, gaze sweeping a circle on our table, stopping on Zhu Houzhao.
"Which one is Zhu Shou?"
Zhu Houzhao didn't stand up. "Me."
That person walked over, took a letter from his sleeve, placed it on the table.
"Someone asked me to deliver this."
Zhu Houzhao didn't touch that letter. "Who asked you to send it?"
"Not important." That person said, gaze lingering on Zhu Houzhao's face for an instant. "What's important is the content inside the letter."
The two stared. Neither blinked first, like two cats confronting, whoever moves loses. Zhu Houzhao's fingers tapped lightly on the table, unhurried, like counting beats. I sat next to him, could feel his body slightly tense, like a pulled string, but face no expression.
Finally that person shifted gaze first. He stepped back a step.
"Letter delivered. Farewell."
He turned to leave. Jiang Bin's stick横 (heng) ed over, blocking the way.
"Speak clearly then go." Jiang Bin said.
That person turned back to look at Zhu Houzhao. "Your people have this temper?"
"Yes." Zhu Houzhao said. "I spoiled them."
Jiang Bin's mouth corner twitched up, stick didn't withdraw.
That person was silent for a moment, untied that copper token from his waist, placed it on the table. Token engraved with one character—"Wang".
"My master says, the Jingying Camp matter, ends here." His voice not high, every word like a nail. "Investigate further, good for no one."
Zhu Houzhao picked up the token, looked at it, finger flicked, token flew back into that person's embrace. That person subconsciously caught it, hand trembling slightly.
"Wang Chang poor like this?" Zhu Houzhao leaned back in his chair, mouth corner carrying a smile. "Those dogs I raise in the Leopard Room, chains are gold. Next time tell him to bring gold ones."
That person's face skin twitched. His subordinate's hand pressed onto the sword hilt.
Jiang Bin's stick poked onto the table, shaking the teacup jumping. "Hear that? Gold not rare,老子 (Laozi) smash it with one stick!"
Zhu Houzhao patted Jiang Bin's shoulder. "Brother Bin, spare the stick. Still need to smash big fish later."
Jiang Bin snorted, stick didn't withdraw, but didn't poke forward again.
That person's subordinate drew the sword half an inch, blade light flashing in the candlelight. The air in the teahouse taut like a string, ready to snap. I subconsciously touched the small porcelain bottle in my sleeve again.
Zhu Houzhao's hand under the table pressed onto my hand. Lightly gripped once, let go.
Don't move. His meaning was.
I pulled my hand back.
Qian Ning's fan snapped shut, tapped lightly on the table, unhurriedly spoke: "Go back and tell Minister Wang, the Jingying Camp matter, not finished. The fishhook is already set, the big fish—is still struggling."
That person's gaze lingered on Qian Ning's face for an instant. Qian Ning smiled at him, fan fanning again, a look of not my business.
That person didn't speak again, pushed aside Jiang Bin's stick, turned and left. Three subordinates followed him out in a line. Door curtain lifted then fell, wind gusted in, blowing the teacups on the table slightly swaying.
Outside the teahouse suddenly a string of firecrackers exploded,hong hong hong, shaking the window paper rustling. Smoke surged in, swallowing the figures at the door.
Zhu Houzhao suddenly stood up, snatched the fan from Qian Ning's hand, fanned twice toward the door. Smoke fanned back, revealing the empty alley—not a single person.
"Run fast." he said, stuffed the fan back into Qian Ning's hand.
Qian Ning looked at his fan, wanting to speak but stopping.
Jiang Bin shouldered the stick. "Cowards."
Zhu Houzhao took out that copper token from his sleeve—didn't know when he snatched it back. He tossed it in his hand, put it away.
"Keep it," he said. "Will be useful later."
"What next?" Jiang Bin asked.
Zhu Houzhao stood up. "Continue investigating."
We walked out of the teahouse. Alley empty, but footprints on the ground messy—several people's, deep one shallow one, like standing for a long time. Firecrackers still exploding, smoke surging over in waves, covering the road ahead.
Qian Ning walked at the very back, suddenly stopped, turned back to look at the alley entrance.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing." he said. "Just feel, today's matter, not that simple."
"What do you mean?"
He thought about it. "Wang Chang sends people to deliver a letter, not to the residence, not to the office, delivers to this teahouse. He knows we will meet here. How does he know?"
Jiang Bin frowned. "Someone watching us?"
Qian Ning didn't answer. He looked at Zhu Houzhao's back, gaze carrying something indescribable—not suspicion, but scrutiny.
"Zhu Shou," he suddenly called. "Who exactly are you?"
The alley quieted down. Wind gusted in from the alley entrance, carrying the sulfur smell of burnt firecrackers and early spring chill. Zhu Houzhao stood in front, back to us, grayish-blue long gown slightly fluttering in the wind.
He didn't turn back.
"Finish investigating, you will know." he said.
"Then you at least let me know, who I am helping investigate." Qian Ning said.
Zhu Houzhao was silent for an instant. He took out that small porcelain bottle from his sleeve—the one I gave him, inside hemostatic powder. He smashed the bottle onto the ground,pa sound, white smoke exploded, covering the whole alley.
"I am a fishing bastard." His voice came from the smoke, carrying a smile. "Specially fishing big fish like Minister Wang."
I stood in the smoke, choked coughing straight. This powder was what I painstakingly mixed, he just smashed it?
"Zhu Shou—!" I shouted.
When the smoke dispersed, he was already walking to the alley entrance. Jiang Bin followed, strides large. I chased up, stepped on his foot.
"You smashed my powder!" I lowered my voice, but couldn't suppress the fire.
"Mix again later." he said, mouth corner upturned.
"That took me three days to mix!"
"Three days is three days."
"You—"
He suddenly stopped, turned back to look at me. Alley entrance light fell on his face, half bright half dark, mouth corner still upturned, but eyes carrying something indescribable.
"Just now when you touched the bottle," he said, voice very low, only I could hear. "I thought you were going to make a move."
"I—"
"No need for you to make a move." He cut me off, turned back to continue walking. "Just stand behind."
I paused. Followed behind, watching his grayish-blue back. His hand hung by his side, fingers slightly curled—that hand that held mine under the table just now.
I didn't speak again.
Qian Ning walked at the very back, watching us two, suddenly smiled.
"This person," he shook his head, didn't know if talking about Zhu Houzhao or me. "Is interesting."
I thought, interesting what ah. Looking at the backs of these three people. One like a knife, one like a stick, one like a shadow. Gathered together to investigate fake medicine, got targeted, still here acting cool smashing my powder.
But when he said "just stand behind," I seemed not that angry anymore.
Alley entrance firecrackers exploded another string, smoke surged up, covering the road ahead. Zhu Houzhao's figure in the smoke appeared and disappeared, like a lamp, not very bright, but wind couldn't blow out.
I followed.
(End of Chapter 20)