Hongzhi Year 18, Fifth Day of the Second Month.
Sky not yet bright, Qian Ning sent messenger with letter. Paper strip just one line: "Tongzhou pier, has goods."
Zhu Houzhao read it, held paper strip to candle flame, burned it. Paper curled, turned into small piece of ash, fell to ground. He stood up,顺手 (shun shou) grabbed handful of peanuts from table, stuffed in sleeve.
"Go."
"Where to?"
"Tongzhou. You know how to ride horse?"
"Know a little."
"A little is how much?"
"Just… won't fall to death."
He looked at me, mouth corner twitched up, took a peanut from sleeve, threw in mouth. "That's enough."
I thought he'd call Jiang Bin and Qian Ning to meet at palace gate. But he directly led me to east city horse market, pulled two horses out from inside. One jujube red, mane oily bright, looking spirited; one gray dull, head drooping, like didn't wake up.
He vaulted onto jujube red horse, movement agile like grew on horse back. Gray horse before me gave a snort, sprayed my face hot air.
"This one steady." he said.
I climbed onto gray horse, horse swayed, I hugged horse neck. He already dashed out over there.
"Going—"
"Wait!"
He didn't wait. Gray horse followed behind, ran actually steady, just slow. I趴在 (趴) on horse back, bounced till five organs six viscera almost shifted, thinking this person runs so fast, rushing to reincarnation ah.
Out east gate, he waiting by road. Jujube red horse turning circles on spot, he chewing peanuts, seeing my appearance, laughed out loud.
"You said you can ride."
"I said won't fall to death."
He stuffed remaining peanuts back in sleeve, slowed speed, rode beside me. "That's called can't ride."
"Ride slow called can ride, ride fast called reckless."
"Then what am I?"
"Reckless."
He laughed once, didn't refute.
We arranged to meet Jiang Bin and Qian Ning at Tongzhou pier. Arriving, sky just brightened. Canal misty, water surface gray white, couldn't see opposite bank. Pier already had people, carrying bags, unloading goods, shouting, chaotic.
Qian Ning stood under a willow tree, fan tucked in sleeve, talking to a person in short jacket. Jiang Bin leaning on tree beside him, stick poking ground, mouth chewing something.
Seeing us, Qian Ning waved hand. That person in short jacket turned and left.
"Found?" Zhu Houzhao dismounted, threw reins to Jiang Bin.
Jiang Bin caught,顺手 (shun shou) tied two horses to tree. "West warehouse, manager surnamed Sun. Every month someone transports medicine from border, stores here, changes packaging then sends into city."
"Lead way."
Warehouse at pier westmost, row of low houses, wall roots covered in moss, roof tiles broken several pieces. Two people standing at door, wearing casual clothes, but stance and eyes一看 (yi kan) soldiers.
"Don't startle the snake." Zhu Houzhao said.
Jiang Bin shouldered stick. "Then go around back."
Warehouse back a low wall, wall top growing withered grass. Jiang Bin flipped over, movement agile like a cat. Qian Ning followed flip over, fan tucked in waist, posture not as good as Jiang Bin, but also no sound. Zhu Houzhao flipped over, turned back to look at me.
I stood at wall root, looking up at wall top. Higher than me more than a head.
He extended hand. "Grab me."
I held his hand, he pulled hard, I got on wall top. He held my waist, I jumped down, landing knee buckled, his other hand propped me.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
He let go, turned to walk forward. Jiang Bin and Qian Ning already went in.
Warehouse very dark, windows nailed shut with wooden boards, only door crack leaking in a bit of light. Air carrying strong medicinal smell—not fresh herbs fragrance, but that kind stored long time, moldy, mixed with dust sour rot smell.
Ground piled with hemp sacks. Stacked to roof, like small mountains. Some sacks had labels, characters already blurry, only could see "Astragalus" "Atractylodes" few characters.
I untied a sack, grabbed handful out. Astragalus color dark, slices irregular, some thick some thin. Leaned close to smell—sour smell. Exactly same as Henghe Hall fake medicine.
"Same batch." I said.
Zhu Houzhao squatted down, grabbed handful from sack, pinched in hand, then put down.
"How much this have?"
Qian Ning looked at warehouse scale. "At least hundred sacks."
"Enough for how many people eat?"
I didn't answer. One sack Astragalus enough for one camp soldiers eat one month. Hundred sacks—enough for how many people eat one year? Two years? Three years? I dare not calculate.
Jiang Bin walked to warehouse innermost, kicked corner sack. That sack bottom broken, herbs leaked out, piled small pile on ground. He squatted down looked, stood up, face not good.
"This sack already infested."
I walked over to look. Sack's Atractylodes already black, covered with small bugs, dense, looking at makes scalp tingle.
"This medicine can't be used anymore."
"They still sent into city." Zhu Houzhao's voice very flat.
Warehouse door suddenly footsteps. More than one person. Zhu Houzhao looked at Jiang Bin, Jiang Bin gripped stick tight.
Door pushed open. A middle-aged person entered, round face, short beard, wearing silk robe,一看 (yi kan) manager. Behind him followed two burly men, all holding sticks.
"You what people?" That person seeing us, face changed.
"Buying goods." Zhu Houzhao said.
"Buying goods go to front, here not—"
"This medicine," Zhu Houzhao kicked sack by foot. "From where?"
That person's face whiter. "None of your business?"
Jiang Bin's stick poked ground,du sound, dust flew up.
"Asking you."
Two burly men stepped forward. Zhu Houzhao didn't move, Qian Ning fan didn't move, Jiang Bin's stick didn't move. But atmosphere suddenly changed, like a tightened string, ready to snap.
That person's Adam's apple bobbed. "Bor… border returned."
"Who told you store?"
"Ministry of War people… surnamed Zheng…"
"Zheng Hong?"
That person nodded, forehead started sweating.
"Stored how long?"
"Thre… three years…"
Zhu Houzhao didn't speak. He looked at that person, took a peanut from sleeve, threw in mouth chewed.
That person's legs started trembling.
"Three years, sent how many batches into city?"
"Ten… at least ten batches…"
Zhu Houzhao took paper and charcoal pencil from sleeve, threw before that person.
"Write down. Who told you store, when stored, sent where, took how much money."
That person looked down at paper, didn't move.
Jiang Bin's stick poked ground again. "Write."
That person squatted down, picked up charcoal pencil, hand trembling badly. Wrote few lines, suddenly stopped.
"Write finished, they will kill me."
"Not write, I kill you now." Zhu Houzhao's voice very flat, like saying today weather nice. That person looked up at him, face gray white.
"Write," Qian Ning beside said, tone like chatting. "This one keeps word."
That person looked down again, continued writing. Pen tip on papersha sha sounding, like rat gnawing wall root. Wrote full stick of incense time.
Finished, he handed paper over. Zhu Houzhao took it, glanced, folded, tucked in sleeve.
"These medicines, don't touch."
"But… people above will come take—"
"Let them come." Zhu Houzhao looked at him. "You tell them, this batch goods, taken by someone. Let them come find me."
That person opened mouth, couldn't speak.
We walked out of warehouse. Sky already bright, fog dispersed some, canal sparkling. Zhu Houzhao walked front, pace neither fast nor slow.
"You think what he said—ten batches medicine—true?" I asked.
"True."
"How you know?"
"Because he afraid." He stopped, turned back to look at me. "Truly afraid people, won't lie."
We walked to horse tying place. Jiang Bin already mounted his big black horse, Qian Ning rode a white horse, looking actually matches his fan. Zhu Houzhao vaulted onto jujube red horse, turned back to look at me.
I still climbing gray horse. Horse not high, but my legs short, kicked twice didn't get up.
He reached hand over. I held his hand, he pulled hard, pulled me up. I swayed on horse back, held his shoulder.
"Sit steady."
"Mm."
He didn't let go. Waited till I sat steady on horse back, then let go.
"Go."
Jiang Bin and Qian Ning led way front, Zhu Houzhao rode beside me. Gray horse very steady, ran also not bumpy, I finally not that panicked. He took two peanuts from sleeve, one threw in mouth, one handed me.
"Not eat, dirty."
"Not dirty, my sleeve clean."
"Your sleeve wiped knife yesterday."
He looked at his sleeve, stuffed peanut back in mouth. "Then I eat myself."
Rode halfway, front Jiang Bin suddenly reined in horse. Zhu Houzhao also reined in.
"What wrong?" I asked.
He didn't answer, looking forward. Front road blocked by a fallen tree, tree new, break neat—not naturally fallen, but chopped by someone.
"Someone came." Zhu Houzhao said.
Jiang Bin dismounted, walked to tree front, looked at ground traces.
"Horse hoof prints. Many." He stood up, looked into forest. "Left not long ago."
Zhu Houzhao looked around, then looked at me.
"You follow Qian Ning."
"What about you?"
"I go look." He took bow from back—when did he bring bow? I didn't notice. He nocked an arrow, string pulled full, aiming at forest direction.
Jiang Bin also mounted horse, followed behind him. Two people one front one back disappeared into forest.
Qian Ning rode to my side, fan fanned twice, then tucked back.
"Don't worry, he can run."
"I not worried."
"Your hand trembling."
I looked down at my hand—indeed trembling. I tucked hand into sleeve, felt that small porcelain bottle.
Waited about a stick of incense time. Forest came horse hoof sounds, from far to near. Zhu Houzhao came out first, jujube red horse all sweaty, he rode on horse back, bow still hanging on back, arrows少了 (shao le) two.
Jiang Bin followed behind, stick covered in mud.
"Someone came." Zhu Houzhao said. "Went Tongzhou direction."
"Burn warehouse?" I asked.
He didn't answer, turned horse head. "Go, go back."
We rushed back. Reaching Tongzhou pier, from far saw thick smoke rising from west, black dense, like a giant dragon.
Warehouse already burned half. Fire tongues licking out from roof, licking sky. Pier people all fighting fire, water buckets passed one by one, but fire too big, simply couldn't save.
Zhu Houzhao jumped off horse, ran to fire scene. I followed behind.
"Don't go—" I pulled him. "Too late."
He stopped, stood before fire scene, watching those sacks burn one by one. Herbs in fire crackling, like someone screaming.
"Three years." he said. Voice very flat, but I heard what pressed underneath. "Ten batches medicine. All burned."
Jiang Bin stood beside him, stick poking ground, didn't speak. Qian Ning's fan also stopped fanning.
Fire burned bigger. Thick smoke choked people can't open eyes, I stepped back two steps, coughed few times.
Zhu Houzhao stood didn't move.
I suddenly took that small porcelain bottle from sleeve, pulled stopper, sprinkled powder inside out. White powder scattered in firelight, fell on nearest flames, fire苗 (miao)chi shrank a section.
Three people all looked at me.
"Your medicine can extinguish fire?" Jiang Bin eyes wide.
"Can't. But can suppress small patch." I looked at empty porcelain bottle in hand. "The one he paid me back."
Zhu Houzhao paused, then laughed. Not that mouth corner twitch light laugh, but real laugh, tiger teeth showing.
"I pay you back." he said.
"You say that every time."
"This time really pay."
"Last time you also said that."
He took last peanut from sleeve, threw in mouth, chewed. "Then pay double."
Jiang Bin and Qian Ning beside watching us, one stick poking ground, one fan tucked in sleeve, both didn't speak. But Jiang Bin mouth corner moved, Qian Ning eyes curved.
Fire still burning. But not as urgent as before.
Zhu Houzhao turned around, looking at that pile half burned sacks.
"Go." he said.
Way back, he didn't speak a word. Jiang Bin and Qian Ning walked front, occasionally turned back to look at us, also didn't speak.
Reaching city gate, sky already dark. Qian Ning reined in horse, waited for us catch up.
"Today matter, not Wang Chang's people did."
Zhu Houzhao looked at him. "How you know?"
"Wang Chang not that fast." Qian Ning said. "We front foot arrived, they back foot came burn warehouse. Means—"
"Means someone always watching us." Zhu Houzhao finished for him.
Qian Ning didn't deny.
"From when started?" I asked.
Qian Ning thought. "From day you went see Li Dongyang."
Zhu Houzhao didn't speak. He rode on horse, looking at city gate tunnel people coming and going, silent for long time.
"Send her back." He dismounted, threw reins to Jiang Bin.
"What about you?" I asked.
"I go do something."
"What thing?"
He didn't answer, turned and walked away. Grayish-blue long gown fluttering in wind, pace neither fast nor slow, quickly disappeared into crowd.
I watched his back, heart suddenly panicked. Jiang Bin rode on horse, stick on shoulder, looking at Zhu Houzhao disappearing direction, snorted.
"Go alone?"
"He go alone." Qian Ning tucked fan back in waist, turned horse head. "Go, send you back."
"But—"
"He since go alone, means doesn't want us follow." Qian Ning turned back to look at me, rare serious once. "Trust him."
I rode on gray horse, looking at Zhu Houzhao disappearing direction. Sky getting darker, city gate lit lanterns, orange-red light spreading on ground, like a river.
He alone went to river's other end.
I turned back, followed Qian Ning into city. Gray horse walked steady, step by step, not urgent not slow.
"He will be okay." Qian Ning said, didn't know if comforting me, or comforting himself.
I didn't answer. Hand reached into sleeve, felt that empty porcelain bottle. The one he paid me back, today I sprinkled out to extinguish fire.
He said pay double.
He keeps word.
I held empty porcelain bottle, followed Qian Ning slowly walked. City lanterns lit one by one, lighting road bright.
He will be okay.
He said he spoiled them.
(End of Chapter 23)