The heavens were dim and the earth dark. A sea of cold air flooded through the forest.
Gu Yun’s chest felt swollen and painful. With reddened eyes, he planted the three branches into the soil and fell asleep.
…
Within the landlord’s residence, a small heated side-room had been partitioned off to the left of the main hall.
As winter’s harshest cold had not yet arrived, there was no brazier inside. Once the rolled-up cloth curtain was lowered, the space became a modest enclosed room.
Inside stood a square table and two stools, originally intended as a quiet place for children to study.
The room was uncluttered and had places suitable for storing belongings. For both safety and convenience, Chao Yan borrowed the space from the landlord, lit a small bean-oil lamp, and indicated that the physician should treat his injuries there.
The physician Ning Fu had summoned was the finest doctor in the county town. He had even brought along one of his apprentices.
After removing his clothes, Chao Yan revealed wounds whose bandages had already stuck fast to the flesh beneath. The moment he entered, the physician ordered the apprentice to remove the cloth strips.
One of Ning Fu’s retainers, surnamed Huang and commonly called Huang Da, fetched clean water and soft cloths.
The apprentice soaked a cloth thoroughly, wrung it until merely damp, and pressed it against the bandages so that the blood and clotted matter between cloth and flesh softened somewhat. Only then did he carefully peel the strips away.
The skin around the wounds had turned an unhealthy colour, utterly unlike normal flesh. The exposed meat beneath was vividly red, though layers of blood obscured the details of the tissue.
The place where the arrowhead had entered was already swollen and festering. Fortunately, poison was expensive and easily evaporated. The enemy, considering cost and practicality, had not smeared toxin upon the arrowhead. Otherwise, by now he would already have died from poisoning.
The physician ordered the apprentice to clean away whatever blood and grime could be wiped off. After observing, listening, and taking Chao Yan’s pulse, he finally let out a long breath of relief upon confirming that no internal organs had been damaged.
Had the organs truly been injured, there would have been nothing he could do. His medical skill simply did not extend that far.
The physician picked up a knife heated over flame and sliced open the flesh beside the embedded arrowhead.
Chao Yan’s brows knitted tightly together. His fists clenched hard at his sides. Though Seven Li Powder could staunch bleeding and dull pain, it was hardly a miracle medicine. At best, it only managed half the task.
The landlord, his wife, and several others stood peering in through the doorway.
Huang Da stepped in front of the room to block their line of sight. Courteous but firm, he said, “The scene is somewhat bloody. I fear it may frighten the children. Please, everyone, go and rest.”
Hearing this, the landlord forced out a smile and withdrew with his family.
Clang!
The arrowhead was finally extracted and tossed into the basket upon the table.
The moment it came free, dark crimson blood gushed out. Chao Yan gave a muffled groan as cold sweat poured down his forehead.
The physician instructed, “Wipe the sweat.”
The apprentice hurriedly obeyed.
The physician then removed anaesthetic powder from his medical chest and sprinkled it over the wound. The apprentice immediately handed him a slender needle boiled in water along with fine, supple mulberry-bark thread. Lowering his head, the physician stitched the wound closed, twisting the thread tight with forceps before tying a firm knot. He instructed the apprentice to apply medicine and wrap the wound, while he himself turned to treat the sabre cuts and slashes elsewhere on Chao Yan’s body.
By the time all the injuries had been treated, the physician had collapsed into a chair from exhaustion.
The apprentice put away the unused fine gauze and likewise slumped weakly into his seat.
With Huang Da’s assistance, Chao Yan changed into clean clothing and thanked both physician and apprentice. The physician waved his hand dismissively as he accepted the payment Huang Da passed him.
“How did this young master suffer such grave injuries?” he asked. “And where has your wife gone?”
This physician was the same man who had previously treated Gu Yun. Though he did not know Chao Yan’s identity, he could see the man was no ordinary person and had attendants serving him, thus he addressed him respectfully as “young official”, a safe enough form of address.
Chao Yan said indifferently, “Knowing too much brings no benefit.”
The physician’s thoughts turned over at once, and he immediately understood. Repeatedly apologising for prying, he hurriedly departed with his apprentice.
Leaning back against the chair, Chao Yan closed his eyes.
After tidying the room, Huang Da moved the lamp further away. The young Crown Prince was swallowed into shifting, indistinct shadows.
Huang Da stepped quietly out of the room and stood before the window facing the courtyard, gazing towards the gates.
A crescent moon hung high against the night sky. Time passed silently.
At last, just as anxiety became unbearable, hurried knocking sounded at the door. Huang Da crossed the courtyard in several swift strides and opened it.
The attendant who had gone to fetch the physician had afterwards proceeded to the county yamen to assess the situation.
“How is it?” Huang Da asked.
The man’s expression was grim.
Huang Da instantly fell silent. The two of them quickly entered the side-room.
The Crown Prince had already heard the commotion. Opening his eyes, he looked towards them with a calm gaze deep as still water.
The two men knelt. Before they could even report, he had already guessed the outcome.
“No sign of him alive or dead?” Chao Yan asked.
“Yes, my lord.”
The attendant pressed his forehead against the cold floor and continued:
“When I arrived at the county yamen, Lord Ning had already led men in by force. But they were unable to find the madam. The fire was too fierce. Many places could no longer be searched. They did, however, find the magistrate. He was still breathing.”
“Lord Ning instructed me to bring this message back to you. He cannot extricate himself from matters there.”
“There is also an unconfirmed report. Nearby witnesses claim that when Lord Ning forced entry into the yamen, a figure darted out from inside and vanished almost instantly.”
Chao Yan rose to his feet. Huang Da moved to support him, but upon seeing him wave the offer aside, could only retreat again.
Chao Yan walked to the doorway of the main hall. The night wind brushed coolly across his face.
Inside the room, silence reigned. No one dared disturb him. At length, he said, “Fetch paper and brush from my room.”
Huang Da acknowledged the order.
Spreading xuan paper across the table, Chao Yan used the county town’s north gate as a starting point and drew out a route. The ink was light and dried quickly. Rolling the paper up, he handed it to Huang Da.
“Follow this route and see whether anyone is hiding beneath the bridge.”
Huang Da accepted it, then turned to the attendant. “Protect my lord.”
Mounting a horse, he departed immediately.
Chao Yan watched him leave, remaining motionless where he stood. The attendant spoke softly.
“Sir, please do not worry overmuch. Go and rest. Do not damage your health further.”
Chao Yan gave no answer. After a moment, he returned to his seat, though not to rest, but rather to receive a guest.
Meng Xuan had arrived.
“Ask the landlord whether there is any hot soup. Borrow some. San-lang has been running about for hours and is likely parched,” Chao Yan said.
Meng Xuan entered accompanied by two soldiers sent by the courier relay station to escort him. “My lord, there is no need to trouble yourself.”
As he spoke, he looked Chao Yan over once, smiled, and offered a respectful bow. “To see Sir safe and sound today fills me with immeasurable joy.”
“There is no need for ceremony,” Chao Yan replied. “You have come at the right time. There is something I require you to do.”
The attendant stepped forward and explained the current situation.
After hearing it, Meng Xuan immediately declared, “Sir, command me freely. I would brave boiling oil and blazing fire without hesitation!”
Chao Yan said, “Once the local gentry have gathered their men, announce the following: the enemy leader has already been captured by the Imperial Court, and troops dispatched by the Assistant Prefect of Nanling Prefecture will soon arrive at the county town. The enemy is no match for them. Tell everyone to kill the bandits with all their strength.”
“They are fighting for the survival of their homeland. Should any perish, they will receive honourable burials, and the Court shall treat their parents and wives generously.”
Meng Xuan hesitated. “This is…?”
“Once that is done,” Chao Yan continued, “gather men and shut the north, east, and west gates of the county yamen.”
“The city gates themselves must not all be sealed. If cornered with no escape, these people will turn desperate and commit every atrocity imaginable within the town. The county is full only of defenceless civilians.”
“By then the prefectural troops should already have reached the town. Some will support the gentry, while the rest shall lie in ambush at the south gate. Any enemy encountered is to be killed immediately.”
“This matter has dragged on long enough. End it quickly.”
Meng Xuan acknowledged the order, then asked, “As for the reinforcements dispatched by the border garrison, should they be sent back?”
Chao Yan replied, “After making them run all this way, does Magistrate Wang not owe them some compensation?”
Meng Xuan frowned in confusion. “Could this enemy affair actually be connected to Magistrate Wang?”
Cursing under his breath, he cupped his hands and withdrew.
He did not ask about the madam. Having known His Highness for years, he understood him well. If the Crown Prince needed something, he would say so himself. There was no need to pry.
…
By the time Meng Xuan returned, the local gentry had already assembled their forces, more than a hundred and fifty men in total, and were preparing to head for the county yamen to conduct a rescue.
Meng Xuan did not immediately step forward to announce matters.
Instead, he ordered men to gallop at full speed back to the marketplace where the Crown Prince had earlier suffered assassination attempts, drag out a bandit corpse, sever its head, and carve the character for “thief” into its face.
Before departure, the Crown Prince had revealed the ambush against him and informed Meng Xuan of the market’s location. The reason required no explanation.
Carrying the dripping, blood-soaked head, Meng Xuan suddenly appeared before the gentry as they entered the county town and raised his voice loudly:
“I am an official of the Imperial Court, Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, sent under the Chancellor’s orders to suppress this rebellion!”
To gain the trust of a crowd, the first necessity was to establish one’s identity.
“My men have already taken the enemy leader’s head. Here it is!”
“The Assistant Prefect of Nanling has dispatched troops. They shall arrive shortly to aid everyone!”
“Zhuyang County is your homeland. These bandits besieged the county yamen and murdered the magistrate because they seek to occupy Zhuyang County, seize your property, and force you all into slavery!”
“Think of yourselves! Think of your families!”
“The enemy is no match for you. Kill the bandits with all your might! Merit shall be rewarded according to achievement!”
With those words, the crowd’s emotions were successfully inflamed. Shouting for the thieves to surrender their lives, they charged forwards.
Meanwhile, the archers and others on the opposing side had already heard Meng Xuan’s declaration. Unease spread rapidly through their ranks, particularly amongst the bandits themselves.
The man in black raised his voice and shouted, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. This is merely a delaying tactic, a bluff to frighten us. Whether this man is truly a court official remains to be seen. Most of the gentry’s men are nothing but paper tigers. They’ve never even seen a battlefield. Poke them once and they’ll collapse. If we kill them and seize the gentry along with these so-called court officials as hostages, we can certainly escape unscathed!”
Meng Xuan lifted his chin and shouted back, “The leader’s head is right here! Why are you not surrendering at once?!”
Meng Xuan was gambling that most of them had never actually seen their leader before.
Clearly, he had gambled correctly.
The two sides crashed into battle, and the morale on their side swiftly overwhelmed that of the enemy.
Meng Xuan ordered one small soldier to remain behind while he took another with him, gathering the yamen runners and the braver fighters to close the three city gates.
…
By the time Chao Yan saw Huang Da again, it was already deep into the third watch of the night. Huang Da reported that he had not found Gu Yun there and, after speaking, cautiously observed his expression.
Chao Yan took the route map, lit it using the lamp flame, and tossed it onto the courtyard ground, watching it burn rapidly to ashes.
“I understand,” he said.
“Then…”
Chao Yan replied, “Go and rest.”
The enemy bandits would be dealt with tonight. If Gu Yun was still alive, once he heard the news, sooner or later he would return to the rented house.
He did not know whether he himself would live or die. Perhaps, to him, that no longer mattered much. But he still needed to survive. He had barely any money on him. Once he learned the matter was resolved, no matter how timid he was, he would gather the courage to sneak back. There was lodging here, food here, money and medicine as well.
Chao Yan thought to himself: No rush. This cannot be rushed.
No news was good news.
…
Near dawn, Gu Yun heard a sharp metallic clang. Half-asleep and half-awake, he jolted into a cold sweat. His head throbbed painfully and his eyelids felt unbearably heavy. With great effort, he forced his eyes open and looked towards the visible surroundings.
In the dim light before dawn, nothing seemed unusual. Still uneasy, he leaned half his body out from the ditch and looked beyond the woods.
Several dark figures were moving about.
The cold sweat covering Gu Yun clung wetly to his skin, stinging the wound on his back with sharp pain. Narrowing his eyes, he looked carefully and realised the figures were fighting. The sounds had come from them.
Gu Yun could not make sense of the situation, nor did he dare move closer to investigate. He quietly shrank back down, pressing close against the side of the ditch as he crept further away. During this, he accidentally knocked over the “incense” he had made for his dead husband, then hurried back and respectfully propped it upright again.
The forest path was difficult to traverse, or rather, there was no path at all. He fumbled his way across damp, muddy ground.
He intended to circle around to the north gate. This place was near the south gate.
His injuries needed a doctor’s treatment. Otherwise, even if the weather was not especially hot, the wounds would still worsen.
After stumbling along with difficulty, he finally reached the north gate. Before he could even feel relieved, in the now brightening daylight, Gu Yun despairingly discovered that the north gate was shut.
He stood by the roadside in confusion for a while. After hesitating repeatedly between returning to the south gate, waiting here, or trying another gate, he finally decided to remain where he was.
Turning his head, he searched for somewhere to rest.
He was exhausted, sleepy, and the discomfort in his head and eyes had worsened considerably. Hunger gnawed at him as well, his stomach cramping faintly.
Knowing his condition was poor, he trod with exceptional caution. Yet vigilance could not overcome his physical discomfort. His eyelids merely closed for a moment from sheer heaviness, and he stepped onto a patch of rotten leaves and fell.
The ground sloped slightly. After falling, he rolled twice before his back slammed into a clump of shrubs, bringing him to a stop.
The daylight shone down unobstructed onto his face. He felt no warmth from it. The moment he moved slightly, he fainted.
Before losing consciousness, he heard a burst of noisy commotion.
But he could not distinguish what it was.
…
“Sir, this is the list of those rescued from the county yamen. According to the severity of their injuries, they have been sent to different clinics and ordered to receive full treatment.”
Meng Xuan handed over the list and continued, “Two bandits were captured alive, but one escaped. His martial arts were truly formidable. No one could stop him. The prefectural troops are now stationed inside the county town and have begun clearing the county yamen. The yamen burned all night. Though some sections remain standing, it can no longer be used. The border garrison has already camped outside the city according to your orders and awaits your further instructions at any time.”
With the enemy matter resolved, Chao Yan had returned to the rented house.
He unfolded the list, glanced over it, then casually set it aside.
“What reaction is there from Magistrate Wang?” he asked.
“The spies report that Magistrate Wang is secretly packing up his family wealth. It seems he realises he has provoked someone he should not have and is preparing to flee. However, his family members are behaving normally.”
Chao Yan said, “Keep close watch on him. If he attempts to leave, report to me immediately. As for the two surviving bandits, San-lang, I shall trouble you to interrogate them. You are from the Court of Judicial Review. You are naturally more skilled in interrogation than an amateur like me.”
“Yes.”
Meng Xuan departed. Soon after, Ning Fu arrived and apologised the moment they met, saying he had failed to complete the task.
Chao Yan replied, “You already did your utmost. I do not blame you. Go and rest properly. You are injured as well.”
Ning Fu said, “This little injury of mine amounts to nothing…”
As he was speaking, two soldiers entered. They were men from the border garrison. After saluting, they said, “Sir, our general found an unconscious person near the north gate. Judging by appearance, it seems to be the madam. The general ordered us to bring the person here.”
Once the bandit matter had been settled, Chao Yan no longer wished to wait passively. He had ordered the idle prefectural soldiers to search throughout the county town and had also sent word to the border garrison to search the surrounding areas.
Hearing this, he strode steadily into the courtyard.
The two soldiers had borrowed a carriage to bring the person back. The carriage was now parked inside the courtyard. Chao Yan walked to it and lifted the blue cloth curtain.
The windows on both sides of the carriage stood open. The person inside leaned crookedly against the carriage wall with eyes closed. Smoke had blackened his face. He seemed to have cried before; the soot stains were uneven, heavier in some places and lighter in others. Around the eyes there was almost none at all, making him resemble a little tabby cat.
His hair and clothing were in utter disarray, covered with dust, mud, leaves, and blood.
Even from a slight distance away, he looked pitifully bedraggled.
Chao Yan stepped into the carriage. His long fingers gently brushed across the other’s brows and eyes. Then he reached out, gathered his little soot-covered cat into his arms, carefully avoiding the wound on his back, and carried him back inside.
“Fetch the doctor,” he instructed Huang Da and the others following beside him.
