Chapter 2713: The Capital (Part 69)

The capital had grown restless of late. Third Master Qin's influence extended only through the outer city; once you passed through Chongwen Gate, the territory was no longer his. Still, even he had heard the news of Delong's manager being kidnapped. When word reached him, he was genuinely shocked—Manager Leng was a figure of considerable importance, even by the capital's standards, with connections threading through officialdom and the palace eunuchs alike. The petty urban foxes and back-alley rats would never dare provoke such a man. Even seasoned bandits and highway robbers from out of town, once they made inquiries with local colleagues about his background, would invariably retreat rather than court disaster. Besides, Delong retained the Heliansheng Escort Bureau for household security—and those escort masters were truly more cunning than ghosts and fiercer than wolves. He never expected anyone would actually dare to touch the tiger's whiskers.

Now the Escort Bureau had spent a fortune, hiring countless informants throughout the capital to search for Manager Leng. Third Master Qin had also spread the word: fifty taels of silver for any useful information. For a time, this had driven the city's urban foxes and back-alley rats into a frenzy.

The frenzy, however, did not last long. Before many days passed, a few particularly enthusiastic ruffians who had been sniffing around for information met mysterious deaths—and everyone understood at once: the gang that had "invited the God of Wealth" was equally not to be trifled with.

Third Master Qin possessed one of the sharpest noses in the outer city. He had long since sensed that something deeper was at work here. To the liaison sent by Heliansheng, he made all the right promises and pounded his chest in assurance; to his subordinates, he offered a warning: when gods do battle, stay out of the way.

He lifted his teacup and sipped slowly, savoring the warmth for a moment. His stomach was growing hungry; he was about to call the waiter for breakfast when Boss Qian tiptoed over and whispered by his ear, "Third Master!"

"Hmm?"

"Liu Xiaobian is back."

"So he finally knows to come back!" Third Master Qin snorted. He was past fifty and could be said to have everything going his way. The only thorn in his side was this Liu Xiaobian.

Liu Xiaobian was his brother-in-law, a ruffian born and raised in the capital. Third Master Qin didn't look down on him for his origins; after all, he himself was hardly what you'd call a "law-abiding citizen," and his bond with his father-in-law's family was more akin to two servants becoming sworn brothers. But when fortune smiled upon him, he had arranged positions for anyone even remotely connected—perhaps not great wealth, but at least a worry-free living.

The exception was Liu Xiaobian. After all these years following him, the man had accomplished nothing of worth. He was skilled at drinking, gambling, and whoring, but everything he touched turned to ruin. And Liu Xiaobian happened to be his wife's youngest brother—the most cherished of all. Not only did he freeload at his sister and brother-in-law's home year-round, but every time he stumbled into trouble, Third Master Qin had to hold his nose and clean up the mess.

After last Mid-Autumn Festival, he had finally secured a position for his brother-in-law at Nanyuan, which had kept the man quiet for a few months. To keep an eye on him, he had ordered Liu Xiaobian to check in at Juchun Garden every day before reporting for duty. He never expected that right after the New Year, the man would simply stop appearing.

"Which cheap brothel did he crawl out of this time?" Third Master Qin snorted. "Now I'll have to go find Eunuch Cao to smooth things over and lose a few more coins..."

Boss Qian said, "Third Master, you'd better go see for yourself... He's in the back courtyard..."

Third Master Qin immediately sensed something amiss in Boss Qian's tone. He asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

Boss Qian hesitated. "You'll understand when you see him..."

From all his hemming and hawing, something serious must have befallen Liu Xiaobian. Third Master Qin's heart skipped a beat. He rose to his feet. "Where is he? I'll go now!"

What Third Master Qin found was Liu Xiaobian lying on the brick ground of the back courtyard, covered with a rush mat.

Though he'd had a premonition, when he actually laid eyes on his brother-in-law's corpse, Third Master Qin's eyes went wide, blood rushing to his head. For an instant, he felt dizzy, and his body swayed violently. Boss Qian quickly steadied him.

Third Master Qin wasn't grieving. This brother-in-law had caused him no end of trouble; he wouldn't shed a single tear over the man's death. But ever since he had raised his banner in this outer city, he had never lost face this badly. His brother-in-law might have been worthless, but he was still under his protection. Who was bold enough to kill him without so much as a word?

He steadied himself and said in a low voice, "Lift the mat."

The mat was lifted. The corpse beneath was drenched in blood, a ghastly sight. But the main wounds were clearly visible: a stab wound beneath the ribs, and a slash across the throat. Third Master Qin was an old hand in the jianghu; one glance told him the throat wound was a finishing blow dealt after death. The killers had not merely murdered Liu Xiaobian—they had wanted to be certain he was dead.

Who bore such deep hatred for Liu Xiaobian? Third Master Qin couldn't fathom it. He knew his brother-in-law better than anyone: the man's greatest talents were drinking, gambling, and whoring. He sometimes went out with others to extort money or cheat at gambling, but he was weak as a chicken, not a fighter—he never got into violent confrontations. As for money, he never managed to keep any overnight savings...

"Who brought him back?" he asked.

"Master Zou from Haidian had someone deliver him."

"Is the person still here?"

"Yes."

"Bring him over."

The messenger was a sharp fellow. He was about to bow when Third Master Qin waved his hand and asked, "Where did you find him?"

"Replying to Third Master, yesterday Master Zou had us clear the roadside corpses along the official road and transport them to the public burial ground. Unexpectedly, on a side road not far from Liulin North Village, we came upon a great deal of blood and several bodies. We followed the trail of blood into the woods and found the ground littered with corpses—over twenty of them, along with various weapons scattered about. It looked like two groups had clashed. While we were burying the bodies, someone recognized him as your brother-in-law..."

Haidian? Third Master Qin was puzzled. Liu Xiaobian had been born and raised in the South City; his activities were confined almost entirely to the South City. He rarely even ventured into the capital proper. How had he ended up rushing off to Haidian in the northwest corner, only to get himself killed on the main road? What manner of situation was this?

He knew his brother-in-law all too well. Though bold and reckless, the man had his limits. Here in South City, with his brother-in-law covering for him, he naturally dared to do as he pleased. But to go somewhere else and involve himself in something that risked his neck? He wouldn't get entangled even if you broke his legs.

"What kind of people were the dead?"

"Just folk doing no-capital trade along the official road. A few were wearing military uniforms—probably deserters." Seeing that Third Master Qin had no further questions, the messenger untied a bundle from his body and presented it.

"These are the items found on Master Liu's body; they're all inside. Master Zou ordered them brought back together. Please inspect them, Third Master."

The waiter beside him quickly took the bundle. Third Master Qin didn't open it, but nodded. "Go back and convey my thanks to Master Zou. Tell him I owe him a favor." He then ordered, "Give this brother ten taels of silver. Go back and invite the others to drink a bowl of wine to dispel the filth."

After the messenger departed, Third Master Qin ordered someone to purchase a thin-skinned coffin and summon a monk to wash the body, dress it, and prepare it for burial. He himself returned to the room in the back courtyard and opened the bundle. Inside were only a string of copper coins, a set of bone dice, a key, and a memo booklet.

The key and the booklet were items Liu Xiaobian used for his duties at Nanyuan—nothing out of the ordinary. Third Master Qin studied them for a long while but couldn't make sense of any of it.

"How strange!"

Little Qian sat in the mule cart, letting it carry him along. He could hear only the rumble of the wheels. He couldn't tell north from south, east from west, nor gauge how far the road stretched—just twisting and turning, bending east and winding west.

After roughly the time it takes to finish two meals, the cart gradually slowed. When it stopped and the curtain was lifted, he saw that they had halted in a courtyard. Judging by the scale of the yard and the "Daoist robe heart" style of the walls, this should be the residence of some middle-class household.

In the courtyard stood two flower beds—one planted with lilacs, the other with a camellia.

All of this matched what had been agreed upon beforehand. Little Qian was a cautious man. He climbed out of the cart and stood quietly, though his hands remained secretly on guard.

The cart driver ascended the steps and knocked lightly on the door several times. The lattice door opened a crack, revealing a face.

"Arrived?"

"Arrived."

Out stepped a short, capable-looking young man who bowed to Little Qian. "Are you Fifth Master from Jiangnan?"

"Correct," Little Qian answered.

"Please come in."

The room was dimly lit, sparsely furnished with crude furniture that matched the modest courtyard. Little Qian waited a moment. Then a figure emerged from a side room. "Please sit, please have tea!"

Though the light was dim, Little Qian could make out a middle-aged man dressed as a merchant. He knew this must be the contact from Heliansheng. He thanked the man for the seat, and someone brought tea.

"Please have tea," the man said again, then introduced himself. "My humble name is Wu Kaidi."

Before setting out, Little Qian had reviewed all the personnel files for the Capital Station. He knew this man was Leng Ningyun's personal attendant—the "standing Manager Leng," so to speak. He replied, "Pleased to meet you. My surname is Qian."

"You've arrived so quickly!" Wu Kaidi said with evident surprise. "But that's good! At least my heart can rest a little easier!"

"How is the situation in the capital?"

"It's difficult to explain in a few words." Wu Kaidi sighed. "We put all our strength into a punch, but it was like striking cotton!"

They had spent a great deal of money and deployed many people. Nearly every connection the Capital Station could mobilize had been mobilized. They had searched everywhere, inside the city and out. There were plenty of leads, but once verified, none proved useful.

"...Originally, we prided ourselves on being sharp-eyed and sharp-eared here in the capital. Especially for this kind of affair—through Heliansheng, we could uncover anything. Now even they are fumbling in the dark. Information surfaces everywhere, but none of it is real."

After saying this, Wu Kaidi recounted everything from Leng Ningyun's kidnapping up to the recent interception of Lady Sanniang's convoy on the road to Haidian.

"...One strange occurrence after another, yet we don't even know what the other side wants! They agreed to accept the silver, but they refuse to let us redeem the man!"

Little Qian offered no comment. First, how to handle matters was Group Leader Min's concern; it wasn't his place to pass judgment. Second, Wu Kaidi wasn't involved in the specific operations; there were things he didn't need to know.

After Wu Kaidi finished, he retrieved a box of documents from the side room. It contained a daily log of major events since Leng Ningyun's kidnapping, records of related actions taken, and various intelligence that had been gathered.

Little Qian skimmed through the table of contents and asked, "If we need to contact you, how do we send word?"

(End of Chapter)