Mo Sang – CH 282

Chapter 282. A Big Chapter!

It was not until evening that Li Sangrou returned to Yudai Lane.

The courtyard gate was ajar. As soon as Li Sangrou reached the entrance, the gate opened from the inside, revealing two Old Yunmeng guards on either side. One ushered her in, while the other called out loudly, “The Boss is back!”

Li Sangrou entered the courtyard and stopped, looking at the two Old Yunmeng guards on either side.

Their spirit and energy were clearly different from usual.

Before she could ask, Hei Ma rushed out first, followed closely by Da Chang and Meng Yanqing.

“What’s going on?” Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow, looking at everyone. They all looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy!

“Are we going to clash with the assassins?” Hei Ma rolled up his sleeves.

Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow speechlessly. “Where’s Master Zhang?”

“He’s in the back sparring with everyone. Is something big going on?” Meng Yanqing’s expression was serious.

“It’s not very big.” Li Sangrou stepped past the crowd and entered through the second gate.

Datou and Mazha, who had not managed to squeeze to the front, quickly turned around and rushed to the door of the main room. One dragged a chair, and the other quickly poured a cup of tea, presenting it to their Boss with both hands.

Li Sangrou sat down and looked at Da Chang and Meng Yanqing, asking, “What did Master Zhang say?”

“Uncle Blind brought him here. He said it was your instruction to have him teach everyone a few things. He said those two sentences, and then Uncle Blind left,” Da Chang said in a muffled voice.

“Master Zhang started by saying he was here to talk about the secret code of assassins, and then he started talking about the rules and regulations of the code. He did not say a word else,” Meng Yanqing added.

“Have you ever heard of assassins?” Li Sangrou looked at Meng Yanqing.

“I’ve heard of it, but not a lot.

Before joining the Yunmeng Guard, I had an acquaintance who was a head constable in the yamen. He told me he’d encountered assassins twice. If the corpse had a small tag with a death warrant tied to its neck or wrist, it meant the assassin had died, not killing anyone else.

If the tag was on the corpse or pressed into its hand or mouth, it meant the person had been killed by an assassin.

Cases of assassin deaths were always closed as revenge killings.”

Meng Yanqing paused, then continued, “Later, I went to a teahouse in Xiangyang. They do not deal with the government. Just those two times.”

“How did you find the teahouse in Xiangyang?” Li Sangrou asked after a moment of silence.

“It was an order from above,” Meng Yanqing replied vaguely.

“How old is your acquaintance who was a head constable? Is he in a big city or a small county? He only encountered them twice?” Li Sangrou continued to ask.

“He was around thirty years old then. He started working as a constable with his father when he was twelve or thirteen. In Wei County, although the city was not large, it was close to Jianle City, and there were many wealthy people’s estates outside the city.

There were only two incidents in total. He told me about them several times. He said his father encountered them four or five times. His father had been a constable for over forty years,” Meng Yanqing answered carefully.

“These teahouses have already closed down. In times of peace and prosperity, it is not advisable to do this kind of business anymore.

But the assassins are still there. A few assassins are blaming the closure of the teahouses on the peace and prosperity, blaming each and every one of them. These assassins must be eliminated.” Li Sangrou’s words were both vague and clear.

Da Chang’s eyebrows shot up, and Hei Ma blinked, and then, after a moment, let out a soft “uh”; understanding dawned on him!

Meng Yanqing, however, remained remarkably calm. He had long been accustomed to the cruel hell beneath a facade of warmth.

“Assassins are elusive; even with these coded rules, it is difficult to find them,” Meng Yanqing frowned.

“These coded rules are not for finding assassins.” Li Sangrou paused, then sighed. “The assassins in the teahouse come and go freely. How many there are, I doubt anyone knows. There are always people willing to hire someone to kill; there are probably quite a few. Even without the teahouse, there will surely be other places where lives are traded.

Knowing these trade-jargon rules will serve two purposes: first, it will allow you to keep an eye out for new transactions; second, you can inform those you can.

These trade-jargon rules need to be known by some within the government, but not too many. If too many people know them, these rules become useless, inevitably leading to new trade-jargon rules and problems.”

“Yes,” Da Chang and Meng Yanqing replied quietly, listening attentively.

“As for those to be eliminated, we already know their locations. Make preparations.

Does anyone know the terrain of Daye?” Li Sangrou asked Meng Yanqing.

“We do not have any here, but Daye is rich in copper, iron, gold, and silver, and has always been a key area under the court’s supervision. The Shizi should have a map,” Meng Yanqing replied.

Li Sangrou was silent for a moment, then instructed, “Go personally and ask the Shizi for a map. It does not need to be the entire Dazhi region; just the area around Shichui Town will do. A sand table would be best.”

“Alright, I will go now.” Meng Yanqing jumped up.

“You cannot cross the river now. Go tomorrow morning. There’s no rush.” Li Sangrou gestured for Meng Yanqing to calm down.

“Alright,” Meng Yanqing sat down again.

“Starting today, I will abstain from fish, mutton, onions, and garlic for a few days,” Li Sangrou continued.

Da Chang’s eyes widened upon hearing this.

The last time his Boss abstained from fish, mutton, onions, and garlic was when she raided five or six places in one night, finally managing to rob the Ye Xiang Guild. Afterwards, he remembered his boss spitting and saying, “So they are just a bunch of weaklings. It is a waste of my time.”

And this time?

………………………………

The next day, as soon as the city gates opened, Meng Yanqing rode off on horseback, leading another horse, straight across the river.

Hei Ma and Dong Chao went to choose a suitable large boat; Da Chang led a few men to make purchases, and Wei Fu and the others cleaned their weapons and sharpened their knives, resting and preparing.

Li Sangrou looked as usual, sitting on the porch, holding a cup of tea, her eyelids slightly lowered, intently sensing her surroundings.

A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the aroma of braised meat from the alleyway, the fragrance of pounded tea, and the delicate scent of flowers…

From the neighboring courtyard, the sounds of sharpening knives, varying in strength and gentleness, mingled with laughter and chatter. Someone let out a long burp, eliciting laughter from several people…

In the distance, the wind rustled the leaves, and a cat slipped and knocked off a roof tile…

Li Sangrou adjusted her breathing, listening to and sensing her surroundings. Gradually, she seemed to merge with her surroundings, light and free.

Three days later, Meng Yanqing returned to Yangzhou with the sand table. The following day, the group split into two boats and headed south into the Yangtze River, traveling upstream to Dazhi County.

………………………………

The county town of Xiuning was quiet in the early morning.

Except for the Great Qi imperial flag flying high on the city walls, Xiuning County showed almost no signs of the recent dynastic change.

After Gu Xi’s army sailed down the river, the Great Qi Army from Jiangzhou and Tongling, along with Chu Xing’s forces attacking Raozhou, launched a three-pronged attack.

After Raozhou fell, the Southern Liang garrison was ordered to retreat to Jiande City, building high fortifications and preparing to hold out.

Xiuning County was abandoned by the Southern Liang Army; overnight, the flags changed hands on the city walls.

Originally, such a quiet change of dynasty should not have affected the daily life of Xiuning County. However, firstly, rumors circulated that countless people had died in Qimen, rivers of blood flowing; secondly, the Great Qi Army was stationed outside the city, ready to attack Jiande City at any moment. If a battle broke out, who knew what would happen to Xiuning County!

Because of this, everyone in and around Xiuning County was on edge, every household acting cautiously. The entire county was unusually quiet and peaceful.

In a narrow alley in the northeast corner of Xiuning County, Old Ye, a letter carrier, shirtless, was taking turns jining rice with his eldest son, Zou Fuping, in the courtyard.

Two months ago, the owner of the pharmacy where Zou Fuping was an apprentice somehow received news that Fuyang was likely to be utterly destroyed. The pharmacy owner tossed and turned all night; using his mother’s serious illness as an excuse, he closed the shop, sent his employees and apprentices home, and took his family and valuables back to his hometown, Jixi County.

Zou Fuping had been home for nearly two months, and Old Ye’s mail-delivery business had also ceased two months prior.

After the Qi Army captured Tongling, the entire Shezhou and Muzhou were teeming with troops—either Qi or Southern Liang—either fighting or preparing to fight. Old Ye dared not venture out to deliver messages anymore; he had been idle at home for over half a month before his eldest son, Zou Fuping, arrived.

“Just a little bit of rice is enough; who knows how many more days we will have to endure this?” Old Ye’s wife, Lady Zou, called out as she came out of the house.

The family had not earned any income for over two months, but they had a young son to feed, and their second son was also idle at home every day. Two jin of rice a day was not even enough. With the war dragging on for who knew how long, and seeing a large chunk of rice disappear from the jar each day, Lady Zou was extremely anxious.

“I’ve only pounded enough rice for one meal,” Zou Fuping said, reaching for a handful of rice.

“That’s enough! We are having rice and vegetables today. Eat that patch of rapeseed, or it will get too old,” said Lady Zou, somewhat annoyed.

“Eat glutinous rice cakes!” Her youngest daughter, Zou Xiaoni, tugged at Lady Zou’s clothes and cried out.

“We can only eat glutinous rice cakes during the New Year, not now,” Lady Zou sighed, patting Xiaoni on the head.

“I heard that after conquering a city in Northern Qi, Shunfeng follows suit. Our Xiuning County will probably be next. When Shunfeng arrives, I will look for work,” Old Ye said with a forced smile.

“It’s not peaceful yet. What work? We need to save our lives first, then earn money. We have not even starved yet. We will talk about it when things are peaceful,” Lady Zou said, rolling her eyes at Old Ye.

“I will go with my second brother to the mountains to trap some wild game,” Zou Fuping said with a laugh.

“Alright, all of you behave yourselves! As long as the family is not starving, do not go anywhere. Let everyone be safe and sound first, then we can talk about other things,” Lady Zou snapped at her eldest son and then sighed again.

“Is this Old Ye?”

A voice called from outside the door.

“Who is it?” Zou Fuping put down his pestle and opened the courtyard gate a crack.

“My surname is also Ye. I am looking for Old Ye, the messenger.” Ye Anping stood outside, smiling politely.

Zou Fuping noticed Ye Anping’s fine clothes, the large group of attendants and guards behind him, and the herd of tall horses. His tongue stammered, “Wait a minute, wait a moment! Father! It is for you!”

“Who is it?” Old Ye asked, hurrying over.

Zou Fuping opened a door, stepped aside, and waved for his father to see for himself.

“And you are?” Old Ye peeked out and was startled.

“You must be Old Ye, the letter carrier? And your name is Chaotian?” Ye Anping greeted him with a warm smile and impeccable politeness.

“Yes, yes, that’s me. And you are?” Old Ye was a little bewildered.

When had he ever met such an important person?

“My surname is also Ye. May I come in and talk?” Ye Anping gestured to his neighbor, who was peeking through the crack in the door.

“Please come in, please come in!” Old Ye hurriedly opened the door and let Ye Anping in.

Lady Zou had also come over and was standing beside Old Ye, looking the guest up and down, admiring his elegant, noble appearance.

“This must be your wife,” Ye Anping greeted Lady Zou with a cupped-fist salute.

Lady Zou was startled and quickly returned the greeting with a curtsy.

“And you are?” Old Ye was completely confused.

The more approachable and polite Ye Anping was, the more perplexed he became.

Where in their Ye family did they have such an important person?

Ye Anping glanced back at the tightly closed courtyard gate, then looked around the spacious courtyard. He took a few steps inside, stood in the middle, and smiled at Old Ye, saying, “I’ve come here on someone’s behalf.”

“Do you remember in the fifth month, a young woman went to the Jixi and Jiande areas looking for someone?” Ye Anping lowered his voice, smiling.

Old Ye’s eyes widened. “From Chizhou Prefecture? With her two brothers?”

“One of them had a rather dark complexion,” Ye Anping said with a smile.

“Yes, yes, Shaoqing! He talks too much, but that young lady is silent. Alas, her husband’s fate is unknown; how could she have the mind to speak! And you are? Her husband?” Old Ye looked Ye Anping up and down.

Ye Anping almost choked.

“I would not dare; let’s sit down and talk,” Ye Anping gestured to Old Ye.

“Yes, yes, look at me, so confused. Ni’er’s mother, make some tea,” Old Ye nudged the stunned Lady Zou.

Lady Zou sighed, bent down to pick up the little girl, and hurried into the kitchen to boil water and make tea.

“Is this the eldest?” Ye Anping carefully examined Zou Fuping.

“Yes, he takes his mother’s surname; his name is Fuping; he’s sixteen this year,” Old Ye quickly introduced.

“I heard he’s an apprentice at the pharmacy; how’s his training going?” Ye Anping gestured for Zou Fuping to sit beside him.

“I can already dispense medicine.” Zou Fuping was quite proud; among the dozen or so apprentices in his batch, he learned the fastest and best.

“That’s very good. He looks quite clever. Is this the second son?” Ye Anping then looked at his second son, Ye Fu’an, who was staring at him wide-eyed.

“Yes, he takes my surname, Ye, and his name is Fu’an. He’s thirteen this year.” Old Ye was still puzzled.

“I heard you are learning carpentry. Do you like carpentry?” Ye Anping gestured for Ye Fu’an to come over and asked with a smile.

Ye Fu’an shook his head.

“Then what do you want to do?” Ye Anping continued with a smile.

“Learn to dispense medicine from my brother!” Ye Fu’an answered very quickly.

He most admired his Eldest Brother, whose clothes were always snow-white and clean and who always carried a pleasant medicinal scent. Relatives and neighbors would always praise his Eldest Brother, saying he was promising.

“Then learn to process medicinal herbs with your eldest brother,” Ye Anping smiled.

“Ahem!” Old Ye coughed forcefully, continuing his previous sentence, “That young lady, did she find her man afterward?”

Ye Anping paused for a moment, then chuckled, nodding as he spoke. “To be honest, I do not know what she told you, but she got what she needed done.

Because your eldest son is an apprentice at the pharmacy, she entrusted him to me.

Oh, my apologies; I have not even explained who I am yet. My surname is Ye, Ye Anping, from the Ye family of medicinal herbs…”

Ye Anping’s words were interrupted by Zou Fuping’s startled cry.

Zou Fuping’s eyes widened. “Ye! The Ye family of medicinal herbs! You! You! You!”

“It’s me.” Ye Anping smiled and patted Zou Fuping’s head.

Looking at the bewildered Old Ye, Ye Anping paused, then smiled and said, “The Boss said it is alright if you know her identity.

The young lady you met in the fifth month is Li, the head of the Li family of Shunfeng. I was asked by her to come and check on you, firstly to see if you were alright, and secondly, if you’d like, let Fuping come with me to learn the business of the medicinal herb shop. If Fu’an also wants to work in the medicinal herb business, he can come with me too.”

“Shunfeng? The head of the Li family?” Old Ye was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh. “That’s right! I’ve heard that the head of the Li family in Shunfeng is a woman!

That young lady is very young! She’s very quiet.”

Old Ye’s feelings were too complicated, and he was speechless for a moment, only slapping his thigh repeatedly.

“It was also the head of the Li family who went through a lot to deliver a message to my pharmacy. The head of the Li family was worried that if something happened to you while you were stuck in Fuyang, it would not be good.” Ye Anping looked at Zou Fuping and smiled.

“Yes, for me?” Zou Fuping stammered, completely bewildered.

“Brother Ye, discuss it with your wife. If you are willing, I will take Fuping and Fu’an with me now.

The Boss also instructed that the third son and Xiaoni’er are still young, and he wants you to send them to school for a few years.

When the third son is a little older, whatever he wants to do, just have someone pass a message to me. I will do my best to arrange it. If I cannot, there’s still the Boss.

As for Xiaoni’er, the Boss said to let her study for a few more years and learn a trade she likes, and when she gets married, the Boss will prepare a dowry for her,” Ye Anping continued with a smile.

“Willing, willing!” Old Ye, being pulled on either side by his eldest and second sons, quickly agreed.

“Boss, sigh, I really do not deserve such favor, this, sigh, really…” Old Ye did not know what to say; he felt like he was dreaming.

“This is fifty taels of silver. Things are tough right now, so use this to tide you over. Once things calm down, I will have someone send some more.” Ye Anping placed the brocade bundle he’d carried in onto the old wooden table and stood up. “Things are not peaceful yet. Let Fuping and Fu’an pack up; I will take them with me.”

“Quick!” Zou Fuping pulled his brother, and the two rushed into the house.

Old Ye stood up blankly, looking at his wife, Zou, who had been standing at the kitchen doorway, listening intently.

The bewildered couple squeezed together at the courtyard gate, watching two servants lift Fuping and Fu’an onto their horses, adjust their stirrups, and then lead their horses around the alleyway.

After they could see nothing more, the two stood there for a moment, then turned and went into the courtyard. Lady Zou closed the gate and grabbed Old Ye’s ear. “I am asking you! Why did you not tell me about something so important? Huh? Why did you not tell me a single word? Huh? Tell me!”

“That young woman said she was looking for her husband, that they were from the Great Qi, and that her husband was a Baihu Captain in the Great Qi Army, from Great Qi! Back then, this place was still Great Liang. I was afraid you’d worry, so I…”

Old Ye, bent over by Lady Zou’s pinch, quickly explained.

“Bullshit! Are you bolder than I am? Huh?” Lady Zou spat.

“I was really worried about you. You are bold, but you are too sensitive. I was afraid you’d overthink things,” Old Ye explained again in a low voice.

“Still bullshit! Such a big thing, and you did not say a word! I did not know anything. What if something really happened? Huh? If you were captured and died, would I look for you or not? Would I seek justice for you or not? Huh?”

“I do not know a word! Like a blind man riding a blind horse, if we do not make a fuss, if we do not seek justice, will we not be ruining our whole family?”

“Are you stupid? Huh?

Our father has never hidden anything from our mother his whole life!

What have I told you? Huh? You cannot teach me properly! Such a big thing; how can you hide it? You come in here!” Lady Zou grew angrier and angrier, grabbing Old Ye and dragging him into the house.

“I was wrong; it was my fault. I will not do it again; I really will not.” Old Ye bowed low, head down, admitting his mistake as he went into the house to kneel as punishment.