“What did you come back for?”
Wang Shi’qi-lang shouted loudly as he sat sulking on a floor cushion, watching the old servant step into the large shared room.
“You might as well change your surname to Cheng! Clearly, you don’t recognize who your real master is anymore!”
“Young master, this matter is no child’s play,” the old servant said solemnly. “You must stop this nonsense.”
“Nonsense? You believe that girl now too?” Wang Shi’qi-lang jumped up and shouted. “Did you even hear what she said? Follow her words, her rules? Pah!”
He panted heavily, eyes wide with anger.
“I’d like to see what happens if I don’t listen to her!”
The old servant’s heart skipped a beat.
What would happen if one didn’t listen to her? Surely, nothing good…
Ordinary people, when faced with trouble, would try to carefully avoid it. But not her—she simply cast out the person who might cause trouble. And it wasn’t even that trouble had fully arrived—just that a hint of it had appeared…
For such sharp intelligence and decisiveness to reside in a girl barely in her teens—no wonder she could move an old military man like Master Zhou to tears.
This young lady of the Cheng family—how could she be some fool? She was clearly like Cai Wenji, able to discern music by the sound of a single string.
To think the bride is someone like this—what a treasure this marriage has turned out to be.
“What are you laughing at!”
After Wang Shi’qi-lang finished speaking and got no response, he looked up and saw the old servant grinning—this only made him angrier.
Were they all just here to laugh at him?
Laughed at by that fool, beaten by that fool’s servant, and now even laughed at by his own servant!
“You all can just stay here with that girl—I’m leaving right now.”
Another one of his dramatic “running away from home” acts.
The old servant gave the others a knowing look. The attendants immediately stepped forward, as if by instinct—some clung to his legs, some grabbed his arms, some cried, others pleaded, and eventually they managed to calm him down. They coaxed him into washing up and changing clothes, though he then complained about the communal bedding—too hard, too smelly, too filthy—and refused to sleep.
Just as they were figuring out how to settle him down, there came a knock at the door.
When the door opened, it turned out to be a servant from the Zhou household.
“What are you doing here?” Wang Shi’qi-lang glared and barked.
“My mistress has asked you all to come over,” the Zhou servant replied haughtily.
Come over? What, now she wants to admit she was wrong? She’s scared?
Too late!
Wang Shi’qi-lang spat.
“Get lost,” he cursed bluntly.
Sure enough, the Zhou servant turned to leave without hesitation, but the old servant quickly rushed to stop him.
“Young man, did the lady have any specific instructions?” he asked with a respectful, placating smile.
“Miss said it might not be safe for you to stay here,” the Zhou servant said slowly. “But she also said—it’s entirely up to you whether you come or not.”
Not safe?
The old servant shuddered.
“Oh come on, does she really think she can predict the future now? First she said it wouldn’t rain…” Wang Shi’qi-lang shouted with a laugh, but halfway through, he choked on his words—because, apparently, it really hadn’t rained…
Still, whatever, that must have just been a coincidence.
“Now she’s saying it’s not safe—who does she think she is?”
He was about to say more, but saw that the old servant had already turned around.
“Pack up. We’re going to Lady Cheng,” he said.
The attendants responded immediately and began hurriedly gathering their things.
“What are you doing? Do you remember who you serve, huh?”
Wang Shi’qi-lang’s shouting and cursing pierced through the room and cut across the not-yet-deep night of the post station.
…
“Who would’ve thought that fool Feng would actually be so sharp… He actually escaped a disaster. Looks like we’ll have no choice but to let him enter the city.”
“Enter the city? That fool Feng is an expert at keeping accounts. The moment he steps inside, it’ll be the end of both you and me!”
Not far from the post station, in a village near its outskirts, there was a small courtyard. Inside the house, lights were still on, and two shadows could be seen on the window—one seated, the other pacing back and forth.
If the minor official who had been beaten half to death by Feng Lin were here, he would have recognized the two men: one was a clerk from the Taicang Circuit Fiscal Commissioner’s Office, the other a tax officer.
The tax officer paced with a dark expression, while the clerk remained calm, sipping tea with a composed face.
“The timing and everything else were handled perfectly. How did it fail?” the clerk asked. “Did Liu Zhong act on his own again? That kid always thinks he’s clever and loves to overdo things.”
“Probably not. Someone just reported that a group of people suddenly showed up and decided to play the heroes,” the tax officer said sourly, grinding his teeth. “No matter where those people came from, if they dare to meddle in Taicang’s affairs, they’ll learn a lesson they won’t forget!”
“It’s not necessarily a bad thing, this so-called righteous interference,” the clerk replied slowly, unhurried and calm. “We told them from the beginning to stir up trouble—to make public opinion boil over. That’s what we wanted. It’s just that this fool Feng… doesn’t seem half as foolish as the rumors say. That was our misjudgment.”
Seeing that the clerk wasn’t the least bit anxious and was even smiling cheerfully, the tax officer snorted and sat down, flicking his robe aside.
“So he can audit accounts and he’s not a fool? That just makes him even harder to deal with,” he said. “If we let him into the city, I fear half of Taicang Circuit will be cleaned out.”
The clerk slowly stroked his teacup.
“That would be truly tragic,” he sighed, as if already picturing the scene—one official after another being dragged out, stripped of their robes, and hauled off to prison, his expression tinged with sorrow and pity.
“Just tell me what we’re going to do already! Everyone in the city’s waiting!” the tax officer urged impatiently.
“What to do?” The clerk gave a slight smile, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.
“One man suffering is still better than many suffering, don’t you think?”
He seemed refined and slow-spoken, but the tax officer knew this man—who had worked in the Fiscal Commissioner’s Office for thirty years—was nothing like his gentle exterior.
“So what you’re suggesting is…” the tax officer leaned in and asked in a low voice.
Suddenly, the clerk reached out and drew a line across the tax officer’s neck with his finger.
On a mid-autumn night, the weather was cool and overcast.
The clerk’s hand—long and bony—slid across the tax officer’s neck, sharp as if it were a blade.
The tax officer shuddered, his whole body going rigid as he recoiled, a muffled cry escaping from his throat.
Seeing he had frightened him, the clerk burst out laughing.
The tax officer was a bit annoyed—annoyed that the man had tried to scare him, and even more annoyed that he had shown fear in front of him.
“What the hell was that for?” he snapped.
“That,” the clerk said with a grin.
As the tax officer instinctively rubbed his neck and came back to his senses, his eyes suddenly widened.
“You mean… kill an imperial official?” he exclaimed.
The clerk gave him a glance.
The tax officer quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
“Are you insane?” he hissed. “That’s a capital offense—execution and family implication!”
“Well then, better someone else dies than yourself, no?” the clerk said slowly, almost lazily.
The tax officer’s expression shifted uncertainly. He rubbed his neck again, but said nothing.
“It’s really not that big of a deal,” the clerk said slowly. “When someone dies, it doesn’t necessarily mean they were murdered. It could be… an accident. Just like that fire years ago at the Wu-zhou storage office. We could naturally arrange for the Taicang storage to catch fire too. But that kind of trick is too passive—it’d give that fool Feng something to grab hold of. Instead of that, why not…”
“Let the post station catch fire?” the tax officer instinctively picked up the thread.
“Wang Da, you’re really smart—great idea!” the clerk immediately pointed at him and praised with a smile.
The tax officer batted his hand away.
“Smart, my ass. Cao Ba, don’t pin this on me. We both know who came up with the idea,” he said grumpily.
“Don’t worry. Once it’s done, no one will be held responsible,” the clerk said with a grin, settling into a cross-legged position. “The weather’s dry, and the Small Fanggang post station is old and poorly maintained. A fire breaking out there would seem… perfectly natural, wouldn’t it?”
The tax officer sat in silence.
“Besides, the higher-ups won’t let the fire investigation go too deep,” the clerk lowered his voice again. “The few soldiers from the Divine Battalion troops were tipped off in advance by officials in the court. Otherwise, do you think we could control them? That fool Feng is always bossing people around—there have been plenty who’re dissatisfied with him for a long time.”
The tax officer nodded, his expression slightly relieved.
The clerk smiled faintly as he lifted his teacup.
“It’s cleanest and easiest to deal with it at the post station,” he said, pausing for a moment before lowering his voice further. “The Fiscal Commissioner thinks the same way.”
The Fiscal Commissioner!
The tax officer’s eyes widened, then he quickly covered his mouth, as if he himself had just spoken.
“But there are quite a few people staying at the post station this time… If the fire breaks out, it’ll be uncontrollable,” he whispered.
“That’ll just make a bigger scene. It’ll show that the post station really needs repairs. The higher-ups just won’t approve funds—they want us locals to foot the bill. But our region is so poor, we can’t afford the repairs. We keep warning them that disaster is inevitable, and now disaster’s here. Just wait—when the censor’s impeachment comes through, let’s see if they finally release the funds,” the clerk snorted.
The tax officer clicked his tongue, feeling as if they were talking about two completely different things…
“Hurry up. The middle of the night is when people are most tired, and that’s when lamp oil is most likely to catch fire. It’s better to act before dawn,” the clerk said, tapping his fingers impatiently on the small table.
The tax officer clenched his teeth and slapped his thigh.
“Fine, let’s do it this way,” he said, standing up and grinding his teeth. “It’s not like we have a grudge against him—he just happened to get stuck with this unlucky assignment. If anyone’s to blame, it’s bad luck.”
He stood up.
“I’ll go and oversee things to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
The clerk nodded, then suddenly called him back.
“Has everyone at the post station been accounted for? Any important guests staying tonight?” he asked.
“No, all accounted for. Mostly commoners, with a few low-ranking officials. Don’t worry,” the tax officer replied.
The clerk nodded and watched as the tax officer lifted his foot to leave.
In the heavy darkness of the night, footsteps sounded, mixing and fading away into the distance.
The night was deep and heavy, and the noisy post station finally fell into complete silence.
Outside the post station, Cheng Jiao-niang’s tent had also quieted down after Wang Shi’qi-lang’s commotion.
Ban Qin looked at Cheng Jiao-niang, who had closed her eyes and fallen asleep on the bed, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Carefully, she turned and lay down on the felt mat. As she did, her eyes caught sight of the bow and arrows placed on the small rack beside Cheng Jiao-niang’s bed.
Even while traveling, the lady did not abandon her habits: practicing calligraphy, reading, and training with the bow.
Ban Qin smiled faintly, lay down, and closed her eyes.
Soft footsteps sounded in the back courtyard of the post station but quickly faded into the darkness.
The wood storage room was lit. Through the window panes, five men lay on the floor, tied up tightly, their bodies and faces bruised and battered. At the doorway stood two guards, rubbing their eyes and yawning.
“What time is it? Why hasn’t the shift change come yet…” one said.
“Must have overslept…” the other replied lazily, leaning against the wall. Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly straightened up but then slipped down along the wall.
The man opposite burst out laughing.
“You’re so sleepy you can’t even stand guard properly…” he joked. Before he could finish, a soft pfft sound came by his ear. His eyes widened as he clutched his throat—blood trickled through his fingers.
“There’s…”
The last word barely escaped before he collapsed straight to the ground.
The sound of the fall startled the five tied men awake. They looked around in confusion at the guard “asleep” on the floor.
The door was pushed open.
“Wang Da!” the minor official exclaimed with joy.
The tax officer shushed him.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he hissed, glaring and lowering his voice.
Two more people entered behind them to help wake and untie those on the ground.
“Wang Da, I knew you wouldn’t abandon me,” the minor official said, tears of joy streaming down his face.
The tax officer snorted.
“Pathetic,” he said, shaking his head. “Can you walk? Let’s go.”
Though bruised and aching all over from the beating, everyone still had enough strength to escape. Supporting each other, the group made their way out of the room.
“Wang Da, are we just going to let it go like this? If we run away now, we won’t have any future or livelihood…” The minor official, growing anxious, whispered.
People are like that—never satisfied. In the moment, as long as they survive, they’re content. But once survival is secured, they start craving wealth and glory.
“Don’t worry,” the tax officer snorted, pulling something from his sleeve.
In the dim light, the minor official’s eyes widened as he recognized it.
“A fire tinder!” he whispered, then glanced at the other two men, who stood nearby with gourds hanging at their waists. The scent of vegetable oil spread in the night breeze. He clenched his teeth and stammered, “This is… this is…”
“Better get going,” the tax officer shot him a sharp look and whispered, “Unless you want to be buried with it.”
The minor official snapped back to his senses and dared not say more, quickly moving outside.
The tax officer waved his hand, and the two men headed along the wall toward the upper rooms.
The lights inside the post station had all been extinguished earlier with stones, leaving the place pitch dark and cloaking the six figures as they made their way outside. The moment they stepped out, a blaze suddenly erupted behind them.
“Fire!”
There was no shout from inside the post station yet, but a cry from outside startled the six. Looking up, they saw four men standing by the campfire not far away, keeping watch.
As their shouts rang out, those inside the post station also noticed the flames, and soon shouting and crying erupted in a chaotic mixture.
The night wind was fierce, and the fire quickly grew fierce and wild.
Steward Cao and the others had already been awakened and were horrified by the scene before them.
“Quick, put out the fire!”
Everyone hurriedly rushed forward.
“Send ten people to fight the fire, the rest stay and guard the camp!” Steward Cao loudly commanded.
Some grabbed pots and other items that hadn’t been packed away yet and charged toward the blaze.
Inside the post station, it was already chaos—people and horses scattered everywhere. But as they looked at the growing fire, their fear and panic vanished, replaced by a strange joy.
If you want my life and livelihood, it won’t be that easy!
The minor official turned back proudly to look at the post station, the flames growing brighter and gradually illuminating their hidden location.
“Find somewhere to hide,” the tax officer said in a low voice. As he lifted his foot to leave, he noticed the minor official looking outside again.
“Damn it, it’s that bitch who ruined our plan and got us beaten!” the minor official said angrily.
Following his gaze, the tax officer looked out as well. Several people who had been trying to put out the fire ran out of the tents, while the rest stood by the camp edges, looking shocked and pointing toward the post station.
Two ladies also stepped out of one of the tents.
“Are those the ones who interfered and ruined our plans?” the tax officer asked.
The minor official nodded.
“They even gave us a good beating,” he said, glancing back at the four soldiers.
The four soldiers nodded in agreement.
“Wang Da, give me the fire tinder…” the minor official suddenly said, reaching out his hand.
“What for?” the tax officer asked. “Better hide now. Once the fire dies down, you can come out safely.”
“I’ll start another fire first, to warm them up a bit,” the minor official said.
They really deserved a lesson for being so ungrateful.
The tax officer hesitated for a moment, then handed over the fire tinder and also untied the oil flask.
Outside the post station, people were running chaotically, blending into a chaotic mass. The minor official, not afraid of being seen, grabbed the fire tinder in one hand and the oil flask in the other, and mingled with the crowd as he ran toward the camp.
“…What’s going on? What’s going on?” Wang Shi’qi-lang, wrapped in a cloak with his hair loose, stared at the post station in surprise, shouting repeatedly, “How did it suddenly catch fire like this?!”
No one answered him, as the crowd rushing over was large, and the attendants were busy guarding the tents, preventing them from pushing forward.
Only the old servant stayed with Wang Shi’qi-lang, while Ban Qin stood outside the tent with Cheng Jiao-niang, watching the fire.
Compared to Wang Shi’qi-lang’s surprise, the old servant’s face was full of horror. He glanced at the fire, then at Cheng Jiao-niang.
This is really dangerous…
This is sheer divine foresight, as if fate has been predicted!
How could this be? Is it just a coincidence?
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw the young lady wrapped in a large cloak suddenly lift her garment and raise something in her hand.
It was… a bow and arrow!
What was she going to do?
Just as he looked over, the young lady had already drawn her bow and nocked an arrow. With a whizz, the long arrow left the string, flying straight in one direction.
At the same time, the minor official, running through the crowd with excitement, waved the fire tinder in one hand and made a throwing motion with the oil flask in the other.
Die…
But at that moment, an arrow came screaming through the air, piercing the minor official’s throat precisely.
Without even a flicker of feeling, the minor official lost his life, falling backward. The still-burning fire tinder he held fell onto his body, and the oil flask slipped from his hand onto him as well.
With a boom, a blaze suddenly erupted within the crowd.
The running crowd instantly panicked in chaos.
What’s happening? What’s happening?
Everyone was stunned. The post station was already ablaze—could people outside the post station also spontaneously catch fire?
The tax officer and the four guards standing in the shadows were frozen in shock.
Did he accidentally drop the fire tinder and oil flask on himself?
That was the tax officer’s first thought—but something was wrong. Why didn’t the man struggle?
If it was an accident, he would have screamed, flailed, and tried to put out the fire. How could he stay completely still?
No good! He was dead before the fire even started!
The tax officer quickly reacted and looked toward the camp. Just a few yards away, in the flickering night firelight, a gleaming arrowhead was already aimed at him.
“Come here!”
A sharp, clear female voice carried on the night wind.
The voice drew everyone’s attention, and Wang Shi’qi-lang’s eyes widened.
What was this girl doing with a bow and arrow? Was she here to put out the fire?
Who was she calling over?
He followed the direction the bow and arrow pointed.
Under the night sky glowing red from the firelight, five people stood in a corner of the post station. One of the men stared back in shock.
“Disobedient!” Cheng Jiao-niang said, releasing her grip.
The tax officer’s vision was too narrow to see around him; he only saw the fiery arrowhead drawing closer. Behind the arrow, the night wind lifted the small girl’s cloak, casting a shadow like a bat spreading its wings.
What’s happening?
That was the tax officer’s last thought before the arrow pierced through his chin and firmly lodged in his throat. Without a single scream, he stumbled backward, fell to the ground, flailed twice, and lay still.
Seeing the man die before their eyes, the four guards finally snapped out of it. The big men let out shrill screams, almost like women’s.
Someone’s killing! Someone’s killing!
The people around finally reacted, plunging the scene into even greater chaos.
Someone’s killing! Someone’s killing!
Wang Shi’qi-lang’s gaze followed the arrow, and by the firelight, he clearly saw how a person died in the blink of an eye.
It was the first time in his life he had ever witnessed a killing!
And it was a girl who did it!
And that girl was his fiancée!
He stood there dumbfounded, turning his head to look at his fiancée…
Cheng Jiao-niang still held the bow in her hand and was pulling an arrow from the quiver at her waist, aiming it at the shouting guards over there.
“Come here!” she spoke again, uttering a few words.
Amid the noise, the guards certainly couldn’t hear her, but Wang Shi’qi-lang heard everything clearly.
Come here…
Disobedient…
Then die…
Disobedient… means death…
Wang Shi’qi-lang swallowed hard with a gulp.
“She’s killing!”
He screamed sharply, then fainted backward, escaping the noisy chaos and sinking into dark silence.
Though the old servant didn’t faint, he was already stunned and dazed.
“This is not Cai Wenji…” he murmured, “This is clearly Xun Guan…” [1]
Translator’s Note:
[1] This line contrasts two historical Chinese women known for their bravery and strength. Cai Wenji is often portrayed as a gentle, cultured scholar and poet, while Xun Guan is famous for her courageous act of leading troops to break a siege as a young girl.
