“Make way! Make way!”
The pounding of hooves and shouted voices filled the air – but it was no use. The man standing in the street still didn’t move. Luckily, the rider’s skill was superb; he yanked the reins and barely managed to swerve past him.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”
The rider, cold sweat breaking out all over, turned back and cursed, cracking his whip as he rode off.
The lash struck hard across Liu Kui’s body, the searing pain jolting him back to his senses. When he looked around again, he realized the sky had already turned dark.
How long had he been standing there…?
He turned his gaze toward the government office nearby – its gates were already closed and locked.
Just one man’s word – Fan Jianglin’s – wasn’t enough. It was useless… useless…
I’ll be watching you. I’ll be watching all of you!
Liu Kui muttered under his breath as he lifted his foot to walk away.
Over two thousand joined the battle at Linguan Fort; just over a hundred remain…
Witnesses. I need witnesses.
Liu Kui suddenly stopped, clenched his fists, and then broke into a run.
A sudden commotion shattered the stillness of the night, and the narrow alleyway grew noisy.
“Get out! Get out!”
A woman’s voice shouted.
“I’m begging you, I’m begging you!”
Liu Kui shouted back, pushing desperately against the door.
The woman was no match for his strength – the door was easily forced open. But just then, a man rushed forward and swung a wooden stick hard at Liu Kui.
With a sharp crack, the stick snapped clean in two. Liu Kui dropped to one knee, clutching his shoulder, and a thin trickle of blood slid down from the corner of his mouth.
There was a sudden silence at the doorway.
The woman’s face went pale with fear, and the man still holding half a broken stick froze in place – he hadn’t expected Liu Kui not to dodge.
Liu Kui gave a short laugh and lowered his other knee to the ground.
“In all my life, I, Liu Kui, have never knelt to anyone except Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, my parents, and my teachers,” he said. “Today, I kneel to you. I only ask that you stand up and speak a word of justice.”
The man threw down the broken stick in his hand.
“I have nothing to say,” he said, turning away. “Shut the door.”
“I know,” Liu Kui said hoarsely, “back then you were few in number, the situation desperate, with no reinforcements behind you. Even if you’d stayed, you couldn’t have saved Xu Maoxiu and the others. Their deaths weren’t your fault, and I’m not here to blame anyone. I just want recognition – recognition for their sacrifice, for their defense of the city to the death.
“Fang Zhonghe fled halfway through and still received honors – why can’t they? It’s unjust, it’s not fair!”
His voice grew rougher as he looked up at the man’s back.
“Back then the situation was dire and you were isolated, you couldn’t have saved them even if you wanted to – but now it’s different. Now someone is asking questions. The court has sent officials to investigate. The court wants to set things right!
“Now you can save them – you can! All it takes is one word, one fair word from you, and you can save them. I’m begging you, please – please save them! You can do it. Only you can save them now! I beg you!”
As he spoke, Liu Kui struck his head to the ground again and again – thud, thud, thud.
The woman stood off to the side, her sleeves trembling as she wiped away tears, her whole body shaking.
The man’s back seemed to quiver slightly too, but he still lifted his foot to step forward.
“Close the door,” he said again.
“Da-lang…” the woman couldn’t help but call softly.
“Close the door!” the man suddenly barked, his voice rising sharply. He flung his arm, strode into the house, and pulled the hall door shut behind him.
The woman sighed, glanced once more at Liu Kui still kneeling and bowing outside, and then closed the outer door.
The night deepened. One by one, the lights in the small courtyard went out. The border town was under curfew after dark – heaven and earth alike were swallowed by blackness.
The woman tiptoed to the door and peered out through a narrow crack. In the pitch-dark alley beyond, there was one spot even darker than the rest – and if one looked closely, one could just make out the shape of a man kneeling there.
She crept back inside on silent feet. The house was completely dark.
“He’s still kneeling out there,” the woman said softly.
She looked into the darkened room; once her eyes adjusted, she could see the man sitting on the edge of the bed.
The man said nothing, only lay back down. The woman sat beside him but didn’t lie down.
For a while, the room was silent – only their breathing could be heard.
“Da-lang.”
“Shut up.”
Silence fell again.
“Da-lang…”
“I said shut up!”
“Da-lang, if your mouth is shut, does that mean your heart can rest easy?”
The man suddenly sat up straight.
“What are you trying to do?” he growled through clenched teeth.
In the darkness, husband and wife sat facing each other.
“…He’s right. You really can save them now,” the woman said softly.
“Crazy talk! They’re dead – what’s left to save?” the man snapped, about to lie back down.
The woman grabbed him by the sleeve.
“If they’re dead, must they die in vain?” she said, her voice trembling.
“And what else can it be but in vain!” the man retorted angrily.
The woman fell silent for a moment.
“Da-lang, I’ve heard things on the street too. The court really is investigating this matter again. And Fang Zhonghe – he’s panicking. Even the provincial inspector is frightened. Why else would they arrest Xu Sigen? Da-lang, if we come forward to testify… maybe, just maybe, we really could…” she said, her voice shaking.
“Shut up! Have you grown tired of living?!” the man hissed, keeping his voice low.
“I just don’t want you to go on living like a coward,” the woman cried. “A lifetime of cowardice, a lifetime with this stone pressing on your heart. Better to die outright than live like that – it would at least be quick.”
The man lay back down, pulled the blanket over himself, and said nothing.
The woman wiped her tears, sobbing softly.
“Fan Jianglin’s been driven out, Xu Sigen’s been arrested… it’s already so hard, and yet there are still people running themselves ragged for him, still people who pity him. If in the end it all comes to nothing, then truly there’s no hope left for people’s hearts or the ways of the world.”
“The people’s hearts and the ways of the world never had any hope to begin with,” he said.
The woman’s quiet sobs slowed, dwindled, and finally faded into silence.
As the night faded and the sky began to lighten, the woman opened her eyes – only to find the man beside her already gone. She hurriedly sat up, swung her legs off the bed, and opened the door. He was just then unbolting the courtyard gate.
It was early September, and the weather in the northwest had already turned chilly. In the morning mist, a lone figure was still kneeling upright.
The man’s hand froze on the door.
He’s been kneeling all night!
“What are you trying to do?” he asked in a muffled voice.
Liu Kui lifted his head, gave him a crooked smile.
“Justice,” he said.
“And what if you get it? It’s only a name. What good will it do them?” the man said.
Liu Kui smiled.
“Yes, it’s useless. The dead can’t use it. But… aren’t there still people living? Aren’t there still so many living people just like them?” he said, pointing behind him. “Justice for the dead – so that the living won’t be wronged in the future.”
The man looked at him, then stepped forward.
“All right,” he said, “I’ll see to this justice myself.” He reached out his hand.
Liu Kui stared at him, almost in disbelief. It wasn’t until the man extended his hand again that Liu Kui came back to his senses and reached out to clasp it.
The man pulled him up with force, their hands gripping tightly together.
At the doorway, the woman raised her sleeve to wipe her tears – but there was a smile on her face.
Liu Kui turned, limping slightly.
“Where are you going?” the man asked, a little dazed.
“I’m going to look for more justice,” Liu Kui said, grinning back at him. “If I can find one like you, I can find more.”
The man looked at him, then stepped forward to follow.
“I’ll go with you,” he said. “Two people can find it faster – and easier.”
…
The galloping horse, bearing a gold medallion in the rider’s hand and a yellow silk banner streaming behind, raced unhindered straight into the government hall of Longgu City.
“Receive the imperial decree!”
At the eunuch’s sharp cry, all the generals of Longgu City dropped to their knees in the hall to listen to the Emperor’s command.
The words were much the same as last time – only now the tone was noticeably harsher. It seemed the situation in the capital had become quite heated.
Jiang Wenyuan gave a cold snort inwardly. When the decree was finished, he quickly stepped forward, raised his hands, and shouted, “This minister obeys the command!” – then took the document respectfully.
“Master Jiang, His Majesty demands results immediately,” the eunuch said. Declining the generals’ invitations to rest, he made it clear that he intended to take the report and rush back to the capital without wasting a single moment.
So urgent?
“It truly is that urgent – there’s no time to delay,” the eunuch replied.
Jiang Wenyuan glanced at Zhou Fengxiang, who avoided his eyes and said nothing.
“Your Excellency, the matter has already been fully investigated,” Jiang Wenyuan said with a smile, presenting a memorial with both hands. “It was all baseless rumor. After careful verification, there is absolutely no evidence to support the accusations concerning those five men. It can be concluded that this was nothing more than Fan Jianglin and others venting their resentment in retaliation.”
The eunuch looked at him, then down at the memorial in his hands.
“Are you certain?” he asked, his tone grave and solemn.
“I am certain,” Jiang Wenyuan replied without hesitation.
The eunuch nodded, about to speak – when a shout of alarm came from outside the doors.
“My lord, bad news!”
A soldier came running in and stopped at the threshold, calling out loudly.
How dare he! Everyone in the hall turned pale – no matter what the emergency, no one was allowed to shout in the presence of the imperial envoy!
The officer standing nearest the door immediately barked for silence – but it was already too late.
“A crowd has arrived outside,” the soldier blurted, “they say they’re survivors from the Battle of Linguan Fort, and they’ve come to testify for Xu Sigen and Fan Jianglin’s appeal!”
“What?”
Everyone in the hall froze. Jiang Wenyuan’s expression darkened at once.
At his ear came the eunuch’s slightly rasping voice:
“Master Jiang… what is the meaning of this?”
