Xing Muzheng looked at the two big black chests. They did indeed bear the crest of the Marquis’s household. Beside them stood a bearded yamen runner. He opened the lids, and inside were neatly stacked bars of gold, dazzling the eyes. The runner said, “Lord Marquis, please have your men count them, to see if any are missing.”
Xing Muzheng raised an eyebrow and turned to Bao Li. “What is this about? I truly find it puzzling.”
Bao Li folded his hands with a smile. “The Marquis may not know—after learning yesterday that you had lost two chests of gold, this official was distraught with shame, unable to face you. Suddenly, I had an idea. I sent more than a hundred men up the mountain to intimidate those bandits, telling them the two chests of gold they seized belonged to none other than the renowned Dingxi Marquis, and that they had best return them at once. As expected, those thieves feared your great name. Last night, they sent these two chests back. So this morning, I came to restore them to their rightful owner.”
“So that is the case.” Xing Muzheng nodded blandly.
Bao Li’s smile dimmed a little. He cautiously studied Xing Muzheng’s expression. “Marquis, these two chests… they are yours, are they not?”
Xing Muzheng said, “They bear my household’s crest. They should indeed be mine.”
“Since they are truly yours, why then does the Marquis not look pleased?”
Xing Muzheng said calmly, “Having my wealth returned, of course I am pleased.”
Bao Li exhaled in relief, wiping sweat from his forehead. He forced a laugh. “Since the treasure has been recovered, this official will prepare boats to escort the Marquis back to Yuzhou at once, ensuring those beasts have no chance to rob again. Marquis, rest assured, when reinforcements arrive, this official will make certain those bandits have nowhere to escape!”
Xing Muzheng nodded. “Those brigands have committed many evils—they must naturally be dealt with. I will remain and join you in suppressing them.”
Bao Li bowed deeply, guilt written on his face. “That the Marquis should lose valuables within my jurisdiction already leaves me mortified. How could I trouble the Marquis over such a small matter? Yuzhou has many pressing affairs and cannot do without you. To kill a mere handful of bandits—how could we dare trouble the Marquis with such trifles? Please rest easy, once the matter is concluded, I will send word by pigeon to report our victory.”
Xing Muzheng considered briefly. “Lord Bao worries for me, and I appreciate it. But the men escorting those two chests of gold are still missing. If they were not taken by river bandits, then they were killed. I must see them alive, or their bodies if dead.”
“There is such a matter? Those beasts are truly vicious!” Bao Li slapped his palm in anger.
By then, Qian Jiaoniang had finished washing and came downstairs, overhearing the exchange. Her gaze fell on the two striking chests of gold, eyes widening slightly, before she stepped to Xing Muzheng’s side and looked at him. Bao Li quickly bowed to her. Xing Muzheng told her, “Lord Bao showed great wit. He had men go up the mountain to intimidate the bandits, and so had these two chests of gold returned.”
Qian Jiaoniang exclaimed with delight, “That truly is joyous news. Lord Bao is indeed wise!”
Bao Li quickly demurred, “No, no, it was the Marquis’s fame that cowed the bandits. This official dares not claim credit.”
“Lord Bao, that is too modest. Not everyone could have thought of such a plan. Marquis, if there is a chance in future, you must commend Lord Bao before His Majesty.”
Bao Li protested repeatedly but could not hide the smile crinkling his eyes.
Suddenly, Qian Jiaoniang felt a scorching gaze on her. She looked up to find the bearded yamen runner standing by the chests, sharp eyes fixed unblinkingly on her. She thought he must be the same runner she had glimpsed last night driving the cart. It had been too dark then to see clearly, but now she saw his broad, powerful build. Though his beard covered most of his face, he was still a man in his prime. But why was he staring at her?
Xing Muzheng clearly noticed too, frowning slightly. The runner seemed to sense his gaze and quickly lowered his eyes.
Sensing the awkward air, Bao Li hastily ordered the runner to withdraw. The bearded man silently left with his companions. Qian Jiaoniang, watching their retreating figures, asked thoughtfully, “Lord Bao, who led the party up the mountain last night?”
Bao Li replied, “That very man who just left. His surname is Fang. Skilled with his fists, and bold. I was just considering promoting him to head constable.”
Qian Jiaoniang nodded. “So that’s it.”
Xing Muzheng ordered Ah Da to put away the two chests of gold. Bao Li, quick to read the situation, excused himself, but not before ingratiatingly sending in a full breakfast. Xing Muzheng accepted without ceremony, sitting with Qian Jiaoniang to eat. Since the spread was plentiful, he let Ah Da and the others join as well. Having followed him for years, they did not refuse.
But Li Qingquan kept thinking about those two chests. Was it really so easy to get them back? Were the bandits truly so cowed by Dingxi Marquis’s reputation that they meekly returned such a fortune? He had little experience with bandits, but it all seemed too smooth. Two chests of gold was no small matter—yet they gave them up so cleanly?
Xing Muzheng sipped his porridge and turned to Qian Jiaoniang. “What do you think?”
Qian Jiaoniang bit into a bun. “…A little strange.”
“Strange how?”
She shot him a sideways glance. She didn’t believe that if even she felt it odd, he had not noticed. “Too smooth. As if the two chests of gold were a plague god they were desperate to be rid of.”
…There was no need for such self-deprecation. Li Qingquan could only feel helpless; he was used to the lady’s way of speaking. Still, her words struck a chord. That the gold came back so easily—and that Lord Bao was so eager to send the Marquis away—wasn’t that simply because he didn’t want him staying here? By rights, if plagued by bandits, Bao ought to beg the Marquis to remain, since the matter also touched upon his own career. Was he truly afraid of troubling the Marquis, or was it something else…
“Colluding with bandits?” Ah Da spoke out the thought in Li Qingquan’s mind.
Xing Muzheng didn’t reply. He had previously sent people to investigate Bao Li, and knew the man had taken bribes from wealthy merchants, but nothing else suspicious had turned up. Could it be that he really was secretly in league with the bandits of Wuling Mountain?
***
Bao Li hurriedly left the courtyard where Xing Muzheng was staying. On the main road of the post station, he caught up with the bearded constable Fang, who stood motionless under a large locust tree, baring white teeth in a chilling grin. Bao Li approached, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and whispered, “What’s going on with you people? Not only did you have no sense and robbed Dingxi Marquis’s ship, you even killed his men?”
Constable Fang rolled his eyes. “Did not. As soon as the guards on that ship saw our arrows fly, they all swam off. I didn’t kill a single one. And besides, they didn’t raise a flag on their ship—how was I supposed to know we’d just happen to run into his?”
As it turned out, this constable Fang wasn’t Bao Li’s subordinate at all, but the bandit chief of Wuling Mountain, Fang Xiong. He had tested the waters with two river raids, and to his ill luck had run right into this plague god. He wasn’t suicidal; he knew exactly the strength of his ragtag men.
“Then why did Marquis Xing say his men never returned?”
“How would I know? Maybe those subordinates, knowing they’d failed to guard the treasure, were afraid to return and be punished, so they decided to run off.”
Bao Li sneered. “Do you take Marquis Xing’s men for the rabble under your command?”
Fang Xiong narrowed his eyes. “Then it means he deliberately said so—he wants to stay behind and finish us off.”
Bao Li instantly tensed. “How did you people end up provoking Dingxi Marquis!” Even if one were to oppose the court, one must never provoke this killing star.
“How should I know… Wait. Could it be…” Fang Xiong stroked his thick beard, heavy brows furrowing together as he pondered for quite some time. Bao Li grew impatient and pressed him to speak, but Fang Xiong ignored him. Instead, he casually beckoned over one of the maids Bao Li had brought, and whispered a few words into her ear.
