Yet the trap, crude as it seemed, required three things to align: first, Xing Muzheng had to be lured into Fulou Pavilion; second, the soldiers had to be in ambush there; third, the rebel from the former dynasty had to arrive for the meeting. If it were the work of a single group, that would not be strange. But here were clearly three parties—how could they collude to frame Xing Muzheng? Especially the court and the rebels of the fallen dynasty—how could they ever cooperate? If all of this were the Black Chrysanthemum Sect’s scheme, how had they persuaded both sides to follow their words? Or was there another hidden connection at work?
Tossing and turning in the ruined temple, Qian Jiaoniang could not sleep—just as when she once saw Xing Muzheng’s madness with her own eyes, and spent sleepless nights alone thereafter.
At dawn, Qian Jiaoniang and the others ate a few bites of dry rations, fed their horses, and pressed onward. Along the way, they were mostly silent, each lost in thought. At noon, while resting by a riverbank, Qin Shaoyuan voiced his conjecture to Qian Jiaoniang.
“In my opinion,” he said, “this must involve two or three different parties. No matter what, the court would never join hands with rebels. That means either the Black Chrysanthemum Sect has ties with the rebels, or they do not, and merely used this man to set a trap for the Marquis. Or else the rebels themselves sacrificed one of their own, just to splash mud on the Marquis. Whether it is the sect or the rebels, we need not decide for now. What matters is, the Marquis is now in prison, under the court’s authority. Xu Hongzu bears the surname Xu; the Third Prince’s maternal family is the Xu clan of Yongan, enfeoffed as a Duke’s house by the Son of Heaven. The Xu family is of martial lineage, yet the former Duke Xu suffered a crushing defeat in Xili, while Marquis Xing rose to fame—since then, a rift has existed. Now the Third Prince has been named Crown Prince. Suspicious by nature, he has already begun purging rival factions. Even though Marquis Xing is not in court, to him he remains a threat. I believe Xu Hongzu dares act so boldly only because he has the Third Prince as his backer.”
Qian Jiaoniang thought the same. The last time she went to Yongan she had not met the Third Prince, but in these past years she had often heard rumors about him. Even in Qingya’s letters she had mentioned him, saying she did not like the Third Prince, believing him to be as petty and narrow-minded as his mother, Consort Liang.
If that were truly the case, then this matter would hardly end well.
The group hurried on without pause, and by noon the following day they reached Wuzhou. Qin Shaoyuan immediately went to find his junior brother, while Qian Jiaoniang took lodging at an inn and sent Li Qingquan and the others to gather news about the Wuzhou yamen.
It was close to curfew when Qin Shaoyuan returned to the inn, and he brought back no good news. According to his junior brother, this matter was of utmost gravity. Inside the Wuzhou yamen everyone was keeping their mouths tightly shut—no one dared speak a word of it, much less allow a prison visit.
Ah Da was frantic with worry. That very night he changed into night clothes and forced his way into the prison. Qian Jiaoniang closed her eyes to rest, waiting for Ah Da’s report.
At the fourth watch Ah Da returned, lightly wounded, his eyes red.
“The Commander has been put to torture,” Ah Da said.
Qian Jiaoniang’s anger flared instantly. On what grounds did they dare torture Xing Muzheng? Did they mean to force a confession out of him? Were they going to pin false charges on him? This was bullying gone too far!
Her fury burned through the night and into the next day. She threw money about like water, and soon heard word that the rebel from the former dynasty had already confessed that Xing Muzheng harbored treasonous intent. At that she laughed in rage.
Money can make even the devils turn the millstone. On the very day the Crown Prince Regent’s decree arrived ordering Xing Muzheng to be escorted back to Yongan, through Qin Shaoyuan’s junior brother’s introduction she managed to bribe the Wuzhou prefect, a man notorious for his greed. Though the case was in the hands of military officers, Xing Muzheng was still confined in the yamen prison for the sake of appearances. The prefect, a wily old fox, saw the case as a burning hot potato—he wished to offend neither side. In secret, he arranged for Qian Jiaoniang and her people to meet Xing Muzheng when the guards changed shift.
Qian Jiaoniang never expected this prefect to accomplish anything great. She knew that since an imperial decree had already come down, the matter could only truly be resolved once they reached Yongan. For now she only wished to see Xing Muzheng once, to hear if he had any instructions.
And also, she wanted to see… just how badly he had been hurt by the torture.
She had already made all preparations and was about to step out of the inn when Li Qingquan suddenly discovered that Zhang the “Great Benefactor” was sitting downstairs, waiting for them.
