Chapter 63#

Business — Little Pei Goes to Enzhou (5)#

At the beginning of the seventh double-hour, the sunset clouds were gorgeous and colorful. Pei Xiting admired them for a moment in front of the door, then withdrew his gaze and turned to enter the teahouse.

The private room was booked at the very end of the second floor. Yuan Fang raised his hand to knock on the door. After three knocks, the door opened, and a man glanced at the two of them before stepping aside.

Yuan Fang entered first and swept a glance around the room. Two men stood by the window; the man sitting behind the tea table looked very familiar. He was none other than the one who had spoken with Zong An by the lake, whom Pei Yanshao had identified as Zhang Dazhuang.

Yuan Fang walked over to the tea table, glanced sideways at Pei Xiting, and after Pei Xiting had leisurely taken a seat, he moved half a step back and stood steadily at Pei Xiting’s side.

Zhang Dazhuang looked at Yuan Fang. This man had a handsome figure, but his face was utterly ordinary, appearing to be around thirty. He then turned his gaze to the seated person. Pei Xiting wore a veil hat, obscuring his features, but from his pomegranate-red robe and a pair of fair, slender hands, it was clear he was someone who had never known manual labor.

Zhang Dazhuang propped his hands on his knees and said, “The Rat said you wanted to discuss something with me. What is it?”

“The Rat” was the nickname of the toy shop owner, who lived up to his name—slippery as an eel.

“You sound like a straightforward person, so I’ll come straight to the point and speak plainly,” Pei Xiting said. “You made a bad deal with someone today.”

Zhang Dazhuang had made one deal today, and it had been done in secret. On his side, only he himself knew about it. Could it be that the other party had leaked the news? He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it simple?” Pei Xiting chuckled lightly. “Someone is audacious enough to try to harm the Prince Ning’s heir, and someone, ignorant and fearless, actually agreed to this deal—courting death.”

A bandit behind Zhang Dazhuang immediately glared angrily. “How dare you disrespect our chief—”

Before he could finish, the bandit’s throat tightened—because he met Yuan Fang’s gaze. That man’s expression was indifferent; his eyes, a pair of strikingly handsome almond-shaped eyes, clashed with his rough features. They were too bland, too cold. Anyone who had seen blood knew that look—it was murderous intent.

The bandit’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He was so frightened that he stepped back and dared not speak for a moment.

The room fell silent, the atmosphere stagnant. Pei Xiting snapped open an ink-bamboo folding fan he had picked from a street stall and fanned himself slowly twice, saying nothing.

After a moment, Zhang Dazhuang broke the silence. “Looks like you know quite a lot.”

“Otherwise, how would I dare to do business with you?” Pei Xiting said in a calm voice. “The price the other party offered you is indeed tempting, but can they really deliver?”

Zhang Dazhuang rubbed his knees. “The court has already sent troops to suppress us bandits. Either way, it’s death for us. I might as well try this deal.”

“This is just smashing the pot because it’s cracked, and you’ve trusted the wrong person,” Pei Xiting said unhurriedly. “The other party said that as long as you kill Prince Ning’s heir, they will petition the court, claiming that the officers forced the people to rebel, and spare the lives of the bandits of Dangmang Mountain—if you’ll forgive me, isn’t that just fooling idiots?”

This time, no one dared to shout at Pei Xiting. Zhang Dazhuang’s expression darkened slightly. “I know. But we have no other choice.”

“Even if you became bandits for a reason, as long as Heir Zong dies on Dangmang Mountain, none of you will survive,” Pei Xiting said. “Who is Heir Zong? He is not only of imperial blood but also the chief officer of this suppression campaign. If you dare to kill him, that means provoking the court and the imperial family. With these two charges pressing down, your Dangmang Mountain won’t have enough people to die. Besides, will that person truly keep his word?”

Zhang Dazhuang gradually sat up straight and said nothing.

Pei Xiting continued, “If Heir Zong dies on Dangmang Mountain, who would dare to plead for Dangmang Mountain? Whoever does so would be offending Prince Ning’s estate. Coincidentally, the man you’re doing business with is none other than the fifth young master of Prince Ning’s estate. Do you think he would dare to step forward and appeal for justice on your behalf?”

Zhang Dazhuang’s expression changed drastically. “This is… a struggle between brothers in the prince’s mansion?”

His tone was incredulous. Although it was common for the wealthy to have fraternal conflicts, using a bandit suppression campaign as a pretext—this Fifth Young Master Zong truly stopped at nothing and was utterly despicable.

“I imagine you must be cursing Fifth Young Master Zong’s character in your heart,” Pei Xiting said with a smile. “Then it shouldn’t be hard for you to believe: if something happens to Heir Zong during this trip to Enzhou, Fifth Young Master Zong will probably eagerly submit a request to personally annihilate your band of audacious outlaws to avenge the heir. In reality, he’s just seizing the chance to silence you, isn’t he?”

Zhang Dazhuang’s expression was extremely unpleasant. Pei Xiting guessed that he naturally knew this was a dangerous deal, but Fifth Young Master Zong’s offer was too tempting, and with no way out, he had chosen to gamble on that “what if.”

“I know you were oppressed by the officials and forced to become outlaws. Seeing the court’s envoy this time, you feel both fear, anger, and grievance. That’s why you fell for Fifth Young Master Zong’s trap,” Pei Xiting said. “But this is a power struggle between brothers in their own family. Why should you become cannon fodder? In plain words, if you want to appeal for justice, wouldn’t it be safer to go directly to Heir Zong?”

Zhang Dazhuang hesitated, then said with a self-deprecating laugh, “We’ve heard of Heir Zong’s reputation. He made his career in the Ministry of War by suppressing bandits. He levels mountain strongholds quickly and ruthlessly, leaving no survivors. I heard that last year in the southwest, he cut off the bandit leader’s head and hung it on the mountain peak. A man of such swift and decisive action—I’m afraid that before I even open my mouth in front of him, he’ll cut me down with one stroke of his blade.”

“Ah, but that was for murderous, plundering, evil bandits who committed every atrocity. Naturally, they had to be suppressed ruthlessly and shown no mercy. Otherwise, how could justice be done for the innocent common people they had harmed? How could other petty rogues and outlaws be deterred? But since you have grievances, the situation is different,” Pei Xiting reasoned persuasively. “Compared to slaughtering a group of civilians who don’t deserve to die, appealing for justice on your behalf, dismissing and punishing corrupt officials, and then announcing it to the world—wouldn’t that better demonstrate the court’s benevolence? Heir Zong doesn’t kill for pleasure. He naturally understands which choice is best.”

Zhang Dazhuang looked at Pei Xiting through the veil of the hat, his gaze uncertain. “Is the young gentleman a man of Prince Ning’s heir?”

“No,” Pei Xiting said truthfully. “I simply don’t want anything to happen to Heir Zong, and I don’t want you to end up completely dead either. But I’m unwilling to openly meddle in the power struggle between those two brothers, so I privately invited you here for a talk. I believe you can judge what I’ve said for yourself.”

“…Fair enough.” Zhang Dazhuang wiped his face. “We brothers are all rough men. Many of us can’t read more than a few characters, and we don’t recognize court documents, but we know that being bandits isn’t a good path. But if there were other options, who among us would willingly go up the mountain to become a bandit?”

Pei Xiting poured a cup of tea for Zhang Dazhuang and said, “Brother Zhang, please elaborate.”

Zhang Dazhuang picked up the tea and drained it, then set the cup down heavily. “Since things have come to this, I’ve decided to take the plunge and I’m not afraid you’ll set me up again. It’s all because of Prefect Li Da. Outsiders don’t know this, but he’s a huge corrupt official! An evil man! He stops at nothing!”

“I’ve heard something about this too,” Pei Xiting said. “But I’d like to know exactly what evils Prefect Li has committed?”

“Li Da used to be passable, but in the past year, he suddenly became shameless and insatiably greedy. I used to be a guard in Li’s main courtyard. I witnessed with my own eyes Li Da constantly interacting with the wealthy merchants in the city—collusion between officials and businessmen, both sides profiting. Then judgments in court cases became unjust. As long as one plaintiff or defendant was of higher status and the other lower, the rich always won, and the poor got beaten. I don’t know how many wronged poor people have been locked up in the yamen.”

Zhang Dazhuang’s eyes reddened with anger. He poured himself another cup of tea, drank it, and continued, “And that’s not all. Li Da also forcibly abducted women. As long as he fancied someone, a wealthy merchant would use every means to get the woman, making her ‘willingly’ climb into Lord Li’s bed to serve him. I’ve seen it happen several times. The woman would go in just fine, but come out covered in blood, be wrapped in a straw mat, and dumped at the gravesite. No one outside knew anything. These women were either sold by their families for a few taels or ten taels, or they were from poor families sent as maidservants to wealthy households, or they had no parents at all, only a blind grandfather or a disabled grandmother. When they died, they died, and it barely caused a ripple.”

Pei Xiting said, “I heard that Li Da used to be a fairly decent official. How did he suddenly change his ways this year?”

“Who knows? People’s hearts change easily, especially officials. When they’ve had too many good days, who doesn’t want better?” Zhang Dazhuang sneered.

“Then why did you leave Li’s estate and become a bandit?” Pei Xiting asked.

“That’s a simple story.” Zhang Dazhuang lowered his eyes. “My parents died early, and all I had left was my older sister. She got married a few years ago, but was bullied in her husband’s family. Last year, she even got beaten. So I took a knife and went to their house, forced them to write a divorce agreement, and brought her back. I was a guard at Li’s estate, and she did needlework at home, taking it to the street stall to sell so we could support each other. Life was barely manageable. But this spring, Li Da suddenly came to me and said he wanted my sister to enter Li’s estate as an embroiderer. I knew right away that the bastard meant no good. I made an excuse and refused. Who would have thought that half a month later, one day Li Da sent me on an errand, and when I came back, my sister had already been tricked into Li’s estate and…”

Zhang Dazhuang roughly wiped his face, looking dejected. “When I came in through the back gate, I saw a familiar person dragging a straw mat out. The mat was carelessly wrapped, and the woman’s hand had slipped out of the mat. On her wrist was a wooden bracelet.”

He raised his hand. On his right wrist was also a wooden bracelet. “These were left by our parents. One for each of us.”

Pei Xiting said nothing.

“I don’t remember what I felt at that moment. By the time I came to my senses, I had already charged into Li Da’s courtyard to fight him. But how could I fight?” Zhang Dazhuang smiled bitterly. “Too many enemies. Li Da called over a dozen guards to beat me. They beat me half to death. I was in so much pain that when I hugged myself, I suddenly touched the wooden bracelet on my wrist and became clear-headed in an instant. No, I can’t die like this. Otherwise, my sister would just be lying in some godforsaken corner of the grave mountain. Out of desperation, I pretended to have stopped breathing. Fortunately, Li Da didn’t think my worthless life was worth a second glance. He didn’t bother to check carefully. He just ordered someone to wrap me up and throw me on the grave mountain too.”

“You buried your sister properly and then went to Dangmang Mountain?” Pei Xiting asked.

“Exactly. But I didn’t go there myself. Some brothers found me and carried me back. The grave mountain is close to Dangmang Mountain. Later, I recuperated there, didn’t dare to return to the city, and ended up becoming a bandit myself.” Zhang Dazhuang laughed once. “Among the brothers, I was pretty good at martial arts and could read a few characters, so I gradually became the second-in-command. All these brothers of mine are the same—forced by circumstances, with nowhere to go, bitterly hating Li Da. But we can’t even enter the city without sneaking around, and we can’t leave Enzhou’s borders. What can we do to Li Da?”

Pei Xiting said, “Then how do you usually live?”

Zhang Dazhuang said with some pride, “Our big brother is a thief. He’s the best at stealing. He goes into town and robs the wealthy merchants’ homes. One haul is enough for us brothers to live on for over a month!”

Able to enter the city to steal from wealthy merchants and then return to Dangmang Mountain—truly a skilled thief with such abilities. Pei Xiting thought for a moment and said, “I heard that Judge Su Fan is quite upright. Hasn’t he ever suppressed bandits before?”

“That’s the strange part. He really hasn’t.” Zhang Dazhuang was also puzzled. “To tell the truth, we’ve been very well-behaved on Dangmang Mountain. Other than stealing, we haven’t done anything else. I thought the judge had written us off, but unexpectedly, the capital suddenly learned about us and said we were causing a big ruckus, so they ordered the suppression.”

Not only did they learn about them, but what Pei Xiting had heard in the capital was, “Bandits are running rampant in Enzhou, looting and killing, causing great suffering among the people.” The situation was serious, or else Zong Rui wouldn’t have personally made the trip.

The rumors were inaccurate, so there must be a reason.

Was someone in Enzhou trying to use the court’s suppression? Or did someone have a goal beyond the bandits—to attract the court’s attention? If the latter, whom were they targeting? In the best case, it was to investigate Li Da; in the worst case, it was to target the people the court sent.

Pei Xiting was thoughtful. “You said Li Da changed this year. When you were a guard at Li’s estate, did you notice any clues? For instance, did anything suddenly appear in Li’s estate this year?”

“Appear?” Zhang Dazhuang thought for a moment. “Does Li Da taking a new concubine count? Speaking of which, I’ve never seen that concubine, but I heard Li Da dotes on her especially.”

Pei Xiting said, “Then does he still have the energy to forcibly abduct women?”

“Ah, he’s driven by lust and also has some nasty proclivities. I’ve heard the screams of women from his room many times…” Zhang Dazhuang thought of his sister and dared not think too deeply about it, nor did he dare to say it out loud. He said vaguely, “But when that Concubine Fang is in the room, there are no screams at night.”

Pei Xiting squinted slightly. “Is that so?”

Would a lecherous man with a propensity for abuse really treat one woman so differently and cherish her so much? Pei Xiting found it hard to believe.

Li Da had suddenly changed his appearance. Either he had been pretending for many years and stopped, or he had encountered something. Pei Xiting inclined toward the latter.

“Young gentleman,” Zhang Dazhuang stared at the face behind the veil, “can you really help me?”

Pei Xiting said, “Of course.”

Since Yu Shaoyun had investigated and found Zhang Dazhuang’s identity but gave no further instructions, it meant he had tacitly handed this task over to Pei Xiting. Both for official and personal reasons, Pei Xiting was quite willing.

“Now that I know your circumstances, I will definitely inform the heir and ask him to seek justice for you,” Pei Xiting said.

Zhang Dazhuang leaned forward slightly. “Then what do I need to do? Should I go see Prince Ning’s heir?”

Pei Xiting shook his head slightly. “No. I want you to continue playing this role. Only this time, the partner on stage with you won’t be Fifth Young Master Zong, but me.”

Zhang Dazhuang scratched his head. “What do you mean?”

“Simple. Follow the plan and lure the snake out of its hole. Then,” Pei Xiting chuckled, “confront him face to face.”

“I understand, but,” Zhang Dazhuang hesitated, “if that Fifth Young Master Zong doesn’t show up, how do I expose him?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. He will definitely appear,” Pei Xiting said.

Zhang Dazhuang pondered for a moment. “I can do business with you, but I want to know who you really are. If you’re being so mysterious, I can’t feel at ease.”

Knowing his identity would make him feel at ease? Pei Xiting thought to himself, but didn’t say it out loud. These men were all roughnecks, not delicate-minded people. They were also desperate, or else they wouldn’t have been deceived by that black-hearted tea merchant Zong An.

“Let me ask you,” Pei Xiting said, “in all the world today, which government office is the most formidable?”

Zhang Dazhuang answered without hesitation, “The Longhe Office! An office established by the current Crown Prince himself. I’ve heard it’s extremely powerful, with the authority to execute first and report later.”

As his words fell, a small round token suddenly dropped in front of him. Its color was like the sky, with the three characters " cage crane guard " clearly engraved.

“Surveillance over all officials, arrest and trial—these are our office’s authorities,” Pei Xiting said. “Do you trust me now?”

Zhang Dazhuang and his few underlings were all startled. After a moment, Zhang Dazhuang said in a deep voice, “I trust you, sir.”

Zhang Dazhuang and his men left. Pei Xiting pushed open the window with his folding fan and said, “That Concubine Fang needs to be investigated.”

Yuan Fang folded his arms. “You think she’s suspicious?”

“Not sure, but it won’t hurt to check,” Pei Xiting said.

Yuan Fang said, “Isn’t Mei Xiu already at Li’s estate?”

“Exactly,” Pei Xiting said. “Go to Li’s estate tonight and have him find a way to see Concubine Fang. Test her depth.”

He was unaware that Mei Xiu had already taken the lead.

Li Da heard that Young Marquis Mei had arrived and immediately went out to welcome him. Smiling broadly, he personally led the man into the flower hall and offered hot tea.

Mei Xiu took a sip of the tea, spat it out, and said disdainfully, “Which mountain did you pick these grass leaves from? They taste terrible.”

“Young Marquis, I beg your pardon. This is already the best tea in my humble home. I truly dare not and cannot compare it to the fine tea of the Marquis’s estate,” Li Da said with an apologetic smile. “Please bear with me, Young Marquis. I’ll immediately send someone to buy the best tea Enzhou has to offer!”

Mei Xiu said lazily, “Forget it. Not drinking it won’t kill me. I’ve brought my own imperial tea leaves. I don’t care for your rubbish tea.”

Li Da was only too happy to hear that. He quickly agreed and walked a few steps to stand in front of Mei Xiu. “May I ask why the Young Marquis has honored me with his presence? What orders do you have?”

Mei Xiu said, “No orders. I just remembered that my old man once recommended you, didn’t he?”

“You remember correctly, Young Marquis. Marquis Mei did me the favor of recommending me. I’ve always kept it in mind. It’s a pity that Marquis Mei has never had any use for me, I—”

“Who says there’s no use? Haven’t I come looking for you today?” Mei Xiu said with a smile. “If you repay me, I’ll definitely sing your praises to the Marquis when I get back.”

Li Da smiled. “Oh, don’t say that, Young Marquis. Even if you didn’t mention the Marquis, just saying it was your command would be enough for me to do my utmost.”

“You’re very good. You know your manners.” Mei Xiu snapped open his folding fan and leaned back. “Actually, it’s nothing major. I just want to stay at your residence for a few days.”

Li Da was startled. “Young Marquis, why would you have no place to stay?”

“I came with the heir to suppress the bandits. The heir likes to travel light and doesn’t want to stay in a golden nest on official business. But I’m different. That guesthouse room is way too small and shabby. The bed boards are hard as anything. How am I supposed to sleep?” Mei Xiu frowned unhappily and pointed at Li Da with his fan. “You’re the only person I know in Enzhou. Can the beds in those inns outside compare to yours?”

“You flatter me, Young Marquis. My residence isn’t large, nothing compared to the villa estate outside the city for entertaining honored guests. How about this: I’ll immediately send someone to clean it up, and you can stay there. I’ll carefully select attendants to follow and serve you. You’ll have a comfortable stay, I guarantee.”

“What, are you trying to harm me?” Mei Xiu raised his eyebrows. “The heir is so noble. He hasn’t gone to the villa estate. How could I go?”

Hearing this, Li Da quickly nodded. “The Young Marquis’s reprimand is well taken. I have not considered this properly.”

“You’ve known my father, and now that I’ve come to Enzhou, you insist on hosting me. I can hardly refuse,” Mei Xiu said with a wink. “Isn’t that right?”

Li Da smiled and nodded, then hesitated. “But what about the heir?”

Mei Xiu said, “The heir himself chose to stay at the guesthouse. How would you dare to disturb him? Wouldn’t that just be kissing the horse’s hoof?”

“The Young Marquis is right. In that case, I’ll make do with putting you up in my humble home,” Li Da said.

“I’ll have to make do. I shouldn’t have come along on this trip at all,” Mei Xiu sighed. Then he gave his orders: “Clear out your best courtyard. Replace all the furnishings with new ones. And pick me a dozen or so young, pretty, nimble, and obedient maids to serve me.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I’ll give the orders right away.” Li Da turned and walked to the door of the flower hall, where he gave instructions to the steward. The steward nodded and hurried off to prepare.

Li Da turned back to Mei Xiu. “Tonight, I’ll host a banquet at home and hire a troupe of fresh young girls to serve the Young Marquis.”

“Oh?” Mei Xiu raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously. “Looks like you’re living quite the life.”

“You flatter me, Young Marquis,” Li Da said with an embarrassed smile. “I don’t have such interest. All that is for your enjoyment.”

“You think you can fool me?” Mei Xiu pointed his fan at Li Da’s face. “Look at you—sallow complexion, dark circles under your eyes. Clearly, you’ve been working too hard and worn yourself out!”

He snapped his fan open with a shua and said with a half-smile, “At your age, you have more passion than I do. Lord Li, you’re not lacking in interest—you have too much!”

If anyone else had said that, Li Da’s heart might have jumped. But Mei Xiu was different; he was a well-known dissolute playboy, cynical and idle.

“Oh, my dear Young Marquis, you have sharp eyes. I can’t hide anything from you. Please, be merciful and stop exposing my old face,” Li Da said with a smile. “But don’t misunderstand, Young Marquis. I haven’t been fooling around. I’m simply deeply affectionate with the concubine at home, so that’s why… well.”

“Aha! Then this concubine must be extraordinarily beautiful—a real stunner,” Mei Xiu said. “Call her out. Let me have a look.”

Li Da hesitated. “Well…”

“What?” Mei Xiu raised his eyebrows, his tone neither hot nor cold. “Is it beneath her dignity to come and greet me?”

“No, no, no! I didn’t mean that!” Li Da apologized and then said, “Young Marquis, please wait a moment. I’ll send someone to fetch her immediately.”

Mei Xiu gave a light snort and said nothing.

Li Da instructed the maidservant outside the hall to summon Concubine Fang, then turned back to smile obsequiously at Mei Xiu and stood to the side, waiting.

Shortly after, Concubine Fang arrived, dressed in a long robe of deep green, walking gracefully. Mei Xiu straightened up slightly, surprised by the person before him. Not because Concubine Fang was elegant and beautiful, but—

Concubine Fang walked up to Mei Xiu, curtsied, and said softly, “Your humble servant pays respects to the Young Marquis.”

Mei Xiu was stirred inside, for Concubine Fang was clearly a man!