Raindrops struck the military tent, and tea water boiled on the stove. Shen Zechuan had already changed his clothes and was seated in a chair. He asked Ji Gang, “Does Master recognize ‘Feng Quan’?”
“Recognize him,” Ji Gang said, holding his teacup and glancing at Qiao Tianya beside him. “But I truly didn’t know he was Shao Chengbi’s son, nor did I know Shao Chengbi was selling buns at the gate of Zhaozui Temple… When the Grand Tutor first mentioned handling this matter, he only said Feng Quan was a hidden pawn.”
Shen Zechuan said, “Since he is Shao Chengbi’s son, how did he become Mu Ru’s younger brother?”
Ji Gang took a sip of tea, paused for a long while before swallowing it, then said, “Do you still remember the night we entered Zhaozui Temple? The Grand Tutor said the Eastern Palace staff suffered heavy casualties. I then suspected that since the Grand Tutor could feign madness and survive, there must still be a few fish that slipped through the net from the Crown Prince’s faction. Later I asked the Grand Tutor, but he refused to speak. Until one day, while I was chatting with the eunuch who came monthly to distribute grain in the palace, I heard that Prince Chu Li Jianheng was fond of beauties and went to great lengths in the provinces to collect them.”
Ji Gang later told this as a joke to Qi Huilian. A few months afterward, Li Jianheng’s estate in Jincheng sent Mu Ru to Qudu.
“I inquired with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and heard that Mu Ru was raised in an estate since childhood and trained by others. She barely met her younger brother once every five or six years. Feng Quan was able to enter the capital with her because their hometown house was burned down; he had nowhere to go and could only seek refuge with his sister.” Ji Gang set down his teacup and said solemnly, “I believed it. You also saw it in Qudu—Mu Ru truly treated him as a younger brother. Who could have seen it was fake?”
After Mu Ru arrived in Qudu, Li Jianheng had not yet managed to reclaim her before Xiao Fuzi took advantage and presented her to Pan Rugui. Mu Ru gained Pan Rugui’s favor, and Feng Quan also earned Pan Rugui’s attention. However, at that time he was not yet Pan Rugui’s ‘grandson,’ because Xiao Fuzi was still by Pan Rugui’s side.
“In the eighth year of Xiande, just before the Dragon Boat Festival, the Grand Tutor set a plan to kill Xiao Fuzi. You know about that. I thought the Grand Tutor only wanted to get you out of the temple,” Ji Gang said, “who knew Xiao Chiye would appear halfway through.”
Shen Zechuan suddenly recalled that shortly after he left Zhaozui Temple, when he was still in the Embroidered Uniform Guard raising elephants, Xiao Chiye came to block him for a jade thumb ring, suspecting he had placed a spy beside Li Jianheng.
A peerless talent.
Qi Huilian had said this about Xiao Chiye—his instincts were too sharp. Merely from his understanding of Li Jianheng, he detected that someone was manipulating Li Jianheng into seizing Mu Ru. Yet Xiao Chiye never expected that the person beside Li Jianheng was not arranged by Shen Zechuan. His confrontation with Shen Zechuan had been in vain. But Qi Huilian left no trace, and Xiao Chiye’s sharpness was indeed astonishing.
“After Feng Quan was sent in,” Ji Gang said, “the Grand Tutor never mentioned it again.”
Rain beat against the tent roof, and the inside fell into brief silence.
Yao Wenyu lay with Hu Nu on his lap, not feeling cold. He broke the silence: “If it really is him…”
“If it is Shao Fengquan, then why did Shao Chengbi bring firearms?” Shen Zechuan supported his head with his left hand. His thoughts flowed smoothly in the warm tent. “The firearms had been swapped and given to bandits in Ranzhou. Shao Chengbi knew this. He understood these firearms were unusable, yet he still brought them.”
Shao Chengbi came prepared for death, to give Shen Zechuan a reason to attack Dancheng. He had countless methods available; there was no need for firearms to complicate matters—unless these firearms were never meant to be used.
Qiao Tianya, who had been reclining in his chair, suddenly straightened. After a moment of silence, he said, “Lord Shao was telling the Governor who the scorpion is.”
The firearms were from the Zhongbo scorpion given to the Wing King, and the Zhongbo scorpion had obtained them from the Qudu scorpion. Although Chen Zhen could deploy firearms and possessed the blueprints, strangely, he knew nothing about the disappearance of firearms from the Spring River Camp.
“Those who can see in all directions and hear everything… can only be eunuchs.” Shen Zechuan felt a strange clarity forming, while other things became blurred, and what was blurred began to clear. “Lu Guangbai told me the one who replaced the frontier grain was the supervising eunuch Yingxi.”
“Then Fu Man is a scapegoat,” Yao Wenyu said. “Xue Yanqing is a shield.”
“This blade…” Shen Zechuan frowned slightly. “It is somewhat unpredictable.”
“Where exactly did you come from?”
Xue Xiuzhuo crouched in front of Fu Man, studying his expression.
Fu Man had been reduced to skin and bones under torture. He had no tongue left and could only stare at Xue Xiuzhuo with bulging eyes, lips twitching. A mute servant behind Xue Xiuzhuo held paper and brush, trying to place them in Fu Man’s hands. But Fu Man’s fingers were all broken; he was already a dying wreck.
Xue Xiuzhuo had not expected the scorpion to act so quickly. It was just like how they had once abandoned Wei Huaigu. He stood and said, “You are a eunuch who entered the palace in the Yongyi era and served Emperor Guangcheng. Later, after Pan Rugui died, you were recommended by Xiao Chiye in Guogou before you began to rise. After that, you sent your adopted son Yingxi to Qidong as supervising envoy, instructing him to replace frontier grain. You wanted the frontier to suffer defeat, to open Qidong’s defenses for Amuer.”
Fu Man’s throat gave a gurgling sound. He used his remaining fingers to grasp the chains, lying on the ground and staring fixedly at Xue Xiuzhuo.
Military and political shifts were always tightly linked. After the defeat case, Hai Liangyi and other ministers had already sensed something unusual in the court. Since the Yongyi era, they had been locked in endless conflict with the aristocratic families. But after the defeat case, events no longer followed either side’s expectations. Hua Siqian was the one who exposed himself—panicking during Hai Liangyi’s debt collection, he colluded with the border Sand Riders and committed atrocities across six prefectures. Xue Xiuzhuo, then an official in the Ministry of Revenue, clearly saw the grain and silver movements.
Xue Xiuzhuo turned and murmured, “Who knew Lu Guangbai did not die, but instead defected with the frontier garrison. Qi Zhuyin quickly returned to defend, and Qidong remained unbreakable. Your plan failed, so Amuer moved Hasen and began attacking Lubei instead.”
This was the beginning and end of the frontier grain case.
Fu Man’s nostrils flared as he became agitated.
The Lubei grain case was led by Wei Huaigu, who colluded with officials from the western regions to sell grain into Zhongbo for profit. During this, they replaced Lubei grain with moldy rice. The exposure came from Yang Cheng’s report. The report was originally sent directly to the Ministry of Justice but was redirected to the Ministry of Revenue upon arrival in Qudu. Both Xue Xiuzhuo and Shen Zechuan believed this was a warning to Wei Huaigu. Because Xiao Chiye had been pressing the case relentlessly, they had to cut off the tail—abandon Wei Huaigu to ensure the other scorpions hidden in Qudu would not be implicated.
So who were the “others,” besides Fu Man?
Fu Man scraped blood across the ground, desperately trying to convey something to Xue Xiuzhuo. The blood traces crossed. His breathing grew heavier, and suddenly he heard the prison door open.
“My lord,” Feng Quan stood properly outside. “The courier report says the defectors have arrived. The Grand Councilor and His Majesty are waiting in Mingli Hall for you to attend the meeting.”
The prison was dim; the hall beyond was brighter. Feng Quan’s bowing shadow crawled into the cell, covering Fu Man. Fu Man trembled violently as if bitten by a snake, sweat and tears flowing together. He stared at Xue Xiuzhuo’s back, mouth open but unable to make a sound.
Feng Quan stepped aside to let Xue Xiuzhuo pass. After Xue Xiuzhuo left, his gaze shifted toward Fu Man. Fu Man gasped, his chest rising and falling, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth. Feng Quan circled him, then kicked him after the cell door closed.
“What do you want to tell Xue Yanqing?” Feng Quan looked at the crossed blood marks on the ground and said knowingly, “You want to write my name.”
Fu Man tried to escape Feng Quan’s shadow but could not move.
“Don’t be anxious,” Feng Quan grasped Fu Man’s wrist and guided him stroke by stroke on the ground. “Shh. Listen to me. Even if you tell him, he won’t believe it. When the time is right, I will tell him myself. Smart people always need this kind of lesson.”
Fu Man’s entire arm trembled.
The blood marks grew denser. Feng Quan wrote obsessively, guiding Fu Man’s hand, turning every crooked cross used to write “Feng” into distorted “kill.”
“Just wait,” Feng Quan said softly and eerily. “I will not let you suffer.”
Dantai Hu finished counting the garrison and did not see Liu Kong. After asking around, he discovered Liu Kong had truly disappeared.
“That dog really deserted before battle?” Dantai Hu held the roster. “All my effort training him was wasted!”
“He waited for both sides to be exhausted, but the Governor saw everything. If he stayed, he wouldn’t be able to escape,” Yu Xiaozai said quietly. “Report truthfully to the Governor later. Don’t add unnecessary words.”
Dantai Hu finally reacted and said in shock, “You’re saying Liu Kong is a spy?! He fought with me in Danzhou too! And didn’t Qiao Tianya say he was messing with us—what was that about?”
Yu Xiaozai could not fully explain and only said, “Just report it. The Governor will understand. I’m worried he’s escaped—and the person behind him will escape too.”
Dantai Hu felt a chill on his back. After a few steps, he turned back and whispered, “Just tell me a bit so I have some idea. Those scholars always speak in riddles. If they don’t say names, I can’t guess anything. I, Dantai Hu, aside from a bad temper and a past mistake in Danzhou, don’t think I’ve offended anyone. There must be a reason for this plot against me!”
Yu Xiaozai then pointed south, looking troubled. “This… sigh. You’re just collateral damage.”
The court is like a spider web—every thread is connected. Any promotion or dismissal causes ripples. Yu Xiaozai could not speak without evidence; otherwise, it would be seen as slandering colleagues.
Luo Mu governed Chazhou, the gateway to the Huaiqi tea trade route. When Shen Zechuan first lacked subordinates, Luo Mu held full authority in the prefecture, with no one to restrain him except the Embroidered Uniform Cavalry and inspectors. Over time, Shen Zechuan would lose his “eyes” in Chazhou. When Wang Xian from the Ministry of Revenue appeared, Shen Zechuan immediately placed him in Chazhou.
Wang Xian controlled Chazhou’s economy, including grain supervision and land taxes, effectively splitting Luo Mu’s authority. Luo Mu could not remove him through impeachment or disturbance; he could only use indirect pressure. Danzhou’s officials had conflicts with Dantai Hu; Dantai Hu was impulsive and had no ties with Luo Mu. So Luo Mu placed Liu Kong beside Dantai Hu. When Wang Xian handled military grain, conflict was inevitable. Since Dantai Hu was Xiao Chiye’s trusted subordinate, Wang Xian could not handle him and would report the matter to Shen Zechuan. Shen Zechuan would be forced to investigate Danzhou officials and Dantai Hu, not Luo Mu.
Luo Mu’s move planted his own people in Danzhou’s army while also damaging Wang Xian before Shen Zechuan. Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan—what was their relationship? By forcing Wang Xian into conflict with Dantai Hu, it made things difficult for both the Governor and the Second Master.
Shen Zechuan had sent Yu Xiaozai as supervising envoy; Yu Xiaozai was still an official. If Yu Xiaozai caused trouble in Danzhou and was branded a spy colluding with Qudu, then Wang Xian—also from the same official background—would be implicated.
This was called striking from across the mountains to kill the bull.
“Quickly tell the Governor,” Yu Xiaozai said, lifting his robe as he walked away. “I need to ask Fei Sheng whether the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Chazhou has been withdrawn!”
Fei Sheng was eating when he heard the question. Holding his bowl, he said in confusion, “They were withdrawn. When the Governor went to Danzhou to establish the Embroidered Uniform Cavalry, we didn’t have enough manpower. Local offices handled supervision with you in charge, so my men were all pulled back.”
Yu Xiaozai immediately exclaimed, “Oh no—Fei Lao Shi, something’s wrong!”
Xue Xiuzhuo arrived at Mingli Hall in the rain. When he entered, everyone had different expressions.
“I suspect this is Shen Zechuan’s trap,” Kong Qiu said. “Luo Mu was doing fine as a prefect—why would he take such a risk?”
“First, the court reward is one million taels,” Chen Zhen said. “Second, he is loyal to the nation and only forced into banditry. From his letter, he already intended to surrender but was only delayed due to Shen Zechuan’s suspicion. Now he risks his life to come and rescue the emperor.”
“The Qiangzhou garrison is still on the way,” Li Jianheng said beside the imperial desk. “If Luo Mu is already en route, in a few days he will arrive.”
“Dancheng cannot be held,” Xue Xiuzhuo said. “Summon the remaining troops. Combined with Luo Mu’s forces, we still have thirty thousand soldiers. If Qi Zhuyin wants to rebel, fine—Grand Councilor, write to Qi Shiyu and ask whether he also intends to rebel.”
He folded the letter.
“Luo Mu can threaten Hezhou mid-route and force the He clan to surrender grain, cutting off Shen Zechuan’s supply lines. Without Chazhou and Hezhou, Shen Zechuan loses an arm. Our grain is insufficient; his grain is also running low—ninety thousand iron cavalry deep in the desert. As long as Xiao Chiye does not return, Shen Zechuan will not be able to advance for even a single day.”