Chapter 64: Golden Saber Consort, Seven Freaks of Jiangnan
“Who?”
“Me!”
“It’s the Head Escort.”
“Huh, Brother Huyan and Brother Zhou are here too?”
Wang Kui, who was on night watch, looked strangely at the quilt Huyan Lei was carrying on his shoulder. Inside were people, two of them.
When escorts are on the road, it can take anywhere from a few days to several months. It’s not uncommon for wives or concubines at home to get lonely and take other lovers.
The Head Escort was a bachelor, and Zhou Yan didn’t even have a lover. The one carrying the quilt was Huyan Lei, who had a family.
Wang Kui immediately adjusted his mood and said in a low voice, “Brother Huyan, don’t overthink it. As the saying goes…”
“I’ll kill you!” Huyan Lei roared, throwing the quilt over.
Wang Kui didn’t dare to catch it and leaped away.
With a “thump,” the quilt on the ground opened, and Escort Su and Escort Lu from Sihai rolled out.
Zhou Yan crossed his arms and blinked.
Being an escort was sometimes a high-risk profession that could lead to domestic unrest and marital discord.
Escort Wang stared at the two Sihai escorts who had fallen to the ground, dumbfounded. “Where is this?”
“Including Lu An, these three scoundrels instigated discord. How could the Fengling Ferry incident not involve them?”
Wang Kui realized and complained, “Why didn’t you bring me along?”
“We brought him to you.”
Wang Kui suddenly smiled. “Good, I’ll interrogate them.”
Escort Huyan and Escort Wang each took one person, and several figures moved through the courtyard, where snow was falling, towards the hayloft by the stable. Zhou Yan brought clean water.
Zhang Wangyue unsealed their acupoints. Escort Su and Escort Lu coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of thick phlegm, then looked at the four people with terrified expressions.
“Tell us, what happened with the Yellow River Gang robbing the escort at Fengling Ferry?” Wang Kui asked.
Escort Lu said, “I don’t know anything.”
“Don’t do anything rash!” Escort Su said, putting on a brave front.
“Let’s see how long you can stay tough.” Huyan Lei squatted down and grabbed Escort Su’s left and right arms. Wang Kui took bamboo paper, soaked it in water, and covered the other man’s face.
With the bamboo paper covering his face, Escort Su began to breathe rapidly. Within Zhou Yan’s line of sight, the mouth and nose area of Escort Su’s face, covered by the bamboo paper, heaved violently. In just a few dozen breaths, the exposed skin on the man’s body bulged with veins.
Escort Su felt every sinew in his body twitching, his muscles and bones pressing and collapsing towards his heart. His consciousness became too heavy to bear. He lost control of his bodily functions.
His head shook constantly, and his feet kicked, trying to twist his waist and turn. Beside him, Escort Lu’s face was deathly pale, and his body trembled.
Suddenly, he heard Zhou Yan speak, “It will be your turn soon.”
“It has nothing to do with me, I’ll talk.”
As the smell of Escort Su’s loss of bodily control during interrogation filled the air, the observing Escort Lu’s mental state collapsed.
Wang Kui removed the bamboo paper from Escort Su’s face. He saw that the man’s face was purplish-blue, his eyeballs bulging as if about to explode.
Escort Lu stammered, “Escort Lu found us and said that the humiliation was unbearable and that only one of Sihai or Fu’an could survive. Later, Escort Lu persuaded the Boss, using gold to have the Yellow River Gang intercept the escort.”
“What about Cui Changshun’s matter?” Zhou Yan asked.
Escort Lu’s body went limp, like a puddle of mud, and he muttered:
“So my premonition was correct, you all knew.”
Under the dim yellow lamplight, Escort Lu confessed everything, explaining how Escort Lu had gathered him and Escort Su that day, taking advantage of the discord between the two Head Escorts of Fu’an Escort Agency, Zhang Wangyue and Shi Xiangui, and Escort Cui Qingshan’s dissatisfaction with Zhou Yan because his nephew couldn’t be promoted to escort. He used these opportunities to instigate internal strife, win them over, then have the Yellow River Gang intercept the escort, plunging Fu’an into a desperate situation both internally and externally, and then annex Fu’an.
Upon hearing this, Wang Kui was furious. “What a scoundrel.”
He kicked out, hitting him squarely in the groin. Escort Lu’s body, along with a large amount of grass, slid out more than ten feet on the ground and slammed into the wall. The Sihai escorts curled up, all of them spitting out bitter water from the kick.
“Head Escort, how should we handle this now?” Wang Kui asked.
Zhang Wangyue said, “Please summon the Boss.”
Zhou Yan smiled. His personality and the Head Escort’s were very similar: they went with the flow, didn’t anticipate the future, weren’t distracted in the present, were decisive, and didn’t let things linger overnight.
Escort Su and Escort Lu were tied up. Zhang Wangyue instructed Wang Kui to arrange for capable runners to invite the Boss, Duan Huai’an. He then said to Zhou Yan and Huyan Lei, “You two brothers don’t need to worry about the rest.”
“Alright, Brother Zhou and I will head back. We’ll conserve our energy and see how the Boss deals with Sihai tomorrow.”
Zhang Wangyue smiled. “Hurry, your wife is waiting for you by the kang head.”
Huyan Lei chuckled. “Let’s go, Brother Zhou.”
“Head Escort, I’m heading back.”
“Go, get some good rest.”
Zhou Yan and Huyan Lei exited the escort agency through the side door near the stable. They parted ways and disappeared into the snowstorm.
The long street was deserted, with only a few dog barks here and there. Zhou Yan walked through streets and alleys to his own courtyard.
The courtyard gate was bolted from the inside. He leaped over the wall and entered. His figure passed through the courtyard to the eaves. He shook off the snow, pushed open the window, and entered the room. The strands of hair he had stuck to the door with rice grains were intact, indicating that no burglars or ill-intentioned individuals had visited while he was on his escort mission.
He lit an oil lamp, stoked the charcoal fire, cleaned the bedroom, and drew water to bathe.
On a snowy midwinter day, the well water felt like needles on his skin. However, having traveled all the way from Jingzhou, practicing in river waves and cleansing himself in cold mountain streams, he had long since adapted.
After the midnight drumbeat echoed through the long street, Zhou Yan extinguished the oil lamp and went to sleep.
……
Zhongdu, “Yuelai Inn.”
White walls and black tiles covered in snow, lanterns hung, and a plaque was prominently displayed.
A fourteen-character couplet welcomed guests.
Upper couplet: Let all guests from the eight directions stay.
Lower couplet: Guests welcome scholars, officials, and merchants from the four regions.
The remaining embers of the long night, the bean oil lamp flickered like a firefly.
In a guest room on the second floor, a woman in green adjusted the wick of an oil lamp. After a “snap” of a spark, the brightened light outlined the faces of seven people, men and women, old and young.
The woman, the scholar, and the short man were the three people Yang Tiexin had encountered in the outskirts of the capital. Among the other four, the most eye-catching were an old blind man with a thick iron staff in his right hand, a pointed mouth, a gaunt face, and a rather fierce appearance, and a young man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, well-defined facial features, and a sturdy build, who was about the same age as Zhou Yan.
The seven people gathered. The old blind man said, “Second brother, we are heading south, and the Khan has provided us with travel expenses. Jing’er has also promised to bring back Wanyan Honglie’s head. Now that we are in Zhongdu, do you think we should first look for an opportunity to kill the Jin King or head south to Jiaxing?”
The scholar said, “There is ample time before the martial arts competition in Jiaxing. We might as well settle in Zhongdu for a few days and gather some information. If there’s an opportunity, we can kill the Jin dog king, and then head to Jiaxing with his head, full of pride and joy, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
The blind man said, “I think so too. The Khan values Wanyan Honglie, saying he is shrewd and capable. Such a formidable character should be eliminated sooner rather than later to avoid him stirring up trouble like he did against the Khan’s tribe, instigating discord, using others to kill, and creating situations unfavorable to our Great Song, leading to the deaths of millions of Han Chinese people.”
After the blind man finished speaking, he asked the young man, “Jing’er, what are your thoughts?”
The young man respectfully replied, “Jing’er thinks the same way. The longer the night, the more dreams there are. It’s better to deal with things as they come, build a bridge when you encounter a river, and clear a path when you meet a mountain.”
The blind man said, “Then it’s decided. We’ll do some exploring and gathering information these few days.”
Everyone in the room cheered.
An extra chapter for monthly votes. There will be another chapter tonight. Thank you, great readers, for your votes.
