Chapter 142: A Living Mouth

In Susong County Town, the black marks left by the great fire still clung to the broken walls and rubble everywhere. Scattered common folk picked through the ruins for anything usable, and now and then someone carried a charred black corpse through the streets.

Though nearly a month had passed, bodies still lay uncleaned in many places, most buried under collapsed roofs and burned to the color of coke.

In the northeast corner of the county town, amid a ruin across from Guan Sheng Temple, Jiang Fan peered out from behind a remnant brick wall. The temple gate opposite was desolate and quiet; a long while passed before a single person came or went.

This was one of the few buildings left in Susong. Flanked on two sides by the corner of the city wall and facing the street to the south, it had narrowly escaped the great fire and now served as the Susong County Office.

In this invasion of Anqing by roving bandits, Susong had suffered the worst. In Qianshan and Taihu, three or four out of ten commoners survived, but in Susong alone nearly the entire town had been slaughtered, and the houses almost all burned to the ground.

"We can't wait any longer today. Even if he isn't alone, we'll grab him and go."

Jiang Fan glanced back. The speaker was a square-faced, stocky middle-aged man named Yuan Zheng, whom he had chosen from among the foot runners. He was a neighbor of Jiang Fan's and had worked with him on several arrest assignments — a man Jiang Fan trusted.

Standing beside Yuan Zheng was Guo Fengyou, the man Pang Yu had told him to bring along. He had been an auxiliary before, but because he had performed superbly when intercepting the beggar at the city gate, Jiang Fan trusted him quite a bit as well.

Both men wore black headscarves, while Jiang Fan wore a square scarf. The three were disguised as a traveling merchant and his servants returning from a trip.

Jiang Fan said quietly to Yuan Zheng, "Don't be impatient, Brother Yuan. The squad leader told us to act only when we're absolutely certain. We discussed it earlier — the time to move is at dusk, when he comes out alone. That way no one will notice when we leave the city."

Yuan Zheng frowned and said to Jiang Fan, "There aren't many people in this town, but more and more are coming back to search for kin. The three of us are outsiders, and with a horse cart, if we linger too long we're bound to draw attention. Worst case, that advisor ends up grabbing us instead."

Jiang Fan shook his head. "We really shouldn't stay long, but I can't set a time limit. That would only rattle us."

Yuan Zheng looked at Jiang Fan and asked, "What exactly are we grabbing this man for? Just tell me it's not a beheading offense."

"The squad leader said I can't tell, and you can't ask. But I can promise you this, brother — no one's losing their head."

After speaking, Jiang Fan turned to Guo Fengyou. "What do you say, Brother Guo?"

Guo Fengyou had been observing through a hole in the bricks. He looked at Jiang Fan and said, "The squad leader is right — no time limit. But in my opinion, we can move right now."

Jiang Fan and the other man both froze. Yuan Zheng couldn't help asking, "That advisor hasn't come out. How are we supposed to grab him?"

"In two days, the advisor has only gone out once, and he took three men with him. It won't be easy to wait for the right moment. And waiting too long is indeed a problem. If he won't come out, we go in and grab him." A flash of excitement crossed Guo Fengyou's face, then immediately returned to calm.

Jiang Fan thought for a moment, then said, "Brother Guo, have you counted the numbers?"

Guo Fengyou nodded. "Over the past two days, I've counted the people in that temple. Aside from the advisor and Chen Ten Prefectures, only eleven have shown their faces. Of those, only seven look like corvée laborers or yamen runners. Four others, by the look of them, are probably village scribes and the like recruited from Guanxiang. Those are the ones staying in the temple. Over thirty people have come to the temple on business, five of them twice. Today, thirteen have gone in and twenty-one have come out. That means there are no more than three people in the temple right now. Going in to grab him will be easy."

Yuan Zheng stared blankly. "You can remember all that?"

Guo Fengyou said confidently, "I guard the city gate. You need sharp eyes for that. When I used to stand watch at the gate, I'd count people for fun."

Jiang Fan studied Guo Fengyou for a moment, then said, "From what I got out of the cook who went out yesterday, Chen Ten Prefectures takes a nap every afternoon. This is exactly his nap time. There are no clerks in the office, so if we go in, that advisor should be the one to receive us."

After a brief discussion among the three, Jiang Fan slapped his thigh. "Let's do it! Brother Yuan, go bring the cart over. He knows my face — Fengyou, you do the talking. I'll handle identifying him."

After Jiang Fan removed his headscarf and put on a square cap, Guo Fengyou closed his eyes and calmed himself for a moment, then stepped out of the ruins and strode through the temple gate. Jiang Fan followed behind him, head hung low, the square cap drooping down to hide his face.

The courtyard was empty. One person was sweeping at the main hall entrance. He looked up, saw the two of them, and asked, "What do you two want? If you're here to beg for food, there's none left here either."

Guo Fengyou steadied his breathing and said politely, "I am not here to beg for food. My master, having heard the terrible news from Susong, rushed back from Anqing to search for his kin. He has already buried his relatives and friends. Learning that the county office has relocated here, he wishes to contribute what he can to Susong. Only, he does not know who is in charge at the county office now."

The sweeper, hearing this, glanced inside. Two men immediately came out. Jiang Fan stole a look and saw that the first man was none other than the advisor. He gave a low cough.

Guo Fengyou knew the real target had arrived. His heart tensed, but there were only a few people in the temple anyway — even if they were discovered, they couldn't hold him. His heart eased a little.

The advisor briefly sized up the two men's attire, saw that neither was the master, and asked, "May I ask where your esteemed master is? And in what way does he wish to contribute?"

Guo Fengyou said respectfully, "My master is at Copper Gong Lane, but he is overcome with grief and cannot easily walk. He left in a hurry and brought no valuables, but hearing that the county office is short of supplies, he wishes to donate a horse cart."

The advisor's expression softened, but he still eyed Guo Fengyou warily. "Your accent differs somewhat from Anqing. Have you been living in the prefectural city all this time?"

"This humble one is from the Qianshan county boundary. I have been with my master in the prefectural city for less than three months. Your honor hears correctly."

The advisor gave an "oh" and said, "Then just drive that horse cart over. This old man is an advisor to the magistrate. On his behalf, I thank the local gentry."

Jiang Fan cursed inwardly. The advisor clearly had no intention of leaving the temple.

Guo Fengyou's mind raced. Keeping his expression perfectly composed, he said, "My master has one more request. Several of his relatives and friends have received the bodies of their dead. With the Qingming Festival Festival Festival approaching, my master wishes to help them erect proper tombstones. But the town lacks people who can write. He thought the county office would have many learned men and wishes to invite someone to write a few epitaphs. As long as the writing is suitable, my master will not be stingy with silver."

The advisor, hearing the words "not stingy with silver," rolled his eyes a few times. His wariness vanished at once. So this was the master's real intention — the horse cart donation was just a pretext.

This time, too many people had passed away in Susong Town. There weren't even enough people to bury them, and indeed everything was in short supply. Now relatives and friends were arriving one after another from all over. Anyone selling coffins or stone tablets could fetch a high price, and epitaph writers were in even greater demand.

But writing an epitaph was not merely writing a name. It also required polishing the deceased's life story as recounted by the family, turning one part into ten parts of effect — it had to be profound and mysterious. It took no short amount of time, and one had to meet the master in person to write it.

The advisor considered for a moment, then said, "Copper Gong Lane is not far, and it is a good deed. I shall make the trip with you."

Jiang Fan breathed a sigh of relief, still keeping his head down, terrified of being recognized.

Guo Fengyou said delightedly, "Our horse cart is waiting just outside the gate. Your honor, this way."

The advisor gave a word of instruction to his attendant and followed Guo Fengyou out the temple gate. On the west side, a covered horse cart stood waiting, a groom standing beside it. The advisor paid no attention to these underlings and climbed directly onto the carriage. The cart headed south — precisely the direction of Copper Gong Lane.

The groom said nothing, silently leading the horse onward with his head down. The road was a scene of devastation all the way. The advisor did not look, closing his eyes to rest.

After quite a while, the horse cart stopped. The advisor opened his eyes, only to see that this was not Copper Gong Lane at all, but a secluded ruin.

Realizing something was wrong, he was panicking and about to climb down when a face appeared before him.

The man looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile. The servant who had spoken earlier and the groom stood on either side, each holding a sharp short blade.

"Who are you people? Do you know me? Do you know—" The advisor got out half a panicked sentence, then suddenly recognized the face before him. He shrank back with a startled cry. "You — that mounted runner — what are you going to do? Spare me!"

Jiang Fan looked at him with contempt. "I've come for revenge. But it doesn't have to end in killing. If you give me what I want, I can spare your life. If you want to live, do as I say. Don't go courting death."

The advisor trembled all over, unable to speak. Jiang Fan said to Yuan Zheng, "You sit with him in the cart. I'll walk behind. Brother Guo will drive."

Yuan Zheng nodded, shoved the advisor inside, and sat himself at the cart canopy entrance, then lowered the curtain to block outside view.

Guo Fengyou asked Jiang Fan in a low voice, "Which route do we take?"

Jiang Fan frowned and thought for a moment. They had planned two routes. He looked up at the sun, then replied quietly, "Go south. Hire a boat and disembark at Zongyang."

When Pang Yu returned to Tongcheng, he met Jiang Fan at the Ye Family Old Residence. Jiang Fan had just come back from Zongyang, his face covered with the dust of travel.

Pang Yu had returned to Tongcheng this time precisely to wait for Jiang Fan's news and to complete the procedures for his donated Imperial Academy student status. The donation required verification documents from both the county and prefectural levels. Previously, the place to pay the donation silver had been the capital, but to Pang Yu's surprise, not only was the Ministry of Revenue collecting it — the Ministry of Works was in the same business.

During the Tianqi reign, the Ministry of Works had competed with the Ministry of Revenue for business, also collecting donation silver for the Imperial Academy. Collecting money was originally the Ministry of Revenue's proper function, and by rights it should have had the advantage. But the Ministry of Works did not check silver purity and accepted underweight payments, engaging in vicious competition. As a result, all the donors went to the Ministry of Works, and the silver all flowed into the Jie Shen Granary, severely disrupting market order. The perfectly good donation system was thrown into utter chaos.

Originally, it brought in three to four hundred thousand taels a year. Once the price war started, in the end the total collected was less than a hundred thousand taels. Only after Chongzhen ascended the throne was it all transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, but that was only a verbal directive — the Ministry of Works never fully let go. Because Chongzhen was even more short of money, he set the price very precisely. The three hundred fifty taels for a handsome youth was only fixed during the Chongzhen reign. Payment also became more convenient, collected on behalf of the court by the various Provincial Administration Commissions, with the name registers submitted to the Ministry of Revenue once a month, sparing the masses the trouble of traveling back and forth.

But Nanzhili had no Provincial Administration Commission, so the Southern Ministry of Revenue collected on its behalf. Thus, Pang Yu only needed to complete the paperwork and go to Nanjing to finish the donation process. His academic registration would also be at the Nanjing Imperial Academy.

On this trip, he had already conveniently obtained the verification document from Anqing first, certifying that he had no record of misconduct and that he was indeed handsome, meeting the requirements for a Minjian Junxiu Zidi. Once he returned and finished the county office procedures, and arranged matters for the two shifts, he could set out.

The Advisor was confined in a small courtyard within the Ye Family Old Residence, guarded solely by Old Yuan. Even the daily meals were left only at the gate; no one else was permitted to enter.

The two went in and questioned him again. The Advisor offered no Resistance, confessed to everything, and even wrote out his own confession and pressed his handprint to it as required.

At this point, both men set their minds at ease. The situation matched their deductions — Chen Ten Prefectures's little tail was now firmly in their grasp.

With this layer of security, Jiang Fan's mood also relaxed. Knowing that Pang Yu was heading to Jiangnan, he said to Pang Yu, "Boss, you could certainly wait until you return from Suzhou before going to Susong. Let Chen Ten Prefectures stew in fear a while longer. By the time he's seeing enemies in every shadow, whatever you ask of him when you go will be granted without fail."

Pang Yu smiled. "Team Leader Jiang makes a fair point. But we must not only consider how to apply pressure on him, but also how much he can bear."

A thoughtful look appeared on Jiang Fan's face. After letting him ponder for a moment, Pang Yu continued, "Chen Ten Prefectures concealed intelligence that the Roving Bandits were approaching, leading to the near-total death and destruction of an entire city's populace in Susong. He then attempted to silence witnesses by murder. Exposure of any single one of these crimes is a capital offense. Yet Susong did fall. Even with that river-patrol excuse, he must still fear that the imperial court, in its towering rage, will severely punish all officials who lost cities and territory. It has been nearly a month now; he must live in daily terror. And it is precisely at this moment that his Advisor has vanished."

Pang Yu finished and looked at Jiang Fan. "What do you think he makes of it?"

Jiang Fan looked up. "He might think the Advisor fled out of fear of punishment, to avoid being implicated by him."

"And what else? Might he think the Advisor has gone to expose him?"

Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment. "No. For a crime that sacrificed the lives of an entire city's people for one man's private gain, anyone involved would certainly not be left alive. That Advisor is no fool; he would never walk right into a trap."

Pang Yu nodded. "Well said. You must learn to think more from the perspective of others' interests, which never stray beyond life, death, fame, and profit."

Jiang Fan bowed slightly in a show of humility, but having received Pang Yu's affirmation, his thinking grew more active. "Another possibility: in the chaos and lawlessness after Susong's fall, with looting breaking out Everywhere, he could have simply died at the hands of some unknown bandit."

Pang Yu smiled. "That may be the outcome Chen Ten Prefectures most hopes for. But there is one more scenario he fears above all."

"That the Advisor has fallen into someone else's hands."

"And that 'someone else' opens up countless possibilities." Pang Yu paced slowly around the room. "It could be a political enemy, a personal foe, or simply someone after Wealth. He will run through endless conjectures in his mind. When a man indulges in too much wild speculation, he often frightens himself. Given how much he Fears Death, and after a month already spent in terror, the likelihood of this man's mind collapsing is not small. Whether he dies of fright or confesses to the court, neither outcome benefits us."

"Then, should I make a trip to Susong?"

Pang Yu said easily, "No need. I'm going to Suzhou. It makes no difference where along the river I board a Boat, so I'll set out from Susong. I'll pay a visit to Sir Chen along the way to set his mind at ease, and incidentally discuss a bit of business."

"May I attend and serve at your side?"

"I have important matters here that need Team Leader Jiang to handle. I would not trust anyone else to do them."

Jiang Fan instinctively straightened his chest. "Give me your orders, Boss."

"Take a few men from the Fast Squad and establish a foothold at the Anqing docks. Before I return, I want you to get a clear picture of the gangs and groups at the Anqing docks, the Brokerage factions, the Green-Skin Da Hang outfits within the city, and the gentry powers backing each of them."

Jiang Fan's gaze was resolute. From the tasks Pang Yu was assigning, it was clear that Pang Yu's future objectives were set on Anqing — he was certainly no man lacking in vision.

"Remember, do not use your Runner identities." Pang Yu paused for a moment, then smiled. "The Sheng-Tang Wharf is ground I am determined to contest. Chen Ten Prefectures oversees the canal transport and River Defense; you will have plenty of opportunities to meet him in the future."