Chapter 591: Sugar Water

"Hand over the silver!"

"Surnamed Tan, get the hell out here! If we don't find Sun Pozi today, I'll fight you to the death!"

Outside the brick-and-tile house in Pozidun, a sea of heads surged; crowds of women armed with clubs and staves surrounded the doorway, their clamorous curses and shouts rising without pause.

The room inside was packed as well. Yuan Pozi stood at the very front, hands on her hips, both sleeves rolled up high.

The scrawny Tan Laizi had already retreated to a corner. So many women had forced their way in that the table had been shoved against the wall; Tan Laizi instinctively yanked it closer, managing at least to block off one direction.

Yuan Pozi stood with arms akimbo and roared, "Where's the silver! Every bit of silver in the whole fort is gone — what are several hundred people supposed to eat and live on!"

As she spoke, the coarse flesh of Yuan Pozi's face quivered, and when she bellowed at Tan Laizi, spittle sprayed at him like mist.

Now he saw the tall, burly Yuan Pozi advancing on him again. He wanted to grab something, but there wasn't even a stool nearby. In his panic, he spotted two chopsticks on the table, snatched them up in a flurry, then noticed an empty plate beside him and seized that too — his heart settling just a little.

The assistant woman beside Yuan Pozi shouted, "Is the Banknote hidden on him? Strip his clothes off!"

Tan Laizi raised the chopsticks and plate, shrinking into the corner. "Xiao Pozi, what do you think you're doing? Go ask around all of Anqing — who doesn't know that at the Sheng-Tang Ferry..."

"Ask your mother, ask your mother..." Yuan Pozi stepped forward and aimed a kick straight at Tan Laizi.

Tan Laizi hastily turned the chopsticks toward Yuan Pozi. "Fine, you Yuan Pozi! Tan Ye never shortchanged you — you got a private thirty percent cut of that inn silver. What were you like when you took the silver..."

Yuan Pozi followed with another kick. Tan Laizi couldn't fend it off, but still cursed through his teeth: "Go ask around all of Hezhou, ask around all of Xuzhou, ask around all of Jizhou — Tan Ye killed over a thousand Tartars in a single night, Tang Ershuan himself testified to it! You still dare hit me? Tan Ye's telling you, hit me again and I'll hit back. When Tan Ye makes a move, people die — can you bear that? Aiya."

"What kind of thing are you, killing Tartars? You couldn't even kill a chicken if I gave you one — the kind of thing two women can chase into jumping in a river."

"Yuan Pozi, what kind of thing are you? Tan Ye can kill Tartars, let alone two women — two hundred women and Tan Ye still wouldn't jump in a river. You're still hitting me? Can you compare to a Tartar? Even Lord Pang knows me! Xiao Pozi, you dare..."

The crowd of women in the room shouted curses in unison, and those nearby pressed in to join the beating. Tan Laizi couldn't keep talking, and no longer bothered fending them off with chopsticks. He immediately curled into a ball, both hands shielding his face — the optimal defensive posture Tan Ye had distilled from years of experience in taking beatings.

Xiao Pozi kicked him with every curse: "You mother—, you know Lord Pang, you know Mr. Yu, you know the Household Clerk — I don't give a damn who you know. No silver, we'll beat you to death."

Another woman in the room shrieked, "No silver, we'll beat you to death!"

The voice was piercingly shrill. As if stung, the women gathered outside suddenly roared in unison. Those at the door could no longer hold them back; people from outside surged in, swarming toward the corner of the room, kicking and beating Tan Laizi in a frenzy. That redwood table was squeezed until it creaked and groaned; the bowls and plates on top crashed to the floor, shattering into fragments with a clatter. Shards and food scattered everywhere, and no one paid them any mind.

Clubs, staves, fists, and feet rained down. Tan Laizi curled into a ball in the corner, a stream of agonized wails pouring from his mouth.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd. A figure pushed through from behind, sending several women in the front row staggering. Tan Laizi felt the pressure ease instantly. Shrieking in alarm, he stole a glance and saw the tall, sturdy He Sanniang holding a long bench, shoving it against those women.

The women in the front row were caught off guard and immediately toppled over. The fallen Yuan Pozi cursed furiously and grabbed one leg of the bench. Two other women rushed up to wrestle for it. He Sanniang shouted at the top of her lungs, "Surnamed Tan, if you don't want to die, run!"

Tan Laizi, still curled on the floor, froze for a moment — then suddenly yanked open the window beside him and, with a whoosh, leaped out.

Outside, some women who had been listening to the commotion were also gathered by the window. Tan Laizi stepped directly onto their shoulders. The women screamed in shock; some reached out to grab him, but all were a moment too late.

Using the momentum, Tan Laizi tumbled out of the crowd in a sprawl. Ignoring the pain, he sprang up immediately and fled toward the outside.

From the room behind him came He Sanniang's voice: "These women can't swim — jump in the river!"

"Is Tan Ye the kind of man who jumps in rivers? I can kill Tartars, you think I'm afraid of a few women..." Tan Laizi shouted as he ran, but after only a couple of lines he ran out of breath and had to abandon the retort.

The crowd outside finally caught on. Someone shrieked, "Tan Laizi's running! Catch him!"

The hundred or so women inside and outside the house exploded like a stirred hornet's nest, all shouting and giving chase. Some didn't even know which way Tan Laizi had fled, and just ran wildly around the fort.

When Tan Laizi fled the house, he hadn't picked the right direction. Only after making a loop did he run for the main gate. Shrieks of "Catch Tan Laizi!" rose and fell all around him. Spurred by danger, Tan Laizi's inner cosmos erupted; his ordinarily unexercised legs flew at incredible speed.

The gate was already in sight, not far now — when two women suddenly darted out from the side and slammed the gate leaves shut.

Tan Laizi let out a miserable cry. Seeing the pursuers closing in from behind, he had no choice but to flee north, out of the shack district and onto the broad drying ground. This move instantly exposed his position; shouts rose from every direction, and every woman in the entire fort came chasing after him.

Seen from the air, a scrawny figure sprinted ahead, a thick tail of countless people chasing behind.

Tan Laizi, ordinarily lacking in exercise, did even less physical labor than those women. In just this brief sprint, his stamina was nearly spent, and his pace slowed steadily.

The footsteps and curses of the pursuers drew closer and closer; he could even faintly hear the whoosh of clubs cutting through the air. In his terror, he mustered a burst of strength and ran a few more steps, but the power in his legs soon drained away again.

Gasping for breath, Tan Laizi ran across the drying ground with his head tilted back. The broad expanse was nearly at its end. Ahead, the ground was piled with stone slabs and wooden planks, along with excavated foundations — he had reached the area where the dock was being built, the river channel right beside it.

Tan Laizi looked back. The swarm of women was right behind him; the nearest one was already just two steps away, her club raised high.

Tan Laizi screamed in terror. Summoning the last shred of his strength, he sprinted a few desperate steps toward the riverbank by the dock and, without a shred of hesitation, hurled himself at the water's surface. Splash — the surface of the Wan River burst into spray.

"Surnamed Tan, what else can you do besides jump in rivers? You thought just because the women can't swim you could get away? These laborers were all hired by you personally — you yourself said to hire only Jiangbei men, so later we could set up a ferry crossing and pole boats. Which of them can't swim? If you get away, where are they supposed to go for their wages and food silver?"

On the riverbank by the dock, several laborers pinned the dripping-wet Tan Laizi to the ground. It was early spring and the temperature was still low; Tan Laizi was already shivering all over from the cold, collapsed on the ground in utter exhaustion, doing nothing but gasping for air.

Yuan Pozi finished her tirade and moved to grab Tan Laizi by the hair, but upon seeing his scabby scalp she gave up. Instead, she seized his chin and lifted it. Tan Laizi's tear-streaked, wretched face tilted up. "Yuan Po... Granny Yuan, spare me. The silver was all taken by Sun Pozi — this humble one truly doesn't have it."

The commotion of the river jump had drawn a large crowd on the opposite bank, all watching this way and buzzing with discussion. Some children laughed and played at the water's edge on the far shore.

Yuan Pozi ignored him. With a wave of her hand to the side, Xiao Pozi and several laborers set to work — grabbing his hands, grabbing his feet — and hoisted Tan Laizi up.

Surrounded by a throng of women, the crowd beat and cursed the captured Tan Laizi as they went. Making a clamorous racket the whole way, they crossed the broad drying ground again and carried Tan Laizi back to that new tile-roofed house.

With a thud, Tan Laizi was thrown to the floor. Fine droplets of water sprayed in all directions from the impact. Dazed and disoriented by the fall, Tan Laizi struggled to prop himself up and crawled to the corner, leaving a trail of water behind him.

Tan Laizi turned and crouched in the corner, his teeth chattering from the cold. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone beside him. Turning his head, he saw it was actually He Sanniang, also crouched against the wall, dried blood matted on her head. She just leaned against the wall with her head tilted, paying him no attention.

The crowd of women had also chased him around the fort and, in the end, had to carry him back. They were utterly exhausted too. For a moment, no one could speak; even the women gathered outside the house had fallen silent.

Yuan Pozi pointed at Tan Laizi on the floor.

Xiao Pozi beside her handed over a bowl of water. "Fort Chief, you're worn out. Have some sugar water first."

Yuan Pozi grunted in acknowledgment, took the bowl, and drank a mouthful. The women around her were also dead tired from the chase; watching Yuan Pozi drink the sugar water, their mouths couldn't help but twitch and work.

Xiao Pozi licked her lips and turned to look at Tan Laizi. "He must have hidden the Banknote. Don't let it get soaked to pulp — strip his clothes off."

Yuan Pozi drank half the sugar water and exhaled in comfort, feeling at least half her strength restored.

She passed the earthenware bowl with the remaining half of the sugar water to Xiao Pozi. Just as Xiao Pozi was about to drink, Yuan Pozi said, "Hold it for me."

Xiao Pozi had no choice but to stop. Yuan Pozi turned and cursed viciously at Tan Laizi: "Surnamed Tan, I'm telling you — the silver Sun Pozi made off with is the blood-and-sweat money of every sister in this fort. Everyone was counting on that silver to live a good life, and you let it be squandered. If you don't pay it back, don't even think about leaving Pozidun."

He Sanniang beside them suddenly spoke up: "Before this surnamed Tan came, how many copper coins did any of you ever get? You couldn't even get your fill of congee every day. Once this surnamed Tan showed up, you all ate well and dressed well. When you saw there was silver, it was 'Tan Ye' this and 'Tan Ye' that. Now you want his life. Those few good months were given to you by him too."

Xiao Pozi, still holding the bowl, heard He Sanniang cut in and immediately turned on her in fury. "He Sanniang, what, have you taken a fancy to this scabby bastard? You'd want even this kind of wretch? Have you no shame?"

Several other women in the room joined in the cursing. He Sanniang lifted her head, her disheveled hair plastered to her cheeks. "So what if I have taken a fancy? You few women have shame? Having shame, yet you come crawling into this scabby bastard's room every day..."

The women froze for a moment, then suddenly shrieked, "Beat her! Beat her to death!"

Xiao Pozi set down the bowl and lunged to grab He Sanniang. He Sanniang struggled desperately, but she was no match for several women. She was quickly twisted around and pinned to the ground. Tan Laizi covered his face, crouched in the corner, trembling uncontrollably.

Yuan Pozi picked up a shard of broken porcelain. He Sanniang screamed on the ground. Yuan Pozi crouched down, pinning her hand, and was about to slash the shard toward her cheek.

Suddenly someone slammed into her from the side. Yuan Pozi was about to curse, but then saw it was Tan Laizi who had crowded right up to her. Tan Laizi grabbed her clothes, lowered his voice, and said viciously, "You're not allowed to hit He Sanniang either. If you hit her, when the Household Office questions us, I'll say you were colluding with Sun Hong'er. Don't think you can run away either."

Yuan Pozi's cheek twitched. "This old lady will beat you to death, you..."

"Yuan Pozi, I'm telling you, if you beat me to death, who's the Household Office going to question? If the Household Office can't find anyone to take the blame, they'll only take you." Tan Laizi wiped the blood-water from his forehead and cursed in a low voice by her ear, "I, Tan Ye, am telling you, that Sun Pozi ran off. The silver money is Pozidun's own, a small matter to the Household Office. But she was someone Pozidun was supposed to watch and control — a female criminal escaping is the big matter. The Household Office will always need someone to hand over to answer for it. If the Dark Sentinel Battalion comes to investigate, Tan Ye just has to drag you into it, and they won't care who you are."

Yuan Pozi clutched Tan Laizi's collar, her face full of viciousness, but her hand stopped. Hearing the words 'Dark Sentinel Battalion,' Yuan Pozi's cheek twitched, and the faces of several old women also changed slightly.

Xiao Pozi beside them also heard. She grabbed Tan Laizi's clothes, not daring to speak for a moment. Below, He Sanniang, pinned down, kept gasping for breath. From her angle she could see the ring of faces above, her eyes constantly sizing up Tan Laizi.

The people of Pozidun had all been captured at Susong. After the army seized them, they only did a rough screening — beatings and curses, yes, but no torture. What came after was the Dark Sentinel Division. Their way of handling things was entirely different from the combat soldiers. All the old women had been interrogated separately and still had lingering fears of the Dark Sentinel Division.

Tan Laizi's face was still wet. He took a few rapid gasps, his head trembling up and down uncontrollably in the cold. He turned to look at the several old women. "You let He Pozi go. If the Dark Sentinel Battalion comes to investigate, I, Tan Ye, will take it all. But if you hit He Pozi again, Tan Ye will absolutely drag you into it. Not one of you will escape."

Yuan Pozi's expression shifted for a moment. She threw Tan Laizi down, slowly stood up, and casually tossed the porcelain shard into the corner, where it gave a crisp clink.

The several old women got up one after another. He Sanniang lay on her back on the ground, her chest still heaving violently. Both she and Tan Laizi were still in shock and dared not speak for the moment.

Inside and outside the house, there was a strange silence for a moment. Xiao Pozi picked up that bowl of sugar water again and brought it before Yuan Pozi. "Fort Chief, you're worn out. Have some sugar water first."

Yuan Pozi pushed it away with her hand. "Rest a bit first. I'll drink it later."

Just as she was about to continue speaking, suddenly someone outside shouted, "Fort Chief Yuan, someone from the Household Office is here."

Yuan Pozi's whole body shuddered. The fierce flesh of her face instantly softened into gentleness, and she hurried out of the house. Xiao Pozi had been about to set the sugar water bowl on the table, but suddenly glanced at the two people on the ground, then carried the bowl and followed out.

The other old women also followed out. Only then did He Sanniang turn over and get up. Tan Laizi pulled her, and the two of them leaned back against the corner. Both were panting and did not speak to each other, just listening to the sounds outside.

Yuan Pozi had probably gone to receive the official from the Household Office. All they could hear was Xiao Pozi outside scolding, telling the other women not to speak. After a short while, they heard a man's voice approaching, and Yuan Pozi's voice drew near as well.

"Sir, look, that Sun Pozi rolled up all the silver and took it with her. You can't blame this old body. It was all this Tan Laizi making the decisions. He insisted on letting Sun Hong'er manage the accounts."

The man's voice said, "A mere Dun householder making the decisions? Then what were you, the deputy fort chief, doing?"

"This old body..."

"The Household Office stationed you here to supply forage and gave you wages and silver for it. That is your duty. What kind of silver Sun Hong'er made off with — don't think I don't know. None of it has anything to do with the Household Office. You were told to manage Pozidun. What kind of state have you managed it into? Lord Wu has given the order: if any more trouble arises in Pozidun, this fortified village will be disbanded. All the women will be driven out of Anqing without exception. Whether you live or die will be your own concern."

Outside, two of the old women burst out wailing. Then came Yuan Pozi's voice: "Everyone stop making a racket. All of you listen to what the sir has to say."

Then came the sound of paper being unfolded. The man's voice continued, "By order of the Household Clerk: Yuan Qiaozhen, deputy fort chief of Pozidun, has handled affairs incompetently, employed treacherous and deceitful persons within the fort, leading to chaos in the fort's rations and pay, and further allowed a female criminal to go missing. She is stripped of the position of deputy fort chief, temporarily retained in the fort as a Dun householder, and is to be placed under strict watch and control pending interrogation."

The scene outside fell silent for a moment. Inside the house, Tan Laizi could not hold back. He cautiously poked his head to the gap in the window and looked out. The person who had come, he had seen before — no official from the Household Office, just a clerk from the Household Office. But in Pozidun, he was indeed an official.

He saw Yuan Pozi's legs go weak and she collapsed to the ground. She grabbed the clerk's trouser leg and began wailing loudly, "This old body has been wronged! Sir, spare me! It was all Tan Laizi's doing! This old body didn't do anything..."

The Household Office clerk kicked her away and cursed, "You let the person escape and you're the one wronged? I've been cursed out by Wu... all day long. I've got nowhere to air my own grievances."

The clerk did not even look at her. He swept his gaze over the surrounding old women. The women did not know what this meant and all subconsciously stepped back.

Xiao Pozi had been staring blankly at Yuan Pozi wailing on the ground. Now she looked up, saw this, and suddenly took a step forward. "Sir, this humble woman was formerly the Chief of Ten of the First Unit and has always managed affairs in the fort. I can handle any matter in the fort..."

The Household Office clerk pointed at her. "Then you will temporarily act as deputy fort chief. Arrange the fort's affairs properly. What was all that huge commotion just now about? Keep the people under good watch and control. Wang Dianli still needs to question them tomorrow."

"This humble woman will remember."

"Whatever tasks are assigned from now on, handle them quickly and handle them well."

Xiao Pozi immediately said, "Sir, rest assured. This humble woman will certainly handle things quickly, and certainly handle them well — not like this Yuan Pozi."

"Pozidun will remain in this location for now and will not relocate yet. If the Martial Academy sends someone with orders, you must also obey. These next few days, prepare extra forage. The Cavalry Battalion is going far afield to battle. Zhou Shuban from the Logistics Battalion will come shortly. Whatever amount they need, you must prepare enough. If you handle it well, you'll be in charge from now on."

Xiao Pozi agreed repeatedly. The Household Office clerk finished his instructions, turned his head, and left. Xiao Pozi immediately followed behind him, that bowl of sugar water still held steady in her hand.

On the ground, Yuan Pozi was still crying and shouting. The group of old women looked at each other. They had originally thought someone would come to take Tan Laizi away and then publicly behead him somewhere. Who knew he would still be kept under watch in the fort.

Tan Laizi shrank back into the corner. After a short while, there was a clamor outside, and then Yuan Pozi's wailing entered the house. A group of old women were dragging her and shoved her to the ground.

Xiao Pozi followed in carrying the sugar water bowl, took a sip of the sugar water directly, and first glanced at Tan Laizi. After waiting a moment and looking around in all directions, she said to the laborers nearby, "This house is sturdy. Lock all three of them in here. Seal the windows shut. Keep them under good watch and control until the various officials come to interrogate them."

Having said this, she did not look at Yuan Pozi. Drinking her sugar water as she went, she walked out the door. Outside, there was another burst of clamor, as if Xiao Pozi was arranging new people to take charge.

Inside the house, Yuan Pozi was still crying on the ground. Tan Laizi stood dazed for a moment before he remembered to turn his head and look at He Sanniang beside him. Just then, He Sanniang also looked up at him. Through the tangled hair hanging down over her forehead, their eyes met in a blank stare.