Chapter 481

Zhou Shifa scratched his head, a rare gesture. "Brother Nie, I wasn't paying close attention. What exactly did Lord Chen say at the time? Did he say to kill Hai Gouzi and his brothers?"

Nie Hong paused, slightly taken aback. He thought back and said, "Lord Chen said, 'I don't want to see Hai Gouzi again, and I don't want to hear him speak either.'"

"And when he spoke about Huang Yuan and that group, what did he say then?"

"'Gone. Behead them directly.'"

Zhou Shifa's mouth fell open. He let out an "Oh," and said, "Oh, then I understand now."

Nie Hong said anxiously, "So are we beheading them or not?"

Zhou Shifa tilted his head, casting a sidelong glance at Nie Hong. "Did you hear Lord Chen say anything about beheading or not? I certainly didn't." Zhou Shifa raised a single finger. "What Lord Chen said was, 'I don't want to see Hai Gouzi again, and I don't want to hear him either.' The meaning is very clear: never see him again, and never hear from him."

Nie Hong stood there dumbstruck, staring wide-eyed at that finger before his eyes. Suddenly he clapped his hands and laughed. "Thank you, Brother Zhou..."

Zhou Shifa waved his hand hastily. "You absolutely must not thank me. I merely repeated Lord Chen's words. Any other notions are entirely your own. I know nothing at all."

After Zhou Shifa had gone far away, Nie Hong's smile turned back into a troubled frown. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. He suddenly slapped himself. No, that's not right. Lord Chen never told me to release Hai Gouzi either. To everyone else, his attitude was clearly that Hai Gouzi must die, to intimidate everyone in Dengzhou Garrison. What if this matter leaks out? Lord Chen will still have to punish me. How am I supposed to handle this?

Nie Hong paced in two circles, then hurried off to Liu Po's residence. The gatekeeper said politely, "Lord Liu has gone out fishing."

"Fishing!" Nie Hong immediately turned around and went to Wang Changfu's residence. The gatekeeper said politely, "He has gone to Lord Chen's residence."

Nie Hong went to several houses in a row; not a single person was in. Nie Hong stood in the long street, looked up at the sky, and said, "Damn you, Hai Gouzi. Can't you just go die on your own!"

After cursing, he still had no clue. Nie Hong counted on his fingers. "If Zhou Shifa's hint was correct, Lord Chen won't say it plainly, and that dog Zhou Shifa won't say it plainly either. It all falls on me alone to save Hai Gouzi. Damn it all, am I that close with Hai Gouzi? If anything goes wrong later, I'll have to bear it alone. I'd be the only one who let him go. What the hell kind of mess is this."

Finally, Nie Hong found the right person at Song Wenxian's home. This time, without waiting for the gatekeeper to announce him, he rushed straight in and cornered Song Wenxian in his study.

Song Wenxian had known Nie Hong since the first year of Chongzhen, when Nie Hong took charge of Guangming Peak. Back then, Nie Hong had followed Lu Chuanzong to kill Han Bin, and later they worked together for a long time. The only time in Song Wenxian's life he had faced mortal danger was on a pleasure boat in Jiangnan. After Nie Hong was slashed, it was Chen Xin who brought Song Wenxian and the others to press on Nie Hong's wound, saving his life. After Nie Hong returned, the two families visited often. They could be said to have a life-and-death bond. Song Wenxian could not bring himself to refuse, so he had no choice but to patiently hear Nie Hong out.

Song Wenxian asked repeatedly exactly what Chen Xin had said at the time. After Nie Hong recounted it all, Song Wenxian looked at Nie Hong with a smile but said nothing.

Nie Hong said anxiously, "Mr. Song, what on earth should I do?"

Song Wenxian shook his head and laughed. "It's lucky you found me at home. Do you know why Wang Changfu and the others are all out? Today, no one you sought would have been willing to see you, including Lord Chen himself."

"Why?" Nie Hong's eyes bulged.

Song Wenxian beckoned him closer. Nie Hong leaned his ear in, and Song Wenxian said in a voice as faint as a mosquito, "Lord Chen assigned you to supervise the execution. That means he handed this matter to you. The meaning you grasp yourself is the correct one. Lord Chen gave this to you because he values you. You could also say Lord Chen is willing to owe you a favor. And you, you blockhead, you dared to go around asking people? Are you stupid or what?"

Nie Hong turned to Song Wenxian with a worried frown. "Mr. Song, but where can I send that man? I've thought about Lord Chen's meaning myself: he never wants to see this person again, and doesn't want to hear of anyone seeing him. But... our Military Justice Division only has one military jail where someone could be hidden. We can't just put him there. That wouldn't be proper either."

Song Wenxian burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Nie Hong was baffled. After a good while, Song Wenxian finally stifled his laughter and whispered to Nie Hong, "What this old man tells you today, you must not let reach a third person's ears."

"I swear, I swear. Mr. Song, please speak quickly. I'll treat you to drinks next time."

Song Wenxian waved his hand. "Was Zhou Shifa also present at the time?"

Nie Hong nodded. "That's right. Lord Liu was there too. But later Zhou Shifa said he knew nothing at all and dumped it all on me."

Song Wenxian chuckled. "Go find him right now. Why do you think Lord Chen summoned only the two of you alone today? This assignment is not easy to handle. It was meant for the two of you to handle together, and no one else can know. Zhou Shifa is slippery as an eel. He knew perfectly well what Lord Chen meant, but the moment he walked out, he tossed it all onto you alone. He pushed you out front while he hid behind. Does Lord Chen know how difficult this matter is? Besides the Intelligence Bureau, who else could pull it off? Do you think you, Nie Hong, could manage it alone?"

"That dog Zhou Shifa!" Nie Hong slapped his thigh. Then he scratched his head again. "But why didn't Lord Chen just tell us plainly?"

Song Wenxian reached out and tapped Nie Hong. "Could Lord Chen possibly say it plainly? His outward stance will forever be to kill Hai Gouzi. If you go ask him now, Lord Chen will give you that same line. Even if you release that man, Lord Chen can never, ever ask you about the outcome. This can only be a matter of tacit understanding. Even if this is discovered later, it will be something you and Zhou Shifa did privately, without a single copper coin's connection to Lord Chen. That's why I said Lord Chen is willing to owe you a favor. Do you understand now?"

Nie Hong stood up. "Mr. Song has made it clear to me. I'll go find Zhou Shifa right now. If he dares to shirk this, I'll make him regret it."

Song Wenxian grabbed Nie Hong. "If you don't want this old man to be supervising your execution someday, you will rot this matter in your gut. You must not speak of it even in your dreams."

"Aye."

After nightfall, the main gate of Chen Xin's residence opened. Several guards walked out, took their positions, and observed the surroundings. By routine, Chen Xin should only emerge after those outside confirmed there was no threat. But today, Chen Xin walked straight out, ignoring Wang Daixi, who was kneeling before the gate. Several guards hurried to follow, dispersing around him on alert. Wang Daixi called out a few times from behind, his voice tinged with tears. Chen Xin paid no heed, nor did he say anything to the guards. He went directly to the gate of Liu Minyou's residence next door.

Kneeling at Liu Minyou's gate was Zhang Erhui, Director of the Construction Department. Seeing Chen Xin approach, Zhang Erhui immediately kowtowed repeatedly. Chen Xin still acted as if he saw nothing and entered Liu Minyou's gate directly. The soldiers at the gate had only just saluted when Chen Xin was already inside the residence.

In Liu Minyou's study, Chen Xin found Liu Minyou looking as if he had aged ten years in a single day. The floor was littered with cigarette butts.

Chen Xin said nothing. He lit a cigarette for himself, and the two sat facing each other in silence. They sat like that for a full quarter of an hour. Several cigarette butts piled up in front of Chen Xin as well. Only then did Liu Minyou look up and say, "I want to go see Hai Gouzi."

Chen Xin nodded and said, "I only said I won't see him. If you want to see him, go. Take those two kneeling outside with you. Bring him some food and drink, and clothes... pick out a nice set." Chen Xin paused, then added, "Best to go soon. The execution is set for tomorrow morning."

"Where is Gouzi being held now?"

"The military jail."

Liu Minyou said flatly, "Tomorrow I want to see him off on his final journey."

Chen Xin looked up at Liu Minyou, and seeing no sign of other intentions, shook his head. "Huang Yuan and the others are to be beheaded. Hai Gouzi and the other four are to be shot. Don't go watch. It will only leave you with psychological scars. Just spend more time with him tonight."

"It's not like I haven't seen it before."

"Really, don't watch."

"Then... what about the bodies?"

Chen Xin looked at the cigarette butts on the floor. "None of the bodies will be returned to the families. All family members of the Yanggu faction are to be sent to the mines. I've already arranged for Nie Hong to supervise the execution and bury the bodies. I will tell him to bury Hai Gouzi separately." Chen Xin sighed. "Let's leave it at that. Our bond has run its course."

After a moment, Liu Minyou said calmly, "I won't say anything about you killing Gouzi, but I absolutely will not agree to treating his family this way. What do you plan to do about Gouzi's family?"

"It's just his wife anyway. If there's a child, we'll raise it ourselves. Give her some silver every month."

Liu Minyou stood up, walked to the door, and looked back at Chen Xin's silhouette. "Are you really not going?"

Chen Xin did not turn around. He paused, then shook his head. "I said I won't see him, so I won't."

"You're still too hard-hearted." Liu Minyou said this softly at the door, then let out a long breath, pulled the door closed, and left. The door leaf did not shut tightly; it swayed slightly on the threshold, the hinges creaking with a jig-ga, jig-ga sound.

Chen Xin sat in his seat like a stone statue, staring blankly at the floor before him.

"Brother Chen, I absolutely won't let them catch you." That was what Hai Gouzi said when they stole the pearl in Jizhou.

"Anyway, I'm with you." That was what Hai Gouzi said in Guan, when Chen Xin arranged for him to prepare the suicide gunpowder.

That simple, foolish smile from seven years of being together day and night hovered before Chen Xin. Two teardrops slipped from his eyes, tracing down his cheeks and dripping onto his first-rank military officer's uniform.

"Gouzi, don't blame your Brother Chen. Brother can only go this far. Whether you live or not depends on whether those two understand. Life and death are fated." Chen Xin murmured to himself in a low voice. He wiped the tear stains from his face. His fingers touched the officer's uniform, rubbing at the tear marks to make them less conspicuous. Having done this, Chen Xin slowly stood up. His expression was calm and composed, betraying not a trace of emotion.

At the study door, his adjutant immediately came to await orders. Chen Xin said to him, "Military Orders Division, issue commands: First Battalion and Third Battalion are to surround the forces of Liu Zeqing at Qingzhou Prefecture, on the grounds that Liu Zeqing colluded with Eastern Depot agents. Geng Zhongming's forces are to cross the Jinan Prefecture border by ten li and encamp. Dengzhou Guard Battalion to go to first-degree combat readiness. Have Song Wenxian relay a message to Wang Tingshi: say that the matter of Jiang Yuegui has come to light. Jiang Yuegui made improper advances toward Lu Chuanzong's concubine at the Lu residence and was killed by Lu Chuanzong in a fit of rage. Afterward, Lu Chuanzong attempted to flee. When this official apprehended him, Lu Chuanzong, in a state of agitation, took his own life."

After the adjutant finished recording, Chen Xin added coldly, "The Eastern Depot chief showed contempt for Dengzhou's generals who have fought for the nation, and persecuted their families, driving Lu Chuanzong to suicide. One person remains at large. Now the Dengzhou Right Association is seething with fury; mutiny could erupt at any moment. The Dengzhou Left Association at Jinzhou and Lushun will respond in turn, shaking Liaonan. They demand an explanation from the imperial court and the Eastern Depot. Failing that, they will remonstrate with force of arms. This official is currently assembling the Main Battalion to prepare for sudden changes in the Left and Right Associations. However, the Main Battalion numbers only 3,500 men and may struggle to contain the mutinous troops. I can only repay the imperial grace with my death. Warn Jinan Prefecture, Northern Zhili, and other areas to guard against mutinous soldiers. That is all."