Chapter 6 : Stalemate

The Fushui River and Fenjiang River that pass by Datong Prefecture belong to the same water system. Huwan Gorge, where the shipwreck happened, lay approximately 9 miles from the eastern gate.

After he learnt that two of the shipwrecks had been salvaged and were still lying on the river shore, Xiao Pingjing spared not a minute’s delay. He quickly asked Shopkeeper Huo for two guides and hurried out of the city with Xiao Yuanqi following closely behind, unwilling to be left behind.

From the time he received the information in the morning, to having to pick up the witnesses, and then having to find them a suitable hiding place – by the time he was done, it was almost dusk. After queueing with the groups of people in a rush to leave the the city before the city gates closed, they ran all the way to Huwan Gorge. By the time they arrived, it was already dark.

After nightfall, the surroundings were submerged in darkness, lit only by the dim light of a crescent moon. Up ahead, however, a fire was blazing high, illuminating the sky.

Xiao Pingjing urged his horse up a high slope. Seeing the two balls of flame enveloping the shipwrecks by the river bank, he angrily drew his horse whip and used it forcefully on the tree trunk beside him.

“Looks like someone from the government office has also acted.” Xiao Yuan sighed. “Really! We’re one step too late.”

“No wonder da ge sometimes says I too overconfident….” Xiao Pingjing jumped off his horse and stared blankly at the fire below, his shoulders slumped. “I knew that the provincial government would send someone to salvage and inspect the shipwrecks, but after that, they would usually hand it over to the prefectural office for monitoring. Since Mayor Zhang has had them in his hands for so long, I took it for granted that he would have come up with some excuse to destroy them. If I had known that the Datong mayor was so pig-brained, I would have come to Huwan Gorge on the first day!”

Xiao Yuanqi sighed and tried to console him. “After leaving the shipwreck on the river bank for so long, Mayor Zhang suddenly remembered to deal with it. Who would have expected him to be so odd?”

It was now very late at night and they wouldn’t be able to enter the city if they turned back. Xiao Pingjing waited for the fire to go out, then circled the charred wreckage, inspecting the remains, unwilling to admit defeat. In the end, however, he still couldn’t find anything useful.

Night time by the river was freezing cold, and they couldn’t sleep even though they wrapped their cloaks tightly around them. The group of them ended up staying awake most of the night, returning to Fufeng Hall dejectedly when the sun broke over the horizon.

That night, Lin Xi didn’t sleep well either. She woke early, freshened up, and then arranged the medicinal herbs while waiting for news. When Xiao Pingjing entered, she only glanced briefly at him, and seeing that the trip did not go well, she didn’t ask any questions but instead instructed Aunt Yun to bring him and Xiao Yuanqi some breakfast.

After running around for so long, the two of them were famished and buried their heads in the food, eating silently. Xiao Yuanqi had a smaller appetite, but he didn’t leave after putting down his chopsticks. He sat next to Xiao Pingjing and said soothingly, “Actually you don’t need to be so disheartened. Although there’s nothing left of the shipwrecks, don’t we still have witnesses?”

Xiao Pingjing was stuffing a steamed bun into his mouth. When he heard this, he suddenly sat up and removed the half-eaten bun from his mouth. “No….it’s not true there’s nothing left. Don’t forget, there’s one more in the water.”

Lin Xi put the freshly picked medicinal herbs into the bamboo tray. As she gently sieved through them, she said, “When you were out, I made some inquiries. The reason they didn’t salvage that shipwreck at the time was because of the undercurrents. It’s now winter and the water temperature is too low, making it even more difficult than before. Even the best water demons wouldn’t make any rash attempt to brave the river.”

After filling his stomach, Xiao Pingjing recovered his spirits very quickly. After eating the buns he held in his hands, he wiped his hands against each other, crossed over to where Lin Xi was sitting and sat down. His face beaming, he said, “Miss Lin, I have a nickname in Langya Pavilion. Would you like to guess what it is?”

Lin Xi swept a glance over him, unwilling to respond.

Xiao Pingjing stretched out a hand and waved it before her eyes, saying with pride, “These hands have retrieved many an ice crystal from the bottom of Tianchi Lake in Langya. I’ve got an excellent reputation for my swimming abilities. My nickname is ‘Little Divine Dragon of the Icy Pond’…..”

Xiao Yuanqi, who was having his tea next to him, couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of tea. Lin Xi, who was trying very hard to keep a straight face, turned her face slightly to the side, but in the end, she couldn’t help it, and the corners of her lips lifted into a smile.

Xiao Pingjing leaned across the table towards her with his eyes lit up, and said happily, “You laughed, you finally laughed. I thought you didn’t know how to.”

Although the words were lighthearted, and he deliberately said them to make Lin Xi laugh, Xiao Pingjing knew in his heart that it wasn’t something easily accomplished. After breakfast, he changed into a sleeved arrow jacket* and headed out. After throwing two or three spies off his tail who couldn’t catch up with him, he quietly entered the place where they had hidden the four witnesses and had the captain of the passenger ship draw out the shipwreck location for him in detail.
*literal translation. I couldn’t for the life of me figure what this was. I assume it’s something easy for him to remove and put back on.

After being hunted for so long, even the most unintelligent person would realise that this second son of Changlin is their only hope for survival. The captain of the passenger ship listened intently to every word of his request, and after spending quite a bit of time recalling the incident, he sketched the river pattern and the shipwreck’s onto a piece of cloth.

Presently, Xiao Yuanqi was very easily recognisable. In order to avoid any trouble and to keep his movements under cover, Xiao Pingjing persuaded him to remain in the city. He left the city quietly with only Lin Xi, and hired a small boat to go downstream.

There is very little wind or rain in winter, and the surface of the river winding through the canyon was completely calm. Xiao Pingjing sat behind rowing the boat while Lin Xi sat in front with the cloth map in hand, checking the shipwreck location.

After a long while of meticulously comparing the drawing on the map to their location, she said, “Stop here. This should be the location.”

Xiao Pingjing put down the oars and turned to have a look at the cloth map, then nodded in agreement and began removing his boots.

Lin Xi could not shake off her uneasiness and reminded him, “The old boatman said that the currents here are a little unusual. You must be careful.”

Xiao Pingjing responded with a confident smile. After throwing his outer robe into the ship-hold, he spent some time stretching his limbs. Then, just before he went into the water, he removed the leather necklace around his neck and carefully put it into Lin Xi’s hands. “This should not get wet. Hold on to this for me.”

The silver locket was still warm from being worn close to his body. Because it was forged hastily during the war, its design was simple, with few embellishments, but it was bright and shiny, without any sign of tarnish.

All else aside, there was no question of Changlin Manor’s sincerity when they continued to solemnly observe a marriage contract that they had entered into with such haste all those years ago. Lin Xi’s fingers lightly traced the lotus petals on the edges of the silver lock while looking at the ripples where Xiao Pingjing had entered the water. Her mind suddenly filled with turmoil, and she couldn’t help feeling dazed.

She didn’t know how long she stayed like that, but the boat’s gentle rocking suddenly roused her. She realised that the surface of the water was still. Xiao Pingjing had clearly been in the water for a very long time. Without thinking, she stood up and looked around at the surrounding water.

The mid-afternoon sun reflected off the water in spots like a layer of bright fish scales, dazzling the eyes. Lin Xi looked around at a loss, gradually pressing both her hands against her chest. Then, just when she was feeling at her wit’s end, there was a sudden splash behind her and Xiao Pingjing surfaced, flicking some water at her from the side of the boat.

Before she could suppress it, Lin Xi heaved a long sigh of relief.

Xiao Pingjing smiled, his eyes and brows upturned, and said, “He drew this location correctly. I’ve seen the wreck. I’m just not sure what to look for and might have to dive under a few more times. Remember, I can stay underwater twice as long as just now.”

Though her heartbeat was still unsteady, Lin Xi deliberately composed her expression and said, “Since you can stay under for so long, what are you doing up here?”

Xiao Pingjing wiped the water off his head, and his eyes glistened as he said, “You’re so timid. If I didn’t surface to let you know, what would have happened if you got scared?”

These words were warm and considerate but also slightly teasing. Before the embarrassed female physician could figure out how to respond, he had already turned around to plunge back into the water. The water rippled outwards from the force of his kicks, causing the little boat to rock gently.

Lin Xi frowned as she said, “What’s the urgency? If you dive too deeply and for too long, you will damage your heart and lungs. If you don’t succeed today, just come back tomorrow.”

Xiao Pingjing hung on to the side of the boat, panting slightly. Suddenly, he smiled at her, and the other hand that was submerged underwater splashed up and threw a rectangular wooden board into the ship-hold.

Lin Xi looked at it in surprise. “What’s this?”

Xiao Pingjing leapt out of the water into the boat and broke into a broad smile that revealed his white teeth. “Physical evidence.”

Lin Xi’s eyebrows leapt in startlement. She hurriedly leaned over to pick up the wooden board, inspecting it closely. The piece of wood was extremely thick timber, about a foot long and one foot wide. Though it had lain submerged underwater for so long, there weren’t any significant signs of rot. There were only strangely neat fractures on its edges and it seemed to be coated with a colorless, gelatinous substance that were sticky to the fingertips.

“I know what this is. It’s made of black chalk powder and the gum from silkworms and very strong. It takes quite a few days of soaking in water before it can dissolve, and is used for emergency hull repair while out at sea for extended periods. It’s not easily discernable at first, but once it’s damaged on impact, it becomes very weak.” Xiao Pingjing quickly wiped himself down with a piece of cloth then brushed back the wet hair on his forehead. “I saw it clearly underwater. There were several fractures along the hull, and all of them had the same glue.”

Cutting off the supplies, blocking the waterway and cutting off the lifeline of the frontline soldiers. After Ganzhou, there were at least five provinces across the northern plain. It it wasn’t the Changlin heir guarding the city, if he hadn’t succeeded in defending it…..Lin Xi had a general picture of the overall situation and she couldn’t help feeling a chill go down her spine.

Xiao Pingjing’s jaws were tense and his gaze was cold as a knife as he looked at the wooden block. “Regardless of what these people are up to, I will never forget…..the corpses of those in the front line in the northern border, the arrow that struck my brother in the chest in Ganzhou. All that stemmed from this.”

Of course, Zhang Qingyu was at that moment completely unaware of the Changlin’s second son’s big harvest at Huwan Gorge. But at the end of the day, he had long been an official in Datong Prefecture, and received news of Duan Tongzhou’s burning of the two salvaged shipwrecks on the same night.

Zhang Qingyu was very clear that apart from bribing the captain of the boat, he wasn’t involved in any other matters. He dared not even think about what else the shipwrecks might be hiding that were making Master Qin so uneasy.

“When my mentor first sent you, the original plan was to cause the cargo ships to run aground by accident and cause a few days’ delay. It’s just that when disaster struck that evening, I lost my head, and now everything has been blown out of proportion…..” The more he spoke, the angrier he got. Stepping forward, he glared at Duan Tongzhou. “So did I misunderstand? Did my mentor intend for this to happen right from the beginning and did it have to be so merciless?”

Duan Tongzhou ignored his agitation, and replied expressionlessly, “Lord Mayor, you’re already knee deep in this. Is there any purpose for revisiting the original plans or intent?”

Zhang Qingyu’s heart skipped a beat, and he slumped down onto a chair, his body weak.

At this point, Duan Tongzhou no longer intended to trouble himself further with the weak-kneed mayor. At these words, he immediately left the study, crossed the courtyard and arrived at the alley separating the government office from Officer Qian’s quarters.

Officer Qian had just gotten off duty. Seeing Duan Tongzhou, his expression stiffened and he took a step backwards, trying to avoid his glance.

Duan Tongzhou wasted no time in asking, “You said you wanted to think about what I said last night. Have you already thought it over? You’re different from the Lord Mayor. You’re alone here, with no family. As long as you have enough money, why await death with him?”

Officer Qian’s lips trembled slightly and he instinctively looked to the outside of the courtyard as he said weakly, “Master….I’ve followed Lord Mayor for seven, eight years….”

“It’s because you’ve been with him long enough that you know more than anyone else.” Duan Tongzhou’s tone of voice, though light, was highly intimidating. “Tell me, Lord Zhang said he has destroyed all correspondence from the capital. Is that true?”

Officer Qian lowered his head and did not answer, but that silence in itself was an answer. This confirmed Duan Tongzhou’s understanding, and he sneered as he said, “Looks like he left some behind. Where did he hide them?”

“I don’t know.” Seeing Duan Tongzhou’s expression, he shook his head and hurriedly added, “I’ve not looked for it. I really don’t know.”

“Time is running out. The other side can afford to wait, but we can’t, so you’d better start looking for it now.” Duan Tongzhou glanced at the cold sweat beading Officer Qian’s forehead and took two steps toward him. “I rushed over from the capital with just a few men, so I need to rely on Officer Qian. That’s why the conditions are in your favour. Opportunity only knocks once, so I hope you won’t miss out on it.”

For Duan Tongzhou to make it to the Langya list, his will and perseverance naturally exceeded most other people’s. Even as he pressured Officer Qian, he never gave up on his efforts to locate the witnesses’ whereabouts.

At that moment, he was focused on finding out how the news of his stakeout of the Marquis of Laiyang’s five courtyards leaked.

Due to the large number of people involved and their complex relationships, this matter initially seemed impossible to sort out. But as far as Duan Tongzhou was concerned, as long as there was enough gold and the methods employed sufficiently ruthless, there wasn’t any knot they couldn’t unravel. He used both soft and hard methods, on the one hand dishing out rewards and, on the other, dealing out punishment. In the past few days, he had apprehended everyone who was involved in that day’s raid and had his own men step up their interrogation to uncover any potentially useful information.

The hard work paid off. The day after Officer Qian agreed to work for him, Duan Tongzhou also received his long-awaited report.

When he had first arrived in Datong Prefecture, Duan Tongzhou had planned in advance and purchased a courtyard with three entrances close to the government office so he didn’t have to stay at a place arranged by Zhang Qingyu. This courtyard was suitable for a single person without a family, and allowed for one to come and go freely. The master chamber also had its own internal courtyard, suitable for interrogating the people he had secretly arrested.

The breakthrough that he had waited for came from this improvised setup.

Xiao Dong was a government servant who worked in the hay field and was native to Datong Prefecture. Because Fufeng Hall once treated his father for free, he had always been grateful to them, and often brought them fruits and vegetables to express his gratitude. Over time, he got to know many of them who worked in the medical hall. During the raid, he was also conscripted by Officer Qian, and took this opportunity to play the informant. It was only after carefully sifting through the layers of complex relationships that they finally found and apprehended him the day before, interrogating him within the inner courtyard that same evening.

Fufeng Hall was obviously involved so simply getting a confession that he had been prompted by Fufeng Hall was not very useful. But Xiao Dong was, after all, just an ordinary person, and couldn’t withstand torture. Desperate to preserve his life, he finally managed to think of something after a day’s torture.

“An abandoned winery? It’s not unusual to find such abandoned wineries in the city. Why do you think the people I’m searching for are hiding there?”

Faced with Duan Tongzhou’s dark gaze, Xiao Dong curled into a trembling ball and whispered, “Two days ago….I was nearby and saw Fufeng Hall’s Aunt Yun….heading over from that direction. When I went to greet her, she said….she came out to buy things for the young lady. But I knew there weren’t any shops or markets around that area…..”

This clue that pointed directly to the witnesses’ possible hiding place was so significant that Duan Tongzhou felt heat building up in his head, and quickly pinched the webbing between his thumb and forefinger to calm himself down.

After several direct and indirect confrontations, both opposing parties in Datong Prefecture had both shown their hands. For the government, although they knew that the Marquis of Laiyang and the northern envoy were living in Fufeng Hall, they could not simply attack and eliminate them by force due to their background and status. Correspondingly, however, the northern envoy who came alone in order to keep his mission under cover didn’t have enough manpower to escort the witnesses out safely.

This stalemate could not last forever. Duan Tongzhou knew very clearly that the envoys from the imperial capital were definitely on their way, and the north might even have dispatched military reinforcements. The longer this drags out, the greater the chances of his opponent’s success. His only hope now lay in finding the long-vanished witnesses using Xiao Dong’s extracted clue.

Duan Tongzhou’s assessment of the situation was accurate. The reason Xiao Pingjing was so quite these past few days was because he had the upper hand and did not intend to take any unnecessary risks or act rashly.

“Pingjing, where do you think the imperial envoy is now?” Xiao Yuanqi grew up pampered and thus was not as patient as his cousin. He had repeated this question over and over again the past two days.

“Don’t worry. We’re not making any moves now, so one or two more days won’t make a big difference.” Xiao Pingjing said this to soothe him. Resting his chin on his hand, he looked up at the sky and said, “What worries me now is not this….”

Xiao Yuanqi immediately got up and asked anxiously, “What else are you worried about?”

“With a martial arts expert on the Langya list here in Datong Prefecture, I’m worried about another witness.”

“Ah,” said Xiao Yuanqi, startled. “There’s another witness? Who is it?”

“Think about it. Who has a direct connection to this case and the capital city?” Xiao Pingjing narrowed his eyes, his fingers tapping lightly on the tea table. “Without Datong Prefecture’s mayor, Zhang Qingyu, we may not be able to catch the person orchestrating behind the scenes. After thinking it over for two days, I realise this person is indispensable. I must go and pay him a visit.”

Xiao Yuanqi pondered his train of thought and frowned. “The mayor of Datong was appointed by the court. According to the law, even if we had enough men with us, we do not have any authority to arrest him. What’s the point of paying him a visit before the imperial envoy’s arrival?”

“I can at least remind him of his situation.” Xiao Pingjing shrugged. “Look, Zhang Qingyu’s guilt is undeniable, but that person in the capital can still avoid capture. As long as this lord mayor thinks this through properly, I’m sure he will be careful.”

“I understand what you mean, but Duan Tongzhou lives near the government office. How do you intend to sneak in to remind him in such broad daylight?”

Xiao Pingjing threw back his head, laughing loudly. He reached out to pat his own shoulder. “I am the second son of the great Changlin Manor. Why do I have to sneak in to pay Datong’s mayor a visit? Of course I’ll reveal my name card and enter through the main entrance in broad daylight!”

But the second son of Changlin Manor needn’t have worried. This man who had held office for so many years was already somewhat aware of his situation and didn’t need to be reminded. The day after Duan Tongzhou set fire to the shipwrecks, he had arranged for one of his trusted aides to secretly send his wife and children to hide away in the countryside. He had also selected a few of the more important previous correspondence with the capital and hidden them in the study’s secret compartment.

Of course, Officer Qian knew about this secret compartment. After reaching an agreement with Duan Tongzhou, he had been keeping a constant lookout. It’s just that Zhang Qingyu had been listless and rarely left the room in the past few days since his wife and children left, and he had no mood to attend to work-related matters. It took Officer Qian a lot of effort in order to sneak a look at the documents in the secret compartment.

There were several documents wrapped in oiled paper, rolled tightly together into a small slim scroll and tied tightly together with thread. Upon receiving it, Duan Tongzhou didn’t bother with looking through them. Instead, his fingers curled around the bundle, exerting great pressure as he squeezed it tightly in the palm of his hand. The paper began to emit heat and turn black, transforming into ashes that fell to the floor. Seeing this, Officer Qian began trembling, his face deathly pale.

“I knew that Officer Qian is a reliable person.” Duan Tongzhou paid no attention to Officer Qian’s expression and smiled faintly as he said, “You came just in time. There is something else I need to trouble you with.”

Officer Qian composed himself, clasped his fists and said, “Master, please instruct me.”

“There’s an abandoned winery behind the former racecourse along Rose Lane. Are you familiar with it?”

“Yes, I am.”

Duan Tongzhou’s eyes gleamed. “I’m ninety percent confident that the four witnesses from Huwan Gorge are hiding there. Please gather your most elite force and accompany me to surround and arrest them immediately. We can’t make any mistakes this time.”

Officer Qian was momentarily stunned. Then he suddenly asked, “Master Qin, since there’s another opportunity to eliminate the witnesses, then the Lord Mayor…..does that mean we can….”

He had already taken this path, yet still harboured concern for his previous master. This surprised Duan Tongzhou a little, and he smiled gently as he said soothingly, “Indeed, indeed. The capital’s Lord Song and Datong’s Lord Mayor have had a mentor-disciple relationship for so many years. If this wasn’t the last resort, who would be willing to see him get hurt?”

Officer Qian had followed Zhang Qingyu for so many years, after all, and he felt guilty for secretly stealing the documents. Now that things seemed to have taken a turn for the better, his spirits suddenly lifted. Clasping his hands, he bowed then swiftly left to gather his men.

After his silhouette disappeared, Duan Tongzhou sneered and turned towards his deputy. “These past few days, it’s been very clear to me that Zhang Fuyin is not someone who will stand firm. To be on the safe side, make your move when we leave.”

=============================

Afterthought: NIF1 had so little romance, it was refreshing to read about the interactions between Xiao Pingjing and Lin Xi. Everytime I translate such scenes, I see the main actor and actress from NIF2 in my mind’s eye. I thought Liu Haoran did a damn good job at being Xiao Pingjing. What about you?