At the foot of the imperial city wall, the carriage sat quietly. Li Sheng stood upright beside it.
The two of them boarded the carriage.
Li Sheng sat on the shaft and flicked the horsewhip. The convoy headed toward Chongwen Street in the east of the city.
Before long.
The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, and the bumping sensation suddenly vanished.
Li Sheng pulled open the carriage door from the outside. "My Lord, Princess, we have arrived."
Xu Qinghuan stepped down from the carriage, only to see a vast and imposing mansion before her.
The vermilion gates were shut tight. The plaque on the lintel had been removed, leaving only two faded pale marks. A few clumps of withered yellow weeds grew along the edges of the steps, and old tree roots coiled in front of the gate.
A eunuch from the Imperial Household Department was already standing on the steps, holding a roster. Behind him stood a dense, dark crowd of people.
"Lord Xu, Princess." The eunuch walked down the steps, handing over the roster and a ring of copper keys. "By His Majesty's profound grace, this Marquis of Changping's Manor will henceforth be the Xu residence. The Imperial Household Department has selected fifty menial servants and twenty guards for your household's use."
Xu Youde reached out. His hands were trembling. As he took the copper keys, they let out a series of faint clinking sounds.
Xu Qinghuan looked at the twenty guards. They wore gray cloth tunics and stood perfectly straight. Li Sheng took a step to the side, staring at the guards' hands hanging by their legs. He turned his head to look at Xu Qinghuan and heavily scraped his right thumb twice against his index finger knuckle.
Calluses on the purlicue, and a standing posture that was a standard military drill stance.
The royal family's eyes.
She walked to Xu Youde's side. Gripping the keys, Xu Youde stepped forward and pushed open the main gates. The doors let out a dull groan of friction from the hinges, and the Xu family convoy drove into the courtyard.
"Li Sheng," Xu Youde turned around and pointed at the people assigned by the Imperial Household Department. "Lead all these people to the front courtyard and the reverse-facing rooms. Lock the middle gate."
The eunuch let out a hollow, skin-deep smile. "Lord Xu, leaving no one to serve in the rear manor is perhaps against the rules."
"I am a coarse man," Xu Youde stared at the eunuch. "I brought my own servants whom I am used to. People from Jiangning cannot get used to the food cooked by people in the capital. Just let them guard the front gate."
The eunuch clicked his tongue, said no more, cupped his hands in a brief salute, and turned to leave.
Xu Youde led Xu Qinghuan, Xu Wuyou, and Xu Zijin through the middle gate. Li Sheng pulled the two heavy wooden doors shut and secured the copper lock.
Upon entering the main hall, Xu Youde reached back to pull the door shut and slid the bolt into place.
Xu Youde stripped off his inner robe. Bare-chested, he grabbed the teapot from the table, aimed the spout at his mouth, and fiercely guzzled the cold tea. Water ran down his chin to his chest until the teapot was empty. He slammed the teapot heavily onto the table.
"Ouch! So exhausting!"
Xu Qinghuan pulled over a chair, sat down, and looked at Xu Youde.
"Father."
"He knows everything. The iron furnaces in Luoxia Valley, the two hundred and seventy guards. The account books in the carriage, the knife on your person."
"We are like a transparent jar. He has even counted exactly how many crickets are kept inside. And this jar, I am afraid, was produced right in Taoyuan County."
Xu Wuyou stood by the door, deep in thought. Xu Zijin, however, seemed completely unresponsive to all this.
Xu Qinghuan curled her fingers and tapped on the tabletop, knock-knock.
"It is normal," Xu Qinghuan's tone was steady. "The Great Qian Dynasty was founded two hundred years ago; the spies of the Imperial City Bureau have long spread across the world. Luoxia Valley might be able to deceive the Prefect of Jiangning, but it cannot deceive the Emperor."
Xu Youde raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "If he wants to kill us, it would be easier than crushing an ant."
"But he didn't kill us." Xu Qinghuan stopped tapping. "He gave us the Marquis of Changping's Manor, gave us the gold medallion, and gave you an official position."
"Because of the Spinning Jenny," Xu Youde rubbed his face vigorously with both hands. "He wants money."
"Perhaps not just money." Xu Qinghuan stared into Xu Youde's eyes. "He wants a knife, a knife to butcher people on his behalf."
Xu Youde's hands stopped rubbing his face.
"We killed three hundred death warriors in Jiangning, we have money, and we have built the weaving machines. Alas! These three things combined are more than enough to cause panic in the imperial court. Today in the grand hall, Wei Zheng jumped out to impeach you for treason. Whether it was a probe by the civil official faction or the Emperor playing the bad cop... in short, it is hard to say."
Xu Qinghuan continued her analysis. "The Emperor spoke up to protect us, specially approved the mechanical crossbows, and forcefully suppressed Wei Zheng. His intentions in this are too obvious; our days ahead will not be easy."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "The civil officials retreated today not because they fear you, but because they want to avoid a direct clash with imperial power for now. From this moment on, the Xu family has no way out."
Xu Youde swallowed a dry mouthful of saliva.
"The Emperor stripped away all our hidden cards and told you he could kill you at any time—this is a threat. Then he gave you a mansion and an official rank—this is bestowing favor." Xu Qinghuan's voice was cold.
Xu Youde picked up the thread, "Applying both grace and might, forcing you to become an isolated minister. We cannot associate with anyone. We must be a blade without a hilt, one that only the Emperor can wield."
Xu Qinghuan pointed outside the door. "Now we also need to consider those people from the Imperial Household Department outside. They will report our every move in the manor to the Emperor. The Emperor is watching to see what we will do."
"Li Sheng, take a lap around the manor's perimeter walls. Find the blind spots and prune the tree branches clean. Scatter broken glass and spikes on all the places where someone could land. Release the dogs at night. Tie the three wolfhounds we brought from Jiangning behind the middle gate."
Li Sheng received the order and withdrew.
Finally, Xu Qinghuan looked at Xu Zijin. He had been standing in the corner all along, and upon hearing her call, he raised his head.
"Xu Zijin, go to the east wing room," Xu Qinghuan issued the command. "First, memorize the entire official system of the Great Qian Dynasty and the roster of officials in all the ministries and courts in the capital. As for why, do not ask for now."
Xu Zijin's lips moved slightly, and he complied.
The crowd dispersed.
The night turned pitch black.
The capital enforced a curfew; there were no pedestrians on the streets, nor the sound of carriages. The night watchman struck his clapper: two slow beats, one fast beat. It was the third watch.
In the back alley of the Marquis of Changping's Manor, there was a dead end sandwiched between high walls. The moon was obscured by clouds, making the alley very dark.
Dried grass at the base of the wall was stepped on, emitting a faint snapping sound. Someone was walking over, hugging the base of the wall. The footsteps stopped outside the back door of the Xu residence.
The visitor raised a hand and grasped the copper ring on the door.
Two heavy knocks, one light.
The copper ring struck the wooden door, and the sound traveled far in the silent alley.
Behind the doors of the main hall, a lightly sleeping Xu Wuyou stood up with his Tang sword in hand. Without lighting a lamp, he felt his way along the corridor pillars to the back door and pressed himself against the door panel.
The person outside did not knock again; he was waiting.
Xu Wuyou pulled the iron latch out of the wooden door. His movements were very light, producing no sound of metal friction. Immediately after, he pulled the door open to a crack three fingers wide, letting the cold wind rush in.
Outside the door stood a man wearing a black, coarse cloth cloak, with a large hood obscuring most of his face.
He did not try to force his way in but merely stood quietly at the bottom of the steps.
Li Sheng stepped out from behind Xu Wuyou and leaned close to the crack in the door.
The man outside raised his hand, pinched the edge of his hood, and threw it back.
The clouds parted, and moonlight shone into the alley, the light falling upon his face.
His cheeks were fleshless, his cheekbones high—it was an extremely stern face.
The visitor was none other than the man who, during the day in the Golden Throne Hall, had held up his ceremonial tablet, pointed at Xu Youde's nose, and loudly demanded that the entire Xu family be executed and their property confiscated—
The Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Wei Zheng.
