The wind whipped up sand and dust, rustling against the oilcloth of the carriage.
Zhao Hu had a booming voice, and his shout of "inspect on the spot" still echoed down the long street.
The cavalrymen behind him aimed their spears forward in unison, their horses impatiently pawing at the bluestone pavement.
The carriage curtain remained motionless.
"Deputy Commander Zhao."
Xu Qinghuan's voice drifted out from behind the curtain, carrying a hint of nonchalance:
"The military laws of the Great Qian Dynasty clearly state in black and white that when grain and fodder enter the camp, they must first be registered in the Ministry of War's storehouse and verified by the Supervising Censor before distribution."
"What kind of rule are you following by demanding a street inspection?"
Zhao Hu let out a snort, the heavy flesh on his face twitching. "The Imperial Envoy might not know, but Zhenbei City is poor.
"If a mouse goes into the Ministry of War's storehouse, it'll come out with tears in its eyes, and maybe even leave a few droppings out of pity. If this grain goes into the storehouse and we wait for the Censor to deliver it to us...
"By the time they finish their sluggish verification, the brothers below will have starved into mummies. I am also thinking of the big picture."
"The big picture?"
The carriage curtain was lifted by a hand.
"Li Sheng."
"Here."
"Bring the item out and let Deputy Commander Zhao take a good look at what the big picture really is."
Li Sheng turned and brought out a long wooden box from a hidden compartment in the carriage.
The lid was pushed open, and the dazzling pure gold background instantly blinded everyone's eyes.
The gold-mounted Emperor's Sword.
The five-clawed golden dragon coiled around the scabbard further highlighted the indisputable pressure of imperial authority in the northern wind and sand.
Zhao Hu's eyelids twitched wildly, and his legs almost gave way. He swallowed his gasp and managed to hold his ground.
But the cavalrymen behind him lacked such composure; they all lowered their heads on horseback in unison, not even daring to breathe loudly.
"Officials of the third rank and below, seeing this sword is like seeing the Emperor himself."
Xu Qinghuan's voice suddenly turned sharp. "Deputy Commander Zhao, you, a mere deputy general of the secondary fifth rank, dare to block the street and inspect the military supplies personally bestowed by the Emperor. Are you trying to rebel?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
Unable to bear the weight of such an accusation, Zhao Hu knelt heavily on one knee, his head bowed.
Xu Qinghuan stepped down from the carriage and walked a few paces to stand before Zhao Hu.
"Deputy Commander Zhao, let's cut to the chase. These first fifteen carts are the base provisions for the brothers' emergency needs."
Xu Qinghuan lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear. "The remaining fifteen carts are a greeting gift I've prepared for General Tie."
Zhao Hu looked up, staring fixedly at Xu Qinghuan.
He had originally thought this spoiled young lady would force her way through relying on the Emperor's Sword, but he didn't expect her to turn around and toss out a massive sweet deal.
"What a clever move, Imperial Envoy."
Zhao Hu lowered his voice. "Using half the grain to buy off the starving soldiers below, and the other half to silence our General. What exactly do you want from this trip?"
"A person."
Xu Qinghuan looked straight into Zhao Hu's eyes. "I want to see my second brother, Xu Zhan."
Zhao Hu froze for a moment, then rubbed the stubble on his chin with a bewildered expression.
"Xu Zhan? Second brother?" The old military rogue blinked, playing dumb to the extreme. "Imperial Envoy, you're handing me a hot coal.
"There are tens of thousands of people in Zhenbei City, and many share the same name. I'm just a lowly gatekeeper; I really don't know which common soldier you're referring to."
He let out a short laugh and went with the flow, saying, "But, the registration of personnel and military law dispatch in Zhenbei City has always been managed by the Supervising Censor, Ma Jin'an.
"If you really want to find someone, asking Censor Ma is the right way to go."
Zhao Hu deliberately brought up He Minghu and Ma Jin'an.
As the top commander of Zhenbei Pass, Tie Lanshan had suffered under these two for a long time.
His words were watertight, directly pretending not to know someone like "Xu Zhan," just to see if this Imperial Envoy holding the Emperor's Sword was only good at throwing her weight around on the street, or if she really had the ability to clash head-on with those two local tyrants.
Xu Qinghuan understood the hidden meaning in his words.
She didn't lose her temper.
Xu Qinghuan turned back to the carriage and casually instructed, "Li Sheng, give all the handover documents for the thirty large carts to Deputy Commander Zhao for inspection."
"Consider the grain handed over clearly today."
"Yes."
Li Sheng swiftly pulled out a stack of transit documents from his chest and slapped them directly into Zhao Hu's hand.
Holding the thick stack of documents, Zhao Hu was dumbfounded.
That's it?
No forcing her way into the death row prison? No making a scene?
"Deputy Commander Zhao, please pass a message to General Tie for me."
Xu Qinghuan stepped onto the carriage footboard, pausing without looking back. "The wind and sand in Zhenbei City are too strong. Some obstructive stones need to be cleared out.
"If General Tie can't bring himself to do it, the sword in my hand will move them for him."
With that, Xu Qinghuan slipped into the carriage. The curtain fell, cutting off the outside view.
Zhao Hu's palm holding the documents was covered in cold sweat.
Looking at the fifteen carts fully loaded with excellent military supplies, chills ran down his spine. This Imperial Envoy wasn't here to deliver grain at all; she was here to hand over a knife!
Bypassing the Ministry of War and dumping all the military grain into Tie Lanshan's hands—this was forcing General Tie to completely tear off all pretense with He and Ma!
...
Zhenbei City, Deputy General's Mansion.
In the main hall, Deputy General He Minghu sat in the armchair, playing with two patinated walnuts in his hand. The friction sound was maddening.
Supervising Censor Ma Jin'an sat below, holding a teacup, slowly scraping off the tea foam.
A scout knelt in the center of the hall, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"What did you say?"
The walnuts in He Minghu's hand stopped. "That girl surnamed Xu didn't take her people to the Ministry of War's storehouse for handover, but directly stuffed all thirty carts of military supplies to Zhao Hu?!"
"Y-yes, General."
The scout stammered his report. "The Imperial Envoy didn't even show her face. She just tossed the handover documents and went to the posthouse. Zhao Hu took his men and pulled all the grain directly into Tie Lanshan's camp. The starving brothers went crazy when they heard there was meat to eat, and now they're all shouting about the Imperial Envoy's brilliance!"
Crack!
He Minghu applied force, crushing the two hard walnuts into pieces.
Wood splinters pierced his palm, but he didn't even furrow his brow.
"That old fool Tie Lanshan!"
He Minghu kicked over the yellow rosewood table in front of him. The teacup shattered, splashing tea everywhere.
"By accepting the grain, he accepted the olive branch thrown by the Xu family! That old thing wants to use the Imperial Envoy's power to sideline the two of us!"
Ma Jin'an put down the broken tea lid in his hand, his face gloomy.
"General He, this girl is venomous."
Ma Jin'an sneered. "I thought she came just to save Xu Zhan. I didn't expect that upon arriving in Zhenbei City, instead of paying a visit to us two managers first, she'd turn around and throw the meat to Tie Lanshan."
"She is blatantly telling all the soldiers in the city: follow her, and there's meat to eat; follow us, and there's only starvation."
"Trying to suppress me?"
He Minghu yanked out the saber at his waist, the blade flashing with a terrifying cold gleam.
"When I was licking blood off knife edges in the Northern Frontier, she was still embroidering in the capital! Thinking she can rely on these little tricks to rescue Xu Zhan? Daydreaming!"
He Minghu turned to look at Ma Jin'an, fierce light fully exposed in his eyes.
"Censor Ma, we can't wait. We strike tonight!"
"Let those thirty-seven people on death row, along with Xu Zhan, all 'commit suicide out of fear of their crimes'!"
"I would like to see how a lone imperial envoy like her expects to fight me once the man is dead!"
Ma Jin'an stared at the shattered porcelain scattered across the floor. After a moment of silence, he slowly nodded.
