The doors and windows of the study in the backyard of the vice general's mansion were shut tight. Even the servants waiting under the corridor had been driven away to a distance of ten zhang, leaving only Ma Jin'an sitting alone at the desk.
He held a letter in his hand. The wax seal on the envelope was already broken, and the kraft paper was stained with half-dried dark brown blood.
The blood did not belong to the sender, but to the messenger.
The Helian cavalryman who delivered the letter was only let into the city after his identity was verified. There was a newly stitched knife wound on his forearm, the gash not yet fully closed.
Ma Jin'an unfolded the letter and read it from beginning to end, the color draining from his face inch by inch.
There were not many words on the letter. The strokes were sharp and the ink was heavy, showing that the writer applied great force.
At the end of the letter, there was only one sentence.
"If you hide one more thing from me, I will make you wish you were dead."
There was no signature, but Ma Jin'an recognized the handwriting.
Chen Changfeng!
He turned the envelope over; there was still something at the bottom. He shook it out, and a four-pointed sharp caltrop rolled onto the desk. Following it was half a piece of broken porcelain, blue and white, its edges bearing scorched, bloody marks.
Ma Jin'an's hand touched a corner of the caltrop, and his fingertip was pricked. He jerked his hand back, staring at the two objects, his mind going completely blank.
What did this mean?
The door was pushed open, and He Minghu strode in. He had just returned from the drill ground and had not yet taken off his iron armor. His forehead was covered in sweat.
"What's the matter? Why did you call for me so... urgently?"
Halfway through his words, He Minghu saw the caltrop and broken porcelain on the desk, and then the letter in Ma Jin'an's hand. His footsteps immediately halted.
"A letter from Chen Changfeng?"
Ma Jin'an handed the letter over. He Minghu snatched it up. After reading the three lines of text, his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he looked up at Ma Jin'an.
"What firearm? What sand dune? Why haven't I heard a whisper about what happened last night?"
Ma Jin'an shook his head, his voice tight. "I don't know either. The imperial envoy's headquarters has been keeping a tighter watch these past few days. Xu Zhan taking the night scouts out of the city was done through Tie Lanshan's personal guard camp. Even the sentry records at the camp gate didn't pass through our vice general's mansion."
He Minghu slammed the letter onto the desk and paced back and forth.
"Something is wrong!" He Minghu stopped in his tracks. "In the past, whenever Tie Lanshan dispatched troops, the deployment orders had to go through me. Now, they don't even show me a single word. What does this mean?"
Ma Jin'an smiled bitterly. "It means that the two of us have been completely bypassed. The imperial envoy has pulled Tie Lanshan over to her side. The commander-in-chief's office and the envoy's headquarters are now on the same front, and our vice general's mansion has been left out in the cold."
He Minghu's face twitched. He picked up the caltrop from the desk and twirled it between his fingers.
"What is this thing?"
"A caltrop. They say it's stuffed inside an iron-cased firearm," Ma Jin'an leaned in and lowered his voice. "Chen Changfeng said in his letter that last night, a hundred Helian scout cavalrymen were completely wiped out on the sand dunes northeast of Laoya Spring."
"He said the Great Qian people buried a type of firearm that explodes when stepped on. A horse's hoof triggers the mechanism, the iron shell blows apart, and broken iron and porcelain scatter everywhere. Out of a hundred cavalry, only one man made it back."
The hand He Minghu used to grip the caltrop trembled slightly.
"A hundred cavalry, all gone?"
"All gone."
The study was quiet for a long while, filled only with He Minghu's heavy breathing.
Ma Jin'an wiped the sweat from his forehead. "My lord, Chen Changfeng is already furious. He asked very clearly in the letter."
"Why didn't we report a single word about this kind of thing appearing in the city beforehand? If he doesn't receive news next time..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but both men understood what that meant. They had experienced Chen Changfeng's methods before.
He Minghu forcefully slammed the caltrop back onto the desk.
"With what am I supposed to report? I don't even know what that female artisan surnamed Huang has been tinkering with in the West City Workshop! That little brat Xu Qinghuan has surrounded the workshop like an iron barrel; my men can't even get through the door!"
Ma Jin'an was about to speak when a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
A senior attendant of the mansion reported through the door curtain, "My lord, someone from the imperial envoy's headquarters has arrived. They said Lord Xu invites the Vice General and Mr. Ma to come over immediately to discuss matters."
He Minghu and Ma Jin'an exchanged a glance.
Both of their bodies tensed up.
Ma Jin'an spoke first. "They came so fast. She's going to talk about last night's events face to face. We will definitely be interrogated when we go, so we must think of a good excuse."
He Minghu ground his back teeth. He reached out and swept the caltrop and broken porcelain pieces into his sleeve, stuffed them into a drawer and locked it, then folded Chen Changfeng's letter into a tiny ball and tucked it into his boot.
"Let's go and see what tricks she's playing!"
---
West City Workshop, Imperial Envoy's Headquarters.
Xu Qinghuan sat in the armchair in the study. A few beads on the abacus by her hand had not yet been pushed back. Spread out on the desk was a simple map she had drawn herself, marked in red ink with the approximate location of the Helian outpost camp and the patrol range of their scout cavalry.
Li Sheng stood to her left and reported in a low voice, "Miss, He Minghu and Ma Jin'an have already entered the workshop gate. They should arrive in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
Xu Qinghuan did not look up. Her fingers tapped lightly twice on the crossbar of the abacus.
"Where is Lao Gou?"
"As you instructed, he has been arranged to wipe the doors and windows under the corridor of the front hall. He doesn't know there are guests today."
Xu Qinghuan nodded.
Lao Gou, whose real name was Gou San, was originally an honest and simple-minded servant assigned by the vice general's mansion to the headquarters to do odd jobs. Usually, besides sweeping the floor and moving firewood, he just chopped wood and boiled water.
He didn't talk much and was diligent. Anyone who saw him would think he was just an honest man trying to earn a living.
However, half a month ago, when Li Sheng was conducting a routine check of the personnel entering and leaving the headquarters, he discovered something strange:
Every first and fifteenth of the lunar month, Lao Gou would definitely use the excuse of going to the East Market to buy dry goods for the kitchen. The time he left was always exactly the same, and when he returned, the purchase list in his hand and the things he actually bought never matched up.
Li Sheng didn't alert the enemy. Instead, he had someone follow him for three consecutive market days. Finally, on the third time, they followed him to a grocery store in the back alley of the East Market and saw with their own eyes Lao Gou stuffing a piece of paper with words written on it into the seam of a pickle jar. Then, he bought a few catties of coarse salt and left.
Li Sheng failed to intercept the contents of the note because another person came to take it away in less than half an hour. That person was wearing the uniform of the Zhenbei City garrison, but Li Sheng searched through the city defense roster, and that name did not match any registered soldier.
After hearing the report, Xu Qinghuan did not order his arrest. Instead, she asked Li Sheng to keep Lao Gou in the headquarters and continue to use him.
At the time, she only said one sentence.
"Keeping him alive is more useful than killing him."
Now, this "useful" time had arrived.
Footsteps came from behind the screen wall. He Minghu walked in front, with Ma Jin'an following half a step behind. The two entered the courtyard of the front hall and immediately saw Lao Gou bending over to wipe the window lattice under the corridor.
When Lao Gou saw He Minghu, he hurriedly put down the rag in his hand, lowered his head, and retreated behind the pillar, shrinking his neck and pretending to be as humble as a servant should be.
Ma Jin'an's gaze lingered on Lao Gou for less than half a breath before he withdrew it, his face remaining calm and collected.
Li Sheng came forward to greet them and led the two men into the study.
Xu Qinghuan was already standing behind the desk, holding a cup of herbal tea, her face wearing a perfectly measured amiable expression.
"Vice General He, Mr. Ma, it is a hot and long journey. Thank you for making the trip. Please, sit and have some tea."
He Minghu cupped his fists in greeting and sat down boldly with his legs apart. Ma Jin'an sat carefully on his right, occupying only half the chair, his back slightly bowed.
Xu Qinghuan was in no rush to get to the main point. She patted the map on the desk, her tone somewhat casual: "I assume you two haven't heard about what happened last night."
He Minghu took the teacup offered by Li Sheng, lifted the lid, and blew on it. He maintained a measured, unhurried tone: "Is Lord Xu referring to the commotion outside the city? I did indeed hear some strange noises last night, but I don't know the details. Please enlighten me."
Xu Qinghuan smiled.
"Centurion Xu Zhan led fifty night scouts out of the city and set a trap for the Helian outriders on the sand dunes northeast of Laoya Spring. A hundred riders went in, and you could count the survivors on one hand."
He Minghu's hand paused as he held his tea. He then set the cup down, squeezing out a look of pleasant surprise. "Such a great victory? Lord Xu leads her troops with remarkable skill. I am in awe!"
Ma Jin'an, however, caught the underlying implication. Instead of playing along, he simply leaned forward slightly. "This trap Lord Xu mentioned—did it involve some new military tactic? An ambush in the dunes, fifty against a hundred... conventional warfare could hardly achieve such results."
Xu Qinghuan glanced at Ma Jin'an but didn't answer directly. Instead, she picked up her own teacup and took a slow sip.
"It's not really a secret. Jenny Huang tinkered around and produced a batch of new gadgets in the West Ward workshop."
"These iron shells are filled with scrap iron and gunpowder. Once buried under the sand, they explode when a horse steps on them! Vice General He's residence is right next to the West Ward. Your estate should have heard the noise from the artillery testing in the backyard a few days ago."
She said this lightly, but to the ears of He Minghu and Ma Jin'an, the words carried a crushing weight.
Xu Qinghuan's meaning was crystal clear: You live right next door. With such loud commotions from the workshop's tests, there's no way you didn't know.
A chill crept up He Minghu's spine. He opened his mouth, about to defend himself.
Ma Jin'an beat him to it, speaking with just the right amount of regret: "Forgive us, Lord Xu. The Vice General's estate has been busy drilling the city defense infantry lately, so we have indeed neglected to pay attention to the workshop. But since this weapon is so incredibly powerful..."
"Why doesn't Your Lordship hand the blueprints over to the Armory Bureau for centralized production? With the manpower and iron supplies of the Vice General's estate, the output could at least be doubled."
Xu Qinghuan placed her teacup back on the desk.
"There is no rush regarding the blueprints; the current output is sufficient. However, I do have another matter I'd like to discuss with Vice General He."
"Last night, when Xu Zhan left the city, he used the hidden door by the west corner watchtower. The deployment order was approved directly by Commander Tie Lanshan and didn't go through the procedures of the Vice General's estate. This was my oversight. I specifically invited you both here today to make up for that breach of etiquette."
As she spoke, she took a pre-written document from the desk and pushed it in front of He Minghu.
"Vice General He held his troops back last night and cooperated perfectly. With everyone performing their respective duties inside and outside the city, we achieved today's victory. I will include this contribution in my memorial to the imperial court."
Cooperated perfectly.
These words fell into He Minghu's ears, making his scalp tingle with dread.
He wasn't cooperating; he had absolutely no idea! Yet Xu Qinghuan insisted on saying he was cooperating, and she was even going to write it into the official report!
What did this mean?
In Chen Changfeng's eyes, He Minghu "cooperating" with Xu Qinghuan to ambush the Helian cavalry outside the city was tantamount to... colluding with the enemy.
Xu Qinghuan didn't say another word. She merely picked up her teacup and drank slowly.
The meeting ended quickly. Xu Qinghuan offered them both a polite "thank you for your hard work" and "much obliged" before having Li Sheng see them out.
He Minghu and Ma Jin'an left the study. As they crossed the front courtyard, Lao Gou was under the corridor, wiping the very last window. He was bent over, his head tucked low.
The footsteps of the two men passed behind him, neither sparing him a single glance.
...
After Lao Gou finished wiping the window frames, he draped the rag over the edge of the wooden basin. Only then did he walk slowly toward the backyard woodshed. Along the way, he picked up a short stick used for chopping firewood near the stove and casually tucked it behind his waist.
This was his usual getup when going out to buy supplies, so the gatekeepers had long grown accustomed to it.
When he reached the entrance of the ward, he looked back at the roof of the Imperial Envoy's temporary residence.
Then, he lowered his head and walked in the direction of the East Market.
He repeatedly chewed over the sentence he had just overheard in the corridor.
Vice General He held his troops back last night and cooperated perfectly.
Just as Lao Gou's figure disappeared at the end of the alley, Xu Qinghuan set down her teacup in the study.
Li Sheng returned from outside and reported in a low voice, "They've left. Lao Gou has also gone out, heading toward the East Market."
Xu Qinghuan flicked a couple of beads on her abacus and remained silent.
Li Sheng hesitated for a moment before asking, "My Lady, you deliberately said those words in front of Lao Gou. Aren't you afraid that Chen Changfeng might actually make a move against He Minghu?"
"Although He Minghu is no good, he still holds the military command of three thousand infantrymen. If he is truly eliminated by Chen Changfeng, it might not be a good thing for us."
Xu Qinghuan's finger paused on the third rod of the abacus.
"Chen Changfeng won't kill He Minghu."
"Why not?"
"Because if he kills He Minghu, he will no longer have any informants in Zhenbei City. He won't be able to bear losing him. He will only suspect, he will only doubt, and he will only grip He Minghu even tighter."
"And a man like He Minghu—the tighter you grip him, the harder he rebounds."
Xu Qinghuan pushed the abacus aside and leaned back in her chair.
"Let them bite at each other. The more viciously they fight, the easier things will be for me."
Li Sheng was about to say something else when a sudden clamor erupted from the front gatehouse, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
A servant from the gatehouse ran in, reporting breathlessly, "My Lord, someone at the notice wall has torn down the recruitment poster for talents!"
