Yan Tongshu froze for a moment, then forced out a single syllable through his throat. “...Huh?”
“What do you mean, ‘huh’?” Qin Yi’s features were stern, his voice icy. “They are subjects of mine as well.”
“Heh!”
Qin Yi rose to his feet. In his fury, his voice grew even lower and heavier. “Tonight, I intend to see with my own eyes exactly who dares commit such utterly depraved acts beneath the Son of Heaven’s very nose—in the imperial capital, on sacred palace grounds!”
Yan Tongshu pressed his lips together.
The dog emperor had truly changed.
The Qin Yi of the past would never have noticed the common people struggling beneath imperial power.
...
Midnight.
The Imperial Guard lying in wait outside Zhang Jiu’s home watched the house with hawk-like eyes.
The moon shone bright amid sparse stars tonight, while the world outside the house lay steeped in darkness.
The night wind rustled through the branches.
Then, suddenly, a faint rustling sound drifted closer.
Immediately afterward, led by Xie Qiang, two shadowy figures appeared before the door like ghosts.
One of the men in black spoke in a lowered voice, though he could not hide his excitement. “Is she really as beautiful as you said?”
Xie Qiang lowered his voice as well, his tone ingratiating. “Absolutely. She’s the most beautiful woman this humble one has ever seen in his life.”
“How many women have you even seen?” the other man said disdainfully.
Xie Qiang grinned obsequiously. “Rest assured, gentlemen. I’d stake my life on it—once you see that refined little face of hers, I guarantee you’ll never forget it for the rest of your lives.”
No sooner had Xie Qiang finished speaking than the two men in black stepped onto the courtyard wall and vaulted over it. After opening the courtyard gate, they slipped inside. Both were agile and nimble; it was clear at a glance that they were no ordinary men.
Once inside, they worked in perfect coordination. One stood watch, while the other moved to the window and slipped a slender bamboo tube through a gap in the lattice, blowing sleeping powder into the room.
After a while, once the man with the powder judged enough time had passed, he quietly pried open the door latch and slipped inside. He emerged carrying Zhang Jiu on his back. “Heh, this little lady’s pretty heavy.”
The lookout chuckled. “Country women have to work. Their flesh is solid.”
The man set Zhang Jiu down and pulled out a tinderbox. “With you talking her up like that, I’ve got to take a look first.”
“You—if you keep dawdling, be careful the Young Master doesn’t skin you alive.”
Though he said that, the lookout also leaned closer.
With a soft scrape, the tinderbox flared to life. In its faint glow, Zhang Jiu’s sleeping face came into view. Both men sucked in a sharp breath.
Good heavens—she was far prettier than any of the women from the previous batches.
This time, they had struck it rich.
The lookout smiled in satisfaction, casually tore off a money pouch, and tossed it to Xie Qiang. “Your reward.”
“The goods are especially high-quality this year, so I’ll reward you too.” The other man in black threw Xie Qiang another pouch of coins. Xie Qiang promptly dropped to his knees, thanking them again and again.
The two men wasted no more time. One took the lead, while the other carried the woman. They raced to the main road ahead, bound her securely, stuffed her into a burlap sack, slung her over a horse’s back, and galloped away.
The Imperial Guard, who had been lying in wait for a long time, immediately sent out a signal to alert their comrades stationed at the village entrance to follow them. They swiftly seized and tied up Xie Qiang as well.
Inside the sack, Zhang Jiu silently opened her eyes. From a hidden pouch at her waist, she drew a thin blade and cut through the ropes around her wrists. Then she poked a hole in the sack with her finger.
He slipped a copper coin dusted with phosphorescent powder from between his fingers. As the horse rounded a bend, he flicked his wrist. The coin shot out like a dart, embedding itself in a roadside tree trunk or the corner of a building, leaving behind a faint glimmer in the darkness.
Passing markers along the way, they finally reached their destination. Zhang Jiu covered the holes he had poked in the sack and had his hands tied again.
His captors tipped him out of the sack and tossed him into the cabin of a waiting carriage, then went off to seize more people.
“Damn it! Rotten luck! How come the two of us got picked for this kidnapping job this year? Those little bastards get to lie around and enjoy themselves while they wait for the games to start!”
“Shut up. Weren’t you one of the ones lying around waiting for the betting to open in previous years?”
“Hurry up, hurry up. Just one more to go.”
The two men cursed under their breaths as they spurred their horses away.
Only one man remained to guard the carriage. He sat on the driver’s bench with the reins in hand, broad-shouldered and powerfully built. Veins bulged across the backs of his hands, and a vicious scar slashed across his face. He was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
Zhang Jiu cracked his eyelids open, confirming that there was no one else in the carriage. Carefully, he shifted his body, trying not to press down on the other girls.
He counted them. Including himself, there were nine people in the carriage.
One more to go.
Zhang Jiu tossed out another copper coin coated in phosphorescent powder. Only then did he close his eyes and resume pretending to be unconscious.
Before long, the tenth girl was thrown into the carriage by the two men in black.
One of them rode ahead to lead the way, while the other brought up the rear. The carriage raced between them. The three traveled at full speed and, in less than the time it took to burn three sticks of incense, arrived before an imposing, magnificent estate.
As soon as they arrived, two men dressed in white robes and white masks came out to meet them.
One of them craned his neck about furtively, his eyes fixed on the carriage. “Oh? Let me have a look. Are this year’s ‘goods’ prettier than usual?”
“What are you looking at?” The man in black slapped away the masked man’s reaching hand. “Give us a hand already!”
“All right, all right. Look at you—run a few errands and you get all worked up.” The five men quickly carried the captives into two separate rooms, then left.
A while later, two maids entered the rooms and began changing the unconscious girls’ clothes.
Taking advantage of the maid’s inattention, Zhang Jiu climbed up onto the rafters. The maid believed there were only four people in this room. Once she had finished changing them, she left. Zhang Jiu followed her out, stole a set of clothing, and changed into it himself. He wrapped the flexible sword hidden at his waist inside his new sash, then returned and lay down again.
The maid went next door to ask about the count and learned that there were five people in that room. Thinking she had remembered incorrectly, she returned and counted again.
Huh? There were five in this room too.
Hadn’t there only been four just now?
The maid checked them one by one. They had all been changed already, so perhaps she had simply miscounted earlier?
Scratching her head, the maid left.
Some time later, several people came and placed all the girls into a wine pool filled only with a shallow layer of liquor.
The game was finally about to begin.
…
Not far outside the estate, Yan Tongshu and Qin Yi had followed the markers all the way here.
The moon hung low and heavy, its cold light spilling across the night.
The expressions on both their faces were equally frosty, fury churning like storm waves in their eyes.
A Divine Guard reported, “Your Majesty, Lord Yan, following your orders, we kept the thirty men under close surveillance and have now confirmed the identities of the ten involved.”
That was right. Unable to confirm that every participant belonged to the Divine Martial Army, Yan Tongshu had arranged for all forty men matching the criteria to be watched closely, determined not to let a single one slip through.
Of those forty, only thirty were off duty tonight.
It would be a sweeping arrest. Not one would be missed.
A Divine Might Guard reported, “The ten are as follows: Yan Qichu, eldest son of Prince Ming; Chu Jincheng, nephew of the Minister of War; Yu Youjin, a captain in the Divine Martial Army; Shao He, son of a Ministry of Justice official; Weng Jin, son of an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Personnel; Chao Gai, son of a Court Discussion Grand Master; Xue Baojian, son of an instructor in the Ministry of Rites; and Li Zhang, son of an Assistant Compiler. These eight serve in the Divine Martial Army. The remaining two are Bi Xi, son of a Court Provisioner, and Wei Jian, son of a Ministry of Personnel official. They are both commandants in the Divine Strategy Army, promoted by the criminals in the bandit case.”
Qin Yi laughed in extreme anger. “There are still remnants of that bandit case within the Divine Strategy Army.”
With such a precedent before them, these men had still dared to offend again. They had simply treated the laws of the court as nothing—and treated him, the Son of Heaven, as nothing!
Qin Yi’s voice was so cold it sent a chill through the air. “Minister Yan, it is your turn.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yan Tongshu’s gaze sharpened abruptly. In a grave voice, she gave the order, “Divine Guard Army, Divine Might Army, heed my command!”
The Divine Guards and Divine Might Guards answered as one, “Yes!”
“Proceed according to plan.” Each word she spoke was crisp and deliberate, brimming with killing intent. “Seize them!”
“Yes!”
...
Inside the secluded residence.
The surface of the wine pool glimmered darkly.
Zhang Jiu stood in the pool with the other nine young women. The girls huddled together, trembling, trying to warm one another.
Along the second-floor gallery stood ten men dressed in white. Hidden behind white masks, they laughed loudly, taking smug pleasure in the miserable sight of the ten lovely women.
Ten massive, powerful hounds crouched beside the pool, staring at the women as though they were prey already condemned to die. Deep, threatening growls rumbled in their throats.
Zhang Jiu narrowed her eyes, one hand resting on the flexible sword concealed beneath her sash.
Just as in the previous three gambling games, once the game began, the man in charge announced the rules. One of the girls questioned him in a trembling voice.
The masked man gave a disdainful snort. Then he raised his hand and pressed two fingers to his lips.
A shrill whistle pierced the air.
Among the pack, an especially large and ferocious black dog sprang forward at the sound. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, it lunged straight toward the center of the pool.
Zhang Jiu yanked the girl behind her. With a flick of her wrist, her flexible sword shot from its sheath, its cold gleam flashing like lightning. Before anyone could react, she slashed at the black dog’s leg.
The dog howled miserably and stumbled to the ground. Then, baring its fangs, it charged again.
Zhang Jiu moved with her blade, her strikes sharp and swift. In a blur of several slashes, she forced the black dog back again and again.
But the black dog was, after all, a military hound. It knew neither good nor evil; it only knew to obey its master’s commands. Until its master gave the order, it could not retreat.
And so, it rose stubbornly once more. Blood poured from the savage wounds on its leg and back.
The masked man’s heart ached for his injured hound. He immediately let out a sharp whistle to call the dog back, then seized the railing, his face stricken with alarm as he shouted, “Who the hell are you?”
Zhang Jiu lifted his head, his expression cold and stern. Each word rang out like steel.
“Zhang Jiu, Assistant Prefect of Kaifeng.”
With a flick of his sword, droplets of water scattered in every direction.
“By Lord Yan’s order, lay down your weapons and surrender.”
Before his words had even faded, he vaulted out of the wine pool, his blade pointed straight at the masked man.
“Otherwise—no mercy!”
Kaifeng Prefecture?
Zhang Jiu?
The nine figures who had been sitting calmly on the second floor all shot to their feet in panic.
Had Yan Tongshu come too?
“Young Master, run!”
Skinny Monkey tugged at the masked man who had been directing the others. “Run, Young Master! Forget the dog! If Yan Tongshu catches us, no one will be able to save us!”
“Oh, I told you long ago that Yan Tongshu was terrifying. We shouldn’t have kept this going this year, but you people insisted—”
“Shut up!”
Suddenly, an arrow tore through the window like lightning, piercing Skinny Monkey’s shoulder.
Meng Zheng’s icy voice rang out.
“You think you can run? Where do you think you’re going?”
The moment he finished speaking, a storm of arrows was unleashed.
Countless shafts screamed through the air, raining down thick and fast upon the second floor!
The masked man darted into a room on the second floor and slammed the window shut behind him. He then triggered a mechanism, opened a hidden chamber, stepped onto a slide leading downward, slipped into the first floor, and fled into a secret passage.
Yan Qichu tore off his mask, spat viciously on the ground, and fled in disgrace, no longer caring about appearances.
Once everyone had disappeared into the hidden passage, Meng Zheng raised a hand, and the Divine Guard Army lowered their bows.
“Arrest everyone inside the building,” Meng Zheng ordered. “Then calm the frightened young women and have them change back into their original clothes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Inside the passageway, the tunnel was narrow and winding, the air thick and stale.
After crawling in, Yan Qichu had just begun congratulating himself and the others on their foresight when a billowing cloud of smoke suddenly rolled in from behind.
The tunnel was cramped and poorly ventilated.
Within moments, the choking smoke filled the passage, searing their lungs. Yan Qichu and the others burst into tears and coughed without pause.
Yan Tongshu crouched in a concealed spot above the tunnel entrance, propping her chin on one hand as she watched the Divine Guard soldiers fan the smoke inside. The frustration that had been building in her for days finally began to ease.
Those bastards got to have their fun—why couldn’t she?
Come on, then. Let’s take this one trial at a time.
This was only the first.
Yan Qichu and his men had dug their tunnel solely as an emergency escape route. It was only about five hundred meters long, leading out of the estate.
Choking on smoke, the group staggered through the darkness and finally found the exit.
The Kaifeng Prefecture constables, who had already traced the smoke and stationed themselves outside, poured scalding water down through the opening.
There was not much water—just enough to cover their ankles.
The tunnel was so low that they already had to hunch over as they moved. They had barely survived the smoke when the hot water came next. If they did not want their skin scalded raw, they had to jump. But in such a low passage, jumping meant slamming their heads against the ceiling; when they fell back down, the rest of their bodies would suffer even worse.
It was summer, and everyone was lightly dressed—there was no way to shield themselves from the scalding water.
There was no choice. They could only hop from one foot to the other. When they jumped on their left foot, their right foot would sizzle from the heat; when they switched to the right, their left foot could no longer endure it. Blisters rose on their scorched flesh.
As the boiling water seeped into the ground, the yamen runners kept pouring more in, basin after basin.
For a time, a “symphony” of cries rose and fell through the tunnel.
Beautiful and pleasing to the ear.
At last, when the boiling water had fully soaked into the earth and no more came pouring down, Yan Qichu led his men out of the tunnel.
There were ten of them, every one soaked to the skin, their flesh red and swollen, utterly bedraggled.
Outside—
The moon shone bright, and the countryside lay silent.
There was not a soul around.
The boiling water had just been poured in through the exit, yet now there was no one there.
It was eerie beyond measure.
Then, from somewhere in the distance, the Kaifeng Prefecture yamen runners shouted in unison:
“Third round: free combat!”
The runners withdrew to either side.
At an order from Zhuo Yue, Commander of the Imperial Guard—
The guard’s dog handlers blew their whistles in unison. Countless military dogs, every bit as fierce as Blackback, charged out beneath the moonlight and formed an encircling ring around Yan Qichu and his men.
Their eyes gleamed with murderous intent. Their teeth were bared, and deep, thunderous growls rumbled in their throats.
They stared fixedly at their prey, advancing with swift, powerful steps, slowly tightening the circle around Yan Qichu and the others.
All at once, Blackback lunged.
Yan Qichu had already been worn to exhaustion—first choked by the thick smoke, then scalded by boiling water. When Blackback charged, he had no strength left to resist and was slammed viciously to the ground.
Blackback clamped his jaws onto Yan Qichu’s shoulder.
Crack.
A sharp snap rang out from his shoulder bone.
Yan Qichu let out a bloodcurdling scream.
The bone in his shoulder had shattered.
The others fared no better. Each received his own just deserts.
Jiang Shan, who was directing Blackback, gave a disdainful snort. Serves him right. What kind of trash uses military dogs to bully young girls? He was lower than a beast.
Tch. Even perfectly good military dogs had been led astray by him.
At the sound of a whistle, Blackback released Yan Qichu. His deep-set eyes remained locked on the man sprawled limply on the ground, as if to say: Free combat. Your turn.
Yan Qichu was terrified beyond words. Struggling, he began to scoot backward.
For every step he retreated, Blackback took one forward.
“Yan Tongshu—I know it’s you!” Yan Qichu screamed in panic, his voice warped by terror. “Get the hell out here!”
Yan Tongshu rolled his eyes.
You think I’ll come out just because you tell me to?
Why should I?
When no one answered, Yan Qichu shouted again, “A man may be killed, but never humiliated! If you have the guts, then kill me! What you’re doing now—does it live up to your reputation for righteousness? This is humiliation! If outsiders hear of this, will your Kaifeng Prefecture still have the nerve to handle cases?”
Humiliation?!
Yan Tongshu’s fury shot straight to the top of his head.
This bastard actually knew the saying, “A man may be killed, but never humiliated”?
When he humiliated and trampled upon those innocent girls, why hadn’t he thought about what it meant to be beyond humiliation?
Oh, so he could not be humiliated, but others could?
Yan Tongshu was beside himself with rage. He shouted, “Blackback! Bite him!”
Jiang Shan let out a sharp whistle, and Blackback lunged at Yan Qichu again. Yan Qichu fled in a panic, only to be tackled from behind. This time, Blackback sank his teeth into Yan Qichu’s ankle.
Yan Qichu howled in agony and rage. “Yan Tongshu, even if I’m guilty, I haven’t been sentenced yet. What right do you have to subject me to private punishment?”
Yan Tongshu could not be bothered to answer him, but then she noticed Qin Yi looking her way.
Puffing up indignantly, Yan Tongshu defended herself, “He resisted arrest. Isn’t it normal for accidents to happen while someone is resisting?”
Besides, she was deliberately making Yan Qichu and his lot suffer. So what?
Hmph.
It was not as though she were truly upright and righteous. That was merely an image she cultivated.
In reality, she was extremely petty.
Qin Yi smiled almost imperceptibly but said nothing.
Since he did not object, Yan Tongshu continued.
After two rounds of free fighting, Yan Qichu’s shoulder bones had been shattered, and a large chunk of flesh had been torn from his leg. He was drenched in blood.
He sat on the ground with difficulty, a trace of ruthless determination flashing through his eyes. Trembling, he pulled a signal flare from his robes and set it off with all his strength.
With a sharp whoosh, the flare shot into the sky.
He was risking exposure to call for reinforcements from the Divine Martial Army.
At this point, Yan Qichu would rather be imprisoned—or even die—than endure any more torment.
The others were hardly in better shape than Yan Qichu. Every one of them was covered in wounds, a gruesome sight to behold.
At last, Zhuo Yue gave the order to withdraw.
The military dogs were called back.
Yan Tongshu had the Kaifeng Prefecture constables step forward and shackle all of them.
What a pity.
Yan Tongshu looked disdainfully at the Ten Great Villains, each dressed in white now soaked through with blood. What a pity—there was no fourth round.
She truly wanted to humiliate these beasts the way they had humiliated those young women.
But she could not think of an equally vicious method of degradation. Those scum had gotten off easy.
Just then, the urgent thunder of hoofbeats drew closer.
Feng Shen, commander of the Divine Martial Army, arrived with his troops. The moment he saw the ten men in chains, his expression darkened. “What is going on?”
The head constable replied, “Reporting to you, sir: these ten men are suspected of crimes. Kaifeng Prefecture is preparing to take them back for questioning.”
Crimes?
Feng Shen’s suspicious gaze drifted toward Yan Qichu.
Yan Qichu’s face was grim. “Commander Feng, these Kaifeng Prefecture constables are lawless. Kill them.”
Even if Yan Qichu’s father was the Prince of Ming, Feng Shen did not dare lay a hand on Kaifeng Prefecture’s men.
Not to mention the mass of Imperial Guards standing nearby.
Feng Shen asked again, “What crimes have they committed?”
The head constable’s face was cold and stern, as though he would defer to no one. “What crimes they have committed will only be known after Kaifeng Prefecture interrogates them. We subordinates are responsible only for making the arrests.”
Before a case had been formally tried, Kaifeng Prefecture was forbidden from revealing any details to the public.
Yan Qichu knew he was doomed, but the hatred in him burned fiercely. He had been openly humiliated, tortured until he was neither man nor ghost. He refused to let Yan Tongshu have the last laugh.
Roaring in fury, he said, “Feng Shen, my father told you to take good care of me. Is this how you take care of me? I order you—kill them!”
Feng Shen absolutely did not dare kill anyone from the Kaifeng Prefecture, but neither did he dare let them take Yan Qichu away. He said, “How about this? I do not know what crimes they have committed, and I have no authority to interfere in matters concerning the other guards. But these eight men are from my Divine Martial Army. Let me take them back first. Once they have recovered from their injuries, I will personally escort them to Kaifeng Prefecture for trial. Would that be acceptable?”
The squad leader’s expression remained as unmoving as a god or ghost. “We have no authority to decide.”
“You—” Feng Shen’s face turned livid. Were all people from Kaifeng Prefecture as stubborn and impervious as Yan Tongshu? Completely unwilling to yield!
Feng Shen raised a hand, and the soldiers behind him stepped forward in unison.
“No one is taking men from my Divine Martial Army.”
“Is that so?”
A deep voice sounded from beyond the crowd.
Qin Yi rode forward at an unhurried pace, the Divine Might Army arrayed in solemn formation behind him.
Feng Shen’s expression changed drastically. He hurriedly dismounted and dropped to his knees in salute.
Qin Yi had deliberately waited until this moment to appear. Recently, he had been working to reorganize the Imperial Guard, facing no small amount of resistance. The Divine Martial Army, in particular, was an old and stubborn problem, obstructing him at every turn. He had long intended to thoroughly reform it.
Feng Shen was part of that reform.
Qin Yi lifted a brow slightly. His voice was casual, yet carried a chilling, murderous edge. “General Feng, you certainly cut an imposing figure.”
“This subject would not dare.” Feng Shen lowered his head even further. “Out of concern for my comrades, I interfered with the prefectural authorities’ investigation. It was indeed improper. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”
Qin Yi’s thin lips parted. “Feng Shen, you have acted unfairly in office, obstructed the administration of justice, and attempted to show favoritism. Effective immediately, you are demoted to Deputy Commander. You are to remain confined at home and reflect on your actions for three months. You are not to leave your residence.”
Cold sweat poured down Feng Shen’s back. “This subject... accepts the decree.”
When Yan Qichu saw that the Emperor had arrived, he was briefly stunned. Then he suddenly laughed.
Father, look—the Emperor has come. This time, your son is probably really done for.
Qin Yi gave the Divine Might Army a glance, and they immediately escorted the Divine Martial Army away.
The Kaifeng Prefecture constables tossed Yan Qichu and the others several bottles of wound medicine, telling them to apply it themselves. They were not to die before the court session even began.
At that moment, Meng Zheng and Zhang Jiu rode over. After reporting to Qin Yi, they came to Yan Tongshu’s side.
Zhang Jiu was still wearing that women’s outfit. Yan Tongshu blinked.
Having just captured the villains and brought them to justice, she was in a good mood and more relaxed than usual. Seeing how pitiful and delicate Zhang Jiu looked, she felt like teasing him again. Smiling brightly, she said, “What a pretty little lady you are. Have you been promised to anyone yet? If not, why not follow this official? I guarantee you’ll eat and drink well.”
Zhang Jiu kept a straight face. “Lord Yan.”
Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “Why haven’t you changed clothes?”
There was a faint note of grievance in Zhang Jiu’s voice. “Lord Yan did not prepare a change of clothes for this subordinate.”
Was that so?
Yan Tongshu thought carefully and realized she really had forgotten.
She had been so focused on figuring out how to torment that gang of villains that she had completely forgotten to have someone prepare a clean set of men’s clothes for Zhang Jiu.
The other young women had merely changed back into their original clothes.
Which meant Zhang Jiu had changed back into his “original dress.”
Yan Tongshu smiled guiltily. “Zhang Jiu, the interrogation is more urgent. We can discuss everything else later.”
Meng Zheng turned his head aside, stifling a laugh. From atop her horse, Yan Tongshu lifted a foot and kicked him.
Meng Zheng gave the reins a tug and deftly dodged aside. “Ha, you missed.”
Yan Tongshu glared at him. Meng Zheng smiled, his gaze sweeping over her before settling briefly on Zhang Jiu. Then he looked back at Yan Tongshu, giving her a slow once-over from head to toe.
“I just realized something—”
Yan Tongshu and Zhang Jiu looked at him in puzzlement.
