It was already clear what those children had been raised for.
After Liu Kangren was captured, no one dared secretly open the granaries and cook rice gruel anymore, and the people of Mianzhou fell back into famine.
Taking advantage of the disaster, the Wen family bought up every child who was starving to the brink of death—for the paltry price of ten plain steamed buns—and kept them in Dongyazi, where they had no contact with the outside world.
They might even put on a kindly expression and tell the parents who sold their children, “Master Wen is a compassionate man who cannot bear to see young children suffer. He is only taking care of them for you. Once the disaster has passed and life has returned to normal, you may come collect your children at any time.”
They pretended to bestow a favor, while luring people into an abyss. They even took the initiative to tell the desperate commoners that they could walk to the seaside in search of ambergris. Just one small piece could be exchanged for a great deal of silver, enough to change their fate completely.
Little did they know that the journey was fraught with danger, and only a handful would survive. Yet in a desperate situation, even the faintest glimmer of false hope was enough to make the people worship Wen Yingjing as though he were a god, thanking him profusely.
Knowing that most of these children’s parents would never return, the Wen family became even more reckless in refining incense from human bodies.
No one knew who had invented such an evil method. The children were fed specially prepared food, causing incense to condense into lumps inside their bodies. Once the lumps grew large enough, the children would suffer agonizing stomach pains. That was when the Wen family would cut open their bellies while they were still alive and remove the lumps of incense.
As for the corpses, the swift current of Wangtiangou provided the most convenient means of disposal.
The arrogant woman seized by the archers when they entered the city had spoken of “the real good stuff.” That evil incense was most likely what she meant.
Originally, no one outside those who stood to profit from it should ever have learned of this matter. Who could have guessed that Six Monkeys, blessed with exceptional swimming skills, would make it out of Dongyazi alive?
“Make way, make way! These are troubled times—stay off the streets unless you have to!”
The yells of constables suddenly rang out from the alley. Shen Zheng reacted swiftly, clapping a hand over Six Monkeys’ mouth.
Only after several constables had passed through the alley did Six Monkeys pull Shen Zheng’s hand away. His chest heaved violently, and he said, still shaken, “You were right! The Wen family are the real villains! When my big brother and I entered the city, the searches had grown even more brutal. From the city gates to the streets and alleys, the soldiers were practically turning the whole city upside down! The Mianzhou Incense Gathering is almost here, and more and more people are entering the city. You need to get out of here—now!”
He remembered how foolishly he had once suggested that they apologize to Wen Yingjing at the incense gathering. His face burned at the memory; it was both absurd and tragic.
But then he thought of the refugees who had risked death to find ambergris and entered the city in the desperate hope of exchanging it for money to redeem their children. Weren’t they fools too?
They had no idea that their children had long since been swept into Wangtiangou and turned into fish food. They would never see them again in this life.
Shen Zheng knew that Lou Changsui was not searching for them now, but for Liu Kangren.
It was simply inconvenient for the authorities to announce that they had lost a condemned prisoner, so they were using the pretense of hunting down murderers and swindlers instead.
Fortunately, they had guessed wrong. Believing that Liu Kangren would surely seek a chance to flee the city, they had sent all their forces to the gates, leaving the area around the government office comparatively unguarded.
Wen Zhuo closed his eyes. He knew that the old man’s final wish was destined to go unfulfilled as well. He could only hope that in their next lives, he and Little Zhi would be able to live lives that were not so bitter.
After a long while, he opened his eyes again. They had become as still and unfathomable as an ancient well.
He asked, “Six Monkeys, do you still have that piece of ambergris?”
“Of all times, you’re still worried about incense?” Six Monkeys stamped his feet anxiously. “Once the authorities search this place, none of you will get away!”
Though he grumbled, he instinctively touched his chest and pulled a small lump from beneath his clothing.
After seven or eight days of wear and tear, the piece of ambergris had been rubbed down until it was even smaller and cracked apart—like a person’s life, impossible to hold on to and destined to vanish completely at some moment.
Wen Zhuo cupped his hands around it and put it away. “Our immediate priority is to rescue the children in Dongyazi and make the Wen family pay. That way, Little Zhi and his daughter will not have died in vain.”
Six Monkeys stared at him as though he had just heard something absurd. In his eyes, the Wen family ruled Mianzhou with an iron hand. There was no way they would ever pay for what they had done.
“What are you thinking? We’re nothing but tiny fish and shrimp. If we die, we die. Do you really expect those high-and-mighty masters to repent?”
“What good would repentance do?” Wen Zhuo sneered. A cold, ruthless edge seeped into his eyes, which had once been as gentle as rippling water. “I want them to pay with their lives.”
“You’re insane! You really are insane!” Six Monkeys stared at him in disbelief. “You may be handsome, but there’s something wrong with your head. If you wait any longer, you’ll all die!”
He was frantic on their behalf, yet powerless to help. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Don’t blame me. I want to stay alive, and I still want to find my mother! I’ve told you everything I know. If you insist on throwing your lives away, there’s nothing more I can do!”
With that, Six Monkeys steeled himself, shoved Shen Zheng aside, and turned to run, tears glistening in his eyes. His slight frame moved as swiftly as a monkey. In a flash, he darted into the rear courtyard, squeezed through the small dog hole, and vanished into the morning mist.
“Hey!” Shen Zheng did not dare shout loudly. He hurriedly reached out to grab him, but caught only empty air.
He immediately signaled to the guard beside him. “Keep an eye on him from the shadows. Don’t let anything happen to him!”
The guard acknowledged the order and silently followed after Six Monkeys.
“Wait, Teacher. I have a question.” The moment the guard left, Shen Zheng’s brows drew together. “Liu Kangren has escaped. Shouldn’t Lou Changsui have locked down the city and searched every inch of it? Why is he still unwilling to give up on the incense gathering? And how did you know they wouldn’t close the city gates and trap Six Monkeys outside?”
Liu Kangren, standing nearby: “?”
Yesterday, the Fifth Prince had still called him “Wanshan.” Why had he suddenly changed back to “Teacher” today?
If they truly had a teacher-student relationship, how could a student address his teacher so familiarly by his courtesy name?
The relationship between the Fifth Prince and Director Wen was truly impossible to fathom.
Wen Zhuo explained patiently and evenly, “Your Highness may not know this. First, locking down the city without warning would cause panic. At present, Mianzhou is filled not only with locals, but also merchants who have come from every region to attend the incense gathering. With so many people and so many loose tongues, once chaos broke out, Lou Changsui would be unable to bear responsibility for the consequences. Second, the fragrance of Suhe incense fades with time. The Wen family has stockpiled a huge quantity, all of which they are counting on the incense gathering to sell off. They cannot afford to wait, so they naturally have to allow those coming to purchase incense into the city.”
He paused, then continued, “Besides, according to my plan, Six Monkeys should have reached the Wen residence before Liu Kangren. He returned later than expected.”
“I see,” Shen Zheng said, enlightened.
Wen Zhuo changed direction abruptly. “Actually, I suspect that the evil incense refined inside human bodies must have some drawback that prevents it from being stored for long. Otherwise, they could simply stockpile it and sell it overseas over time. Why would they risk distributing it throughout the various prefectures and provinces?”
Upon hearing this, Liu Kangren seemed to recall something. He hurried forward and said urgently, “About half a year ago, while inspecting the coast, I overheard several red-haired foreigners chatting. They said that Mianzhou had produced something called ‘Bone-Penetrating Fragrance.’ Mixed with scented balm and rubbed onto the body, its aroma could permeate the bones and even make one ‘regain one’s vitality.’ It was highly sought after by the noblewomen of their homeland. However, the fragrance was extraordinarily valuable, and if stored improperly, it would easily crack and become useless. It could only be purchased through special channels. I did not think much of it at the time, but now that I recall it, I feel a chill throughout my body. The Wen family must have begun secretly producing this fragrance as early as a year ago.”
Jiang Mannü clenched her fist and said with certainty, “That must be it! The fragrance is difficult to preserve, so they need to get rid of it as quickly as possible!”
Shen Zheng, however, looked surprised. Raising an eyebrow, he said, “Oh? You can understand the language of those red-haired foreigners?”
The Great Qian Dynasty referred to the Dutch as “red-haired foreigners.” The two lands were separated by thousands of miles, and the red-haired foreigners rarely set foot in the Central Plains. It was already unusual to encounter one, let alone understand their language.
A look of shame appeared on Liu Kangren’s face, and he hurriedly lowered his head. “This guilty subject is ashamed. I was banished to Mianzhou for ten years and had nothing to do all day long, leaving me depressed and miserable. As luck would have it, the Regional Commander ordered me to lead men in patrolling the coastline. I often listened to passing merchants and foreigners chatting, and over time, I came to understand them.”
Shen Zheng thought to himself that being banished for ten years and having to endure such a miserable life was, indeed, understandable. Thus, he casually added, “The red-haired foreigners are still quite rare. It couldn’t have been easy for you to learn their language.”
“The red-haired foreigners are indeed rare, far fewer in number than those from Malacca, Java, Bengal, Hormuz, Portugal, Russia, Arabia, Calicut, and other places,” Liu Kangren replied honestly.
Shen Zheng casually followed up again. “Don’t tell me you can understand the languages of all those people too?”
Liu Kangren lowered his head even further, nearly burying his chin in his chest. His voice carried a trace of utter embarrassment. “This guilty subject is ashamed… Life was so difficult, and each day dragged on like a year. Before I knew it, I had come to understand seven or eight languages.”
Shen Zheng: “?”
Good lord! What the hell are you ashamed of?!
With such a formidable talent for languages, why had he ever insisted on leading troops into battle? Wouldn’t he have had a brilliant future as a simultaneous interpreter?
Originally, Shen Zheng had intended to hide Liu Kangren for the time being. Once he had dealt with Lou Changsui and the Wen family, he would report everything that had happened in Mianzhou to the emperor. Whether Liu Kangren could ultimately be forgiven would depend on his own fate.
But now, he truly understood the essence of Wen Zhuo’s words: “One must observe people through the methods of an emperor, rather than judging them solely by the two words ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ Everything depends on how Your Highness chooses to employ them.”
He suddenly found himself unwilling to let Liu Kangren die. There was an extremely important matter, one that concerned the fate of Great Qian, which he intended to entrust to Liu Kangren.
Wen Zhuo naturally had no idea what Shen Zheng was thinking. At present, however, he had already gained a complete understanding of the situation in Mianzhou.
He glanced up at the sky and said calmly, “Things in Gezhou should be moving soon.”
Jiang Mannü added, “The guards sent to Ying and Jing Prefectures should have completed their mission as well.”
When Wen Zhuo had initially sent five men out of the city, he had given each of them a clear assignment.
Two were responsible for intercepting the Imperial Guard Commandant. One was to wait along the route and, once the time was right, put on an act in front of Lou Changsui.
The remaining two were to head straight for Ying and Jing Prefectures, spreading word along the way that the Wen family of Mianzhou was buying grain at high prices and that grain merchants were welcome to come and make a fortune.
The grain merchants of Ying and Jing, who had suffered devastating losses because of the imperial relief efforts, had no other choice. They could only stake everything they had, transporting their enormous stockpiles of grain to Mianzhou in the hope of turning their losses into profits.
The Mianzhou government granaries had long since been emptied. Although these grain merchants were greedy profiteers seeking exorbitant returns, they were also a timely source of aid, and Wen Zhuo had no choice but to make use of them.
Liu Qiying said, “The Imperial Guard Commandant should arrive in Mianzhou Prefecture in about two days. By then, Lou Changsui will probably be completely dumbfounded.”
“There are only two days left until the Mianzhou Fragrance Fair as well.” A contemptuous smile tugged at the corners of Wen Zhuo’s lips. “The Wen family has set up such a grand stage. If I don’t accompany them and perform this play to the very end, wouldn’t that be letting down all the years they spent throwing their weight around?”
—
Meanwhile, yellow sand filled the air, and dust pattered against the doors and windows of the Gezhou relay station.
The Imperial Guard Commandant sat in a corner of the main hall, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the leather strap at his waist.
He had already been waiting there for eight days. The fatigue he had felt at first had long since faded, replaced by an impatience he could barely contain.
Half a cold, hard flatbread sat on the table. He had taken a few careless bites before rising to inspect his baggage upstairs.
Just as he lifted his foot, the doors of the relay station were suddenly flung open with a bang. Two figures, covered in dust from head to toe, rushed inside. Their hair had clumped into strands, and their faces were so coated in dirt that their features were almost indistinguishable.
As they brushed the sand from their clothes, they shouted, “Where is the Imperial Guard Commandant?”
The commandant’s heart tightened. He instantly gripped his saber and called out in a deep voice, “I am here! Who are you?”
The two guards who had been waiting with him heard the commotion and came thundering down the stairs. After recognizing the newcomers, they hurried forward and said, “They’re with us!”
The commandant asked, “Speak! How far away are the Fifth Prince and Director Wen? Do they have any instructions?”
The two men wiped the yellow sand from their faces, revealing cracked, peeling lips and expressions of misery.
“Director Wen and the Fifth Prince had originally intended to hurry to Gezhou and meet with Your Excellency. But on the way, they received an urgent report that something unexpected had happened in Mianzhou Prefecture, and that the local officials were conducting a massive search without explanation! Director Wen feared that Mianzhou might fall into chaos and that delay would only create more trouble, so he decided to take a shortcut and rush there first. He ordered us to hurry here and inform Your Excellency to proceed immediately to Mianzhou City and rendezvous with them!”
“What?” The commandant was stunned, his brows drawing together at once. But he had no time to think it through. He rushed upstairs to retrieve his luggage. “There’s no time to lose! I’ll leave immediately!”
“My lord, we’ll accompany you!” Seeing this, the four guards promptly gathered their belongings, led out the horses, and followed closely behind the commandant.
Another day passed in the blink of an eye.
The Mianzhou government office remained brightly lit, shining like daylight. Lou Changsui had indeed grown increasingly frantic.
Over the past two days, the local constables had practically turned the outskirts of the city upside down, yet they had found nothing.
Lou Changsui finally realized that Liu Kangren had never intended to leave the city. Nor was he hiding in some remote wilderness. He was hiding right in the center of the city!
But Lou Changsui had already wasted far too much time. The imperial edict could arrive at any moment, and tomorrow was the annual Mianzhou Fragrance Fair.
Lou Changsui felt as though his heart were being squeezed. Completely at a loss, he could only once again have a basin of icy water poured over Wang Six’s head, forcibly rousing him from the faint into which the torture had driven him.
He seized Wang Six by the collar and slapped him across the face. “Tell me! Where exactly did Liu Kangren go? Which direction did they flee in?”
Wang Six’s head jerked to the side. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he nearly passed out again. With great effort, he lifted his head and said weakly, “M-Master… I really don’t know. I don’t know…”
Lou Changsui stared down at him from above, his teeth grinding audibly. A terrifying, sinister darkness seeped into his eyes, making him resemble a beast on the verge of breaking loose.
“Bastard! Bastard! I’ve spent my whole life hunting geese, only to have one peck out my eye!”
He lashed Wang Six several times with the whip. Wang Six cried out twice before losing consciousness again.
Wen Ze stood to one side, his expression equally grim.
Over the past two days, he had dispatched every enforcer the Wen family had at its disposal. Threats, inducements—he had tried every trick in the book, yet they still had not found the slightest clue.
“My lord, do you think the person who abducted Liu Kangren might have been sent by Duke Liu?” he asked darkly.
Everyone had to eat. Liu Kangren was still wearing prison clothes and must have been ravenously hungry. If he had managed to remain hidden, then he had to have an accomplice—someone providing him with food and drink.
Those accomplices could not be locals of Mianzhou. In fact, they had likely entered the city only recently. Otherwise, with Liu Kangren having been imprisoned for two months, they would have acted long ago.
With the search narrowed down to that, it should have been easy. Unfortunately, the Mianzhou Fragrance Fair was just around the corner, and the city was filling with all sorts of newcomers. If they had been ordinary commoners, it would have been simple enough. But these people were wealthy households and local gentry from all over, scions of scholarly families, each with tangled connections in officialdom. They could not afford to offend any of them.
Lou Changsui suddenly stopped walking, his expression growing even darker. “If it was someone sent by Duke Liu, that would actually be preferable. What I fear is that they were sent by Director Wen!”
Wen Ze’s heart jolted, and his eyelid twitched violently. He immediately retorted, “How could that be?”
Lou Changsui’s thoughts were unusually clear at that moment. “Who else could know that the relief forces were in Xing and Jing Prefectures, or what orders the Fifth Prince issued along the way, if not one of their own? That man really did resemble an official from the capital. Perhaps he wasn’t lying—Prince Xian truly did send people here. It’s just that none of them managed to escape; the courier stations really did detain them all!”
The candle flame burned, twisting and distorting the air. Several transparent ripples appeared across Wen Ze’s face.
“My lord, don’t frighten yourself with your own suspicions. I asked the merchants who came from Xing and Jing. Wen Zhuo is indeed still there overseeing disaster relief. Besides, when your memorial reached the capital, he had only just left. How could he have learned about Liu Kangren’s affair? Even if he had connections in court, once the news was sent out together with the imperial decree, it would still take several days to travel from Xing and Jing to Mianzhou. He wouldn’t have had time to arrange all this!”
“What you say makes sense… It makes sense…” Lou Changsui muttered, cold sweat trickling down his grim, distorted features. “If Duke Liu did this, then he has committed a capital crime as well. Liu Kangren would never dare accuse him before His Majesty. From now on, he could only live in obscurity, a nobody hidden from the world. As long as I continue to tell the Imperial Guard Commandant that Liu Kangren died by suicide, I can find a corpse whose face is beyond recognition and pass it off as him. That should be enough to get us through. Duke Liu would probably cooperate and acknowledge that the corpse was his son’s.”
Lou Changsui could not tell whether he was reassuring himself or offering a reasonable analysis. His forehead was slick with sweat, and yet his unease remained. He had a vague feeling that something major would happen the next day.
“Master Wen will be coming into the city for the Fragrance Fair tomorrow, won’t he?” Lou Changsui asked distractedly.
“Of course. My father places great importance on this business. I simply haven’t had the chance to tell him about Liu Kangren yet.”
“If not for the Wen family, I would have ordered the city gates sealed and screened everyone one by one.” Lou Changsui slowly raised his eyes and stared unmoving at Wen Ze.
Wen Ze understood at once. He slipped a fresh box of Bone-Penetrating Incense into Lou Changsui’s arms, then patted his bulging belly with a laugh. “Once we make it safely through this, my lord will naturally receive his reward.”
