"I am Sun Youliang, paying my respects to you, my lords!"
The refined-looking young man, who had been sent back to the city by Pei Shaoqing to deliver a message, hurried into the courtyard. He immediately knelt on one knee before Zheng Xuancheng and County Magistrate Wang, saluting with a cupped fist.
"What happened?" Zheng Xuancheng demanded impatiently, not even bothering to tell him to rise.
Still kneeling, Sun Youliang looked up and answered loudly, "My lord, it turns out that Standard-Bearer Xu is none other than the bandit chief Xu Yuanqing! He's the one who always wears a black mask, which is why no one has ever seen his real face!"
"What?" Zheng Xuancheng, County Magistrate Wang, and Chen Zhongyi, who stood to the side, all uttered the single word in unison.
"What did you just say? Xu Zhiyong is Xu Yuanqing, the bandit chief of Phoenix Mountain?" Zheng Xuancheng asked, his face a mask of disbelief. Before Sun Youliang could even reply, he snapped, "Nonsense! How could Standard-Bearer Xu possibly be Xu Yuanqing? That's utterly absurd!"
'As Xu Zhiyong's superior and the architect of the entire plan, how could I not know what kind of man he was?'
"My lord, please allow me to explain." Sun Youliang pressed his lips together, choosing his words carefully. "Word of today's bandit suppression operation was leaked. We had just entered the mountains when we were attacked by bandits lying in ambush. Fortunately, Lord Pei remained calm in the face of danger and personally led the charge against the enemy. All of his guards were killed. The bandits were ferocious, and as we fought for our lives, we begged Lord Pei to return to the city to call for reinforcements."
"Lord Pei wanted to fight alongside us, but he understood the urgency of the situation and had no choice but to leave. We never expected it to be a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain. Halfway back, he was ambushed by the bandit chief, Xu Yuanqing, who had been hiding all along... In the end, thanks to the timely aid of a heroic swordswoman who was passing by, Lord Pei personally killed the blood-soaked bandit chief Xu Yuanqing..."
"Wait!" County Magistrate Wang cut him off. "You're saying Pei Shaoqing killed Xu Yuanqing?" he asked in disbelief.
Zheng Xuancheng's face was also filled with suspicion.
After all, they knew Pei Shaoqing was unskilled in martial arts.
"Yes! That's right!" Sun Youliang nodded without the slightest hesitation, his answer firm and resolute. "Xu Yuanqing had already been wounded by that heroic swordswoman. But even on the brink of death, he still tried to fight back. Lord Pei finished him with a single strike. We all saw it with our own eyes. There's no mistake!"
That, at least, was plausible. Zheng Xuancheng's furrowed brow gradually relaxed. "And what about this business of Standard-Bearer Xu being Xu Yuanqing?"
"When Xu Yuanqing took off his mask, the face underneath was the Standard-Bearer's!" Sun Youliang added, offering his own conclusion. "My lord, it all makes sense now! No wonder Xu Yuanqing always wore a mask, and no wonder he could repeatedly escape the County Government Office's dragnets!"
Chen Zhongyi's brow knitted tightly. His mind was in a whirl. 'I can't make sense of it, I really can't.' He instinctively glanced at Zheng Xuancheng and County Magistrate Wang.
The expressions on both men's faces were dark and uncertain.
"You're dismissed for now," Zheng Xuancheng said with a wave of his hand.
"As you command!" Sun Youliang replied. After rising to his feet, he added a reminder, "Lord Pei is likely securing the bandits' bodies now. He should be back in the city soon."
With another cupped-fist salute, he departed.
Only after watching the man leave did County Magistrate Wang turn to Zheng Xuancheng. "Lord Zheng, what is going on? Didn't you say the plan was foolproof? How did Standard-Bearer Xu suddenly become Xu Yuanqing? Not only is Pei Shaoqing still alive, he's now won merit and made a name for himself! How are we going to explain this to Her Highness?"
"Standard-Bearer Xu is absolutely not Xu Yuanqing!" Zheng Xuancheng declared forcefully, grinding his teeth. "Something must have gone wrong with the plan. The real Xu Yuanqing never even showed up. Standard-Bearer Xu died for nothing! It's all because of that damned bitch who appeared out of nowhere! Otherwise, even without Xu Yuanqing, the Standard-Bearer could have killed Pei Shaoqing himself!"
"Even if the Standard-Bearer wasn't Xu Yuanqing, he is now!" County Magistrate Wang said with a sigh.
They had to accept that Xu Zhiyong was Xu Yuanqing. Otherwise, how could they explain why he had appeared at the scene, masked, and tried to ambush Pei Shaoqing alongside the bandits?
BAM! Zheng Xuancheng slammed his fist into a nearby pillar, his eyes bloodshot with fury. Not only had his plot failed and cost him a trusted subordinate, but he now had to swallow his rage and acknowledge that Pei Shaoqing had performed a great service by killing that very same man. The sheer frustration was suffocating. "Bastard! That damn little brat!"
"In a way, this is a good thing," said County Magistrate Wang. "At least if Pei Shaoqing thinks Standard-Bearer Xu was Xu Yuanqing, he won't realize someone was plotting against him." He then added worriedly, "The critical issue now is whether the Standard-Bearer said anything he shouldn't have before he died."
"The Standard-Bearer probably didn't say anything," Zheng Xuancheng said, slowly shaking his head. "Knowing Pei Shaoqing's spoiled, dandy-like nature, if he had learned the truth, he would already be storming back to the Capital City to lodge a complaint."
"That's a relief," County Magistrate Wang said, though his brow furrowed once more. "But how are we to report back to Her Highness?"
"Pei Shaoqing is right here in Tongzhou. As long as he remains unaware, we'll have plenty of time to deal with him later. I'm sure Her Highness won't mind giving us a few more opportunities," Zheng Xuancheng said, sounding surprisingly optimistic.
"Then let's lie low for now and play it by ear," County Magistrate Wang said in a low voice, shaking out his wide sleeves. "As for right now, we should personally go out of the city to welcome our great hero. We must give this Young Master of the Marquis's Mansion all the pomp and ceremony he deserves."
...............
In the Pei Mansion, Xie Qingwu was strolling about and familiarizing herself with the grounds when she faintly heard a commotion from the streets outside. "Cui'Er," she said, "go and find out what's happening. Why is it so noisy?"
"Yes, Madam." Cui'Er hurried off. A moment later, she rushed back, her face beaming with joy, and said between gasps for breath, "Ma... Madam! Everyone outside is saying Lord Pei wiped out the Phoenix Mountain bandits! They say he even killed Xu Yuanqing with his own hands! They're all calling him a great hero!"
Xie Qingwu was stunned for a moment after hearing the news. Then, a strange expression crossed her face, and she let out a soft, cold chuckle.
'That scoundrel is the bandit chief Xu Yuanqing himself!'
'It's laughable, seeing so many people fooled into hailing him as a hero. It certainly proves how capable Pei Shaoqing is.' But at the same time, the thought of how he could ruthlessly slaughter his own men to silence them sent a chill through her heart.
'Still,' she had to admit, 'it's often these ambitious, ruthless types who end up achieving great things.'
'Working with him is no different from trying to bargain with a tiger for its hide.'
'I have to handle this perfectly. Be careful. And then be even more careful.'
"Madam?" Cui'Er asked, bewildered by her reaction.
"I'm feeling a little tired. I'm going back to my room," Xie Qingwu said, having lost all interest in her walk. She turned and left without another word.
The fat cat lounging on the rockery gave a lazy yawn, hopped down, and followed leisurely after her.
Liu'Er and Cui'Er both watched the plump cat, wanting to pet it, but they had already tried. The cat was not the least bit friendly and refused to let them touch it.
General Li: 'Hmph. Mere mortal women think to profane this General's sacred form? Wishful thinking. The fact that I don't punish you for your insolence is already a testament to my immense magnanimity.'
The County Government Office was remarkably efficient. Soon, a welcoming party of local gentry and townspeople had gathered outside the city gates, waiting to celebrate Pei Shaoqing's triumphant return.
"They're here! Quick, quick! Sound the gongs and drums!"
Spotting the distant figures of the Jing'an Guard, the County Government Office's Chief Clerk immediately turned and shouted to the crowd.
Instantly, gongs and drums thundered as ceaseless cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Look! That must be Lord Pei at the front! He has such a distinguished air, so heroic and dashing!"
"He is! So handsome, and so imposing."
"And that woman behind him... she's so tall! And so... big!"