"The scout you sent out was killed on the spot?" He pondered for a moment. "That sparrowhawk demon had been with A'hao for many years. It was always perched on his shoulder, and I fed it by hand myself."
"It was tortured to death." Hearing his father refer to the sparrowhawk demon as a "scout," He Lingchuan felt greatly relieved; that meant his father wouldn't dismiss it as just some insignificant little monster. "Nian Songyu and National Preceptor Sun must have learned from its beak that I was the one who sent it."
He couldn't fight this battle alone; he had to remember that his old man was his solid backing.
If his father, a titled official wielding real power, couldn't handle it, he certainly stood no chance.
Yet He Chunhua merely said with indifference, "It was nothing more than a sparrowhawk. If it's dead, it's dead—what's the big deal?" He picked up his brush and resumed writing.
He Lingchuan froze. "Father!"
He hadn't anticipated such a reaction from He Chunhua and hurriedly urged:
"They clearly need something from the He Residence! They clearly knew Little Grey was sent by me! They clearly knew this was nothing more than a minor misunderstanding, yet they still crushed the life out of it!"
He gave the desk a light thump, causing the Four Treasures of the Study to hop in unison. "Father, those two don't have an ounce of respect for our family! They think they can shape us however they like, mold us like clay or flatten us like dough, making us bow our heads to do their bidding without even letting out a peep!"
"Sun Fuping is a Grand National Preceptor basking in royal favor, while I am merely the governor of a barren frontier commandery. The difference is like heaven and earth. Under ordinary circumstances, he could shape me however he pleased, mold me or crush me, and then snuff you out with a pinky finger. Otherwise, what meaning would rigid rank hold?" He Chunhua laughed instead of getting angry. "You have lived in comfort in Blackwater City for far too long, blind to hierarchy and station, ignorant of the heights of heaven and the depths of the earth!"
As he spoke those last few words, his tone turned chilling.
To say he wasn't resentful would be a lie; those men looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts.
*We crushed your scout, and you still have to work for us and die in our stead!*
Yes, that was how superior they acted.
Yet a difference of a single rank in officialdom could crush a man to death, and National Preceptor Sun had arrived bearing a royal decree. What could Governor He do?
He Lingchuan refused to yield. "But Uncle Hao..."
"Those born beneath others must accept their lot!" He Chunhua frowned. "Is he unable to see past it?" The man was already well into his decades.
He Lingchuan decisively pivoted the topic. "You said it yourself—that's under ordinary circumstances!"
"Fewer complaints, less showing off your cleverness, and more thinking up solutions." He Chunhua tossed down his brush, stood up, and rapped his eldest son on the forehead with his knuckles. "Still, we cannot remain entirely passive either. This is still He family territory, after all. Speak—how do you want to let out a peep?"
"It would be better to have the second boy come up with an idea; he's full of cunning schemes. But the way I see it—" He Lingchuan sneered. "Even if we ultimately have to handle their errand, there's no harm in playing for time first to take the wind out of their sails. Aside from us, who knows the exact whereabouts of the sand leopard's relic? Besides, they killed our person... er, monster. Should there really be no price to pay?"
"A price?" He Chunhua's lips curled into a smile, feeling those words resonate deep within him. "Makes sense."
His eldest son was showing progress, which brought him a modest touch of gratification.
"By the way, what about those two guards from Donglai Residence?" He Lingchuan knew He Chunhua had originally intended to let them go.
"Put them on ice," He Chunhua replied with equal nonchalance. "We'll deal with them in a few days. They don't care about them anyway."
Nian and Sun cared about the whereabouts of the keepsake, Donglai Residence cared about the Dafang Pot, and the guards themselves were completely inconsequential.
At the banquet that evening, both sides chatted and laughed genially; host and guests enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Fueled by wine, He Chunhua practically thumped his chest as he gave his solemn word that he would find the safe-conduct pass for the Panlong Desert.
And then twenty hours slipped by.
Nian Songyu naturally felt every moment drag like a year, and he pressed for updates once. While He Chunhua openly admitted that they had found nothing, he once again promised to exert every effort.
Only then did he dispatch men into Blackwater City to put on a grand show of posting notices and searching the entire city.
Impeccable attitude, abysmal efficiency.
Naturally, such a search would turn up nothing.
The He family's advantage was time; they were in no hurry.
The grand National Preceptor finally couldn't sit still any longer. He and Nian Songyu paid a call in person, but unfortunately, Governor He was out, leaving the second son, He Yue, to receive the guests.
The eyes of both visitors lit up upon seeing He Yue, and they were unstinting with lavish praise. Nian Songyu in particular seemed to feel as though he had met an old friend after exchanging just a few words, even dropping lines like, "Since we are close in age, we ought to exchange visits often in the future."
He Lingchuan sipped his tea gloomily. Speaking of age, wasn't his own age far closer to Nian Songyu's? How could this fellow say that with a straight face? His younger brother was indeed handsome and had always been better liked, but wasn't the way these two were behaving a bit excessive?
He Yue was reciting bureaucratic platitudes exactly as their father had instructed: "The entirety of Blackwater City has been mobilized. However, with the closure of the Red Cliff Trade Route drawing near, the flow of travelers entering and leaving the city has surged dramatically. Dragons and fish are mixed together, which adds tremendous difficulty to our search."
Fearing his younger brother might be pushed around, He Lingchuan sat beside him to keep him company. Watching the lad appear exceptionally earnest on the surface while being thoroughly impenetrable underneath, he looked the spitting image of their father, He Chunhua.
Nian Songyu grew impatient and could no longer be bothered with courtesies. "Then shut the city gates and search! This matter concerns the fate of the nation—what does closing the gates for a few days matter?"
"That won't do," He Yue said with a wry smile. "The diplomatic mission from the Baling Kingdom will arrive in Blackwater City within the next day or two, after which they will journey westward to return home. This is their last opportunity to return this year. If there is any delay, it could lead to grave misunderstandings between our two nations!"
He paused for a beat. "The Baling Kingdom has long cast covetous eyes on Great Yuan, and border friction has occurred repeatedly. They are practically begging for an excuse."
Nian Songyu laughed out of pure exasperation. "So according to you, Blackwater City cannot be shut, because shutting it would spark a border war?"
"Highly likely!" He Yue declared resolutely. "Qiansong Commandery cannot bear that responsibility!"
Sun Fuping had no patience for their evasive bickering and waste of time, so he simply laid his cards on the table. "I heard that the eldest young master of the He family suffered an injury and remained behind closed doors recuperating for forty or fifty days?"
"That's right, it nearly cost me my life." He Lingchuan had been sipping tea on the side all this while, and now the topic had finally turned to him. He pulled open his collar, exposing the wound on his neck. "Look."
Back then, the sand leopard had clamped down savagely on his neck. Though the wound had healed by now, it had left behind a jagged, gruesome scar, clear proof of how perilous the situation had been that day.
Nian Songyu stared at the scar. "How did you get this wound?"
"It happened when I went to Hulu Mountain..." He Lingchuan paused, looking suddenly bewildered. "Wait, where did Commandant Nian hear that I was badly injured? Hardly anyone knew about that."
Without a second thought, Nian Songyu replied, "My men inquired around. Just as you said, Blackwater City is crowded with all sorts of tongues; information can't be kept under wraps."
"Those bastards dare spread rumors about me?" He Lingchuan set down his teacup and fumed. "Who specifically? Tell me, Commandant Nian, and I definitely won't let him off!"
Nian Songyu fell silent, his gaze turning increasingly sharp.
That sensation of needle-sharp pricks against his face returned, but refusing to back down, He Lingchuan glared right back.
A staring contest? He had never backed down from one.
Chapter 14