Chapter 115 Cascades: Unexpected Gain
"Young miss, we have followed your orders and sunned the Asiatic apple flowers. The fresh tea is also in the making. However, Fei is not really clear about what to do. Would you like to go take a look?" Fei came into the courtyard and spoke softly.
"Alright, I’ll go over to check on her." Feng Luodi, who was having a catnap, opened her eyes, got up and followed Scarlet out. Before she left, she turned to Jet. "Jet, go and bring over the zither. I will play the zither while you all have some tea later."
"Sure!" Jet excitedly went into the room to get the zither.
Scarlet looked at Feng Luodi. "Young miss, is it really alright to spend your Eighteenth birthday just like this? There is only a few of us celebrating for you. Would you like to invite more people over?"
"No need for that." Feng Luodi shook her head. "This is good enough."
Their voices trailed off into the distance. Situ impatiently hid on the tree as he watched Jet happily placed the zither on the stone table in the courtyard. Thereafter, Fei carried some fresh tea over and Scarlet brought out a table of sweets and side dishes. Feng Luodi washed her hands, took the zither to one side, and set her hands to the strings. A few of the Covert Watch hiding within the shadows looked at Situ, not daring to speak a word.
"I going to play a song now! Those who can't guess the name of the piece will have to drink." Looking at the people who were always bustling around her, Feng Luodi was filled with happiness.
First, a light-hearted piece was played. Scarlet reacted too slow and was punished with 3 goblets of wine. Then, a slow and sad tune echoed through the courtyard. This time, Jet blanked out and got punished. Everyone in the courtyard had smiles on their faces as the music continued resounding in their ears. On the tree, Situ sat quietly, observing and listening to all that happened in the courtyard.
"Why do I feel that our General is really…pitiful?" Duo twitched his nose.
"Who asked Miss Feng to reject our General?" Quattor shrugged, "This is how love tortures someone: the one you love might not love you back. Rarely does our General put so much effort into a lady. Such a pity that the young miss doesn't reciprocate the love and effort."
Two shook his head, "The worst situation is when they both get hurt even when they are in love with each other, because of certain reasons,."
"What are you saying?" Duo and Quattor turned around simultaneously and looked at Two, puzzled.
"Listen to the music." Two pushed their heads away.
The courtyard was filled with laughter. Jet was a natural clown, her every word and action making everyone doubling over in laughter.
"It is time for your medicine, young miss." Just as the party was gearing up, Scarlet suddenly stood up and hurriedly went to the kitchen.
"Right, young miss, you should get some rest after taking your medicine. Your recovery right now is of the utmost importance." Jet took away the zither in front of Feng Luodi and placed it back in the room. Feng Luodi looked at Fei, stunned. Fei immediately cleared the plates swiftly and took them to the kitchen.
As the courtyard cleared, the smile on Feng Luodi’s face slowly faded away. Sitting alone in this big courtyard, she felt lonely.
Situ looked at the lonely girl in the middle of the courtyard and it was all he could do to resist the temptation to go down to her. If he appeared now, it would cause even more sadness to the both of them. He would never want to experience the feeling of being glared at by the woman he loved ever again.
"Young miss, your medicine is here." Scarlet passed a bowl of black liquid to Feng Luodi. Feng Luodi took it from her and finished it without so much as a frown. Scarlet handed her a sweet, "Young miss, would you like to have a sweet? I could smell the bitterness of the medicine from here."
Feng Luodi raised her hand. "No need for that; I can handle it."
Situ frowned as he looked at the empty bowl. Is she drinking such medicines every day? Has her health worsened till this stage?
"Oh, what is that?" Jet suddenly exclaimed as she took an exquisite wooden box lying on the small table. "Was this here before?"
"Let me see." Feng Luodi looked over, frowning slightly.
"Here you go, young miss." Jet tilted her head and handed over the box, full of curiosity.
Feng Luodi opened the box. On a layer of red silk was an exquisite hairpin made of fine white tallow jade carved with the designs of plum blossoms. The white jade was clear and flawless, one definitely of a high quality.
"Is this yours, young miss? But I don’t remember having ever seen you wear it before." Jet scratched her head confusingly. Scarlet, who returned from the kitchen, looked deep in thought.
Feng Luodi picked up the hairpin and looked around. Her gaze fell outside the courtyard and a faint smile appeared on her face.
"General, are you leaving already? Are you not planning to stay and talk to Miss Feng?" Quattor looked at Situ questioningly as he strode towards Whirlwind.
"Oh, just shut up, Quattor." Two quickly dragged his colleague back into the shadows.
Situ kept a cold face as he spurred Whirlwind off into the distance, causing his Covert Guards to chase after him in dismay. As he passed by a small forest outside of the city, Situ suddenly pulled to a halt, his eyes scanning the trees intently.
"There are movements inside. Go in and have a look."
Two and Quattor went in immediately. Situ took his time and entered the forest on his horse.
When he entered the forest, Duo and Quattor had already settled everything. A flustered commoner was on the ground, shaking with fear. Three other bodies lay on the ground, dressed in the robes of an assassin.
"General, these three quickly committed suicide after we overpowered them. I couldn't stop them in time." Duo lowered his head.
Quattor continued, "They are well-trained assassins. Who are you? Why would someone hire such professional assassins to kill you?”
The man evaded their gazes. His forehead was beaded with sweat and he grabbed tightly onto his clothes, shaking his head furiously. "I don’t know…I don’t know why these people want to kill me too."
"There’s something in his arms." Situ remarked emotionlessly.
Quattor pulled the man up from the floor, snatched the item from his embrace and passed it to Situ.
"Let go of me, you thieves! Do you have any idea what this is? How many people have you killed for this?" The man got aggressive. He whipped out a dagger from his sleeve and pounced onto Quattor.
Two calmly stepped forward and held the man’s wrist in a death grip. A sharp pain shot through the man’s arm and the dagger fell to the ground.
"Let go of him." Situ suddenly said.
Two obeyed and turned to Situ. "General, what was written on the booklet?"
The item the man had desperately tried to protect was a booklet. Most documents of the Xuan Kingdom made used of bamboo slats, or sometimes silk or hemp which is easily damaged. However, this booklet felt like it was made of paper, but was not easily damaged due to a layering of an unknown substance. No ordinary person could afford to use paper like this.
Situ tossed the booklet through the air, as if trying to weigh it’s worth. The man’s eyes followed the booklet like a hawk.
"This is a book of accounts. A book which proves the embezzlement of the governor of the Shanyin Province and lists his collaborators." Situ slowly said. The man immediately glared at him with resentment.
"You filthy thieves! All you do is bathe in luxuries day in and day out in Chang'an, collaborating with the corrupted local officers. You don't care about the life and death of the commoners! Just kill me already!"
"Shut up!" Two seized him. “Our general has integrity and moral values, he won't do such despicable things."
"Hmph, officers always act in collusion with each other." The man did not care about himself anymore. Quattor growled and stepped forward, arm raised to strike the man. He couldn't stand anyone accusing Situ of such deeds and wanted to hit him.
"Wait," Situ stopped him, looking at the man. "I’ll take it that you’re an official as well, or you wouldn’t have been able to get your hands on information like this. Don't worry, I will make sure that I uncover every single government officer in this booklet."
Although Situ had a cold front, the strong aura he portrays allows people to believe in him.
"Who… who are you exactly?" The man hesitated.
"This is he who commands an army of a million strong – the General of the North – personally knighted by the Emperor as the Duke of Anping. He is not someone who can be compared with those officers who squander their days in power plays and boot-licking sessions." Quattor proudly proclaimed. He could not bear the sight of the man belittling his General.
Two facepalmed. "Don't you feel embarrassed, saying all of this?"
"What! Is that not the truth?" Quattor rebutted.
The man turned to Situ, a light shining in his eyes. "Are you really the General of the North?"
Two sighed and took out Situ's tiger-shaped talisman which bore the seal of the Army, dangling it in front of the man. The man immediately knelt on the ground. "General, please help the people of the thirty-two county of Shanyin Province! I am but a small officer working under the Governor, and this document was stolen by my friends from the Jianghu, risking their lives in the process. I was about to make an Imperial Appeal, travelling to Chang’an with my friends to see his Majesty. However, assassins attacked us every step of the way. Now, I am the only one left." The small officer cried as he retold his story.
Quattor listened and understood his hardship, quickly stepping forward to help the man to his feet. "Don’t worry; our general will not let those people off easily."
"I trust the General. I have long heard of General's reputation. My friends will not die for nothing."
Situ nodded. "You can come with us and write down everything you know about the Governor of Shanyin Province. This will be your written confession and you will be a witness."
"I understand. I will definitely write everything down." The small officer nodded his head continuously.
The three of them, including Situ, never would have thought that a trip out of the city to see Feng Luodi would lead them to this unexpected gain.
When they reach the residence of the Duke, the head steward led the small officer to his room. While Situ headed straight for his study, his gaze occasionally landing on the booklet.
"General, is there something wrong with the booklet? Is the stamp by the Governor fake?" Two guessed.
Situ shook his head and raised the booklet up, "Do you know whose name is inside?"
Two was a little taken aback by the sombre look on Situ’s face and organised his thoughts before answering the question. "The corruption of the Governor must be related to the officials in Chang’an who are in charge of this matter. As for that, the Imperial Treasury has always been in charge of disaster relief. Seeing how you are so worried, could it be that this matter is directly associated with the Imperial Treasury?"
Situ nodded his head, "You are indeed meticulous. But according to this document, the Imperial Treasury only took 30% of the money. The Governor got 20%."
"What about the 50% that is left?" Two was shocked. "Who is able to take more than the Imperial Treasury in such a matter?"
Situ closed his eyes. "The Heir."