After Prefect Sheng's son, Sheng Qinghong, was assassinated, Suian City seemed to be bracing for a storm, and the days that followed were eerily calm.
The government office and the Sheng Family sent men to dredge the river for quite some time before they finally recovered Sheng Qinghong's body. The assassin who had killed him, however, remained at large.
Sheng Qinghong's death had already caused an uproar in the city. Mobei was remote, and North Prefecture was a frontier region, far from the emperor's reach. Ever since Sheng Qingzhi had become prefect, he had practically acted as the local emperor of Suian City. Now that an outsider had killed his precious son, one could imagine just how huge a commotion this would cause.
In the days that followed, a rumor gradually spread through Suian City: Sheng Qinghong had not been assassinated at all.
Sheng Qinghong was not the only one who had died at the Linjiang Immortal Tavern. He Xiping, a young master from a branch of the He Family, had also been killed. The assassin's real target had been He Xiping, not Prefect Sheng's son. Sheng Qinghong had undoubtedly been killed by mistake.
The real culprit was none other than the He Family's eldest young master. The affair involved a struggle between the He Family's main and branch households. The eldest young master had hired someone to kill, only for the wrong man to die. And that had dragged the whole family into it...
"The He Family's finished this time. Once the prefect loses his temper, it'll be like thunder striking the heavens and the winds and clouds changing color. Suian City itself may be in for a change of masters!"
"I don't know about that. The He Family has had deep roots in Suian City for years. Its businesses and properties are all tangled up together. Prefect Sheng may not dare touch them. Otherwise, half the city could get dragged in..."
"Hahaha, what a joke! If the prefect really wants to deal with the He Family, why make such a fuss? He just needs an excuse to cut off their money supply. Once they're broke, what does it matter how important the He Family's eldest young master is? He's nothing!"
For the past few days, rumors like these had been spreading like wildfire through the streets. Without exception, they all pointed their fingers at the He Family and its eldest young master, He Ping.
The He Mansion.
"Eldest Young Master, if this keeps up, the He Family is finished!"
"Ten shops have already been sealed by the constables. They say we've been monopolizing the market. And several brokers have come after us over the deed taxes. We can't go on like this..."
"Young Master, couldn't you ask Lord Sheng to show us some mercy? If this keeps up, we won't be able to do business."
Several haggard shopkeepers came to see He Ping.
"I already know what you've told me."
He Ping sighed and slowly set down the porcelain teacup in his hand.
"I'll go speak with Lord Sheng about this. Also, all those rumors outside are nonsense, completely made up. Don't believe them."
The several shopkeepers who managed the He Family's rice shops exchanged glances. One of them sighed.
"Since you've said so, Eldest Young Master, there's nothing more for us to say. I'll take my leave."
The rice shopkeeper bowed and withdrew.
The other three exchanged glances as well. They could only take their leave together before hurrying out of the reception hall.
"Young Master, this is hard to handle!"
Butler He Fusheng looked troubled, too.
"I didn't expect Lord Sheng to act so quickly, going after our shops. He's coming at us with great force!"
"Not necessarily."
He Ping shook his head.
"Could there be more to this than meets the eye?"
He Fusheng looked puzzled.
"Exactly."
He Ping nodded.
"I thought Prefect Sheng might have found out something and was preparing to move against the He Family. But now it seems that isn't the case..."
"Why do you say that?"
Butler He Fusheng asked, confused.
"The reason is simple."
He Ping let out a cold laugh.
"If Sheng Qingzhi wanted to deal with the He Family, he wouldn't need to spread these rumors around the city. I think someone is stirring up trouble behind the scenes. By the way, have a few men keep an eye on the branch shopkeepers who came here today. See where they go after they leave the He Mansion..."
"Yes."
He Fusheng nodded.
"But, Young Master, who do you think is making trouble for us?"
"If you ask me, it can only be my uncle, He Jin."
He Ping analyzed the situation calmly.
"He Jin is ambitious. Now that his son is dead, he'll only hold a grudge against me. If he wants to become head of the family, he'll use every means at his disposal to undermine my standing... He Xiping's murder gives him the perfect opening to splash a basin of 'dirty water' on me. Then he can find a few familiar constables and brokers, have people file complaints, and get the shops sealed to disrupt the He Family's business. Before long, the whole family will be in a panic..."
It was a clever scheme. He Jin was using his own son's death to frame He Ping, making outsiders think the disaster had started with misfortune within the family, with calamity born of internal strife.
I wonder if that old devil knows his son was already doomed by my schemes...
He Ping could not help but chuckle inwardly. At the same time, he became even more wary of He Jin's deep cunning.
"So that's what's going on! That does make sense, now that you put it that way."
He Fusheng slapped his palm hard.
"We'll have to wait until we've investigated before we can be sure."
He Ping picked up his teacup again and took a sip.
"I'm certain those men will go to He Jin's residence as soon as they leave. They came to us because He Jin is behind it."
"But, Young Master, what does Prefect Sheng mean to do?"
He Fusheng asked again.
"Sheng's lost his precious son, so naturally he won't let this go. To avenge his son, this Lord Sheng Qingzhi will probably turn all of Suian City upside down."
He Ping closed his eyes.
To avenge his son, this Lord Sheng Qingzhi would probably turn all of Suian City upside down.
Unfortunately, the plot to have Cheng Zhi assassinate Sheng Qinghong—and escape by water—had all been arranged by He Ping. The entire situation unfolding now was his handiwork.
After Cheng Zhi escaped the city, he followed He Ping's instructions and, with men sent to meet him, galloped toward Four Peaks Mountain.
"Sheng Qingzhi is the local prefect, but he has no authority to mobilize the frontier army... I also heard he's at odds with the Inspection Bureau and the Regional Military Commission. Even if he wanted to requisition troops from the Inspection Bureau, it wouldn't be easy. Unless something unexpected happens, he can only rely on the few men at the government office..."
—The problem was, how many men could a prefect's government office have? What could they possibly accomplish? Besides, he was only hunting down an assassin. Sheng Qingzhi couldn't ask the circuit governor at the Governor's Office, which oversaw the Northern Pass, for help. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't get around the great mountain that was the Prince of Northern Pacification.
Since the Great You Dynasty was founded, four or five dukes and eight lords had stood as pillars of the court, all illustrious figures. Among them, the Yuwen Family of the Prince of Northern Pacification was descended from the previous dynasty's imperial house. Because their ancestors had achieved outstanding merit and helped the founding emperor seize the throne, they had been granted Tongyan in the Northern Pass Circuit.
The Yuwen Family had received boundless imperial favor. The first Emperor You had specially exempted them from paying tribute and attending court, and allowed them to station troops and govern themselves. Their privileges were on a par with the rulers of small states such as Yinnan, Heqing, Baiyi, and Xinling in Nanpu Circuit.
Grateful for the emperor's kindness, the Prince of Northern Pacification's family had volunteered to defend the Northern Pass for the Great You Dynasty. For a hundred years, they had served with steadfast diligence, generation after generation keeping to their ancestral motto: "Serve the throne with undivided loyalty; worry for the state as for one's own home." They had built fortifications throughout Tongyan, creating a vital defense against the foreign tribes' iron-shod hooves marching south.
At the same time, the Prince of Northern Pacification's Yuwen Family wielded immense power throughout the Northern Pass and even across Mobei, though they had always kept a low profile. The old prince at the helm of the Yuwen Family also held the post of Grand Commander of the Northern Pass Circuit. For many years, he had personally led his troops against the Tiele cavalry beyond the Northern Pass, earning great merit through hard service.
If Sheng Qingzhi styled himself the local emperor of Suian City, then the Prince of Northern Pacification's Yuwen Family was the supreme ruler of the Northern Pass and even Mobei.
All the prefectures in Mobei, as well as the garrisons throughout the Northern Pass Circuit, were under the authority of the Grand Commander of the Northern Pass Circuit. This put him at odds with the Governor's Office, which administered the Northern Pass.
In truth, the Northern Pass Circuit's actual administrative body was the Governor's Office. But with the Prince of Northern Pacification's Yuwen Family in the picture, the Governor's Office was little more than a paper tiger, unable to command any respect.
Even if Prefect Sheng sought help from above, he was unlikely to receive any real support.
Over the past few days, the spies He Ping had sent out had learned that Prefect Sheng had directly requisitioned several hundred constables from the counties near North Prefecture and sent them into the mountains.
The men had chased Cheng Zhi all the way to the bounds of Four Peaks Mountain with the help of falcons and hounds. Only then did they remember that the mountain was home to man-eating Mountain Demons, and they began to tremble with fear. One by one, they stopped in their tracks.
Their officers had finally whipped them into entering Four Peaks Mountain, but at the slightest rustle of wind or grass, the constables grew suspicious and uneasy, each of them filled with dread.
Everyone knew the One-Horned Mountain Demon was a man-eating monster, possessing tremendous strength and moving with lightning speed. Even a first-rate martial artist would be no match for it.
Only a force of several thousand troops, armed with bows and crossbows, could drive it away. Wiping out the Mountain Demons living deep in the mountains would be even more difficult.
It was plain enough. First, there was little chance that Sheng Qingzhi could accomplish anything with a bunch of government constables. Second, even if his small force wanted to search the mountains for someone, it would be nothing but a fool's dream!