Escort Transport

"You idiot! Why didn't you report something this important to me beforehand?"

Li Jiwu slapped the table and sprang to his feet. "Why aren't you out there looking for him already?! I want to see him alive, or see his corpse dead! What if Eldest Brother has him under control and drags him before Father to lodge a complaint? When that happens, even I won't be able to escape involvement!"

Zhang San was so frightened by the roar that he repeatedly answered yes. He hurriedly turned and ran out, not forgetting to close the door behind him.

The room fell silent once more.

Li Jiwu sat alone at the table, fingers buried in his hair as he shut his eyes in irritation.

His plan should have been flawless.

He had Little Six tamper with the blades so that Eldest Brother would make a public fool of himself during the delivery. Then, at the right moment, Li Jiwu would unveil his backup plan and make a spectacular showing before Father.

But now, every calculation had come to nothing. Not only had Eldest Brother failed to embarrass himself, he had instead greatly enhanced his standing before Father!

Damn it!

The more Li Jiwu thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed a fist onto the tabletop, making the teacups clatter.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open again.

A familiar scent of powder and perfume drifted in. Li Jiwu did not even need to look up to know who had arrived.

Madam Liu glided over to his side. After glancing at his ashen face, she gave a soft laugh and sat down opposite him. "What? Still unhappy about what happened just now?"

Li Jiwu gave a bitter laugh. "Aunt Liu, don't make fun of me. The die is cast now. That fatso has already stolen the limelight. What can I do?"

Madam Liu shook her head indifferently. "The goods haven't been delivered yet. How can you say the die is cast?"

Li Jiwu froze and looked up at her. "Then... Aunt Liu, what do you mean?"

Madam Liu leaned forward slightly and chuckled. "Changping County is quite a distance from Qingyang Prefecture. With chaos and war raging outside these days, isn't it perfectly normal to run into a few bandits on the road? Murder and robbery, taking goods by force..."

Li Jiwu's pupils suddenly contracted, shock appearing on his face. "Y-you mean robbing official goods? This isn't child's play! Besides, I never intended to kill anyone!"

Madam Liu snorted, her gaze filled with undisguised contempt. "You call yourself a man, yet you don't even have this much courage. You're not even as good as a woman like me. What time is it now? Either the east wind overwhelms the west wind, or the west wind overwhelms the east wind. Think carefully—are you truly willing to hand the Li Family's foundation over to that fatso on a silver platter?"

Li Jiwu's expression shifted between light and shadow as his hands clenched tightly around the arms of his chair.

Madam Liu's words made his breathing turn heavy.

There was hesitation and struggle in his eyes, but even more than that, ambition and desire kindled into flame.

Seeing that he was tempted, Madam Liu continued. Her voice was gentle, yet it carried a bewitching power that seemed capable of ensnaring hearts. "We don't necessarily have to kill anyone. Wouldn't it be enough just to seize the goods? When there are no goods to deliver, all the hard work Eldest Young Master has put in lately will have been for nothing. And you, Second Young Master—you can then plan from within the command tent, mend the fold after the sheep are lost, and bring out your backup plan to make up the shipment. Tell me, how will Master view you then? In the future, won't the Li Family have to rely on you?"

Her voice was like a venomous snake, slowly coiling around Li Jiwu's heart before tightening bit by bit.

Li Jiwu's breathing grew increasingly rapid, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Then he suddenly hammered the table with his fist. With a loud bang, a crazed gleam flashed across his face. "We'll do as Aunt Liu says! Let's do it!!"

"That's right. When it's time to cut, cut cleanly. That's what a real man should do!"

Watching him, Madam Liu's lips slowly curved into a satisfied smile, while a faint, elusive glimmer flashed deep in her eyes.

The day after all the blades had been forged, Li Chengwen began arranging for them to be loaded onto carts and shipped out.

He kept an extremely close watch on this batch of goods after they were produced, as if he wished he could sleep in the storeroom itself.

Shen Chu knew that the fat man feared that delays would breed trouble and someone would come sabotage things again.

Naturally, the sooner the shipment was sent out, the better.

Since this batch of goods was needed by the Qingyang Prefecture authorities, regulations required the local government to dispatch men to escort it along the route.

The Changping County yamen assigned the task to Constable Xu Zhibao and sent four additional runners with him.

Xu Zhibao was not resistant to the assignment.

His family had run an escort agency, and before becoming a constable, he had traveled north and south with escort caravans.

Transporting goods under guard was his old trade.

Besides, he had always been preoccupied with Zhao Dezhu's case.

The two charred corpses, Constable Zhang's hasty attitude in closing the case, and the strange fact that Zhao Dezhu could not be found alive or dead—

Those doubts had remained lodged in his heart like a thorn.

Taking this chance to escort the Li Family's goods, he also wanted to keep an eye out for any relevant clues.

The day before departure, Xu Zhibao met with everyone at the Li Family to discuss the route.

When he learned that Shen Chu was taking leave to return to his hometown, Wangchuan County, he could not help giving Shen Chu another look.

Other than his utterly ordinary face, Xu Zhibao had little impression of this young Bladesmith.

But when Zhao Dezhu's case had occurred, Shen Chu had been a member of the Sword-Forging Courtyard. Perhaps he knew something.

"Master Shen, I heard you're going back to Wangchuan County?"

With that thought, Xu Zhibao took the initiative to speak. "That works out perfectly. Our convoy will be passing through Wangchuan County territory. Travel with us, and we can look after one another on the road. When we reach the area, you can get off and continue on your own. It'll save you from traveling alone, which isn't safe."

When Li Chengwen heard Xu Zhibao say this, he nodded in agreement and urged Shen Chu to set out with them.

Shen Chu had originally planned to slip away quietly by himself after the goods were delivered. But Xu Zhibao's words were reasonable, and after thinking it over, he felt this would be fine.

With war and chaos everywhere these days, traveling with an official escort convoy was far safer than setting out alone and would also spare him some unnecessary trouble.

So he nodded and agreed.

On the day of departure, the sky had only just begun to brighten when the front of the Li Residence was already bustling.

The fifteen hundred standard-issue long sabers had long since been carefully bundled and loaded onto five flatbed horse carts.

Each cart was covered with thick oilcloth, and the ropes had been tied tight and secure.

Li Chengwen personally circled the convoy several times, then inspected each cart one by one. Only after confirming there were no issues did he nod in satisfaction.

The five fully loaded carts stood in a line. The drivers sat on the shafts with whips in hand.

Xu Zhibao wore a saber at his waist and rode a chestnut horse. Behind him followed four yamen runners holding long staves, each of them brimming with spirit.

Li Chengwen had also changed into a neat, practical outfit that day and rode a short, squat horse.

Though his figure was still rather round, seated on horseback he nonetheless carried a few traces of an imposing air.

Two guards from the Li Residence accompanied Li Chengwen as well, both dependable men he had carefully selected.