"Are we really just going to stand by with our hands tucked in our sleeves? That father and daughter are so pitiful!"
Unfortunately, Ju Ying had caught snatches of Xing Yan's conversation with Wang Er, the hired flogging stand-in, as he tried to distance himself from the affair. Unable to help herself, she protested in displeasure.
"Of course not!"
Seeing that the innocent girl had misunderstood him, Xing Yan hurried to explain in detail:
"Ju Ying, you have to understand, getting someone out of a government yamen isn't easy. If things go wrong, we might fail to save them and get ourselves caught as well. Paying a ransom is one way, but I just can't stomach feeding all that silver to a corrupt official for nothing."
"More importantly, even if you're willing to pay, I doubt Constable Chen would agree. From what everyone's been saying, he clearly has ill intentions toward that girl."
After hearing his analysis, Ju Ying agreed that he had a point. She could only rein in her impatience and ponder a suitable way to rescue them with him. Yet despite racking their brains, neither could find a starting point, so they wandered aimlessly along the lakeside embankment in gloomy silence.
"Oh, right!"
Xing Yan's sudden shout broke the stifling quiet.
"Ah! Xing Yan, have you thought of a way?"
"Not exactly."
The boy scratched his head awkwardly and gave a sheepish grin.
"I just remembered that the waiter's still holding all the dishes we ordered. Wandering around here isn't getting us anywhere. Why don't we go back and think while we eat? Once our stomachs are full, perhaps an idea will come naturally!"
The girl, who had been brimming with anticipation, did not know whether to laugh or cry. Still, his reminder made her suddenly realize how hungry she was, so she could only follow him back to Lakeview Tower.
In their private dining alcove, the boy and girl ate absentmindedly, their thoughts fixed on the rescue.
Ju Ying no longer had any interest in admiring the lake, and Xing Yan was no longer so intent on the delicacies before him. These two hot-blooded young souls, stirred by an injustice they had encountered, now found themselves trapped just like the wandering fighters earlier-without a single plan, staring at their own shadows in lingering gloom.
"Oh, right! How stupid of us!"
This time, the girl broke the silence first, her face bright with excitement.
"How did we forget? We can go to the superior officials at the prefectural seat and report them for forcibly abducting an innocent girl!"
"Uh! Well..."
The boy had been listening attentively, but her suggestion seemed to make him choke on his food. It appeared that she was still just as naive. Having spent so long among the streets and markets, Xing Yan had already thought this injustice through thoroughly.
If reporting it to a higher official could work, Poyang County's administration would never have become so chaotic and corrupt. In all likelihood, officials throughout the prefecture and county were shielding one another.
With all this clear in his mind, the boy gave a wry smile and explained his doubts to the excited girl.
"Those curs of officials!"
His sound reasoning left Ju Ying furious as well as frustrated.
The instant that rebuke escaped her lips, Xing Yan felt something strange: this girl, who had always been innocent, carefree, and ignorant of worldly affairs, now naturally exuded an imposing air that seemed to look down upon all living beings.
Startled by that strange impression, Xing Yan stared intently at her flushed, pretty face, trying to determine whether he had merely imagined it.
Seeing him gawking like that, the girl, whose mind was wholly occupied with saving the captives, immediately voiced her displeasure.
"What are you doing, Xing Yan? There aren't flowers growing on my face! Hurry up and think of something!"
After urging him on, she could not help growing a little wistful.
"Ah, if only Uncle Cheng were here..."
"Mm. Actually, I think I already have a plan."
Seeing how flustered she was, Xing Yan felt he should tell her immediately about the rescue plan gradually taking shape in his mind.
The moment Ju Ying heard that he had a plan, she urged him to explain. In her excitement, however, she forgot to lower her voice, and the boy hurriedly invented something to say aloud to cover it up.
Realizing what she had done, the girl stuck out her tongue sheepishly and immediately fell silent.
Still, her involuntary cry of delight reminded him that Lakeview Tower was a place where fish and dragons mingled, hardly suitable for plotting. Besides, they had nearly finished their precious meal. He suggested finding a secluded spot beside Poyang Lake to discuss the details.
The obedient girl now followed Xing Yan's every suggestion. She immediately called the waiter over to settle the bill, and the two left Lakeview Tower with its crowds and prying eyes.
As they passed the carriage downstairs, Ju Ying spoke to her family's coachman again, saying that she was going nearby to admire the lake and that he need not follow. Then she walked on with the boy until they found a lakeside rock in a rarely visited spot. There they sat down to discuss their grand rescue.
It seemed that Ju Ying did not want her family's coachman to know anything about this affair.
Once she was seated on the rock by the shore, Xing Yan leaned beside her and quietly explained his idea.
The plan was not very complicated, and he finished explaining it in no time. Yet afterward, Ju Ying scrutinized him from head to toe several times with eyes full of doubt. In the end, she still shook her head and asked skeptically:
"Is everything you said true, Xing Yan? You're not fooling me again, are you? I can't see any sign of it at all!"
Xing Yan did not get angry at her disbelief. Sometimes, even he could scarcely believe it himself. Still, for the plan to proceed smoothly, he would have to prove it at this critical juncture, however bizarre it might sound.
With that thought, he stood up and smiled.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me. I was just about to demonstrate!"
Under the girl's curious gaze, Xing Yan looked around. After a moment, he chose a lakeside rock. A small portion of it was buried in the soil, and it was a good two sizes larger than a millstone.
After studying it briefly, he bent down, gripped two edges with both hands, and tested his hold. Once he was certain his grip was firm, he gave a mighty shout:
"Up!"
After that thunderous roar, the enormous rock-which no sixteen-year-old boy should ever have been able to lift-reluctantly tore free of its comfortable earthen nest before the girl's astonished eyes. Swaying unsteadily, it actually rose into Xing Yan's arms!
After holding it for only a moment, he slowly returned the lakeside rock to its native soil. Looking at him after this tremendous feat, she found that his face was not flushed and his heart was not racing. He merely stood there grinning, asking whether she now believed that he was not teasing her.
Ju Ying, however, did not answer.
Her mouth was open wide enough to fit an egg.
Yet seeing her expression of delighted astonishment, Xing Yan did not swell with pride. Instead, he shook his head, looking rather worried.
"Ju Ying, there's still one very serious flaw in my plan!"
"Huh? I think it's quite good!"
The innocent girl was always so naturally optimistic. Seeing this, Xing Yan offered a measured reminder.
"Don't you realize that you'll have to be there helping me too? I'm afraid that might..."
"What does that matter? Huh?"
The quick-witted girl immediately grew suspicious and demanded in displeasure:
"Hey! Do you think I'm useless and can only make things worse? Hmph! I-I've been to more places than you have!"
Feeling that her pride had been badly wounded, the girl pursed her little lips.
"Are you sure you can manage?"
Concerned only with making the plan succeed, Xing Yan disregarded her anger and asked her directly.
"Of course!"
Her answer was even more concise.
"My plan is pretty violent, you know!"
"I'm not scared! I've been itching to teach those two official curs a lesson!"
Her answer grew still more resolute, as firm as cutting nails and slicing iron.
"My plan is also pretty bloody!"
The boy continued to press her.
"..."
This time, the girl hesitated. But only for a moment; Xing Yan soon heard her answer.
"I'm still not scared! Mm, Father told me we must never be softhearted toward wicked officials!"
It seemed that her father's teachings had finally helped the wavering girl firm up her resolve again.
"I never realized you were so impressive, Ju Ying!"
Seeing her response, the boy was very satisfied. After offering that praise, he posed his final question.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing-the most important of all."
"What is it?"
Knowing that the final test was often the hardest, the girl pricked up her ears and waited nervously for him to continue.
"Well, my plan involves spending a few taels of silver. Do you think you could..."
This time, it was the examiner's turn to be nervous.
"...Xing Yan, you still think I'm a miser!"
By the look of things, she was truly angry this time. Her lips trembled faintly, the corners of her mouth drooped, and tears began gathering in her eyes again.
And so, beside the vast, misty waters of Poyang Lake, another classic scene unfolded: a boy scrambling in confusion, humbly apologizing to a girl and begging her forgiveness. As it happened, an elderly man in his eighties slowly passed nearby, leaning on a goosefoot cane. At the sight, his grizzled beard quivered as he sighed with boundless feeling.
"Ah, how wonderful it is to be young! Back in my day..."
Let us leave aside the old man's lament over the merciless passage of time and return to Xing Yan and Ju Ying's grand rescue. With their plan settled and its funding secured, the operation officially entered its implementation stage.
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without peril!"
At the Ji Family School, Xing Yan had also browsed a number of military texts and knew well the importance of obtaining accurate information.
As for the breadth of his reading, he had the good fortune to live in an age when imperial examinations were not yet emphasized. The court often selected officials through recommendations and sponsorship. Those with good reputations, renowned filial piety, and influential recommendations could become officials-even high officials. Thus, the Ji Family School paid considerable attention to its pupils' all-round development, and its textbooks were not commissioned and distributed by the government. Its ordinary lessons ranged across the Hundred Schools of Thought. Thanks to this, young Xing Yan understood the principles that "haste makes waste" and "plans must be settled before action is taken."
That afternoon, Xing Yan and Ju Ying's figures bustled through the streets and alleys of the county town beside Poyang Lake. They roamed from street to street, mingling with the common folk and gathering firsthand information about those two well-known personages, Lü Chonghuang and Chen Kui.
Now Xing Yan's well-honed eloquence finally proved its worth. Through a great many skillfully opened conversations and carefully phrased questions, he acquired a wealth of firsthand information. His plain, harmless-looking face also unexpectedly made the process much easier.
While he worked, young Ju Ying did not remain idle either. Whenever they encountered a situation where a boy ought not to ask questions-or even appear-our Miss Ju Ying stepped forward. She tucked away a little of her young lady's temper, offered a suitably measured string of gentle words, and added an endearing, well-behaved smile. Against this seamless combination, few gossiping aunties or older uncles could withstand her invincible assault of charm!
Thus, on Mill Street in Poyang County's town, a ferocious-looking, curly-bearded burly man stared blankly at two figures receding into the slanting autumn sunlight. Only after a long while did he come to his senses and ask in bewilderment:
"Huh? Do I know them that well? Why did I just pour out all those years of my innermost thoughts to those two youngsters like beans tipped from a bamboo tube?"
Indeed:
Who could have thought steel tempered a hundred times would turn supple enough to wind around a finger!
Xing Yan had never imagined that he and the girl would make such a golden partnership, such a dream team. In less than four hours, they had gathered all the information they needed to their satisfaction. After carefully sorting through it and discarding useless tidbits such as "Magistrate Lü is afraid of his wife" and "Constable Chen never washes his feet," they were left with the following useful intelligence:
Constable Chen Kui, besides being fond of women and gambling, also had a taste for fine food. Once the yamen closed in the evening, he invariably went to Waterside House, a tavern on Nanji Island in Poyang Lake, to enjoy its signature dish, steamed shad. At that hour, fishermen delivered the choice shad they had arranged to supply, all freshly caught and exceedingly fresh. Chen Kui went every evening, rain or shine, without exception-just as he never paid, without exception.
As for Magistrate Lü Chonghuang, surprisingly, this corrupt official was also obsessed with pure discourse. He often visited the Water Lake Literary Society in the west of town to discuss metaphysics and the Dao with fellow enthusiasts, returning only late at night. His wife was the younger sister of Ganzhou's prefect, and his appointment as magistrate owed a great deal to that connection by marriage. Consequently, discipline within his household was strict, and he was exceedingly afraid of his wife. Yet just as old Lü seemed born greedy for money, these all-night discussions were another passion he cherished deeply. Thus, despite the strict curfew at home, Madam Lü could only be understanding on this point and indulge her husband, rather than make him lose face among the local scholars. Comparing the atmosphere at home with that of the literary society only made Magistrate Lü increasingly reluctant to leave the discussions, and he invariably returned late at night.
These two pieces of information were crucial to Xing Yan's rescue operation. It was precisely these daily habits of the two officials that allowed him to time his plan even more perfectly.
Once the boy and girl had settled their deliberations, they began preparing everything they would need. With all their preparations complete, the two audacious youngsters waited quietly for nightfall at the Peaceful Inn, where they were staying.
"Huh? I just remembered! Xing Yan, you still haven't told me how you came by all that brute strength!"
A girl's voice drifted from one of the rooms at the Peaceful Inn.
"Uh..."
He had not expected the question he had dodged for half the day to catch up with him after all. The boy stammered for a long while before finally squeezing out a reply:
"I-I don't know either! Maybe our home has good feng shui..."
That was not entirely a lie.
Before you continue