Enemies on a narrow road

The man turned toward Wang Yang's voice with a glare. His gaze swept over him and settled on A-Wu in her little coarse-hemp tunic. Contempt immediately surfaced in his eyes. "Your child?" he asked Wang Yang.

Little A-Wu sensed his disdain. She tugged down at the hem of her coarse-hemp tunic, trying to smooth it out, but it was futile. The creases were like waves: as soon as she flattened one side, the other rose again.

Afraid of embarrassing Wang Yang, she lowered her head and hid behind his legs.

Sensing A-Wu's embarrassment, Wang Yang tried to pull her out from behind him, but she refused to budge.

He could only pat little A-Wu's head and reply calmly, "Yes, she's my child."

The man grew even more contemptuous and sneered. "Fine. I offered you a way to save face, and you refused it. Don't regret it later."

The young woman in green had put her bamboo hat back on and was about to leave when the man shouted, "No one leaves!"

He pointed. "Take a good look! This is a purebred Liaoxi Black Steed. Its market price is at least thirty thousand, and even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy one. You injured my horse, so pay up. Two thousand each. No money, no leaving!"

Thirty thousand for a horse? Wasn't that more expensive than a house?

Wang Yang remembered Black Han saying that building a tiled-roof house cost ten or twenty thousand coins.

Just then, A-Wu suddenly fainted to the ground. Alarmed, Wang Yang hurriedly picked her up. "A-Wu! A-Wu!"

The man watched coldly, not taking it seriously at all.

Little A-Wu secretly cracked her eyes open, tugged at Wang Yang's clothes with her little hand, then closed her eyes again and continued pretending to be unconscious.

Wang Yang did not know whether to laugh or cry. He set her down and whispered, "There's no need. He was at fault first. We don't have to pay."

"Oh," A-Wu said, then hid behind his legs again.

The young woman in green suddenly said, "That isn't a purebred Big Black Steed. It's a Little Black Steed, a cross between a Liaoxi Black Steed and a Jianghuai Black Horse."

The man froze. He had been making things up off the top of his head. Who would have thought this woman knew horses? He could only change his tune:

"A Little Black Steed still costs twenty thousand. Pay me one thousand each, then. Enough nonsense. Hand over the money!"

Wang Yang cleared his throat:

"The Qi Code forbids galloping horses through crowds.

Anyone who gallops a horse through a city and kills someone shall not have the offense treated as an accident!

You rode at speed through a busy market. If this heroine hadn't intervened, you would already be facing a homicide charge! And you still have the nerve to turn around and blame us?!"

"Oh? Someone here knows criminal law? Perhaps you're from some minor humble family, too. Why not announce your lineage to give yourself a little backing?" the man asked mockingly.

Wang Yang smiled. "No need. We'll judge the matter on its merits. I won't bully you."

The main problem was that his identity as a member of the Langya Wang clan was false, and his household registration had not yet been settled. He really lacked the confidence to parade it through the streets.

Wang Yang's answer was exactly what the man had expected. Although his clothing barely qualified him for the ranks of the gentry, he had neither attendants nor an ox cart, and that little brat dressed like a hemp sack was family. He could hardly have much of a background. He was probably the son of some impoverished humble family, or at most a member of an insignificant minor gentry clan. Accustomed to throwing his weight around Jingzhou City, the man naturally thought nothing of Wang Yang.

He chuckled. "You won't bully me? Hahahaha! Well, then I really must thank you-"

"You're welcome," Wang Yang cut in.

The man's face darkened. "Do you know who I am? You dare talk to me about the Qi Code? I've ridden down this street for years, and no one has ever dared say a word. Yet you dare talk to me about the Qi Code?"

Wang Yang said unhurriedly, "So you mean the laws of our Great Qi cannot govern you? Heaven comes first and you come second, you run rampant without restraint, and there isn't anyone in the whole world you respect. Is that right?"

"I never said that! Don't invent things out of thin air!" the man hurriedly denied. Arrogant as he was, he did not dare accept that statement. Those few words concealed blades sharp enough to kill!

Wang Yang suddenly widened his eyes and demanded loudly, "Then when I say you violated the Qi Code by galloping through a busy market and nearly killing someone, do you dare deny it?!"

Little A-Wu poked her head out and imitated Wang Yang's stern tone, repeating in her babyish voice, "Do you dare deny it?!"

The man had seen his share of grand occasions, yet under Wang Yang's sudden shout and piercing stare, he actually felt a twinge of guilty unease.

In desperation, he cried:

"I am the Prince of Badong's Cavalry Guard Chief! I have urgent military intelligence to deliver to His Highness! Ordinary laws do not bind me! You, on the other hand, injured my horse and delayed urgent military business. You must all be dealt with under the law!"

The young woman in green said coldly, "Military messengers are required to display red, white, blue, and black flags. Secret dispatches are exempt. But if you carried a secret dispatch, you shouldn't have told us. If this truly were urgent military intelligence, you couldn't stop even if your horse died. Yet you've stood here arguing for so long. Either you're making it up, or you're derelict in your duty!"

The man was startled. How could this woman know military affairs so well, and be so skilled besides?!

"Who are you? Are you a local of Jingzhou? How do you know about military matters?"

The young woman in green did not answer.

The man advanced a few steps, his voice turning harsh. "I asked you a question! Your surname? Where are you registered? Take off your hat!"

The young woman stepped back, her left hand moving close to her sword hilt.

The man cried, "An official notice from Lu Yang says northern spies have infiltrated! You two intercepted and injured a military horse, delaying military intelligence. I now suspect you have ulterior motives!"

He pointed at a street vendor. "Go to the market tower at once and tell the Market Warden to come arrest them immediately!"

The Market Warden was the official in charge of market trade and order.

Seeing that this would not be easily resolved, Wang Yang could only fight with his back to the river.

He casually pointed at someone in the crowd, putting on an imperious air. "Go to the Commandery Academy and tell its Libationer, Liu Zhao, to come see me immediately!"

"The Commandery Academy? Who exactly are you?" Suspicion stirred in the man's heart.

Though the Commandery Academy's Libationer was an education official, his rank was by no means low. Moreover, Liu Zhao belonged to the Niyang Liu Clan, one of the four great gentry clans. Yet this fellow had summoned him so casually, as though Liu Zhao were his to command.

Wang Yang was just about to display his "false banner" when a clear young woman's voice sounded behind him. "Master Liu has always devoted himself to scholarship. Let's not trouble him with trifles."

Wang Yang turned and saw a girl in a pink top, her hair arranged in two forked buns, step forward. Without so much as glancing at him, she dipped in greeting to the man. "General Wang, my lady's carriage is over there. Please come with me."

The man's position certainly did not entitle him to be called a general. By addressing him that way, the girl was clearly giving him every consideration.

Delighted, the man was about to ask who her lady was when his sweeping gaze caught sight of a little yellow-ox cart parked nearby. He hurried over at once.

Wang Yang looked over as well-and what a sight it was. It was actually Fourth Lady Xie's carriage!

Enemies on a narrow road. Truly, enemies on a narrow road!

He saw the man bow beside the carriage window, hands clasped as he spoke. They were too far away for Wang Yang to hear what was said.

After only a few words, the man returned, eyed Wang Yang suspiciously a few times, then told the onlookers, "Move along, move along. Stop blocking the road."

For a moment, the commoners did not understand and stayed where they were, watching. The man snapped, "Keep blocking the road and I'll have the Market Warden arrest you!"

Everyone hurriedly dispersed. The man mounted his horse and rode straight away.

Knowing that Lady Xie must have helped him out of his predicament, Wang Yang prepared to approach and thank her.

But the ox cart did not stop at all. Instead, seemingly on purpose, it suddenly sped up just as it was about to pass him! It stirred up a cloud of road dust, leaving Wang Yang covered in grime.

Inside the ox cart, Xie Xinghan still maintained the most proper seated posture, struggling to hold back her laughter. Her maid Xiao Ning lowered the curtain and said gleefully, "It got him, it got him! Dust all over him! He's coughing now!"

Xie Xinghan burst into laughter, her willow-slender waist bending and her delicate shoulder blades shifting lightly. Her beautiful eyes sparkled, as though shining starlight lay hidden within her mirth. "What do you think?" she asked excitedly. "Should we turn around and dust him again?"