The rear hall of the county office.
County Magistrate Wu Wei lay languidly on a bamboo chair, gently rocking his body.
His private secretary stood bowed beside him.
"Sir, grain prices in the city have already risen to two hundred copper coins a peck. Should we open the granaries and distribute grain?"
Wu Wei did not even lift his eyelids, tapping his fingers on the armrest.
"What's the hurry?"
"It's only the first day of the siege. The commoners still have some grain left at home. Let them stew a little longer."
The secretary opened his mouth, but ultimately dared not say more.
Wu Wei gave him an indifferent glance.
He understood it as clearly as a reflection in a mirror: the city's powerful clans driving up grain prices most likely had ties to both the deputy magistrate and the commandant.
But he did not care. The higher grain prices climbed and the worse the people starved, the greater his prestige would be when he opened the granaries.
He, Wu Wei, had spent decades studying by a cold window, finally scraping into the third tier of the imperial examination graduates before coming to this remote Ping'an County, where he had endured more than two years.
He sought neither wealth nor the chance to benefit the people here. Only one thing occupied his mind.
Promotion!
Promotion!
And more damn promotion!
He might not have accomplished much these past two years, but he had not caused any disasters either, had he?
Under the Ministry of Personnel's rules, when the year-end rotation came, he ought to rise at least half a rank.
Who could have imagined that, at the very last moment, he would run into this rotten business of roaming bandits besieging the city?
Fortunately, the prefectural city had already dispatched an army to suppress the rebellion.
All he needed to do now was hold Ping'an County until the army arrived, and that would be a major achievement.
"When can the army get here?"
The secretary counted on his fingers.
"Probably within the next couple of days."
Wu Wei sat upright and instructed him gravely.
"Keep a close watch. We must distribute grain before the army enters the city."
"Make a grand spectacle of it. Make every commoner in the city remember my kindness in sending charcoal in the snow."
"With the prestige of steadying the people's hearts, coupled with the merit of defending the city, those two supports should lift me a rank or two. That's hardly unreasonable, is it?"
The more Wu Wei thought about it, the more pleased he became, and he could not resist stroking the beard beneath his chin.
"Well, Lord Wu, still lost in your grand dreams?"
A teasing female voice suddenly drifted down from atop the courtyard wall.
"Who!"
Wu Wei startled and turned to glare in anger.
Once he saw the dark-robed figure standing on the wall, he shrank his neck and hastily sprang from his recliner.
He straightened his official robes and cupped his hands, his face wreathed in smiles.
"So it's Commandant Shen. What wind has blown you my way?"
Shen Qing leaped down from the wall, walked straight up to Wu Wei, and laid everything out.
"What?"
After hearing her out, all the blood drained from Wu Wei's face. His legs weakened, and he collapsed straight back into his recliner.
"It's over. It's all over..."
Wu Wei stared blankly, utterly bereft.
The adoration of the masses, a promotion of two ranks-it had all burst like bubbles!
Forget promotion; whether he could even keep his head was another matter!
The secretary beside him was even more terrified, his face bloodless and his legs shaking uncontrollably.
Shen Qing knitted her brows and kicked the recliner.
"Stop wailing like you're at a funeral. Come with me to find the deputy magistrate, now!"
She turned and took two steps.
There was not the slightest movement behind her.
Shen Qing stopped and abruptly turned around.
"If you help me take down Zhao Meng, I'll guarantee you keep your post."
At the word "post," Wu Wei shuddered and snapped his head up.
But barely a breath later, his shoulders slumped again, and he waved a hand, his face bitter.
"Commandant Shen, please don't make sport of me. What can you possibly offer as a guarantee?"
Where did a mere Subordinate Eighth Rank captain of the Dragon Guard find the confidence to make such grand claims?
Shen Qing wasted no more words, coldly tossing out a single sentence.
"The fact that my surname is Shen."
Wu Wei shook his head and propped his upper body up with a bitter smile.
"Of course I know your surname is Shen. What's the point of saying that now..."
The words reached his lips, and Wu Wei's voice abruptly stopped.
His eyes suddenly widened, and his breathing instantly quickened.
That commander of the Dragon Guard in the capital seemed to be surnamed Shen too!
Could she be that Shen?
A boom went off in Wu Wei's head, and his whole body instantly filled with drive.
He shoved aside the secretary, who was standing there scared witless, lifted the hem of his official robes, and charged outside.
"What are you standing around for! Hurry up and follow!"
The eastern side of the county office.
The deputy magistrate's office.
Wang Ruogu had just finished reviewing an official document. He lifted his celadon teacup and blew on the foam floating on top.
Before he could take a sip, someone violently kicked the door open from outside.
Commandant Shen, who was ordinarily as elusive as a divine dragon whose head appeared but never its tail, strode inside with a grim face.
Wang Ruogu's hand trembled, and his heart lurched.
Could my collusion with the city's powerful clans to drive up grain prices have been exposed?
He hurriedly set down his teacup and stepped forward to greet her.
"May I ask what brings Commandant Shen here..."
Before he could finish, another burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside.
The county magistrate came running in, panting, supported by his secretary.
Wang Ruogu's pupils contracted.
A quarter of an hour later.
The commandant's hall.
Zhao Meng tore open the envelope, drew out the letter, and scanned it, his brow furrowing slightly.
The man standing below with a sword cradled in his arms edged half a step forward.
"My lord, has something happened?"
Zhao Meng slapped the letter onto the desk, looking somewhat bemused.
"Our esteemed county magistrate has actually invited me to a banquet at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."
"He says grain prices in the city have risen too sharply, and hopes I'll speak to the powerful clans and get them to lower the prices."
The sword-bearing man let out a derisive laugh.
"At a time like this, our county magistrate is still worrying about his little official reputation?"
Zhao Meng shook his head, lifted his tea bowl, and took a sip.
"Our county magistrate has never aspired to much more."
"Will you go, my lord?"
Zhao Meng set down his tea bowl.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"The old man's army hasn't arrived yet. It's not time to tear away the pretense. We might as well keep those fools settled for now."
The sword-bearing man hesitated.
"My lord, could this be a trap?"
Zhao Meng paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Here's what we'll do. Pick twenty capable men. I'd like to see what waves those two pedantic scholars can stir up."
At noon.
The Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
In the innermost private room on the third floor, the square banquet table was laden with exquisite delicacies.
Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu sat stiffly upright, occasionally glancing toward the stairs, their palms already soaked in cold sweat.
Before long, a commotion rose downstairs.
Twenty black-clad men took up positions at every exit of the restaurant.
Zhao Meng climbed to the third floor with the sword-bearing man.
Creak.
The wooden door of the private room was pushed open.
Zhao Meng swept his gaze around. Only Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu were inside.
He withdrew his gaze, lifted his robe, and sat down.
The sword-bearing man stood half a step behind him.
Wu Wei forced a smile, raised the wine cup before him, and spoke with earnest gravity.
"I invited you both here today for the sake of the livelihoods of the city's people!"
"With roaming bandits besieging the city, everyone is on edge, and the powerful clans are driving up grain prices. If this sparks a popular uprising, everything will be lost."
"My three-year term is nearly over. At this critical juncture, I hope you two colleagues will lend a hand and help me through this difficult pass!"
With that, Wu Wei tipped back his head and drained his cup.
Seeing this, Wang Ruogu immediately raised his own cup and stood.
"Since the magistrate has spoken, I will certainly cooperate to the fullest!"
Having said that, Wang Ruogu also tipped back his head and downed his wine in one brisk, decisive motion.
The two set down their cups and looked at Zhao Meng in unison.
Zhao Meng took hold of the white jade wine cup before him.
"Since both of you have spoken, naturally I have no reason to refuse."
He lifted the cup and slowly brought it toward his lips.
Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu held their breath, craning their necks slightly forward as they stared fixedly at Zhao Meng's movements.
The next second.
Zhao Meng's wrist stopped, and he suddenly placed the cup back on the table.
Wu Wei's and Wang Ruogu's hearts lurched at the same time, and their smiles nearly slipped.
Wang Ruogu reacted quickly, hurriedly picking up the wine pot and preparing to rise and urge him to drink again.
Zhao Meng leaned back in his chair, studying the two with a faint, ambiguous smile.
"I'm actually very curious. Just what have you two uncovered?"
As though struck by lightning, Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu shot up from their chairs.
Boom!
The landscape-painted screen at the back of the private room exploded!
Amid flying splinters, Shen Qing hurtled through the air, a long saber gripped in her hand.
A flash of snow-bright saber light slashed straight at Zhao Meng!
"My lord, watch out!"
The sword-bearing man behind Zhao Meng reacted with incredible speed.
His longsword left its sheath, becoming a cold star as it thrust into the saber light with unerring precision!
The saber light shattered, and the sword radiance dispersed.
The square banquet table was shaken to pieces by the terrifying force, spilling wine and dishes all over the floor.
Using the recoil, the sword-bearing man seized Zhao Meng by the back of his collar and pulled him away.
Shen Qing landed and flicked the wine from her blade.
She cast a sidelong glance at the two men beside her, who were scurrying away like rats with their hands over their heads, and sneered.
"I told you civil officials were useless. When it comes to killing, in the end, you still have to rely on the blade in your hand!"