Fate's Attendant 1.45

Beitang Rong arrived early the next morning at the estate’s gate. The shízhǎng on duty, Cai Shi, dutifully attempted to turn him back, but the clerk insisted he had important news for the Yu’s steward.

That meeting in the visitor’s hall only lasted for about the time it takes one to drink of cup of tea before Chen Wenbin was sent for. Another short time passed after his arrival, and then the whole estate heard the xiàowèi’s roar.

The servants who’d stood nearby all learned about Chen Zhengyi’s death and about how the wounds had been made by a shard of rock. The clerk had sounded sympathetic to the Chen family’s loss, but he was also firm about asking why the Rock Knives might target such a prominent individual in the city as Chen Wenbin’s nephew.

Silence descended on the visitor’s hall, then. The servants were unable to hear anything else, even after pressing their ears to the walls. They went scurrying when the doors were opened and the steward sent for Hong Fei.

The estate, already bruised by the events of the previous day, was sent reeling once more.

###

Zhang Dehua sat in the same chair in the visitor’s hall as the last time he’d met with a representative of the Office of Crime and Punishment. His eyes were narrowed in concentration; the exhaustion from spending an entire day and evening in meetings with the Yu family had been burned away with this latest news.

The arrangements Zhang Dehua had made with the Rock Knives were apparently false. The gang seemed to no longer feel the need to leave the Yu family and its retainers alone despite his threats.

The gang had gone so far as to strike at the house directly, and it was only a day after hearing about the duke’s death. What else were they planning? What about the Yu family’s other enemies in Ruby Swift City, elsewhere on the island, and on the mainland?

The implications were stunning. The house would need to move up the timetable for the transition of power. There was also the matter of retaliation. Their enemies mustn’t be allowed to believe they can act without consequences.

Chen Wenbin sat to the side, his face red from rage. He was a man of discipline—that he felt so moved to take reckless action was a testament to his intense frustration.

The xiàowèi had spent decades proving himself to the Yu family. He’d believed that he would one day win their trust completely and they would eventually come to find in him a savior to their troubles. When that hadn’t happened, his plans had begun to include forging marital ties. Whether it was through Young Zhengyi or Mei Hua, marriage to one or both of the Yu grandchildren would create a bond the duke couldn’t ignore.

Those efforts were wasted now. With Zhengyi dead, there would be no suitor from the Chen family for Yu Ning. As for Yu Yong, the young man had neutered himself with that stupid misadventure of his.

Mei Hua thought the young man might be salvaged, but Chen Wenbin knew Yu Yong could never take the old duke’s place. News of such a thing would make all the family’s enemies laugh with glee.

The position Chen Wenbin had thought within his reach was no longer possible. Not now, not with his nephew’s stupidity. Just what had the boy been doing? Surely, he could’ve kept away from the brothels on the night of learning of the duke’s death?

Beitang Rong sat opposite Zhang Dehua, with Chen Wenbin in the chair in between and to the side. The clerk sipped at the delicate tea that had been offered to him and watched the retainers of the Yu family struggling with the news he’d brought.

It had shocked him, as well. The Rock Knives were bold, but an assassination at this level would’ve been impossible just the day before. The duke’s death had dramatically changed the city’s landscape.

The struggles between houses would only escalate over the coming days and years. They’d fight for power and wealth, the battle lines shifting near constantly. He could well imagine it: when one family appeared to surge ahead, the others would band together to drag them down.

A smart and bold man might use such a setting to further his own goals. He might even take advantage of the situation to badly hurt the Rock Knives.

Families like the Yu’s were like tigers, fierce even when badly wounded. No, he thought, they were worse—they became more ferocious the more badly they were wounded.

###

The three men looked up at the door opening. Hong Fei nodded to each one before closing it behind him. He noted how the settee had been removed and replaced by a chair. The three chairs sat in a semicircle with the open side facing the door. It looked like the men in them were the audience to a play he was about to present, which wasn’t far from the truth really.

He took a subtle breath to ease the tension running through him. “You sent for me? Has there been another attack?”

The members of the audience startled at the question, but it was Clerk Beitang who asked, “How did you know?”

“Ah, I was right,” Hong Fei responded. “Which shop was it this time? Not the Gallant Hero, they’ve only begun restocking their goods.”

Chen Wenbin’s voice came out in a near growl. “Young Zhengyi was murdered.”

“What?” Hong Fei’s tone hardened. “Be serious; this is nothing to joke about.”

Chen Wenbin half got out of his chair before controlling himself. “I was not joking,” he said stiffly.

Hong Fei blinked twice in rapid succession and let his brow furrow. “What?” he repeated, then went silent. The more he talked, the more likely he’d fumble.

Fortunately, Steward Dehua saw it as his duty to brief the dūtóu. “Last night, the Rock Knives assassinated Young Zhengyi. He was found behind a butcher chop—hung from one of the hooks used to hold their stock before it’s brought inside.”

“I don’t understand. Why?” Hong Fei asked, then paused and narrowed his lips. “The Rock Knives you say…”

Mentioning the gang got the clerk’s attention. “You know something?” he asked.

“I can’t help thinking…” Hong Fei replied, then began to pace. “The Rock Knives are the source of dream blossom wine in Ruby Swift City. Did they need to silence Chen Zhengyi for some reason? Not to speak ill of the boy, but how deeply was he involved with them?”

“My nephew had no dealings with the gang,” Chen Wenbin protested. “If he purchased the wine, he must’ve gotten it from elsewhere.”

“Mmm, that’s likely true,” Hong Fei said, stroking his beard. “Either from Ma Mo or even Ma Zhi directly.”

Chen Wenbin stood up, outraged. “You dare insult my subordinate?”

Zhang Dehua gestured for him to sit and sighed as if in disappointment. “Hong Fei, this is no time for petty grievances. Accusations…”

Hong Fei paused his pacing to interrupt the steward. “Did you find the other tubes in Chen Zhengyi’s courtyard?”

Zhang Dehua eyed the dūtóu, then chose to follow along. “We did, and the contents were as you’d surmised—dream blossom extract. A particularly potent formulation, in fact. We brought in an alchemist to verify it.”

Hong Fei nodded. “I saw those same tubes in a trunk within Ma Zhi’s study, along with papers describing the Yu family’s security procedures in depth. I would think that the shízhǎng would know them well, unless they were meant for someone else, eh?”

Both Chen Wenbin and Zhang Dehua stilled as the words registered.

“You had best begin at the beginning,” the steward said. The words had been plain, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“After the episode with the gambling ring,” Hong Fei began, “I continued investigating Ma Mo to make sure he hadn’t been compromised. That was when I saw him meeting with a member of the Rock Knives. He visited one of their residences in the middle city.”

“Which is why you also investigated Ma Zhi,” the steward said, jumping ahead.

“To see how deeply the rot extended, yes.” Hong Fei glanced toward Beitang Rong. “I must also admit I withheld information from the good clerk in order to protect that investigation. The night of the attempted kidnapping, it was Ma Mo who pointed the Rock Knives at Clerk Beitang’s courtyard.”

Beitang Rong had been listening to the Yu retainers’ squabbling, fitting the information he’d learned with what he already knew. He sat up, however, at this latest revelation.

“My apologies,” Hong Fei said, bowing to him. “But I couldn’t risk the Ma family hiding their involvement. As you well know, there are spies in your office.”

“And spies in our house,” Zhang Dehua added, grimacing.

Hong Fei nodded. “It seems so.”

“Confirm it for me,” Zhang Dehua said. “You saw the dream blossom extract inside the Ma residence?”

“I did,” Hong Fei replied. “I snuck in through a window and opened a trunk in Ma Zhi’s study. That is where I saw them and the papers. In the main hall, she was talking to Ma Mo, but their words were masked by magic.”

“Ma Zhi doesn’t know any such spells,” Chen Wenbin reported. Only the rigidity of his discipline kept him from rising to his feet, to storm the estate searching for answers.

“Then there was someone else with them,” Hong Fei said. “The view was blocked, and then I had to withdraw to keep from being caught.”

“You are rather free with your authority,” the steward observed.

“A dūtóu acts as he must, and not always on the battlefield,” Hong Fei replied.

Zhang Dehua nodded. He’d heard the duchess say as much. “Was the goal to make Yu Yong an addict, I wonder? To create one more weakness within the house?”

“Why kill my nephew, however?” Chen Wenbin asked. “That’s stupidity. Any connection to dream blossom wine would naturally bring the Rock Knives to mind.”

“Perhaps someone panicked,” Hong Fei suggested. “Or it was an unrelated personal grievance. We won’t know until we catch the killer.”

Beitang Rong smiled wryly. “Not that I don’t trust the word of the Yu’s esteemed dūtóu, but we need proof. All we have so far is one witness’s statement.”

“Then what do you recommend?” Hong Fei asked.

“A raid. Right now, at this moment.” Clerk Beitang glanced between the assembled Yu retainers. “I have a certain Deputy Clerk He with me, and I find that I could use more trustworthy help. If the xiàowèi and the steward would be willing, the three of us will see for ourselves what’s to find at the Ma residence.”

“We’ll need more than three to stop anyone from destroying evidence or fleeing,” Chen Wenbin observed.

“Take Cai Shi and his patrol,” Hong Fei suggested. “They’re reliable and currently on duty. If there’s an informer among them, they’d have no time to send a warning, which is also true of Deputy Clerk He. Keep them close by.”

“Xiàowèi Chen, Steward Zhang, what do you make of this proposal?” Beitang Rong asked.

“Let it be so,” Zhang Dehua replied.

While Chen Wenbin turned to Hong Fei. “If it turns out our dūtóu is right, then I’ll strangle Ma Zhi myself.”

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ToC  | Next Chapter >

Characters who’ve been mentioned previously are: 

• Auntie Ling, a summons 

• Scholar Sun Han, a summons 

• Beitang Rong, Clerk of the Office of Crime and Punishment 

• Cai Shi, a Yu shízhǎng, morning gate patrol 

• Chen Wenbin, the commander of Duke Yu's household troops 

• Chen Zhengyi, companion to Yu Yong 

• Deputy Clerk He, works for Beitang Rong but likely a Rock Knife spy

• Mei Hua, companion to Yu Ning 

• Yu Ning, granddaughter to Duke and Duchess Yu 

• Yu Yong, grandson to Duke and Duchess Yu 

• Zhang Dehua, the Yu steward