Meng Qi covered all the villages and towns within a thirty-mile radius overnight.
No secret room or cellar could escape the rat’s intuition.
Of course, Doctor Mo helped a lot—if only that bothersome horse hadn’t been there, they worked all night, but the horse had a good night’s sleep, waking up to Mo Li feeding it bean cakes.
Grass is everywhere, can’t it eat grass?
Even a nag is so demanding! The good grass mix with beans isn’t cheap, a pile could buy several sugar cakes.
Meng Qi maintained a profound expression, hands behind his back, coldly staring at the leisurely tail-swinging horse, yet Master Meng’s chilling gaze no longer worked on it.
—It had become accustomed to the fear.
If Meng Qi continued to look, the horse would tap its hooves, seeking Mo Li’s protection.
“Do you think this looks like a horse?” Meng Qi asked with a tense face.
Mo Li found it amusing, as Meng Qi’s expression looked like he wanted to throw the horse over mountains and rivers.
“It’s smart enough. Last night we were absent, and it didn’t run off,” Mo Li patted the horse’s head and then left to buy some water at a roadside tea stall.
Meng Qi thought after the horse was fed and watered, why would it run away?
Would any place be more comfortable than here? Only a fool would run!
Ah, thinking about it, this horse really isn’t foolish!
Meng Qi grudgingly acknowledged the horse’s intelligence.
The merchant caravan they had encountered on the road had stumbled along for most of the night and also reached this small town.
It wasn’t long before dawn, and smoke was already rising from chimneys of early-rising households in the town. Everyone was thirsty and tired, so they decided to rest here.
It wasn’t Meng Qi who found out about this; as he and the doctor entered the town, they saw several people calling over the inn’s staff. The inn didn’t have enough food, so the staff had to find sellers of flatbread and buns, also instructing someone to deliver a batch of fresh vegetables. They chatted warmly, unwittingly selling out the merchant caravan’s news completely.
“Oh, you two are really unlucky, the inn is fully booked,” the attendant saw Meng Qi and his companion looking around and hurried over in front of the inn, explaining with a smile.
“Only one inn in town?” Mo Li also put on a hat.
Last night, he and Meng Qi had sneaked into the city and were busy, likely causing the nearby county town to be restless today.
“Isn’t that so, our place is small, can’t accommodate many people, but…” the attendant’s voice involuntarily became softer, sensing from Mo Li’s demeanor that this person might be somewhat significant, thus he couldn’t continue.
“But what?”
“… Uh, it’s a ‘foot inn.'”
The attendant blurted out upon Meng Qi’s glance, shivering immediately after.
He regretted it deeply; a foot inn was where cart drivers and laborers stayed, all sleeping together in a large communal room, capable of housing over twenty people.
Such places were available on a first-come, first-serve basis, where everyone slept in their clothes. The sound of snoring and teeth grinding was a minor issue, not to mention the unpleasant odors. Some even wore their shoes to bed because taking them off would likely awaken everyone with the stench.
“Otherwise, why don’t you rest at the town’s teahouse? There are also places to stay nearby,” the attendant quickly added, trying to rectify his blunder.
Mo Li noncommittally led the horse inside.
Only upon reaching the teahouse did he understand what the attendant meant.
—Next to the teahouse was a two-story building adorned with red lanterns, bearing the name “The Red Mansion.”
The town often hosted merchants, so brothels and teahouses were naturally available.
It was morning, and the door of The Red Mansion was half-open, with only a green-robed doorman sweeping melon seed shells.
“He wasn’t wrong; indeed, one can stay here,” Meng Qi remarked teasingly.
Mo Li gave him a resigned look, tethered the horse to the roadside, and didn’t enter the teahouse but instead took another path to the town’s cart and horse station.
Meng Qi naturally didn’t think Mo Li intended to sell the horse. He followed leisurely as Mo Li purchased hay from the station and then bought water from a roadside tea stall.
As for the special treatment for his beloved, Meng Qi’s share was: even bitterer medicine.
Others drank tea; he drank medicine.
Last night, sneaking into the city, Meng Qi took the local magistrate’s hidden gold and silver from the study’s compartment and neatly arranged them at the foot of the bed and on a low table in the bedroom. He then wandered around the storeroom for a while and caught two suspected followers of the Holy Lotus Sect.
Turning around, he found Mo Li had passed by the well to draw water and stopped by the pharmacy to leave money and take some herbs.
Meng Qi: “…”
What happened to their plan to look for the deceitful followers of the Holy Lotus Sect in the city?
He suspected that Mo Li already had a prescription in mind, and entering the city was just for collecting and brewing the medicine.
***
Fifty miles from the small town, in Chen County.
The carefully saved money was completely taken out and placed in the bedroom, not a penny less. Although there were no terrifying blood or ink writings on the walls, the magistrate, supported by his concubine and maid, was so frightened that he sat paralyzed in the grand chair, clutching his throat.
Being able to stealthily enter the secret chamber where the money was hidden meant that it would be just as easy to take his head. The magistrate was terrified, ordering a thorough investigation and preparing to urgently deploy over thirty bailiffs and guards for night shifts.
Before they could gather everyone, bad news came from the county treasury. The treasury keeper somehow got locked inside, crying out for help. When they opened the treasury, no one was seen.
Following the sounds, they found him locked in a trunk.
To be exact, he was trapped inside a box.
A large box originally holding fabrics and grains had a hole on its side, showing the man’s head. The box was large enough for a person to curl up inside with room to move.
However, the box was locked, and he could only helplessly roll on the ground with the box.
After a few rolls, he could move no further, only left with the strength to wail.
The people found the key and clumsily opened the box. After rescuing the man, they realized something was amiss. Where were the original contents of the box? The treasury keeper hesitantly said he didn’t know, then confidently blamed it on thieves who took the valuables and locked him inside.
This person managed the treasury, but did not work night shifts. He was a minor official in the yamen and related to the magistrate, usually wielding some power.
The county deputy, sensing something amiss, immediately ordered all the boxes to be opened for inspection. They found only rotten fabric and broken copper coins inside, and he erupted in fury, no longer caring about the magistrate’s dignity, and had the minor official arrested and thrown into the major prison.
Regardless of whether the items were stolen or if there had been falsified accounts previously, the incident could not be concealed due to the many rumors. The county deputy had to take a stand, and everyone knew that thieves could not possibly have carried an entire warehouse’s worth of fabric away in one night.
Was it easier to transport fabric or the gold and silver hidden in the magistrate’s study? Even a fool could decide!
Troubles arose not only in the yamen but also in the homes of several local gentry and elders, which caused quite a stir. When outsiders asked, they only mentioned thieves but did not report it to the officials.
The townspeople saw constables running back and forth, the atmosphere in the city was tense, the city gates were under strict surveillance, and searches were conducted everywhere.
Vagrants and idlers were caught and interrogated, asked to recall if they had seen any suspicious outsiders.
Every day, merchants from other places visited the city. Now that the question had been raised, everyone seemed suspicious, so they racked their brains and spoke at length, and the constables and soldiers also ran around all day, yet found nothing.
By evening, the constables finally noticed something else unusual in the city.
“What? You’re saying Master Yin from the Western City’s Academy is missing?”
This scholar, a forty-something-year-old originally from Yangzhou in Jiangnan, had settled in Chen County after the fall of the Chu Dynasty. Though he had scholarly honors and often interacted with the local gentry, he was not wealthy and had not married.
His disappearance was reported by people from the academy.
The constables, along with a crowd, stormed over aggressively.
Upon arrival, they found that the situation was indeed unusual. Master Yin’s small courtyard was empty, not just the scholar but also an old servant was missing, and the doors were wide open.
When they reached the main house, they discovered a crack beside the bedroom bed large enough for a person to pass through.
A basement had been dug underneath, not small in size, filled with stored grain and weapons.
—This was no small matter! Someone was plotting a rebellion!
The magistrate of Chen County, upon hearing the report, almost fainted again.
“… Below the basement, there was also a shrine, with a plaque for the Ziwei Emperor,” the constable reported carefully, wiping sweat, “I heard there are followers nearby who claim to be from the Holy Lotus Sect and worship the Ziwei Emperor.”
“Damn it!”
The magistrate panted heavily, his expression fluctuating in the candlelight.
He gritted his teeth and ordered the continued search for Master Yin and any possible accomplices in the city, then turned to discuss with his advisors.
“Elder Dong, it could be infighting among those rebels, and Master Yin is likely already dead,” his advisor astutely suggested, eyes spinning, “He could kill and silently empty the treasury. Why wouldn’t he take the money but only kidnap people? There must be a major conspiracy here, Elder Dong, you must not act rashly.”
The magistrate immediately nodded in agreement: “Exactly, this is not a simple case, I will call everyone back.”
The matter of rebellion was too grave; he needed to find a way to absolve himself of negligence.
The magistrate paced the room, desperately thinking of a solution.
If he could prove that this incident did not occur under his administration, or downplay the issue, merely labeling it as banditry and claiming that Master Yin’s home was actually a den of thieves, the case could be settled. As for the Holy Lotus Sect’s rebels, he needed to keep a close watch and find an opportunity to report it as an achievement, provided he could get past this immediate crisis.
The magistrate made up his mind and instructed his aides accordingly.
He didn’t notice a shadow flitting past the window.
***
In the small town.
The owner of the horse station was effusively praising the horse’s splendid qualities, mixing truth with exaggeration, primarily aiming to persuade Mo Li to purchase a high-quality leather saddle.
“Using it to pull a cart is really beneath it; there are plenty of ordinary horses for that, but such fine steeds are rare. Why not sell your cart, or perhaps buy an ordinary horse to pull it? You riding this horse, especially with a fine saddle, would look exceptionally impressive.”
Mo Li had never encountered such a relentless and nagging salesperson.
The small town’s horse station wasn’t large, and customers were few, so how could he let such an opportunity pass?
The station’s staff wasn’t fooled by Mo Li and Meng Qi’s plain clothes. Being able to maintain such a fine horse and feed it such quality fodder—how could they not have money? Not only did they have money, but they also seemed like easy marks who didn’t know much about horses!
Mo Li understood this logic and felt somewhat helpless.
Meng Qi wanted to laugh inside, but his face remained expressionless.
—This troublemaking horse might just get the doctor angry this time.
“Otherwise, why not swap your cart as well? Our carts can carry quite a bit of goods! They definitely won’t break down midway. As the saying goes, ‘out with the old, in with the new,’ getting a new cart is also a good omen!”
The clerk, observing the deep ruts from the cart, eagerly suggested.
Throughout this exchange, the cart’s curtain remained closed. The clerk also sneakily peeked a few times, unsure of what exactly was inside.
Mo Li had no choice but to pretend he hadn’t heard, purchased enough fodder, loaded it onto the cart’s roof, and hurriedly left.
“Doctor, do we need to buy anything else? We should leave quickly,” Meng Qi said to Mo Li as he got on the cart.
“Are they coming?”
Mo Li asked in surprise. Were the Holy Lotus Sect’s movements so swift?
Last night, they had encountered several members of the sect. In addition to ordinary citizens, they had captured four individuals who either harbored weapons at home or whose identities were highly suspicious.
Apart from Master Yin, who seemed to be a leader, the others had their martial skills disabled and were abandoned outside the city.
It was expected that the Holy Lotus Sect would react.
This was drawing the snake out of its hole.
“It seems that Master Yin holds a high position within the sect,” Meng Qi glanced at the carriage, thinking disdainfully. Later, he planned to clean the carriage thoroughly—it was, after all, their carriage.
Author’s Note:
Clerk: Look at this saddle, perfectly matched, riding this horse you would look exceptionally impressive
Mo Li: …I’m not Brother Meng, what do I need with looking impressive?
