Ashes to Crown

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: A Discrepancy

A dozen or so horses stood motionless against the biting wind. The men astride them, wrapped in black cloaks, looked like a dark, gathering storm.

The posthouse soldiers didn’t dare approach.

”Lord Deng, you’ve arrived so quickly?” Qi Du You dashed over to the men and addressed one of them with great enthusiasm. ”I was just on my way to report to you. I’ve already finished questioning everyone here—”

The Posthouse Minister knew exactly what kind of person Qi Du You was. He strutted about the entire prefecture as he pleased, and even his brother-in-law, the Prefectural Governor, didn’t dare rein him in.

He never thought he would see Qi Du You acting so sycophantic toward this Lord Deng.

’Is it because he’s a court official? Are court officials known for their bad tempers?’

The Posthouse Minister’s gaze fell upon the Minister of the Imperial Guard, Deng Yi. He looked to be in his thirties, with a pale complexion. His features weren’t exactly handsome, but they were by no means unpleasant. He wore no smile, yet he didn’t appear arrogant, nor did he snap at Qi Du You.

”I already checked in the city, so I came over myself,” he said, his voice gentle. ”It also saves Qi Du You an extra trip.”

’Isn’t he being rather polite?’ the Posthouse Minister thought.

Qi Du You didn’t relax in the slightest. He thanked him nervously, then pointed toward the Posthouse Minister. ”Lord Deng, would you like to question him as well?”

Deng Yi said, ”If it’s no trouble, I’ll hear his account myself.”

Qi Du You quickly turned his head and shouted, ”Xu Ling! Xu Ling! Get over here and answer his questions!”

Startled by the summons, the Posthouse Minister felt a strange sense of panic. He rushed over and bowed to Deng Yi. ”I am Xu Ze, Posthouse Minister of North Cao Town’s posthouse. Greetings, Lord Deng.”

Deng Yi nodded at him. ”Posthouse Minister Xu, have you recently seen any Escort Masters heading toward Yunzhong County?”

’So he really is asking all over again? Qi Du You clearly said he’d already asked and found nothing. These officials from the Capital City are so full of themselves. Hmm, that Ah Jiu was the same way. After questioning me, he went and questioned Mrs. Yang all over again.’

’Then again, maybe it has nothing to do with arrogance. They’re just suspicious and don’t trust anyone.’

His mind wandering, the Posthouse Minister quickly answered, ”No.”

Deng Yi asked again, ”Not necessarily to Yunzhong County. What about any Escort Masters heading west? And not necessarily Escort Masters. A larger group, and most importantly, with two young women in their party.”

’Two?’ The Posthouse Minister’s heart skipped a beat. That strange feeling was back again.

”Two of them,” Qi Du You added from the side. ”Miss Chu and a maidservant.”

The phrase ’a young miss and a maidservant’ drifted through the Posthouse Minister’s mind. He shook his head and said slowly, ”No.”

”That’s right, Lord Deng,” said Qi Du You. ”Those Escort Masters all bypass the posthouses. He really doesn’t know anything here.” Then he added another enthusiastic invitation, ”My lord, why don’t you come in and rest your feet? The posthouse may be crude, but we have hot food and wine.”

Deng Yi ignored him. His narrow eyes scrutinized the Posthouse Minister as he asked slowly, ”In that case, Posthouse Minister Xu, have you seen any strange people heading toward Yunzhong County recently?”

The Posthouse Minister felt his thoughts slowing down. He heard his own voice drawl, ”N—o.”

CRACK! A whip suddenly appeared before the Posthouse Minister’s eyes, slicing through the cold wind as it lashed toward him.

The Posthouse Minister cried out in terror and scrambled back. Thankfully, the whip didn’t actually strike his face, only cracking in the air before his eyes.

”Well? Did you see them or not?”

The soft-spoken Minister of the Imperial Guard bellowed.

The air outside the posthouse froze. Qi Du You clutched his chest, his eyes wide with shock. He had clearly been terrified by the scene as well.

’This Lord Deng Yi... his temper really is terrifying!’ the Posthouse Minister cried inwardly. His scattered thoughts snapped into focus, and he blurted out, ”Yes!”

Huh?

Qi Du You stared at the Posthouse Minister. ’You old fool, what are you talking about? Didn’t you just say no?’

”It’s like this.” Startled by the whip, the Posthouse Minister was no longer distracted. His eyes were sharp, his mind clear, and his voice crisp. ”Recently, a mother and her two daughters passed through the posthouse, also heading for Yunzhong County. My mind wandered because I was thinking of them.”

’A mother and two daughters? That’s not the same as Miss Chu,’ Qi Du You shot the Posthouse Minister another glare. ’What was that old fool’s mind wandering for? He must have a guilty conscience. He probably extorted a pretty penny from that mother and her girls.’

”Plenty of people are heading toward Yunzhong County,” he snapped. ”Just answer what his lordship asks you. Stop spouting nonsense.”

The Posthouse Minister quickly apologized. ”Yes, yes. It’s my fault. I’ve wasted his lordship’s time.”

Deng Yi nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face. ”You’re too polite, Posthouse Minister Xu. It’s right to think a little more.”

Looking at the faint smile on Deng Yi’s face, the Posthouse Minister shuddered. He now understood what Qi Du You meant about the man’s terrifying temper. ’This isn’t just a terrifying temper! The man’s a complete psycho!’

’He turns hostile in an instant, strikes without warning, and then gives you a smile right after.’

’To become the Minister of the Imperial Guard at such a young age, and to be so ruthless... I wonder what his background is.’

The Posthouse Minister mumbled in assent, not daring to say another word. Qi Du You once again enthusiastically invited Deng Yi to come inside the posthouse and rest.

Deng Yi declined, stating that he needed to continue on to the next town to investigate.

”You work too hard,” Qi Du You said with a sigh, then added in a low, complaining voice, ”And that Young Master Chu just sits comfortably in the prefecture, making Lord Deng run all over the place.”

Deng Yi smiled. ”This is my duty. Young Master Chu is a scholar, and still quite young.”

He sounded amiable and kind, but the Posthouse Minister, of course, no longer dared to believe it for a second. He stood quietly and obediently to the side, watching as Deng Yi took hold of his horse’s reins—

Suddenly, he paused. He looked past the chattering Qi Du You toward the Posthouse Minister. ”Did that mother and her two daughters travel to Yunzhong County together?”

The Posthouse Minister felt an inexplicable chill and felt his own voice begin to slow again.

”No,” he said. ”Only the two young women went.”

Two young women. Qi Du You’s eyes went wide. Deng Yi’s narrowed.

...

...

The main hall of the posthouse was crowded once again, but the atmosphere was different from when Qi Du You and his group of government officers had been there. It was quiet and somber.

The sound of footsteps outside the door broke the suffocating silence. A posthouse soldier timidly led a man inside.

”We found the cart driver.”

The cart driver hired by the woman was from a nearby village and a frequent visitor to the posthouse, so the posthouse soldiers all recognized him and had no trouble finding him.

”I have a question for you,” Deng Yi said, looking directly at the cart driver. ”The Mrs. Yang who hired your cart—do you remember the way to her home?”

The cart driver’s expression was hesitant; he looked as if he wanted to both nod and shake his head.

’Watch out or you’ll get a taste of the whip,’ the Posthouse Minister cursed inwardly, then urged the man, ”Speak up! Do you remember or not?”

The cart driver said in a panic, ”No, it’s not a matter of remembering or not. The lady didn’t have me take her all the way home. I just dropped her off in the county town, and she left.”

The county town?

That Lady Yang had said she was from Yangtun. It was still a good distance from the county town to Yangtun.

The Posthouse Minister was dumbfounded.

Deng Yi looked at the driver. ”How... did she leave?”

The driver seemed baffled by the question. ”She just... walked away.”

He couldn’t help but mimic the way she walked.

The lady had been dressed in rags and tatters, and she’d swayed and sashayed as she walked. He couldn’t help but sneak a few extra glances.

Deng Yi’s gaze shifted to the Posthouse Minister. The minister saw the ghost of a smile playing on his lips, a smile that lashed him like a whip.

”Posthouse Minister Xu, a dying woman, walking away... and she even looked good doing it.”

...

...

The county town wasn’t large, but it was bustling and prosperous.

Despite the freezing cold, the taverns and teahouses were packed with people. Even the brothels had plenty of customers in broad daylight.

In an exquisitely decorated hall thick with a cloying, sweet fragrance, customers embraced women as they drank wine around the stoves. It was truly a paradise on earth.

A woman carrying a qin swayed as she walked through the hall on her way to a private room. A regular customer spotted her and called out, ”Li Niang! Li Niang!”

Li Niang turned, gave him a flirtatious smile, and called out, ”Master.”

”Li Niang,” the customer said, catching the hem of her dress. ”I haven’t seen you in days. Who have you been keeping company with, leaving this poor lovesick fool behind?”

As if this were hilarious, Li Niang couldn’t help but giggle. ”I wasn’t with a customer. I went to be a mother for someone.”

The customer was confused. ”You mean it was a young customer? Those little chicks can be hard to please.”

Li Niang pulled her dress from his grasp, avoiding the topic with a playful pout. ”I’ll tell you all about it next time.”

She gathered her skirts and was about to walk on when a commotion erupted at the main entrance. A large group of people burst in, accompanied by the panicked shouts of the pimps and attendants.

”Officers?”

”Government men?”

”What’s going on?”

The customers and women in the hall were all startled. They turned to look, but before they could get a clear view of the newcomers, they heard a CLATTER. Li Niang’s qin had fallen from her arms to the floor.

’Was she that scared?’

But the look on Li Niang’s face wasn’t terror. It was something strange. Watching the portly man who was walking step-by-step toward her, she forced a smile. ”This... mas—ter—”

The Posthouse Minister gritted his teeth and spoke, enunciating every word: ”Lady Yang. To see you’ve made a full recovery from your grave illness... it makes me so very happy!”