Chapter 77: Probing
Gao Yunqu was trapped in this tiny space. Though her life was not in danger, she couldn't get any news from the outside, and she couldn't help but feel anxious. She used straw to cast a divination for herself. The hexagram indicated danger but no harm, but it was merely for some comfort. Every day when Zhong Yao came, she would try to speak with her, to see if she could get any information. At first, Zhong Yao paid her little mind, but ever since Gao Yunqu had exposed her past, Gao Yunqu could clearly feel her softening. So, she probed, asking, "Lady A'yuan, the weather is hot, and I'm starting to smell. Could I possibly…"
Zhong Yao looked at her wretched appearance, walked out in silence, and returned after a good while carrying two buckets of water, a cloth towel draped over the side. "Make do and wash yourself," she said coolly. With that, she retreated outside again, locked the door, and seemed to walk away.
Though it was simple, it was an unexpected delight. Gao Yunqu had never endured such hardship. She didn't show it on her face, but she felt extremely awkward inside. She immediately untied her robes and began to wash.
A moment later, footsteps approached again. Gao Yunqu stopped her movements and grew alert. "Who is it?"
"It's me," Zhong Yao's voice sounded. "I've brought you a set of my clean clothes. If you don't mind, please change into them."
She opened a crack in the door and passed the clothes inside. Gao Yunqu took them, and she closed the door again. This time, she didn't walk away but stood guard outside.
Gao Yunqu breathed a sigh of relief. While tidying herself up, she tried to talk to Zhong Yao. "Lady A'yuan is kind-hearted. Lushuang thanks you."
"'Treading on frost, one knows that solid ice is coming.' When you, my lady, set foot on the soil of Chuzhou, did you foresee today's predicament?" Zhong Yao's voice came through the thin wooden door.
Gao Yunqu gave a bitter smile. "If I could foresee the future, how could I have ended up in this prison today?"
"Ah, if only people could calculate the road ahead to seek fortune and avoid disaster, how wonderful that would be," Zhong Yao sighed faintly.
"The path ahead is so called because it is unknown. No one knows if the next step will lead to a smooth path or a deep abyss. All we mortals can do is hold fast to our beliefs and strive to walk on," Gao Yunqu also sighed.
Zhong Yao didn't reply, changing the subject instead. "My lady, what business brings you to Chuzhou?"
"I am on imperial orders to implement the New Policies in Chuzhou."
"What are the New Policies?" Zhong Yao raised an eyebrow. In the stronghold, she was cut off from the outside world and naturally knew nothing of the New Policies, but she keenly sensed that this might be the root of the problem.
Gao Yunqu explained it to her succinctly. Zhong Yao understood at once. She didn't know about other places, but for Chuzhou, these New Policies were a knife to the neck. No wonder they had been driven to such desperate measures.
"My lady, do you know where this is?"
Gao Yunqu felt a jolt, then quickly calmed herself. "I would ask Lady A'yuan to enlighten me."
"This place is called Wazhai Stronghold. It is the largest bandit stronghold in the surrounding area. It has three thousand able-bodied men, all of them combat-ready. With a call to arms, the surrounding strongholds can also be commanded. All together, there may be as many as six or seven thousand people."
Gao Yunqu's breathing tightened. She had suspected as much, and now it was confirmed.
"My lady, having fallen into a place like this, do you think you can still escape?"
Gao Yunqu fell silent. She guessed that Wei Qi would certainly send people to rescue her, and they should have received the news by now. But in these vast mountains, could they really find her? After a long while, she finally said, "The court will surely send rescue. Whether I can be saved depends on the will of Heaven."
"What if they cannot find you?"
"Then that is my fate," Gao Yunqu said with a bitter smile.
"If you were to perish, my lady, would anyone in your family shed tears for you?" Zhong Yao leaned against the door, looking up at the clear, high sky, as if asking no one in particular.
Gao Yunqu couldn't help but think of Fang Jian's tear-filled eyes. When she left the capital, she had still been angry, but the journey was long, and the calmer she became, the more she thought of Fang Jian—of her pained pleas, of her questions that resounded like metal on stone. What was Fang Jian to Gao Yunqu? She thought she had known, but now she couldn't say for sure herself. When she entered Chuzhou, she buried these thoughts and focused all her mind on official business. But now, trapped in prison with nothing to do, those thoughts all leaped out, impossible to suppress, impossible to escape, forcing her to sort through her heart bit by bit. If she fell here, what would become of Fang Jian?
"More than just shed tears. They will raze Chuzhou to the ground for me." After a long silence, Gao Yunqu suddenly smiled.
"They can do that?" Zhong Yao hadn't expected such an answer.
"If not in a day, then a hundred days. If not in a hundred days, then she will lie dormant and wait for the right time. One day, she will avenge this." That is her nature, so fierce, so obsessive. Gao Yunqu suddenly realized that what had attracted her to Fang Jian in the very beginning was the stubborn, unquenchable, blazing fire in her eyes.
Zhong Yao smiled too. "Good, I understand." She didn't say what she understood. She stood up, dusted herself off, and left.
Fang Jian, traveling light, left the capital with Xie Min and a squad of Imperial City Guard soldiers. The squad leader happened to be Cheng Zhaoyang, who had accompanied them to Qinzhou years ago. With familiar faces, things were easier. They rode swiftly, heading straight for Chuzhou.
Xie Min only learned of the situation after they were on the road. She held back for a while but finally couldn't resist asking Fang Jian, "In these vast mountains, where are we supposed to look?"
"I don't know." Fang Jian was at a loss. She had heard Xie Min's story. What couldn't be found back then, could it be found now?
"Linshen, have you considered that Lord Gao might already be…"
Fang Jian's voice was heavy. "I have. I don't know what I will find on this trip. But if I don't go and see for myself, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"What if…"
"Then I will plow through Chuzhou. I will crush the great families one by one. Surely one of them knows what happened, right? If none of them know, then they can all be buried with her." Fang Jian gave a cold smile, the bloodlust in her words palpable. Xie Min looked at her with a complicated expression, not knowing what to say. She still remembered Fang Jian's pale face the first time she entered the Jingzhao Prefecture prison. It was she who had taught Fang Jian how to be ruthless, but now she wasn't sure if she had done the right thing. It seemed she had unleashed a savage beast, and that beast was about to lose the bridle that controlled it.
Travel-worn, they stopped in a small city on the border of Chuzhou and Quzhou before entering Chuzhou proper. A contingent of several thousand soldiers from the Quzhou Army had already been mobilized and was garrisoned there. The leader was a fifth-rank Guerrilla General, Wei Licheng.
They waited for a short while outside the military camp before Wei Licheng came to greet them personally.
Cheng Zhaoyang was also the child of a meritorious noble and had known Wei Licheng since childhood. She made the introduction, "This is the eldest daughter of Marquis Wuwei, Wei Licheng."
Wei Licheng's face darkened at her words. She hated it when people introduced her like that. Her father guarded the southeastern coast, and she had specifically gone to the southwestern border precisely so that people wouldn't be reminded of her family background the moment they saw her.
"Ah, the eldest daughter of the Marquis Wuwei's family…" Fang Jian said with sudden realization, shrewdly swallowing the second half of her sentence. So this is the fierce warrior who was chased three streets by Marquis Wuwei. Seeing her expression, Wei Licheng knew what she was thinking and was so angry she stomped her foot. She turned to glare at Cheng Zhaoyang, who spread her hands innocently.
"Greetings, General Wei." Fang Jian composed her expression and cupped her hands in a salute.
"Lord Fang is too kind. Please!" Hearing this, Wei Licheng also put away the playful air of friends reuniting, greeted them formally, and invited them inside.
After a simple meal and a brief rest, the group gathered to discuss their plans.
"…This is all the information we have at present, which is far from enough to make a judgment. What is your assessment, General Wei?" Fang Jian looked at Wei Licheng.
Wei Licheng pondered for a moment before speaking. "My troops have been mobilized here for several days, and I have sent scouts into the mountains. However, the checkpoints in Chuzhou have tightened their inspections, and my men dare not advance rashly. This is highly unusual."
"Tightened their inspections?" Xie Min thought for a moment, then pointed to several places on the map. "Chuzhou is easy to defend and hard to attack. If they truly intend to rebel, their only option is to hold Chuzhou and carve out a territory for themselves. Besides the major passes, these few places are also locations that must be defended. I must trouble the General to send scouts to investigate. If there are troops stationed there as well, then it's more than likely the case."
"Alright. I'll arrange it," Wei Licheng nodded. "So, what are your plans?"
"Shouci and I have discussed it. She is from Chuzhou, and before leaving the capital, I had her send a letter home saying she had gotten some time off to return. I will disguise myself as a traveling scholar and accompany her to infiltrate the city, investigate the situation, and then decide our next move. Commander Cheng will go with us. The Imperial City Guard soldiers will disperse into the mountains with the general's scouts. One objective is to ascertain the military strength of Chuzhou—this is the general's expertise, so I will not presume to comment. The second is to pay close attention to the major bandit strongholds. We suspect that since the great families of Chuzhou reported Lord Gao missing after an encounter with bandits, they are not yet ready to tear off all pretenses. Naturally, they wouldn't dare hide her in their own private residences. It's most likely she is in some mountain stronghold." Speaking of Gao Yunqu, Fang Jian gritted her teeth. "Her Majesty's order is that we must see her, alive or dead. If there is no news in the city, then we will eradicate these mountain bandits one by one for the people of Chuzhou!"
Fang Jian changed into a simple, elegant, and flowing dress that made her look much younger. Cheng Zhaoyang carried a book box for her, pretending to be an attendant. Xie Min, as usual, wore her narrow-sleeved, round-collared robe, with her customary saber at her waist. The three of them headed towards Chuzhou. Along the way, they saw soldiers coming and going, and the atmosphere was tense. At the checkpoint outside Chuzhou city, a long line had formed. They waited for a long time, and the soldiers' questioning was much stricter than usual.
Xie Min glanced at the top of the city wall; it was clear the defenses had also been strengthened. She led Fang Jian and Cheng Zhaoyang towards her home. The citizens on the streets also looked worried. When they arrived at her house, her parents were already eagerly awaiting them. Seeing them, they hurriedly pulled them inside.
"Come quickly, the food and wine are all set out at home, we were just waiting for you to return," her mother said. Perhaps having not seen her for many years, she happily held her arm, not forgetting to welcome Fang Jian as well.
"Father, Mother, what's happening in the city?" Xie Min asked during the meal.
"We hear there's bandit trouble again, and it's quite fierce. It seems a high official was even abducted. I'm afraid there's going to be a fight," her mother said.
"Hah, listening to the government's nonsense. What kind of bandits could fight their way into Chuzhou city? Are they mad? Who knows what this bunch of useless wine sacks and rice bags are up to," her father, who had always disliked the government and the great families, said after a few sips of wine.
"Has this been happening often in recent years?" Xie Min frowned.
"How could it? It's only a recent thing. We've been on high alert for a while now. I don't know what they're planning."
After the meal, the three of them gathered in a room to confer.
"From what I've seen, the city is heavily guarded. I fear it will be difficult to probe for information," Cheng Zhaoyang, who had also been observing all along the way, remarked.
"From the looks of it, the officials of Chuzhou are likely in cahoots with the great families. Otherwise, how could they have such capability? It will probably be very difficult to inquire with the authorities," Xie Min deduced.
Fang Jian considered for a moment. "There is one person who should be trustworthy."
"Who?"
"Chuzhou Assistant Magistrate Zhou Hui. This person was a former subordinate of Lord Gao's at the Censorate. I have read Lord Gao's evaluation of her: loyal, upright, and unyielding. A person like that should not have gone along with the corruption in Chuzhou." Before she left, she had scanned all the documents on Chuzhou, including the officials' records. She looked at Xie Min and Cheng Zhaoyang. "Can you find a way to get me to her, or her to me, without being seen?"
"I'll try," Xie Min nodded, then looked a little surprised. "But how do you know Lord Gao's evaluation of Assistant Prefect Zhou?"
"Ahem." Fang Jian didn't answer the question, and the other two didn't press the matter. They each went their separate ways.
The next day, Xie Min and Cheng Zhaoyang returned with news.
"Assistant Prefect Zhou has someone watching her. It's not easy to get close." Xie Min had been running around all day and was so thirsty she gulped down water.
"But I saw two Imperial City Guard soldiers by her side. They must have been assigned to her by Lord Gao," Cheng Zhaoyang added.
Fang Jian's eyes lit up. "Then she must know some of the inside story."
"It will be very difficult to meet her without being seen, but I left the Imperial City Guard's secret signal. They should find a way to get a message to us."
Ever since Gao Yunqu's incident, Zhou Hui knew she had caused trouble for her, and she was so anxious she developed canker sores. The two soldiers by her side were sharp enough to sense the hostility around them and stayed close to Zhou Hui at all times, protecting her thoroughly.
"Lord Zhou, I saw our Imperial City Guard's Commander Cheng. Reinforcements from the capital must have arrived."
Zhou Hui was overjoyed. "Excellent! News of the disturbance in Chuzhou must reach the capital as soon as possible."
"Commander Cheng left us a signal. I'll slip out tomorrow to meet with her. Is there anything you need to convey?"
"I copied this document for Lord Gao, and she ran into trouble right after. Truly, even ten thousand deaths could not atone for my crime…" Zhou Hui sighed, handing her a letter. "I've also recorded some of the speculations I discussed with Lord Gao that day. You must deliver this to the capital so the court can be prepared."
"Yes."
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