Chapter 150: A Miscalculated Move

The Upheaval of the Five Barbarians was a tremendous catastrophe for the Han Chinese nation, not only claiming the lives of countless Han people but also destroying social morality and fundamental values. Ever since then, the collapse of ritual and music became the mainstream. As the empire gradually settled into peace, Confucian scholars attempted to forge a new social order and moral standard. Zhang Miaoke was a prime example; her marriage to Yun Hao was lavishly praised by prominent scholars.

However, most Sui dynasty women remained fierce and unyielding, and Red Duster was an outstanding representative among them. Faced with Yun Hao's suggestion, she hesitated for a mere two seconds. Those two seconds were spent guessing why Yun Hao would possibly want to help her.

Not every woman possessed the courage to stake her life on a single throw, and Red Duster drew a deep breath. She dragged the young maidservant into the room, anxiously tightening the red cord Yun Hao had used to bind her. Making sure there were no flaws, she covered the maidservant with a blanket. The maidservant Yun Hao had selected happened to be of a similar build and appearance to Red Duster; with the blanket over her, one could hardly tell the difference at a glance.

Having taken two steps toward the exit, Red Duster turned back. The maid had only been knocked unconscious and would not remain senseless for long. If she struggled violently and attracted attention, then—! Deciding to make a clean sweep of it, Red Duster’s hands clamped fiercely around the young maid’s neck.

Having settled everything, Red Duster used the light of an oil lamp to carefully examine the map Yun Hao had left behind. The courtyard where Li Jing resided was circled with a piece of charcoal by Yun Hao's hand.

Though Li Jing's dwelling seemed far from Yun Hao's, taking the main road required rounding two street corners. For Red Duster, however, she merely needed to cross two rooftops to easily reach Li Jing's courtyard.

Tugging her garments tighter around herself, Red Duster stepped out the door without a moment's hesitation. In this lifetime, one always had to gamble at least once. Compared to a future of living under someone else's roof and depending on their mercy, this gamble was well worth taking.

Li Jing had merely checked in at the start of the evening banquet before slipping away midway. The post of registrar was, in truth, an internal office within the Duke of Chu's estate. To put it bluntly, he was Yang Su's private assistant. The prominent figures in the city of Luoyang naturally paid no heed to such a minor character. Li Jing's departure was quiet and seamless, attracting no one's attention.

The winter courtyard was desolate and cold; today was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Everyone else in the courtyard had gone off to gamble, and Li Jing found himself utterly unable to sleep upon returning to his room. Instead, he stood in the veranda corridor, lifting his head to gaze at the silver-plate moon.

Once upon a time, he too had harbored grand ambitions. A pupil of his maternal uncle Han Qinhu, he had mastered both civil and military arts, yet found himself unable to sell his skills to the imperial house. He was reduced to lingering as a mere registrar within the Duke of Chu's estate. Heavens! How unjust you were to Li Jing!

The singing girl he had seen today—how brilliantly radiant and moving she had been. Li Jing still remembered that burning gaze; he had never seen such a woman before. She imprinted herself instantly upon a person's heart, and whenever he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with that searing look. Yet... yet tomorrow, she might well become playthings in another man's bedchamber.

Every time Li Jing imagined Red Duster submitting to another man beneath his hips, his heart felt as though it were being slashed by knives. Restlessly pacing back and forth along the corridor, he looked precisely like a tiger trapped in a cage.

Suddenly, a figure in blazing red flashed across the rooftop, borrowing leverage from a corridor pillar for the briefest moment before dropping lightly to the ground. By the moonlight, Li Jing beheld the face he had dreamed of.

"Red Duster! Is it you?" Li Jing blinked hard and pinched his thigh. He was terrified this might be a hallucination!

Carefully extracting a stack of paper from his bundle, Yun Hao used his small hands to puff it open from within. He shaped the paper mass into a paper bag, attaching two thin strings to a tiny copper coin. Carefully planting a candle onto the copper coin, a dainty Kongming lantern was thus completed.

Stepping into the courtyard, he cautiously lit the Kongming lantern. As the lantern rose slightly higher than the rooftop, Yun Hao tied the thin strings to a tree. With such an obvious marker, Hou Junji should have no trouble spotting it.

Sure enough, no more than the time it took to burn a stick of incense after lighting the lantern, Hou Junji dropped down from the rooftop in an inverted swallow dive, steadying himself against a corridor pillar as he landed.

"Brother Hao!"

"Get inside!" Yun Hao tugged at Hou Junji's sleeve, and the two of them ducked into the room.

"You weren't spotted, were you? This is the Duke of Chu's estate, and there must be quite a few experts here," Yun Hao asked with a trace of worry. Yang Su's influence was far greater than Li Yuan's; it was utterly impossible for him not to have a few martial experts under his command.

***

"The banquet is swarming with experts, but your courtyard is only guarded by small fry. I wasn't discovered when I came in!"

"Good!" Things fell precisely as anticipated. With Yang Su hosting such a grand banquet today, security measures were bound to be meticulously thorough, and presumably all the top-tier experts of the Duke of Chu's estate had been deployed there. Until the banquet ended, countless loopholes remained exploitable. Doubtless, Li Jing and Red Duster's escape would be all the easier.

"This matter was rushed, and there was no time to explain everything in detail to Master Chai. Go back and tell Master Chai that though Yun Hao is young, he is no weather-vane turning with the wind. My heart, dedicated to the Duke of Tang, remains unchanged. Tomorrow, I will find a way to slip out of the Duke's estate. By then, you must...!" Leaning close to Hou Junji's ear, Yun Hao gave detailed instructions.

Who in their right mind would want to stay in the Duke of Chu's estate? Even though Duke Yang Su was currently at the zenith of his power, Yun Hao knew this old turtle didn't have much longer to live. His son, Yang Xuangan, would launch a rebellion while Emperor Yang of Sui was on the expedition to Liaodong. That rebellion successfully dispatched the entire family to the Underworld, and getting mixed up with the Yang family meant facing that executioner's blade sooner or later. Yun Hao had no desire to become the target of a brutal slaughter when the imperial armies closed in.

***

Yang Su was in a marvelous mood. At the banquet the previous night, Yun Hao's words of blessing had struck right at his heart: *May your blessings be as boundless as the Eastern Sea, and your longevity match the eternal pines of the Southern Mountain.* What a wonderful sentiment! Perhaps aided by this youngster, the Yang family's fortunes truly would endure for generations. The reigning Son of Heaven seemed far inferior to his present self back in the day. That supreme throne...

Yang Su had been exceedingly merry last night and had drunk a bit too much wine. Awakening in the morning, he still felt a lingering hangover. But there was no helping it; today was the actual day of his grand birthday celebration. Countless colleagues, juniors, and even the Crown Prince himself would come to his home to offer felicitations. No matter what, he had to rise early to receive the birthday greetings of his descendants and kin.

Having washed and dressed, Yang Su had barely taken two sips of congee when Yang Xuangan walked in, his face devoid of joy and seemingly wreathed in irritation.

"Xuangan, how many times must I tell you? A person must have depth of character; do not let joy or anger show on your face. Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, your expression must not waver—that is the proper bearing for an official and the head of the Yang family. Today is my grand birthday, and you wear that expression for whom to see?" Seeing Yang Xuangan's demeanor, Yang Su could not help speaking with a hint of displeasure.

"Reporting to Father, today is your natal day, and I originally wished not to trouble you with this matter. Since Father puts it thus, Xuangan has no choice but to speak the truth."

"Oh? What has happened in the estate?" Hearing Yang Xuangan speak in such a tone, Yang Su felt an involuntary start of alarm. Could something untoward have occurred within the mansion?

"Registrar Li Jing eloped last night with the singing girl presented by the Duke of Tang's estate," Yang Xuangan said, exasperated and furious.

"Who did you say? Li Jing eloped with a singing girl?" Yang Su found it hard to believe his own ears. He knew Li Jing's talents well; for the sake of a mere singing girl, surely he wouldn't go that far!

"That singing girl was a tribute from the Duke of Tang's estate. Hearing today that she was exceptionally beautiful, this child wanted to summon her for an audience, to see if she could perform a dance at today's evening banquet. Who would have expected—!"

Seeing his son speak with such grief and indignation, Yang Su understood the situation instantly. Assuredly, that singing girl was breathtakingly lovely, and those sycophantic stewards had rushed to break the news to Yang Xuangan early this morning. They simply hadn't expected Li Jing to seize the initiative, whisking the person away. Now, both Li Jing and the singing girl had vanished without a trace.

If another steward had run off with a singing girl, it would hardly be a major event—at worst, it was just a romantic indiscretion. Catching them and beating them to death with heavy staves, or castrating them to keep them around as eunuchs, either would do. But the man in question was Li Jing, and that made things somewhat thorny.

Li Jing was a man of comprehensive civil and military talents, and Yang Su relied upon him quite heavily. Moreover, he was the nephew of his old friend Han Qinhu, so there were no issues whatsoever regarding trust. Yang Su frequently discussed top-secret matters and entrusted them to Li Jing. Yet he never imagined that Li Jing would actually be enticed away by a singing girl today. He feared nothing else; he only feared that Li Jing might divulge some of the secrets hidden within the Duke's estate. If those with ulterior motives found out, the trouble would be immense.

The current Son of Heaven was already exerting himself to curtail the power of the major aristocratic clans. If he were caught holding this handle against them, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"When did this happen?!" Yang Su's previously high spirits vanished into thin air.

"This morning! The singing girl strangled a maidservant to use as her substitute; the body was only discovered when I sent men to summon her," Yang Xuangan said angrily. He hadn't thought as deeply as Yang Su; to Yang Xuangan, it was simply a matter of natural law that all female creatures in the back courtyard belonged to the men of the Yang family. Now that someone had actually absconded with a pretty singing girl, it was an absolute slap in the face to every male of the Yang house.

"Send men out in pursuit. Li Jing's martial arts are quite good, so dispatch more men after him. Hmmm...! Do not make a huge uproar where everyone knows of it. Understand?" Yang Su immediately ordered.

"Men have already been sent out to search, and this child will go right now to reinforce the search party." Having received Yang Su's instructions, Yang Xuangan was empowered to mobilize even more manpower.

"Wait! I want a living person, or a dead corpse. Do you understand?" Yang Su called out to his son, speaking with deliberate, measured emphasis.

"Understood!" Great joy surged in Yang Xuangan's heart. Splendid! Since Li Jing had pulled such a stunt, he had long wanted him dead. He had previously been restrained by Yang Su's hesitation, but he hadn't expected Yang Su to give the green light. Li Jing, you are a dead man!

***

Yun Hao had slept soundly the previous night, and after finishing his breakfast, he strolled leisurely around the Yang estate. Being a child, naturally no one paid him much mind. He noticed that the number of horses in the stables seemed to have dwindled significantly. From time to time, stalwart men dressed in dark, tight-fitting clothes came to the stables to fetch horses, then rode out through the estate gates with transverse sabers at their waists and long bows slung over their shoulders.

Excellent! Li Jing's defection would draw away a vast amount of manpower from the Duke of Chu's estate, meaning the number of people coming after him in a couple of days would be drastically reduced.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he returned to his courtyard, where the steward was hopping about like he'd been stung by hornets. Catching sight of Yun Hao's return, the steward rushed up frantically. Looking Yun Hao up and down for a long while, he finally burst out: "My young master, where on earth have you been? His Grace the Duke has been looking for you—someone lost their life in your courtyard last night!

"A singing girl sent from the Duke of Tang's estate killed a little maidservant to use as her decoy and fled last night.

"Quickly come with this servant to see His Grace the Duke. Good heavens, this servant was worried sick!" The steward looked to be around forty, yet he addressed Yun Hao deferentially as "master" at every turn. It was clear these servants already knew in private that Yun Hao was a favorite in front of the Duke, belonging to the category of people who absolutely could not be provoked.

"What?" A jolt went through Yun Hao's heart. For all his calculating, a flaw had finally appeared after all. A layer of cold sweat coated his spine; that young maidservant knew he had seen Red Duster. If she had woken up today, his schemes would have come to naught. Red Duster proved much more ruthless, simply doing away with the maidservant altogether.

Yun Hao was not someone indifferent to human life, but compared to the lives of others, he treasured his own skin far more. There was no helping it; his strategy had sprung leaks right from the start. In truth, he was one of the accomplices who had caused the little singing girl's death.

"My young master, stop dallying. The Duke has already sent people twice to urge us; hurry along with this servant to the main hall." Urged to the point of desperation, the steward grabbed Yun Hao's hand and dragged him toward the main hall.

***

As for Li Jing, at the very first crow of the rooster at dawn, he departed the Duke's estate with Red Duster, who was disguised as a pageboy. He dared not bring too many belongings, carrying only some pocket money, and certainly didn't dare venture to the stables to lead out horses. Once outside the Duke's estate, he sought out a friend and borrowed two horses. As soon as the city gates cracked open, he slipped out of Luoyang city.

He had thought leaving the city at this hour would be considered early, but he hadn't expected seven or eight horsemen to be waiting right at the city gates. When Li Jing and Red Duster rode out of the city, those riders followed closely behind. Moreover, they seemed to be in an extreme rush, lashing their horses along the official road as though racing against Li Jing and his companion. In particular, the burly, bearded fellow right in the middle looked vaguely familiar to Li Jing, though he couldn't place where he had seen him before.

Panic gripping his heart, Li Jing shouted a warning to Red Duster, plying his whip to maximize their horses' speed. To his dismay, those riders also whipped their mounts and pursued them with desperate intensity. What was more, they were taking the exact same route as Li Jing, heading east toward the Shandong region. Li Jing could not help but grow anxious, uncertain of these people's origins. If they harbored ill intentions toward him, he could handle himself; but could Red Duster's delicate frame withstand an encirclement by these horsemen?

The two horses Li Jing had borrowed from his friend were fine steeds—though they couldn't travel a thousand miles by day and eight hundred by night, their pace was swift. Yet no matter how fiercely he whipped them, he could not shake off those pursuers. Those fellows stuck to them like maggots to bone, impossible to shake off.

"There's a village ahead; let's rest and ask for a bowl of hot water!" Realizing he couldn't shake them, Li Jing hardened his heart and led Red Duster galloping into a settlement.

If these fellows were traveling the same route and he entered the village to rest, would they rest too? If that proved to be the case, Li Jing could conclude with certainty that these men were targeting the two of them. When the time came, whether to fight for their lives or resort to other means would have to be weighed carefully.

Scarcely had Li Jing and Red Duster galloped into the village when he looked back to see those horsemen galloping in right behind them. Li Jing's face darkened: what on earth were these people after?