59

Old Cheng, look at the wretched mess you have made; you have managed to provoke both the wrath of the heavens and the resentment of the people, Duan Mingyu mocked.

Hmph! This official has finally seen through you. You little rascal are hiding quite deep. Look at this—well, well, you even have weapons of mass destruction. Today I happened to run into you, but in a few days when that fellow Zhu Wen takes office, let us see if you still dare to be so flagrant! Cheng Zhiyuan scolded, though inwardly he was profoundly shocked. Just the two types of weapons he had seen moments ago were enough to spark a bloody scramble and fierce turf wars among the various military governors. Cheng Zhiyuan thought to himself that virtuous younger brother Duan was indeed cut out for accomplishing great things!

The moment Duan Mingyu heard Cheng Zhiyuan's words, he grasped the subtext, which clearly meant: I saw nothing and I heard nothing.

Duan Mingyu cupped his fists and said, In that case, this younger brother is deeply grateful to Brother Cheng. I wonder what brings Brother Cheng here today?

Cheng Zhiyuan stealthily glanced around and whispered in a voice audible only to the two of them: I have found out that the Qin family has already dispatched the second-in-command of their sect, Qin Zongheng, to sneak into Bianliang.

Duan Mingyu asked, I wonder who exactly this Qin Zongheng is?

Qin Zongheng is the younger brother of the former Prefect of Caizhou, Qin Zongquan, and his status is extraordinary. This time he is willing to risk his life to come to Bianliang, which shows he is determined to get his hands on the late Prefect Wan's treasure! Cheng Zhiyuan said with a worried expression. The Qin family were rebels, so he naturally wanted to do everything in his power to stop them.

Duan Mingyu sighed: Brother Cheng, look at this. Both of you are prefects, yet he commands heavy troops while you at most command two constables. How can the gap between people be so vast?

Can you compare the two? Qin Zongquan is a rebel through and through, while your older brother here will never betray the imperial court!

Fine, I do not care who you throw your lot in with. By the way, where is this Qin Zongheng staying? I will send a hundred brothers to finish him off. Duan Mingyu said carelessly.

Your older brother is ashamed; to this day, I have yet to find the Qin family's hideout in Bianliang! Cheng Zhiyuan sighed repeatedly, looking utterly discouraged!

Brother Cheng need not worry. By the way, do you have a portrait of that scoundrel Qin Zongheng? Duan Mingyu asked.

We have one right in the yamen. Why does virtuous younger brother ask?

Duan Mingyu said: Send a hundred copies of the portrait here tomorrow. I will distribute them among my men; with one more person, we add one more share of strength, and perhaps we can ferret this fellow out.

In that case, many thanks to virtuous younger brother! Cheng Zhiyuan said, bowing in gratitude.

Duan Mingyu smiled helplessly. Cheng Zhiyuan was doing this for the imperial court, whereas he was doing it purely for himself!

Right, virtuous younger brother, this is the letter Princess Yuying asked me to pass along to you! Cheng Zhiyuan took a letter out from within his tattered cloth strips.

Duan Mingyu looked at the neat and tidy envelope: Hehe, Old Cheng, you protected this letter quite well, eh.

Cheng Zhiyuan said: Matters entrusted by the princess are naturally ones this official will fulfill even unto death.

Duan Mingyu sat cross-legged on the ground and tore open the envelope. Well, let us see what this little girl Li Yuying has written. Duan Mingyu cast a defensive glance at Cheng Zhiyuan.

Cheng Zhiyuan cast a sideways glance and turned his aged face away, acting as if he disdained to peek, yet his entire torso leaned hard in this direction, his eyes wide open.

Duan Mingyu coughed: Old Cheng, one cannot behave like this!

Cheng Zhiyuan straightened his posture: My back hurts!

Duan Mingyu gave Cheng Zhiyuan a contemptuous look, opened the envelope, and read: On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the night of the full moon, we shall meet at Bian Lake. I earnestly request your presence.

The part that left Duan Mingyu most speechless was that at the very bottom of the letter paper, there was even a lip print. Upon seeing the bright red lip print, Duan Mingyu let out an "uh" and passed out.

Cheng Zhiyuan hurriedly steadied Duan Mingyu: Virtuous younger brother, what has happened to you?

Happiness came so suddenly that it makes me want to pee! Duan Mingyu sighed.

Cheng Zhiyuan said: Virtuous younger brother, take care of your health; I still have one at home!

I faint! Is there any father like you? Chasing after people to give away your daughter!

What is wrong with my Junyu? She is proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and moreover she has a gentle disposition, making her a perfect wife...

Stop! Old Cheng, with your rank as a fourth-tier official, finding a match of equal social standing should be easy enough; why must you target me, a down-and-out top scholar? Duan Mingyu fell to his knees pleading for mercy.

Entrusting Junyu to you sets my mind at ease. You are so insidious and crafty; at a glance, you are clearly not someone who will ever let himself suffer a loss. Hehe, following you, Junyu will certainly not suffer either. Cheng Zhiyuan said teasingly.

You are merciless. This old man is purely scheming against me! What do you mean by insidious and crafty? I call this resourceful! Duan Mingyu took a deep breath: This matter must be discussed at length!

Cheng Zhiyuan said: Virtuous younger brother, think it over carefully. Your older brother has pressing official business, so I will not linger. Your brother is leaving! With that, Cheng Zhiyuan darted off a great distance with a swift "whoosh," prompting Duan Mingyu to click his tongue in praise: Such speed, such vigor—he doesn't look like someone who was just blown up at all. It seems Old Cheng is also a man of the pugilistic world!

Duan Mingyu walked back to the camp. The moment he stepped through the door, he saw everyone staring fixedly at him. Duan Mingyu hurriedly leaped back a step: What are you all doing?

A joint tribunal!

Duan Mingyu assumed a dignified posture and said: Tribunal my foot! All of you get out of here. Xie先德, Xu Zuyue, Wang Aiqing, Fan Fu, Luo Hou, the five of you stay.

Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Besides them, the only ones left in the room were Yang Zhaoniang and Wan Yanyan. This fellow actually had the audacity to tell everyone else to get out.

Seeing that Duan Mingyu genuinely had serious business to attend to, Wan Yanyan turned and slowly departed.

Um, Yanyan, wait for me outside for a moment.

Yanyan gently nodded her chin, her gentle and obedient demeanor causing little red hearts to flash wildly in everyone's eyes.

Ahem, everyone pay attention! We now have serious business to attend to! Duan Mingyu said unhurriedly. Prefect Cheng has just brought us reliable news that the Qin family's second-in-command, Qin Zongheng, has been lurking in Bianliang for many days, plotting nothing less than the Xie sect's estate—which is to say, the current Wan family inheritance. Although we cannot contend with the Qin family as a whole, we still have a glimmer of hope in uprooting this stronghold in Bianliang. Therefore, we must step up our efforts to build our strength so that we may stand against them.

Please give your orders, Young Master! Everyone bowed respectfully from afar in unison.

Instructor Luo, by now the brothers have pretty much all received their weapons, haven't they?

Reporting to Young Master, they have all received them.

You must step up close-combat training so that they can be ready for battle as soon as possible, Duan Mingyu ordered.

Understood, your subordinate obeys.

Master Fan, your task is the most crucial. Crossbows, ballistas, weapons, and gunpowder must all be produced at an accelerated pace—the more, the better.

This subordinate will certainly not disappoint.

Elder Xu, the shop matters are left in your hands. You hold our economic lifeline, so you must not be careless. By the way, Master Fan recently produced a batch of matches. These are fine goods found nowhere else and produced exclusively by us, and they are guaranteed to be more profitable than wooden clogs.

Young Master, rest assured; Xu will handle everything properly!

Wang Aiqing, you will be responsible for the security of the camp and everyone here, remaining vigilant against assassins from the Qin family.

This subordinate will heighten vigilance and leave no opportunity for the enemy, Wang Aiqing said solemnly.

Xie Xiande chimed in: Then what am I going to do?

Everyone shouted in unison: Go play with eggs!