Setting A Web (1)

If Magistrate Sun really put his mind to something, his efficiency was extremely high.

It took no more than two sticks of incense for him to report back that Ge Erzi was indeed utterly hopeless — the man had already woken up and wandered off to Jixiangfang to gamble.

And so, just as they were preparing to set off, the guards on duty dropped the ball.

...Three of them had slipped away to drink.

Deputy Magistrate Sun was furious and sent people to find them, ordering that they be back within half an hour.

Le Wuya, for his part, wasn't worried.

He was the one holding the confession, and the one trying to please him right now was Sun Ru.

Things hadn't gone smoothly, and Sun Ru was more anxious about it than Le Wuya himself.

While Prime Minister Sun was busy cursing everyone out, Le Wuya changed into casual clothes and slipped out through the back door of the county government office.

He had stayed up all night the day before and was quite hungry by morning. On his way out to buy food and books, he had come across three beggars.

Two disabled beggars were hobbling toward a bun shop with a small beggar between them — the boy's head was cracked open and covered in blood. They flashed the shopboy pleading smiles and said their brother had been beaten nearly to death, then asked for three buns.

The bun shop boy was clearly used to them. He flapped his hand in disgust: "You two are always joined at the hip. Since when do the two of you have a little brother? Get lost, come back when there are fewer people, and stop bothering my paying customers."

The two of them responded cheerfully, hoisted up the unconscious little beggar between them, and limped off.

Le Wuya had made a special trip to find them this time.

As far as he knew, beggars kept to their own territories and didn't encroach on one another. The spot where the three beggars had been begging couldn't be far from the bun stall.

That morning, Le Wuya had casually asked around and learned that the former county magistrate had decreed that beggars were forbidden from sitting on the ground along the main streets. If spotted by patrolling officials, they would be arrested and put to hard labor.

So he searched through the back alleys instead.

Sure enough, he didn't have to look long before he spotted the bloodied little beggar leaning weakly against a wall.

The boy sat at the entrance of a back alley, basking in the thin afternoon sun.

The wound on his forehead had been wrapped with a strip of dirty cloth, with no medicine, and his matted hair was caked with a thick layer of dried blood.

The other two beggars were hiding in the shadows nearby.

Both were disabled — one was missing a leg, the other an arm — but their spirits were good. They sat side by side in the shade of the alley, picking lice off each other.

The afternoon street was fairly quiet.

Le Wuya crouched down, pointed at the small beggar, and said bluntly: "He's dying."

The two beggars exchanged a glance. Their faces showed surprise, but no grief.

The armless man nodded and said cheerfully: "Yeah, probably won't last much longer."

Le Wuya asked: "Isn't he your brother?"

Both men raised their eyebrows, uncertain what Le Wuya was getting at.

"Heh, we don't know him." The one-legged man scratched his head and told it straight: "This kid passed out near Chen Dashan's place this morning. The two of us picked him up. He looked so pitiful we figured we could get more food by having him along. He probably ran away from somewhere. We figured we'd take care of him — if he pulls through, great; if not, we'll find a patch of ground and bury him in a mass grave."

The armless man, noticing that Le Wuya was well-dressed, launched into his pitch: "Kind sir, have mercy. He's just starved and frightened — his injuries aren't that serious. A strapping young lad like this could pull through with a bowl of warm rice porridge."

"Porridge is enough." Le Wuya said. "Help me with something."

The two beggars' eyes lit up and they sat up straighter, for all their crooked postures: "Name it, noble sir."

Le Wuya asked: "Are you afraid of death?"

The two went quiet.

They sensed something off in those words.

The one-legged man smiled and said: "Afraid — who isn't afraid of dying?"

Le Wuya smiled and asked: "You've been soldiers before, and you're still afraid of death?"

"..."

The two beggars stopped smiling.

After just a beat, their eyes sharpened.

Le Wuya gave a slight glance downward.

Both men followed his gaze simultaneously.

All three pairs of eyes landed on the one-legged man's remaining good leg.

His leg wrappings were so filthy that their original color was impossible to tell, nearly blending into his ragged trousers — but they were unmistakably the standard leggings worn by lower-ranking soldiers.

Soldiers' leggings were commonly used to ease the leg pain caused by long days of marching.

With one leg gone, the man relied far more heavily on his good leg, and had kept the soldier's habit out of necessity.

Combined with the severe disabilities they shared — a missing leg and a missing arm — it was enough for Le Wuya to piece together who they were.

...Two military conscripts. Also two deserters.

The two beggars looked at each other.

A deserter, once reported, was as good as dead.

Both men turned dangerous in an instant. The armless one tightened his grip on the stick in his hand.

The lower end of the wooden stick was wrapped in a thick layer of iron sheeting.

But killing someone and silencing them under broad daylight in an open street was a messy business.

While they hesitated, Le Wuya spoke.

"I don't care where you deserted from. You belong to me now." Le Wuya got straight to the point. "Do something for me. I'll save this boy, and help you sort out your household registration while I'm at it."

The two men: "..."

When something seems too good, there's usually a catch.

The one-legged man pulled his good leg back, sat cross-legged, and said warily: "Why would you want to help us?"

Le Wuya said frankly: "Because I can see you're somewhat decent."

When the two had met the little beggar entirely by chance, their original intention had been to use him to their own advantage. And yet when begging, they had remembered to ask for a share for the boy. They had been willing to let him lie in the sun before he died, and willing to bury him after.

For men in their position, that was rather conscientious.

Beyond that, Le Wuya had only just arrived and had very few cards to play. He had to make do with what he had, and every helper he could bring over counted.

Based on his brief observations that morning, even though Magistrate Sun held considerable sway in Nanting County, the clerks of the Ministry of Industry and Household Affairs at least showed no eagerness to get caught up in any power struggle.

They didn't support Magistrate Sun, nor did they support Le Wuya himself. They simply stood back and watched with polite detachment.

For those shrewd enough to protect themselves, Le Wuya had no leverage to win them over, so he had to take the unconventional route and find people where he did have leverage to offer.

As it happened, getting a hold of someone's vulnerability and then offering a generous reward worked just as well on beggars as it did on high officials.

After explaining what he needed from them, Le Wuya strolled back to the county government office.

Because Wenren Yue was usually so unassuming, nobody had noticed for some time that the county magistrate was gone.

By this time, Magistrate Sun had rounded everyone up — the five government runners on duty were lined up in a row, three of them older men who still smelled of liquor.

When Magistrate Sun spotted Le Wuya approaching, he hurried forward: "Sir, everyone's here."

Le Wuya's expression didn't change, but all five government runners were visibly taken aback.

The three who had been feigning drunkenness cracked their drooping eyelids slightly and exchanged looks of surprise and suspicion.

Had Magistrate Sun lost his mind today?

Le Wuya waved a hand breezily and said with energy: "Let's go. Put on the shackles — I'll take you out on a street patrol."

Le Wuya was in high spirits.

He had felt this sharpness once before — the day he'd realized his sight was going and he could no longer draw a bow. Now it was back, but turned on its head.

The five yamen runners walked behind his horse, thoroughly confused.

When their supervisor went out on patrol, he usually dressed plainly and traveled light, watching out for public sentiment and market prices. So why was he suited up in full official attire this time?

There are always some idle onlookers who enjoy a spectacle and fall into step behind a procession.

The yamen runners wanted to chase them off, but Le Wuya wouldn't allow it.

And so the crowd grew larger with every block, until the procession came to a stop at the back door of Jixiang Gambling House.

Under the guise of the street patrol, Le Wuya had already taken stock of the front and back entrances on his way over.

He produced a chain from his horse's saddlecloth, pulled out a large brass padlock, and quickly secured the back door from the outside.

Five government runners: "..."

Le Wuya nodded at two of them: "You two, stay here and keep watch."

He waved his hand at the rest: "The rest of you, follow me."

Every onlooker could tell who Le Wuya was there for — let alone the government runners.

...Had the master drunk too much, or had they?

The oldest runner kept pace with Le Wuya on horseback, trotting alongside him, a little breathless: "Master... are you planning to raid this place?"

Le Wuya glanced down at him from the saddle and said lightly: "Would you prefer I raid your home instead?"

The runner broke into a cold sweat and deeply regretted having made this trip.

They had all benefited handsomely from Li Asi over the years, and now here they were rushing to seize the man's property. This was really...

He didn't dare say it too plainly, so he lowered his voice: "Master, this — this isn't how things are done."

Le Wuya: "Rank has its advantages. How many ranks above you am I?"

He urged his horse forward without looking back: "Or — perhaps you're not worried about losing this post. Perhaps Mr. Li will be kind enough to take you on as a household guard?"

The runner cursed under his breath, but had nothing to say.

He was right.

Li Asi had cultivated ties with them because their official positions offered him a measure of protection.

If they lost those positions and became ordinary commoners with no connection to official business, Li Asi would have no further use for them whatsoever — it would be strange if he even gave them a second glance.

Even if they were only yamen runners, years immersed in the government office had taught them to read a situation.

The Wenren Yue had wanted to inspect the gambling den before, but Magistrate Sun had refused to cooperate, no one paid him any mind, and the matter had quietly dropped.

This time, Deputy Magistrate Sun had gone out of his way to gather them all up and hurried them out the door with the magistrate himself. He must have already come to some understanding with him.

So if the sky fell, Magistrate Sun would be there to bear it — all they had to do was follow along.

As if sensing the runners' unease, Le Wuya took the initiative to reassure them: "I said I brought you along to back me up, not to charge in headfirst. This is an easy assignment, and there'll be a reward when we're done. You should all be glad."

Several runners said: "..." We'll believe that when we see it.

But they truly had no other choice.

Seeing that they had arrived at the main entrance of Jixiangfang, the runners looked at each other, and after a silent exchange of glances confirming they were all thinking the same thing, one man stepped forward decisively and hammered on the door: "Open up! Inspection!"

Li Asi's gambling hall kept a few hired thugs on hand at all times. Hearing someone pounding on the door and shouting in broad daylight, several muscular men immediately emerged with clubs in hand, cursing.

But the moment they spotted the official uniforms, their bluster evaporated.

They didn't dare to mouth off in front of government men.

Le Wuya swung down from his horse neatly: "Where's the person in charge?"

The person in charge appeared shortly.

He was a lean man with a composed, pleasant face — clean-shaven and fair-skinned, somewhere in his thirties — and he looked nothing like Li Asi, who used to be a butcher.

The man wiped his hands, knelt first, then stood, and was already smiling before he said a word: "Mr. Wenren, what a surprise to have you visit today."

Le Wuya asked: "And you are?"

"Li Qing, at your service." The man before him spoke with a warm, easy smile. "My uncle asked me to come look after the place. I didn't expect the honor of meeting Mr. Wenren today. Truly a lucky day."

Le Wuya said, "Ah."

In just that brief exchange, Le Wuya had already taken his measure.

A man who could keep an entire gambling hall under control by himself was no ordinary person.

This was a smiling tiger — honeyed words, ruthless at heart, and a slippery one at that.

With someone like this, there was no point in playing games -- that was precisely what the other did best.

Le Wuya smiled slightly: "Then you're not so lucky after all. It's not a good day to see me."

Seeing that this frail-looking gentleman had come with bad intentions, Li Qing's eyes flickered. Noting the crowd of onlookers, he bowed slightly and said: "Master, it's cold out here. Please, come inside and warm up."

"Are you cold?" Le Wuya ignored the invitation. "While we're at it — do you know how to read?"

Li Qing couldn't pin down Le Wuya's intentions, so he answered modestly: "I know a few characters."

Le Wuya produced a letter from his sleeve: "Then read this aloud. You can warm up while you're at it."

Li Qing: "...here?"

The proprietor of the tea shop next door was sharp-eyed and helpfully brought a small stool over to Le Wuya, gesturing for him to sit.

Le Wuya sat down without ceremony, nodded, and said: "Yes, here."

Li Qing unfolded the letter, not daring to read it aloud. He scanned the contents with his eyes instead, and his expression shifted.

Someone had filed a report that Jixiangfang... was harboring banned books?

Under ordinary circumstances, Li Qing might have talked his way out with a few well-chosen words. But the case of Scholar Ming loomed over everything right now — it was common knowledge, and still unresolved. One step into that quagmire, and you were looking at charges that could wipe out an entire family.

This was too serious for him to keep playing games.

Even a moment's delay in responding would put everyone under suspicion.

Li Qing abandoned all thought of the onlookers around him and dropped to his knees at once. Yet he didn't dare admit, in front of all those curious faces, that the gambling house had any connection to sedition. He stammered: "Master, you know the situation here — I... we..."

Within moments he was drenched in sweat, and quite thoroughly "warmed up."

"When I first received this report, since I've had no prior dealings with you, I thought there might be something to it. It was Sun County Cheng who vouched, which is why I didn't simply send runners over to tear the place apart. I didn't want to make a mess of things, so I came to see for myself." Le Wuya, mimicking Wenren Yue's manner, said in an unhurried tone: "That said, this magistrate has received a formal report and must investigate. Here is what I propose: you inventory everything in Jixiangfang yourself, item by item, and deliver it to the Yamen. That way I won't have to bring my men inside, which would be rather ugly."

Li Qing exhaled quietly in relief.

So that was what he meant — he was offering them a way out.

Li Qing had a talent for hearing what wasn't being said.

What he heard was this: the Yamen had received a report threatening their entire household. Out of past goodwill, they didn't want to blow things up, and so they were leaving a door open.

The pretext of a gambling-house inspection was giving them time to put their own house in order first.

If anything incriminating turned up, there was still time to make it disappear.

It was only that the master had come in person — which meant the price would likely be steep.

But that didn't matter.

A disaster that could be solved by losing money was no real disaster at all.

Sure enough, the next moment Le Wuya said in the same mild tone: "And from this point forward, Jixiangfang is to remain closed. The Holy Ancestor has always despised gambling — in the worst cases it ruins men and breaks families apart. It's not a respectable line of work."

Once Li Qing's rigid expression had eased slightly, Le Wuya added as an afterthought: "Oh, and we'll be taking the gamblers currently inside as well. Under the laws of Dayu, gambling is strictly prohibited. Participants are subject to confiscation of their winnings and three days' imprisonment until their families pay to redeem them. We're a bit short-handed. If your men could help round them up and bring them over, that would be appreciated."

At this point, Li Qing had no interest in arguing over material posessions — he agreed immediately.

Li Qing turned decisively to the men behind him who were still standing there dumbfounded: "What are you all gawking at? Get in there and help bring them out!"

The men didn't dare refuse, and turned to go back inside.

Within moments, the interior erupted into chaos.

The onlookers had no idea what was written in the letter Le Wuya had handed to Li Qing. All they knew was that the master had arrived with three men, exchanged a few words, and already had Li Qing — the always-swaggering head of Jixiangfang — so completely undone that he didn't dare draw a single breath.

Truly magnificent.

Some people despised Jixiangfang, which had ruined many a family. Others had frequented the place hoping to win something. But when they saw that the master had actually taken over the gambling house, the crowd burst into cheers.

Le Wuya leaned toward the stunned runners behind him and said quietly: "See? I told you there'd be nothing for you to do."

Before they could answer, Le Wuya added: "Whatever is seized today — you five get ten percent. Fair enough?"

He turned away after that, without waiting to see the surprise and delight spreading across their faces.

As for the remaining ninety percent...

Le Wuya looked down at the dirt road beneath him.

What a state this road was in. It needed to be repaired.

He'd have to tell Wenren to note that down and remind him not forget it.

Lost in thought, Le Wuya was suddenly jolted back to attention.

A man came crashing through the bolted front door, sending it flying open, and staggered out — nearly bowling over Li Qing, who had his back to the entrance.

The man was short and stocky, with quick, bright eyes. He had a fistful of coins pressed against his chest, with seven or eight gambling chips mixed in among them.

A thunderous shout erupted from inside: "Ge Erzi! You want to die?! How dare you take things from Jixiangfang?!"

Ge Erzi didn't look back. He found an opening and slipped through the crowd as nimbly as a fish.

The three runners had just had a generous reward promised to them by Le Wuya, and were ready to act. The eldest one called out, and two of the others immediately broke into long-legged strides and gave chase, leaving just the one to stay behind and keep watch over Le Wuya.

The elder runner looked at Le Wuya: "Don't worry, he won't get far—"

The words died in his throat.

Le Wuya had risen from his seat at some point, a bow in hand, an arrow already nocked. He tilted his head slightly and lined up his sights in the direction Ge Erzi had gone.

Just as the onlookers registered what was happening and screamed and scattered to either side, there was a sharp crack, and the arrow shot through the air with the force of a thunderclap, straight toward Ge Erzi.

Ge Erzi had been running flat out when his right leg suddenly gave way beneath him and his body pitched violently forward. He crashed face-first onto the ground, coins and silver scattering in all directions.

Searing pain and terror hit him at once. He clutched his bleeding leg and screamed.

"Ahhh — help, murder!"

The older runner had watched Le Wuya's every move.

Today the master had been unlike himself — carrying on like a mischievous young lord, full of energy, riding high on good cheer.

But the moment he took up the bow, the smile dropped from his face.

The runner had practiced archery and horsemanship himself, and he had caught it: at first the master had drawn and aimed squarely at Ge Erzi's back, the alignment perfect.

Then he had adjusted, just slightly, and put the arrow in the leg instead.

And the moment the arrow was loosed, the smile returned.

The runner had watched the expression change all the way through, and felt a chill run down his spine.

That smile, he thought, was too practiced — like a mask that sat over the face rather than something that came from within.

Le Wuya smiled and turned to ask the runner: "Under the laws of Dayu, how many years does robbery carry?"

The runner quickly bowed his head, not daring to meet the eyes of this seemingly frail scholar: "...That is entirely for the master to decide."

Out among the onlookers, one figure pulled the brim of a rain-hat down and quietly turned to leave.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two princes on their inspection circuit had been given a full account of everything that had taken place in front of Jixiangfang.

"A county magistrate arresting people in the middle of the street?" The Seventh Prince raised his eyebrows and looked at the Sixth Prince. "Sixth brother, that does sound rather interesting."

The Sixth Prince was sipping his tea with great focus. He heard this, and nodded: "Yes, yes."

Seventh Prince: "..."

Finding the blockhead dull, he turned to the attendant beside him: "There's no need to go to the Yamen just yet. Sixth brother and I would like to see what sort of man this county magistrate really is."