Chapter 26: Copper Coins Are More Useful Than Silver

"My lord!"

The tip of a guard's spear was inches away. The old steward grabbed the sleeve of the inspection commissioner, his voice low and urgent: "Waiting a day or two for this salt shipment is one thing, but the customary 'tribute' for your superiors... that won't wait. If they come questioning, how am I to answer, sir?"

The inspection commissioner raised a hand, signaling his guards to stop.

"Tribute?" He finally caught the drift. At first, he had suspected the salt caravan was avoiding the canal and taking the land route to keep things hidden, which meant he was sure to find something worth extorting—a few loose pieces of silver wouldn't satisfy him. But now... he scanned the long line of mule-drawn carts, his gaze settling on the delicate, handsome face of Xu Qi.

"And you, you little attendant," he hooked a finger, chuckling suggestively, "you must know. Why don't you come and explain it to me?" All eyes suddenly turned toward Xu Qi.

Now Xu Qi understood why she had felt a chill down her spine a moment ago; it was as if she had been licked by a beast.

Disgusting.

The man beside her moved half a step forward, but she quickly held him back. "Don't expose yourself," she whispered. "It's not yet the time for desperate measures. Leave it to me."

Xu Qi walked forward slowly, feeling the stark contrast between the icy glare from the guards and the burning intensity of the gaze behind her.

In those few steps, she weighed her options. If she had to reveal her identity, it would be better to disclose her father's rank than to have Tan Jiuding or Bai Tingyi step forward. Although the inspection office might be suspicious as to why a lady of an official's family was hiding in a salt caravan, if she acted with enough arrogance, they might be too intimidated to continue harassing her.

Hmph, he was nothing but a low-ranking petty officer, bullying men and women because he held a shred of authority in a tiny patch of land, wielding a chicken feather as if it were a royal decree.

"My lord, the steward is old and a bit muddled," Xu Qi said, forcing a strained, ugly smile. She took off her pack and said to the commissioner, "The 'indenture' is actually here. Would you like to take a look?"

Hearing her clear, crisp voice, the commissioner's cheeks bunched up. "Good, good, bring it here."

Deep inside her bag were the official travel permits issued when she left the capital. If he saw the vermilion seals on them, would he still be able to smile? Xu Qi reached into the bag and pulled out the ink-brushed official document, but with a crisp "clatter," something else slipped out and fell to the ground.

"Pardon me." Xu Qi knelt to pick it up, only to see that they were the two copper coins she had confiscated from Zhao Qing earlier. She had tossed them into her pack and forgotten about them, and they had evidently rolled into the travel documents.

Unexpectedly, the commissioner snatched the coins. His eyes, small as grains of rice, widened to the size of date pits. He glanced at them only once before shoving them back into her hands, his tone changing instantly: "I have seen clearly. Your identity is beyond doubt. Ahem, you may go."

He waved his hand grandly and shouted, "Let them pass! Let them pass!"

The guards retracted their spears and stepped back behind the barricades. The men of the caravan breathed a sigh of relief, but only the old steward and Xu Qi were left utterly bewildered. Shaking her head in response to the steward's questioning look, Xu Qi looked down at the two copper coins, wanting to ask the commissioner what this meant but unable to do so.

"...Then, thank you, my lord."

Carrying her overwhelming confusion, she slowly returned to the caravan.

"How did it go?" Tan Jiuding asked, his face dark and impatient.

Xu Qi waved a hand hesitantly. After the caravan began to move, she kept her eyes on the back of the inspection commissioner as he scurried into his office like a frightened rat. She pondered for a moment before handing the coins to the man, whispering, "These two coins seem to be of great importance. That dog was terrified when he saw them; he definitely recognizes them."

Tan Jiuding raised an eyebrow, gritting his teeth: "You go ahead. I will sneak back and deal with him." He turned to leave.

Xu Qi stopped him at once: "Wait. The fact that he recognizes these means he is likely in league with Wang Cheng. If you stir the grass and startle the snake, all our efforts will be in vain."

"...Tch, that beast really saved his own life today."

"Don't be impatient. At least we gained something; we know these have a trick to them. When we reach the next checkpoint, we can find another opportunity to test them."

"Hey!" Bai Tingyi's head suddenly popped up, startling the two of them.

"What?" Xu Qi glared at him, annoyed.

She expected him to lecture her or warn her not to bring trouble to the caravan, but instead, he asked: "Are you alright?"

"Did that inspector... treat you with any disrespect?" He seemed to struggle with his choice of words.

Xu Qi blinked, deeply surprised. Bai Tingyi scratched his head covering, awkwardly mumbling, "If you run into something like this again, you... you don't need to step forward. Leave it to me... or the old steward. He’s seen plenty of these bullies on the road; he knows how to handle them."

Without another word, he turned and retreated deep into the ranks.

"Pfft." A muffled laugh came from above. Tan Jiuding looked at Bai Tingyi, then down at her, and said, "You two are actually quite similar."

Xu Qi frowned sharply. "Who is like him?" she muttered, "Once we reach Huai'an, I’m leaving, and I'll never see him again." Yet, the expression on her face was much softer and more relaxed than before.

"Where are the coins?"

Tan Jiuding flicked his fingers, and the two coins appeared out of thin air, as if by magic.

"He didn't overhear anything, did he?"

"Worried?" The man deliberately drew a finger across his throat. "Should I go silence him?"

"That would be wonderful. Just in time to wait for Zhiwei to return safely, and then I can find a better match," Xu Qi scoffed, drawing a soft chuckle from him.

At the Yu-Cheng Post Station, someone knocked on the door of the inspection office.

The man inside was in a foul mood. "Get lost! Don't disturb my rest!"

The knocking continued. Grumbling curses, the inspection commissioner moved his feet off the desk and stood up to pull the door open: "I'll see who has the nerve to—uh!"

He felt a chill on his neck, and before he could react, he felt something sharp enough to sever a hair pressed against his throat. He dared not make a sound.

"Go in." The intruder was wrapped in a common winter head cloth, face obscured, appearing a full head shorter than him. Under normal circumstances, he could have snapped such a small person's neck with one hand. But since the intruder held the weapon, the commissioner obediently backed into the room.

The door slammed shut, cutting off the sound of the caravan bells, the bustle of life, and the hanging sun. The commissioner thought that his life had likely been left outside that door as well.

"This... master? Expert?" He forced a bitter smile that looked more like a cry. "If it's money you want, take whatever I have. If it's..."

"Shut up and listen."

"Yes, sir."

The commissioner obediently pressed his dry lips together.

"I ask you, have you seen a man and a woman pass through? The man is tall and looks like he knows some martial arts; the woman is delicate, like a fox."

"This, this, this..." The commissioner struggled, replying truthfully, "To tell you the truth, this checkpoint sees two or three hundred travel permits a day, men, women, young and old..."

"Less talk!"

"Yes, yes, I mean there are just too many, I can't remember..."

"...Hmph." From under the head cloth, a gaze seemed to cut him twice. After weighing the situation for a moment, the intruder let go.

Before the commissioner could even catch his breath, a warning hissed in his ear: "If you dare to leak anything about today?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I know what to do." The commissioner kept his mouth firmly shut, and this time, he squeezed his eyes tight as well.

When he opened them again, the room was empty.

Even in the winter air, sweat poured down his spine. The door hadn't even creaked—had that person vanished into thin air?

The commissioner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, steadying himself against the desk. Was he really haunted in broad daylight?

He pondered the intruder's words again—"Like a fox?" He hadn't seen a fox-like woman, but a dainty, fox-like singer...

"Oh no." He bit his fist, realizing too late. He quickly pretended he knew nothing and waved his hand to clear the troublesome thoughts from his head.