Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: A Change of Heart, Baqiao...

“Brother, brother!”

Twenty-five-year-old Cui stumbled into the county office’s guesthouse, utterly distraught. Seventeen-year-old Cui, who had been anxiously waiting, rushed forward in quick strides and clung tightly to his arms. Yet, after calling his name repeatedly with no response, the usually gentle young woman found an unfamiliar courage rising within her. She lifted her gaze and, facing the grim-faced Du Shiyi behind them, demanded, “Du, how did my brother end up like this? Didn’t you lead people to pursue him? Sixth Aunt entrusted us siblings to you because she said you were reliable. How could my brother have come to such a state?”

Seeing Cui, the little chubby boy, in tattered and pitiful clothes, Du Sansanniang was equally shocked into speechlessness. But when she heard Cui Seventeen’s accusation, her heart grew heavier still. Completely unaware of the truth behind the matter, she found no words to defend herself and bit her lip quietly.

Du Shiyi raised an eyebrow, then regarded the little chubby boy with a half-smile and said calmly, “Twenty-five, you tell your sister yourself what happened.”

The boy opened his mouth wide, tried several times, but no words came out. The terrifying scene from earlier seemed to replay vividly before his eyes. Remembering the man who had once been fierce and arrogant, now bloodied from back to thighs with not an unscathed spot, and recalling the hint from Captain Liu, his face twitched uncontrollably. Suddenly, overcome by bouts of nausea, he rushed to a tree in the courtyard, gripped the trunk, and vomited violently.

What transpired today was an immense shock to a pampered child like him! Though he had been scolded and beaten before, he had never experienced such ruthless measures.

Grinding his teeth, he finally spoke each word slowly, “Sister, please don’t blame anyone else. Everything that happened today is my fault! If it weren’t for Du, I’d be dead!”

Whether to cause a scandal that might implicate many or to cut the Gordian knot swiftly, Captain Liu set a clear example for all.

Just as Du Shiyi was known for his clear-headed decisiveness, this man in his early forties personally handled the entire affair with remarkable efficiency. The day after the interrogation, Shi Wanxing died in prison. He persuaded the superior county magistrate, clerks, and arranged for the lower-level officers involved to smooth things over without hassle. As he put it, since Captain Xiao was trusted by the powerful Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun, it was better to end the matter here rather than escalate it to the emperor.

Moreover, recovering one stolen item—a pearl hairpin from the missing inventory—was sufficient for an official report. Though the merchants were discontent with only one item returned, after many days without progress, the county office declared the culprit had fled the city and sent documents for joint investigation with other counties. The merchants had no choice but to accept their misfortune.

Even the merchant caravan that had nearly caused a huge scandal by sneaking out with Cui and his group kept silent under Captain Liu’s stern reprimand. As they departed for Chang’an, their demeanor was subdued. The innkeeper and bartenders, accused of harboring bandits, were imprisoned, and the county officers earned a handsome reward. The Cui family’s servants also received generous bonuses. By the time this matter concluded and the group resumed their journey from the county office, it was already March 11th.

Du Shiyi felt somewhat guilty and suggested that the Wang brothers set out first. Though Wang Wei never questioned Du’s daily comings and goings with Cui, the commotion at the county office was too great to ignore, so he smiled and said it was fine. On the day they left the city, Captain Liu and a few officers accompanied them with warm smiles to the city outskirts. Once some distance away, Captain Liu looked at Du with a faint smile and said, “Du, you’ve earned the county office a big favor this time.”

“In a post like this, when such things happen, one doesn’t seek glory but hopes to avoid blame. Besides, perhaps Captain Liu prefers the case to remain unsolved, taking a temporary loss rather than attracting trouble from our line of work.”

Du Shiyi spoke ambiguously, then glanced back at the still-quiet Cui twenty-five in the carriage, knowing the boy would finally behave. But the cost of such growth seemed steep. For Du, who had witnessed the elegant and refined side of the Tang Dynasty’s flourishing era, seeing the dark and cruel underbelly—where a clever county captain chose to silence witnesses permanently—sent a shudder through his heart.

In recent years, while he had witnessed the ravages of locust plagues on the fields, more often he saw the splendor of a prosperous Tang. This was his first glimpse into such sinister darkness.

Perhaps because of the recent upheaval, this journey, Cui Seventeen refused to ride the smooth and spacious ox cart, insisting instead on sharing the carriage with his brother. Inside the carriage, she served him tea like a maid until his temper suddenly flared, knocking the delicate white porcelain tea cup from her hands. The small cup rolled toward the door; she hurried to pick it up but unexpectedly stumbled on a pothole. The carriage jolted violently, and she lost her footing, tumbling forward.

As she braced for impact, closing her eyes instinctively, she suddenly felt someone grab her arm tightly. They both fell in a heap. When the carriage stopped, still dazed, she saw Cui twenty-five helping her sit upright, then angrily scolding the driver outside. She felt a strange warmth rising within.

With a bang, the carriage door shut, the protective dust curtain lowered. The little chubby boy glanced at his sister, cleared his throat awkwardly, then resolved, “Sister, I used to be thoughtless, shouldn’t have lost my temper and acted on impulse. I nearly caused irreparable disaster!”

For days, Cui Seventeen had waited in anxiety, neither hearing from Du Shiyi nor receiving further explanation from her brother. Hearing him say this—when she expected him to blame Du endlessly—she froze. After a long pause, she cautiously asked, “Brother, you’re not speaking nonsense, are you?”

“Nonsense?!” He finally spoke seriously, but seeing her as if wanting to check his forehead for a fever, the boy grew annoyed. He bent down, picked up the porcelain cup, inspected it carefully, and seeing no crack, sighed in relief. Then he said, “Anyway, right now I’m not as capable as Du Shiyi, so I’ll listen to him! Sister, when we reach Chang’an and see Uncle, I’ll ask him to find a good teacher for us. Du Shiyi is so capable thanks to a good teacher; I want to learn from him too!”

Such childish words would have drawn a smile from Du Shiyi or Du Sansanniang, but to Cui Seventeen, it was the most reasonable statement from her usually irritable and unreasonable brother. She nodded happily and said with a smile, “Brother, you’ll surely surpass Du Shiyi one day!”

“Of course! Then let’s see if he still looks down on me!” Cui twenty-five snorted but showed his usual stubborn grin.

Entering Tongguan, under the jurisdiction of the Jingji Circuit and drawing closer to Chang’an, the group passed Huazhou, Weinan, and Xinfeng, taking several days along the way. On an afternoon just past the hour of Shen, they saw at the end of the road a great river running north to south, its banks lined with countless willow trees. In this early spring, the ground was lush with green shade, and willow catkins floated like snowflakes. The white blossoms swirled over travelers and horses alike, settling on their heads, bodies, clothes, blanketing the yellow earth, even floating on the waters of the Ba River.

Amidst the snowy spectacle of Ba Bridge, a stone arch bridge curved like a crescent over the water. At the bridge’s entrance, people of all sorts stood waving willow branches to bid farewell to friends and family.

“Ba Bridge in the snow is one of the Eight Scenic Views of Guanzhong,” Wang Wei said, smiling at Du Shiyi. “This bridge was built in the Sui era; the Ba Bridge from the pre-Qin period can no longer be found.” Noticing Du’s dazed gaze at the drifting catkins, Wang smiled knowingly. Du was a native of Jingzhao, born and raised in Fanchuan, so Wang saw no need to explain the famous scenery.

He quickly added, “It’s only in early spring that one can see such a spectacle of swirling snow. We’re truly fortunate.”

Yet Wang’s words of luck were immediately followed by loud sneezes from inside the carriage. Soon a servant rushed up on horseback, saying, “Master Du, Master Wang, twenty-five says we should quickly cross Ba Bridge. The flying catkins are too much for Miss Seventeen!”

Though the drifting catkins were beautiful, Du understood that having them cling to hair and clothes would be troublesome to remove. More importantly, for those with allergies or asthma, it could be dangerous. Though he didn’t know exactly what condition Cui Seventeen had, he ordered a swift departure.

Passing through the crowd of farewelling friends and relatives, someone sighed, “That Beimen Nu was promoted again recently—this time to Grand Academician. Given his status and learning, he won’t likely become chancellor, but even so, his rank now matches that of the two prime ministers, Song and Su, and in terms of honorary posts surpasses them! Soon, he’ll be Grand Master of the Palace—just a matter of time!”

Beimen Nu, Grand Academician... that must be Wang Maozhong. Truly favored by the emperor! It seemed Captain Liu’s decision to close the case swiftly was not an unfounded worry.