Reign of the Phoenix

Wu Siyuan was out of breath. “Reporting to General Chiyun, I went to go negotiate compensation with that family like you ordered yesterday, but they refused to settle in peace. Not only did they tie up Du Youtian and take him to the local government, they even beat him and raised the compensation amount to 100,000 silver taels.”

Upon hearing the news, a dangerous glint flashed in Chiyun Yuexuan’s phoenix eyes. “So they are forcing me to come out to handle this myself? Very well. Help me change clothes. I’ll see what kind of family they really are.”

Dressed in a white brocade robe with cloud patterns, Chiyun Yuexuan looked quite scholarly and elegant and not at all like a general who was used to holding heavy weaponry. He told his men to protect Murong Zhining well before riding his horse away with Wu Siyuan.

With a worried face, Luo Siyao helped Murong Zhining wash up and dress. “Oh dear… I’m worried that with his violent temper, General Chiyun might just tear down their house.”

Murong Zhining frowned. “Is General Chiyun so savage? Siyao, answer me honestly, am I really his wife?”

Luo Siyao bowed her head respectfully. “Siyao dares not talk nonsense. Princess is indeed … General’s wife.”

Murong Zhining stood up and stared into her eyes. “Then why are you stammering? I only lost my memory, I’m not stupid. You think I can’t hear it? You’d better tell me the truth.”

Luo Siyao made a pained face. “If General knows of my slip of the tongue, he’d destroy me, ahh. General, he… wronged you in the past, but now he is hell-bent on treating you well now. Does what happened before really matter anymore?”

Murong Zhining’s doubts deepened. She whispered to herself, “So, he really branded me, but… why did he do such a thing to me? Did I make a mistake so big?”

Luo Siyao couldn’t bear to see her blaming herself. “Princess didn’t make any mistakes, General just had a misunderstanding about you. But it’s all in the past now, please don’t take it to heart. The most important thing is how he’ll be treating you from now on is, isn’t it?”

——

Songyang County Office: County Magistrate Wu Guoliang was sitting in the grand hall, at his side stood two rows of lackadaisical guards holding fire and water rods[1]. Chiyun Yuexuan strode into the office but was stopped outside the hall by several guards.

Trying to suppress his anger, Chiyun Yuexuan cupped his fists and shouted, “Peasant Chiyun Yuexuan greets you, just and honorable lord. The man named Du Youtian is a servant of mine. The dispute arose because the only son of Old Mister Bai harassed a maidservant of my family, Cai Sang. It was the Bai family who connived at their servants’ outrageous act afterwards, so Du Youtian retaliated on the spur of the moment and accidentally killed a servant of the Bai family. The incident was not in any way intentional. Besides, I am willing to pay a large sum of money for compensation. I ask of you, please exercise lenient punishment on Du Youtian.”

Bai Xianwu was sitting on an octa-treasure chair given to him by the county magistrate with a high-and-mighty air. “Where does this unruly peasant come from? How dare you say that the Bai family indulged our servants? How about you go and take a tour around Songyang County, ask about my family and if anyone would dare to provoke my family’s servants in the first place? Your man killed my servant and you think you can just get away with paying some money? Do I look like I lack for money? You blind dog! It’s the master’s inadequate discipline that your servant caused trouble. Today, not only will you hand over the full 100,000 silver taels, even that troublemaker of a maid Cai Sang will go to my Bai family as compensation.”

Bai Hongkai beamed and chimed, “Thank you, Dad. I fancy that little lady, I must keep her.”

Chiyun Yuexuan clenched his fists. Wu Siyuan tugged at his clothes and said aloud, “My master didn’t mean that. We know that Mister Bai’s family has plenty of money. Supposedly, the wealth of the Bai family can rival a nation, so Mister Bai doesn’t care for the silver, and your indifference for the money just goes to show how noble your character is. As for us who do small business away from home, it’s not always easy and we carry little money on us. Can you give my master some face, require less silver and let Miss Cai Sang go? My master will remember your favor and repay you.”

However, Bai Xianwu wouldn’t budge on the issue. The more Wu Siyuan praised him, the more he put on airs. “I already gave your master face aplenty by demanding only 100,000 silver taels and a servant girl, so stop pushing your luck before you embarrass yourself any further. In Songyang County, it only needs one stamp of my foot and the even ground would tremble thrice. One more word of your nonsense and it won’t be something that can be settled with 100,000 silver taels and a maid.”

Chiyun Yuexuan cupped his hands towards the county magistrate. “Just and honorable lord, it should be you who’s in charge here, shouldn’t it? This Shangxia has laws too, or are you telling me there are still people who can blot out the sky with one hand?”

Wu Guoliang snuck a glance over at Bai Xianwu, his forehead starting to sweat. He savagely smacked the Hall-Thunderous Block[2] on the table. “You blind dog! In this place where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, Old Mister Bai is the local emperor of Songyang! Just accept your fate. If you anger Old Mister Bai, this Du Youtian is as good as beheaded at the entrance to the public market, and you still have to pay the exact amount of compensation silver. All right now, hurry up and pay the money so I can close the case.”

Bai Xianwu squeaked out in a mocking tone, “The master is so overbearing and unreasonable, no wonder his servants are so savage. Why don’t you punish these unruly people more to help me vent my rage, Magistrate?”

Wu Guoliang hammered the Hall-Thunderous Block. “Men, come! Give this unruly man fifty heavy cudgels.”

Chiyun Yuexuan shook his head with a smile. “What a dog of a magistrate! Just how many innocent people who came to report crimes have to die due to this kind of bastard? I would like to ask, Sir County Magistrate, what crime are you charging me with to punish me with fifty heavy cudgels for?”

Wu Guoliang sneered, “I have never needed a reason to beat people, but today I’ll make one up just for you. You have snarled in the justice hall and disturbed the my judgement over the case.”

The rows of guards beat their fire and water rods on the ground, making uniform thumping noises. Two of them walked over to seize Chiyun Yuexuan.

Bang! Bang!

Everyone couldn’t see what had happened when the two guards already flew against the wall and slid to the ground, groaning in pain. Seeing their companions suffering, the other six guards rushed towards Chiyun Yuexuan with their rods. In a flash, Chiyun Yuexuan retreated out to the courtyard, and then a series of thudding and bone crackling noises were heard. After it was all over, the courtyard was strewn with seven or eight guards lying around.

The scene before him scared Wu Guoliang witless. He hugged his head and hid under the table.

Bai Xianwu was much more experienced. He shouted, “Where are my servants? Grab your weapons and pounce! Whoever kills this unruly peasant shall be rewarded with copious amounts of taels!”

Chiyun Yuexuan cast Wu Siyuan a look, the latter immediately understood the message. He took advantage of the chaos to untie Du Youtian and pull him out of the County Office. Du Youtian, having just received 20 planks, couldn’t run very quick. Wu Siyuan carried him on his back and ran to where the horses were tied outside the office, then got both Du Youtian and himself on his horse and galloped away.

Du Youtian asked on horseback, “How are General Chiyun and Cai Sang going to escape now?”

Wu Siyuan scoffed, “Is this your first day following General Chiyun or something? You think he still needs you to worry about him?”

Chiyun Yuexuan blocked the manservants who chased after Wu Siyuan in the courtyard. One by one, he, empty-handed, took away their swords and clubs and gave them a good thrashing. After venting enough anger, he returned to the hall to kidnap Bai Hongkai, who was scared into a trembling mess.

Dragging the frazzled guy out of the County Office, Chiyun Yuexuan tossed him on the horse and haughtily shouted, “I’ll take care of Mister Bai for the time being. Tonight, I must trouble Old Mister Bai to bring Cai Sang to come exchange for him. I’ll let you know the location later.” When the words fell on their ears, the horse had already ran far away.

Wu Siyuan had just brought Du Youtian into the upstairs guest room when Chiyun Yuexuan returned with Bai Hongkai. He dragged him by the collar upstairs to the room where the soldiers stayed.

Chiyun Yuexuan gave Bai Hongkai several slaps. “Very wild, aren’t you? Your father is the local emperor huh? Do you know who I am, then? You lot, tell him.”

Chiyun Yuexuan gestured to a soldier. This soldier answered in a booming voice, “Your father is nothing! Our General Chiyun is the husband of your Shangxia princess.”

Chiyun Yuexuan swiped his thumb stylishly at the tip of his nose and smiled with great satisfaction. “Dare to act all high and mighty before me? Even Princess Fengyi of your Shangxia would sweetly call me ‘husband.’”

Bai Hongkai was nothing but a worthless son who was all bark and no bite. He was so frightened that he peed his pants. “This stupid me was blind to offend you, General. Please spare my dog life!”

Chiyun Yuexuan had Wu Siyuan called over and instructed him, “Have someone send a message to Bai Xianwu, tell that old fellow to have one person bring Cai Sang to come exchange for this trash at the eastern suburbs. If one more person comes, I’ll cut off his family’s meat stick. Just in case the old thing resorts to tricks, send a soldier to lie in wait in the eastern suburbs in advance. If there is any movement in the eastern suburbs, let me know double-time to cancel the deal.”

——

Bai Xianwu slapped County Magistrate Wu Guoliang. “Useless trash! This county office is just a bunch of fools from top to bottom who can’t even capture a pretty boy merchant! How can you still have the face to be here? If my son loses just one hair, I’ll take your the heads of your whole families.”

Wu Guoliang paled in horror and could only kowtow for mercy. Bai Xianwu’s face was quite gloomy from this never-before-experienced loss. Today, not only did he lose money and face, he even lost his own son. He who generally bullied others had to go find his second son-in-law for help.

Bai Xianwu went to the troops stationed in the southern quarter of the city. His second son-in-law, Xu Jiantao, was a garrison officer in Shangxia. Although his official rank wasn’t very high, he still had a team of people at his disposal on a moment’s notice, and in Songyang County far from the reach of the emperor, they could consider him quite the prominent figure.

Xu Jiantao grew angry upon knowing that his father-in-law and brother-in-law had suffered such losses, and expressed that he’d set things right for Bai Xianwu.

While Bai Xianwu and Xu Jiantao worked out a plan to find and rescue Bai Hongkai, a servant arrived on horseback to report, “Reporting to Master, someone threw this into the house.” He handed a letter tied to an arrow to Bai Xianwu.

Bai Xianwu unfolded the paper. “At the beginning of Hog this evening, send one person with Cai Sang in the eastern suburbs to exchange for your Young Master. If one more person comes, the time and place will change, and you will be the one to blame for the consequences.”

Xu Jiantao revealed a chilling smile. He called a soldier and ordered him to take people to the eastern suburbs and hide there in advance. He wanted to catch the turtles in a jar.

Bai Xianwu nodded in approval. “Son-in-law is astute and resourceful. I’m counting on you to get back at them for the humiliations I’ve suffered.”