Apart from the minor disharmonious element that was Xu Bin, the welcoming feast was generally considered joyful between the host and his guests.
Due to Magistrate Fan’s directions, the gentry outside did not dare to come in and bother them rashly, each going their own way after they were finished eating. Tang Fan and the rest’s table was especially riled up because of the drinking games adding to the liveliness, and when the banquet was over, each of them were a little tipsy.
Magistrate Fan personally helped Tang Fan onto a carriage, then instructed the driver to take Mister Ambassador back to the posthouse. Mister Magistrate lowering himself to speak to him made the driver unspeakably giddy, nodding and bowing over and over again in agreement.
Tang Fan wasn’t actually that terribly drunk, he had just wanted to end the party early with that excuse. Once on the carriage, he released his hold on Lu Lingxi, and his slightly-dulled eyes resumed their clarity. “Yiqing, before he gets too far, catch up with Magistrate Ji’s litter and request that he go to the posthouse. I want to see him.”
“Didn’t you just chat a lot with him at the banquet? You want to chat more?”
Tang Fan bopped him on his skull. “Those were just niceties. I have other, official things I need to ask him about.”
Lu Lingxi was a little reluctant at heart, but he couldn’t say no, obliged to jump out of the carriage and run to call for someone. Not long afterwards, he brought Ji Min over.
Tang Fan lifted the carriage curtain, smiling at the latter. “Ziming, if you find it agreeable, how about you rest at the posthouse tonight? We’ve met again after such a long time, I have a lot I want to say to you.”
Ji Min smiled back. “What a coincidence; I also have a lot I want to say to you, Sir. Can your carriage squeeze one more person onto it?”
The beckoned him over. “Two could be accommodated for, let alone one! Get on, quick. We just drank wine, be careful not to catch a cold from the wind!”
Ji Min wasn’t going to play coy, bending over to board the carriage while holding Tang Fan’s hand.
Magistrate Fan had done all he could to curry favor with Tang Fan. The carriage was dolled-up in every aspect; specifically, in order to defend against bumps, it was padded with three layers of thick cotton cushion, and because it was currently summer, those cushions had a bamboo mat laid out atop them. People seated atop them, rather than feel feel the bumps of the carriage moving, would instead feel rather comfortable.
It was also very spacious inside, with more than enough room for a full-grown man to lay down in. Fitting Ji Min in was not hard at all.
Tang Fan shot a look right at Lu Lingxi, who was sitting outside with the driver, and questioned, “Why are you sitting there and not getting in here?”
Lu Lingxi had thought that with Ji Min here, Brother Tang definitely wanted to whisper secrets to him. To avoid waiting for himself to get driven away, he had simply left out of tactfulness beforehand. Having not expected that Tang Fan would let him sit inside, after a moment of being stunned, he was immediately happy again, agreeing verbally, quickly turning around, then nimbly darting into the carriage.
“You’re from a martial household, Don Lu?” Ji Min asked with a smile.
“Not at all. I only exchanges some punches with my elders in my childhood to strengthen myself and keep fit.”
“You are both intelligent and physically talented, a dual threat both martial and literary. Will you take the literary exams, or the martial exams someday?” Ji Min joked.
Lu Lingxi lowered his head and smiled, hiding half of himself behind Tang Fan, as if somewhat bashful.
Despite being aware that this wasn’t his personality, Tang Fan didn’t expose him, instead helping speak for him. “Yiqing is an intergenerational friend of mine. He’s young and often mischievous. His elders asked me to take him out and see the world; I see him as a little brother.”
His implication being that Lu Lingxi was no outsider.
“I haven’t seen you for a few years, yet you’re the same as ever, Runqing. Always making friends easily!” Ji Min said ruefully.
Tang Fan laughed. “You’ve overpraised me, Ziming. Since we’re friends, we must treat each other with honesty. Speaking of which, you and I haven’t seen each other for five or six years, right?”
The other nodded. “It’s been over five years since I left the capital.”
Without those other people around, Tang Fan was able to size the man up naturally. Ji Min had long gotten rid of the gloom and upset he had had in the capital. Despite being a few years older than him, he looked not a bit different, the hairs at his temples black and rich with luster. Also, those officials robes themselves had an immense effect — once worn, the allure of authority would imperceptibly make one look younger.
“It looks like Jiangxi’s resources have kept you well. After coming here, you’re more energetic than I’ve ever seen you!” Tang Fan said with a smile.
Ji Min laughed, not avoiding anything. “Honestly, I had a lot to do. Once you get busy, you don’t have time to think of anything. Before this, I failed the exams repeatedly, and it was easy to let it get to me, always feeling that this was disgraceful, that was a disappointment to myself. However, I’ve seen and heard so many things now. When I think of the past, it practically seems like I was having a pipe dream. It was very shameful… I don’t know if Brother Yuqiao and the rest still remember me, but next time I go to the capital to relay my duties, if they’re still there, I’ll have to drop by and apologize!”
“Of course they remember! Weren’t you in a bad mood them, too? Anyone could understand that, and if they were in your place, their mood wouldn’t have been any better. Luck is also quite important in exams; we were simply luckier to get a step ahead of you. If you go over now and they hear of it, they’ll definitely be happy for you!”
Ji Min held in his laughter. “You still speak so—“
Before he could finish, the carriage jolted hard, then came to an abrupt stop, succeeded by horses neighing outside. Their cabin swayed harshly, causing them all to hold onto its walls for stability.
“Sir, don’t come out! Don Lu, protect him!” Xi Ming shouted outside
“What happened?” Ji Min asked, alarmed.
There was no need for Xi Ming to give a special explanation, really. Lu Lingxi had already drawn his sword, gripping it tightly while vigilantly listening to the commotion outside.
The sound of blades clashing was heard outside, the intermittent voices of Xi Ming’s group coming through. “Damn bandits! You dare to try assassinating us in the middle of street?! Leave your names if you’re the types!”
Their opponents didn’t answer them, naturally. Judging from the sounds Tang Fan’s group was hearing, the brawl outside out to be rather fierce.
Tang Fan was still collected, though, even having the spare leisure to console Ji Min. “Don’t you worry, Ziming. Xi Ming and them are enough to handle this.”
Despite saying so, at heart, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
It needed to be known that Xi Ming’s group of four were all former elites of the Western Depot. With how Wang Zhi was, he would have certainly found it beneath him to send him a few mediocre people. Even Lu Lingxi had said that if the four attacked him together, he probably wouldn’t get many moves off by himself.
However, as time passed, drip by drop, the fighting outside held no hints of stopping, the metal-on-metal contact turning all the more intense as a raging tempest.
At this time, night’s curtain had since dropped. Luling County was not considered a small area, but after nightfall, there certainly wouldn’t be anyone on the streets, apart from night watchmen or patrolling soldiers. The noise here was so great, patrolling soldiers rushed over hearing it, only to see a carriage stopped in the street and two unknown sides in a fervent fight to the death, their momentum unrelenting, when given a visual estimate. Beside the carriage laid a few figures; seeing their outfits, those were not only the driver, but bailiffs of the county bureau.
As soon as the soldiers saw that, they knew that there had to be a certain official seated in the carriage. They exchanged looks, not daring to openly fall back, and also not daring to step forward and mix in with the fight. What they did dare to do was, while having someone go request help, shout out a bluff. “Who dares to fight here?! Government soldiers will surely arrive! Quickly put your weapons down and surrender!”
The ambushers appeared to be dead-set on attacking the carriage, their moves vicious and without mercy. The soldiers’ shouts did not control them, their focus placed upon Xi Ming’s group.
Right then, a call came from within the carriage. “I am Luling’s Magistrate, Ji Ming! The imperial ambassador is also in the cabin with me! Why are you all not rushing back to report this?!”
Hearing that, the soldiers were promptly so frightened, their souls flew out.
Luling County was the seat of Ji’an Prefecture’s governance, making its people more informed than other areas. They knew that an imperial ambassador had come to Ji’an to investigate the case of the imperial exams, yet he had encountered assassins the second he had reached Luling County’s bounds — if their superiors looked for someone to blame, they would be the first people out of luck.
They exchanged looks again, immediately too afraid to sit by and watch. They had to brace themselves in slowly approaching the carriage, fearing that with a moment of inattention, they would turn into cannon fodder like those unlucky devils laying on the ground.
Even so, with experts battling, how could they have room to intervene?
There were eight ambushers. Xi Ming’s four had separated to surround the carriage in four directions, one-on-two; it was hard to contend with.
Seeing and hearing the noise outside getting all the more fierce while reinforcements were slow to come, Lu Lingxi couldn’t sit still in the carriage anymore. He said to Tang Fan, “Brother Tang, I’ll go out and help,” then raised his sword, lifted the curtain, and leapt out.
With him joining in, the pressure on Xi Ming’s group immediately lightened, but the situation was still not turning hopeful.
Lu Lingxi said nothing. He had learned from Shaolin and had a past of traveling the land, making his real combat experience nothing shallow. Xi Ming’s group were also first-class experts, yet five people like them still couldn’t match the opponent.
The eight black-clothed, face-covered people had come from parts unknown, very vicious and trying to take lives at first blow. Xi Ming’s group had been caught off guard, nearly suppressed, but they knew that those in the carriage had no strength to resist, so they had to defend the carriage’s protective line with all their might, not allowing their foes to break through.
For Tang Fan and Ji Min in the carriage, seconds practically passed like years. To not make trouble for Xi Ming and the rest, the two didn’t poke their heads out to survey the battle circumstances, only staying right where they were, looking at each other.
From the very start of his travels back in the day, Tang Fan had experienced an unknown amount of dangers. This present moment didn’t count as the most critical, so he was calm on his surface, though his brow was creased in worry for Lu Lingxi and the rest’s safety.
Ji Min refused to show his nervousness before Tang Fan. In spite of his slightly pale face, he kept calm, with only his fists clenched tight.
“Don’t worry. Yiqing and them are very skilled, it’ll be okay,” Tang Fan then comforted him.
Ji Min forced out a smile, which was immediately followed by a tight furrowing of his brow. “Luling County has been very peaceful before this. I’ve never heard of any bandits… why is there an assassination attempt on your heel when you got here on your toes? Did you encounter one in Suzhou, too?”
Tang Fan shook his head. “I didn’t.”
“Then… could it have something to do with the case you’re investigating?” the other guessed.
Tang Fan’s heart jumped.
If anyone were to be said to not want him to come investigate the most, they could only be Shen Kunxiu, without a doubt. However, how could he, a Consul of Education, have gotten into contact with these assassins outside?
Was there some inside story to the case?
Right as his mind was turning, the sound of horseshoes seemed to come from far away, accompanied by the rising clamor of people’s voices.
And, those patrolling soldiers that had only been able to watch helplessly nearby, saw torches draw near, becoming overjoyed.
Reinforcements were finally here.
The imperial ambassador and Luling Magistrate were surrounded together in a carriage — the soldier that had gone to report had needed to go straight to find Magistrate Fan Yuezheng.
When the feast had just disbanded, Magistrate Fan had drunk himself drunk, and had been in the middle of heading back to the prefectural bureau. However, when he got to its main gate, he saw a patroll soldier come to report something, out of breath from running. He had said that the imperial ambassador had been ambushed on the way back, with the Luling Magistrate in the same carriage.
However much Magistrate Fan had drunk, he had immediately mostly sobered up hearing this, and could not rush off fast enough. His aides, smart, had quickly stopped him, saying that it would be useless for him to go like this, to say nothing of the fact that he would not even saving himself, let alone the ambassador. He needed to hurry to get a rescue team.
Feeling that that made sense, he had busily changed trajectory to go find Millarch Tan at Ji’an’s Millarch post.
The post had no relationship to the Brocade Guard, instead being a local garrison affiliated to the department of Jiangxi’s Commanding Envoy. Even if it had no connection to the Guard, as soon as it heard Magistrate Fan say that the Court’s imperial ambassador had been attacked in Ji An’s territory, it had to send people to rescue him.
Because it had been reported that the foes had exceptional skill and many people, Millarch Tan had specifically brought a small squadron carrying firearms.
That build-up of twists and turns had then caused a lot of delay. Thankfully, Xi Ming’s group had held out long enough, as they knew that if anything happened to Tang Fan, that would be equivalent to them failing to protect an imperial ambassador. Even if Wang Zhi didn’t reproach them, they would still suffer punishment from the Court. They therefore did all they could to block the onslaught, their bodies having long become riddled in wounds.
Their opponents were not doing any better, of course. All eight of them were more or less wounded. Even though their target was the one in the carriage, they also needed to take care to not be captured by miscalculation or get their identities revealed. Thus, the instant they saw a large group of soldiers rush over, they knew that the most favorable opportunity for killing him had passed and it would be difficult for them to find another.
One of them, who resembled a leader, was seen to make a hand gesture, and the other seven swiftly flew in the opposite direction from where the soldiers were coming. After they withdrew a certain distance, they turned and ran forth, figures quickly vanishing into the vast night.
Lu Lingxi had wanted to give chase, but was held back by Xi Ming. “Do you want to die?!”
In light of the enemy’s skills, they were roughly a tick higher that Xi Ming’s group, so this war had left all give of them injured, two amongst them heavily so. The opposing eight had also been wounded, but they had only been light injuries. If Lu Lingxi caught up with them, he would most likely never come back.
He had no choice but to listen, rancorous.
The soldiers had since scrambled over. Seeing their sorry states, Magistrate Fan was aghast. “What’s going on, Sir Tang? Are you okay?”
“I am.”
Tang Fan disembarked the carriage, followed by Ji Min.
“This is Millarch Tan, from Ji’an’s Millarch post,” Magistrate Fan introduced. “After hearing the news, this humble official rushed to call him over!”
His word held no lack of wanting to incur merits for himself. Such conduct was frequently seen in officialdom. Normally, Tang Fan would be in the mood to play polite with him, but right now, he only cupped his hands towards Millarch Tan. “Many thanks, Millarch. I will come to visit and thank you personally one day for this favor I’ve received!”
Millarch Tan was wiser than Magistrate Fan. Seeing that the ones at Tang Fan’s side were moderately injured, he said, “This humble official knows some doctors that specialize in traumatic external injuries. If you need them, I will send people to call on them!”
Not being overly polite, Tang Fan accepted this without hesitation. “Then I will have to burden you, Millarch Tan.”
“No need to be so polite, Sir,” the other quickly answered. “This happening in Ji’an’s scope is something I cannot shirk responsibility for. Please, allow this humble official to escort you back.”
Not to lag behind, Magistrate Fan also said, “I will escort you too, Sir!”
Xi Ming’s group was injured, two already on the verge of collapse. Tang Fan didn’t refuse this, having Xi Ming help his two injured subordinates onto the carriage, then borrowing a few horses from Millarch Tan. Those of the group able to move rode back.
Those assassins definitely weren’t going to return, so, under the personal escort of Millarch Tan and Magistrate Fan, Tang Fan’s party safely reached the posthouse.
Aside from the two heavily injured ones, Xi Ming’s group had a bunch of slice wounds on their bodies. Lu Lingxi had a slash on his arm deep enough to show bone — it had been difficult for him to stay silent the whole time, then after returning, he had haphazardly torn a strip of cloth to staunch the bleeding. It wasn’t until doctors came and were about to apply medicine on him that everyone saw how deep the wound was.
They had been injured protecting Tang Fan, but, strictly speaking, that had been their job in the first place. Even so, Tang Fan didn’t take that at all for granted, instead giving up his own room for the heavily injured patients to stay in, and personally watching the doctors check pulses and question Xi Ming’s group extensively about the state of their wounds. Once he learned that no one was in life-threatening danger, he ordered them to rest well, then also instructed the posthouse workers to cook them easy-to-digest meat congee tomorrow.
Seeing this, even though it didn’t show on their faces, Xi Ming’s group was a bit moved at their hearts.
Many officials could put on superficial appearances, and many more would disdain to do even that. They, while described with the nice-sounding words of ‘martial experts’, were really just lackeys ordered around, either wandering the world or tossing themselves into officialdom. Even as military generals, their positions were not as high as civil officials’.
Xi Ming’s group had thought that with Tang Fan’s status, he had to be the type to look down his nose at everyone. They themselves had also had some ideas about being dispatched by Wang Zhi to defend a weak civil official, but now that something had happened, Tang Fan’s actions had caused their views to greatly change. No matter what he was actually thinking, putting on such a thoughtful and meticulous display alone was not being cold to them.
A shichen or two had passed since the injured were settled in. Magistrate Fan and Millarch Tan had been sent away by Tang Fan, leaving only Ji Min in the posthouse. Since the main courtyard was given to Xi Ming and them, Tang Fan moved into the side courtyard; even though the posthouse workers had made some temporary arrangements, the conditions were definitely a little worse there.
“Forgive me, Brother Ziming,” he apologized. “Look at how you were nearly injured from the mess tonight, and now I left you to dry for over half the day, unable to speak to you alone!”
Ji Min waved him off. “It’s fine. Rest tomorrow, too. There’ll be no need to rise early.” With that, he sighed. “Still, the fact that this happened tonight is fishy. I envied you for getting such quick promotions, yet I never expected that your spot would be so perilous. No wonder you had to bring a few martial artists with you! If you didn’t have them, would you not be in even more danger?”
Tang Fan smiled. “Things like this aren’t frequent, really. I never encountered them in Suzhou.”
He actually had, but his opponents had used a beauty as a honey trap and money for bribes. As was said, ‘Alcohol is a drug perforating the gut, sex is a blade cutting away bone’ — that could be seen as a different form of danger.
Hearing this, Ji Min’s worries were plain on his face. “With Don Lu and the others injured, how will you be safe these few days? Should I send some county bailiffs over?”
“Thank you for your goodwill, but if the enemy’s skills are the same as the ones from tonight, more people will likely do nothing. You may as well tell Millarch Tan to send me a firearmed squadron,” Tang Fan jokingly declined.
Ji Min knew that he was speaking the truth, shaking his head. “It’s me that’s useless. When I heard you were coming, I was really happy, thinking that when I met you this time around, we would definitely have a good time reminiscing. I didn’t expect that you would encounter assassins upon reaching Luling’s territory. I, as a guardian official, have neglected my duty.”
“This has nothing to do with you, don’t be ashamed. Can we not still reminisce now? Speaking of which, I’ve been wanting to ask since I saw you: did you take part in the metropolitan exams afterwards? Why didn’t you come find me when you were in the capital?”
“I didn’t return to take the test again. After I returned to my hometown, I met a rich merchant. He appreciated my hard studies in trying to improve myself, so he funded me in facilitating a relationship with the Ministry of Revenue, which got me the position of Luling Deputy. Later on, when the Luling Magistrate ended his term and transferred, he recommended me to his superiors, and I filled in his spot.”
In this Dynasty, Provincial Honorates could act as officials — Tang Fan helping He Lin become a Mentor of Miyun County was because of the latter being a Provincial Honorate — but with Ji Min’s pride, Tang Fan had always believed that he would not rest until he tested into being a Palace Honorate.
Seeming to see what he was thinking, Ji Min smiled in self-mockery. “My mother was ill at home, then. I just wanted to get a post to earn money so that I wouldn’t need to worry about my elders. Don’t worry much. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go look for you, it’s that at the time, you had just gained a foothold in Shuntian Prefecture. Even if you wanted to help, you would probably feel helpless. Bystanders cannot get involved in such matters; I had to resolve it myself. That’s why I didn’t inform you, so that you didn’t get hung up on it.”
“No wonder I wrote you a few successive letters, yet never got a reply. You had to have been away from home, then?”
Ji Min sighed. “Yes. After coming to Luling, I was so busy, I couldn’t get the spare time to return to my homeland. It’s really unfilial to speak of.”
Officials of this Dynasty rarely had vacation time, and it was excessively difficult for officials at the bottom rung to get any. Ji Min’s situation was unsurprising; in the Great Ming, a vast many officials had come across much of the same.
“Runqing, thinking of that day, you and I formed the great wish to both get our names on the golden roll. But… not only did continue with my efforts, I became a deserter in order to take a shortcut. I know that that isn’t the proper way—“
“I don’t love hearing you say that,” Tang Fan cut him off. “Whatever is called the ‘proper way’ or the ‘crooked way’ has nothing to do with imperial exams or honors. When it comes to how an acting official presides over the commonfolk, the proper way is being generous. As is known, at the country’s founding, most of the Court officials came from the Imperial College, not from the exams. There was no lack of meritorious officials amongst them — did those predecessors not take the ‘proper’ way? Ah. Ziming, you think too much, and have too heavy a load on your mind. As long as you remain as you are, we will forever be good friends!”
Ji Min’s heart was warm, and he felt in unsuitable to say anything, bowing his head to cover up how touched he was. When his emotions had gradually calmed, he asked. “At today’s feast, Xu Bin was always targeting you. Do you know why?”
“I’m also a bit perplexed by that. Do you know any inside information?”
“A thing or two…”
He wanted to continue on, yet a knock came from the door. Tang Fan wanted to get up and open it, but Ji Min pushed him down and did so himself.
The one standing outside was not an assassin, of course, but Lu Lingxi, with the majority of his arm wrapped up. He smiled giddily. “Brother Tang, I heard that you two were speaking by candlelight, so I came over. Did I bother you?”
Tang Fan creased his brow. “You’re injured, yet are getting up and doing things instead of resting? Don’t make a fuss!”
“I can’t sleep, the wound keeps aching. Just let me sit here for a bit!”
His cutesy tone made him impossible to refuse. Furthermore, whenever he thought of how the other had been wounded for him, Tang Fan couldn’t harden his heart to reject him.
The issue here was that Xi Ming and the rest were all resting in their rooms, not running off to play coy here, while Lu Lingxi couldn’t sit still.
Apparently, he’s still too young, with a child-like temper. No wonder Huai En wanted him to follow me and temper himself, Tang Fan thought.
Even thinking so, his heart softened up. “Alright. Just sit here, and say when you’re uncomfortable.
Lu Lingxi happily agreed, moved a chair over in Tang Fan’s direction using his uninjured arm, then sat near him. Looking up to see Ji Min staring at him, he automatically returned him with a slightly provocative look, causing the other to be a bit taken aback.
Apart from the minor disharmonious element that was Xu Bin, the welcoming feast was generally considered joyful between the host and his guests.
Due to Magistrate Fan’s directions, the gentry outside did not dare to come in and bother them rashly, each going their own way after they were finished eating. Tang Fan and the rest’s table was especially riled up because of the drinking games adding to the liveliness, and when the banquet was over, each of them were a little tipsy.
Magistrate Fan personally helped Tang Fan onto a carriage, then instructed the driver to take Mister Ambassador back to the posthouse. Mister Magistrate lowering himself to speak to him made the driver unspeakably giddy, nodding and bowing over and over again in agreement.
Tang Fan wasn’t actually that terribly drunk, he had just wanted to end the party early with that excuse. Once on the carriage, he released his hold on Lu Lingxi, and his slightly-dulled eyes resumed their clarity. “Yiqing, before he gets too far, catch up with Magistrate Ji’s litter and request that he go to the posthouse. I want to see him.”
“Didn’t you just chat a lot with him at the banquet? You want to chat more?”
Tang Fan bopped him on his skull. “Those were just niceties. I have other, official things I need to ask him about.”
Lu Lingxi was a little reluctant at heart, but he couldn’t say no, obliged to jump out of the carriage and run to call for someone. Not long afterwards, he brought Ji Min over.
Tang Fan lifted the carriage curtain, smiling at the latter. “Ziming, if you find it agreeable, how about you rest at the posthouse tonight? We’ve met again after such a long time, I have a lot I want to say to you.”
Ji Min smiled back. “What a coincidence; I also have a lot I want to say to you, Sir. Can your carriage squeeze one more person onto it?”
The beckoned him over. “Two could be accommodated for, let alone one! Get on, quick. We just drank wine, be careful not to catch a cold from the wind!”
Ji Min wasn’t going to play coy, bending over to board the carriage while holding Tang Fan’s hand.
Magistrate Fan had done all he could to curry favor with Tang Fan. The carriage was dolled-up in every aspect; specifically, in order to defend against bumps, it was padded with three layers of thick cotton cushion, and because it was currently summer, those cushions had a bamboo mat laid out atop them. People seated atop them, rather than feel feel the bumps of the carriage moving, would instead feel rather comfortable.
It was also very spacious inside, with more than enough room for a full-grown man to lay down in. Fitting Ji Min in was not hard at all.
Tang Fan shot a look right at Lu Lingxi, who was sitting outside with the driver, and questioned, “Why are you sitting there and not getting in here?”
Lu Lingxi had thought that with Ji Min here, Brother Tang definitely wanted to whisper secrets to him. To avoid waiting for himself to get driven away, he had simply left out of tactfulness beforehand. Having not expected that Tang Fan would let him sit inside, after a moment of being stunned, he was immediately happy again, agreeing verbally, quickly turning around, then nimbly darting into the carriage.
“You’re from a martial household, Don Lu?” Ji Min asked with a smile.
“Not at all. I only exchanges some punches with my elders in my childhood to strengthen myself and keep fit.”
“You are both intelligent and physically talented, a dual threat both martial and literary. Will you take the literary exams, or the martial exams someday?” Ji Min joked.
Lu Lingxi lowered his head and smiled, hiding half of himself behind Tang Fan, as if somewhat bashful.
Despite being aware that this wasn’t his personality, Tang Fan didn’t expose him, instead helping speak for him. “Yiqing is an intergenerational friend of mine. He’s young and often mischievous. His elders asked me to take him out and see the world; I see him as a little brother.”
His implication being that Lu Lingxi was no outsider.
“I haven’t seen you for a few years, yet you’re the same as ever, Runqing. Always making friends easily!” Ji Min said ruefully.
Tang Fan laughed. “You’ve overpraised me, Ziming. Since we’re friends, we must treat each other with honesty. Speaking of which, you and I haven’t seen each other for five or six years, right?”
The other nodded. “It’s been over five years since I left the capital.”
Without those other people around, Tang Fan was able to size the man up naturally. Ji Min had long gotten rid of the gloom and upset he had had in the capital. Despite being a few years older than him, he looked not a bit different, the hairs at his temples black and rich with luster. Also, those officials robes themselves had an immense effect — once worn, the allure of authority would imperceptibly make one look younger.
“It looks like Jiangxi’s resources have kept you well. After coming here, you’re more energetic than I’ve ever seen you!” Tang Fan said with a smile.
Ji Min laughed, not avoiding anything. “Honestly, I had a lot to do. Once you get busy, you don’t have time to think of anything. Before this, I failed the exams repeatedly, and it was easy to let it get to me, always feeling that this was disgraceful, that was a disappointment to myself. However, I’ve seen and heard so many things now. When I think of the past, it practically seems like I was having a pipe dream. It was very shameful… I don’t know if Brother Yuqiao and the rest still remember me, but next time I go to the capital to relay my duties, if they’re still there, I’ll have to drop by and apologize!”
“Of course they remember! Weren’t you in a bad mood them, too? Anyone could understand that, and if they were in your place, their mood wouldn’t have been any better. Luck is also quite important in exams; we were simply luckier to get a step ahead of you. If you go over now and they hear of it, they’ll definitely be happy for you!”
Ji Min held in his laughter. “You still speak so—“
Before he could finish, the carriage jolted hard, then came to an abrupt stop, succeeded by horses neighing outside. Their cabin swayed harshly, causing them all to hold onto its walls for stability.
“Sir, don’t come out! Don Lu, protect him!” Xi Ming shouted outside
“What happened?” Ji Min asked, alarmed.
There was no need for Xi Ming to give a special explanation, really. Lu Lingxi had already drawn his sword, gripping it tightly while vigilantly listening to the commotion outside.
The sound of blades clashing was heard outside, the intermittent voices of Xi Ming’s group coming through. “Damn bandits! You dare to try assassinating us in the middle of street?! Leave your names if you’re the types!”
Their opponents didn’t answer them, naturally. Judging from the sounds Tang Fan’s group was hearing, the brawl outside out to be rather fierce.
Tang Fan was still collected, though, even having the spare leisure to console Ji Min. “Don’t you worry, Ziming. Xi Ming and them are enough to handle this.”
Despite saying so, at heart, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
It needed to be known that Xi Ming’s group of four were all former elites of the Western Depot. With how Wang Zhi was, he would have certainly found it beneath him to send him a few mediocre people. Even Lu Lingxi had said that if the four attacked him together, he probably wouldn’t get many moves off by himself.
However, as time passed, drip by drop, the fighting outside held no hints of stopping, the metal-on-metal contact turning all the more intense as a raging tempest.
At this time, night’s curtain had since dropped. Luling County was not considered a small area, but after nightfall, there certainly wouldn’t be anyone on the streets, apart from night watchmen or patrolling soldiers. The noise here was so great, patrolling soldiers rushed over hearing it, only to see a carriage stopped in the street and two unknown sides in a fervent fight to the death, their momentum unrelenting, when given a visual estimate. Beside the carriage laid a few figures; seeing their outfits, those were not only the driver, but bailiffs of the county bureau.
As soon as the soldiers saw that, they knew that there had to be a certain official seated in the carriage. They exchanged looks, not daring to openly fall back, and also not daring to step forward and mix in with the fight. What they did dare to do was, while having someone go request help, shout out a bluff. “Who dares to fight here?! Government soldiers will surely arrive! Quickly put your weapons down and surrender!”
The ambushers appeared to be dead-set on attacking the carriage, their moves vicious and without mercy. The soldiers’ shouts did not control them, their focus placed upon Xi Ming’s group.
Right then, a call came from within the carriage. “I am Luling’s Magistrate, Ji Ming! The imperial ambassador is also in the cabin with me! Why are you all not rushing back to report this?!”
Hearing that, the soldiers were promptly so frightened, their souls flew out.
Luling County was the seat of Ji’an Prefecture’s governance, making its people more informed than other areas. They knew that an imperial ambassador had come to Ji’an to investigate the case of the imperial exams, yet he had encountered assassins the second he had reached Luling County’s bounds — if their superiors looked for someone to blame, they would be the first people out of luck.
They exchanged looks again, immediately too afraid to sit by and watch. They had to brace themselves in slowly approaching the carriage, fearing that with a moment of inattention, they would turn into cannon fodder like those unlucky devils laying on the ground.
Even so, with experts battling, how could they have room to intervene?
There were eight ambushers. Xi Ming’s four had separated to surround the carriage in four directions, one-on-two; it was hard to contend with.
Seeing and hearing the noise outside getting all the more fierce while reinforcements were slow to come, Lu Lingxi couldn’t sit still in the carriage anymore. He said to Tang Fan, “Brother Tang, I’ll go out and help,” then raised his sword, lifted the curtain, and leapt out.
With him joining in, the pressure on Xi Ming’s group immediately lightened, but the situation was still not turning hopeful.
Lu Lingxi said nothing. He had learned from Shaolin and had a past of traveling the land, making his real combat experience nothing shallow. Xi Ming’s group were also first-class experts, yet five people like them still couldn’t match the opponent.
The eight black-clothed, face-covered people had come from parts unknown, very vicious and trying to take lives at first blow. Xi Ming’s group had been caught off guard, nearly suppressed, but they knew that those in the carriage had no strength to resist, so they had to defend the carriage’s protective line with all their might, not allowing their foes to break through.
For Tang Fan and Ji Min in the carriage, seconds practically passed like years. To not make trouble for Xi Ming and the rest, the two didn’t poke their heads out to survey the battle circumstances, only staying right where they were, looking at each other.
From the very start of his travels back in the day, Tang Fan had experienced an unknown amount of dangers. This present moment didn’t count as the most critical, so he was calm on his surface, though his brow was creased in worry for Lu Lingxi and the rest’s safety.
Ji Min refused to show his nervousness before Tang Fan. In spite of his slightly pale face, he kept calm, with only his fists clenched tight.
“Don’t worry. Yiqing and them are very skilled, it’ll be okay,” Tang Fan then comforted him.
Ji Min forced out a smile, which was immediately followed by a tight furrowing of his brow. “Luling County has been very peaceful before this. I’ve never heard of any bandits… why is there an assassination attempt on your heel when you got here on your toes? Did you encounter one in Suzhou, too?”
Tang Fan shook his head. “I didn’t.”
“Then… could it have something to do with the case you’re investigating?” the other guessed.
Tang Fan’s heart jumped.
If anyone were to be said to not want him to come investigate the most, they could only be Shen Kunxiu, without a doubt. However, how could he, a Consul of Education, have gotten into contact with these assassins outside?
Was there some inside story to the case?
Right as his mind was turning, the sound of horseshoes seemed to come from far away, accompanied by the rising clamor of people’s voices.
And, those patrolling soldiers that had only been able to watch helplessly nearby, saw torches draw near, becoming overjoyed.
Reinforcements were finally here.
The imperial ambassador and Luling Magistrate were surrounded together in a carriage — the soldier that had gone to report had needed to go straight to find Magistrate Fan Yuezheng.
When the feast had just disbanded, Magistrate Fan had drunk himself drunk, and had been in the middle of heading back to the prefectural bureau. However, when he got to its main gate, he saw a patroll soldier come to report something, out of breath from running. He had said that the imperial ambassador had been ambushed on the way back, with the Luling Magistrate in the same carriage.
However much Magistrate Fan had drunk, he had immediately mostly sobered up hearing this, and could not rush off fast enough. His aides, smart, had quickly stopped him, saying that it would be useless for him to go like this, to say nothing of the fact that he would not even saving himself, let alone the ambassador. He needed to hurry to get a rescue team.
Feeling that that made sense, he had busily changed trajectory to go find Millarch Tan at Ji’an’s Millarch post.
The post had no relationship to the Brocade Guard, instead being a local garrison affiliated to the department of Jiangxi’s Commanding Envoy. Even if it had no connection to the Guard, as soon as it heard Magistrate Fan say that the Court’s imperial ambassador had been attacked in Ji An’s territory, it had to send people to rescue him.
Because it had been reported that the foes had exceptional skill and many people, Millarch Tan had specifically brought a small squadron carrying firearms.
That build-up of twists and turns had then caused a lot of delay. Thankfully, Xi Ming’s group had held out long enough, as they knew that if anything happened to Tang Fan, that would be equivalent to them failing to protect an imperial ambassador. Even if Wang Zhi didn’t reproach them, they would still suffer punishment from the Court. They therefore did all they could to block the onslaught, their bodies having long become riddled in wounds.
Their opponents were not doing any better, of course. All eight of them were more or less wounded. Even though their target was the one in the carriage, they also needed to take care to not be captured by miscalculation or get their identities revealed. Thus, the instant they saw a large group of soldiers rush over, they knew that the most favorable opportunity for killing him had passed and it would be difficult for them to find another.
One of them, who resembled a leader, was seen to make a hand gesture, and the other seven swiftly flew in the opposite direction from where the soldiers were coming. After they withdrew a certain distance, they turned and ran forth, figures quickly vanishing into the vast night.
Lu Lingxi had wanted to give chase, but was held back by Xi Ming. “Do you want to die?!”
In light of the enemy’s skills, they were roughly a tick higher that Xi Ming’s group, so this war had left all give of them injured, two amongst them heavily so. The opposing eight had also been wounded, but they had only been light injuries. If Lu Lingxi caught up with them, he would most likely never come back.
He had no choice but to listen, rancorous.
The soldiers had since scrambled over. Seeing their sorry states, Magistrate Fan was aghast. “What’s going on, Sir Tang? Are you okay?”
“I am.”
Tang Fan disembarked the carriage, followed by Ji Min.
“This is Millarch Tan, from Ji’an’s Millarch post,” Magistrate Fan introduced. “After hearing the news, this humble official rushed to call him over!”
His word held no lack of wanting to incur merits for himself. Such conduct was frequently seen in officialdom. Normally, Tang Fan would be in the mood to play polite with him, but right now, he only cupped his hands towards Millarch Tan. “Many thanks, Millarch. I will come to visit and thank you personally one day for this favor I’ve received!”
Millarch Tan was wiser than Magistrate Fan. Seeing that the ones at Tang Fan’s side were moderately injured, he said, “This humble official knows some doctors that specialize in traumatic external injuries. If you need them, I will send people to call on them!”
Not being overly polite, Tang Fan accepted this without hesitation. “Then I will have to burden you, Millarch Tan.”
“No need to be so polite, Sir,” the other quickly answered. “This happening in Ji’an’s scope is something I cannot shirk responsibility for. Please, allow this humble official to escort you back.”
Not to lag behind, Magistrate Fan also said, “I will escort you too, Sir!”
Xi Ming’s group was injured, two already on the verge of collapse. Tang Fan didn’t refuse this, having Xi Ming help his two injured subordinates onto the carriage, then borrowing a few horses from Millarch Tan. Those of the group able to move rode back.
Those assassins definitely weren’t going to return, so, under the personal escort of Millarch Tan and Magistrate Fan, Tang Fan’s party safely reached the posthouse.
Aside from the two heavily injured ones, Xi Ming’s group had a bunch of slice wounds on their bodies. Lu Lingxi had a slash on his arm deep enough to show bone — it had been difficult for him to stay silent the whole time, then after returning, he had haphazardly torn a strip of cloth to staunch the bleeding. It wasn’t until doctors came and were about to apply medicine on him that everyone saw how deep the wound was.
They had been injured protecting Tang Fan, but, strictly speaking, that had been their job in the first place. Even so, Tang Fan didn’t take that at all for granted, instead giving up his own room for the heavily injured patients to stay in, and personally watching the doctors check pulses and question Xi Ming’s group extensively about the state of their wounds. Once he learned that no one was in life-threatening danger, he ordered them to rest well, then also instructed the posthouse workers to cook them easy-to-digest meat congee tomorrow.
Seeing this, even though it didn’t show on their faces, Xi Ming’s group was a bit moved at their hearts.
Many officials could put on superficial appearances, and many more would disdain to do even that. They, while described with the nice-sounding words of ‘martial experts’, were really just lackeys ordered around, either wandering the world or tossing themselves into officialdom. Even as military generals, their positions were not as high as civil officials’.
Xi Ming’s group had thought that with Tang Fan’s status, he had to be the type to look down his nose at everyone. They themselves had also had some ideas about being dispatched by Wang Zhi to defend a weak civil official, but now that something had happened, Tang Fan’s actions had caused their views to greatly change. No matter what he was actually thinking, putting on such a thoughtful and meticulous display alone was not being cold to them.
A shichen or two had passed since the injured were settled in. Magistrate Fan and Millarch Tan had been sent away by Tang Fan, leaving only Ji Min in the posthouse. Since the main courtyard was given to Xi Ming and them, Tang Fan moved into the side courtyard; even though the posthouse workers had made some temporary arrangements, the conditions were definitely a little worse there.
“Forgive me, Brother Ziming,” he apologized. “Look at how you were nearly injured from the mess tonight, and now I left you to dry for over half the day, unable to speak to you alone!”
Ji Min waved him off. “It’s fine. Rest tomorrow, too. There’ll be no need to rise early.” With that, he sighed. “Still, the fact that this happened tonight is fishy. I envied you for getting such quick promotions, yet I never expected that your spot would be so perilous. No wonder you had to bring a few martial artists with you! If you didn’t have them, would you not be in even more danger?”
Tang Fan smiled. “Things like this aren’t frequent, really. I never encountered them in Suzhou.”
He actually had, but his opponents had used a beauty as a honey trap and money for bribes. As was said, ‘Alcohol is a drug perforating the gut, sex is a blade cutting away bone’ — that could be seen as a different form of danger.
Hearing this, Ji Min’s worries were plain on his face. “With Don Lu and the others injured, how will you be safe these few days? Should I send some county bailiffs over?”
“Thank you for your goodwill, but if the enemy’s skills are the same as the ones from tonight, more people will likely do nothing. You may as well tell Millarch Tan to send me a firearmed squadron,” Tang Fan jokingly declined.
Ji Min knew that he was speaking the truth, shaking his head. “It’s me that’s useless. When I heard you were coming, I was really happy, thinking that when I met you this time around, we would definitely have a good time reminiscing. I didn’t expect that you would encounter assassins upon reaching Luling’s territory. I, as a guardian official, have neglected my duty.”
“This has nothing to do with you, don’t be ashamed. Can we not still reminisce now? Speaking of which, I’ve been wanting to ask since I saw you: did you take part in the metropolitan exams afterwards? Why didn’t you come find me when you were in the capital?”
“I didn’t return to take the test again. After I returned to my hometown, I met a rich merchant. He appreciated my hard studies in trying to improve myself, so he funded me in facilitating a relationship with the Ministry of Revenue, which got me the position of Luling Deputy. Later on, when the Luling Magistrate ended his term and transferred, he recommended me to his superiors, and I filled in his spot.”
In this Dynasty, Provincial Honorates could act as officials — Tang Fan helping He Lin become a Mentor of Miyun County was because of the latter being a Provincial Honorate — but with Ji Min’s pride, Tang Fan had always believed that he would not rest until he tested into being a Palace Honorate.
Seeming to see what he was thinking, Ji Min smiled in self-mockery. “My mother was ill at home, then. I just wanted to get a post to earn money so that I wouldn’t need to worry about my elders. Don’t worry much. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go look for you, it’s that at the time, you had just gained a foothold in Shuntian Prefecture. Even if you wanted to help, you would probably feel helpless. Bystanders cannot get involved in such matters; I had to resolve it myself. That’s why I didn’t inform you, so that you didn’t get hung up on it.”
“No wonder I wrote you a few successive letters, yet never got a reply. You had to have been away from home, then?”
Ji Min sighed. “Yes. After coming to Luling, I was so busy, I couldn’t get the spare time to return to my homeland. It’s really unfilial to speak of.”
Officials of this Dynasty rarely had vacation time, and it was excessively difficult for officials at the bottom rung to get any. Ji Min’s situation was unsurprising; in the Great Ming, a vast many officials had come across much of the same.
“Runqing, thinking of that day, you and I formed the great wish to both get our names on the golden roll. But… not only did continue with my efforts, I became a deserter in order to take a shortcut. I know that that isn’t the proper way—“
“I don’t love hearing you say that,” Tang Fan cut him off. “Whatever is called the ‘proper way’ or the ‘crooked way’ has nothing to do with imperial exams or honors. When it comes to how an acting official presides over the commonfolk, the proper way is being generous. As is known, at the country’s founding, most of the Court officials came from the Imperial College, not from the exams. There was no lack of meritorious officials amongst them — did those predecessors not take the ‘proper’ way? Ah. Ziming, you think too much, and have too heavy a load on your mind. As long as you remain as you are, we will forever be good friends!”
Ji Min’s heart was warm, and he felt in unsuitable to say anything, bowing his head to cover up how touched he was. When his emotions had gradually calmed, he asked. “At today’s feast, Xu Bin was always targeting you. Do you know why?”
“I’m also a bit perplexed by that. Do you know any inside information?”
“A thing or two…”
He wanted to continue on, yet a knock came from the door. Tang Fan wanted to get up and open it, but Ji Min pushed him down and did so himself.
The one standing outside was not an assassin, of course, but Lu Lingxi, with the majority of his arm wrapped up. He smiled giddily. “Brother Tang, I heard that you two were speaking by candlelight, so I came over. Did I bother you?”
Tang Fan creased his brow. “You’re injured, yet are getting up and doing things instead of resting? Don’t make a fuss!”
“I can’t sleep, the wound keeps aching. Just let me sit here for a bit!”
His cutesy tone made him impossible to refuse. Furthermore, whenever he thought of how the other had been wounded for him, Tang Fan couldn’t harden his heart to reject him.
The issue here was that Xi Ming and the rest were all resting in their rooms, not running off to play coy here, while Lu Lingxi couldn’t sit still.
Apparently, he’s still too young, with a child-like temper. No wonder Huai En wanted him to follow me and temper himself, Tang Fan thought.
Even thinking so, his heart softened up. “Alright. Just sit here, and say when you’re uncomfortable.
Lu Lingxi happily agreed, moved a chair over in Tang Fan’s direction using his uninjured arm, then sat near him. Looking up to see Ji Min staring at him, he automatically returned him with a slightly provocative look, causing the other to be a bit taken aback.
