Chapter 162: The Stone Broker

Having walked this route once before, Gu Ning’an and Mu Sheng made their return journey noticeably faster.

As they passed a small alley, they suddenly noticed a group of constables in yellow uniforms, each wearing a long blade at their waist, stationed at the alley entrance. While chatting amongst themselves, they kept a close watch on every passerby.

As they drew closer, cries of pain and curses could be heard intermittently from within the alley.

“Speak! Where are those smugglers hiding?”

“Damned bastard! If you don’t talk, I’ll beat you to death!”

“Ah—! Stop, stop! My lord, I’ll tell you everything!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Ning’an noticed that the person being kicked and beaten by several constables was none other than the stone broker they had encountered earlier.

“What are you looking at? Move along!” One of the constables, his face thick with fat, barked at Gu Ning’an, his flesh quivering as he spoke, looking every bit the brute.

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an chuckled and remarked, “Abusing suspects is a violation of Great Qian’s laws… You, as law enforcers, would knowingly break the law?”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Before he even finished speaking, the constables who had been chatting moments ago all drew their long blades in unison. More than a dozen gleaming blades, reflecting the moonlight, exuded an intimidating chill.

The burly constable took a step forward and sneered, “Are you looking to meddle in our affairs, sir?”

“I merely made an observation, yet you’re already drawing blades?” Gu Ning’an responded indifferently, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“You don’t know what’s good for you! Arrest him!” At the burly constable’s command, the group of constables spread out, moving in to surround Gu Ning’an.

“Stand down!”

A stern voice rang out from within the alley. The once-aggressive constables immediately withdrew, lowering their raised blades as they stepped aside to make way for the approaching figure.

The man who emerged wore a deep blue constable captain’s uniform. He appeared to be around forty years old, his brows free of the usual ferocity seen in constables. Instead, he wore a genial smile, exuding an approachable and amicable demeanor.

“This gentleman is right—we should not be using such methods.”

“However, we are investigating a case, and without any leads, we had no choice but to resort to this.”

“I hope you can forgive us, sir.”

The captain’s attitude was exceptionally polite, a stark contrast to the belligerence of his subordinates.

This surprised Gu Ning’an. After all, “when the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams follow.” How was it that the constables were so unruly, yet their captain appeared so “reasonable”?

“Mm, just be mindful of your methods,” Gu Ning’an replied.

“You are absolutely right, sir.” The captain smiled and waved his hand, signaling for the two constables inside the alley to release the stone broker.

Stumbling as he ran out of the alley, the stone broker glanced at Gu Ning’an and murmured a soft, “Thank you,” before mustering all his strength to flee, quickly disappearing into the snowy night.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an gave the captain a nod before leaving with Mu Sheng.

After they had walked away, the burly constable muttered in a low voice, “Captain Zhao, who is that man?”

Captain Zhao smiled and shook his head. “Who knows? This is my first time seeing him too.”

“Huh? Then why were you so polite to him?” the burly constable asked, puzzled.

Captain Zhao shot him a look. “Are you unaware that the Imperial Preceptor is coming?”

“I know, but that guy can’t be the Imperial Preceptor, right? His age doesn’t match!”

“Idiot!” Captain Zhao smacked the constable on the head, then waved at the surrounding constables. “Listen up, I’m going to give you all a lesson today.”

“The Imperial Preceptor—do you know what kind of person he is? A grandmaster of Confucianism! His Majesty’s own mentor!”

“Do you think someone like him would travel alone? Wouldn’t it make sense for his disciples or students to arrive ahead of him to scout the way?”

The burly constable interjected, “Captain Zhao, are you saying that man might be the Imperial Preceptor’s disciple? How can you tell? Teach us!”

“Heh!”

Captain Zhao chuckled and explained, “First, it’s his demeanor. We have so many constables here, all looking fierce and intimidating. Any ordinary person would be too scared to interfere!”

“But not only did he intervene, he didn’t show the slightest fear. Even when you all drew your blades, I was watching—he didn’t just remain unfazed, he looked like he found it amusing!”

“What does that tell us?” Captain Zhao looked at the burly constable in front of him.

The burly constable shook his head dumbly. “No idea.”

“Heh, if you knew, you’d be the Captain!”

After teasing him, Zhao continued, “It means he has absolute confidence—either you lot wouldn’t dare touch him, or you wouldn’t be able to beat him!”

The burly constable asked curiously, “And what’s the difference?”

“The first case—if you wouldn’t dare touch him—it means he has something that proves his identity, which means he has a powerful background.”

“The second case—if you couldn’t beat him—it means he’s highly skilled in martial arts. But that seems unlikely to me; he doesn’t look like a trained fighter.”

“My guess is the first—he has solid backing. And considering the Imperial Preceptor is expected to arrive soon, and that man carried himself like a cultured scholar, it’s easy to deduce that his background is tied to the Imperial Preceptor!”

Hearing Captain Zhao’s analysis, the constables’ admiration for him grew even stronger. They immediately started showering him with flattery, puffing him up with pride…

…

Clang~clang~

“The air is dry, be mindful of fire!”

In an old, drafty house on the outskirts of Shanyang County, the bruised and battered stone broker sat cross-legged on the ground. In front of him was a stone stove with flames flickering inside.

A blackened iron pot sat atop the stove, inside of which dumpling-like lumps of dough floated in boiling water alongside a few wilted vegetable leaves.

Creaaak~

The house’s old wooden door swung open, and a gust of icy wind carried snowflakes into the room.

A woman, dressed in thin clothing and wearing heavy makeup, stepped inside. Her scent of rouge and powder quickly replaced the damp, musty smell that filled the house.

“I’m freezing! Absolutely freezing!” The woman shook the snow from her clothes and hurried to the stove to warm herself.

The stone broker quickly got up and draped a tattered woolen blanket over her shoulders.

By the light of the stove, the woman noticed the bruises on his face. She gasped and asked, “What happened? Who beat you this time?”

“Ah, just Captain Zhao and his men…” The stone broker replied nonchalantly. “The Imperial Preceptor is coming soon, right? They’re desperate to catch the smugglers, so they roughed me up again.”

The woman sighed deeply, then leaned against him and wrapped her arms around him. “Brother A’Yong, did you tell them?”

The stone broker nodded helplessly. “I did… They beat me hard, and I couldn’t hold out. I told them everything.”

“Then we should run—leave tonight! Otherwise, the smugglers will definitely come after us!”

Hearing this, stone broker gave a bitter smile. “Run where? You’ve seen what happens to the girls who tried to escape.”

At his words, the woman’s face paled with fear, as if recalling something truly horrifying. She quickly pulled a few taels of silver from her pocket, shoved them into his hands, and urged, “Brother A’Yong, you run… If you go alone, no one will chase you. Unless the smugglers find out it was you who talked.”

“But by then, you should be far away.”

The stone broker didn’t reply. Instead, he pocketed the silver and reached under the bed, pulling out a small cloth pouch. He placed the silver inside, weighing it in his hand.

“This should be enough for you to buy your freedom…”