Jiangzhou River Bandit Case
Jiangzhou City is a water town with canals and abundant fish and rice.
Last year, Huaizhou was hit by a flood, and Jiangzhou was not much better off. Thanks to the help of local merchants, it took more than a year to restore the city to its former glory.
As envoys of the imperial court, they were given special permission to travel on official ships. At that time, transportation was underdeveloped, and it would take at least twenty days to travel by boat from Shangjing to Jiangzhou.
The time spent on the journey could not be wasted, so Xiao Di ordered someone to carry a lot of files, and together with Lord Shangguan, who also had to do document sorting work, the two sat around the table, buried in their work reviewing official documents.
Xiao Diting glanced at the mountain of files on her desk, her hand aching from holding the vermilion annotations. She looked at the nearly asleep Nan Zhenfu opposite her, and taking advantage of a moment to loosen her joints, she poked him with her pen: "Lianjun? Wake up, if you're tired, go to bed."
Shangguan Lin remained silent, only pecking at the ground like a chicken, her face pressed against her arm. Before she knew it, her forehead hit the desk with a dull thud.
Princess Mingzhao, trying to wake the person: ...
It's obvious that Lord Shangguan is very sleep-deprived.
Xiao Diting reluctantly got up and ordered Chunyan, who was accompanying him, to bring a thin sheet. He personally took it and covered her with it. Shangguan Lin's eyelashes trembled, her arm tilted to the side, and she slept even more soundly.
"No wonder," Xiao Diting muttered.
Before his trip to Jiangnan, Pei Wenjin may have discussed something with the Dali Temple. That day, Xiao Diting bid farewell to Lord Pei and received a document from the Dali Temple that afternoon.
Xiao Diting stood in the courtyard watching the palace maids and guards drag boxes into the courtyard. The Dali Temple official approached her with a smile and said, "Your Highness, these are all accumulated during your confinement... Lord Lin said that you don't need to go to work. You can take the files to Jiangzhou for review, it will be the same."
Xiao Diting stood alone and helpless, like a solid piece of wood standing between boxes of files, wiping away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, his heart filled with sorrow.
In this situation, she was unsure whether to curse Pei Wenjin for causing trouble or to complain about her miserable daily life.
And so, Xiao Diting lay forlornly before the documents, glancing at them with only a vague understanding. In truth, as a modern person, there were some characters she couldn't comprehend, not to mention that the author seemed to have a particular fondness for classical Chinese...
To avoid giving herself away, she hastily pieced together half of the text by combining the context with the words in between. Just when she was completely bewildered by the classical Chinese phrases, the Imperial Guard informed her that the Southern Garrison Commander could accompany her on her journey.
The third time I saw this Commander of the Southern Garrison was at the ferry crossing where I was packing my bags to head south of the Yangtze River. Pei Wenjin was too busy with official duties to show himself, so Song Pingzhang and Ji Chuan came to see him off.
Ji Chuan followed the instructions and thoroughly checked the official ship, making sure all the luggage was accounted for, and also checked the helmsman and the guards who accompanied him.
When Song Pingzhang finally disembarked to find Xiao Diting and the others, he fussed over the princess, explaining every little detail.
He shared everything from the names of officials in the Jianghuai and Jiangnan regions to the local climate, recommendations for food and accommodation, and so on.
Shangguan Lin stood quietly a few steps away from him, holding his sword. In the cold November wind, his eyelashes drooped, and he seemed lost in thought.
Xiao Diting responded to each of Lord Song's words with an "Mmm." She was calculating the departure time in her mind when she interrupted Lord Song as he took a breath to continue sharing the "Ten Famous Dishes of Jianghuai."
“I understand what Lord Song said.”
Song Pingzhang then stopped talking and turned to reach for Shangguan Lin behind him.
In his early twenties, he exuded the aura of a patriarch, acting as if he were sending his daughter to kindergarten, determined to securely hand her over to Xiao Diting before he would be satisfied.
Xiao Diting smiled broadly, thinking to himself that he could finally set off.
Unexpectedly, before she left, Song Pingzhang still called out to her with concern, "Your Highness, please wait."
Xiao Diting pretended to listen attentively. She told Shangguan Lin to board the boat and wait for her, while she stood alone on the shore waiting for Song Pingzhang to speak: "Lord Song, please speak."
This time, Song Pingzhang didn't have much to say. He handed Xiao Diting two pages of prescriptions and earnestly instructed, "Lianjun's health has always been poor, but she herself never cares about it. I hope Your Highness will keep her diet in mind."
Xiao Diting carefully accepted the two "heavy" prescriptions, saying earnestly, "I will."
Seeing Shangguan Lin's desolate figure standing by the ship's railing, Song Pingzhang swallowed his words, beckoned Ji Chuan to bring the horse, and nodded to His Highness: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard has important matters to attend to. Your Highness, have a safe journey!"
Bon Voyage.
Xiao Diting was taking a break, so he spread out a piece of Xuan paper and casually wrote these words. Because he had been in the same position for a long time while reviewing the case files, he felt uncomfortable all over.
With Chunyan's help, she walked onto the deck. The river breeze was gentle and much warmer than in the capital. She leaned against the ship's railing and gazed into the distance.
Ahead lay a mountain gorge, with cliffs rising on both sides, and a thin mist billowing out from within. Xiao Diting narrowed his phoenix eyes, calculated the time, and turned to ask Chunyan, "Have we arrived at the Duqu that Lord Shangguan mentioned?"
Chunyan stood behind her, lost in thought. She was startled for a moment when someone suddenly asked her a question, but she quickly composed herself and replied, "Yes, Your Highness, once you cross the Duqu River, you'll reach Jiangzhou."
Xiao Diting nodded: "That won't be long."
For some reason, Xiao Diting felt inexplicably uneasy looking at the thin mist in the distance, and unconsciously ran his hand over the rough side of the ship: "When will the local authorities receive news of the officials sent by the court?"
She suddenly asked a seemingly random question, and Chunyan quickly shook her head: "This servant is merely a..."
“Normally, when officials are sent to visit local areas, the relevant documents will be delivered along with them.” Shangguan Lin, who had woken up at some point, lifted the curtain of the inner room, straightened his clothes, and appeared behind her with his sword in hand.
Xiao Diting turned to look at Shangguan Lin, his fingertips resting on the gunwale pausing: "So, Jiangzhou knows the exact date of our arrival?"
Shangguan Lin walked to her side, his gaze sweeping over the misty mountain gorge ahead, and nodded slightly: "According to custom, the notice should be submitted three days in advance to inform the local prefect. However, the terrain of Duqu is special, with rapid currents, and merchant ships often run aground here, so the news may be delayed."
"Is that so..."
Before Xiao Diting could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out at the bow of the ship.
Shangguan Lin subconsciously gripped the scabbard and stood in front of Xiao Diting. He glanced at the guards on the deck, stepped aside, and lowered his guard to stand guard.
The guard rushed over and whispered, "Your Highness, Commander, there's a wrecked fishing boat floating on the water ahead, blocking our way."
Shangguan Lin found it strange: "Winter is approaching, and the fishing ban period is coming soon. No fishing boats will come here."
The two exchanged a glance, and Xiao Diting immediately decided, "Let's go and take a look."
The two had just exchanged a few casual words when the official boat entered the gorge. A thin mist enveloped the surroundings, and as the mist thickened, the surroundings became increasingly obscured.
The canyon was not wide open and had many hidden reefs. Unless they encountered a particularly difficult situation, the guards would not disturb the two of them.
Without saying much, the two followed the guard to the bow of the ship to check the situation. They saw an abandoned fishing boat stuck at an angle between the rocks, with a large hole in the hull and the cabin filled with river water.
What's even more puzzling is that dark red rust is faintly visible on the deck, like bloodstains diluted by water. And, if you get close, you can barely make out the mast leaning against the reef through the fog; instead of a sail, it's hanging on the outline of a human figure.
Xiao Diting instantly regained his senses, and his professional instincts immediately kicked in: "Send someone forward to check and try to keep the scene intact."
Shangguan Lin pressed his hand on the sword at his waist, his expression somber: "Be careful, it might be a trap. The Duqu area has been quite unsettled in recent years. After last year's floods, many displaced people turned to banditry, specifically targeting government ships."
Chunyan shrank back behind Xiao Diting in fright, wondering if ghosts and monsters were rampant, but then she heard her prince calmly say, "Check first. We surveyed the terrain before entering the gorge. We can't ambush anyone."
Shangguan Lin paused, turning back to look at her with a hint of inquiry: "Your Highness knows these things?"
Xiao Diting shook his head, looking rather helpless: "I am not a woman from the inner palace."
"That's the truth," Shangguan Lin hummed softly, then beckoned to the guard who had just reported, whispered something more in his ear, and then returned to Xiao Diting's side, cautiously surveying the surroundings.
The fog was too thick, and Shangguan Lin feared that the princess might be harmed by a hidden arrow.
Seeing her tense demeanor, Xiao Diting couldn't help but find it amusing, and reached out to pat her shoulder: "Relax."
Shangguan Lin raised his hand to indicate that she didn't need to worry about it.
Just then, a loud "bang" came from the fishing boat, as if something had rolled out from the bottom of the hold.
A dark figure flashed vaguely in the fog and disappeared into the fog in an instant. As for the figure hanging on the mast, it was indeed the corpse of a young man!
The lower half of the body was missing, neatly severed, and the neck was strangled by a tangled fishing net, hanging from the mast. The tattered cloth shirt was soaked with blood, turning a horrifying dark red.
The timid Chunyan let out a short "Ah!" and grabbed Xiao Diting's sleeve, wishing she could crawl into her arms.
Shangguan Lin made a quick decision: "Take two teams to search the nearby waters, the rest of you on guard!" She drew her sword, the blade facing the river wind. "It seems we haven't even reached Jiangzhou yet, and trouble has already come knocking."
Looking at the strange fishing boat, Xiao Diting suddenly remembered the "Duqu River Bandit Case" mentioned in the case file.
During last year's floods, more than a dozen merchant ships went missing here. The Dali Temple's records only stated that the incident was "suspected to be the work of river bandits," but no substantial clues were found.
The Imperial Guards were not here simply to investigate the salt and iron accounts. Although those who operated these businesses were legitimate imperial merchants, none of them had the audacity to warrant the personal presence of the Southern Garrison Commander.
The case of the bandits in the Duqu River was also one of Shangguan Lin's tasks on this trip.
Without direct evidence, it's difficult to determine whether those disappearances are related to the fishing boat in front of us.
Xiao Diting's unease grew stronger, and he subconsciously gripped the railing of the ship's side.
The river wind suddenly picked up, dispersing some of the mist and revealing a few blurry characters carved into the mountainside. Xiao Diting squinted at them; the characters looked as if they had been forcibly carved in with a sharp tool, the strokes distorted, exuding an indescribable eeriness.
"What are those characters?" she asked, pointing to the cliff face.
Shangguan Lin looked in the direction she pointed, his expression changing slightly: "It's the characters for 'debt' and 'grievance'."
These two words were like a stone thrown into Xiao Diting's heart.
She suddenly remembered the Jiangzhou merchants' disaster relief efforts—could some of those merchants who went to great lengths to help have used the guise of disaster relief to do something shady? And what was the connection between Du Qu's "debt" and the case they were investigating?
The boat rocked slightly and began to slowly approach the fishing boat.
Xiao Diting took a deep breath and turned to meet Shangguan Lin's gaze: "It seems that this trip to Jiangnan is much more lively than we expected."
Shangguan Lin nodded, his eyes serious: "Let's see what's on the fishing boat first. After we dock, I'll go visit some acquaintances... What about Your Highness? Should we split up?"
“No.” Xiao Diting thought for a moment with amusement. “I have a feeling that these things are connected. I’ll go to Jiangzhou with you.”
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