Chapter 102, Chapter 102: Er Ya Delivers a Message
Yesterday, He An from Mingyue Tower came to pay his respects with eight hundred taels of silver notes. When the stack of notes was placed in front of him, he almost couldn't resist accepting them. Eight hundred taels! His annual salary was only sixty taels. Although he could make some extra money here and there, it was far less than eight hundred taels.
If it weren't for Sun Weifu's earlier promise that he would receive 40% of Mingyuelou's profits after the deal was done, he wouldn't have been willing to give away the silver notes that were offered to him for nothing.
Last night, he dreamed that he was making a fortune every day from the income of Mingyue Tower, using the money to buy an official position, and rising smoothly to the top, eventually becoming the prefect. But no matter how beautiful the dream was, it was just an illusion. After waking up, he was eager to prove Zhu Mingyue's crimes and take over Mingyue Tower as soon as possible.
That bastard Sun Weifu, hiding in the shadows and not showing himself, still has the nerve to say that his overly cautiousness is causing trouble. If he doesn't investigate thoroughly and really offends Princess Huiyang, not only will all his efforts be in vain, but his official hat will also be worn out.
While the magistrate was arguing with someone and parting on bad terms, little did he know that He An, who had been refused the money, was also having a hard time. He had been unable to eat or sleep for the past two days, and every time he closed his eyes, he saw the image of the shopkeeper being dragged to the execution ground.
Xiao Cui hung up the "Closed" sign at the door and sighed, "He An, do you think the shopkeeper will ever come back?" Everyone was worried, and the shop was filled with gloom.
He An looked much more haggard. Upon hearing this, he said, "I will be back. I'm still trying to figure something out."
"By the way, has Wang Zongxiu returned?"
Xiao Cui shook her head: "Not yet. Don't worry, I've had them keep watch near the city gate every day. As soon as he enters the city, we'll invite him over."
"Alright, that's the only way. Have the cook prepare some good food. The innkeeper can't even get a hot meal in prison. I'll go and bring him some food."
Xiao Cui looked towards the kitchen: "I've been thinking about it. It's already prepared and is keeping it warm on the stove. I'm just waiting for you to deliver it."
"Okay." He An forced himself to cheer up and prepared to deliver food to Zhu Mingyue.
The meal prepared included both meat and vegetables, and they even made the soup that Zhu Mingyue usually liked. He An's gaze lingered on the plate of crystal shrimp dumplings for a moment, as if he had thought of something. He frowned and silently removed the shrimp dumplings from the food box.
He had previously heard Zhu Mingyue mention that in some parts of her hometown, people eat dumplings when saying goodbye. He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, but now he was inexplicably starting to care.
He had some loose silver in his pocket to bribe the jailers, picked up his food box and was about to leave when he was blocked at the shop entrance by a galloping horse.
Sigh—
Wang Zongxiu pulled He An back to the shop, barely catching his breath: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"I've only been out of town for half a month, how come your manager has been thrown into jail?"
He An: "It's a long story."
Wang Zongxiu: "Then let's get straight to the point."
He An: "My shopkeeper was framed. The person behind it colluded with the county magistrate to try to convict him of murder."
Wang Zongxiu: "That Mingyue Tower..."
Even at this point, he's still thinking about that ten percent profit. Merchants are indeed greedy and ruthless. He An gave him a resentful look. "I asked the magistrate for an audience and offered him eight hundred taels of silver, but he refused. It can only be for greater profits. After I came back, I thought about it carefully. Most likely, those profits are Mingyue Tower. He and the people behind it probably see Mingyue Tower as their own and have already divided it up. They have no intention of letting the manager go."
Wang Zongxiu no longer dared to covet that one percent profit, and sighed, "This is really bad luck. Is there any way to rescue them?"
He An: "No, the shopkeeper lied to them that there was a big shot behind Mingyue Tower. The magistrate was temporarily intimidated, but he has already sent people to inquire for more than a few days. I'm afraid it won't last long. I thought of sending a message to Jizhou to tell Brother Xie about this. Maybe there would still be some hope. But the post station doesn't accept our common people's tokens, and merchants are unwilling to go to Jizhou. I really don't know what to do. I can only wait for Brother Wang to come back."
Wang Zongxiu pointed to his face: "Wait for me?" He quickly waved his hand, "What's the use of waiting for me? You said there's no time. Even if I set off now, traveling light and riding at full speed, it would still take at least five or six days to reach Jizhou. By the time Xie Pei returns, more than ten days will have passed, and the opportunity will be completely lost."
He An was not pleased with what he said, especially the last sentence, which was particularly grating: "What do you mean by 'cold or not'? Even if he is convicted, that's something for later."
Wang Zongxiu disagreed: "What if someone commits suicide out of fear of punishment after being convicted?"
He An said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense. The shopkeeper is innocent. How could he commit suicide out of fear of punishment?"
Wang Zongxiu shook his head and sighed: "You and Brother Zhu are still too naive. There are many people who commit suicide in prison out of fear of punishment, but how many of them do so voluntarily?"
He Anxin grabbed him tightly.
Seeing that he remained silent, Wang Zongxiu continued, "Even if he holds out until Xie Pei returns, what then? Once he is convicted, it won't be up to Xie Pei, a mere captain, to decide."
He An knew this, of course, but he still held onto hope.
He pleaded, "We should at least try. Brother Wang, please help the manager for the sake of Mingyue Tower!"
Just thinking about it gave Wang Zongxiu a heart attack. He had risked everything to smuggle that man surnamed Cui out of Shangyang County for his share of the profits from Mingyue Tower, only to find upon his happy return to the city that everyone who had made the promise had been arrested. After all that trouble, the prize he was about to win had just flown away. Who could he turn to for his grievances and resentment?
He An secretly observed his expression, thinking that this guy was probably still worried about the profits, so he probed, "I'm afraid the share of Mingyue Tower can't be paid out for the time being, but as long as you're willing to make a trip to Jizhou, you can ask for any amount of silver you want."
Wang Zongxiu raised an eyebrow: "You really think you can just ask for any amount of silver? Can you really make that decision?"
He An replied earnestly, "Yes, I can." The shopkeeper said that money is just an external thing; what use is so much silver when you're about to lose your life?
That corrupt county magistrate is really something. If he wanted Mingyue Tower, he should have just said so. We've come this far; we might as well have just given it to him directly. I don't know what he was thinking, so determined to cooperate with the person behind it all and bring down the manager.
Wang Zongxiu: "Just kidding. No matter how much money you offer, you can't go this time. I, Wang Zongxiu, would never take advantage of someone in distress."
"I remember your shopkeeper kept a bird with a really awful name. Is that bird still around?"
He An didn't know why he suddenly wanted to mention the bird, but he still answered truthfully: "It's still there. I even had someone go to the Xie family to feed it, but apart from the shopkeeper and Brother Xie, Er Ya doesn't want to get close to anyone else. It would rather go out to find food on its own than eat the food we feed it."
A smile appeared on Wang Zongxiu's face: "That's normal, that bird is intelligent and understands human nature."
He An: "Brother Wang, what is this?"
Wang Zongxiu: "Let me ask you, which is faster, a horse or a bird?"
“Of course it’s a bird, and birds fly without any obstacles. If they have a tailwind, they don’t even need to flap their wings, unlike horses, which have to stop and rest and be fed…” He An suddenly stopped speaking.
After a brief silence, his eyes suddenly widened. "Brother Wang, you don't mean you want Er Ya to send a message to Jizhou, do you?"
"This...this is unlikely! No matter how smart Er Ya is, she's still just a bird. Getting her to fly to Jizhou and find Brother Xie is too difficult."
Wang Zongxiu: "Don't underestimate it. Although I don't know what kind it is, judging from its appearance, it should be a falcon. Some aristocratic families in the capital love to keep these things. With more training, it can be used to deliver messages."
He An: ...He understands the reasoning, but the problem is that Er Ya is used to being undisciplined and hasn't been trained!
Wang Zongxiu clicked his tongue: "When we went to Jizhou last time, Er Ya should already know the way. It wouldn't hurt to let her try."
He An was somewhat tempted. He had witnessed how fast Er Ya could fly; she could fly from the Xie family into the mountains in the blink of an eye.
Two hours later,
Zhu Mingyue and Er Ya stared at each other in the prison.
"He An, why did you bring it here?"
He An hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother Wang has already returned to Shangyang County today."
Zhu Mingyue asked happily, "Was the journey smooth?"
"It went quite smoothly, except that he was a little disappointed when he found out you were arrested and he couldn't get his share of Mingyue Tower's profits."
"Cough cough," Zhu Mingyue coughed suddenly.
He An quickly patted him on the back to help him catch his breath and asked with concern, "Shopkeeper, are you alright?"
"Cough cough cough, it's nothing." It was just a little embarrassing. He was the one who did something unfair; he had just promised someone a benefit, and then the promise turned out to be an empty promise.
But you can't blame him for this; you can only blame the people who tripped him up behind his back.
"Actually, Brother Wang is not a bad person. Seeing that we were at a loss, he even gave me some advice."
Zhu Mingyue wiped her lips: "What suggestion?"
He An nodded at Er Ya: "He said Er Ya is a falcon, so maybe she can deliver messages. He told us to use Er Ya to send a message to Jizhou. I think it's quite reliable. Why don't we give it a try?"
Yes, how could he forget about Er Ya!
In ancient times, the common way to send messages was by carrier pigeon. I had heard of falcons, but I rarely saw them, so I forgot about it.
If Er Ya knew the way, she might be able to fly directly into the Jizhou camp, after all, Er Ya had been to the military camp with Xie Pei before.
"Then... shall we give it a try?"
This is a last resort, but they are now at their wits' end and have no other choice but to take this desperate measure.
He An looked around, then tore off a piece of cloth. "Shopkeeper, write the word 'save' on this. I'm sure Brother Xie will understand."
"Okay!" Zhu Mingyue nodded repeatedly.
A long silence fell over the prison.
He An was puzzled and urged, "There's no time to lose! I've brought Er Ya with me. Once you've finished writing, I'll tie her legs and, as Brother Wang said, release her towards Jizhou."
Zhu Mingyue swallowed hard. "Um, where's the pen?"
He An: ...What time is it? Do you think you can just bring a calligraphy brush in like that? Er Ya was only able to get in because the jailer thought it was some wild bird that wandered in.
No matter how spoiled he is, he is still the shopkeeper. You can't hit or scold him; you have to patiently coax him: "Just bite your hand; it'll work better than a calligraphy brush."
"Fine, I'll use mine." He An pretended to bite the pad of his index finger.
He realized that Zhu Mingyue truly embodied the concept that one's body and hair are gifts from one's parents, and was so good to herself that she didn't want to suffer even the slightest injury.
"No, no, no! I can do it myself." Zhu Mingyue quickly grabbed him, and with a determined heart, she bit a small gash, from which a little blood slowly oozed out.
He An stretched his head to look at it and said with disdain, "This opening is too small. How can it run out of ink as soon as you start writing?"
Good heavens, is that ink? It's his blood!
What could Zhu Mingyue do? She steeled herself, her index finger throbbing with pain.
He trembled as if he had Parkinson's disease and wrote the word "save" on the cloth.
In just a short while, tears fell silently, more than blood. He An was dumbfounded. Was it really necessary to shed so little blood?
Zhu Mingyue held Er Ya in her hands, whispered a few words in its ear, and then kissed it on the forehead: "This time it's all up to you, you must get to Jizhou safely!"
Jizhou has entered a belated plum rain season, with rain falling for half a month. The sky is covered with dark clouds, and there are very few people hurrying along the streets, which only adds to the oppressive mood.
Sun Kan rode his horse across the street and returned to the Jizhou camp. As soon as he dismounted, he looked up at the sky as if he had a premonition.
Just then, Zhong Hui came out of his tent, cursing, "This awful weather! It's been raining non-stop. If this keeps up, the grain will all get moldy."
Sun Kan covered his mouth and sneezed: "The grain is moldy?"
Zhong Hui smoothed his rain-soaked hair and replied, "Yes, it was a bit wet, but luckily we found it in time and dried it with firewood. You were out on business and luckily escaped a disaster. We didn't sleep well at all last night because we were drying the grain."
"Let's not talk about that. How's the matter going?"
Sun Kan glanced at him indifferently: "It doesn't matter. Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?"
Zhong Hui paused for a moment, then said, "Let's hear the bad news first."
Sun Kan said expressionlessly, "The imperial court has allocated the grain supplies."
Zhong Hui's eyes lit up when he heard about grain, and he said excitedly, "How can this be considered bad news? How much will we get this time?"
Sun Kan's lips twitched: "Two cars."
Zhong Hui stared in disbelief, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking: "That is indeed very bad."
The court's stinginess had already crossed his bottom line. If the soldiers knew that the rations he longed for day and night weren't even enough to feed them for a few days, wouldn't they cry and wail again? He feared they'd soon even lose the energy to cry.
Zhong Hui's mood was as gloomy as the rainy day.
Sun Kan: "Will you listen to the good news or not?"
After hearing the bad news, Zhong Hui lost interest in the good news, but still cooperated and said, "Go on."
Sun Kan: "The imperial court issued an edict, and the Colonel was promoted to General Zhennan, skipping his rank."
Zhong Hui was stunned again, and after a long while, he muttered to himself, "Is this still human?"
Sun Kan frowned: "Don't say such things behind the general's back."
Zhong Hui realized that his words were ambiguous and quickly explained, "I was just marveling at how quickly the Captain... no, the General, was promoted."
Sun Kan also looked on with envy: "Wartime is also a time for us ordinary people to rise up." Xie Pei had only been in the camp for a little over half a year, yet his promotion speed was faster than a bird flying in the sky.
Zhong Hui clicked his tongue: "I also need to work harder. Who knows, I might be able to follow in the general's footsteps and become a captain."
Sun Kan remained noncommittal, gazing at the birds flying in from afar and continuing to feel sentimental.
Wait a minute, this bird looks familiar. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before.
He nudged Zhong Hui with his elbow: "Don't you think that bird looks familiar?"
Hearing this, Zhong Hui followed his gaze and looked over. "I've never seen it before. Maybe it's some kind of wild bird that often flies into our camp!"
Sun Kan sensed something was wrong: "Look closely, this bird's size doesn't resemble that of Jizhou."
As Sun Kan spoke, his mind raced, but he just couldn't remember anything.
It wasn't until he saw the bird hovering low over the military camp for a long time before finally landing on Xie Pei's tent that he suddenly retrieved a memory from his mind.
“This is the bird from the general’s house. I remember now.” Sun Kan walked over quickly: “Li Zhengyang used to call it Er Ya.”
The general was not in his tent at the moment, and Sun Kan was very enthusiastic about the bird that had come from afar.
He shouted several times, drawing puzzled glances from passing soldiers who all thought Sun Kan had gone mad.
Er Ya seemed somewhat curious about the person who could call her by name. She fluttered to the eaves of the tent, tilting her head to look down at him.
When it reached the eaves of the tent, the strips of cloth tied to its legs came into view of Sun Kan and Zhong Hui.
Zhong Hui pondered, "It must be a message from the general's family. Should we report this to the general?"
Sun Kan thought for a moment: "He is currently discussing military affairs in the general's tent, so it is not convenient to disturb him rashly. This bird is smart; it should wait for the general to return."
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