novelSusiti Chapter 47 The Dead Man Climbed Over the Wall—Left Hand Missing Half a Finger
Chapter 47 The Dead Man Climbed Over the Wall—Left Hand Missing Half a Finger
Jiang Wan went to Jianwei.
He didn't greet anyone. He brought a car full of Shu brocade samples.
This was the first piece of information the undercover agent had gathered overnight.
"I did nothing for the first two days. On the third day, I visited several wealthy families one by one. We drank tea and talked about mulberry fields. Before leaving, I said something like, 'The imperial court plans to set up a Shu brocade workshop in Jianwei, where the price for mulberry leaves will be 20% higher than the market price.'"
The sentry paused for a moment.
"I had barely stepped out the door when three wealthy families came chasing after me, asking for details."
Liu Shan's thumb sank into the dent. It reached the bottom.
Twenty percent higher. Real money. Compared to this, what's the big deal about replacing two county magistrates?
"Guanghan also went. The Wang family's private granary was sealed. He brought two clerks to re-check the accounts. Four hundred shi—no further investigation. Four hundred shi were transferred from the national treasury to fill the gap, and the official document stated 'borrowed from the official granary, to be returned within a specified period.' It was stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Personnel."
No punishment. No scolding. Embezzlement was disguised as temporary transfer.
You've given them enough face. But the IOU is on file. If they want to renege later—it's all in black and white.
"The rotation system has also been changed. They move one official every three days and another every five days. Three mediocre officials from Jingzhou were transferred out, and two capable local officials from Yizhou were promoted."
Liu Shan's fingertip circled halfway around the indentation.
Want to curse—but can't find a target.
"Fei Guan met with Zhang Wei. When they came out, Zhang Wei said, 'Jiang Wan is more troublesome than Ma Su.'"
Liu Shan pulled a strip of silk from his sleeve and wrote a line.
There's no need to report Jiang Wan's affairs. Let him do as he pleases. I won't interfere.
Fold it neatly. Tuck it into the gap in the curtain. "For Fei Yi."
The curtain was taken away.
Liu Shan did not wait for the next message.
He bent down and pulled out the diagram from under the hidden compartment, then spread it out on the table.
The vermilion brush was placed to the side.
The line on the left ends at the stable.
The horses left the camp yesterday.
We traveled along the official road through Jianwei.
I should go back today.
The curtains moved again.
The sentry changed his rhythm.
The voice deepened to the bottom.
"The horses have returned to camp."
"What did Li Hui's men follow?"
"Thirty li along the official road. At a teahouse on the northern border of Jianwei, a supply train was feeding and watering its horses. The groom led one horse alone to the back of the teahouse. After about three breaths, it was led out."
Three breaths. Enough to lift the saddle pad and pull out the silk.
"A man sat behind. He was dressed in gray, and a headscarf covered half his face. After the horse was led out, the man in gray went out the back door, got into a mule cart, and followed it to the north gate. The mule cart entered the city."
The sentry paused for two breaths.
"His Majesty previously stated that he would not enter Jianwei."
Liu Shan looked down at the diagrams. He picked up a vermilion brush and began drawing from the stables backward—saddle pads, a teahouse, and the city gate of Jianwei.
The cable is connected. Two words are written next to it: "Connected".
"The saddle pad was flipped over. The lining was empty. The silk was gone. The stitches were re-sewn, but the stitches were a size thicker."
Liu Shan took out a strip of silk and wrote two lines on it.
This concludes the section on horses.
Chasing after them into Jianwei is tantamount to telling them – I'm watching.
The horse groom is dead.
The second letter will only be sent when new silk is sewn into the saddle pad next time.
I'll follow up later.
Fold it neatly. Pass it through the gap in the curtain. "For Li Hui."
It was caught at the other end of the curtain.
The sentry's voice tightened slightly.
"The woodshed. The straw—it's gone. The wax tubes are gone too."
Liu Shan put down his vermilion brush.
"When did this happen?"
"At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), before dawn, a man climbed over the back wall of the kitchen. He was short, about half a head shorter than the kitchen helper. He climbed into the woodshed and came out about four breaths later, carrying something in his hand."
"Where's your face?"
"Too dark. No."
The sentry's voice slowed down.
"But when climbing over the wall, I braced myself against it with my left hand—"
It paused for a moment.
"The little finger is short."
The flame of the bean lamp flickered.
Qian Dafu.
The one from Nan'an who was faking his death.
He changed his name to Wang A-Liu and took the official road.
They came from the post station towards Chengdu.
Arrived.
"What happens after you climb out?"
"Leave the back alley of the kitchen. Head north. Cross two streets. Enter the Yongxing Inn in the north of the city. The register says—he's been staying for three days. The name listed is Zhang Shun."
Wang Aliu. Zhang Shun. A dead man with two different skins.
"Tell Dong Yun: Don't arrest him. Keep a close watch on him. Record everything—who he meets, where he goes, and who he talks to."
Liu Shan's voice was a beat slow.
"He's retrieving a tube for someone. I've seen the message inside the tube, so there's nothing wrong with taking it. Who he delivers the tube to next—that's the one who's alive."
The silk strip was folded neatly. "To Dong Yun. Urgent."
They were taken away from under the curtain.
The prime minister then handed out a thin bamboo tube.
Liu Shan pulled out the stopper. Zhuge Liang wrote two lines of text.
Jiang Wan's trip to Jianwei and Guanghan was very appropriate.
This person is calm and composed; he is someone you can entrust with your affairs after death.
The initial draft of the Northern Expedition strategy will be submitted within ten days.
Turn it over. There's a line of small print on the back.
"Has Your Majesty been eating on time lately?"
Liu Shan wrote a line.
There's no rush for strategy. Prime Minister, you should focus on getting better first. Only those who can walk can go far.
Fold it neatly. "For the Prime Minister."
The curtain was taken away.
The hall was empty.
Liu Shan looked down at the diagrams.
On the right-hand line—next to the wax tube in the woodshed—a name has been added.
Qian Dafu. Zhang Shun. Short left little finger. Yongxing Inn, north of the city.
The line extends upwards from Qian Dafu to Zhao Heng, and then to Li Feng.
It's not over yet.
The atlas was retracted into a hidden compartment. The cover was pressed firmly shut.
Footsteps passed by outside the threshold.
Not a simple straight line. His steps are heavy. Each step is steady.
Substitution.
Liu Shan didn't listen. It was getting dark outside the window.
Only a single bean lamp remained in the hall, along with that increasingly densely drawn picture.
[End of Chapter]