Chapter 194: The Warning Signal

The second snowfall in Shandong since winter began came in intermittent bursts and wasn’t severe enough to cause disasters. The townspeople usually stored plenty of vegetables in their cellars, so they managed to get by. Wealthy families didn’t have to worry at all—whether it was fresh meat or vegetables, they could always afford them as long as they had money. That mansion, which should no longer be called the Han Prince’s Residence, still had dozens of caretakers, with a constant stream of deliveries of rice, flour, firewood, and vegetables. That day, an uninvited group arrived.

At that moment, the three large doors adorned with gold-painted animal faces and tin rings were tightly closed, with only one side door open. Two tall men stood in front of it, wrapped in brown furs. Looking through the doorway, one could see silhouettes of people in the front yard.

“I heard that after the Han Prince moved to Le’an Prefecture, this place was supposed to be turned into a Qingzhou prefectural school. But after the Han Prince flew into a furious rage, no one dared mention it again,” said Zhang Yue, who was leading the way. He stopped under a huge tree that three people could wrap their arms around and turned to Peng Shisan. “All traces of blood and other evidence have been wiped clean. The assassin’s body is said to have been eaten by dogs. If the Han Prince was indeed assassinated, I really can’t see why.”

“If you can’t figure it out, how can I?” Peng Shisan had wandered around this former prince’s residence, whose scale far exceeded that of a ducal palace, and now felt utterly confused. “Although it’s not like ordering officials to complete tasks within a set deadline, there’s still some limit. Have you thought about where to start? The Han Prince isn’t easy to deceive, nor is the emperor.”

“These days, no one is easy to deceive. It seems I still need to visit the Han Prince’s Residence.”

Recalling what the Han Prince, Zhu Gaoxu, had said last time, Zhang Yue had to admit that given Zhu Gaoxu’s arrogant personality, he would never resort to such a pathetic act of fawning. It was said that because of a memorial submitted to the court and a bloodstained garment sent over, the enraged Zhu Gaoxu almost drew his sword on the crown prince, Zhu Zhantan. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, and if Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying, weren’t considered the Han Prince’s comrade-in-arms, he wouldn’t have to give face to him at all. He really didn’t want to provoke this brutal prince.

Zhang Yue had originally planned to travel by horse, but not only did Peng Shisan object, Lu Wan, the hundred-household officer specially assigned by Zhang Qian, also strongly opposed it. As a result, he had no choice but to sit in the same carriage he used when bringing Amber to Qingzhou Prefecture the previous day. However, the carriage, which could once hold three people, was now empty except for him, making it feel desolate and unfriendly. Even though Peng Shisan had stuffed in a warm hand warmer early on, he still felt cold. Not knowing how long they had been traveling, he finally lifted the cotton curtain with the padded grid to look outside.

Outside, the wind and snow were blurring the vision; snowflakes floated in the air like fluff. The guards wearing raincoats and bamboo hats beside the carriage were also covered in white. As soon as he opened a slit in the cotton curtain, a gust of cold wind blew in, carrying snow inside. Caught off guard, he sneezed. The coachman, an elderly man from the Zhang family, then said with a smile, “Third young master, hurry back in. It’s too cold outside; getting cold after warming up is not good. Don’t get sick like Miss Amber… Be careful!”

Zhang Yue felt a strong force push him back into the carriage. When his back hit the thick felt cushion, he suddenly heard a sharp ringing sound, followed by another ding, as if something had hit the carriage wall. In the blink of an eye, the sounds of horses neighing, people shouting, and chaotic hoofbeats mixed together, only to be replaced by silence. After what seemed like a long time, he saw the cotton curtain in front of him being pulled open slightly—Peng Shisan was sticking his head in.

“It was a flying arrow from somewhere unknown. I’ve already ordered two servants to chase after them to investigate. But with this snow, I only saw a person in white clothes on a white horse. If they’re also familiar with the terrain, it will be hard to catch them.”

“A flying arrow?”

Taking the arrow from Peng Shisan, Zhang Yue examined it closely. The arrowhead was sharp, with a ridged shaft, and its design was quite intricate. But if it were just an attack, that would make sense. Yet the person shot such an arrow and then fled in a hurry—what did that mean? He turned the arrow over and over, then suddenly felt inspired and tugged at the feathers, causing it to spin open. Inside was a piece of white silk. He exchanged a surprised glance with Peng Shisan before lowering his head to look closely.

On the large piece of white silk were just four words—“Beware of an ambush.”

He casually handed the white silk to Peng Shisan, his brows unconsciously furrowing. He now understood that although Shandong was plagued by corvée labor and droughts and floods, it was not a place overrun by bandits. If that was the case, where did the idea of an ambush come from? If it weren’t bandits but official troops or private soldiers, who would have the audacity? Was the person who warned him talking nonsense?

Peng Shisan, being more experienced and careful than Zhang Yue, looked around and suddenly picked up the white silk, holding it up to the light outside. His expression immediately turned serious. Seeing that Zhang Yue was still deep in thought, he spoke up, “Young master, if you look at it against the light, there seem to be other shadows—what looks like a Buddha statue.”

It was already daytime, and the snow reflected intense light, so when Zhang Yue looked up, he immediately noticed the lines he had initially overlooked. They seemed to have been drawn with very light charcoal strokes, and though just a few lines, they outlined a Buddha statue. It didn’t resemble a fierce Vajra Buddha, nor a kind Maitreya, nor an Avalokiteshvara who saves all beings—it was a Buddha without eyes painted in, yet the surrounding Buddha light was depicted in great detail.

“On the 15th of October, when I followed that man, I saw him showing such a white silk to someone, saying it depicted the Buddha Mother. But why would those peasants use such a trick for no reason? Could there really be an ambush?”

Zhang Yue remained silent. While he was pondering, the two servants who had gone after them finally returned, looking ashamed and admitting they had found nothing. Faced with this unexpected situation, after discussing it with Peng Shisan and Captain Lu Wan, they decided not to charge headlong but to take a longer route. As they approached the Han King’s palace, Lu Wan sent two more well-trained soldiers from the Wuxiang Zuowei to scout the path they had taken earlier to see if there was indeed an ambush.

Winters in the north were already cold, and Shandong was not known for its moist, rainy weather. It had hardly rained since winter began, so after several days of snowfall, Zhu Zhan Tan’s asthma flared up again after returning from Qingzhou Prefecture to Le’an. Although everyone knew it was the crown prince’s chronic illness, seeing him turn pale and even faint in severe attacks filled them with fear. Yet serving the Han King, who had become even more irritable and angry after the assassination attempt, was an even harder task, so those around Zhu Zhan Tan simply doubled their caution.

“Your Highness, the Prince of Shouguang has just arrived, but was stopped outside the garden. He’s now furious and flogging his servants to vent his anger. The two gatekeepers are beaten half to death, and it seems they won’t survive…”
Bang!
Zhu Zhan Tan, who was drinking medicine, felt a surge in his throat and angrily pushed the medicine bowl away. The bowl shattered, and most of the medicine spilled onto the ground. The dark liquid splashed all over the maid who brought the news, and his personal maid, who was helping him drink the medicine, was also shocked.
But Zhu Zhan Tan had no mood to pay attention to them. The thought of his brother, who was good for nothing but causing trouble, made him furious. Now, he was even angrier at those guards from the Tiance Guard. He had clearly ordered Zhu Zhan Qi to stay in the palace and not go outside, yet those guards let him out and allowed him to cause chaos in the Han Prince’s palace. At this critical moment, how could he let that damned guy ruin everything! What else could he do but flog his servants to vent his anger?
“Go call Commander Wang Bin of the guards… No, I’ll go see him myself!”
Seeing Zhu Zhan Tan about to get up from the bed, the maids in the room became panicked. It was freezing cold, and their master was sick. What if something happened to him outside? Wouldn’t they all be beaten to death? Before they could say anything to stop him, another noisy voice came from outside.
“Your Highness, the county magistrate Zhang, whom you took to see the prince last time, has arrived! The guards don’t dare let him in without orders and are waiting at the gatehouse.”
Hearing this, Zhu Zhan Tan, who had planned to see Commander Wang Bin, immediately changed his mind. He ordered the maids to help him put on his coat. When they hesitated and tried to stop him, he grew enraged and slapped one of the nagging maids in the face: “Shut up all of you! If you delay my important task, I won’t spare you!”
Although it was a gatehouse, it wasn’t a place ordinary people could enter. It was far from being a simple small room like those in ordinary mansions. The roof was covered with green tiles, the joints were sealed with green bricks and glutinous rice paste, and there was a thick blue cotton curtain outside. Inside, a charcoal stove kept the place warm, with not a hint of wind getting in. Zhang Yue, who had just gotten off the carriage, was led to this place, and servants eagerly brought him tea. It wasn’t extremely comfortable, but it was at least better than waiting in the cold outside.

The gatekeepers of the prince’s mansion were all the most deceitful people. The last time the crown prince brought Zhang Yue in, they had seen it clearly, so naturally they wouldn’t treat Zhang Yue the same as the several county officials waiting outside. Seeing Zhang Yue holding the tea to cover his hand without drinking, a bald gatekeeper joked, “Lord Zhang, don’t underestimate our tea. This is Liu’an Guapian, a rare delicacy offered to the prince and the crown prince.” Since they were being so generous, Zhang Yue naturally appreciated it. Just as he was about to respond, a familiar voice came from outside. “Oh, I’ve been here for so long, and you only come out now that I’m leaving? I’ve already lost all my anger today—no need for you to see me off in your coat! You’d better go back inside and rest properly, so as not to fall ill and blame it on me again!”