Feng Cheng looked at the wooden donkey with the cold sweat standing out on his forehead.

This Ning Chen was not human. Could a thing like that even be used on a man?

Ning Chen turned to Geng Jing and the others. “Lord Geng, what I have to ask touches on an absolute secret. I must trouble the several of you to withdraw.”

Geng Jing and the others went stiff in the face.

They now strongly suspected that Ning Chen was sending them out because he wanted to try the wooden donkey on Feng Cheng.

Ning Chen put his palms together. “Please. I am serious.”

What he had to ask concerned Prince Fu, and His Majesty had told him to keep it quiet, so it was not a thing for Geng Jing and the rest to hear.

Geng Jing thought it over a moment and nodded slightly, but he still said, “This man is an important witness. Don’t kill him.”

Ning Chen made a sound of assent. “I’ll do my best!”

Geng Jing gave him a thoroughly annoyed glare and walked out… This boy Ning Chen was going further and further. He had the nerve now to send the head of the Inspectorate out of the room.

Pan Yucheng and the others followed him out.

When they had gone, Ning Chen fixed his eyes on Feng Cheng. “First question. You said before that you had somebody above you. Who is he?”

Feng Cheng’s face was full of terror and he said in a shaking voice, “I— I was talking big. There’s nobody above me at all.”

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes and said oh, and then took a fistful of Feng Cheng’s hair and dragged and hauled him over to the wooden donkey.

He pressed down on the back of Feng Cheng’s head, and Feng Cheng’s mouth came up hard against the wooden post standing out of the donkey’s back.

“I’ll ask you one last time. Who is the man above you? Don’t tell me and I’ll let you find out what deep throat feels like, and then set you on top of it and let you find out what it is to go straight down to the stomach.”

Feng Cheng was very nearly frightened out of his mind.

With that thing rammed into his mouth, would he live?

“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you…”

Ning Chen smiled coldly and let go of him. “Say it. Who?”

Feng Cheng shook all over, and got out, stammering, “It— it is Prince Fu.”

Ning Chen’s eyes tightened.

“What is between you and Prince Fu?”

Feng Cheng said in a shaking voice, “Only— only business… Prince Fu came to my gambling house now and then to play a few hands, and afterward I recommended the immortal powder to him… I only wanted Prince Fu to look out for my gambling house.”

Ning Chen’s eyes narrowed. “Feng Cheng, you still have not told me the truth… Or should I help you up onto it?”

Feng Cheng was so frightened his legs went under him, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.

“My lord sees clearly. Every word this small man has said is the truth. I beg my lord to see it.”

“This small man knows perfectly well that recommending immortal powder to His Highness Prince Fu is already a capital crime… At this pass, this small man has nothing left worth hiding.”

Ning Chen looked at him. “Keeper Feng, there are many kinds of dying… A snick of the blade is one death, and being worked on slowly and dying at last in pain without end is another. Which will you have?”

“Spare me, my lord, spare me… Everything this small man has said is true.”

Ning Chen smiled coldly. Feng Cheng was still lying… because Prince Fu had never smoked immortal powder at all.

“Did you see Prince Fu smoke immortal powder with your own eyes?”

Feng Cheng said, shaking as he did it, “No. His Highness Prince Fu always had this small man withdraw when he smoked it… And afterward he would take it away with him to smoke.”

Ning Chen frowned. Put that way, what Feng Cheng said hung together.

Prince Fu had come across immortal powder at the Four Quarters gambling house, and knew the stuff took hold of a man and could turn him into a thing that was neither man nor ghost… so he did not smoke it himself, and recommended it to the Xuan Emperor instead.

But whichever way it was told, Prince Fu was harboring evil intent.

Of course there was another possibility. Feng Cheng knew he was a dead man, and was covering for Prince Fu.

What makes a man who is certain to die cover for somebody else?

Then something flickered in Ning Chen’s eyes. “Feng Cheng, where is your family?”

Feng Cheng said in a shaking voice, “This small man’s parents are long dead, and he never took a wife or had children. There is nobody at home but this small man.”

Ning Chen frowned. If that was so, he had guessed wrong… He had been thinking Feng Cheng was covering for Prince Fu because his family’s lives were being held over him.

As it looked now, this Feng Cheng really was a nobody and did not know much.

While Ning Chen was questioning Feng Cheng, word reached the Empress that the attempt on Ning Chen had failed.

Smash!!!

A costly and beautiful teacup hit the floor and went to pieces.

The old eunuch, terrified, dropped to his knees with a thud.

The Empress’s features twisted out of shape. “Failed? You come and tell this empress it failed? What kind of work do you call this?”

“Ning Chen is fifteen years old. All those men, and they cannot kill one boy of fifteen? Useless. Every one of them useless.”

The old eunuch said in a shaking voice, “Your Majesty, calm your anger. Ning Chen’s hands are good, it is true, but two fists are no match for four hands. Our people had driven him into an alley and had him within reach, and then the Inspectorate turned up out of nowhere and spoiled it.”

There was a snarl in the Empress’s eyes. “The Inspectorate’s men? How did they come to be there? Had Ning Chen been ready for it?”

The old eunuch said, “I should think not. The Inspectorate’s men came up afterward.”

“Was anyone left alive?”

“Your Majesty may rest easy. Not one alive.”

The Empress let out a small breath. “Good. If the attempt failed and they had a handle on us on top of it, that would be trouble.”

“This little mongrel really is uncanny indeed. Not even this kills him.”

The old eunuch said, “Your Majesty, would you have this servant send more men…”

The Empress waved a hand and cut him off. “After this attempt that little mongrel will certainly be on his guard… Move again and he may well get a handle on us.”

“It seems we must think of something else… Have the crown prince come tomorrow.”

The old eunuch said quickly, “Yes!”

The Empress’s eyes went dark and cold, and she asked suddenly, “You said before that Ning Chen and the Ninth Princess are close.”

“Yes. Ning Chen has been to the Fallen Phoenix Court several times.”

The Empress’s voice was dark and cold. “For an outside minister to come and go from the Fallen Phoenix Court as he pleases, His Majesty must have allowed it… It looks as though His Majesty means to give the Ninth Princess to this little mongrel Ning Chen.”

“If the Ninth Princess marries Ning Chen he becomes imperial kin, and being rid of him afterward will be harder still.”

Something flickered in the old eunuch’s eyes. “Your Majesty, Ning Chen would certainly not be on his guard against the Ninth Princess. We might try for a chance and see whether Ning Chen could be killed at the Fallen Phoenix Court.”

The Empress inclined her head slightly. “This empress was thinking the same thing just now… But the Ninth Princess is deep in His Majesty’s love. Unless there is no help for it, we cannot come at him from her side.”

“They say Ning Chen has a woman in the courtesans’ quarter.”

The old eunuch nodded. “Yes, a girl called Yudie… Our people caught something of it — Ning Chen once asked His Majesty to release this Yudie from the slave register and give her back her freedom, and His Majesty refused.”

The Empress’s eyes were full of malice. “By that account Ning Chen is very fond of this Yudie.”

“Yes. Yudie is the daughter of a convicted official, and though she is in the courtesans’ quarter she has kept herself untouched all along… Ning Chen was the first man she ever had.”

The Empress gave a savage laugh. “They have killed so many of our people and put us to all this trouble and loss. There has to be a price… Send somebody to try approaching this Yudie.”

“Your Majesty, they say this Miss Yudie is deeply in love with Ning Chen. Since she met Ning Chen she has not shown her face to anyone else… Every day she waits with her whole heart for Ning Chen to come to the courtesans’ quarter.”

The Empress smiled coldly and said with contempt, “A woman of that trade, in love — that is a joke. It will be for the silver… Ning Chen is His Majesty’s favorite now, and there is more to be gained from serving Ning Chen well than from serving a hundred men.”

“Which is enough to show the woman is clever, and greedier than most women of that trade.”

“Send somebody to approach her. Do not grudge the silver. And tell her that when the thing is done she will have her freedom.”

The old eunuch said, “This servant will arrange it at once.”

The Empress said, dark and cold, “Remember. If she can be used, so much the better. If she cannot, be rid of her.”

The old eunuch said quickly, “This servant understands!”

“And find a way to get word to Prince Fu. Ask him what we should do next.”

Elsewhere, Ning Chen finished questioning Feng Cheng and came out of the torture room.

Geng Jing and the others looked at him.

Ning Chen shrugged. “He’s only a nobody and doesn’t know much… If we can take that mysterious drug merchant, we may be able to find the source of the immortal powder.”

Geng Jing said, “I already have men out searching hard for him.”

Just then red coats of the Inspectorate came in with a crowd of people under guard.

These were the people close about the officials who had smoked immortal powder, and most of them were stewards of one household or another.

The silver coat at their head came over. “Lord Geng, they are all brought in.”

Geng Jing smiled bitterly. It looked like another night without sleep.

Pan Yucheng said, “Let’s question them separately. It will be quicker.”

Geng Jing nodded.

The Inspectorate’s cells had more than one torture room.

They split into three groups and had the men up for questioning through the night.

But after a whole night of it there was pitifully little to go on.

They met and talked it over. Every one of these people had gotten his immortal powder from that mysterious drug merchant.

But by their descriptions, some said the mysterious drug merchant was very fat and some said he was very thin… In short, it could not be one man.

What they had in common was that all of them had supplied the officials with immortal powder for money. The mysterious drug merchant had given them a sum of silver they could not refuse.

Geng Jing said, “It looks as if what is supplying the immortal powder is an organization.”

Ning Chen nodded. One man could not work this many people at once.

Geng Jing said, “I have had likenesses drawn… All we can ask now is to take one or two of them, and after that it becomes manageable.”

Ning Chen yawned and nodded slightly.

“Very well. We have been up all night. Go and rest, all of you… If anything comes up I’ll send word to you.”

Geng Jing said it.

By the time they came out of the cells it was already the middle of the morning.

Ning Chen stretched himself and waved a hand. “I’m off. I’m too tired.”

Feng Qizheng came after him. “So am I still going to fetch that old servant of yours?”

Ning Chen’s step stopped short and he smacked his own forehead. “Christ… I’d forgotten all about it.”

“Old Feng, you’ve been up all night. Go back and rest. I’ll fetch him myself.”

Feng Qizheng shook his head. “I’m not tired… A whole night in bed with a woman does me no harm, so what is this? I’m used to it… Let me come with you.”

“No need. I’ll take a few red coats and that will do.”

“You were ambushed only last night. I’m not easy about you going alone… You’re my god of wealth. If anything happens to you I’ll have nowhere left to cry.”

Chen Chong came over and said, “Old Feng is right. I’ll come with you too.”

Ning Chen thought about it and said, “All right then. This carriage — we’ll all go.”

Ning Chen and Feng Qizheng rode, and Chen Chong drove the carriage, and they came to Uncle Chai’s house in the outer city.

Uncle Chai had put everything in order over the last two days and had been waiting for Ning Chen to send someone to fetch him.

They loaded what Uncle Chai was taking with him onto the carriage, and the party came to the new house.

Looking at that grand gateway, Uncle Chai’s eyes reddened. He wiped the tears away, his face full of gladness. “Such a great house. The Fourth Young Master has done well indeed.”

Ning Chen could not help smiling.

“Uncle Chai, let’s go in!”

Uncle Chai nodded, laughing. “Dazhuang, Xiaohu, we go this way!”

Ning Chen was startled. “Uncle Chai, what is this?”

“Fourth Young Master, we go in by the side door.”

Only the family of the house may use the main gate. Servants must use the side door.

“Uncle Chai, we’ll go in by the main gate.”

Uncle Chai shook his head. “Fourth Young Master, a master is a master and a servant is a servant. There must be no overstepping. It is the rule… If everyone were like this old servant and knew nothing of the rules, the house would fall into disorder.”

“The Fourth Young Master does not think this old servant beneath him and is making him steward, so this old servant must set the rules straight for the Fourth Young Master and keep this house in good order.”

Ning Chen thought about it and nodded slightly… Uncle Chai was right. Without rules there is no square and no circle.

(End of Chapter 206)