When Prince Duan had gone, Gao Ziping came running into the rear courtyard.
Seeing Ning Chen unhurt, the three of them let out their breath.
Feng Qizheng was puzzled. “How is it Prince Duan’s men pulled out?”
Ning Chen smiled. “Prince Duan pulled out himself. What would his men stay for?”
“No—what I mean is, Prince Duan didn’t give us any trouble at all?”
Ning Chen shrugged. “Prince Duan knew nothing about the immortals’ flower being grown. The thing has been cleared up. Why would he give us trouble?”
The three of them stared straight at Ning Chen.
Gao Ziping frowned. “Prince Duan knew nothing about it?”
Ning Chen nodded.
“All of it was cooked up by the late Governor and Prefect of Xiuzhou together with Qiu Mingde and the rest… It has nothing to do with Prince Duan.”
Gao Ziping said heavily, “Do you believe that yourself? That book of evidence you brought back—”
“The book of evidence is false.” Ning Chen cut him off. “This has nothing to do with Prince Duan.”
Feng Qizheng looked at him. “Ning Chen, have you been threatened? If you have, blink.”
The corner of Ning Chen’s mouth twitched. “What is it, have I gone mute all of a sudden?”
“No—how is it your position turned a hundred and eighty degrees just like that?”
Ning Chen said, “I suspected Prince Duan before too. But the evidence now is conclusive, and this has nothing to do with Prince Duan.”
Feng Qizheng asked, curious, “What evidence?”
“You’ll see it tomorrow.”
Ning Chen said it, and then looked at the three of them and said seriously, “I don’t know what you three think. But I have always taken you for my best friends… I’ll ask one thing only. Do you trust me?”
The three of them looked at one another.
Ning Chen had turned so warm and earnest all at once that none of them was used to it.
Feng Qizheng said, “Isn’t that a stupid question? We’ve whored together and we’ve been on a battlefield together. We’re brothers who’ve had each other’s lives in our hands… If we don’t trust you, who do we trust?”
Gao Ziping and Chen Chong nodded over and over.
Ning Chen smiled. “Good. Since you trust me, that’s the end of it… Don’t ask about it again.”
The three of them exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.
Gao Ziping said, “All right. We’ll do as you say.”
Ning Chen felt inside his coat and drew out three silver notes.
“One each.”
The three of them took the notes. They were made out for ten thousand taels.
Gao Ziping frowned. “You took Prince Duan’s silver?”
He put the note down on the table. “Ning Chen, I can take any other money, but I can’t take this… Taking this is wallowing in the same mud as Prince Duan and letting him go on growing the immortals’ flower.”
“We’ve all seen with our own eyes how terrible immortal powder is… You said it yourself. That thing can destroy a country.”
Ning Chen smiled. “Be easy. There won’t be any more of the immortals’ flower… And this silver isn’t Prince Duan’s. It’s Qiu Mingde’s. It was tucked inside that book of evidence.”
“Fifty thousand taels in all. The four of us and Old Pan, ten thousand each… Since Old Gao doesn’t want his, the four of us will split his ten thousand.”
Ning Chen said it and reached to take the note back, and Gao Ziping snatched it away from him.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?”
“Who said I didn’t want it? I was only setting it down on the table for a moment.”
Ning Chen rolled his eyes. “You have a real touch of Old Feng about you when you’re shameless.”
Gao Ziping laughed awkwardly. “You’re certain the immortals’ flower won’t show up again?”
Ning Chen nodded. “Certain.”
Gao Ziping let out his breath. “That’s good, then.”
Ning Chen smiled. “All right! We’ve been living like wild men for a while now. Go back to your rooms and take a proper bath first, and later we’ll go to the Xiuzhou courtesans’ quarter and drink and hear some music and unwind. My treat.”
The three of them lit up.
These last few days had been hard going.
Feng Qizheng wagged his head. “How does the saying go? The one who bore me is Ning Chen, the ones who know me are my parents.”
The corner of Ning Chen’s mouth twitched. He put a thumb up. “Well said.”
“Wait, did I get that backward?”
“No. That’s how it goes.”
The four of them went back to their rooms and called the inn’s boy to get hot water ready quickly.
Luckily they had brought changes of clothes with them and left them at the inn when they went to Qinghe County. The clothes were still there, only somebody had been through them.
Once the boy had gone out, Ning Chen stripped off fast.
He lifted an arm and sniffed. Good God. His armpits smelled of fennel.
These last several days they had lived about like wild men.
He had a long comfortable bath and put on clean clothes, and felt like a man come back to life.
He called the boy in to carry the tub out.
Ning Chen tore a corner off the painting on the wall, rolled it between his fingers into a strip… and on his way out, as he pulled the door shut, wedged it into the crack at the bottom.
He was about to go and find Feng Qizheng and the others when a man in close-fitting black came along toward him.
Ning Chen had seen him before—one of the guards at Prince Duan’s side, the one who put a blade through Gu Xingfa.
The man stopped, cupped his fists and bowed. “Young Master Ning, your horse has been sent back.”
Ning Chen smiled. “My thanks.”
The man took several folded sheets of paper out of his coat. “His Highness told me to give you these.”
“What are they?”
“The charge sheets. All confessed and marked.”
Ning Chen took them, opened one and glanced at it, then smiled. “Thank His Highness for me.”
The man nodded. “Then I will take my leave.”
“Go carefully.”
Ning Chen put the charge sheets away inside his clothes and went to the stables.
Diaochan had been sent back, sure enough.
Seeing Ning Chen, Diaochan let out an excited whinny and rubbed her big head against him.
Ning Chen untied the rein, swung up and rode Diaochan a few circuits of the rear courtyard, and only when he was sure she was in good condition was he easy about it.
Then he led Diaochan back and tied her up, came out to the front room, went upstairs to collect Feng Qizheng and the others, and set out for the courtesans’ quarter.
Xiuzhou’s courtesans’ quarter was no smaller than the capital’s, and very handsome.
Three stories, vermilion-red throughout. It was full dark by now and the whole place was blazing with light.
The three of them went in and the old madam came up to meet them warmly.
“You three gentlemen look new here. First time, is it?”
Feng Qizheng made a small scoffing sound. “Your lordship here has been several times. Your reigning beauty kept me company the last few times… Go and fetch the reigning beauty out for his lordship, or you can keep him company yourself tonight.”
Ning Chen glanced at the old madam and quietly put a hand over his face.
The blockhead. He really would open his mouth and say anything.
If it had been the old madam of the capital’s courtesans’ quarter, he could have borne it… She may be past her prime, but she has kept her charm.
This old madam was another matter altogether.
The old madam waved the silk handkerchief in her hand and put on a coy manner. “The gentleman will have his joke. Our reigning beauty never takes guests.”
Feng Qizheng brought a silver note straight out. “What, afraid his lordship can’t pay? Take care he doesn’t bring this house down around you with silver.”
The old madam saw the ten-thousand-tael note in Feng Qizheng’s hand and all but drooled.
“Sir, the reigning beauty truly does not take guests. Why don’t you gentlemen sit down first and have some tea, and I’ll find you a few pretty girls… I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
Feng Qizheng nodded and agreed. “All right, all right… Go and see to it for his lordship. Find five girls. One each for them, and two for his lordship.”
Ning Chen had nothing to say to that. “Four will do. You can have mine.”
He had only come to drink a little and unwind, and had no intention of staying the night at the courtesans’ quarter… He had the evidence on him and could not afford to be careless.
(End of Chapter 317)