Damn it!!!
Ning Chen’s face went chalk white with the pain, and the sweat came out on his forehead in beads the size of peas.
The driver’s voice was cold. “Finish it quickly, and then we withdraw!”
The man with the sharp sword, his face full of murder, walked quickly toward Ning Chen.
But just then a slender figure came and stood in front of him.
“Don’t— don’t come any closer… Ning, dear, run—”
Yudie’s body was shaking slightly. There was a hairpin in her hand, and her voice tried to be fierce with nothing at all behind it.
But she was a weak girl with a soft voice, and hard words out of her carried no threat whatever.
The man with the sword gave a contemptuous laugh. “Little girl, we don’t kill the innocent. Move aside, and quickly… Blades and swords have no eyes.”
“You— don’t come any closer, I’ll kill you… Ning, dear is a good man, you can’t hurt him—”
Yudie’s small face was chalk white with fright and her hands and feet had gone weak, but she stood firmly in front of Ning Chen.
The man smiled coldly. “A good man? A hawk and hound of the court. He kills the innocent as he pleases, he treats a human life as so much grass, he forces decent women into the trade. His crimes are past counting… Ten deaths would not answer for them.”
“You’re talking nonsense. Ning, dear risked losing his own head for the people of Chongzhou and put a blade into the Empress’s brother… He’s a good man, and everybody says so.”
Yudie’s small face was full of anger. Her Ning, dear was the best man in this world.
But just then Ning Chen got to his feet and pulled her behind him.
Ning Chen’s face showed nothing, but he was privately in a hurry about it… Damn it, are those useless articles in the garrison never coming?
The middle-aged man with the sword made a cold sound. “Some sort of man, at any rate!”
“Yudie. Get back!”
Ning Chen gripped the hilt hard and held the saber crosswise in front of his chest, the dagger in his left hand hidden behind him, like a hunting leopard gathered to spring, watching its quarry.
“Hold!”
Just then the driver called out loudly.
The middle-aged man with the sword checked in mid-stride and stopped.
The driver came forward quickly and looked hard at Ning Chen. “You are Ning Chen? Ning the Silver Coat?”
“The same!”
And the driver bent and put fist to palm toward Ning Chen. “Ning the Silver Coat, we beg your pardon! We take our leave… We’re withdrawing!”
Hm?
Ning Chen’s forehead was one large question mark.
“Stop there!”
Ning Chen took a step forward, and his belly hurt him so much that he stumbled on it.
That kick had been very hard.
The driver halted and looked back. “Ning the Silver Coat is a man of iron bones, and we admire him… Had we known earlier that it was Ning the Silver Coat, we would never have taken this work. The whole thing is a misunderstanding. We hope Ning the Silver Coat will bear with us. We take our leave!”
“Wait. Who sent you to kill me?”
The driver hesitated, and cast a glance all around, and seeing that the people had all kept well clear, he dropped his voice:
“We admire the sort of man Ning the Silver Coat is. If you want to know — late tonight, the ruined temple south of the outer city.”
With that, the driver and the rest scattered and fled, and were gone without a trace in an instant.
Ning Chen let out a breath inwardly, put the dagger away, propped himself on the saber with one hand and pressed the other to a belly that hurt past bearing.
“Ning, dear—”
Yudie ran up in a fright and took him by the arm, her great liquid eyes full of worry, on the point of tears.
Ning Chen gave her a smile. “Don’t worry. I’m all right!”
“Ning, dear was kicked flying that far. How can you be all right? This girl will take you to a physician.”
Ning Chen’s face was all embarrassment. “Er… Yudie, when we’re being concerned about somebody, let’s not bring up the humiliating moments. You put it like that and I’ve no face left at all.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… Ning, dear was very fine already, one man against so many, and you hurt two of them.”
Ning Chen said, smiling, “Standard procedure. Nothing to be surprised at… Give me another year or two to grow and I’ll have men like that by the throat.”
He was still speaking when a burst of shouting came.
“Make way, make way there… Who’s making trouble here?”
Ning Chen’s face darkened. The garrison had arrived.
A dozen or more soldiers in armor came running up with spears in their hands.
At their head was a strong-featured middle-aged man.
He looked around him, and in the end his eyes came to rest on Ning Chen.
Seeing the silver fish-scale coat Ning Chen wore, he came over at once at a run.
“My lord, are you hurt?”
Ning Chen looked at him coldly. “The garrison is quick indeed. Here in about a quarter of an hour!”
The man’s face turned awkward. He had heard the sarcasm in it.
“My lord, I am truly sorry… There was a brawl up ahead of us just now and it held us up. Where are the bandits, may I ask?”
Ning Chen kept his face cold. “The bandits have gone home, washed and changed their clothes, and by now they’re most likely in a pleasure house with an arm round a girl, drinking.”
The man’s face was not a good one now.
“My lord needn’t talk with barbs in it. We were not late on purpose.”
Ning Chen made a cold sound in his nose, and could not be bothered to press it further. “And the men who were brawling?”
“Only a pair of drunks. We gave them a talking-to and let them go.”
Ning Chen said heavily, “Go and bring them back.”
The man said heavily, “The garrison isn’t under a silver coat’s orders, is it?”
Only gold coats and above in the Inspectorate had the right to call on the garrison at need… Ning Chen, a silver coat, had no such standing.
“As I recall, the garrison comes under Commander Nie Liang as well. Should I go and have a word with him?”
The middle-aged officer looked Ning Chen over with some doubt and alarm. “How am I to address my lord?”
“Ning Chen!”
The middle-aged officer’s face changed on the instant, and his eyes filled with admiration, and his manner became respectful.
“So it is Ning the Silver Coat. I gave considerable offense just now. I hope you’ll bear with me.”
As soldiers of the Great Xuan, they were forever being called coarse fighting men, and this Ning the Silver Coat had won them a great deal of face.
And to put a blade into the Empress’s brother for the people of Chongzhou — as men whose business was guarding the Great Xuan, who would not admire a thing like that?
Even Old General Chen, whom they all worshipped, had praised Ning Chen more than once.
Ning Chen waved a hand. “Never mind it. Bandits tried to murder me in the open street just now, and you were held up by two drunks. I suspect they were all one party. May I trouble the general to take those two drunks and send them to the Inspectorate? My thanks!”
The middle-aged officer nodded. “Ning the Silver Coat may rest easy. We’ll go now!”
Ning Chen rubbed his belly. Only now was that boring pain beginning to ease a little.
He put the saber away, turned and looked at Yudie. “Come along. I’ll take you back!”
Yudie made an obedient sound of assent!
“Is Ning, dear going to the ruined temple outside the city tonight?”
Yudie asked it on the road, worried.
Ning Chen said, smiling, “Don’t worry. I’ll take plenty of men with me!”
“Then Ning, dear must be careful. Those men were so savage. This girl doesn’t want Ning, dear hurt.”
“I’ll be careful… If I finish early enough tonight, I’ll come and find you!”
Yudie made a small sound of assent, her face full of expectation.
Ning Chen took Yudie back to the courtesans’ quarter and drove on to the Inspectorate… He meant to get Gao Ziping and the others to go out to the ruined temple with him that night.
And at the same time, to wait for word from the garrison.
Though by his reckoning the chances of catching those two drunks were not good. If they really were of a party with the men who had tried to kill him, they would hardly be fools enough to stay where they were and wait for the garrison to come and take them.
Ning Chen was making his preparations for the ruined temple that night… and elsewhere, word of the business at the Heavenly Blessing Tower had already reached the Xuan Emperor.
(End of Chapter 120)