The inner hall of the Yangping County yamen.

Qiu Mingde, the magistrate, sat with a teacup in his hand and his eyes narrowed, wagging his head and humming a little tune.

Qiu Mingde had been thirty-five before he took his degree as a metropolitan graduate of the third class. Six years as an official-in-waiting, and he was forty-one before he took up a post at last, starting as county registrar.

He had been in Yangping County ten years now.

And now the Prefect of Xiuzhou and the Governor were dead, and the places stood empty.

That morning a letter had come by carrier pigeon from above. If he could take the five men they wanted, he had a fine chance of moving up.

Just then the clerk came in, looking rattled.

Qiu Mingde opened his eyes. "What is it? Why are you in such a state?"

"Master, this is very bad... Do you know who it is they've told us to arrest?"

Qiu Mingde was unconcerned. Within the bounds of Xiuzhou, short of His Majesty himself, it made no difference who came.

He asked idly, "Who?"

The clerk lowered his voice. "The man they've told us to arrest is Ning Chen, silver coat of the Inspectorate."

Qiu Mingde was startled. "The Ning Chen who cut down the Empress's brother and took the King of the Left Court alive?"

"The very man!"

Qiu Mingde's narrow three-cornered eyes drew down to slits. He sat thinking a moment. "It seems they don't know up there that the man they want taken is Ning Chen."

"Go and send word. Ask above what they mean by it, and how this ought to be handled."

"If they nod, I don't care whether he's a silver coat or a gold one... I'll guarantee he doesn't leave Yangping County alive."

"Nobody is going to stand in the way of my promotion... And only when I move up do you get a chance at this seat of mine."

The clerk shook his head. "Master, I'm afraid there's no way for us to lay a hand on him."

Qiu Mingde…