Chapter 125 — West Chuan Engagement
At this moment, on Yunmeng Mountain, inside a dilapidated temple.
Li Chunlin was tied to a pillar in the main hall. Beside him, several guards of the Huang family were in even worse condition—some beaten with fists and feet, others bound hand and foot. Among them were a half-grown boy and an elderly woman. The boy was unconscious, while the elderly woman had tears streaming from her eyes and a dirty cloth stuffed in her mouth, crying as she was restrained.
On a nearby wooden table lay two white cloth bundles, opened to reveal several gold bars sticking out. The bundles were bulging with what looked like a substantial amount of gold and silver. Nearby were several flattened candleholders, silver trays, and some kind of metal wine jars—copper or otherwise—haphazardly piled together.
These were the people from the Huang family in Lower City who had been captured. The boy was Huang Wanxing’s son, and the elderly woman was his mother.
Li Chunlin, tied to the pillar, tried to force a smile. “Gentlemen, our master, Lord Huang, sincerely invited your help this time. We’ve already presented money previously—why resort to this action today?”
The group of bandits across from him laughed mockingly. Many of them were from Shu, speaking a dialect similar to that of West Chuan. Li Chunlin could understand their jeers, which quickly made his face flush with anger and embarrassment.
The bandit leader, about thirty years old with a full beard, was casually cutting a piece of roasted mountain chicken, not bothering to respond. He took a few bites and tossed the rest into a nearby ceramic bowl.
Li Chunlin had gone without water for a day and night; he was starving, his eyes greenish with hunger, staring intently at the half-eaten roasted chicken, swallowing hard.
“The truth is, it was Lord Huang who asked us to come here. Come to think of it, this is the first time anyone has actually paid us to kidnap someone. Your Huang family is interesting,” the bandit leader chuckled. “But I was afraid we weren’t familiar with the job, so I did a practice run first. Brothers, what do you say?”
A scattered chorus of agreement followed from his men.
Li Chunlin stammered, “Why not let me go? Wait until some traveling merchants pass by, then strike—wouldn’t that be safer?”
The bandit leader lazily replied, “We’ll see when it happens.”
Li Chunlin continued pleading quietly, stammering for mercy. The bandit leader said, “Why tie you up? Isn’t it because of Lord Huang’s orders? He said not to act rashly, afraid of alerting others. I looked around, and other families weren’t convenient targets, so I picked your Huang family as a test.”
Li Chunlin panicked. “Leader Zhang, you’re joking. Our master specifically mentioned the Xie family of Upper City. If you hadn’t kidnapped anyone from the Xie family, fine—but why also take our matriarch?”
The bandit leader said, “Naturally, it’s for ransom. Once we’ve got someone, we expect a ransom. I’m sure your Huang family understands the rules.” He glanced at the elderly Huang matriarch beside him, feeling annoyed. He had over a hundred men with him, and last night they had torches, blackened their faces with soot, and broke into the Huang residence to rob it. Surprisingly, after two courtyards, they hadn’t found anything valuable. In anger, they carried Huang Wanxing’s mother to the mountains to demand ransom.
Li Chunlin looked at the two white bundles and swallowed hard. “B-but we already gave money before…”
The bandit leader sneered, “That was the deposit for kidnapping the Xie family of Upper City. Yours is separate!”
Li Chunlin suggested, “Fine, pay us then—but why not let me go first? I have some authority in the house. If I’m captured suddenly, someone has to go back and arrange the ransom, don’t you think? At the very least, let me deliver food…”
Before he could continue, the impatient bandit leader waved his hand. Two burly men stepped forward, fists and feet flying, beating him mercilessly.
“Kidnapped or not, don’t expect us to serve you!” one of them snarled.
Li Chunlin was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, crying in pain.
He regretted proposing the idea in the first place, suggesting to Lord Huang that some bandits kidnap people from Xie Siquan’s family as a warning. He hadn’t realized it would backfire—now he was the first victim.
News of the bandits on Yunmeng Mountain spread quickly. Not only the Huang family, but other merchants and townsfolk suffered as well. West Chuan was rich, and even ordinary people had some spare money. The bandits, numbering over a hundred, were entrenched, not just robbing travelers but specializing in “carrying people”—kidnapping for ransom.
Lower City, Huang family
Huang Wanxing paced nervously in his small mansion. In just a few days, his hair had turned gray.
A few days prior, the bandits had attempted a raid while he was away. Being miserly, he kept all the valuables hidden—even his wife didn’t know about them—so the bandits found nothing. Furious, Zhang the bandit leader carried away Huang Wanxing’s elderly mother to the mountains for ransom. Fortunately, they gave her some dignity—binding her to a low table and then lifting it onto bamboo poles for transport.
The ransom was high. Despite being frugal, Huang Wanxing was a devoted son. He bit the bullet and gathered enough silvers to pay for his mother’s release, selling other possessions to make up the difference.
His second concubine suggested, “Master, why not send some jewelry first? Gold and silver, at least.”
Huang Wanxing said, “Didn’t the bandit say only silvers are acceptable?”
The concubine cried, “But we can’t gather that amount so quickly! The matriarch is back, but what about Xing’er?” She wept. The boy tied up was her own son. The other wives remained silent, the matriarch was shaken and barely spoke—anyone would be frightened after being lifted and carried like that.
Huang Wanxing grabbed his cap, bit his lip, and called for a carriage, then headed to the authorities. He contributed funds and grain to help the local troops fight the bandits.
The authorities had previously attempted to deal with Yunmeng Mountain, but their garrison was mostly composed of civil officials and gate guards. They were fine at collecting taxes, but had no skill in fighting bandits.
Huang Wanxing and other townsfolk pleaded, and the authorities reluctantly sent several patrols. They fought scattered groups of minor bandits along the way, but when they reached Yunmeng Mountain, the main bandits were already entrenched. They had guns and held the high ground, repelling every attack. Attempts to encircle the mountain failed because the bandits had a medic who could prepare antidotes for the mountain’s poisonous insects and miasma.
After a few days, the authorities received a wooden box from the mountain, containing a severed ear.
The ear had a silver earring with engraved characters.
It was Huang Wanxing’s youngest son’s ear.
According to West Chuan custom, the next heir wears a single earring. Huang Wanxing, seeing this, could not help but weep.
The bandits still held hostages, and the authorities did not dare act rashly. After one or two days of standoff, they withdrew.
Merchants and townsfolk in West Chuan City were terrified.
“Normally, they only collect taxes! Can’t rely on them for law and order!” Huang Wanxing cursed. “What good is spending so much on silvers and grain?”
He avoided his main residence, staying at a smaller house for safety. His second concubine cried constantly. Since receiving the box, he had sores in his mouth, lung trouble, and had vomited blood twice.
The concubine said, “You have guns. If others won’t help, do it yourself. Recruit more people. Ten silver coins is enough to hire someone.” She removed her gold bracelets, placing them on a small table. “I don’t care about wealth anymore. I only want my son! Even if he’s crippled, I’ll raise him for life.”
Her words reminded Huang Wanxing. He realized he had weapons and guards, and other merchants did too. He immediately began mobilizing help from other families.
—
Upper City, Xie family
Xu Jun was tutoring Xie Jing. He could tell Xie Jing was distracted but still answered correctly.
“I see you’re unsettled today. Let’s skip studying for now,” Xu Jun said.
Xie Jing sat up straight immediately.
Xu Jun smiled. “I’m not mad, just worried. If you need help, just ask.”
Xie Jing shook his head, then softly said, “I’ve had my eye on something for the past two days, but I don’t have enough cash.”
Xu Jun asked, “How much?”
Xie Jing replied, “Over twenty thousand silvers.”
Though not a huge sum for Xu Jun, it was significant.
“What are you interested in? An antique?” Xu Jun asked.
“Just… stuff at the Rongcheng merchants’ warehouse,” Xie Jing mumbled. Li Yuan had sent word that a batch of German-made firearms had arrived. These were valuable, ideal for defending the family estate.
Xu Jun thought for a moment and agreed. “I’ll have the steward prepare the money, three thousand coins to cover it.”
Xie Jing was surprised—it was more than he expected.
Xu Jun poured him tea and casually said, “I gave you the money, but you can’t go to Rongcheng just yet. Stay here with me a few days; later I’ll take you. The Lower City is dealing with bandits. A gang has taken hostages on Yunmeng Mountain and demanded ransom—someone’s even died.”
“Yunmeng Mountain?”
“Yes. Near the ferry to West Chuan. Close to Zhuandou Township. People used to travel that gorge, but accidents kept happening, so the route was changed.”
“Is it closer?”
“Yes, it takes about half a day, no overnight needed.”
Xu Jun was familiar with the route and emphasized safety. “Your uncle went to Lower City today. He didn’t bring you for your own safety. Those bandits must be dangerous.”
Xie Jing asked, “Is my uncle safe?”
“Yes. With Hu Da and others around, ordinary people can’t reach him.”
Xie Jing relaxed slightly.
Xu Jun said, “But the bandit situation is unusual.”
Xie Jing asked, “Do they have the wrong target or location?”
“I’m not sure. They came too suddenly,” Xu Jun said. “From now on, either go out with me or take enough guards—never go alone.”
Xie Jing nodded obediently.
Xu Jun glanced at him, lifted the hair behind his ear, and said, smiling at his earlobe: “Your uncle hasn’t pierced your ears yet?”
“No. Is it important?”
“For your uncle, it is.”
Xie Jing, puzzled, asked, “But few people have pierced ears. Isn’t it after marriage? My uncle also did it after marrying, right?”
Xu Jun coughed.
“Didn’t he marry?” Xie Jing pressed.
“…He did.”
Intrigued, Xie Jing’s eyes sparkled. “How was the ceremony? Any special customs in West Chuan?”
Xu Jun tried to evade, but Xie Jing persisted. Finally, he explained truthfully: “I don’t know West Chuan customs. In the Xie family, we followed your uncle’s rules. There were no elders left, so we only worshiped heaven and earth. He drank excessively during the ceremony, nearly a whole jar of wine. Others tried to stop him.”
“Others? Who else was there that night…”
Xu Jun, normally composed, blushed, flustered by the questions. He asked, “Why are you asking? Planning to marry?”
Xie Jing just blinked, then smiled honestly: “Yes, I have thought about it.”
Xu Jun said, “No wonder you were distracted. But studies still matter. Even at home, you can learn a lot. Your uncle, at your age, had already taken over two neighboring salt fields and doubled the family fortune.”
Xie Jing said, “My uncle is more capable. That’s why I’m not focused.”
“Where then?”
“The Bai family’s East Courtyard.”
Xu Jun looked at him silently, thinking: He really is just like him.
The resemblance was uncanny—the handsome face and the serious tone, exactly like Xie Siquan.
Author’s note:
Xie Jing taking notes: “Then what?”
Xu Jun: “Then your father will break your leg.”
Xie Jing: “??”
Xie Jing: “Uncle, what was it like marrying?”
Uncle Xie: “Oh, it was lively! Come, I’ll tell you everything…”
Xu Jun: “Stop talking—!!”
