THE BRANCHES OF LINLANG PAVILION spread wide throughout the north and south, and their yearly auction was a grand affair. The location of the auction changed each year: sometimes it took place in Jiangnan and sometimes Haibei, and on this occasion, in Liugong City. Regardless of the venue, people from all walks of life—from dignitaries to common folk to residents of the jianghu—came from every corner of the land to participate.
Outsiders often believed there were many priceless treasures at the auction—gold and jewels fit for a king. In truth, though the auction did feature such treasures, they were exceptionally few. Most auction lots were items like rare, precious herbs or long-lost classics, or spices and gemstones from the Western Regions. To those who didn't enjoy the idea of running around trying to obtain such things, the auction was in effect a specialized and well-stocked marketplace. That it was popular was unsurprising.
Linlang Pavilion was a vast enterprise, and their powerful backing and influence meant even those from the jianghu hesitated to provoke them. Occasionally there was a small disturbance, but never any large-scale incidents. Their yearly auctions always went smoothly.
This year, however, seemed destined to be an exception.
When Linlang Pavilion chose Liugong City for their auction, many had quietly grumbled. Liugong City was neither a wealthy Jiangnan locale nor a famous capital like Daxing City. It was a point of connection between the east and west, but only because merchants had to pass through it when entering or leaving the Western Regions. The city itself was uncomfortably close to the Göktürk Khaganate and filled with little but wind and sand. Pampered nobles were reluctant to come, so the number of attendees was slightly lower than in previous years, and most were from the jianghu. There were plenty of traders from the north and south as well, along with merchants from the Western Regions with sharp noses and deep-set eyes, leading camels loaded with satchels full of goods.
Today's incident had occurred right at the entrance of Linlang Pavilion's Liugong City branch. A group of people had just exited when someone armed with a sword came flying from the crowd and attacked the young man at the head of the group. The two struggled, and the attacker was killed. At that point, an unknown woman had appeared. She threw herself upon the dead man and started to wail, accusing the young man of murdering her older brother.
The entire business had taken place before the eyes of the crowd, and both the killer and the killed were quickly surrounded and detained. Constables were swift to arrive; however, when they saw who the killer was, they went straight to Magistrate Zhao, who in turn asked for Feng Xiao.
When Feng Xiao stepped onto the scene, the corpse still lay where it had fallen. A young girl clutched the body, weeping loudly. When she saw a pair of black boots come to a stop in front of her, she raised her head. Her tear-filled eyes were arresting, her expression sorrowful with no sign of pretense.
But Feng Xiao's gaze only skimmed lightly over her before coming to fix on the young man nearby.
"Did you kill him?" Feng Xiao asked.
The young man froze. He obviously didn't want to answer the question, but it was equally obvious that Feng Xiao's intimidating aura was affecting him.
Magistrate Zhao hurried to intervene. "This is Feng-langjun from the capital, acting under—" He glanced at Feng Xiao. He wanted to say under authority of the Jiejian Bureau, but he had no idea whether Feng Xiao wished his identity to be exposed. He quickly rephrased. "…acting under orders to investigate the Khotan envoy's assassination. He came specially to help."
He turned back to Feng Xiao. "This is Wen Liang, Linlang Pavilion's head broker. The deceased's surname is Ying—Ying Wuqiu from Guangzhong. This young lady is his sister."
Wen Liang seemed to see an opportunity to defend himself. He stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting. "This one is Wen Liang. Gentlemen, please let me tell you what happened. Just now, as I came outside with the assistant brokers, this man suddenly appeared and tried to kill me. Fortunately, I studied some martial arts in my youth and barely managed to fend him off. It was sheer luck that I avoided injury. Yet for some reason, he fell down dead on the spot. I didn't kill him."
"Everyone here saw you fighting my brother in broad daylight!" the girl cried in anger. "You struck him and killed him. A murderer must pay with his life! Is that all you have to say?!"
In contrast to the girl's distress, Wen Liang appeared almost calm. "This man attacked me first. I was only defending myself, and the strikes I landed weren't fatal. A proper investigation will make things clear."
"If you hadn't killed our father, would Dage3 have tried to kill you at the cost of his own life?"
Wen Liang scowled. "Slander and lies! When did I kill any father of yours? Miss, you've got the wrong man. This whole thing is a farce!"
The girl glared at him hatefully. "Wen Liang, I'd recognize you even if you turned to ash!"
There was obviously some story here, but Feng Xiao had no intention of carrying out an interrogation in the middle of the street. He waved a hand and ordered all related persons be brought back to the county office.
The girl refused to leave her brother's corpse and had to be hauled off by two constables. She sent a bloodshot glare at Wen Liang as she was dragged away, her face the perfect embodiment of fury. If vengeful spirits existed in truth, she'd likely have bashed her brains out against a pillar, then come roaring back from the dead to make Wen Liang pay with his life.
Yet Wen Liang didn't spare her a glance. He walked over to Feng Xiao and bowed. "May we have a word, Feng-langjun?"
"Speak."
"Linlang Pavilion has flourished in recent years; it's inevitable that petty villains will get ideas. I caught my master's eye and became head broker, which made me a bigger target. I trust Feng-langjun and Magistrate Zhao will judge this case fairly."
"This incident happened in Liugong City, so it is in the county magistrate's hands. Tell it to him, not me."
By now the corpse had been moved, leaving a bloodstain on the ground, blackening in the sun. A light breeze brushed past Feng Xiao's ear. His reflexes were excellent, and he dodged to the side at practically the same instant. Something flashed past—a glittering needle nearly grazed his nose as it hurtled toward Wen Liang only a few steps away. Wen Liang was oblivious; his skills might have been enough to deal with an open assault, but not this kind of sneak attack.
Feng Xiao's response was immediate: with a wave of his sleeve, the needle clattered to the ground.
Wen Liang saw only Feng Xiao strike out in his direction and thought he was trying to hit him. He stumbled back, shocked. "You!"
"Look down," said Feng Xiao.
Wen Liang composed himself and looked. He saw the needle, faintly blue in color—likely poisoned. Fear gripped his heart, and he looked up to see Feng Xiao scrutinizing him.
"I don't know who hates me so much that they must see me dead!" Wen Liang said with a bitter smile.
Feng Xiao turned to Magistrate Zhao. "Bring him back to the county office; detain him. I'll interrogate him myself later."
Wen Liang scowled. "I've done nothing wrong—"
"Anyone involved in the case will be considered a suspect," Feng Xiao cut in coolly. "Whether or not they are innocent will be determined after my interrogation."
"But I—I must oversee the auction tomorrow!"
"Do your subordinates vanish in your absence? If so, Linlang Pavilion can shut down now!"
Such imperious words, yet there was no retort he could make. Wen Liang stared back resentfully. He was about to say more when someone off to the side cut in with a sneer: "Acting high and mighty just because you're from the capital. Well, I refuse to let you arrest him. What now?"
Feng Xiao slowly turned toward the newcomer. His face was luminous under the azure sky, yet his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, able to nail a person in place and strip them of all rudeness and impudence.
"And where did you pop out from?" asked Feng Xiao, as if he'd only just noticed him.
Met with Feng Xiao's irreverent attitude, the man was hopping mad, his face twisting with rage. "I am from the house of Princess Leping! Don't tell me you haven't heard of her! Let's have your position in court and your name, if you have the guts. Once I return to the capital, I'll ask the princess to speak to His Majesty about this!"
From the house of Princess Leping simply meant he was her servant. Nowadays, one couldn't strike a dog without checking who their master was first. If their master was an ordinary person, there was no problem. But Princess Leping wasn't merely His Majesty's eldest daughter, Yang Lihua; she was also the empress of the previous dynasty. With the ascension of Yang Jian as Emperor Wen, the Sui dynasty had replaced the Zhou dynasty. Yang Jian had robbed his daughter's husband of his throne and relegated her from empress to princess.
Yang Lihua was a strict observer of social hierarchy. Her father's usurpation had been a great blow to her, but ultimately, she was only a daughter—there was nothing she could do about it. In an effort to make it up to her, Yang Jian and his wife doted on her fiercely and made more concessions to her than even their sons. The emperor and empress would give Princess Leping anything she wanted short of an outright revolt. Invoking the princess was sometimes more effective than invoking the Six Ministers.
Princess Leping held dividends in Linlang Pavilion, so she'd become their protective shield. On hearing her name, any outsiders who thought to make trouble for Linlang Pavilion would back off—and this was to say nothing of the figures of other noble families standing behind the Pavilion with her.
But when Feng Xiao heard the man utter the name Princess Leping, not only did he fail to cower in fear, he actually raised an eyebrow. His gracefully curved eyes glimmered as he flashed a radiant smile. "My name is Feng Xiao, from the Jiejian Bureau. Don't you think it's pretty?"
The moment the princess's servant heard the words Jiejian Bureau and Feng Xiao, his face drained of color. His self-satisfaction vanished completely, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. If he could, he would have sprouted wings and flown away on the spot.