The Ming Dynasty writer Qu You wrote in his “Fireworks Play” that countless flowers bloom in the sky, and colorful auspicious clouds surround the crimson platform. Suddenly they fell to the ground and scattered, and the sound echoed through the sky like rain. They angrily hit the jade bowl and overturned the clear snow, bravely stepped on the golden wheel, and set off thunder. It was already late at night, and people were gradually dispersing, and the colorful lanterns were returned to the poles.
It is the most appropriate word to describe the fireworks at the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion.
The night sky serves as a canvas, studded with stars, while bursts of fireworks bloom across it, their light reflected in the eyes of the onlookers below.
Yuan Ye hugged Gu Fangfei’s waist and whispered something in her ear. Gu Fangfei was so happy that she covered her mouth with her hands and laughed.
He looked up, then looked around: “Why did it take Dad so long to change clothes?”
When Madam Yuan heard this, she said, “Your father must have drunk too much and is now sobering up. It’s fine. We’ll call him later when we worship our ancestors.”
Yuan Ye nodded and sat on a chair, looking up at the fireworks.
He also drank a lot today, and now he feels a little sleepy. He tilted his head back and looked at the colorful sky, which made him want to play chess with Duke Zhou.
Seeing that he was tired, Gu Fangfei said, “Take a nap. I’ll wake you up when the time comes.”
“Okay.” Yuan Ye kissed her hand and closed his eyes to sleep for a while.
I hope today can pass peacefully.
————
In the Military Control Commissioner’s room, a white candle was lit on the table. A young man stood beside the table, wiping a golden hairpin in his hand.
There was a muffled groan from the bed, and the person who was originally asleep woke up.
Yuan Sen’s eyes snapped open, and for a moment it felt like a century had slipped by. He recognized the familiar ceiling and let out a breath of relief—only to panic when he tried to move, realizing his hands and feet were tightly bound to the bedposts.
He was so scared that he opened his mouth to shout but found his mouth stuffed with bran and covered in a sticky brown paper, so he could only stammer.
“Umm! Umm!!” He struggled, turned his head, and saw someone walking towards the bed.
It was Xu Hang.
He was dressed in a white undershirt and white trousers—clearly all that remained after shedding his outer garments. It was obvious at a glance that he had entered the mansion in disguise and had now taken it off.
As soon as Yuan Sen saw him, countless possibilities flashed through his mind. In short, he must have come with bad intentions.
But what he truly wanted to know was—was this man acting on Duan Yelin’s orders, or did he have another purpose altogether?
At this time, Xu Hang was very observant and said, “Military Control Commissioner, don’t think too much. I am not Duan Yelin’s assassin. I came to you today because of an old matter.”
Yuan Sen breathed heavily through his nose, waiting for Xu Hang’s next words.
Xu Hang smiled faintly, took out the golden hairpin in his hand, and deliberately pointed it at Yuan Sen’s chest, pressing down slightly as if to pierce it.
When Yuan Sen saw the golden hairpin, his eyes almost popped out, and he trembled all over.
“Wuwu, umm! Wu!!”
He seemed to have a thousand words to say, but they were all stuck in his mouth.
Xu Hang frowned and said, “Don’t get too excited, if the hairpin slips in by mistake, it won’t be a laughing matter.”
He shifted the hairpin aside and twirled it in his hand. “Ever since the Governor’s case, you’ve put in quite a bit of effort getting people to track down leads on this hairpin—but they all came back empty-handed. Now that it’s appeared again, are you frightened? Judging by your face right now… looks like you’ve figured it out. That’s right, I’m the one who killed Wang Ronghuo too.”
After saying this, he turned his head and smiled coldly: “I have to thank you for this. If you hadn’t held a big banquet today and made the guards of the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion so lax, I wouldn’t be able to settle accounts with you so soon either.”
Yuan Sen was like a fat pig awaiting slaughter, utterly powerless, left to be butchered. His eyes remained fixed on Xu Hang, as if staring long enough might let him see straight through him.
Xu Hang walked to the bed, leaned against the bedpost, and looked at him disdainfully: “Are you still guessing who I am? Don’t worry, after all, so many years have passed, and you can’t remember many things. I will tell you slowly.”
It was probably a very long story. Xu Hang poured himself a glass of water first.
More than two decades ago, there was a wealthy family in Shucheng who had run a medical hall for generations. The head of the family, named Heming, was known for saving lives and treating people with compassion. His kindness brought him great fortune. Eventually, he married a young lady from Hezhou City, and they had a son—envied by many. Thanks to his benevolence, people in Shucheng, young and old alike, honored him as a true gentleman.
Lost in reminiscence, Xu Hang talked about this story without any hesitation and told it in a leisurely manner, but without any warmth.
“Mr. Heming is the wealthiest man in Shucheng, as his ancestors served as imperial physicians in the palace, leaving behind a trove of treasures. Even if you tripled the value of your house today, it wouldn’t match the grandeur of the ten-mile lantern river he arranged for his wife’s birthday celebration.”
Yuan Sen’s pupils first dilated and then shrank, his brain working rapidly. Xu Hang’s words indeed outlined all the details.
That year, that year…
Ten miles of lanterns, hundreds of birthday boats, thousands of dancing kites, and tens of thousands of peony lanterns. Fish, dragons, and lions danced all over the city, and red lanterns were hung high.
Indeed, throughout his entire life, Yuan Sen had only seen such a scene in Shucheng so many years ago.
“Shucheng is easy to defend but difficult to attack, so when the Japanese invaded China, it was able to maintain peace in the first few years. But this change finally happened…”
At this point, his tone suddenly became sharp, and his speech speed also became a little faster.
“Fifteen years ago, a major battle broke out outside Shucheng. A deserter, worried about his mother, fled the battlefield and collapsed injured in front of the medical hall. Out of compassion, Mr. Heming saved his life. Moved by his filial piety, he quietly gave him money to support his family. The deserter turned out to be quite capable—after fighting in several battles, he quickly rose to the rank of military commander. Grateful and loyal, he often came to assist Mr. Heming, and over time, they became close friends.”
He moved closer and looked at Yuan Sen sinisterly: “Lord Military Control Commissioner, do you know who this military commander is?”
At this point, Xu Hang paused and observed Yuan Sen’s expression. The man was sweating profusely, his limbs twitching slightly as if struggling. Xu Hang could tell that Yuan Sen had fully recalled the story, so he proceeded with his narrative.
“In that war, there were heavy casualties, and none of the wealthy families in the city were willing to help. The director of the Department of Health at the time was so anxious about the shortage of medicine that he went from house to house to ask for help, and his knees were almost broken. In the end… only Mr. Heming did not charge a penny or ask for IOUs, he opened his warehouse to distribute medicine and did his best to save all the wounded. It was also because of this that after the war, the director was promoted three levels for his good performance. On the day of his promotion, he went to Mr. Heming’s house to express his gratitude, and he was so grateful that he even wished he could turn into a brick under Mr. Heming’s feet!”
Having said that, Xu Hang suddenly became furious and grabbed Yuan Sen’s neck fiercely, tightening it again and again.
“Lord Military Control Commissioner, do you know who this person is?”
Yuan Sen was already having difficulty breathing due to something stuffed in his mouth, and now his throat was restrained as well. He was suffocating, and his face turned pale, his nostrils suddenly flared, and his body began to squirm violently on the bed!
His pleading look made Xu Hangbei feel sick, and he suddenly let go of his hand, looking at his miserable appearance as he tried to cough but couldn’t, with tears in his eyes.
“Don’t worry, it’s a pity to let you die like this…” Xu Hang’s eyes darkened, and he asked in a low voice, “Do you still remember how the Governor died?”
Yuan Sen felt as if his soul was hooked by Heibai Wuchang[mfn]FYI, Heibai Wuchang are two deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld.[/mfn], and he felt a chill down his spine.
It happened so quickly that a golden light flashed before his eyes. Xu Hang waved his hand, and Yuan Sen felt a pain in his left wrist. Then blood splattered on his face, followed by a piercing pain that made his bones break!
The tendons of his hand were cut!
The pain is like your wrist being cut into pulp, throbbing with pain, blood gushing out like a fountain, and your entire arm feeling numb from the blood loss.
“Wu, mmmmmm!!!”
Yuan Sen felt like rolling on the bed in pain, but because he was tied up, he could only howl on the bed like a dehydrated fish.
Outside the window, the sound of fireworks never ceased.
Before he could catch his breath, Xu Hang had already thrust the hairpin into his right hand, rendering it useless as well.
“Cough!!! Ugh!!!”
Because the dregs in his mouth were choking his throat and he couldn’t spit them out, Yuan Sen felt uncomfortable all over his body.
He even hoped that Xu Hang could give him a quick death.
Seeing that he was in great pain, Xu Hang did stop and said, “Good people should be rewarded… heh… what a joke.”
He walked to the window, opened it slightly, looked at the colorful fireworks in the sky outside, and wondered how long these fireworks would last.
Then he closed it again and continued, “No matter how much good one does, it’s hard to guard against a treacherous heart. Even someone as kind as that ended up offending a vile person. Wouldn’t you say so, Lord Military Control Commissioner?”
How could Yuan Sen listen? He was in so much pain that he could only nod his head to whatever Xu Hang said. His face was frighteningly pale, and sweat was pouring down his forehead.
“Back then, the director of the Military Supply Department came to Mr. Heming in secret, trying to rope him into the opium trade for huge profits. Mr. Heming kicked him out without hesitation and even reported him to the higher-ups, cutting off his source of income. From that moment on… the seeds of calamity were planted.”
Having said this, Xu Hang tightly grasped the golden hairpin in his hand, and hatred in his eyes continued to fill up, almost drowning his reason.
“Finally, eleven years ago, the Japanese invaders finally broke into Shucheng. The officers and soldiers of the city fought hard for a month but were ultimately defeated. Finally, the superiors ordered everyone to abandon the city and issued the most insane ‘scorched earth strategy’.”
“If Shucheng is lost, the whole city must be burned down.” This light sentence in the military order made tens of thousands of souls unable to rest in peace. That night, everything was out of control and collapsed.
“What a foolish policy! One fire destroyed everything—not a penny left for the Japanese, but we ended up ruining ourselves too.”
“The original policy was to evacuate the people first and then set the fire. However… three people, for their dark, dirty, and shameful selfish desires, hid it from everyone in the city and set fire to the city in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep!”
As the last two sentences came out, the golden hairpin pierced into Yuan Sen’s ankle, entering from one side and exiting from the other side, and Yuan Sen’s whole body bounced heavily!
The veins on his forehead bulged as if they were about to burst, his entire face was distorted and deformed, his complexion alternated between red and white, and his entire body was spasming uncontrollably.
