"CENSOR RONG. If Guan Shanhai hadn't arrived when he did, were you prepared to die in the floodwaters?"
Rong Qing had abandoned his pride to thank him, yet not only did Cui Buqu offer no words of comfort, he went so far as to dress him down. Rong Qing's face froze as Cui Buqu continued.
"Just think. Everyone would have soon known that Censor Rong arrived under orders to oversee the disaster efforts, yet he faltered before he'd even begun. They'd hear that the officials of Guangqian County were deep in mourning—that even the imperial censor has succumbed to the floods. This would serve as proof of the severity of the crisis, prompting the court to allot Guangqian County more relief grain. Yet you, Rong Qing, would be the first official of Sui to perish in such a dubious manner…" Cui Buqu paused, glancing at Rong Qing with a faint smirk. "Thus becoming the target of countless jokes."
At that moment, Rong Qing finally realized what he disliked about the chief of the Zuoyue Bureau.
Whenever this man spoke to him, there was always another implication beneath his words. He sounded purely mocking now, yet he seemed to be insinuating something more—something Rong Qing couldn't grasp. And if Rong Qing couldn't figure it out himself, Cui Buqu certainly wouldn't explain.
Some people had a natural affinity: They could share deep and meaningful conversations after meeting only briefly. But Rong Qing was sure that no matter how many times he met Cui Buqu, he'd never grow to like him. The man was too acerbic and too arrogant. Because the empress was fond of him, he looked down his nose at everyone around him.
Squashing his anger, Rong Qing replied, "I know it was impolite of me to leave first; I've displeased the lord chief. But this disaster is getting worse by the minute. If I arrived a day earlier, I'd be able to start my investigations and reports a day earlier, and perhaps more people could be saved."
"So you rushed here and almost died," said Cui Buqu unceremoniously.
Rong Qing drew himself up. "If Chief Cui refuses to engage in a proper conversation, then I shall take my leave. I will assuredly repay you for saving my life, but while we are here in Guangqian, let us go our separate ways!"
The censor, too, was a stubborn man—he believed he was in the right, and was thus unwilling to endure more reproach.
Cui Buqu twitched a finger. Before Guan Shanhai realized what it meant, Qiao Xian was in motion: She drew her sword and held it to Rong Qing's neck.
"Let you go?" she said coldly.
Rong Qing was so furious he laughed. "So this is the fabled tyranny of the Zuoyue Bureau. You dare threaten imperial officials on a whim! It's small wonder everyone at court trembles at the mere mention of you. If Chief Cui desires the kind of power that sends people scurrying out of your way in fear, you've certainly achieved it!"
Cui Buqu was unfazed. "You nearly lost your life here, mere days after arriving. Once word gets out, the reputation of the Rong clan and all the hard-earned accomplishments of your father will be sullied by your actions."
Rong Qing was stunned. "You know my father?"
"Two years ago, your father, Rong Qi, assumed the position of magistrate of Mo County in You Province. When the Göktürks came to plunder the city, he remained fearless, refusing to surrender even in the face of death. Your father lost his life trying to hold the city gates before reinforcements reached him. In recognition of his unwavering loyalty, His Majesty promoted his son—you—to imperial censor."
At the mention of his father, most of Rong Qing's anger quietly fizzled out. He was silent for a moment. "To be honest, I've been doing quite a bit of investigating here over the past few days. There's something strange happening in Guangqian County."
The rains that year had been exceptionally heavy. On Rong Qing's journey into the county, the downpour had persisted for ten days. He'd chosen one of the official roads that traversed higher terrain, steering clear of the river. Because the official road was only muddy and had yet to be submerged, it wasn't until he reached his destination that he grasped the full extent of the disaster.
Much of the city was submerged, and even the outskirts were challenging to navigate. Refugees streamed into the city, but capacity was limited; only a portion of them could be accommodated. County Magistrate Huang Lüe resettled as many as he could on the west side of the city and provided them with honest work. Each day they transported mud outside the city, constructing an embankment to combat the relentless advance of the flood. Rong Qing had gone to oversee the endeavor himself and found it commendable. The city had taken in the refugees and given them something to do, mitigating any potential unrest.
But while the disaster here in Guangqian County had been addressed, the cities in neighboring counties within the commandery hadn't such capable magistrates. The waters remained high, and the food within their storehouses was limited. Huang Lüe hoped Rong Qing would bring their plight to the court's attention so they could secure more relief grain.
Rong Qing wished to do exactly that, but as the censor sent by the court, he couldn't make his decision on the word of Huang Lüe alone. He'd sought out Deputy Magistrate Li Yan and made some private inquiries. Li Yan had stammered his way through his answers, making Rong Qing suspect he was hiding something. The censor had questioned him doggedly until Li Yan finally let something slip. It was in pursuit of this lead that Rong Qing had personally gone to the outskirts of the city for a look.
Abruptly, Rong Qing changed the subject. "Two nights ago, I received a strange painting."
He gestured for Xiao-Liu to fetch it over. The painting lacked any mounting and was simply rolled up; Rong Qing spread it out for them to see. At the center of the scene stood a granary, with countless people arranged around it, transporting grain away. On the left, a man in an official's robes sat with his servants flanking him, indulging in a feast as he surveyed the activity. The workers buzzed about in convincing urgency.
On the right side of the painting, near the granary, there was a small mountain of bodies: men and women, old and young, all sprawled on the ground in various unnatural postures. Their emaciated and jaundiced forms exuded agony. Some lay dead, while others clung precariously to life. One man was depicted gnawing on a severed limb, while nearby, a child missing an arm wailed as blood streamed across the ground.
When one looked only at the left and center of the painting, it appeared ordinary. But in combination with the right side, the effect was stomach-turning.
Rong Qing remembered the shock he'd had when he first laid eyes on the painting. He'd stared at it blankly, oblivious to the passage of time. Now, he watched as Cui Buqu cast it the briefest of glances. The man didn't even blink.
As expected, a man of callous ambition, thought Rong Qing.
"This man." Rong Qing tapped the official depicted eating on the left side of the painting. "Guangqian County was originally a first-tier county, which means their magistrate holds sixth-rank status. But after two years of natural disasters, the county was downgraded to second tier. Their magistrate, Huang Lüe, should have accordingly been demoted to the seventh rank. Since his debriefing before the court has yet to arrive, he retains his rank for the time being. The man in the painting is dressed in a scarlet minister's robe devoid of ornamentation—although his face isn't clearly visible, he can be none other than Huang Lüe."
"So you believe someone sent you an anonymous report after learning of your arrival, suggesting that the county magistrate, Huang Lüe, has been embezzling grain and misreporting the disaster."
"Correct."
Rong Qing had been rattled, but he'd managed to follow his more rational instincts and refrain from immediately confronting Huang Lüe. Still, he couldn't contain his restlessness, and had thus opted for a more indirect approach: He'd sought out other officials in Guangqian County in hopes of gleaning more information.
In truth it was this that had led to his conversation with Deputy Magistrate Li Yan, in which he'd witnessed the man's hesitant, stumbling answers. He'd also discovered that aside from Li Yan, several officials in Guangqian County were on poor terms with Huang Lüe. For example, County Lieutenant Wu Yi.
The three most important officials of Guangqian County—the magistrate, the deputy magistrate, and the county lieutenant—appeared united. But once Rong Qing scratched the surface, he found a game of deep intrigue beneath the bloodless flash of hostilities playing out on the surface.
There was only so much Rong Qing could uncover in one day—but the next night, he received a second painting.
It was on the same type of paper, with the same brush strokes. Rong Qing unrolled the second painting in front of Cui Buqu.
This time, there were no officials, yet the imagery was if anything more chilling. Amid the surging floodwaters, broken-off branches bobbed and corpses drifted. A black-haired head floated among them, gazing up at the sky, the expression on its face twisted in a silent wail of despair. In the distance lay the city, while in the foreground stood an old tree atop a hill. Beneath its outstretched limbs a man knelt in the mud, desperately digging with his bare hands. Several hands lay to the side, seemingly unearthed from the mire, their half-rotted flesh clinging to a dense thicket of white bone. It was a scene of approaching hell, where all trace of the buddhas had vanished.
Guan Shanhai had been observing quietly from the side, yet when he saw the painting, he let out an involuntary gasp. Rong Qing looked at him knowingly. "That's right—this is the tree where I was stranded today. It was this painting that compelled me to travel there myself, to see if it really existed."
He'd proven that the tree was real, but before he could start digging, the rain had caused the floodwaters to rise precipitously. Had Guan Shanhai not arrived at that moment, Rong Qing would likely be a wandering ghost.
"Now Chief Cui must understand that there was a reason behind my actions."
Cui Buqu ignored his aggrieved tone. "Then I assume you're now even more suspicious of Huang Lüe?"
Rong Qing nodded. "Huang Lüe vehemently opposed my proposal to survey the lands outside the city, and County Lieutenant Wu was also notably absent. Instead, it was Li Yan, the deputy magistrate, who accompanied me. This practically proves there's something suspicious about Huang Lüe."
"Any reasonable person would object to leaving the city in the middle of a relentless rainstorm and a raging flood. Why didn't you suspect Li Yan of ulterior motives? Perhaps he was taking the opportunity to silence you."
Rong Qing paused, momentarily speechless. "Huang Lüe is the magistrate of Guangqian County. In almost every matter, he's the one with the final say. What can a deputy magistrate like Li Yan do?"
"But it's not just Guangqian County that's affected. Most of the region is underwater. If I were in your position, I wouldn't let two questionable paintings cloud my judgment."
By now Rong Qing was convinced Cui Buqu disliked him, and that he was deliberately making his life difficult at every turn. He couldn't be bothered trying to convince him—sometimes there was no point in further conversation. He changed the topic. "Tomorrow, Huang Lüe is hosting a banquet for all the wealthy families in the city to discuss relief efforts. He's invited me as well. If Chief Cui refuses to believe me, come see for yourself who the heroes and villains are in this situation!"
With a final cold snort, Rong Qing walked away.
How convoluted, Guan Shanhai thought. It was as if a dense fog enveloped them, refusing all their efforts to clear it.
Guan Shanhai was accustomed to the straightforward conflicts of the battlefield. He had never encountered a situation with as many complexities as this one. To an uninformed observer, duties seemed clearly assigned across the various ranks of officials, yet closer inspection suggested things weren't so simple. The court had disbursed a substantial amount of grain, but had it truly been needed? A feud was simmering between County Magistrate Huang and Deputy Magistrate Li—were they using Rong Qing? Who had sent him those paintings, and why? Did someone wish to show him the truth, or were they trying to eliminate him?
The more Guan Shanhai pondered the situation, the more his head throbbed. Thank the heavens he was a military official; it wasn't his responsibility to deal with matters of this type. Still, he doubted Cui Buqu was so godlike he could effortlessly unravel the situation the instant he descended upon the county.
What he did know was that, in order to catch up with Rong Qing, Cui Buqu had to cut his planned travel time in half. His already fragile health seemed to have deteriorated further over the journey, yet he had never uttered a word of complaint.
Guan Shanhai was still unhappy about his new assignment, but his antipathy toward Cui Buqu had softened. He couldn't resist whispering, "How did you know Censor Rong was in danger?"
"Here, Rong Qing is a knife. Whoever wields him will use him to threaten others." Cui Buqu heaved a sigh. "Perhaps we'll soon witness a few of the many ways in which Rong Qing might meet his end."
Huh? Guan Shanhai was perplexed—he hadn't a clue what Cui Buqu meant.
***
Rong Qing, too, was perplexed.
He was seated among the wealthy and renowned of the city, in the garden behind the county office. At County Magistrate Huang Lüe's invitation, everyone had come to the banquet to discuss the floods plaguing the county.
What baffled Rong Qing was that Cui Buqu, full of cutting sarcasm just the day before, was now sitting behind him as meekly as any sheep. He'd put on a false beard and introduced himself to the assembly as Cui-xiansheng. With this small change to his appearance and demeanor, he'd transformed himself into Rong Qing's very own close aide.
The members of the local literati and the merchants were terribly curious about this Imperial Censor Rong. Nearly everyone came up for some polite conversation or to ingratiate themselves. In the process, they inevitably noticed Cui Buqu behind him. A few curious souls directed a question or two his way, but he remained reserved and silent until Rong Qing stepped in to answer on his behalf.
Rong Qing knew Cui Buqu wished to conceal his identity, and that suited him perfectly. He had no desire for anyone to learn that the so-called aide at his shoulder was in fact a representative of the Zuoyue Bureau—if word got out, people might think the court didn't trust Rong Qing and had sent someone to monitor him.
But he hadn't anticipated Cui Buqu would be such a flawless actor. Watching him now, it was as though he was a different person entirely. He aimed to portray a reticent subordinate, and he truly didn't say a word. Even his gaze became gentle and harmless, his tone soft. The sharpness of the previous day was nowhere to be found.
As more guests arrived to greet him, Rong Qing had no more attention to spare for Cui Buqu's drastic transformation. He noted that the majority of those in attendance were young, many the eldest or second sons in their families. Very few patriarchs were present.
One young man was particularly eye-catching. He appeared around twenty, with conspicuous good looks. He was the fourteenth child in the Li family—a number from which he took his name, Li Shisi—and a distant relative of Deputy Magistrate Li himself. Rong Qing only now learned that Li Yan belonged to a well-off local clan—the Li family was apparently influential throughout all of Guangqian County.
Li Shisi had arrived with his cousin, the eldest son of the Li family. His companion was a stoic young man, and by contrast, Li Shisi was bursting with energy. He bounced around the gathering, toasting everyone he encountered, and approached Rong Qing several times, disregarding formalities and bombarding the censor with questions. His curiosity extended to Cui Buqu as well as he stood at Rong Qing's side.
"I hear Cui-xiansheng hails from the Southern dynasty. Why did you choose to come north rather than remaining an official there? What kind of scenery does the Southern dynasty have? Is it truly filled with mountains, rivers, and flowers, with melodious songs playing wherever you go?"
Li Shisi pressed forward with each question, until he was a hairsbreadth from Cui Buqu. If it weren't for his youthful charm and the curiosity shining on his face, he'd likely have been reprimanded already for his rudeness.
Cui Buqu gave him a bashful smile. "Not everyone who aspires to be an official can achieve this goal. I lack proficiency in both the pen and the sword, so I sought refuge with my relatives in the north. Fortunately, Censor Rong was kind enough to hire me and let me help him with copying paperwork. As for the scenery you mentioned… I believe there's little difference between the mountains and rivers of the north and the south."
"Goodness, Cui-xiansheng, your wrists are so slim and delicate!" Li Shisi's eyes sparkled like he'd discovered some new treasure. He caught Cui Buqu's wrist and refused to let go. "I've heard many men in the south are interested in other men, and some even have strange tastes, like a preference for older ones. I wonder, did you attract that type of attention—is that why you ran away to take refuge in the north?"