Chapter 104: Cutting the Thread

  Ximen Qing picked up a nail with a flat big head, tilted his head and looked at it, puzzled, saying: "What is this thing?"

  Xia Ju picked up a metal insole, looked at the holes on it, took a large iron nail from Ximen Qing's hand, pressed it onto the hole, and it went through perfectly. Ximen Qing let out a surprised cry. Xia Ju searched around with his head down, but there was only this one nail, so he took another metal insole and slapped it on top with a "slap", slightly sneering: "What a clever idea! With several more nails like this going through the shoe, that would make for a pair of anti-slip spiked shoes."

  "What's with the nail shoes?"

  Ximen Qing took the assembled shoe insole with nails from Xia Chou's hand, turned it over and looked at it carefully, and the more he looked at it, the stranger it seemed. Xia Chou pushed the remaining pile of parts to his own side, looked at this one and that one, but hesitated: "Strange, these things should also be assembled, what is this thing? It's a bit hard to understand."

  Peng Zichen's eyes moved slightly, and he suddenly thought of something, so he smiled: "This... I know what it is."

  She sat down beside Xia Xun, fiddling with the iron parts to assemble them. A thing that looked like a claw but wasn't quite took shape in her hands. Peng Zichen poked at the contraption with two fingers, saying, "This isn't complete yet. At least it should be like a palm, with five iron claws to make it sturdy. We'll also need a length of flexible and durable rope to thread through this small iron ring and tie securely. That's how you make a flying claw for Jianghu people. This thing is different from the flying claws used in military sieges, but it's more agile."

  Xia Jie's eyes narrowed slowly: "Flying claws, nail shoes, climbing high, anti-skid... what do they want to do?"

  After a long contemplation, Xia Yu raised his head and asked: "Zi Yun, this thing is incomplete in every way. I suppose it's your family's Jianghu friends who used soft and hard means to force the blacksmiths to reveal what Lakshen had ordered, and then forced them to make a few more copies, right?"

  Peng Zixi's face slightly reddened, this kind of thing they had done before without feeling anything wrong, but now in front of Xia Xun, he felt a bit embarrassed: "Yes, they were indeed a bit rough, but they are very enthusiastic and righteous towards their friends."

  Xia Fu smiled slightly: "Yes, sometimes when doing extraordinary things, one must use extraordinary means. Can we ask them to investigate Rakshen's background? We currently only know that he has been in contact with the tribes on the grasslands, serving as a liaison for internal and external communication and connecting goods sources. Apart from this, we know nothing about him. If your friends can find out more about his background, it may help us judge what he is up to."

  Peng Zichen saw that he was not discriminating against his Jianghu friends, and couldn't help but feel delighted. He immediately stood up and said: "Alright, the person is still waiting for me outside, I'll go tell him."

  Ximen Qing shook his head repeatedly and said "tsk tsk tsk", while Xia Bian gave him a white eye and asked, "Did you take the wrong medicine?"

  Ximen Qing shook his head repeatedly and said: "There's a way to discipline one's wife, there's a way to discipline one's wife. Younger brother, what good method do you have, teach older brother, okay?"

  Xia Xiao hummed and proudly boasted: "Isn't this easy? I'll tell you, if you want her to be a good little woman, you have to lay the foundation from the start. Otherwise, she'll turn against you! Men, big men, must have a man's demeanor, and in front of women, they must say what goes. If you tell her to go east, she can't go west; if you tell her to chase dogs, she can't hit chickens. 'Three days without beating, the roof is lifted' - haven't you heard this old saying? Even if there's no mistake, you still have to find fault and discipline her from time to time. Does she dare to get angry then?"

  Ximen Qing's eyes suddenly shone brightly, and a strange image flashed in his eyes: "Brother Xia, is it really like this?"

  "Of course not."

  Xia Liu's expression suddenly changed, becoming extremely solemn and serious. His voice was filled with deep emotion as he looked at Ximen Qing and said: "Women are like flowers, blooming for you. Men love flowers and cherish them. Women are meant to be loved, if you truly care for her and love her, she will naturally treat you with gentle affection and warmth. Take my wife, for example, she's born with a beautiful appearance and a bright personality, such a good woman is hard to find even with a lantern. As long as you treat her with a true heart, how could she not be good to me? Brother Ximen, I'm not saying this to scold you, but please don't flirt with other women outside anymore, Little Dong's wife is such a good person."

  Ximen Qing cursed under his breath: "This little brat, he's even more cunning than a ghost. It won't be easy to trick him." He wondered, "How did he know that Sister Peng had returned?" Behind Ximen Qing, Peng Qian'er happened to overhear Ximen Qing's words and her face suddenly flushed with excitement. Her heart was filled with joy, and she felt like she was walking on air.

  She hastily stepped forward, standing between Xia Xian and Ximen Qing, as if afraid that he would lead her own man astray, turning him into a bad man who liked to flirt with women.

  "Mr. Peng, those people don't go out the main gate, nor do they step out of the second gate, they're very quiet and we can't find out any further information. Only that Lakshen, who is more cheerful than anyone else, runs around all day, but it's unknown what he's busy with. As for his background, we've obtained some intelligence, he came to Beiping eight years ago, bringing only a little sister with him."

  At first, he helped people with odd jobs to make a living. In the second year, the Yanwang Palace recruited palace maids, and his sister was successfully selected. With the money from selling herself into servitude, Lakshen opened a small leather goods store. The business in the store was not good, but he found other ways to make a profit by utilizing his familiarity with the tribes outside the pass to connect with merchants from various places for goods from outside the pass, and he made quite a bit of money.

  He secretly bought a larger house, and apart from not getting married or buying land, it is said that in a few years his sister will be old enough to leave the palace, he wants to use this money as dowry, to find a good family for his younger sister. The brother and sister have a very good relationship, he often asks people from the Yanwang Palace who are going out on business trips to deliver messages to his sister, asking her to come out and meet briefly. Apart from this, Lakshen has few relatives in the local area, and even fewer friends, although the social circle of their line of work is vast, it's not suitable for calling out to friends, too showy."

  Everyone has their own use, and even the most useless people can be of great use. They may not be able to do other things, but if you ask them to dig holes, steal secrets, or gather information, they can even find out the hidden secrets in a mouse hole.

  Peng Qiaofu, Xia Rong and Ximen Qing listened to the end of the message from the beggar. Xia Rong immediately stepped forward, handed over a few pieces of silver: "Brothers have worked hard, Peng Gongzi is also entrusted by us, but it's troublesome for everyone to run around for him. This little money can't be considered as a gift, brothers take it back and use it to buy some tea for everyone."

  That person glanced at Peng Ziyu, saw that she was also smiling and nodding, only then did he smile happily.

  Put the money in his sleeve and cupped his hands: "Young Master must be polite, our people are still staring at them, if there is any new news, we will definitely bring it to you immediately, goodbye."

  "Take care, brother!"

  Three men escorted the rascal out of the door, and Xiahou said: "From various signs, they must have ulterior motives, and it's definitely not something that can be seen by ordinary people. However, what are their intentions, we still don't know. In another two days, our goods will almost be transported, we can't stay in Beiping all the time. Moreover, if we keep investigating without finding any clues, it will be a waste of manpower and resources. Once they notice something is amiss, it will be like beating the grass to scare the snakes away. I think it's better to cut the Gordian knot." Ximen Qing rubbed his fists and said: "Do you want to catch them all at once? Should we report to the Yanwang Fu or ask Peng Nü's friends to take action?"

  "Are you going to pretend to be crazy again? The Yan Wang Fu? How are you going to explain that? Peng's friends and acquaintances can gather information and follow someone, but there are only a few who are skilled in martial arts. If you let them arrest people in large numbers, the commotion will be huge! Once a fight breaks out, there will be casualties, and without solid evidence, won't you be putting yourself in danger?"

  Ximen Qing rolled his eyes and said: "Then what do you suggest we do?"

  Xia Xun said, "Although Lakshen is not a formidable character, his role in this conspiracy is the greatest. Keep an eye on him and wait for him to be alone, then bring him out and use every means possible, I don't believe we can't pry open his mouth!"

  "Alright, let's do it this way."

  Xia Chuo turned his head and looked at Ximen Qing: "What do you think?"

  Ximen Qing said: "You have many people and a strong momentum, I certainly can't oppose you."

  Peng Zichen let out a hum and said to Xia Fu: "I'll go keep an eye on him, as soon as I get the chance, I'll catch him."

  "Wait."

  Xia Yu suddenly thought of another idea, and after a moment's consideration, he said: "First, keep an eye on him and don't make any rash moves. He has a younger sister working in the Yan Wang Fu, and it just so happens that he went there recently and had contact with people inside. It's possible that this matter is also related to his sister. Moreover, their sibling bond is deep, and some people may not be afraid of death themselves, but they can give up everything for their loved ones. Wait until his sister comes out, and when the siblings meet again, then make a move. With one more person, there's an extra guarantee." Peng Zichen responded: "Alright, I'll go keep an eye on him first."

  Nalakshen is tall and majestic, but his martial arts skills are unknown. Xia Yu still doesn't feel at ease with Peng Zei acting alone, so he says: "He just went to the Yan Wang Fu today, now that it's dark, it's impossible for him to meet his sister again. If time permits, it should be tomorrow. Please ask your friend to keep an eye on him first, starting tomorrow, we three will take turns keeping watch, and as soon as there's an opportunity, we'll make our move!"

  Another day, the sky brightened up, and a little girl walked out of the Yanwang Mansion, dressed in her everyday clothes, looking very pretty. This girl's surname was Tong, and her name was Tong Rongrong, which was just a convenient Han Chinese name. Her actual name, as recorded on her resume, was Narintooya, and she had a small basket slung over her arm.

  The palace maid of the Yanwangfu could change into civilian clothes when not on duty and walk around in the streets, but they usually went out in groups, so it was rare for one person to come out alone. However, the guards on duty at the palace gate all recognized her, and as soon as they saw her, they smiled and said: "Rongrong, are you going to see your brother again?"

  Narinto smiled shyly, nodded and handed over the basket. The guard carefully checked it, only to find a few delicious pastries and a pair of newly made shoes, which were Narinto's gifts for her brother.

  The guards examined it carefully and returned it to her. Narentuya thanked them and left the palace gate of the King of Yan.

  She has been in the Central Plains for eight years, and this year she is only seventeen. In two more years, all the palace maids who are close to the queen will be dismissed from the palace, and then she can reunite with her brother who depends on each other for life. She was very satisfied with her life in Beiping, which was much better than her wandering life of drifting and struggling, when she was still young, but she remembered the fear of every day: fearing for lack of food, fearing for natural disasters and beasts, fearing for the plundering and killing of other tribes.

  A few days ago, she had just seen her brother and didn't know why he asked someone to bring a message for her to come out and meet him again. Her brother must have missed her too. As soon as Nareen Torya stepped out of the palace gate, she saw her brother standing on the opposite street waiting for her, so she happily ran over to him.

  "Brother..."

  Nanrentoya panted and called out, a sweet smile spreading across her face as she handed over the basket in her hand: "Here, I made it for you."

  Lakshen took it over with a smile, gently brushed away the hair that fell on her forehead and said: "Brother told you earlier, now life is better, brother can buy whatever he wants to eat or wear outside, you don't need to bring these things for me."

  "It's different when done outside."

  Nanrentoya walked alongside him, saying: "Brother, the other day the empress gave me another allowance, and I don't have to spend a single penny on food, clothes, or anything else in the palace. Over the years, I've saved up quite a bit. In two more years, I'll be leaving the palace, and when that time comes, I'll use this money to bring back a sister-in-law for you."

  Lakshen stood with his feet apart, looking at Narentoya with a serious expression: "Sister, don't forget that we are people from the grasslands who have come to work in the palace. We're just relying on our physical strength to earn a living, and they only treat you as a servant or an errand person. Don't really take them as your own family."

  Nanrentoya muttered: "What are you talking about, brother? I'm just a lowly servant girl, and as a palace maid of the outer court, I don't have many opportunities to see the Yan King's family. How could I be close to them? In this world, my only relative is my brother."

  "Alright then, let's head back home with Brother. There's a guest at our place who came from the grasslands, someone you met when you were younger."

  "Who is it?" Nareen Toroya exclaimed excitedly.

  Lakshen said mysteriously: "You'll know when you get home. I have something very important to do with him, and you will definitely help your brother, won't you?"

  "Of course, whatever brother wants me to do, I'll go. After all, brother won't harm me."

  Xia Liu, Ximen Qing and Peng Zilong all changed their clothes and secretly followed behind, seeing the two of them walking ahead with smiles on their faces. Peng Zilong furrowed his brow and said: "They are walking on the main road, there are people passing by constantly, how can we kidnap someone? If a fight breaks out, it will definitely alert the authorities."

  Ximen Qing's eyes rolled around and he said bravely: "What's difficult about this? You all go wait in that alley, I'll lead them in!"

  Before the two could stop him, he took a swift step forward and rushed up.