Chapter 139 - 121: Scheming
Just then, a mounted party approached from ahead.
At their head was none other than the County Magistrate, Liu Zheng. He had brought the various officials of Xiahe County to welcome the new Captain of Xiahe County Town.
By rights, as Fang Hu’s superior officer, the higher-ranking Liu Zheng had no need to personally leave the town to greet him.
However, this was partly to put on a show for his subordinate officials, and partly to take the opportunity to lay a trap for Fang Hu.
He would see if Fang Hu would be impartial enough to arrest the scoundrel who had attacked the constables. If he did, it would be master against disciple, and Fang Hu’s reputation would be in tatters. Liu Zheng, in turn, could seize the Tea Garden amidst the chaos.
If Fang Hu refused to act, even better. That would be perverting justice for personal reasons. In that case, Liu Zheng would forcibly strip Fang Hu of his captaincy, detain him, and report the facts of the case to his own superiors.
No matter what Fang Hu chose, Liu Zheng stood to gain.
Was this not a perfect case of killing two birds with one stone?
"It is indeed. For Lord Liu to come out personally... you do me too great an honor," Fang Hu said, as he naturally recognized Liu Zheng and immediately offered a polite remark.
"Hehe, not at all, not at all! Captain Fang is a valiant warrior and a native son of our county. You’ve brought great glory to us all! On the occasion of your triumphant return, how could I not come to welcome you personally?" Liu Zheng boomed with laughter.
Fang Hu was about to reply, but just then...
A government constable came scrambling toward them from a distance, looking utterly disheveled.
"Trouble, Lord Liu, terrible trouble! That villain, that villain..." The government constable stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.
"You useless fool, speak clearly! What in the world happened?" Liu Zheng scolded, putting on a show of anger.
"Yes, yes, my lord! The suspect is violently resisting arrest! He’s already taken down several of the brothers. But... but he’s a Martial Scholar! He has an official rank, so the brothers don’t dare to fight back!" The government constable began to sob as he spoke.
"Hmph! Brazen! This is utterly brazen!"
Liu Zheng looked positively apoplectic. His beard bristled, and his hands trembled, a clear sign of immense fury.
"Lord Liu, what’s happened? If I can be of any assistance, you need only say the word," Fang Hu offered. He didn’t know the details, but violently resisting the law was a heinous crime.
Worse still, the perpetrator held an official rank. For a person of status to commit such evil deeds made his capture all the more imperative.
"Alas, since you ask, I suppose I should tell Captain Fang," Liu Zheng said with a sigh.
Liu Zheng proceeded to recount the dispute at the Tea Garden entrance involving Fang Yue and Bai Xingqiu.
Of course, he conveniently omitted Fang Yue’s name, mentioning only Bai Xingqiu. He also glossed over the reasons for the renewed conflict over the Tea Garden.
He claimed that he had yet to conduct a thorough investigation and simply wanted to bring both parties back to the Government Office for questioning.
To his supposed dismay, one of the parties had repeatedly used his official rank to evade questioning and had now escalated to violently resisting the law and assaulting constables from the Government Office.
"Rest assured, Lord Liu. This is precisely the kind of matter the Guard Army should handle."
After hearing the account, Fang Hu was immediately convinced that someone was using their rank and privilege to bully the innocent.
He had always loathed people like that.
"You! Lead the way!"
Without a second thought, he ordered the constable who had brought the news to lead on, and he marched off toward the city gate.
’Heh, what an impulsive brute. He walked right into it,’ Liu Zheng thought.
Liu Zheng stroked his beard, a faint smile on his lips as he watched Fang Hu’s departing figure shrink in the distance.
Then, he ordered his own men to follow.
He had to witness the outcome. Otherwise, all the effort he’d put into painstakingly luring Fang Hu into this trap would be wasted.
~~~~~~
"What, still want to try something? If you want to take me in, do you have a warrant from Shanyang Prefecture?"
"You don’t? And you still dare to make a move on me? Your audacity is truly something else!"
Bai Xingqiu smiled amiably at the handful of Xiahe County government constables who surrounded him, hesitating to advance.
’These guys picked today of all days to make their move. How unexpected,’ he thought.
’I thought that whole business was over and done with.’
’It seems that fellow Liu Zheng is hatching some sort of scheme.’
’But, conveniently enough, Fang Yue isn’t here right now.’
’When things get rough, I won’t have to worry about dragging him into it. I can finally let loose.’
"You ignorant fools, do you have any idea who my young master is? I suggest you back off now, or you’ll pay for it with your own hides!"
Bai Xingqiu’s family servant shouted.
"You two thugs! How dare you spout such nonsense when you’re at death’s door!"
"That’s right! The Guard Army is on its way. You two should surrender now. Otherwise, if you get shot full of arrows like a pincushion, you’ll only have yourselves to blame."
Although the constables were already bruised, battered, and nursing injuries, this was only because Bai Xingqiu had been holding back.
Otherwise, they would have been on the ground long ago, unable to even stand, let alone speak.
As they spoke, a squadron of the Guard Army galloped up, each man leveling a crossbow at Bai Xingqiu and his servant, who were surrounded in the center.
"Well, well, well. Mobilizing the Xiahe County Guard Army... It seems your Lord Liu planned this all along. It looks like this won’t be resolved peacefully today."
Seeing this, Bai Xingqiu knew there was no getting away today.
An entire squadron of the Guard Army, every one of them armed with a crossbow.
If he tried to force his way out, he might have a good chance of escaping, but his servant certainly would not.
He might even be killed on the spot.
"You two, cease your resistance. Whatever the issue is, you can explain yourselves at the Government Office."
Fang Hu came up from behind the Guard Army, his eyes taking in the constables groaning on the ground and the others standing about, bruised and battered.
His gaze then fell on the master and servant pair in the center of the encirclement—Bai Xingqiu and his man—who appeared unharmed. He realized these must be the ones from the conflict Lord Liu had described.
Yet, one look at the two of them and Fang Hu sensed none of the arrogant depravity typical of spoiled young masters.
’Perhaps there’s been some misunderstanding,’ he thought.
But regardless of whatever sordid disagreements they had over the Tea Garden, the man had attacked government constables today. He had to be taken in.
"Hmph, so it’s you! You ungrateful wretch..." At that moment, Bai Xingqiu’s personal servant recognized Fang Hu.
After all, his young master had gone to great lengths to help this man, putting in many a good word on his behalf.
He never imagined this same person would now be here to arrest them.
The servant was naturally furious and opened his mouth to give the ingrate a vicious tongue-lashing.
But before the words could escape his lips, Bai Xingqiu stopped him.
Bai Xingqiu shook his head, signaling for his servant to stay quiet.
"Do you two happen to know me?" Fang Hu asked, slightly taken aback but still polite.
"A case of mistaken identity, we’ve got the wrong person," Bai Xingqiu said quickly with a dismissive laugh, once again stopping his servant from speaking.
"In that case, I must ask you both to come with me. If you have been wronged, I guarantee you will walk away unharmed. If you are indeed thugs, then Lord Liu will see that justice is served," Fang Hu said.
"Oh, alright. We trust Captain Fang. We’ll go with you."
~~~~~~
"What a shame Fang Yue wasn’t here. It’s a real pity I didn’t get to see a master and disciple turn on each other."
Just then, Liu Zheng and his retinue arrived on the scene.
He scanned the scene, and a pang of regret shot through him when he didn’t see Fang Yue.
’If only Fang Yue had been here, it would have been perfect,’ he mused.
’Then I could have seen what Fang Yue would do.’
Still, having Fang Hu arrest these two wasn’t a bad outcome either.
"Go," Liu Zheng ordered, "have someone post notices around town. Say that the newly arrived Captain Fang has already acted heroically, capturing a pair of vicious thugs..."
An idea had struck him. He ordered a nearby clerk to immediately draft a public notice detailing how Captain Fang captured the two thugs, Bai Xingqiu and his man, and to post it everywhere.
This was for Fang Yue’s benefit, a chance to sow discord between the master and his disciple.
Then, when the time was right, he would order Fang Hu to arrest Fang Yue himself.
Then the real drama would be even more spectacular.
At this thought, the corners of Liu Zheng’s mouth curved into a smirk. He was already looking forward to the inevitable fallout.