Chapter 108
Chapter 108
The fortress gate stood wide open. A bone-chilling wind swept through the passageway, making everyone shrink their necks and pull their collars tight.
Xiao Che held the listless Jin Bao closer and wrapped his wolfskin cloak completely around her tiny body.
Ye Qi entered first.
Blackwind Fort was enormous. From the ruins before them, they could tell that rows of low mud-brick houses had once stood here, facing south.
But the buildings appeared to have been abandoned for years. Some had already collapsed into piles of dirt, and only a scattered few still stood.
A tower rose on the western side of Blackwind Fort. Dim yellow light shone from within, accompanied by faint voices and the whinnying of horses.
“Valley Master, over there.”
Ye Qi pointed toward the tower. He had just spotted the words “Blackwind Fort Inn” written on it.
Xiao Che nodded and strode over.
When they pushed open the inn’s door, a wave of noise struck them, followed by a foul stench mingled with alcohol and heat that rushed straight into their nostrils.
Xiao Che and Ye Qi instinctively covered their noses and mouths. The odor was every bit as terrible as the underground huts.
At the sight of new guests, everyone in the hall fell silent and looked toward the entrance. They saw a group of strangers wearing wolfskin cloaks, their faces hidden inside broad hoods and impossible to distinguish.
After a moment of curiosity, the patrons returned to drinking, playing drinking games, and shouting. The din quickly resumed.
Xiao Che swept a sharp gaze across the hall. Most of the people were traveling merchants and traders, while quite a few were armed escorts guarding shipments. They came from all walks of life, and their accents hailed from every corner of the realm.
The corners of Xiao Che’s mouth rose. This was an excellent place to gather information.
Even after they entered, no innkeeper came to greet them.
A counter half as tall as a man stood at the back of the hall. An old man behind it was completely absorbed in working an abacus. The beads clattered so loudly beneath his fingers that he did not even notice the guests arrive.
Ye Qi stepped forward and gently tapped the counter several times. Only then did the innkeeper raise his head and glance at the group.
He immediately lowered it again, but began reciting prices. “Ten wen per person for a place in the common room. Twenty wen per person for a private room. Ten wen per animal. Firewood costs extra. Bring your own food. One liang of silver for a jin of wine, and five hundred wen for a jin of braised meat.”
This was Ye Qi’s first time hearing that guests had to bring their own food to an inn. At least it provided hot water and a stove, but rough men like them had no idea how to care for a child as young as the Young Miss.
“Do you have any women?”
Ye Qi wanted to pay a woman to tend Jin Bao and prepare some food for her, but the innkeeper misunderstood.
“Even the mosquitoes in this inn are male. We have no women. If you want one, go to the official posthouse. Follow the main road fifty li northeast after you leave.”
Ye Qi knew the man had misunderstood but did not bother explaining. If there were no women, they would have to prepare the food themselves.
Xiao Che took a money pouch from his robes and handed it to Ye Qi.
Ye Qi paid for their lodging and bought a jar of wine to warm Xiao Che.
“The western side courtyard. Go out the back door and turn left. It’s the only courtyard available.”
The innkeeper never lifted his head. Even when he took the money, he merely counted it roughly before putting it away.
Something about Blackwind Fort struck Xiao Che as strange, though he could not identify precisely what.
He carried the sleeping Jin Bao to the western side courtyard.
Every room there was private and contained a heated brick bed. The bedding was reasonably clean, but there was nothing else inside.
Xiao Che pulled Jin Bao out from inside his cloak and laid her on the bed.
The brick bed was still cold. Ye Qi found the innkeeper and paid him before the man finally sent someone to light the stove beneath it.
By the time the commotion ended, it was already midnight.
Xiao Che left Jin Bao in Ye Qi’s care. He removed his wolfskin coat, blackened his face, mussed his hair, and returned to the main hall.
He ordered a pot of warm wine and half a jin of braised meat. Carrying the wine alone, he searched for somewhere to sit, only to find every seat occupied.
Following the example of the other patrons, he found a pillar in a corner and sat cross-legged against it.
He drank and ate alone, but his ears missed nothing being said in the hall.
“Be careful when you escort your shipment back to the capital.”
“Why?”
“I heard the whole realm is in chaos. Prince Cheng entered the capital to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday, only to find him gravely ill.
“The Emperor saw through Prince Cheng’s treasonous intentions. Before the prince entered the capital, the Emperor issued an edict ordering the vassal princes from every region to come defend the sovereign. Yet there has still been no announcement of the Emperor’s death.
“I heard the Emperor actually died some time ago and Prince Cheng now controls the court. He’s suppressing the news so it can’t spread. Without confirmation that the Emperor is dead, the other vassal princes can’t do anything to him.”
“That’s all hearsay without a shred of evidence, but the realm truly has fallen into chaos.
“Fighting has broken out in many places. The common people can’t survive, and countless families have been forced to flee famine.
“A few days ago, I encountered a caravan from the south. They said their local vassal prince had declared himself king, and many people were fleeing there to save their lives.”
“None of that news matters. I heard the War God Xiao Che’s daughter is the Star Maiden, and whoever possesses the Star Maiden will possess the realm. Do you think Xiao Che could become the next emperor?”
Sitting in his corner and listening to intelligence pour in from every direction, Xiao Che finally learned that the entire realm was already in chaos.
“I have a relative in the imperial court. He says many capable officials have resigned and returned home, including Chancellor Xie Chengyan and members of the Imperial Cabinet. Do you think the Emperor instructed them to do so?”
“Who knows? I don’t care who becomes emperor as long as my whole family has food to eat.
“Whoever sits on the throne, it’s all the same to me. I care only whether my bowl contains grain. I’ll support anyone who can fill my stomach.”
“That’s certainly true. The people at the top fight among themselves, but in the end, aren’t unarmed commoners like us always the ones who suffer?”
Xiao Che finished his pot of wine and half a jin of braised meat. Only then did he rise, swaying and belching as he prepared to leave.
He had taken only two steps when a conversation between two men in the corner caught his attention.
“I heard Jinshi Town is short on grain and recently suffered a mutiny. You still dare travel there?”
“Really? Is that information reliable? I haven’t visited the Northern Frontier in a long time, so I truly had no idea.”
“I heard it from my Cousin, who serves there as a centurion.
“The Northern Frontier suffered a snow disaster this year, and tens of thousands have already frozen or starved to death throughout the region.
“The imperial court is too overwhelmed to maintain order, and it can’t even issue military pay to the troops below.
“Jinshi Town is extremely remote. I heard they no longer receive grain supplies, and the men there are about to rebel.”
“What exactly are they mining in Jinshi Town? Do you know?”
The man glanced discreetly around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice. “I heard it’s a gold mine. They’ve been working it for several years and seem to have extracted more than half the gold already.”
The slight intoxication in Xiao Che’s eyes vanished instantly. Fully alert, he strode toward the western side courtyard.