‘When?’ he asked.
‘Now.’
Han downed his drink in one swallow and stood.
He was brought to a pleasure house, a two-storey establishment lit with red lanterns and filled with music. The sound of female laughter rang from inside, like the chiming of bells. There were soldiers at the front entrance and more flanking the door to the banquet room. The entire building appeared to have been cleared out except for the general’s men.
Wang Shizhen was seated at a low table speaking with a handful of his lieutenants. He was dressed in a sumptuously embroidered robe. His shoulders were as broad as an ox’s and the lower half of his face was covered with a thick beard. He looked up and grinned as Han entered.
‘The famous thief-catcher!’
Wang was, on first glance, a much livelier and cheerful man than Han had expected. It immediately put him on guard.
‘General Wang.’ Han set palm to fist and bowed in proper deference.
‘Sit.’ The warlord spoke louder than he needed to be heard. He was a large man with gestures equally large. He rapped the spot at the table beside him and his lieutenants immediately shifted aside and took their leave.
A courtesan with painted lips bent to pour Han a cup of wine. Another moved to refill the general’s cup. Then they similarly receded to the edge of the room. Everything and everyone seemed to recede in the general’s presence.
‘I hear you’ve been trying to catch these jade thieves,’ Wang said.
‘I haven’t met any success, unfortunately. Not as successful as the general.’
He laughed at that. ‘You are one person. I have all the men under my command to seek out these scoundrels.’
‘It seems such a trivial task for a man of your stature.’ It took some effort for Han to navigate the web of flattery and humility that defined official discourse. If things had been different, he would have been educated in poetry and rhetoric and become versed in such slippery conversation. As it was, he knew enough to keep from being immediately dismissed by his betters.
‘It’s my responsibility to maintain order in the province. Otherwise such outlaws would run rampant.’
‘The accused didn’t reveal any of his accomplices?’
‘Not a one. Surprisingly strong-willed, for a common criminal.’ He drank, obviously displeased to have to report failure.
Han recalled the bruises on the face of the accused. The man had been beaten and broken before he was executed. The thought of Li Feng ending up in the general’s custody left Han cold.
‘If I may be so bold—’ Han had to be careful here. Men like Wang Shizhen didn’t tolerate their authority being questioned. ‘I was surprised that the magistrate would decide on a sentence of death for theft.’
‘Well, it was an extraordinary amount of treasure that was stolen. And there was no need for a tribunal when the outcome was obvious. The thief had the stolen jade on him.’
Han nodded slowly. He even lifted his cup to mirror Wang’s gesture and drank in accordance.
‘If you ever need a position, you come to me,’ Wang offered, happy with drink. ‘I can use a warrior like you. These bandits are getting out of control, attacking boats and raiding our supplies.’
‘That is very generous of the general,’ Han replied, keeping his tone neutral.
He waited with fists clenched until he could finally disengage himself. Han exited the drinking house into the cool evening. The streets were quiet with Wang’s men scattered here and there as they patrolled the corners. As far as he’d seen, the soldiers far outnumbered the civilians in the city.
Justice was meant to be dispensed with a balance of forcefulness and restraint. The proper procedure required careful inquiry and evidence. Han knew that there were repercussions for officials who neglected their duties just as there were punishments prescribed for criminals who disobeyed the laws. It was clear that the local magistrate had lost control of the district—or had had control wrested from him.
The conversation with Li Feng came back to him. Was there any difference between Two Dragon Lo and a man like Wang Shizhen?
There was no denying that Wang was a power-hungry warlord. He ruled over the county without any adherence to the codes of government. His garrison, who was supposed to protect the citizens, was instead used to intimidate them. And General Wang continued to recruit more men to its ranks. His power had grown to the point that the civil government had no control over him.
Han might be a thief-catcher by profession, but his father had held an appointed office at one time. There was no crime worse than the abuse of power. A common bandit might steal a sack of grain or a string of coins from an individual, but a dishonest bureaucrat stole from the entire population.
The authorities here would be no further help. If Han wanted the truth, he would have to seek it elsewhere and he had the urge to leave this place before the taint of corruption reached its infected and withered hand out to him.
* * *
It was impossible for Han to gain access to the official report, if any report was ever taken. Instead he relied on the unofficial account from the locals. The man that Wang Shizhen had executed had been a labourer who had been found with a jade bracelet hidden in his room. Despite rigorous interrogation, he had neither revealed the location of the other missing pieces, nor the names of his accomplices. The other labourers in the man’s tenement said he kept to himself.
Han recalled that the constable had mentioned that a
biaoju,
an armed-escort service, had been hired to guard the shipment. Apparently, the outfit had been hired out of
Nanping. He joined up with a merchant who was headed there and arrived at the headquarters three days later.
The signboard over the doorway read ‘Zhao Yen Security’ and the walls in the main room were conspicuously decorated with an array of swords, crossbows and other weapons.
‘Thief-catcher Han,’ the head man acknowledged after introductions.
‘Sharpshooter Zhao.’
Zhao laughed. They fell into the easy camaraderie of weaponkind, but Zhao’s expression darkened when the jade heist was mentioned.
‘We were en route. The shipment was secured in one of our storehouses—we use them for very important cargo. The thieves bypassed the outer guard patrol and broke in.’
‘They took the shipment without a fight?’
Zhao took some offence at that. ‘We had two guards stationed inside. Wu and Lin are strong fellows. Both trained fighters. They claimed the thieves materialised like ghosts, black as night as they dropped from the rafters. Now my fellows wouldn’t admit this easily, but they were disarmed and overpowered before they could sound any alert.’
The thieves would have had the element of surprise as well as the advantage of launching an attack from higher ground.
‘This was why acrobats were suspected,’ Han remarked.
‘There was a troupe passing through town. The authorities figured with their skills, they might have been able to scale the walls and enter through the roof.’ Zhao rubbed at his neck, embarrassed. ‘I told the constable he was mistaken. No bunch of performers could defeat my men. These thieves were highly skilled and quite deadly.’
Han excused the man’s flair for the dramatic. Of course Zhao would have to insist that the band of thieves that overpowered his security force possessed extraordinary powers. He was at risk of losing face.
‘Do you have a record of everything in the shipment?’ Han asked.
‘It’s in the manifest.’ Zhao went behind the counter and rifled through a drawer, finally producing a scroll which he handed over.
Han scanned the list of valuables. Jade and gold, assessed at a value equalling a hundred bolts of silk. Among the items was a set of three carved pendants. Three was an odd number for such a set. The classic grouping was usually four. Han read through the descriptions: dragon, tiger, tortoise.
Also notable was the lack of any jade bracelets.
‘Your record keeper does good work,’ Han commented.
Zhao nodded with a grunt. ‘This is a serious business. We’re more than just another band of rabble carrying clubs.’
With the rise of bandits and outlaws, the armed-escort business was flourishing along with the thief-catching business. Too many undisciplined warriors about with no wars to fight.
The scroll contained additional information. The names of the sender and the recipient. Both go-betweens.
‘I suspect the final recipient was likely Wang Shizhen,’ Zhao said.
Han concurred. The general certainly had a great interest in recovering the stolen goods. The person who had enlisted Zhao’s services was a man by the name of Cai Yun. Why would an individual from another prefecture send so much wealth to General Wang?
There was definitely something more than a simple theft at work here and somehow Li Feng was entangled in it. He sincerely wished that she wasn’t. Han had come across some of the worst outlaws and Li Feng didn’t belong among them. Despite her talk of rebellion, she was motivated by honour and self-sacrifice. Why else would she give up her own silver to assist others? Or reach out to rescue a thief-catcher who would turn around and make life difficult for her?
‘Do you know anything more about this Cai Yun?’ Han asked.
‘He paid in advance and appeared well off. He’s petitioning for us to forfeit our fee as well as incur an additional dishonour penalty for failure to deliver.’
Zhao cursed a little. Han gave his sympathies.
‘It’s unusual to see a thief-catcher so dedicated,’ Zhao said. ‘They say you’ve never let a criminal get away.’
That was a new addition to his ever-growing story. ‘I do what I can,’ he replied humbly.
‘Hmmph. Find these thieves and I’ll add to your capture money. The penalty on such a shipment would bleed us dry.’
Han left the headquarters with the name of the man who had hired the security escort, but few answers otherwise. Li Feng was more than capable of the feat Zhao had described. He’d seen her leaping on to rooftops and if she could deftly slip out of locked buildings, she could just as easily sneak into them. That information by itself wasn’t enough to condemn her.
There was only one piece of evidence that connected her to the crime—though it appeared she had been telling the truth about it. The four celestial animals were a popular motif in artwork: the Green Dragon, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise. The final animal in the quartet was the Vermilion Bird. It looked very much like a phoenix.
Chapter Five
T
he lanterns of the Pavilion of the Singing Nightingale were always lit, night or day. The doors were always open and no matter when a visitor walked through, they were always greeted by the most elegantly dressed and graceful of ladies. The Singing Nightingale was located in a busy river port located along the Min and served as a crossroads for merchants and travelling officials.
The journey from Taining had taken a week, during which he pondered the possibilities. The thieves could have masqueraded as a dance troupe to get close to the warehouse without raising suspicion. Li Feng was certainly connected to the shipment in some way, but her pendant wasn’t stolen. Han was all the more determined to pursue her just to unravel the mystery she presented.
Finally, the shipment itself was suspicious. It certainly appeared to be a bribe or payment, but for what? Hopefully his contacts in town would be able to provide more insight. Han was nearly out of leads.
According to Zhao, the head of the security escort, the jade shipment had been transported by riverboat from its origin and had changed hands at this port from the mysterious Cai Yun over to the armed guards. Fortunately, Han was familiar with the area and immediately identified the Singing Nightingale as the sort of establishment a wealthy man would visit while in town. It was a brothel with aspirations and attempted to recreate the atmosphere of refinement found in the pleasure houses of the larger cities.
Han had the honour of being greeted by the lovely and talented Lotus. In age, she was perhaps just past the height of spring, but not yet in her autumn years. She would never admit to a number in regard to her age and Han had politely never asked.
Lotus still remained one of the leading beauties of the pavilion and served as hostess for the wealthiest and most distinguished of patrons. In Han’s case, neither applied. Lotus liked hearing dramatic tales of adventures and villains and heroes. Han always thought she enjoyed his company for that reason—though Lotus had made a lifelong profession out of convincing men she sincerely enjoyed their company.
‘Zheng Hao Han.’ Her fine silk robe brushed against him as she took his arm. A light cloud of perfume encircled him. She was all that was soft and feminine and elegant as she led him into a sitting area. ‘It’s been so long, I was certain you had forgotten about me.’
Her tone was mildly reproachful, but it was all part of the game. He apologised and professed that he could never forget her while the attendants brought wine and small dishes of boiled peanuts, scallion cakes and other refreshments.
‘What can you tell me about a man named Cai Yun? I already know he’s been here,’ he prompted as he detected the slight flicker in her expression as she considered his request.
Lotus pursed her lips prettily. ‘Will you say nice things about me?’ she bargained.
‘Of course.’
‘A man by that name has visited on occasion. Well dressed, well mannered. He seems to have money, but doesn’t brag too much about it.’ The courtesan paused and shot him a sly look. ‘Very nice things?’ she insisted.
Newfound fame had its benefits. ‘You’ll be notorious.’
She leaned in close, most likely so he could be ensnared by the sight of her graceful neck and the low cut of her bodice. ‘He seems to always be meeting with rather important-looking men. Merchants and the local official of this or that.’
‘Is this Cai Yun an aristocrat of some sort?’ That would explain the wealth and Lotus had an instinct for pouncing on such patrons.
She shook her head. A pearl ornament in her hair danced as she did so. ‘He has no name that I know of,’ she said coyly. ‘But one of his guests last month was someone noteworthy.’
He gave her an equally coy look. ‘Who could that be?’
‘The agent overseeing the district branch of the Salt Commission.’
That bit of information sparked his thief-catcher instinct immediately. The Salt Commission controlled the buying and selling of salt throughout the empire, managing the prices and taxes on it through countless offices. Agents travelled into even the most remote locations of the empire to enforce the commission’s policies. The salt trade and its taxes were a significant source of revenue for the government, and consequently spawned an entire underworld of illegal activity. Han had apprehended his share of salt smugglers.
Lotus draped an arm casually around his neck. ‘Now tell me what evil deed he committed to warrant your attention.’
She was so close that she was nearly in his lap, all because she
genuinely
liked him, of course. Despite the flirtation, Han knew he was unlikely to be invited into Lotus’s bedchamber. She was very selective about her lovers, enjoying the attentions of notable scholars and officials. They were friendly enough, however, that he was able to take hold of her chin to direct her eyes to his. He wanted a clear view of her expression for his next enquiry.
‘When I first mentioned Cai Yun, you looked surprised. As if you’d encountered some coincidence.’
She tried to look innocent now. ‘What do you mean?’
A silhouette passed by the outside of the curtain that divided the sitting room from the main hall. He wasn’t able to discern much more than a shadow. Definitely not a face or distinct form. But the quality of the movement sparked something in him.
‘Who was that?’ he asked.
Lotus laughed lightly. ‘You’re trying to make me jealous, Han.’
‘Lotus.’
The one word served as admonishment and enquiry.
‘The new girl.’ She shrugged, handing him a cup of wine. ‘There’s not much to say about her.’
Lotus wasn’t jealous. Han would have to be an imperial minister of the first rank to make it worthwhile for Lotus to be jealous.
‘Does she dance?’ he asked, his tone casual.
The courtesan smiled at him slyly. ‘You are single-minded when something catches your eye, aren’t you?’
‘I’d like to talk to her.’
At that, Lotus tilted her head obligingly and stood. She glided from the room without any further attempt to deflect. She was as smooth as silk and cunningly accommodating. Han took his time finishing the wine before setting his cup down and following her through the curtain.
Lotus was already coming back down the main staircase. ‘She isn’t feeling well—’
‘How caring of you.’
Heedlessly, Han moved past the courtesan and continued up towards the private chambers on the second floor. He had a certain instinct when it came to this sort of thing. The first door he opened revealed a group of scholars listening to a pipa player. He opened the second door to the sight of the ‘new girl’ trying to climb out the window.
Han grabbed hold of an ankle and she fell back on to the bed in a tangle of blue silk and gauze. She squirmed and struggled as he brushed aside the sleeve that had fallen over her face. He only caught a flash of dark, glittering eyes before Li Feng twisted beneath him.
She rolled on to her side and the unexpected shift in momentum threw him off of her. He’d forgotten how agile she was. With a rustle of silk, Li Feng was on top of him, her forearm shoved against his chest.
‘Always you!’ she seethed.
She was dressed like a courtesan, in one of those robes that appeared to be made out of paper-thin cloth and air. The silk had fallen from her shoulders, revealing smooth bare skin from her throat to the topmost swell of her breasts. It was too long of a pause before he could drag his gaze upwards. Her eyes narrowed at him, fully aware that he’d been staring at her.
He grabbed hold of her wrist and yanked, causing her to collapse over his chest. Li Feng recovered quickly and clawed at his face. From there, it became a brawl, more cat and dog than tiger and dragon. Finally, he took hold of a handful of silk and flipped her on to her back.
‘I don’t—’ he lifted his head to avoid a swipe ‘—want to hurt you.’
Li Feng was breathing hard and her cheeks were flushed with colour. Her hands shot up before he could trap them. Instead of gouging his eyes out, Li Feng slipped past his guard to bury her fingers into his hair. She kept her gaze on him as she ruthlessly dragged his head down. Before Han knew what was happening, his mouth was pressed against soft, inviting lips.
His hands fell to the bed on either side of her, his fingers curling reflexively into the bedding. She tasted of cinnamon and the faint tang of cloves. Though he was positioned over her, his weight pinning her legs, he was the one that felt trapped. This was a ploy, he told himself, while his body greedily strained against her.
Han lifted his head forcibly. ‘At any moment, you’re going to slit my throat,’ he muttered, his voice deep with desire.
There was a glint in her eyes that was both predatory and playful. ‘Perhaps.’
Her hands cradled either side of his face. She stroked his cheek and senselessly their lips were joined once again, breath against heated breath. Her body arched into him. He knew how strong Li Feng was, but right now she was perfectly
pliant, moulding herself to him. All of the blood in his body rushed to his lower half. What little remained in his head told him that if he was about to die, he completely deserved it for being so stupid.
He ran his hand along her arm and another down her calf. Beneath the slide of silk, he could make out both the sword in her sleeve and a dagger beneath her skirt. As expected. Already, he knew her so well.
‘You have a strange way of making love,’ she said.
‘We are not—’ It took some effort to breathe. ‘Making love.’
‘But, Hao Han—’
The breathless way she spoke his name stroked like fingers down his spine. He took hold of her wrists as she started to embrace him.
He pinned her arms on either side of her head. ‘Stop this.’
He was painfully hard and trying to fight it. Li Feng chuckled, pleased with herself and mocking him. She’d only been teasing apparently, which was—
‘Damned stupid,’ he growled. ‘Any other thief-catcher would have taken advantage.’
‘But you aren’t any other thief-catcher. What do you think of it, Zheng Hao Han? If I seduce you, will you let me go?’
She no longer looked playful. She looked serious and it made him even angrier.
‘I may find you pretty. I may even desire you, but that only strengthens my conviction that I must bring you in.’
She rolled her eyes, lips pouted. ‘So honourable.’
Not so honourable. Despite his lofty speech, his body was fully aroused. Her lips were red and she was wearing that ridiculous robe that clung to her breasts and waist and made her look like a goddess floating in water. The thin layers of silk revealed too much skin and at the same time not enough. It was hardly fair.
‘Justice is justice,’ he gritted out.
‘Well, then,’ she murmured against his ear before nipping at it. Those long, strong, exquisitely shaped legs were curving around him, urging him into oblivion. ‘Bed me anyway.’
* * *
Every muscle in Han’s body tensed above her.
‘Li Feng.’ He was hoarse, his tone a warning.
‘This bed is so much more comfortable than a prison cell.’
She wasn’t sure why she said it. Maybe it was just an attempt to torment him further. Thief-catcher Han was so difficult to take off balance. But the jest was her own undoing because suddenly she was considering it.
Would it be so very bad? A sweet ache took hold of her. She moved her hips in a restless little circle.
Han’s pupils darkened and suddenly she was crushed beneath him. He dragged her hands over her head and kissed her. Really kissed her, with his tongue stroking deep until her body heated and her limbs turned to liquid beneath him.
It wouldn’t be bad at all. It would be so very good.
She knew the dangers of rushing headlong into an affair, but it was hard to heed her own warnings with Han on top of her, anchoring her so perfectly with his mouth caressing hers. For once, she didn’t want to run. She wanted very much to stay.
What was his relentless pursuit of her, if not some strange courtship? They’d fought, but he had never hurt her. And she had a sense he never would, not willingly. She admired him as a worthy foe. And after seeing him naked in the bath house, so beautifully masculine with his skin gleaming, she might have had a few dreams about how he would kiss.
He was better than the dreams.
She wanted to slip her fingers beneath his robe and stroke every line and contour she’d seen exposed in the bath house, but her hands were still trapped. She moved restlessly within his iron grip.
‘Let go,’ she urged softly.
‘If I release you, you’re going to do something to me and it’s going to hurt.’
She wanted to laugh. She wanted to devour him. ‘What if I promise not to?’
‘Li Feng.’
His voice was rough, with an urgency that made her shiver.
He kept her trapped as he kissed her nose, her chin, the hollow of her throat. His mouth sank to the line of her bodice. His lips closed on the area just over her nipple and the scrape of his teeth through the cloth made her arch up desperately against him.
Maybe this was worth prison. She could just escape again…later.
Han went still and she realised she’d spoken aloud. He laid his forehead against her breast and gradually lowered his hands from her wrists. It was a silent and momentary truce and she wasn’t quite certain what to do with it.
After many heartbeats, Han spoke. ‘We must have known each other in a former life. Fate keeps on bringing us together.’
‘We keep on meeting because you keep hunting me down,’ she said with a scowl.
He lifted his head and gave her a look that bordered on fondness. The grin transformed his rough features into something delightfully compelling, almost wicked. Her skin flushed and heat pooled in her belly. His smile did more to disarm her than the kiss.
‘What are you looking for, Wen Li Feng?’ he asked, completely serious.
For just a moment between them, all pretence was gone. ‘There is something I need to find out. Something that happened a long time ago.’
She was no longer trying to torment or seduce him, though his weight did feel unforgivably wonderful over her. She hated being trapped or confined, but she felt none of that fear as he held her now. There was almost a familiarity to it. A strange comfort in Han’s strength and his control over it.