Chapter Forty-Three: The Hidden Mastermind

Day after tomorrow, at the hour of Zi, at Hanxuan Pavilion in the west of the city, twenty thousand liang of gold in exchange for your master's life!

Erniu looked at the piece of cloth in his hand, a flash of gloom crossing his eyes.

Qin Yu, holding an arrow in his hand, knitted his brows deeply and slowly spoke,

"This matter is probably not as simple as it seems."

"Huh? What is it?"

Erniu looked at him and asked in confusion.

"Take a look, does this arrow look familiar?"

Erniu took the arrow handed over to him by Qin Yu, and felt even more puzzled.

"Is there something wrong with this?"

Qin Yu could not help but cast a sidelong glance at him, yet still patiently explained,

"From the force and precision of this arrow, one can tell it should have been fired from a short-eared bow. Short-eared bows have a fast rebound speed, and correspondingly, a fast arrow speed, while long-eared bows have minor vibrations and smaller shooting errors."

"Now look at the style of the arrowhead, it is clearly a Han army bow and arrow!"

"Furthermore, the standard issue for Han army archers is precisely the short-eared bow. Is what I am saying not obvious enough?"

Hearing Qin Yu put it this way, Erniu finally understood. A trace of shock could not help but flash across his face,

"You mean to say that the one who kidnapped the Emperor is the Han army?"

Qin Yu neither confirmed nor denied it; he merely gazed at the cloth in his hand and fell into deep contemplation before finally making a decision,

"Let's continue to follow the Emperor's plan!"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, Erniu nodded in succession.

Just as Liu Xie was being kidnapped here, a troop of nearly ten thousand light cavalry was galloping without rest toward Yuzhang Commandery.

At the lead was a young warrior wearing a white-silver lion helmet. Despite his youth, an intense murderous aura was difficult to conceal.

This young warrior was none other than Ma Chao, the son of Ma Teng.

Days earlier, Ma Chao had received a personal written deployment order from Liu Xie, commanding him to lead a detachment of light cavalry in secret to Yuzhang Commandery and await imperial orders.

Yuzhang Commandery was truly too far from the capital. The light cavalry led by Ma Chao had ridden through the stars and nights, and only now had they reached the borders of Yuzhang.

"Whoa!"

Ma Chao pulled to a halt, turned his horse around, and shouted in a loud voice,

"Everyone rest in place! No wandering about! No lighting fires! We depart in three hours!"

This force of nearly ten thousand light cavalry was like an iron army; their discipline was extremely strict, obeying orders implicitly. They halted uniformly, and during the rest period, not a single person made the slightest noise.

This light cavalry force was precisely a trump card left behind by Liu Xie. Letting Ma Chao lead them was partly because he trusted the exceptional capability of this young general, and partly because Liu Xie intentionally wanted to groom this future legendary Tiger General of Shu Han!

While this light cavalry force was still on the road, another mysterious team of people had already entered Yuzhang Commandery.

Yuzhang Commandery, Commandant's Mansion.

At this moment, Yuzhang Commandant Gongsun Ye and Commandery Vice-Governor Qilian were standing respectfully behind a man dressed in black.

"How are the matters I entrusted to you coming along?"

The man in black standing before them said in a deep voice. His hoarse tone was clearly a deliberate disguise of his original voice.

"Everything Your Excellency instructed has been arranged by us, and all is ready."

Gongsun Ye said respectfully, looking at the man in black before him with utter awe, completely devoid of his usual arrogance.

"Lü Bu's side has also agreed to our terms."

Qilian added from the side.

The man in black nodded.

"Has there been any other movement in Yuzhang Commandery recently?"

Gongsun Ye and Qilian exchanged glances, and after a moment of careful thought, Gongsun Ye said,

"Recently, there was a merchant caravan from the north, quite a fat sheep, so I went ahead and had them kidnapped."

"I don't care about your kidnapping, but you must handle things cleanly and leave no incriminating evidence behind..."

Suddenly, the figure of the man in black gave a start.

"Did you just say they came from the north?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Gongsun Ye said respectfully.

The man in black pondered for a long time. Gongsun Ye and Qilian stood behind him in respectful silence; although standing for so long made their lower backs ache and their legs sore, neither of them dared to utter a single word of complaint.

"Bring me his portrait! Now, immediately, at once!"

Sensing the urgency and agitation in the words of the man in black, Gongsun Ye and Qilian could not help feeling somewhat puzzled. The man in black had always been as calm as stagnant water, as if he wouldn't stir even if the heavens collapsed; why was he acting like this today?

Yet seeing how urgent the man in black was, the two did not dare to ask too much. Gongsun Ye trotted out in small steps and called over a personal guard, saying,

"Within half an hour, bring me the portrait of the person kidnapped yesterday! Half an hour—either bring the portrait, or bring your head!"

The guard called over was none other than Zhang Da, who had collected Liu Xie's toll fee at the city gate at the time.

Hearing Gongsun Ye's urgent tone, Zhang Da dared not hesitate and immediately went to find Liu Xie.

Liu Xie was sleeping soundly when someone kicked him awake. He saw a white-bearded old man holding a brush and a piece of cloth, drawing his portrait right in front of him, which left Liu Xie rather bewildered.

What is this? Is sketching portraits a trend for kidnappings in the Han Dynasty? Do they need a souvenir of this sort?

The old man was an experienced hand and quickly finished sketching Liu Xie's portrait. Liu Xie peered at it from a distance; it turned out quite vivid, featuring a clear nose and eyes.

Liu Xie muttered softly to himself.

The guard who obtained Liu Xie's portrait immediately took it and walked out, without wasting a single superfluous word throughout the entire process. Crisp, decisive, and smooth as flowing water.

The operational efficiency was truly high. After all, they were racing against time with their lives on the line.

Soon, after passing through the hands of several people, Liu Xie's portrait reached the hands of the man in black.

The man in black looked at the portrait in his hand, and his body gave another start, but he quickly adjusted his state of mind. Clearly, he recognized who was in the drawing.

The Emperor of the Great Han, Liu Xie.

The man in black calmed his emotions and said in a deep voice,

"Does anyone else know he was kidnapped?"

"We have already sent out the ransom letter, and in a couple of days, their people will bring the ransom to rescue him."

Gongsun Ye said respectfully.

"Get rid of him tonight."

The man in black said indifferently.

"Ah?"

Gongsun Ye could not help being slightly stunned. What was the situation here? Could it be that this fellow had offended the man in black standing before him?

Even he did not know the background of this man in black before him; his methods reached the heavens, and he could even influence the imperial court thousands of miles away.

"What? Do you have any questions?"

"Why..."

"Are you questioning my decision?"

The man in black said coldly.

Gongsun Ye immediately felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He detected the displeasure in the tone of the man in black, as well as a murderous intent.

"This subordinate wouldn't dare. This subordinate will immediately arrange for someone to take care of him."

Gongsun Ye hastily replied.

Seeing Gongsun Ye's attitude, the man in black nodded with satisfaction.

"Do it cleanly, or else you won't need to stay alive either."

The man in black spoke coldly. He turned around, and the eyes beneath the black mask emitted a chilling, murderous intent.

"This subordinate wouldn't dare! Please rest assured, Your Excellency, this subordinate will handle this matter flawlessly!"

Feeling the pressure from the person before him, Gongsun Ye broke out in a cold sweat that soaked his entire body like water.

Even Qilian by his side did not dare to draw a loud breath. Both lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into the eyes of the man in black.

Observing the performance of the two, the man in black nodded with satisfaction, a flash of indifference sweeping across his eyes.

To him, these people were nothing more than chess pieces. If they weren't still somewhat useful, the man in black probably would have killed them long ago.

After all, Yuzhang Commandery was too far from him, and he still needed someone to manage this side of things. The best candidates were the local officials.