Brother, Brother, But I'm a Profligate! - Chapter 4

Qiu Yuan had never seen someone change their face so quickly. In just a few short days, he had been on the receiving end of Ming Si’s cold shoulder three times. Coupled with Ming Si’s naturally obedient and sweet appearance, his sudden shifts in temperament caught everyone off guard.

Qiu Yuan stood stiff as a board in front of Ming Si, listening to the youth criticize them while pacing the room in a fit of rage. “Today you hide one piece of news from me, tomorrow you hide another. At this rate, will you eventually keep me in the dark about everything?”

“On what grounds must you hide matters concerning my mother from me?”

“Is it that you do not trust me? If so, you might as well say it straight. It is not as if I, Ming Si, am begging for your help!”

Having finished his outburst, Ming Si slammed his teacup onto the table and stormed out of the room. Thinking he was going to cause a scene in front of Fu Jing, Qiu Yuan hurriedly pursued him, only to see Ming Si heading straight downstairs.

Qiu Yuan felt a massive headache coming on and finally broke his silence. “It is dark out. Where is the Young Master going?”

Ming Si did not answer. Mimicking their silence, he kept his head down and walked out. Qiu Yuan followed closely behind, watching as the boy climbed into his own carriage and lay down on the couch. As soon as he was inside, he pulled a yellow satin embroidered quilt over his head.

Qiu Yuan peeked through the carriage curtain. The sound of horses neighing filled his ears. Seeing Ming Si like this, Qiu Yuan did not know whether to laugh or cry. He tried to persuade him gently: “Young Master, please go back inside. It is too dark out here, and the noise is bothersome.”

After a long stalemate, Qiu Yuan stationed two guards there to keep watch. He then returned to the inn to report the situation to Fu Jing.

Fu Jing listened while reviewing official documents sent from Shengjing. When Qiu Yuan finished speaking, Fu Jing folded a corner of the letter and held it over the candle flame; fine gray ash drifted onto the table.

Fu Jing withdrew his hand. “He is still childish and lacks patience.”

Perhaps Fu Jing was preoccupied with other matters, as Qiu Yuan noticed he seemed distracted in his chair. After a long silence, Fu Jing looked up and said, “Then let him rest in the carriage. Whether he sleeps well or not is his own business. Just make sure someone watches him so nothing goes wrong.”

The next morning, at the first light of dawn, the party initially thought they had simply lost two horses. They did not take it to heart, quickly sending someone to the horse market to buy replacements before rushing back onto the road.

The path was easy that day. Fu Jing had calculated the timeline and ordered the party to gallop toward Liaocheng to switch to the water route. It was only when they reached Liaocheng and began moving their belongings onto the boat that someone realized Ming Si was gone.

Evidently not expecting Ming Si to run away a second time, Qiu Yuan froze and instinctively looked toward Fu Jing. A faint smile played on Fu Jing’s lips, but the jade pendant in his hand gave off a faint cracking sound.

Before leaving, Ming Si had specifically arranged his quilt to look like a body was huddled beneath it. Under the cover of deep night, he had stolen a horse and slipped away. The guards had been preoccupied, gathered together playing cards and gambling; they had no idea when their charge had vanished.

Ming Si intended to return to Chuzhou. To prevent Fu Jing’s men from catching up, he took narrow winding paths that were difficult for carriages to traverse. He needed to reach Chuzhou to pack his belongings and find a new residence before Fu Jing could arrive at his home. Despite his haste, it took him two days to reach Chuzhou.

Two rows of soldiers stood at the city gates. Ming Si dismounted. Just as he passed through the main gate and gripped the saddle to remount, a red tasseled spear suddenly swung across his path.

Ming Si paused mid-motion. He turned to see a city guard. Acting as if he had been startled, he offered a smile that carried a hint of lingering fear. “My lord, may I ask what this is for?”

Had Fu Jing already sent word to the officials in Chuzhou to arrest him? The guards looked at each other. One of them raised a hand and shouted, “Take him to the yamen!”

Seeing that things were going south, Ming Si brushed aside the spear and leaped onto his horse. He squeezed the horse’s flanks with his legs, and the steed lunged forward like an arrow from a bow. The patrolling soldiers sounded the alarm, and the officials began the pursuit.

Ming Si galloped wildly. Suddenly, he saw a child in the road ahead. He jerked the reins violently to a halt, tumbling off the horse himself. The impact felt like his internal organs had been turned upside down.

“Mother!” The child burst into tears from the fright. A woman carrying a basket ran over, kneeling to embrace the child. Ming Si clutched his chest, coughing up a mouthful of bloody foam. He rolled over, only to find himself already surrounded by the officials.

In the end, Ming Si failed to escape. His hands were bound, and he was hauled away to be locked in a dungeon. Having traveled without rest, his mind was still a bit slow. He stared at the iron gate in a daze. “Why are you locking me in a cell? Are you not taking me to see Fu Jing?”

The jailer looked at him coldly. “Fu who? Do you not know what you have done yourself?”

As the jailer locked the iron door and tucked the keys away to leave, Ming Si reached out and grabbed his sleeve. “Brother, I have just returned from outside the city and truly do not know what crime I have committed. Please, help me out here.”

Ming Si pressed a piece of broken silver into the jailer’s hand. The jailer fumbled with it, checked to see that his companions had walked away, and said in a pretentious tone, “I see you are young; how could you forget a life and death lawsuit you are involved in?”

“A life lawsuit?” Ming Si repeated the words blankly, but the jailer ignored him and walked out.

Ming Si was always cautious. In Chuzhou, he was known for being kind and harmonious with others. To say he had a life on his hands was absolutely impossible. The only lives he wanted were those of the bandits who killed his mother.

Due to the fall from the horse, his chest still throbbed with pain. Ming Si curled his body, staring at a sharp-edged stone in the straw on the floor. His mind drifted back to an incident when he first arrived in Chuzhou. Shortly after his mother passed away, he used his remaining silver to commission a coffin. He had been in a daze then, with his money pouch hanging visibly from his waist as he searched for a coffin shop. He had not realized he was being shadowed by two local thugs. They followed him until they reached a secluded area and attempted to rob him.

Ming Si had grown up being bullied by the local children; his fighting skills were entirely self-taught through bitter experience. He subdued the two men in short order. However, just as he reclaimed his money pouch and prepared to leave, one of the men struggled to his feet and lunged at him. Ming Si dodged; the man, unable to stop his momentum, slammed his head into a sharp stone and collapsed into a pool of blood, twitching.

At the time, his heart was in such turmoil over his mother that he simply left. Ming Si wondered if it could be that man.

When Ming Si entered the prison, his clothes were replaced with a prisoner’s uniform. He managed to hide a few pieces of silver in his palm. He used the remaining silver to inquire about the trial date. Coincidentally, the man who came to interrogate him was Second Master Jiang.

This allowed Ming Si, after a day of confusion, to suddenly find his bearings. Second Master Jiang was a clerk in the criminal department and a long-time attendant to the county magistrate. Back when Ming Si was pushing for his mother’s case at the yamen, he had used Second Master Jiang’s connections. He knew this man loved money above all else and was very slick in his dealings.

Ming Si’s hands were in shackles. He had not had a drop of water all day, and his lips were pale and cracked. Second Master Jiang sat at the desk with his brush, glancing at Ming Si kneeling on the floor. Ming Si was the first to smile. “Second Master.”

Second Master Jiang stroked his goatee, his slanted eyes narrowing further. “I have not seen you for a few days, and you have certainly made progress.”

Ming Si shuffled forward on his knees, acting as if he did not catch the sarcasm. He maintained firmly: “I do not know what happened; I was arrested as soon as I entered the city.”

Second Master Jiang snorted. “Master Xu specifically asked for you. If you truly did nothing, how would he know you?”

“Master Xu?” Ming Si’s mind raced through everyone he knew with the surname Xu, but he could not find a match. He asked blankly, “Who is that?”

“Xu Gui. You do not recognize him?”

Ming Si truly did not know who Xu Gui was. Second Master Jiang spoke a few more words, and Ming Si finally managed to piece together the whole story. It turned out the thug who tried to rob him had won a fortune gambling and transformed himself into a “Master.” Remembering the brother who used to run with him, he specifically sent thirty taels to the yamen to have Ming Si tracked down and arrested.

Ming Si was speechless, resigning himself to his bad luck. Second Master Jiang dipped his brush in ink. “Tell me the circumstances of that day. I will write the document for the Magistrate’s review, and a court date will be set.”

Ming Si glanced at the other guards standing nearby, then turned his gaze back to Second Master Jiang. He hesitated, not speaking. Second Master Jiang waved his hand for the others to go outside and fetch a cup of tea.

“What do you want to say?” Jiang asked.

Ming Si straightened his back, making his thin frame look even more delicate. A fearful, timid smile appeared on his face. “Second Master, please show some leniency. When you record this interrogation, please leave me a way to live.”

Second Master Jiang did not bite, keeping his eyes lowered as he waited for Ming Si to continue. Seeing this, Ming Si knew he was halfway to safety. He did not show it, pretending to be conflicted. Just as Second Master Jiang was about to lose patience, he spoke at the right moment.

“A few days ago, a relative of mine in Shengjing sent a letter asking me to go there. They live a life of luxury every day. If I can get out, I won’t need money there. Coincidentally, I have five taels of silver hidden under my bed at home. If you do not mind, Second Master, you may go and take it for yourself.”

Second Master Jiang’s eyes flickered, and he gave a soft snort.

Ming Si gave a bitter smile. “I only hope you can find a way, Second Master. My relative is still waiting for me in Shengjing. If I can get out, I will borrow a sum from my relative to thank you properly.”

“What business does your relative do in Shengjing?”

Ming Si did not have any relatives at all. He lied through his teeth, spinning a web of falsehoods with ease. “He opened several cloth shops specifically making clothes for the nobles of Shengjing. Business has been so good lately that he is overwhelmed. He wants me to go over and help manage the ledgers.”

Ming Si was an expert at accounting; most of the money he earned in Chuzhou came from doing bookkeeping for various shops. Hearing that the “relative” had connections with nobles, Second Master Jiang finally put down his brush. “Letting you out is not an easy thing to do.”

The heart that Ming Si had held in his throat slowly descended along with the brush. “Then, Second Master, please just delay the case. The money Xu Gui won from gambling won’t last forever.”

Second Master Jiang’s gaze shifted, and he gave an ambiguous snort.

Ming Si acted submissively. “I have not been home for a long time, and I am afraid of thieves. Why do you not go and get those five taels now, just to be safe?”

In the end, Second Master Jiang did not ask any more questions. After finishing a cup of tea, he stood up and hurried away. Ming Si was taken back to the dungeon. He accidentally tripped upon entering, scraping a large patch of skin off his palm against the ground.

The guard next to him kicked him impatiently. “Get in there!”

The iron door slammed shut with a clang of chains. Ming Si watched them walk away, then looked down at his bloodied palm, which now held a piece of wire he had snatched from the ground.

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