The mysterious mark again
Su, Pei and Fei Yuan returned to the inn the following day. They found Rushuang and Xie in the village, after a lengthy . "So Mr. Li thought someone was stealing from him and then died? It seems strange to me." Xie commented after Su had told them what they had found. "You are right brother Xie, it is strange."
"But it is so long ago, how can we find out what happened? And we still don't know why everyone is talking about ghost or ghosts." Rushuang said, taking a sip from her tea. "I want to go back to the cellar." Su said after a few moments of silence in which each followed their own thoughts. "Let's do that tomorrow, the ride here was not the easiest." Pei suggested, looking at her husband Su nodded. "I would like to see the cellar in clear light, shall we stay at the house today? Xie and Rushuang took the watch the last two nights." Thinking a little while Pei shook his head. "I think it would be good to not to watch the house tonight. Let's give the ghost a sense of security and later catch it." Pei suggested. "What do you mean?" Rushuang asked. "Only this, if the ghost is meant to scare away people from the house or if the ghost is meant to do secret things, those people might keep still if they know we are in the house. If we stay away they might think it's sage to resume their activities." Pei explained. "All right, we'll stay here and return tomorrow. Let's go to bed early." Su said, rising from her place at the table. The others followed her example.
Back in their own room Pei sat down at the desk and opened the report. Su watched him in silence, until with a sigh Pei closed the report again. "What worries you about these reports?" Su asked, they hadn't had time to discuss the Honggu reports. Pei didn't look at her, but stared in the distance. Absentmindedly he drummed his fingers on the table. "The battle of Honggu and it's casualties was reported to the court, but the report came from Liang Chen. As captain of the back guard he could, should and did the report, as is customary. The closest guard will come and survey the remnants and take care of the deceased. It doesn't make sense that the marquis asked a magistrate to do the report." Su thought about the marquis. She had met him again when she and Yan had traveled to the border to give hi the wedding invitation. That visit had managed to heal the relationship between Yan and the marquis. A relationship she knew Yan valued highly. "Perhaps the marquis did not know the back guard was still in the vicinity and he wanted to know as soon as possible what the casualties were." Su suggested, thinking the marquis would want information on whether Prince Qi had survived. Pei nodded: "Perhaps. It would make sense, but why didn't Liang Chen inform the magistrate the report wasn't necessary? Surely they must have been aware of them both working on a report?" Pei remained silent for a while and then said: "I'll write the marquis tomorrow, when we are back in the capital I'll compare the reports." Su nodded, but she seemed lost in her own thoughts, then she asked whether Liang Chen would have passed this village. Pei looked at her, trying to understand why she would ask this. "There is a good chance. We'll ask the boss of the inn tomorrow, he'll surely know if the army had passed close by."
"Does the back guard carry gunpowder?" Su continued, still clearly considering something. "Absolutely, they had standard equipment with them. It would have included gunpowder to make small throwing bombs." Pei responded, he was starting to see where this questioning was heading. Finally looking into Pei's eyes Su asked her next question: "Would it have been enough to blow up the bridge?"
"Maybe, but it would have exhausted their supply and reports on the guard of Liang Chen showed that in the following battles they had no need for extra supplies of gunpowder."
"So in order to blow up the bridge they would have needed gunpowder that was not going to be recorded, because you once told me all supplies of the army are accounted for meticulously." Pei extended his hand, so Su could come and sit down next to him. "That is right. Well remembered."
"So what if…" Su was reluctant to finish the sentence. But Pei knew exactly what she wanted to say. So he said it: "What if the back guard stole the gunpowder from a craftsman in an small village they happened to be passing?" Su looked up at Pei's face: "Yes."
"That would be smart. It would keep the official supply in plain view and use stolen goods for the unofficial plans forged with Prince Yun. That way they also weren't slowed down with the extra load." Pei considered the implications, but before either one of them continued about the case he said: "We have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Let's sleep first."
"But…" Su protested slightly, her mind still racing with questions that needed answering and evidence that needed to be checked. "No, it has been a long day, this can wait for tomorrow. Come and sleep first." With that he pulled Su to the bed, where they quickly laid down and Pei took her in his arms.
"Boss, can I see the storage jars of Mr. Li again?" Su asked, when the owner came to get the breakfast plates. "Of course, I'll help you in a while." Pei then turned to Xie Beiming, Rushuang and Fei Yuan. "Fei Yuan, can you go back to the supplier and ask him what the usual deliveries to Mr. Li were and how much more he needed the last couple of times. Then go to the magistrate and ask him if they encountered the back guard of Liang Chen when they did the report and what happened then." Fei Yuan nodded. "Rushuang, Brother Xie, could you check with the villagers whether they have seen the ghost recently, or if they only heard the ghost? After that meet us in the house of Mr. Li, we'll examine the cellar again." Su asked Rushuang and Xie, who both nodded. Everyone left ot do their assigned tasks and Su and Pei followed the owner to the ware house. The owner opened the door an let SU and Pei in. While Su quickly walked to the storage jars and noted several things. Pei stopped the owner before he left. "Can you tell me whether a guard of the army passed here before the battle of Honggu?""
"Certainly." The man nodded. "They did not enter the village, but they passed, because they had to reach the old bridge further along over the river. The one that got washed away by a flood. Or rather that was the story that was told."
"What do you mean?" Pei asked surprised, because he knew the bridge was blown up, but as the boss said the story had always been about a flood. "That bridge had shortly before the battle been reinforced and I joined the workers who cleared up the mess. One of the woodworkers said the damage was not like what he would expect from a flood. He suspected the bridge was blown up. I don't know if anyone took a closer look. From what I gathered the battle of Honggu was a mess. I believe the court even investigated, because everyone from the army connected to it was killed there. I suppose that includes the guard that passed here. I believe I still have a military medal somewhere. I handed it in at court, but they said it wasn't military. Here I'll show you." The boss started towards the inn again. Pei called out to Su that he would be back shortly and the followed the boss.
A little while later Pei walked back to the warehouse, where Su was still inside. "How does it look, dear?" Pei asked, without looking up Su said: "The measurements in most vessels are incorrect. If Mr. Li was indeed meticulous it suggests that the content was stolen. Furthermore I'm troubled by these brown splashes on these smaller storage jars. These were taken from the basement. I think it's dried blood, which no one bothered to clean." Pei kneeled down next to Su to take a closer look. "So what does that mean?" he asked. But Su shook her head. "I need to see the cellar first." Pei helped Su to rise from her perch on the floor. As they walked back Pei told her what the boss had told him "Di you see the medal?" Su asked. Pei held out his hand, looking down onto the medal Su squinted and then took it in her own hand. "Is this Liang Chen's mark?"
"No."
"I've seen it before." Su took one last look: "Oh yes. The man in the restaurant had one like it." Pei nodded, taking the medal from Su and examining it again. "Indeed, but I don't know whose mark this is. The marquis hasn't responded to my letter yet. But it's not Fan Yan Na or Liang."
"How about Beirong?" Su asked. "Maybe, but before I go to them I want to make sure this isn't Liang. I haven't seen this mark during our wars. And that worries me. Why has someone with no connection to the army found this and no one from the army has reported this mark?" Su knew he didn't expect an answer to that question from her. After all the army and all things military was his domain. Pei took Su's hand. "Come, I'll put the this in our room and we'll go to the cellar. Tonight I'll write to the marquis again. I expect Liu to be here today, he can dispatch the letter."
"You asked Liu to come?" Pei nodded. "After we discovered the Honggu files at the county court. Fei Yuan sent out a pigeon while we were working at the magistrates office. I don't like it. After your conjecture last night I like it even less."
"Why?" Su looked up at Pei, with worry in her eyes. Pei stopped walking and held her eyes with his own. "Prince Yun was the mastermind behind all things that happened in Liang for the last seven years, but in the battles he has to have colluded with others on the opposing sides. We haven't discovered who that was for Beirong. The emperor has told me there are some problems with the alliance wit Beirong, now that we have found someone breaking in the room of Princess Yunchuan. I'm worried they might try to cause trouble." Solemnly Su nodded. "Then let's find them." Together they continued to the room and then went to find Rushuang and Xie.