“If you don’t dare, then drink with me!”
Shen Que’s tyranny was infamous. Ah’man didn’t want to provoke him, so she drank a cup. But Shen Que poured another, and Ah’man continued to drink. After downing dozens of cups, Ah’man was choking and coughing from the strong alcohol. She said tactfully, “General Shen, I can’t handle any more alcohol. I can’t drink anymore.”
But Shen Que became angry: “What? Do you dare to look down on me, too?”
“How would I dare to look down on General Shen?”
Shen Que sneered: “Stop pretending here. You, the sister of a defeated Imperial Guard officer, despised by everyone, what face do you have to act so high and mighty?”
He filled a cup with burning spring wine and pushed it to Ah’man’s lips: “Drink!”
But Ah’man, expressionless, directly pushed his hand away.
Shen Que was furious: “You cheap woman, don’t refuse my kindness!”
Ah’man’s expression remained fearless. She mockingly looked at the fine food and wine on the table, then swept her gaze over the well-fed fighting cocks with their gleaming feathers: “My brother joined the army at fifteen and guarded the frontier for ten years. When he was marching through the desert, starving and exhausted, the General was enjoying spring outings in Chang’an. When he was risking his life at the frontier to resist the Turks, the General was fighting cocks in Chang’an. So, what right do you have to insult my brother?”
Shen Que was stunned by Ah’man’s retort. He slammed the table: “Will you drink this wine or not?”
Ah’man said, word by word: “I will not.”
Shen Que was beside himself with rage. He grabbed the golden cup and tried to force the wine into Ah’man’s mouth. Ah’man struggled desperately but was restrained by Shen Que and couldn’t break free. The scene became extremely ugly. Lu Huai could no longer bear it. He stood up and slammed the table: “General Shen, bullying a weak woman is not what a true man does!”
Shen Que stopped his action. He sneered: “She’s just a servant, her status no better than livestock according to the law. She’s a lowly musician who sold herself. What’s wrong with me bullying her?”
Lu Huai said angrily: “Even if she is a lowly musician who sold herself, she shouldn’t be insulted like this!”
Shen Que glanced disdainfully at Lu Huai: “Lu Huai, your uncle doesn’t dare to provoke me. Don’t meddle in others’ affairs!”
“What if I do?”
Shen Que looked at him coldly: “If you insist on interfering, I’ll have to make your uncle bury his nephew.”
His arrogance had reached such a level that Lu Huai also became enraged. Wang Xuan forcibly pulled him back down. Lu Huai was furious: “Why are you pulling me?”
Wang Xuan said in a low voice: “Shen Que is His Majesty’s cousin and the Empress Dowager’s nephew, a member of the imperial family with noble status. Your uncle is surrounded by strong enemies at court. Don’t create trouble for him. Let it go.”
Lu Huai gritted his teeth. He watched as Ah’man was held by the cheeks by Shen Que and forcibly made to drink. The strong wine spilled all over her face and clothes. She struggled desperately, but her strength was like a tickle to Shen Que. Lu Huai’s eyes were about to burst with rage. He clenched his fists and spat out a few words through his teeth: “If I can’t stop it, I can’t bear to watch it!”
With that, he rose and stormed off. Wang Xuan was stunned for a moment, then also stood up and went after him. Shen Que didn’t even spare the two a glance, just sneering: “And here I thought he was a hero coming to the rescue, but it turns out he’s a coward.”
Ah’man was choking and coughing from the strong wine. Shen Que grabbed her chin and patted her cheek, laughing coldly: “Let me tell you, I’m humiliating you like this today because you are Sheng Yunting’s sister. Your brother couldn’t protect you when he was alive, and now that he’s dead, he can protect you even less!”
Ah’man’s hair was also wet with wine, her whole body in a sorry state, but the look in her eyes as she stared at Shen Que was still as defiant as fire: “When my brother was alive, you couldn’t even touch one of my fingers. You’re only capable of bullying me after his death!”
Shen Que was furious and slapped her face. Ah’man fell to the ground. Shen Que drew the sword at his side: “You cheap woman, killing someone of your status is as easy for me as killing a fighting cock. Today, I’ll send you to reunite with that brother of yours.”
He swung his sword down at Ah’man, but suddenly an angry voice commanded: “Stop!”
The newcomer wore a black crane-feather robe, was as slender as bamboo, and had a cold expression—it was Cui Xun, the Deputy Chief of the Investigation Bureau.
As Cui Xun and Li Ying returned to Chang’an from the Cui family cemetery, they passed by the Wei River and saw Lu Huai walking away angrily. He couldn’t help but look in the direction Lu Huai had come from and saw a group of officials sitting around a high platform, probably holding a spring banquet. But the person in the main seat was bullying a woman. Li Ying stood on tiptoe to look and said: “Isn’t that Ah’man?”
Cui Xun’s expression changed. He quickly walked forward, and Li Ying followed. But suddenly, as if remembering something, Cui Xun turned back to Li Ying and said: “Don’t follow me.”
Li Ying was taken aback, hesitating in her steps. Cui Xun hurried toward the spring banquet and intervened to stop Shen Que. Shen Que sneered:
“Here comes another defeated officer of the Imperial Guard. Oh no, not defeated—surrendered.”
Cui Xun didn’t speak, but his expression grew even colder. The other officials present looked at each other, each preparing to slip away. They couldn’t afford to offend Shen Que, and they couldn’t afford to offend Cui Xun even less.
But Cui Xun simply said calmly: “No one leaves.”
His expression was calm, but these three words were like an imperial decree, stopping everyone in their tracks. Shen Que, holding his sword, was also somewhat intimidated by his aura. Ah’man took the opportunity to stagger to her feet and escape to Cui Xun’s side. She covered her red and swollen cheek that had been slapped, looking at Cui Xun with a complex expression. Before she could speak, Cui Xun said: “You go.”
Ah’man was stunned: “I…”
“I said, you go.”
Since seeing Ah’man again three years ago, he had always allowed her to berate him, and his voice had never been so angry. Ah’man was frightened and stunned. She bit her lip, glanced at Cui Xun, then clutched her clothes tighter and staggered away.
Shen Que also became angry: “Cui Xun, you think you’re somebody important!”
He staggered forward with his sword, but suddenly felt a pain in his knee and fell to the ground.
In Li Ying’s hand was a ball of green ghostly fire. Cui Xun had told her not to come, but she was still worried, so she had followed. Shen Que struggled to get up, but the green ghostly fire hit his knee again, and he fell once more. This happened several times, until Shen Que was too battered and bruised to get up again. He gritted his teeth: “Cui Xun… you dog…”
Cui Xun calmly took the sword that had fallen from Shen Que’s hand. It was a treasured sword, but when he drew it, the blade was spotless and shiny, without even a small notch—evidence that the sword was seldom used.
Cui Xun gave a slight laugh, and the sharp tip of the sword was placed against Shen Que’s neck.
Shen Que sobered up halfway from fear. Everyone present was terrified into silence. Shen Que defiantly said: “Cui Xun, do you dare to kill me?”
Cui Xun held the sword and said calmly, “The other day, when I was stripped of my office, you broke into my residence wanting to kill me. You said killing me would be as easy as killing an ant. Now I tell you, in my three years as Deputy Chief of the Investigation Bureau, killing you, Shen Que, would also be as easy as killing an ant. But I won’t kill you.”
Shen Que jeered: “Hmph, you don’t dare to kill me.”
Cui Xun curved his lips slightly, and the sword tip moved forward an inch. Shen Que’s neck was cut, and crimson blood flowed out. He immediately dared not speak. Cui Xun said methodically: “You will die sooner or later, but not now.”
He looked around at the stunned crowd: “All of you hate Shen Que, probably no less than you hate me, Cui Xun. Today, consider that I’m doing a good deed, adding some flavor to this spring banquet.”
With that, he threw down the precious sword and walked away laughing. After a long while, Shen Que’s servant finally dared to help him up. Shen Que’s eyes blazed with fury. He looked at the officials present, all of whom wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. Shen Que was so angry that his teeth made grinding sounds: “Go home! Go home!”
As soon as Shen Que returned home, he went straight to his bedroom. He rotated a plum vase on his desk, and a secret chamber immediately appeared in the bedroom wall.
Disregarding the wound on his neck that was still bleeding, he rushed into the secret chamber. Inside sat a man of about fifty, without a beard.
Shen Que grabbed his collar: “Where’s the Cat Ghost? Where is he? I told you to kill Cui Xun! Kill Cui Xun!”
The man calmly brushed away Shen Que’s hand: “The Cat Ghost isn’t meant to kill Cui Xun.”
He looked Shen Que up and down, noting his bruised and battered face, then looked at his knees: “General, you’ve encountered a ghost.”