It was a warm and sunny spring day, no more cold nip in there air at all. Taibai Tavern was busy with horse and carriage traffic in the evenings, people with high rollers in droves.
Two men wearing azure fur overcoats were present at Taibai Tavern. One was imposing, wearing under his overcoat a blue satin gown embroidered with a thunder and cloud pattern, and ruyi scepter designs on the collar. He was fair-faced with red lips, incredibly handsome. The other was big and burly like a bear, dressed in black with a black Daoist"s outer robe and a loosely fastened belt. He wore a black cloth turban and he had a swarthy face, a scraggly curly beard and eyes like bronze bells. He looked fierce and intimidating.
They were Black Iron PaG.o.da and Cai Wenchang, making their first public appearance not in disguise. No one would have guessed that the young master with with the scholarly air about him but actually the criminal Cai Wenchang, the subject of wanted posters everywhere. Even if he were the stupidest person on earth, no one would expect such a notorious bandit would have the guts to hang around in Chang"an. It would lead to his own downfall.
The dining hall was sectioned into five areas: the front and rear halls, the left and right wings, and the winding pa.s.sageway that extended to the rear garden. All the tables in each section were separated by folding screens and brightly lit with lamps. Faint voices emanated from the screened tables as attendants shuttled back and forth without end.
A young pageboy led the two men around to the rear hall and directed them to a table sectioned off on three sides by folding screens, and at once a waiter came up to them, smiling and bowing, his arm extended in a take-your-seat gesture as he rattled off a string of pleasantries.
The two men sat and removed their fur overcoats. Wenchang smiled at the waiter. "Waiter, ten catties of Taibai wine and whatever you have to go with it. Bring us a big plate of sliced braised pork if you have it. My swarthy brother here can"t stomach exquisite, dainty presentations. His belly can hold ten fat chickens at once! Haha! I"ll trouble you to be quick about it."
Black Iron PaG.o.da laughed happily, "Haha! My dear brother, you know just how I like it! Wonderful!"
"I"ll send in your order at once. Just one moment, gentlemen." The waiter poured tea for them as he spoke. then handed things over to another waiter while he waited by the door.
On either end of the folding screens they could see two tables set up diagonally from them, but they couldn"t see the people on the left and right of them. To the front-right of them sat an old man and two young ladies, seated on specially set-up mahogany benches, strings tw.a.n.ging as they sang sweetly, reciting a Zhang Wenqian song, "Paramour". They were at the lines, "Is your pretty face at ease? I have these embroidered words on red paper, but we are as far apart as the seas."
Wenchang lowered his voice and said, "Big Bro, do you know who owns Taibai Tavern, who backs it?"
"Look at you, asking when you already know the answer!" Black Iron PaG.o.da said. "I"m not as well-informed as you. You"ve got a bunch of friends to run errands for you, I don"t. So why don"t you tell me?"
The owner is that well-know vile central official, Huang Chushan…"
"Wait, what"s a central official?"
"A central official is eunuch of the prince"s residence. They"re in charge of the storehouses, but they can also control outer officials and grand scribes. The backer is Prevailing Charity Temple almsgiver Du Yuanzhong, a degenerate son of a powerful family. He might show up tonight."
Every temple had followers, but not all of them permanently abstained from meat. There were certainly some influential member of the gentry among them who did not, who were honored benefactors of the temple. Benefactors of course had to be wealthy, influential personages, and some were even high officials or those with nominal t.i.tles, so a temple"s benefactor was certainly had a substantial background.
Du Yuanzhong was from the powerful Du family of Du Bend outside the south gates of the city. In Chang"an they had friendly contact with everyone, from the Prince of Qin all the way down to the lower cla.s.ses of society. Their hidden influence was ma.s.sive. Of course, some of the sons of Wei Bend and Du Bend outside the south gates were virtuous, and some were not, and there were black sheep who led a vagabond life, but most were gentry from reputed, ill.u.s.trious places. Their power and wealth was enough to control Chang"an.
Black Iron PaG.o.da said, "Oh! So you came to Taibai Tavern to start trouble?"
Wenchang snickered coldly and nodded. "A person can become famous overnight if you pick the right target. If we b.u.t.t heads with a powerful family all is fair game; we can rob from evil-doers with an easy conscience, and spending the money will feel delightful."
Suddenly, bold laughter boomed from the screen to their right, and a loud voice yelled, "Haha! We have the rare pleasure of Mr. Chai"s company tonight at last. We won"t leave til we"re drunk. Please have a seat, have a seat."
Then an exchange of conventional greetings. Chai said, "You"re too kind! You gentlemen favor me, I"m honored."
Wenchang flinched and whispered, "It"s Minstrel Chai."
"Who"s Minstrel Chai?" Black Iron PaG.o.da said.
"A well-traveled, eccentric man. He"s really something." Wenchang explained how he met Old Chai and what happened on the way to Great Wild Goose PaG.o.da.
The person who had first spoke at the next table said, "Mr. Chai is not only a pipa virtuoso, he excels at all four forms of poetry. You brothers need say no more, tonight Mr. Chai will play us two magnificent numbers to bless your ears."
"Oh! In that case, Second Uncle, just say the word and I will have the sisters come out and play the drums." Minstrel Chai could only play the pipa himself, so if a martial tune was needed he would need some helpers.
Soon, ladies" voices were heard from the table as they exchanged greetings and discussed the songs to be performed.
Wenchang"s order was brought over dish by dish. He sent the waiter away and whispered, "In a while I"ll go see him and ask if there"s any news." He was referring to Minstrel Chai because he had had a good first impression of him.
There was a clanging of metal percussive plates, followed by the little drum and hardwood clappers, then finally a tw.a.n.ging of strings like a sudden rainstorm kicking up, all for resonating in harmony, pulling one out of one"s reverie.
The prelude concluded, the main melody began, Minstrel Chai"s powerful, solemn and stirring voice singing, quieting the surrounding hubbub. "I may be old but I have a young man"s fervor for the hunt. Leading a yellow dog with my left, in my right I raise a hawk. I don my brocade hat and marten coat, leading a thousand mounts across the rolling plains. To rapy the city populace for accompanying me on the hunt, watch me shoot this ferocious tiger like Sun Ce in former days.
"I may be drunk, yet I am generous of mind and heart. There is yet frost at my temples, but what does it matter? I will dispatch men to get the tally to go to Yunzhong, like Han Wendi dispatched Feng Tang! I pull my carved bow with all my might and look to the northwest and courageously shoot the enemy star, the Celestial Wolf, Sirius."
The cadence of his voice was stirring, yet bold and unconstrained, not so solemn but br.i.m.m.i.n.g with emotion. It was very moving.
Wenchang was silent for a long time, then said, "To hear a song like this in such a wonderful scenic place like Taibai Tavern is really special."
As applause rained down, Black Iron PaG.o.da drained a huge wine vessel. "What the f.u.c.k! What the h.e.l.l is all this envoy to Yunzhong c.r.a.p and this Feng Tang bulls.h.i.+t!"
Wenchang stuffed a hunk of smoked meat into Black Iron PaG.o.da"s mouth and snorted, "Those two examples alone prove you"re no mere fathead. You can play dumb all you want, but you don"t fool me. If you want to pretend then do it all the way, I won"t blame you."
Black Iron PaG.o.da swallowed the meat and blinked his big round eyes and made a face as he filled Wenchang"s wine bowl. He laughed foolishly. "Dear brother, I wasn"t trying to deceive you, but I think that stuff is so useless. I"d soon as forget the lot of it and spend my days as a vulgar oaf. Dear brother, don"t make a fuss."
Wenchang beckoned a waiter over and told him to invite Old Chai over when he was free. The waiter cleaned off a seat in the corner and set a small table up and went to invite Old Chai over.
Three more boldly sung folk songs followed from the next table over, and before long the waiter came back leading Old Chai and bade him enter. The guy saw Wenchang and his face sank, but he quickly wiped that expression off, eyes gleaming, as he entered with his pipa under his arm, his face wreathed in smiles.
Wenchang smiled and stood and saluted in greeting. "Brother Chai I haven"t seen you in ages. How are you, please have a seat."
Old Chai smiled calmly and bowed slightly. "h.e.l.lo, Sir Wen. I didn"t expect to meet the young master again here…"
Wenchang waved his hand to cut him off and gestured for the waiter to leave, afraid Old Chai might carelessly blurt out something about that time at Great Wild Goose PaG.o.da. He extended his arm to offer the man a seat, then said, "Brother Chai, please don"t call me young master. We have an understanding between one another, no need for formalities. Come, let me introduce my big brother Black Iron PaG.o.da Fan Ruhai."
Black Iron PaG.o.da could already tell from his bright eyes and bountiful hair at the temples that he was an internal arts master in disguise, so he didn"t dare get careless. He cupped a hand over his fist in salute. "Pleased to meet you. Have a seat and let"s talk."
Minstrel Chai didn"t sit at the table, but went over to the seat prepared in the corner. Black Iron PaG.o.da stopped him with a hand and declared, "Nevermind the s.h.i.+tty etiquette, sit over here."
He exerted half his force on Minstrel Chai"s shoulder, who staggered and smiled. "Brother Fan is quite strong. You can lift five hundred catties or I"m a fool. Alright! I"ll sit here. When boarding a pirate s.h.i.+p one must go along with the s.h.i.+p. Don"t you agree, Brother Cai?"
He sat, inwardly alarmed. He thought to himself, This big swarthy fellow is no idiot. He has sharp eyes. He knew I would have to calmly take his half-strength. He"s one formidable adversary. I must be careful.
"Heheh!" Black Iron PaG.o.da chuckled as he sat. "Fella, you"ve practiced precelestial true qi. A first-rate master of the wulin among the ranks of itinerant singers. Amazing."
"The feeling is mutual. Haha! Would you two like to hear a song, or…"
Wenchang poured wine for him and smiled. "Brother Chai, I"d like to be friends. Excuse my presumptuousness."
Not at all , not at all. It seems, Brother Cai, that you have something on your mind. Please tell me, I am all ears. If I am able, just say the word. If I am unable, I will still do my best."
"There"s a few trivial matters I"d like to ask you about."
"Is this about Second Miss Tian? She"s doing just fine."
"No, it"s about Taibai Tavern."
Chai Feng purposely clouded his expression. "Brother Cai, you first need to ask about the Du family"s three savage beasts" ability. Those three beasts are Crazed Tiger Zhan Qishun, Reckless Wolf Li Xinchuan, and Flying Bear Song Yonghe. Flying Bear is the best of the three. His iron s.h.i.+rt skill can withstand any hammer or cudgel blow. He manages the tavern and can take on twenty men by himself…"
"I know about the iron s.h.i.+rt. An internal force artist using full force with a bladed weapons ought to be able to break through iron s.h.i.+rt qigong. Brother Chai, when is Du Yuanzhong arriving tonight?"
"In about an hour. He"l first go to the cas.h.i.+er"s office, then to Clear & Bright Pavilion on the third floor… Eh? Brother Cai, you"re not thinking of doing something tonight?"
"If not tonight, then whenever he shows up."
"You mustn"t." Chai Feng"s face clouded and he stood.
"Why not?" Black Iron PaG.o.da said.
"If you two do something in here, won"t suspicions fall on me?"
"Brother Chai, don"t you make your living here anyway. We"ll each take our shares as needed, then get the h.e.l.l far away from here. How about that?"
"No!" Chai Feng flatly refused.
Wenchang smiled faintly and drained his cup. Then, like nothing was the matter, he said, "What Brother Chai said just now makes sense."
"What did I say?"
"When you board the pirate s.h.i.+p you must go along with the s.h.i.+p. Brother Chai, the best method is to join the thieves. Just going along for the ride is unreliable. Don"t you agree?"
"Hmph! Are you threatening me?"
"No! I"m trying to help you, Brother Chai. There"s only so much you can do on your own. But once we"ve teamed up, we"ll be able able to handle the three beasts. You can handle grabbing the gold and silver. We"ll take care of the men. Then we"ll meet under the five willow trees on the right side of the city moat at the south wall and divide the loot up equally. Just like that!"
Chai Feng sat down submissively, shaking his head with a wry smile. "You"re cutting off my livelihood, smas.h.i.+ng my rice bowl."
"Brother Chai, you"ll get nowhere hanging around Chang"an all the time. It would be foolish not to go."
"Go? Go where? The bayberries on every tree are the same. It"s the same vagrant life no matter where you go."
Wenchang heard his tone soften and decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Taibai Tavern gets more and more profitable by the day. If we pull this off, we"ll be able to live the next six months like kings. Easily. You"re great at singing, but there are few people who really want to hear you sing to the tune of the "Rivertown Man". You"ll never compete with the girls on the other floors. After we pull this off, we"ll head to Luoyang where it"s br.i.m.m.i.n.g with white peonies. What do you say?"
Chai Feng was secretly pleased. He suddenly clenched his teeth. "Alright! We"ll do it."
Wenchang raised his big wine vessel and said in a low voice, "Let"s drink to our teamwork and wish ourselves good luck."
Chai Feng drained his cup and began changing the strings on his pipa. "If we"re gonna do this, why wait?"
"Brother Chai, you mean we should act right now?"
"Yes."
Wenchang shook his head. "The cas.h.i.+er"s office is not good enough. We need to wait until Du Yuanzhong gets there before we strike."
"If Master Du comes, the three beasts will be with him…"
"Brother Chai, are you really afraid of the three beasts?" Wenchang goaded him.
Chai Feng clenched his teeth and stood. "Wait for me signal. I"ll leave first. Listen to our repeated strums on the little string. That will be the signal."
"As you wish, Brother Chai. I"ll listen out for the little string."
Chai Feng left and Black Iron PaG.o.da said, "There"s something fishy about that guy"s pipa. Did you notice?"
"Heheh, if I didn"t have even the brains to notice that, could I have become such a notorious bandit without getting my head chopped off or thrown in a cell to die miserably? His pipa has two concealed weapons hidden inside that he can shoot from the front and rear. The holes are small. They"re either nails or needles. The mechanism is at five or six inches on either end. As soon as I heard him play I also heard the sound of the springs inside resonating. Let me tell you, no man"s concealed weapons can escape my eyes and ears."
It was a well-ordered plan, but there was no room for mishaps.