Chapter Thirty-One: Doggerel

After finishing his shift, Bai Yu headed south toward home. As a local street-smart native familiar with every alleyway in the West City, he naturally took a shortcut through the small lanes.

As he walked through Yingzi Alley, he suddenly heard someone calling his nickname. The voice was faint, as if the speaker were afraid of being overheard. If Bai Yu’s ears hadn't been so sharp, he would have missed it entirely.

Following the sound, he spotted a dim figure in the narrow passage between two houses. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a disheveled, filthy beggar. Bai Yu immediately turned to leave; in the world of the streets, safety came first, and he had no interest in getting involved in such mysterious trouble.

Seeing Bai Yu walk away, the beggar grew desperate and cried out, "You can’t even recognize me?"

Bai Yu took a closer look and was shocked. "My dear brother, how did you end up in such a state?"

The beggar was none other than Liu Cunyi, who had gone missing days ago along with the *Along the River During the Qingming Festival* scroll. Bai Yu had been worried that Liu might have been silenced by Yan Hu.

Liu looked around cautiously before pulling Bai Yu into the narrow passage to talk.

Bai Yu couldn't help but complain, "I told you not to think about selling the painting, let alone drawing attention to yourself. Why didn't you listen? What on earth happened?"

Liu sighed dejectedly. "That day, I let greed get the better of me. I took the painting to the City God Temple market to get an appraisal, and I was spotted. When I left the market, I realized I was being followed. After I shook them off, I grew suspicious and kept watch near my home, only to see government officers patrolling the area. I didn't even dare return home; I just fled. I’ve had no way to make a living these days, so to avoid the officers' investigation, I disguised myself as a beggar."

Bai Yu surveyed the "beggar version" of Brother Liu, feeling both annoyed and amused. He pointed to a wound on Liu’s body and asked, "Begging to survive isn't shameful, but how did you get injured?"

Liu replied angrily, "Even beggars have their gangs and gang leaders who divide up the territory. I’ve been driven off by other beggars several times, and I’ve had to hide in this alley! If I hadn't seen you passing by, I wouldn't have known what to do. I was on the verge of fleeing the city entirely."

At this, Liu suddenly asked, "Looking at your uniform and that sword, have you struck it rich?"

Bai Yu answered, "I met a benefactor who helped me transfer to become a Patrol Officer. I’m currently stationed at the Xi'an Gate."

"Good heavens!" Liu was stunned, his envy evident. We were both just ordinary street-rats, so how did you suddenly get recruited?

Hope flared in Liu’s eyes. "Then you should be able to get me out of this, right? Otherwise, when will this hiding ever end?"

Bai Yu replied, "It's difficult. Very difficult."

Liu asked, confused, "Isn't it just a painting? Is it that hard to smooth things over?"

Bai Yu wanted to say that ignorance was truly terrifying. Did he have any idea what kind of treasure *Along the River During the Qingming Festival* was? If it remained hidden, they could keep it to themselves and be happy. But once exposed, trying to whitewash the matter or bury the case would be a nightmare.

After a moment of thought, Bai Yu decided to reveal a bit more. "Do you know who is in charge of hunting you down?"

Liu realized something and said, "Is this person very powerful? Powerful to the point where you have no leverage at all?"

Bai Yu replied, "Exactly. The person directing the search for you is Yan Hu, a thousand-household official of the Southern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! He is the illegitimate son of the Junior Cabinet Minister, Yan Shifan! I don't think I need to explain who the Junior Cabinet Minister is, do I?"

Damn it! Liu Cunyi was frozen in fear. He had thought he was just being hunted by ordinary guards; he hadn't expected someone so much more formidable. He had only stolen a painting to make some money—how did he end up offending the Yan family?

He was clever enough to realize the gravity of the situation. "What kind of painting is it, anyway? Does it hide some earth-shattering secret? Am I going to be silenced?"

Bai Yu almost laughed. Given Liu’s imagination, he could have written historical suspense novels in a later age.

Liu let out a long sigh and said resignedly, "Since we're up against the Yan family, we’re like eggs hitting a stone. I won't make things difficult for you. I’ll just have to flee far away. We’ll meet again if fate allows."

The previous pursuit by the guards had already terrified him; now, hearing that the Yan family was involved, he didn't dare hold onto any fantasies. Liu cupped his hands in a formal farewell and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Bai Yu called out.

Liu waved a hand. "I know you're reluctant, but I have to go. If you hesitate, we'll both suffer. Our brotherhood doesn't depend on one or two days."

Bai Yu added, "I just wanted to ask—where did you hide the painting? Tell me where it is, and then you can go on your way."

Liu was speechless. *So much for sentiment.*

"Fine! I'll tell you!" Liu said. "The sixth house from the east on Fengcheng Alley. There’s a patch of weeds at the base of the west wall. The painting, along with the iron box, is buried in the foundation near those weeds."

Bai Yu felt that this brother was indeed worth keeping, not just based on the memories of his predecessor, but by his own judgment.

Bai Yu then said, "If you want to clear your name, there is a way. But it requires the guts to risk everything. Do you have the nerve?"

Liu pointed at himself. "I'm already in this state. What else do I have to lose?"

Bai Yu pondered for a moment. "You know that when small fry like us play games with the big shots, the outcome is usually nine deaths for every life. But do you want to know how to find that sliver of survival?"

Liu said impatiently, "I never noticed you liked preaching so much. Just tell me what to do, skip the lecture!"

Bai Yu whispered, "Have you ever heard the jingle circulating among the common folk in the capital?"

"What? A jingle?" Liu blinked. *Why are you suddenly talking about jingles? Are you planning on taking the imperial examinations?*

Bai Yu leaned in closer and asked, "Jiajing, Jiajing, all families are clean [empty/broke]. Have you heard this one?"

Liu shook his head. "No, I haven't." He added, "But that jingle is damn fitting. I wonder who the genius was that came up with it."

Bai Yu thought to himself, *So this famous political satire from the late Jiajing era hasn't fully emerged yet?*

Bai Yu said to Liu, "Well, you've heard it now."

Liu asked blankly, "And then?"

Bai Yu instructed, "Then, as a model citizen, you proactively report this harmful jingle to an Embroidered Uniform Guard officer—like me! One of our duties as patrol officers is to track down the seditious rumors spreading on the streets!"