Wen spent the day after his arrival in Jīn-sè Mèn watching Chin's house from various locations nearby. Of Chin himself there was no sign, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Even in a place as wild and near-lawless as Jīn-sè Mèn there were imperial soldiers and a city watch, and Chin was still a rebel with a price on his head. And sooner or later someone in authority was going to figure out that you dealt with Chin not by bringing him before a magistrate but by chopping off his head the instant you caught him not paying attention.
Chin may not have been in residence, but people nevertheless came and went with pleasing frequency. Many of them were carrying sacks or boxes, and after watching patterns of movement for several hours Wen quietly inserted himself into a gang of workmen shifting sacks of grain from a wagon into the mansion compound. Once he'd got inside the wall and deposited his burden near the kitchen storeroom it was easy to fade into the shadows and wander about the grounds, examining buildings and searching for the Meiyou treasure, which he was certain was hidden somewhere in the mansion.
Eventually he worked his way back to the kitchen stores without having found any sign of treasure. But it was while he was watching the other workmen continuing to shift sacks of grain that a sparkle caught his eye. Turning slowly, he examined the storeroom. There! In a corner, nearly obscured by sacks, something was reflecting the afternoon sun. Wen picked up a grain sack and hobbled over to the source of the reflection, wondering how long it would take his feet to recover from two weeks of non-stop walking.
Carefully, he set down the sack and, still bent over, scooped up the glittering object.
* * * *
"You don't believe me?" Wen looked around at the small circle of men. "I picked this up this afternoon while exploring the place." He held up the silver, and smiled as the men grumbled their appreciation.
It was a small thing, but exactly what you'd expect to have found in a treasure-trove. Worked into the shape of a scale from a suit of armor, the small silver plate was torn and curled up at the pierced end, where—on a real armored breast-plate—the silk cords would have run through and tied it to the dozens of other, identical plates. Silver being rather more malleable than iron, this plate had doubtless torn off a larger piece as it was being shifted into its hiding place in—or, more likely, under—the kitchen storeroom of Chin's new mansion.
"This is just a sample," Wen said. "It comes from one of the giant treasure ships Prince Yizan uses in trade with the southern barbarians. I'm looking for a small group of determined men to help me steal that treasure. Are you with me?"
A rumble of voices replied, incomprehensibly, but Wen was able to understand the gist of it—which was, more or less, You've got to be joking. Slowly he shook his head. It was sad, if these men were the best examples of the sort of desperate types one found in frontier towns these days. The crew of the Jade Maiden, he thought, would at least have demanded to know how strongly the compound was defended before insulting him by refusing to participate.
Of course, the crew of the Jade Maiden were working for the Notorious Wen, not some scraggly, hobbling reprobate with a single small piece of silver and a big story. Should have thought of this sooner, Wen said to himself. "Hold on a moment," he said as the men began to move away. Rummaging in the bag tied around his waist, he found the patch. Bending down and hiding himself from the men (or most of them), he tied the leather around his head.
Sitting up—and wobbling just a bit as full vision came back to him in a giddy rush—he said, "Might you be with me now?"
The gasp of recognition was gratifying. As was the way in which the men fell over themselves to volunteer to rob Chin Gwai as members of the Notorious Wen's new bandit gang.
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