Beneath The Embroidered Brocade

General Pei had taken off his gray cloak, his clothes beneath were already quite old and worn, such that there was no one, upon looking at him would believe him to be a noble general. But that was fine since there were not many that had seen his face.

He had consulted a doctor earlier and they say it was only exhaustion and the slight onset of a cold that he had gotten while rushing his way here. Truth be told, there was no need to rush. His subordinates had chided him that it was not as though the magistrate would be dead and the entire city in chaos if he slowed down and rested properly during his journey.

After seeing the wounds, he knew the severity of the situation. The magistrate was not going to recover. Even though he still had a breath in him and was breathing, he was as good as dead. As for who was behind such an act, it was hard to say.

He did not know who it was among the elites of the capital that would benefit from the death of such a low ranking official. Such a position was not one qualified to work at the academy of the imperial capital. Even more so, no one would bat an eyelid, or even give pretended respect to such a low ranking official. It was wise of him to take up a post that was far away so that he would get some semblance of respect.

Most officials would have refused such a post, after all, the imperial capital was still a prosperous place, and the home of the monarch. Any salary there would have been better than that of the border town no matter what.

Salary? General Pei thought over the word carefully. Right, an upper ninth ranking official's salary would not be enough to support this lifestyle of debauchery and excess. Seeing that the magistrate's manor did not have much of anything that would signify that its owner was making anything more than the salary of a ninth ranking official, general Pei was not at ease and decided to look over the account books.

Taking advantage of the time with some semblance of sunlight, he asked to go into the study room where the magistrate worked on the reports sent in. A servant led the way. There was no need to go in through a back door, considering general Pei was of higher rank than magistrate and could openly show up to ask for the reports or anything else. Within the border town, there was not a person that was in the position to deny him from seeing the official documents.

The study room was rather peculiar. There were two desks within the room that smelled of books and ink. In the center of the room was a large and heavy desk that was made from fine material, on the opposite side was a plain wooden desk, however, this desk had a lot more scrolls and reports piled on top of it, while the grand desk was covered in a thin layer of dust as though its owner had abandoned it long ago.

General Pei started his search for account books on the plain desk since it seemed that it had been touched recently, and would have things that are up to date.

As he was flipping through the ink scented pages, he heard the light footsteps of someone entering the room.

"General, you must be famished, I brought over some tea and desserts."

It was Li shi. General Pei looked up nonchalantly at the woman who entered holding a tray. She did not send servants to bring him these things, opting to bring them here herself. He smiled at the woman, as though she should have been here at the moment. "Thank you madam for your hospitality." His tone was not forceful, rather, it was exceedingly calm. They were both people who belonged in the magistrate's after all.

Li shi placed the tray on the plain wooden table. Perhaps, it was one's imagination, but the table let out a stifled creek.

"I always bring my husband deserts when he was working in the study late at night." The woman's smile was gentle, as though reminiscing about some forgotten past. Of course, she did not mention that this happened so many years ago when he was still hardworking and had not yet fallen to that lifestyle of his.

"You seem very… caring." General Pei said after a bȧrėly noticeable pause, his voice held some emotion. He did not have a wife at home to do such things for him. The picturesque painting of a scholar dipping his brush into the black ink to write a poem, and a young woman bringing him some food and drink while watching by the side, he did not understand it at all.

The woman silently stood by the corner, as though she did not hear his complement, nor the pause that came as he was searching for suitable words. General Pei continued flipping through the books, ignoring the woman's existence.

"General, what are you doing?" Li shi asks as she observes general Pei reading the books.

"I'm only looking to see if there were major cases that happened recently."

Li shi nodded understandingly, "Do you need any help?"

"No thank you." General Pei said politely.

Li shi then asked: "But general, what will you do if you find some incriminating evidence?" .

So Li shi knew what he was searching for. Going so far as to come in and inquire what he was doing. Nevertheless, it was still a question. As for the answer, he did not know himself. What would happen once he found evidence of an official being bribed and engaging in dangerous business that may have cost him his life? How far did this matter reach, and were there other officials like him? How would those at the imperial capital react to this? Would there be a repeat of what happened last year? All were questions that he asked himself. However, the answers were unknown. If such things were to happen, then would he not be condemning many people to death?

After Li shi asked the thought-provoking question, she no longer spoke, merely observing general Pei's expression. He was one who cared about the big picture, and not one who dėsɨrėd merits. Such could be seen at the time that he spent at the border, any other general would have searched for a way to leave such a barren land. Yet, he didn't and remained here for many years. He was someone worth admiring in her mind. One who did not have the dėsɨrės nor ambitions to rise through the ranks.

"I do not know yet, it depends on the crime." General Pei simply stated.

~

He did not question why general Pei was in the magistrate's study room, and after a formal greeting immediately unrolled the piece of parchment he brought with him.

"General Pei, we have a portrait of the perpetrator described by a witness who saw the ȧssassination of the lord magistrate."