skill, but could not win and had to defend himself from the thrusts and blows of his opponent. And I was afraid that Lei Heng might get killed, and so I intervened. But where does your nephew come from? I have never seen him before in the village.”
Chao Gai said, “You had better come to my house where I can explain matters to you. I was just going to send a servant with a message for you, when I noticed that Liu Tang had gone, and that there was a halberd missing from the rack. A cowherd said that he had seen a big man taking a halberd from the rack and then going straight to the south road. I, therefore, immediately set out after him, but before I arrived you had stopped the fighting. I beg that you will now come to my house where we can discuss matters.”
Wu Yong took the copper wires, and placed them in the library of the house within the bamboo fence. He then spoke to the master of the house, “When my pupil comes please tell him that I have a little business to attend to, and he can have a holiday today.” He then took the key and locked the door of the library.
He joined Chao Gai and Liu Tang, and they all went to the Dongxi village. Chao Gai invited them to enter a room at the back where they all sat down.
Wu Yong asked, “Chief, who is this man?”
“He is a good man named Liu Tang,” said Chao Gai, “and he is a East Luzhou man. He has information about a promising enterprise and came here to tell me about it. Last night he was drunken, and slept in the Lingguan Temple where he was arrested by Lei Heng, and so brought to my village. I pretended to recognize him as a nephew of mine, and so he was released. He says that at Daming, the commander-in-chief, Grand Secretary Liang, has purchased one hundred thousand strings of cash worth of gold articles, pearls, and other valuables which he is sending to his father-in-law, Prime Minister Cai at the Eastern Capital. These valuables will pass this way. This wealth has been ill-gotten so do you think we might get it? His arrival seems to be the fulfillment of a dream. Last night I dreamt that the Northern Dipper of seven stars descended to my house. With it was a crowd of smaller stars which vanished leaving a track of light behind.
“I think this augurs some good fortune for my family. So now I would like to have your opinion of this affair.”
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