Chapter 44:
Chen Gong Returns the Sandwiches
“DID THEY GIVE their name?” asked Shen Qiao.
“They didn’t,” said the boy. “Hurry up and look!”
He’d grown up in the monastery and had never seen such a grand procession before. Without waiting for Shen Qiao’s answer, he was already running to get the abbot, shouting the entire way.
Shen Qiao walked to the entrance and sure enough, several carriages were parked there, and several chests were being unloaded from them.
The leader was dressed like a servant, but he didn’t seem like an ordinary servant—judging from his appearance and clothing, he was at least an attendant who served his master directly.
When the man saw Shen Qiao arrive, he took a step forward but didn’t come any closer. “May I ask if you’re Shen Qiao?”
“I am.”
“By the order of the Duke of Pengcheng County, this one comes to deliver gifts.”
Shen Qiao already had his suspicions, but still he asked, “Who is the Duke of Pengcheng County? I fear I do not know him.”
Displeasure rose to the man’s face, and he simply said, “The Duke of Pengcheng County says that you once showed him kindness, and that a drop of kindness should be repaid in abundance. Hence, he
commanded this one to deliver these gifts, and hopes that this gentleman will graciously accept them.”
Without waiting for Shen Qiao’s reply, he clapped, saying to the coachman and other servants, “Open the chests.”
Right then, the abbot of Bailong Monastery ran out with the two boy priests, ready to receive the newcomers. They didn’t have time to greet Shen Qiao before their attention was drawn away by the opening chests.
Straight away, they gasped.
Not a gasp of awe but rather because they were in disbelief.
For inside the chests wasn’t gold or treasure, or silks and satins—they were crammed full of donkey-meat sandwiches.
The moment they were opened, the steaming aroma of donkey meat burst forth, wafting in their faces. All at once, the three of them gulped helplessly, their mouths watering.
The servant’s expression was disdainful as he sneered, “The Duke of Pengcheng County asked this lowly one to pass these words on for him: that day, he was able to eat a couple of sandwiches by your grace. Today, he wishes to repay you tenfold. We fear these chests may not be enough—if they aren’t, this lowly one will deliver a few more chests!”
Shen Qiao showed neither anger nor fear; on the contrary, he smiled. “This is enough. I was just brooding over what to do for dinner, since the monastery’s stove isn’t on. Many thanks to your master for his timely help—now my meals are covered for the next two days.”
The servant probably hadn’t expected such a reaction from Shen Qiao. He started briefly, and then the contempt on his face grew deeper. He obviously felt Shen Qiao was acting far too meek—after all, the reason his master was using this method to repay Shen Qiao must have been because the man had once offended him.
With this in mind, the man took Shen Qiao to be of little consequence and nodded. “Then this lowly one will return and report to my master.”
He made a gesture, and the chests around him were tipped, dumping the donkey-meat sandwiches out onto the ground.
Alarmed, the abbot and two boys cried out, “What are you doing! The sandwiches were perfectly fine and they’re all dirty now!”
The servant laughed. “The master said to deliver the sandwiches, but he never said to deliver the chests!”
The donkey-meat sandwiches spilled all over the ground, their juices gushing out. A swarm of insects was quickly drawn in by the aroma, and they buzzed around the heap. Even if the priests had wanted to pick them up, clean them off, and eat them, they didn’t dare to now. All they could do was choke down their anger. Sorrow written all over their faces, they stared at the sandwiches.
Shen Qiao’s smile finally faded, and his expression darkened a touch.
Back in that dilapidated temple, Chen Gong couldn’t even afford a single sandwich. One hot meal had been enough to delight him. And yet today, he could go this far to satisfy a passing caprice. Could power and glory truly cloud one’s eyes? Or was one’s environment truly potent enough to change their personality?
“Wait.”
The servant paused in his steps and looked back. “Does this gentleman have further instructions?”
“Finish these sandwiches before you leave.”
The servant burst out laughing. “This gentleman jests! These are the master’s gifts for this gentleman, how can we eat them? Please, take your time and enjoy!”
He turned around, but before he’d taken more than a couple of steps, his gloating smile quickly transformed into horror.
Because from his wrist came an unbearable pain.
And Shen Qiao, who’d been standing ten steps from him just a moment before, was suddenly right in front of his eyes.
The servant’s face twisted in agony. “Let go… Let go!”
“Food is bestowed by the heavens—it must be treasured,” Shen Qiao said severely. “There are many people starving outside the city, so I must trouble you to eat these sandwiches before you leave.”
The servant was shocked, fearful, and angry, all at once. “How dare you! Do you know who we are?! The Duke of Pengcheng County is His Majesty’s favorite…”
Shen Qiao’s expression was indifferent. “I don’t know any Duke of Pengcheng County. If you don’t eat these, none of you will leave today.”
Still, some simply refused to accept their fate—one of the coachmen turned and ran. He hadn’t managed three steps before abruptly falling face-first to the ground, completely unable to move.
“Will you eat?” asked Shen Qiao.
“You’ll regret this, Shen Qiao,” said the servant. “If you dare humiliate me, one day my master will pay you back a thousandfold!”
“Will you eat?”
“You wouldn’t dare—” His voice transformed into a scream.
He screamed wretchedly, and in an instant, his facade of bravado transformed into an expression of anguish. Shen Qiao was only holding his wrist, but no one knew what technique he’d used—though the servant’s wrist showed no sign of fracture or injury, his face was contorted in unbearable agony. A chill ran down every onlooker’s spine.
“Will you eat?” asked Shen Qiao.
His tone was as calm and placid as ever, but his eyes shifted from the servant, turning onto the rest.
Everyone whom his gaze swept across bowed their heads in turn, not daring to meet his eyes.
By this point, the servant was thoroughly cowed. Even his voice had changed completely, and now it trembled as he spoke. “We must let this gentleman know—our master only asked us to deliver the sandwiches, he didn’t tell this lowly one to dump them out! It was…it was this lowly one’s own idea! This lowly one begs your forgiveness—he knows your great self is magnanimous, so please don’t hold it against him!”
“If you don’t want me to hold it against you, then finish the sandwiches,” said Shen Qiao. “Otherwise, I fear that when I settle accounts with your master, he’ll be sure to take out his anger on you. You should consider things carefully.”