The beggar stealthily slipped away from the area quickly. Ban-tok Sian-li and Siang Hwi were ushered into a room and given ni-kouw attire for disguise, donning yellow head covers as was customary for ni-kouw initiates who hadn't shaved their hair yet.
As expected, the place was safe. Even though there was a group of soldiers conducting inspection there, these soldiers did not dare act recklessly. This temple was frequented by the empress and the emperor’s family, hence the soldiers showed respect.
Only when the situation seemed relatively safe did the two of them get acquainted with Ceng Ni-kouw, the head of the ni-kouw there. They came to learn that Ceng Niko uw was a sympathizer of the resistance fighters trying to repel the invading Kin troops at the border. Moreover, this nikouw was an admirer of the late Commander Gak Hui.
Hearing from The Siang Hwi why they became fugitives, for defending An Kiong who was captured as a member of the late Commander Gak Hui's family, the ni-kouw felt pleased to have been able to assist them.
"Omitohud...., the current situation is indeed heartbreaking. Actually, all of this is because of the Jin family!"
"Is Prime Minister Jin Kui implied here?" asked Ban-tok Sian-li, who was also intrigued.
"Who else? The emperor is not inherently cruel, but he is weak-willed and overly trusting of the prime minister. Back then, Commander Gak Hui was killed because of that prime minister. Everyone knows this. The entire population is aware, yet Jin Kui's power is immense, who would dare oppose him? And his son is as wicked as his father. Kidnapping girls, even married women, is there anything that evil youth hasn't done? Everyone also knows that Prime Minister Jin Kui secretly colludes with the Kin. Only the emperor chooses to remain ignorant and disbelieving. Alas, who knows what's in store for the Sung Kingdom."
"But Gak Hui's death occurred a long time ago. Why is wealthy An Kiong being apprehended now? Does Ni-kouw know the reason?" asked Ban-tok Sian-li.
The Ni-kouw let out a long sigh. "Omitohud....... Actually, if he were to be arrested, it should've been done long ago. An Kiong is the late Mrs. Gak Hui's relative by marriage, so he can be considered as family. But that he is being arrested now, there must be something else going on. Maybe Jin Kiat is infatuated with his eldest daughter or perhaps it's an attempt to seize his wealth. Pin-ni (I) am unsure about the exact reason why his entire family is being arrested. Everyone in the capital knows that the wealthy An is a philanthropic and wise individual who hasn't committed any crimes."
"Therefore, there must be a specific reason why Prime Minister Jin Kui would go as far as to send his own son, even accompanied by that formidable black giant."
"Pin-ni also doesn't know. Then who are ji-wi and how did you get involved in An Kiong's arrest?"
"My name is Souw Hian Li and this is my student named The Siang Hwi, Ni-kouw. We both happened to be captivated by Anwangwe's act of distributing rice to the poor. Then when the arrest happened, we ended up as his guests. Unfortunately, we couldn't protect him from the arrest due to the large number of royal forces and that black giant's formidable strength. We had to flee, otherwise, we would've certainly been caught by the overwhelming number of troops."
"Don't worry, ji-wi. You will be safe here. No one would dare to search this place since this temple is frequently visited by the empress and the emperor's family." "We are not worried about ourselves, Ni-kouw, what concerns us is the situation of the arrested An family."
"Omitohud, what can we do, toa-nio? Prime Minister Jin Kui's power is immense, second only to the emperor's. Only the emperor can stop all his actions. What can we do?"
"Hmmm, if necessary, we will resort to violence to free the wealthy An, or we could even coerce Prime Minister Jin Kui!" said Ban-tok Sian-li, clenching his fist.
He felt deeply unsettled at the thought of An Kiong, such a wise and generous man, being treated so arbitrarily by anyone. This was exactly Ban-tok Sian-li's nature. If he didn't care, he would ignore everything that happened to anyone, remaining indifferent. But once he decided to defend someone, he would do so to the best of his ability!
"Toa-nio, please be patient. Jin Kui's power is immense and he is guarded by a group of highly skilled bodyguards. It would be extremely dangerous to infiltrate his mansion. It's best if we wait until Gan-enghiong arrives."
"Gan-enghiong?"
"Oh yes, ji-wi doesn't know his name yet. The young man who brought ji-wi here, he's the son of the chief of the Hek-tung Kai-pang (Black Cane Beggar Association). Although they are beggars, they are formidable kang ouw beggars who never do evil and are always ready to help the oppressed. Even their leader sympathizes with the resistance fighters, but of course in the capital, they dare not openly support them."
"Don't the resistance fighters essentially defend the sovereignty of the Sung Kingdom?"
"Indeed they do. The resistance fighters are loyal to the kingdom and they oppose the Kin Kingdom. However, because of Prime Minister Jin Kui's influence, the Emperor blames the resistance fighters who are considered to be causing turmoil and inciting hostility with Kin."
"I really don't understand. The Emperor, whom the resistance fighters are defending, is opposing them. There must be dirty and rotten things hidden behind all of this," said a curious Ban-tok Sian-li.
"It's a public secret that Prime Minister Jin Kui is friendly and amicable towards the Kin Kingdom. He's the one who persuaded the Emperor to make peace with the Kin Kingdom. Take Commander Gak Hui for an example. Was he not a great commander? He was loyal to the Emperor, but in reality, he was executed simply because he opposed the Kin Kingdom and launched an attack that was not approved by Prime Minister Jin Kui."
"Damn! What will happen to the Sung Kingdom if it continues to be weak towards an enemy that constantly threatens the nation's security and people? It's truly astonishing. The Emperor should feel proud and happy to see his people being loyal and defending his kingdom. In fact, the homeland has been extensively colonized by the Yu cen race. The Emperor should gather the people's strength to reclaim the territories taken by the invaders."
"That's the mindset that led the patriotic warriors to form people's militias and attack the Kin troops. Unfortunately, at home they are opposed by Sung troops who should otherwise support and defend them. Yes, this is the state of affairs, toa-nio. What can we do?"
They continued their conversation until late at night. Bantok Sian-li and his student gained a lot of information from the ni-kouw, thus the old woman's interest increased. Initially, she had no concern about the resistance, but now she began to sympathize with the fighters.
O0dw0O
The next morning, Gan Kok Bu, the young man who had helped the teacher and student the night before and hidden them in the ni-kouw temple, arrived at the temple.
He arrived secretly and Ceng Nikouw then took him to a back room where he met Ban-tok Sianli and The Slang Hwi.
As soon as they met, Ban-tok Sian-li immediately asked, "Brother Gan, how is An-wangwe and his family?"
The one being asked shook his head and let out a long sigh before answering,
"They are damned ... " Siang Hwi was startled and worried. "What happened to them?"
"Those father and son, Jin, are truly despicable!" Kok Bu said, clenching his fist. "People who are completely innocent and even beneficial to the common people were brutally murdered!"
"Murdered? Do you mean, they were all murdered?" asked Ban-tok Sian-li, his beautiful eyes wide in surprise.
"Not just murdered, they were tortured to death." "But why? What did they do wrong?"
Ban-tok Sian-li now asked half-shoutingly.
It was hard for him to imagine that such a kind elderly man was suddenly butchered with his whole family, and even tortured to death!
"According to our investigation through the guard soldiers, they were tortured to admit the whereabouts of the rebel Gak Liu. Since none of them could tell where Gak Liu was, they were tortured to death and branded as rebels. What's even more heartbreaking, An wangwe's eldest daughter was raped by Jin Kiat and then handed over to the guards until the girl also met her tragic end. And the wealthy man's possessions were seized for the state, which certainly went through Prime Minister's hands first."
"Damn it! We can't just let it pass, subo!" Siang Hwi suddenly shouted, his face turning completely red from anger.
"Right! We must act. Tonight, we both will infiltrate the Prime Minister Jin's mansion and kill his entire family!" said Ban-tok Sian-1i.
"Omitohud..., toa-nio and young lady, I hope you won't undertake such a dangerous mission. If things go wrong, you could be the ones in danger from the guard troops."
Glossary:
- ni-kouw: A term used in the story to describe a specific group or rank within the temple.
- Ban-tok Sian-li: The name of one of the story's main characters.
- The Siang Hwi: The name of another character in the story.
- Ceng Ni-kouw: The head of the ni-kouw.
- Gak Hui: The late Commander, a character in the story.
- An Kiong: The character who was captured as part of the late Commander Gak Hui's family.
- Jin Kui: The Prime Minister of the kingdom.
- Jin Kiat: The son of Prime Minister Jin Kui.
- Gan-enghiong: A character expected to arrive in the story.
- Hek-tung Kai-pang: The Black Cane Beggar Association.
- kang ouw: A term used to describe a group of formidable beggars in the story.
- Gan Kok Bu: The young man who helped the teacher and student.
- An-wangwe: The wealthy character who was brutally murdered.
- Gak Liu: The rebel whose whereabouts were unknown.