Chapter 517: The Yangzhou Garrison Eunuch's Yamen

The carriage left the gate, wheels rolling steadily forward.

Not far down the road, Han Qi seemed to recall something else. He lifted the curtain and asked the driver below, "Any word from Mao Qiguang?"

The moment the matter came to light, Han Qi had contacted Mao Qiguang immediately.

If there was anyone who was the most crucial figure in this affair, anyone who knew the matter most clearly, it was Mao Qiguang.

Mao Qiguang surely knew things in detail—asking him would get the whole matter straightened out.

But so far, Han Qi had been unable to reach Mao Qiguang. He didn't know whether something had happened to the man, or whether he was deliberately avoiding contact.

If it was the former, that was still manageable—but if it was the latter...

Han Qi's expression turned somewhat grim, though in his heart he understood that the likelihood of Mao Qiguang being in trouble was slim. After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already put out word that his younger brother's accusation was false, which meant Mao Qiguang naturally had no problem—otherwise the whole thing would have been reversed.

Hearing Han Qi's question, his subordinate quickly replied, "No word has come back yet. The men we sent to contact Lord Mao can't reach him either. The Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen won't let anyone see Mao Qiguang, and his household says he hasn't been home for two days."

At these words, Han Qi furrowed his brow but said nothing, simply letting the carriage curtain fall back into place.

Perhaps things were even worse than he had imagined. But at this point, dwelling on it further was useless—better to head to the eunuch's yamen first and see what the situation was.

Han Qi arrived at his destination before long.

After stepping down from the carriage, Han Qi was ushered inside.

It was a very spacious residence. From the outside it didn't look particularly luxurious—even rather plain—but the interior furnishings were extravagant indeed.

The floor was covered in fine wool carpets, which were valuable not just in Yangzhou but even up north.

In recent years, such wool carpets had appeared sporadically on the market, and ordinary people couldn't afford them. Yet here at the eunuch's yamen, such wool carpets were used directly as floor coverings—a clear sign of just how lavish they were.

The ornaments in the room were likewise extraordinary—all manner of antique decorations, and even the paintings hanging on the walls were works by famous masters.

Han Qi paid none of this any heed.

In recent years, this old eunuch had skimmed plenty—that was common knowledge. And the Han family had contributed no small share.

For Han Qi, as long as a matter could be resolved with money, it wasn't a matter at all.

The Han family had taught him this principle when he was very young.

Having grown up and handled so many affairs over the years, Han Qi found this theory held perfectly true—anything that could be solved with money was all a minor matter.

It was just money, after all. People like them were hardly short of it.

The truly troublesome problems were the ones that money couldn't solve.

A young eunuch attendant helped an old eunuch walk out from inside the house.

Seeing Han Qi, the old eunuch said with a smile, "So it's the eldest young master of the Han family. Sit, sit—we have some fine Jinggang green tea here. Have a taste."

Han Qi smiled and nodded, then took a seat.

The tea was brought up quickly.

After the two men each took a sip from their cups, Han Qi said, "Eunuch Zhang surely knows why I've come, so I won't beat around the bush. I wonder if Eunuch Zhang can be of help?"

At these words, the old eunuch's expression turned serious.

He set down his teacup, lightly tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair, and said, "The one who made his move this time is Xu Xianchun. From what this old servant knows, that man is not one to be trifled with. His family counts as relatives of the imperial house—his grandfather is Imperial Son-in-law Xu Congcheng."

"Xu Xianchun is shrewd and cunning, ruthless and merciless. Add to that the deep trust of Your Majesty, and he naturally acts without scruple—arrogant and overbearing. Dealing with him won't be easy. This matter will be very difficult to manage!"

Since Han Qi had come knocking on his door, Zhang Wei naturally knew he couldn't dance around the issue.

They had worked together on matters more than once before. If he hedged, that would mean refusal—and a hurtful one at that, essentially forging a grudge that would make future dealings difficult.

Better to speak plainly and tell the other party directly: what could be done, could be done; what couldn't, couldn't. Sometimes that approach was less damaging to a friendship.

After all, it wasn't that he refused to help—it was that he lacked the power to do so. Without shirking or hedging, the other party would actually think well of him. No grudge would form.

Hearing Zhang Wei's words, Han Qi nodded and said, "We've looked into that as well."

As for Zhang Wei's talk of it being difficult and hard to manage, Han Qi paid it no mind at all.

This wasn't a bad thing. Difficult and hard to manage didn't mean impossible. It would only be a real problem if it couldn't be done at all.

Zhang Wei's words were simply a way of asking for some benefit—no problem there.

Han Qi said, "I hear Eunuch Zhang is thinking of retiring?"

"Yes." Zhang Wei nodded, speaking with a rather wistful tone. "I'm getting old, and my health isn't what it used to be. I've served the imperial house for so many years—though my heart is reluctant, these old bones of mine are no longer up to the task. When the time comes, I'll step down and live out my days in peace, and find a good plot of land to bury myself in."

Han Qi nodded and said with a smile, "How does Eunuch Zhang find the Jiangnan region?"

"As the saying goes, one should grow old only in Jiangnan. I happen to have a fine residence on my hands, located in Hangzhou—not large, a five-courtyard compound, sold directly by the owner. If Eunuch Zhang is willing, perhaps I could make an introduction, act as a go-between?"

"And what price are we talking?" Zhang Wei looked at Han Qi and said with a smile.

"The house is old and has fallen into disrepair—there's nothing much left inside or out. The courtyard has grown over with weeds, so only the land itself is worth anything now."

"The owner is asking for one thousand taels of silver. With my connections, I should be able to knock off two hundred, bringing it to eight hundred taels of silver. Does Eunuch Zhang find that suitable?" Han Qi said with a perfectly composed expression.

Hearing this, a smile spread across Zhang Wei's face. "The price is indeed reasonable. Let's settle it then. Barring any unexpected developments, this old servant will purchase the compound."

Han Qi nodded, then shifted the topic. "That's certainly no problem. Once I've settled my younger brother's matter, I'll take care of this for you."

The two quickly reached their deal—this was the payment for Zhang Wei.

And Han Qi had steered the conversation back to his brother's case, making it clear: as long as you get this done for me, the compound is yours. As for retiring there—no one believed that.

Zhang Wei wouldn't dare retire in Jiangnan. Those people would swallow him down to the bone. The little fortune he had painstakingly accumulated over the years—if it fell into their hands, what good would come of it?

Right now, with his power and influence, they all curried favor with him. But once he stepped down, he'd have nothing—just an old eunuch. At that point, his money would only invite disaster upon him.

He'd sell the compound the moment it was in hand—flip it and the silver would come.

Zhang Wei said, "Regarding your younger brother's matter—though it's somewhat difficult, difficult doesn't mean impossible. The key question is how to go about it. We need to think of a proper approach."

Hearing this, Han Qi let out a relieved breath and said with a smile, "Then I'll ask Eunuch Zhang to think of a way. Ah, right—I nearly forgot to mention. The family selling the compound also owns two shopfronts by West Lake that they'd like to sell as well."

"For retirement, one needs a source of income—can't just live off one's savings. If Eunuch Zhang is interested, I'll sell those two shopfronts to you as well. One matter, one hand."

"How much?" Zhang Wei asked seriously once more.

"These would be a bit more expensive—five thousand taels of silver." Han Qi said directly.

Two shopfronts by West Lake for five thousand taels—that price was impossible. By normal reckoning, it should be ten times that, fifty thousand taels. Those two shops were worth at least fifty thousand in silver, if not more.

Zhang Wei nodded with satisfaction and said, "Fine, I'll take these two shops as well."

"Let's talk business first. Your brother's matter will certainly be handled—with the friendship between us, there's no way it won't be."

"Tell you what, I'll go first and sound things out. When I was in the capital, I've crossed paths with this Lord Xu before—not exactly familiar, but at least we can exchange words."

"I'll probe his intentions first, figure out what's going on, and then we'll think of a way."

Han Qi nodded and said with a smile, "Then everything is in your hands, Eunuch."

Han Qi had originally wanted Zhang Wei to handle this matter anyway. In the future, wherever he could be of use, Zhang Wei would surely give his all—otherwise, all the favors he'd given wouldn't have been worth it.

"There's no time to waste—I'll go right now." Zhang Wei stood up directly and said.

Two young eunuchs hurried over to support Zhang Wei, and the group walked out together.

The carriage outside was already prepared.

After getting into the carriage, Zhang Wei said, "Young Master Han, go back and wait for my news. Once I have word, I'll send someone to inform you immediately—there will be no delay."

Han Qi nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Eunuch. There's one more matter I'd like you to look into—can you find out where this Mao Guangqi, Lord Mao, is right now? I can't locate him anymore."

"Ask around at the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Zhang Wei said with a smile. "Yangzhou is only so big—where else could he run off to?"

Having said that, Zhang Wei sat straight into the carriage and ordered, "Let's go!"

What was Mao Qiguang doing?

He was playing Chinese chess with Xu Xianchun.

Mao Qiguang's expression was very grim at the moment, but he had no choice but to put on a brilliant smile—except that no matter how you looked at it, that smile was ugly.

Xu Xianchun didn't mind at all. Holding a chess piece in his hand, he lowered his head in thought.

Ever since arriving here, Xu Xianchun had put on the air of a host, making Mao Qiguang accompany him every day, looking like a man possessed by a chess addiction.

Mao Qiguang couldn't leave even if he wanted to.