Chapter 1631: Secret Collusion

.. ，！

With a lingering trace of unease, his steps heavy, Wang Yinwu walked out of the palace, his face full of deep thought.

"Commissioner Wang, hold a moment!" The familiar, detestable voice of Zhang Dejun came from behind.

Turning around, he saw Zhang Dejun approaching with a smile: "Why such haste?"

Facing Zhang Dejun, Wang Yinwu returned a smile, all his gravity dissolving away, his expression regaining confidence, his gaze sharpening as he clasped his hands and replied: "The Hexi case—I carry a mission of grave responsibility. Naturally, I cannot be as leisurely as Your Excellency Zhang!"

"I am old, not like Commissioner Wang, young and vigorous, full of energy—so of course I enjoy my leisure!" Zhang Dejun's smile radiated the word 'hypocrisy', his eyes nearly squeezed into slits: "However, this time His Majesty has likewise entrusted me with a commission, so I cannot rest idle even if I wished.

Though the Palace City Office and the Wude Office have had their frictions in the past, His Majesty now has us work together on this task. To live up to the mission, I believe we should set aside old grievances, stand together through thick and thin, and join forces to crack this case and root out those rebels and traitors!"

Wang Yinwu smiled faintly: "Naturally!"

He agreed quickly, but in his heart he clearly disagreed, and his wariness rose—this old fellow needed watching. With the temperament of this eunuch, hiding a knife behind a smile, who knew where he might trip one up.

Take the Hexi case—thankfully he had been fast enough. Had he moved even slightly slower and let this old eunuch get ahead, he would have had a much harder time explaining himself before Emperor Liu.

Blinking, Wang Yinwu spoke with pointed words: "I must say, the Palace City Office has remarkably swift intelligence, and Your Excellency Zhang has remarkably nimble hands!"

"As His Majesty's ears and eyes, how could we not be sharp? Otherwise, blind and deaf, His Majesty would be angered, and we who serve as his humble ministers would have no face to remain in this world!" Zhang Dejun said.

"Your Excellency Zhang is truly His Majesty's loyal servant, thinking of His Majesty in all things!"

"Is that not as it should be? Could it be that Commissioner Wang is not the same, harboring other designs?"

The two traded words like knives, each barb laced with sting, and after this bout of sparring, Wang Yinwu lost patience and asked directly: "Your Excellency Zhang called me to stop—surely not merely to express your intent to cooperate!"

Zhang Dejun smiled somewhat sinisterly, speaking in a low, eerie tone: "His Majesty has ordered a thorough investigation, clearly intending to rectify the military and civil affairs of Hexi. However, Commissioner Wang hails from Hexi, so there may be some entanglements. If there is anything—any person or matter—that requires assistance, please give word in advance. I can offer some convenience on my end, so as not to lose room for maneuver..."

Hearing this, Wang Yinwu's brow twitched, and he refused decisively: "No need. Whatever must be investigated and handled, all shall follow court regulations. Why leave any room for maneuver?"

Staring at Zhang Dejun, Wang Yinwu said flatly: "His Majesty's ears and eyes ought not to have superfluous thoughts!"

Seeing Wang Yinwu's face full of 'righteousness', Zhang Dejun cursed inwardly, then said with a smile: "Commissioner Wang's level of awareness is truly admirable!"

Wang Yinwu: "Merely loyal to His Majesty, serving the court!"

"Heh heh..."

"The matter is urgent. Rather than idle chatter, better to think on how to accomplish the task His Majesty has assigned!" Wang Yinwu wore an expression of having nothing more to say: "Your Excellency Zhang, hold here—I take my leave!"

"As you wish!" Zhang Dejun extended a hand.

Outside the palace walls, Wang Yinwu maintained his composure, walking steadily back to his office. Zhang Dejun watched the retreating figure for a while from behind, then turned and headed in another direction, muttering hatefully under his breath: "This brute grows ever more arrogant, knowing not his place. Let's see how Longyou can keep up your insolence!"

On the other side, Wang Yinwu was also cursing: "You childless old eunuch—I'll see what end awaits you!"

Back at the Wude Office, within the bureau, Wang Yinwu's trusted core subordinates in the capital and key officials had already gathered, waiting for his orders.

Without any delay, Wang Yinwu briefed them on the matter, the most important being to convey the Emperor's guiding instructions, and made detailed arrangements for the Wude Office's upcoming tasks.

The focus, without question, was on Hexi. He specially pulled two teams of investigative clerks, along with three hundred soldiers of the Wude Battalion, to travel far to the northwest to investigate the case.

At the same time, following the capital's response, not just Hexi—the entire northwest's Wude Office strength was mobilized. The Hexi case might be an important breakthrough for investigation, but what the Wude Office targeted was the root of the chaos across the entire northwest.

Emperor Liu had said that there might be conspirators and rebels in the northwest—regardless, they had to get to the bottom of it. If there were none, then they could report back easily; if there truly were, then it was an opportunity for merit.

Under the night sky, the Eastern Capital was adorned by the lights of ten thousand households. Its clamor and splendor surpassed even the daytime; the capital under the shroud of darkness seemed somehow more real.

On the Bian River, masts still stood in dense forest. Strollers lined both banks, colored lanterns floated on the water. Of course, the most eye-catching were the ornately decorated pleasure boats and painted barges drifting downstream on the current—even from hundreds of zhang away, one could sense their extravagance and ostentation.

Under the cover of night, Wang Yinwu, guarded by two attendants, quietly boarded a small skiff and climbed aboard one of the painted barges on the river.

Compared to the other lively pleasure boats, this one was not large, nor was it as noisy. In its quietude it stood out with distinction, carrying the air of a great recluse hidden within the bustling city.

The attendants on the boat had clearly been meticulously trained, very disciplined—they asked nothing, heard nothing, and even looked little. Wang Yinwu walked plainly into one of the rooms.

A hint of tea fragrance already permeated the air. A middle-aged man in fine robes sat waiting quietly. Seeing Wang Yinwu, he rose to greet him: "Brother Wang!"

"Brother Lu!"

The host was naturally the chief minister Lu Duoxun. Over these past few years, the two had been in relatively less contact—after all, they had to avoid giving others ammunition—but with the old bond of friendship between them, becoming complete strangers was unrealistic. Their private connections had never truly ceased. And this kind of secret meeting was even more out of the ordinary.

Wang Yinwu removed his outer robe, revealing his true appearance, lifted the hem of his garment, and sat facing Lu Duoxun. He sniffed the tea fragrance in the air and showed a slight smile: "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"No matter. Brother Wang is busy with official duties; that you could spare the time to attend is already my honor!" Lu Duoxun's attitude was excellent. He personally poured Wang Yinwu a cup of tea and gestured: "Please—this is tribute tea from Fujian. His Majesty only granted me a single jar!"

"Many thanks!"

The relationship between Lu Duoxun and Wang Yinwu had been constantly evolving. Back when they had jointly been sent on a mission to the Western Regions, Wang Yinwu had been a nameless low-ranking clerk of the Wude Office, who, besides the tasks assigned by the bureau, had even secretly monitored Lu Duoxun.

Lu Duoxun, meanwhile, had been the chief envoy, a second-place graduate of the imperial examinations, from an official family, personally commissioned by the Emperor. The gap between the two, though not as deep as a chasm, was still pronounced.

Later, both served in the northwest. Lu Duoxun rose step by step, quietly weaving his network, accumulating prestige and influence, while Wang Yinwu at that time—even as Hexi's chief intelligence officer—could not be compared with Lu Duoxun at all.

Even after Wang Yinwu was promoted to Commissioner of the Wude Office, he remained humble and deferential before Lu Duoxun. But power and status indeed make a man grow. By now, the two could finally converse on equal footing.

In terms of standing at court, Wang Yinwu naturally could not compare with Lu Duoxun, a chief minister, but in terms of real power, he was by no means low. Thus, more than twenty years later, when the two sat face to face, Wang Yinwu no longer harbored a shred of inferiority, and Lu Duoxun no longer dared to act superior as in the past, treating him as an equal.

Wang Yinwu had enjoyed great glory in recent years, enough to make the vast majority of the world envious, but Lu Duoxun felt not a trace of jealousy—because Wang Yinwu's ceiling was already in sight.

On the contrary, given their twenty-odd years of friendship, he was glad for him, and also glad for himself, for this was a rare ally. Just imagine—when the Censorate and the Wude Office joined forces, what a force that would be, what a power.

Of course, it was also to manage appearances that the two no longer associated as closely as before. In their dealings, Lu Duoxun was also mindful of Wang Yinwu's feelings, giving him full respect—something unimaginable in earlier years. Who says Lu Duoxun doesn't know how to handle people? It's just that it depends on who he's dealing with.

However, to say the relationship between the two was as firm as steel—that would not be entirely true. At bottom, it was still a matter of mutual interest.

Wang Yinwu was unlike his predecessor Li Chongju. His foundation was too thin, his roots too shallow. To secure his position as Commissioner of the Wude Office, besides Emperor Liu's trust, he also needed support. At court, Lu Duoxun could play that role, at least helping him fend off pressure from the court directed at the Wude Office.

Without that premise, even the firmest relationship could easily be broken. In recent years, when the central government had several times issued policies to restrict the Wude Office's powers, Lu Duoxun had always defended it—even if he couldn't stop it, he would secretly warn and inform. This mutual support was the true foundation maintaining their relationship.

But likewise, the Wude Office had provided Lu Duoxun with much assistance. In the years Lu Duoxun had overseen the Censorate, he had achieved no small number of accomplishments, and how much of that intelligence had come with the Wude Office's help could not be counted. The Censorate's surveillance system, after all, was not as meticulous as the Wude Office's.

. wap.