Chapter 294: A Thread to Pull

On Wangjia Bridge in Shangyuan County within Nanjing city, people came and went in a steady stream. Li Ping'er hurried across the bridge from the south, weaving through the crowd and constantly dodging passersby. Because of the bridge's traffic advantage, many people had set up on the bridge deck selling melons, fruits, and other goods, and shoppers stood in the middle of the road inspecting the wares, making the bridge surface even narrower.

The noisy bridge deck was packed with people. Li Ping'er's face was full of anxiety, her flushed cheeks already covered in beads of sweat. Right in front of her, several people were loudly haggling and had completely blocked the path. Li Ping'er gave one of them a shove, but the man turned his head and glared at her fiercely.

Li Ping'er's eyes widened, and just as a quarrel seemed about to erupt, a man's voice suddenly spoke from behind her. "Miss Li, are you perhaps looking for a little boy named Yuan Wu'er?"

The moment she heard the three words 'Yuan Wu'er,' Li Ping'er froze for a second, then immediately turned around. She saw a man wearing a long blue waist-loom cloth robe, dressed like a small tradesman, but his cheeks were thin, and his skin was dark and rough, more like a laborer accustomed to heavy work.

Li Ping'er suddenly snapped to her senses and grabbed the man's sleeve fiercely. Before she could even open her mouth, the man said in a low voice, "If you want Yuan Wu'er to come home, come with me and we'll talk off to the side."

The man gestured toward the east side. Li Ping'er kept both hands clamped tightly onto his sleeve, refusing to let go.

"No need to hold on. If I really wanted to leave, you couldn't hold me back anyway."

Li Ping'er stared at the man's face and hesitated for a moment, then released his sleeve and followed him toward an alley on the east side. After turning south inside the alley, the clamor from the main road outside immediately faded.

There were four people in the small lane. Three of them were also in short jackets, and one had a knife scar on his face. Li Ping'er thought they looked like Da Hang men, but their clothing and appearance were far less flashy than the city's thugs. These men blocked both ends of the alley, and only one person, wearing a long robe, stood facing Li Ping'er.

This man was around twenty-some years old, his skin far better than that of his underlings, and he carried a folding fan at his waist like a typical scholar. At this moment, he stood very quietly in the small alley.

Li Ping'er was completely at a disadvantage in this secluded lane. She felt her throat go dry and her hands tremble slightly. After catching her breath a few times, she steeled herself and said, "Where is Yuan Wu'er? What do you want? Don't think a lone woman like me is easy to bully. Do you know who I am?"

The man dressed as a scholar raised his eyes to look at Li Ping'er, his gaze utterly impassive, showing that he was in complete control of the situation. With a relaxed expression, he said, "Miss Li Ping'er of Mei Lou, who along the two banks of the Qinhuai does not recognize you? But for me to be able to intercept you at Wangjia Bridge, I naturally know a few things that others do not. In Jinpa Lane, Shangyuan County, there is a man named Yuan Liye. His ancestors were originally a Guard Post military household, and in his generation, the line has passed through three single heirs, yet he fathered four daughters in a row. The eldest is called Yuan Meiping, and below her are three more sisters, two of whom are not yet betrothed. This Yuan Liye thought his incense offerings would end there, never expecting that at thirty-five he would get a boy."

He paused briefly, then slowly approached Li Ping'er. "His formal name is Yuan Liuzong, and his childhood name is Yuan Wu'er. Miss Ping'er, you came rushing over — could it be you've learned that Yuan Liuzong has gone missing?"

"Where is Wu'er? What do you intend to do?" Li Ping'er's voice in the small alley was calm, but a faint tremor still ran through it. The other party knew her family background inside and out, clearly well-prepared. Having no idea where these men came from, the fear in her heart only grew.

"It's a pity Yuan Liye never established his career. With five children at home, his income fell short. Seeing that his eldest daughter had grown into quite a beauty, he hardened his heart and sold her to a brothel madam on the Qinhuai River. Because the authorities forbid the buying and selling of people, it was disguised as an adoption. She took the madam's surname and was renamed Li Ping'er. Miss Ping'er is someone who feels deeply for her parents and dotes even more on her young younger brother. So even though she was sold into a house of pleasure, she still finds every way to supplement the family's income. I am truly moved and impressed."

Li Ping'er took a slight step back, folded her arms across her chest, tilted her head to the side, and said, "Since you know Li Mama, you ought to know what kind of person Li Mama is. She has connections in every yamen in this city of Nanjing. If you know what's good for you, return Wu'er soon, and I won't pursue this matter against you."

None of the men were swayed. The scholar studied Li Ping'er carefully for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "However, though that madam has a reputation for generosity along the Qinhuai, she is not so generous with her subordinates. Even as her personal maidservant, you are not allowed to keep money on your person, much less have contact with your family. How Miss Ping'er gets the silver she sends home each month, and what excuse you used to come home today — I am very curious about these things."

Li Ping'er's breathing gradually quickened. Nanjing in July was practically a furnace, and this small alley was even more stiflingly hot. Already worried sick over her young brother, having rushed halfway across the city only to be suddenly called into a secluded spot, and with this man seemingly holding something over her, her anxiety made sweat pour down her face. By now, even her collar was soaked through.

She studied the young scholar for a moment, then said, "How much silver do you want? Just say it outright."

"Miss, you misunderstand. I am no bandit spawn who waylays travelers." The scholar pulled out the folding fan from his waist. "Just now, Miss asked if I knew who you were. I answered. Now I ask Miss Ping'er: do you know who I am?"

"You... who are you?"

"My surname is Fang. I have not come specifically to make trouble for you, Miss, nor do I intend to pursue how you get silver out of Mei Lou." Jiang Fan's eyes fixed on Li Ping'er. "Li Lihua has recently done something that displeased my master. I need to get to the bottom of it from you, Miss. If you still wish to see Yuan Wu'er, then tell me truthfully what you know."

Li Ping'er bit her lip, then suddenly cried out shrilly, "And who is your master? You are all grown men. Do you know no shame, bullying a weak woman like me? Whatever entanglement Li Mama has with you, why involve a five-year-old child?"

Jiang Fan lowered his head for a moment, then said, "Then allow me to ask Miss Ping'er: when the roving thieves wanted to slaughter Susong County, why did the Susong County Magistrate want to kill a Tongcheng runner?"

Li Ping'er froze. Her mind was in utter turmoil right now; she had no idea what Jiang Fan was talking about. She had never even heard of where Susong was.

"Miss, your sarcastic words are of no use against me." Jiang Fan showed not the slightest trace of shame. "Everything in this world has its cause. I have not sought you out without reason. Next, I will ask and you will answer. If I get the information I want, you will see Yuan Liuzong again in a few days."

Hearing that she would see Wu'er, Li Ping'er's heart settled slightly. Only then did she recall the word 'Tongcheng' from earlier. She heard it often in daily life, because many of the regular patrons at Mei Lou came from Tongcheng. It suddenly occurred to her who might have sent the man before her.

She stared at Jiang Fan doubtfully. "Are you men under a young general?"

Jiang Fan neither denied nor admitted it. Li Ping'er took a few breaths, her gaze sweeping over the other men before finally resting on Jiang Fan's face. "If I tell you about Li Mama's affairs, will you use it to continue threatening me later?"

"I do have that intention, so Miss will be of use to me in the future as well." Jiang Fan nodded calmly. "But it also depends on whether Li Lihua is worth it. After all, that is still undecided. Miss would do better to worry about the matter at hand. If you refuse to speak today, tomorrow I will send back other parts of Yuan Wu'er."

Li Ping'er's body trembled. "Then how do I know if Wu'er is truly in your hands?"

Jiang Fan nodded to the man behind him. A follower brought over a brightly colored garment. Li Ping'er snatched it and unfolded it before her eyes to examine it. The garment was pieced together from many small scraps of cloth in different colors, not because the Yuan family was poor, but because it was a traditional Hundred-Family Robe. Such robes were usually made for children around four or five years old. Because the cloth scraps were all gathered from various families, each one was absolutely unique. She could tell at a glance — it was indeed the one Yuan Wu'er wore.

Li Ping'er bit her lip and looked at Jiang Fan. "Ask."

……

After nightfall, inside the still-unfinished Great River Silver Bank on Dazhong Street, Pang Yu walked slowly. Liu Ruogu and Jiang Fan both followed behind him, while Guo Fengyou and Pang Ding carried lanterns. The empty main hall of the silver bank was filled with the smell of sawdust and paint. Building materials were piled everywhere, forming clusters of dark shadows in the dim yellow light, giving the place a slightly eerie feel.

Jiang Fan, at the rear right, said in a low voice, "The person who wants Bai Shun Tang is indeed the Inner Guard Junior Eunuch Zhou Renzai. Zhou Renzai is a man of the Inner Guard Grand Eunuch Zhang Yinggan. The Guozijian Student Guo Zuoshan is Zhou Renzai's trusted confidant; he runs around making contacts on his behalf. Besides Li Lihua, those involved also include one Supervisor of the Southern Inner Palace Eunuch Office, one Southern Military Courier Officer, two clerks from the Northern and Southern City Wardens Office, and one official from the Chief Military Commission of the Central Army. The two from the Wardens Office are responsible for inciting the underlings of the Shangyuan County yamen to directly seize it by force. Recently, it's not just Bai Shun Tang; they've also set their sights on several pawnshops, also because the officials those shops had attached themselves to have fallen from power."

"In other words, this Guo Zuoshan is the one running the operation, and the Junior Eunuch is his backer." Pang Yu stepped around a pile of window frames, speaking as he walked. "What is this man's background?"

"Guo Zuoshan's father is the Jiangning County Punishment Office Clerk. He grew up hanging around yamens and the marketplace. Three years ago, he purchased a Tribute Student title and entered the Guozijian, then sought an appointment to enter the Inner Guard Office." After speaking, Jiang Fan stole a glance at Pang Yu. After all, Pang Yu had also purchased his Guozijian Student status, merely for the identity, and had never once attended classes at the Guozijian — even his registration had been handled by someone Liu Ruogu sent.

After the mid-Ming period, the civil examination system had essentially monopolized all official career resources. The Guozijian lacked paths for advancement, and the backlog of students was extremely severe. Coupled with the market-oriented practices of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, by the late Ming the Guozijian had become an empty shell. The northern and southern Imperial Academies were filled with large numbers of such people, and very few actually attended classes there properly.

"A Donation Tribute Guozijian Student — he did the same thing as this official." Pang Yu was completely unbothered and said righteously, "But this official did it to save the nation and the people; he did it only for his own selfish gain."

"Truly, the difference is as vast as heaven and earth." Liu Ruogu picked up the thread. "But this man is quite adept at currying favor and exploiting connections. Relying on the power of the Inner Guard Office, he has wide social ties across all the yamens in Nanjing. Dealing with this kind of person through a fixer will likely cost a great deal of silver."

Pang Yu mulled it over in his mind for a moment. This Guo Zuoshan was a local power broker in Nanjing. Although he appeared to hold no official post whatsoever, his connections within Nanjing's official circles ran deep. If Pang Yu dealt with him through ordinary channels, he, a Mobile Corps Commander, would actually be at a disadvantage. Assassinating a marketplace thug like this would be very simple, but such a method might provoke retaliation from Zhou Renzai or even Zhang Yinggan. If that happened, his businesses in Nanjing could no longer operate safely, so it could only be a last resort.

"Guo Zuoshan counts as Zhang Yinggan's man. Zhang Yinggan is one of the Inner Guard Grand Eunuchs. The other Coordinating Guards and Advisory Confidentials are all useless in this case. We can only find a way to connect with the Seal-Holding Guard Eunuch Liang Hongtai. If we look for a fixer in Nanjing, is there anyone relatively reliable?"

"I've selected three with good reputations. One of them is Ruan Dacheng."

Pang Yu turned his head and glanced at Liu Ruogu. He knew Ruan Dacheng was usually involved in official circles' shady dealings, but he hadn't expected the man to actually have a reputation.

"Is there any sign of progress on Ruan Dacheng's return to office?"

"He still seems to be constrained by the Reverse Case, but he socializes frequently in Nanjing. He came to the silver bank five or six days ago and deposited a sum of three thousand taels of silver. He told me that Shichao Garden is now complete, and that if you, sir, ever came, you must visit his home as a guest. Because so many people from Tongcheng come and go, I didn't pay it much mind."

Jiang Fan said in a low voice, "This subordinate feels it would be better not to seek out Ruan Dacheng. According to what Li Ping'er mentioned, Li Lihua often sees Ruan Dacheng, and the two have a rather deep relationship. If we go to him, he may not genuinely handle matters for us and might instead leak our secrets. After all, Bai Shun Tang is now quite famous in Nanjing — one could say it's earning a fortune daily. Ruan Dacheng may not be without designs on it."

Pang Yu looked at Jiang Fan. "Are you saying Ruan Dacheng also wants a share of Bai Shun Tang?"

Jiang Fan shook his head. "Ruan Dacheng should have no involvement in this matter. He has been constantly planning his return to office. Li Ping'er is responsible for arranging appointments at Mei Lou and Yumian Pavilion. Ruan Dacheng has been hosting banquets in succession at Yumian Pavilion in recent months. Among the people he's met are nobles, Qian Qianyi of the Donglin, Wu Changshi of the Restoration Society, and also a Supervisor of the Southern Inner Palace Eunuch Office, but no one from the Inner Guard Office."

"Ruan Dacheng met with Qian Qianyi?" This unexpected piece of news made Pang Yu furrow his brow slightly. The so-called Donglin Party actually had no clear organizational form; it was very loosely structured. Qian Qianyi was the literary leader of the Donglin and also Zhang Guowei's chief examination master. Because Mr. Ma had never paid any attention to Ruan Dacheng, Pang Yu had assumed that the Donglin and Ruan Dacheng were on extremely bad terms. The last time he went to Suzhou to seek an official post, Ruan Dacheng had proposed a suggestion to take a long, roundabout route to connect with Qian Qianyi, which had always made Pang Yu think that a Donglin figure like Qian Qianyi would absolutely never deal with the Eunuch Faction.

Liu Ruogu said carefully, "There is one more matter to report to you, sir. According to several people from Tongcheng, Ruan Dacheng also exchanges letters with Shi Kefa."

The surprise in Pang Yu's heart grew even greater. With Qian Qianyi as a precedent, if someone told him now that Zhang Guowei had dealings with Ruan Dacheng, he wouldn't be surprised at all. But Shi Kefa had always styled himself as Zuo Guangdou's direct disciple. The prevailing opinion in scholarly circles still held that Zuo Guangdou's death was connected to Ruan Dacheng. Pang Yu would never have imagined there was private contact between them.

"And Wu Changshi of the Restoration Society." Pang Yu took a moment to digest these pieces of information. He had heard Fang Yizhi and others mention Wu Changshi's name and knew that this man was Zhang Pu's trusted confidant, but he was not usually in Nanjing. For him to come see Ruan Dacheng at such a critical juncture, there had to be some scheme behind it. It showed that Zhang Pu and Ruan Dacheng were not as they appeared on the surface. It now seemed the relationships among these scholar-officials were far more complicated than he had imagined.

At this point, Pang Yu stepped onto the staircase. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the main hall. Pang Yu asked Jiang Fan, "Does Li Ping'er know what Wu Changshi wanted with Ruan Dacheng?"

"It was to establish a connection with another very important person."

Liu Ruogu stopped and asked, "Who?"

Jiang Fan spoke toward Pang Yu's back. "They didn't allow maidservants to be present during their secret talks. Li Ping'er doesn't know the name. But this subordinate has a theory. Wu Changshi later met Qian Qianyi at Yumian Pavilion. Given the deep ties between the Restoration Society and the Donglin, if it were any Donglin person, Wu Changshi would not need Ruan Dacheng to make the introduction. So the person Wu Changshi wanted to connect with is definitely not of the Donglin faction, but rather someone with close ties to Ruan Dacheng and who is very important in official circles."

Pang Yu reached the turn of the staircase. He had now clearly identified the faction that wanted to seize Bai Shun Tang, but how to resolve it was still unclear. His resources within Nanjing's official circles were still limited, and he was utterly confused by the entanglements of the various political forces. Before, he had relied entirely on the Restoration Society. Judging from recent signs, it seemed he had previously underestimated Ruan Dacheng's influence. Now, with various parties seeking out Ruan Dacheng, it showed that Ruan Dacheng could play an important role in this Restoration Society incident. Ruan Dacheng's message to visit seemed like a hint. The cause of the Bai Shun Tang matter also stemmed from the Restoration Society. It seemed he finally had a bit of a thread to pull.

"Since Ruan Dacheng is also a fixer, prepare a gift list. Tomorrow, this official will go tour Shichao Garden."