Chapter 210: Killing the King (VII)

The people welcomed in through the back door were the two intelligence agents from the listening post.

Since Hengguangkang had already been destroyed, the listening post set up specifically for Hengguangkang no longer needed to exist from tonight onward. Including the two plum vases that had been so painstakingly placed in the study, all equipment and personnel would be reassigned in a few days.

Of course, for the next couple of days, the communication device still had to be temporarily set up inside Hengguangkang — such a large office had a great deal of intelligence and valuables that needed processing. Besides, there was one more point that interested Song Jia even more: exactly who would come visiting at Hengguangkang in these two days?

Seize the magpie's nest, wait by the stump for the rabbit, open the door and welcome the guests: since there was official backing behind the scenes, Song Jia didn't mind playing the fake shopkeeper at Hengguangkang for a few days.

As for a few days later... as long as I, Zheng Jinchen, set out on the road on time, then within a day or two he'd be finished. The moment the news reached Zhongzuosuo, it would be lucky if the Zheng Clan's remaining power base could survive past next month; the Silk Village's tactical value was already nearly zero.

And so, Song Jia's group began openly and brazenly handling the aftermath.

First were the corpses. All the dead were searched, then carefully bound up with fine hemp cloth: the Silk Village had all kinds of hemp cloth in stock. The most important item on these people was a wooden plaque used to confirm identity — this thing was very important, because it would still be needed in the final wrap-up work to come.

And Old Master Song Jia, at this moment, was already sitting in the main study, using the vehicle-mounted radio to report the situation separately to the Jia Le Fu old nest and to Huang the Provincial Graduate's place. The old nest side would use the telegraph machine to send the intelligence back to Dayuan Island; as for Huang the Provincial Graduate's place, needless to say, the government would take the lead in the next actions, and Huang the Provincial Graduate had to keep control of the situation at all times.

Gasping for breath, Bai Yuer arrived at the Nanmen he had left not long ago.

He didn't want to think about anything now, only about getting out of the city to find the Great Boss. As long as he reached the Great Boss, his life should be saved, right? And so, Bai Yuer once again hid in that street corner where beggars slept, both eyes fixed intently on the Nanmen Tower, waiting for the moment the city gate opened.

In ancient times, city gate opening times during war had no pattern, but in peacetime there was a pattern: open at dawn, close at dusk. When Bai Yuer reached the Nanmen, it was already the time of the fifth watch and third drum — converted to later generations' time, that was a little past 5 a. m. — the city gate would open very soon.

Just then, a rumbling sound of footsteps came from outside Nanmen Bridge. Bai Yuer whipped his head around and saw a large group of soldiers, guided by cavalrymen riding horses, carrying long swords, and holding lanterns, running toward the Nanmen with swords and spears on their shoulders.

"Damn it, how could I forget this scene!" Bai Yuer instantly realized: Xiong Wencan was going to leave the city through the Nanmen with full ceremonial regalia this morning. These people rushing to the Nanmen now were definitely the advance troops for street clearing, so the Nanmen would certainly not allow any random people in or out before Xiong Wencan returned to the city.

Once Bai Yuer figured this out, without the slightest hesitation, he once again began to sprint with all his might: heading due east.

Since the due south gate might be sealed off, the best choice was the Tongxian Gate to the east. Tongxian Gate and Nanmen were separated only by a Nine Immortals Mountain; it was a new gate opened in the fourth year of the Hongwu era, when Prince Consort Commandant Wang Gong presided over the rebuilding of Fuzhou City.

Bai Yuer ran desperately, all the way passing the Min County Yamen, passing the Prefectural School, passing the foot of Nine Immortals Mountain. When a sliver of fish-belly white appeared in the sky, he could already see the gate tower of Tongxian Gate.

Not only did he see the gate tower, he also saw people standing sparsely beneath it, waiting to leave the city. Most of these people carried carrying poles on their backs — they were laborers preparing to rise early and go outside the city to find work.

Just as Bai Yuer ran up to the cheval de frise in front of the gate entrance, a drumbeat sounded from atop the city wall. Then, panting heavily, hands braced on his knees, Bai Yuer looked with relief through the dark gate tunnel and saw that single line of light gradually brightening as the city gate slowly opened.

Bai Yuer knew that soon the city gate would fully open, then the city guards would come move aside the cheval de frise, and after that, he only needed to pay a few copper coins to leave this city brimming with murderous intent, and run toward the light, toward freedom.

... The sound of horse hooves rang out once again.

A line of five or six warhorses came racing down the street, frightening the pedestrians on the roadside into scattering in retreat. Yet the mounted column did not slow down, charging all the way to the cheval de frise before the lead rider reined in his warhorse.

"I am Chen Ce, Cavalry Commander-in-Chief of the Governor's Standard Battalion Battalion! The city gate guard commander, come out and answer!" Shouting loudly from horseback was a young general wearing gleaming silver bright-light armor, a phoenix-wing helmet, with thick brows and large eyes, a broad face and heavy jaw, exuding an aura of majestic authority.

The City Gate Squad Commander came bustling out of the gate tunnel in a fluster.

The moment that general saw the official robe on the squad commander, he tossed over a rolled document in his hand: "By military order of the Grand Coordinator, today all city gates will open an hour late. An hour later, entry is permitted but exit is not; after another hour, the barrier may be removed."

The gate officer, smiling apologetically, opened the document and hastily glanced at it, then turned around in a fluster and shouted toward the gate tower: "Close the gate, close the gate..."

During the Ming and Qing periods, the "Dubiao Camp" and "Governor's Standard Battalion Battalion" directly under a province's governor-general or governor were crucial strategic forces for maintaining provincial stability. These core units, in normal times, had ample pay, excellent equipment, soldiers with practiced combat skills, and high morale; once deployed in battle, they were the personal troops of the governor-general or governor, the core military force used to suppress the overall situation.

So when the gate officer at Tongxian Gate saw such domineering armored cavalry, he knew without guessing that they were the regular army of the Governor's Standard Battalion Battalion.

And so, the city gate, which had just opened halfway, now began to slowly close again.

And so, Bai Yuer, no longer able to bear the blow of disappointment, at this moment threw all caution to the wind, vaulted over the cheval de frise, and dashed toward that freedom not yet closed off.

"Impudence!" The handsome Commander-in-Chief Chen Ce, clad in full armor, was enraged at seeing someone dare defy military orders and break through right before his eyes. So he reached out and took down a black-lacquered catalpa bow from beside his saddle. In the next instant, the arrow flew like a shooting star — Bai Yuer hadn't even entered the gate tunnel before he was pinned dead on the spot.

The fish that slipped the net ultimately still died under a certain faction's ultimate move — "Seal All Nine Gates" — without causing the slightest ripple.

At the exact same time Bai Yuer died, the grand ceremonial procession of Fujian Governor Xiong Wencan was passing through the Nanmen tower.

Zheng Zhilong, who had been waiting for his superior at the Official Dock south of the city since the fifth watch, could now see the large contingent of troops and men surging out from the Nanmen. Very naturally, he reached into his bosom, took out that beautiful cloisonné pocket watch, checked the time, and nodded slightly.

"Big Brother, look quickly, Governor Xiong has left the city!" Zheng Zhihu, who had been waiting beside him, pointed toward the city gate.

"Mm, the hour is a bit early. His Excellency is hoping we men will go early and return early." At this, Zheng Zhilong, in excellent spirits, couldn't help but smile.

"Then we'll go early and return early, and bring all the brothers to don a set of official skins!"

"I'm just afraid some shopkeepers won't be too happy about it..."

Just as the Zheng brothers were chatting lightly, Xiong Wencan's main force gradually arrived at the dock. By now the sky was already fully bright, and Zheng Zhilong, the moment Old Xiong's eight-bearer sedan chair touched the ground, hurried forward to greet him.

After the Grand Coordinator, in his bright red official robe, emerged from the sedan chair, the drama of harmonious lord-vassal rapport played out once again. And this time there were spectators: the large numbers of elite Governor's Standard Battalion troops on the shore and the large numbers of elite Zheng Clan pirates on the ships simultaneously witnessed this theatrical piece performed by professional actors — "Farewell."

Prostrating in salute, warm conversation, earnest instruction, parting wine... when the four-act play had been performed, the final act finally began.

Zheng Zhilong, standing at the bow of the ship at this moment, slowly bowed deeply, his face full of reluctance as he shouted: "Your Excellency, Zhilong takes his leave now."

And that fellow Xiong, also with a face full of reluctance, wearing a full set expression of Wang Lun seeing off Li Bai, gently waved his hand: "Go, go, go early and return safely..."

Carrying the joy of having accomplished his mission, carrying a heart full of hope, Zheng Zhilong left just like that.

And Xiong Wencan, having likewise achieved his propaganda goal, the moment the Zheng fleet raised its sails and weighed anchor, had already turned around expressionlessly, mounted his sedan chair, and returned to his office.

After the nerve-wracking yet safe "courteous escort out of the territory" of the Zheng Clan, the Crossing Faction at this moment finally seized the initiative into their own hands — from now on, Xiong Wencan could never again, as he had this time, arbitrarily exert pressure on the Transmigrators and force them to mobilize more resources to maintain his political line.

Just as Old Xiong turned around to mount his sedan chair, a man dressed in blue came to the entrance of Zheng Huairen's paper shop and handed a letter to the shop assistant at the door. Zheng Huairen, who hadn't been sleeping soundly to begin with, opened the letter after receiving it — what slid out from inside was a Hengguangkang communication waist token, along with a sheet of paper.

On the paper was written a single short line: "Rear alley of Wang's Medicine Shop. Name known, not signed."

Zheng Huairen of course knew Wang's Medicine Shop — it was on a street not far from his home. So after reading the letter, Zheng Huairen immediately got up and headed straight for the location mentioned in the letter. Not long after, when he reached the entrance of the rear alley of the medicine shop, he saw a shop assistant wearing a Hengguangkang-style robe waving at him... so he rounded a donkey cart parked at the alley entrance and walked in.

Not long after, the donkey cart started moving. This cart traveled without stopping, heading straight to the side gate of Hengguangkang. After entering, the driver unloaded the cargo from the cart in the sedan hall: Zheng Huaiyuan.

In the afternoon, the lockdown at the city gate was finally lifted, and so this donkey cart, accompanied by two yamen runners in official uniforms, began busily shuttling back and forth between the mass burial ground outside the city and Hengguangkang — this cart would be very busy today, because the corpses couldn't all be hauled away in one trip.

That evening, the girl Shui Xiuer of Sanfu Pavilion received a refined guest. Having already saved up enough silver to buy her freedom and secretly planning to leave, Miss Shui Xiuer had begun to slack off a bit starting today — her service to guests was not attentive.

Fortunately, this guest was a person of magnanimous refinement, as warm and gentle as jade. When he saw that Shui Xiuer's mind was elsewhere, he didn't press the issue, hastily clinked a few cups of light wine with the girl, and then took his leave.

Three days later, Shui Xiuer died of what was called a sudden illness: a chill.

Now, of all the clean-up work, only one final task remained: transporting the silk and satin stored at Hengguangkang, along with over twenty thousand taels of silver, back to Xue Haiyuan's trading post.