Chapter 1288: The Real Big Fish (Happy New Year, Good Fortune and Auspiciousness)

On the fifth day of the second month, around mid-afternoon, a mule cart flying the Jlabusi Trading Company banner swaggered up to the entrance of East Lake Town. East Lake Town was a settlement attached to East Lake Palace, much like Old Mountain Town over by Yingtian Prefecture. At the town entrance stood a tall wooden palisade, with soldiers and officers from the Guard Battalion and the Imperial Guards posted on sentry duty. The mule cart hesitated before halting in front of the palisade, and at once someone shouted out.

"Halt! East Lake is forbidden ground — no idle persons may enter without authorization!"

The mule cart stopped. The driver was a young fellow in his twenties, sturdy and square-faced, sitting bolt upright on the cart. He did not take offense at being shouted at; he just grinned, turned his head, and called back into the cart, "Mr. Ding, Miss Ding, we've arrived! East Lake Town isn't easy to get in and out of, so I won't go in — I'll just wait here at the gate."

An officer of the Guard Battalion in a red military uniform came out from behind the palisade. At the sight of the young driver he smiled. "Jia Liu, who are you delivering today?"

The young fellow called Jia Liu seemed quite familiar with the officer. He answered with a laugh, "A squire, and the squire's daughter. The squire is bringing his daughter to take the examination."

"Is that so?" The officer smiled. "Let me have a look."

By this time Ding Bapi had already climbed down from the mule cart, carrying a large bundle on his back. Then he helped a girl of fifteen or sixteen down from the cart. The girl was not tall, but she was quite good-looking. Her pure, fresh face carried a hint of fox-like charm; her features were delicate and lovely, her skin snow-white and smooth. Most remarkable of all, at such a young age she already had the beginnings of a graceful, well-rounded figure.

"Heh heh, a real little beauty!" the officer remarked approvingly. Then he walked up to Ding Bapi. "Squire, do you have a travel permit?"

"Yes, yes." Ding Bapi immediately produced a document and presented it with both hands.

The officer took it and looked it over. It was indeed a travel permit issued by Jinling Women's University, and it bore Miss Ding's name. The officer nodded, glanced again at Miss Ding, and muttered, "A talented young lady too. What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you?"

"This humble girl is Ding Yuying, from Huya Town, Yiling Subprefecture, Jingzhou Prefecture, just turned sixteen." The girl's voice was sweet and syrupy, very pleasant to the ear.

"All correct." The officer nodded and said to Ding Bapi, "Squire Ding, this humble officer wishes your daughter success in the examination! Please, go on in."

Ding Bapi smiled. "Thank you for the kind words, thank you for the kind words."

As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of Maritime Trading Company banknotes and tried to press them on the officer, but the officer waved them off. Ding Bapi did not insist. Smiling cheerfully, he led his daughter into East Lake Town.

The streets of East Lake Town were very broad, and the buildings were all imposing — for the most part the mansions of high officials or various government offices, with a few restaurants, shops, and inns as well. But no matter what business they did, every storefront looked grand. Ding Bapi felt somewhat ill at ease walking here, but his daughter was quite bold. She stared around with a pair of bright, liquid eyes, curious about everything she saw.

Ding Bapi suddenly spotted some government office — the very one he was looking for — and at once tugged his daughter over toward it. When they reached the front of the office, his daughter let out a surprised "Eh?" and said, "Why does it say Eastern Investigation Depot?"

It turned out that the plaque hanging over the entrance of the office bore four large characters: "Eastern Investigation Depot."

Ding Yuying thought to herself: I came to take the women's university examination, to become an imperial consort in the future — not to become a female spy!

Ding Bapi said to his daughter, "Father has an acquaintance in the Eastern Investigation Depot. He can look after you a bit."

Look after me? Ding Yuying thought. What does that mean? Cheating? What if I get caught? And how could Father possibly have an acquaintance in the Eastern Depot?

Ding Bapi found the guard posted at the entrance of the Eastern Investigation Depot, and with trembling hands produced a calling card, presenting it with both hands. The card was not Ding Bapi's own; the name on it was "Pan Yuchen."

That was right — it was the card of Pan Yuchen, Superintendent of the Eastern Depot.

The truth was that Ding Bapi's daughter Ding Yuying had not passed the preliminary entrance examination for Jinling Women's University. Although Ding Yuying was exceptionally clever and had studied well, she still could not compare with those aristocratic young ladies from scholarly families, or those who had received a new-style education from childhood.

But Ding Bapi, by some stroke of luck, had actually managed to establish a connection with Pan Yuchen, Superintendent of the Eastern Depot. Superintendent Pan apparently had some matter in which he needed Ding Bapi's help, so he had opened a back door for him, obtaining for Ding Yuying an examination permit for the entrance test and a travel document allowing entry into East Lake Town.

"A real little beauty, and with a touch of fox-like charm too. Not bad, not bad! Study hard for the examination. If you pass, a princely consort's title is the least you can expect. Even if you don't pass, as long as you do reasonably well, there will still be a chance to serve the imperial nobility."

In a small reception room inside the Eastern Investigation Depot, Ding Bapi and his daughter at last met Superintendent Pan of the Eastern Depot. He was a middle-aged man in his forties, dark-complexioned, with a very sturdy build. Apart from the lack of a beard, one really could not tell he was a eunuch.

At Superintendent Pan's words, young Miss Ding Yuying's face flushed red.

Pan Yuchen went on, speaking to Ding Yuying, "I am presently lodged here in the Eastern Investigation Depot compound. There are vacant rooms, and no one else about except my eating companion. If you do not mind, you may stay here with me while you wait to take the examination."

East Lake Town and the various ministry and court offices within Wuchang City were all equipped with large residential compounds for officials and their families, and the Eastern Investigation Depot was no exception.

"Then many thanks to Eunuch Pan." Ding Bapi thanked him repeatedly.

Pan Yuchen at once summoned a household servant, an old maidservant, and had her lead Ding Yuying to the rear courtyard to get settled. In the reception room, only Ding Bapi and Pan Yuchen remained.

"Squire Ding," Pan Yuchen said, the smile already gone from his face, his expression now grave, "your name and Zhang Haoran's have already reached the imperial ear. His Majesty has high expectations of you both, and hopes that you will render meritorious service to the court."

Ding Bapi said, "Superintendent, this humble one has bandit intelligence to report."

"What bandit intelligence?" Pan Yuchen asked.

Ding Bapi said, "It is said that a false king of the roving bandits is coming to Huya Mountain!"

"Heh heh, false indeed!" Pan Yuchen said. "Just someone raising a banner to fool people. But don't be disappointed. These past days I have been discussing with Commander Zhu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard a plan to cast a long line and catch a big fish."

"Cast a long line and catch a big fish?"

Pan Yuchen smiled and nodded.

Ding Bapi asked, "May I ask how big a fish the Superintendent wishes to catch?"

Pan Yuchen laughed. "A very big, very big fish!"

"Your Majesty, the bandits now gathered at Huya Town and Huya Mountain already number more than two thousand, and will soon reach five thousand!"

"According to reliable intelligence, on the eighth day of the second month this gang of rebels is going to rise up at Huya Mountain!"

Inside East Lake Palace, Zhu Chunjie and Ma Shiying were gleefully reporting the matter of the Huya Mountain rebels to Zhu Cilang.

"Five thousand men?" Zhu Cilang's expression darkened slightly. "How can there possibly be that many bandits?"

The number really was a bit too high. The Great Ming now enjoyed clear skies and bright sun — moreover, a sage sovereign sat on the throne, and the people lived in peace and contentment. How could there possibly be so many rebels?

"Your Majesty," Zhu Chunjie said with a smile, "of course there cannot be that many true rebels. Of the two thousand bandits now gathered at Huya Mountain and Huya Town, quite a few are fake bandits!"

Bandits could be fake? Zhu Cilang asked, "What is the meaning of fake bandits?"

Ma Shiying smiled. "Fake bandits are counterfeit bandits — originally not bandits at all, but officials, now pretending to be bandits!"

"Why is that?" Zhu Cilang asked, puzzled.

"Naturally, to lure the bandits out of Sichuan!" Zhu Chunjie said. "The roads into Shu are difficult! Your subjects felt that since entering Sichuan to destroy the bandits would be hard, it would be better to reverse the approach and lure the bandits out of Sichuan. Use fake bandits to draw out the real bandits, and then see whether the fake bandits can replace the real ones and return to Sichuan, to coordinate from within and without in a surprise attack on Kuimen!"

"Coordinate from within and without, surprise attack on Kuimen?" Zhu Cilang's eyes lit up. He now understood what scheme Zhu Chunjie and Ma Shiying were hatching.

"Can this be done?"

Zhu Chunjie said, "It is worth a try!"

Zhu Cilang nodded and was about to speak when the sound of hurried footsteps came. Then Huang Xiaobao was seen sprinting over, a memorial in his hand.

Reaching the Emperor, Huang Xiaobao bowed, then reported, "Your Majesty, an urgent memorial from Sichuan and Shaanxi, forwarded by the Marshal's Office!"

(End of Chapter)