Chapter 287: Spreading the Net

The slowly rising sun carried away the last trace of coolness from the summer morning. In a room in the rear courtyard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Yangzhou Chiliarchy, Liang Qi, still lost in sleep, opened his hazy, drink-addled eyes in the stifling heat. A fair, tender thigh lay draped across him, two jade-like arms encircled his waist, and a bewitching face was still deep in slumber.

At the thought of last night's frenzy, Liang Qi's heart burned hot, and a certain part of his body stirred with eager impulse. Just as he was about to mount and charge once more, the voice of his personal guard Wu San sounded untimely from outside the tightly shut door: "Reporting to the Chiliarch, Wu Shanghu, Platoon Leader of the Huai'an Customs House, has come to Yangzhou to pay respects to the Chiliarch, and claims to have important matters to report!"

"Damn it! What the hell kind of important matter can there be at this hour of the morning! I haven't even taken care of my own important business yet! Tell him to wait!"

A nameless fire rose in Liang Qi's chest. It was only out of consideration for Wu Shanghu's usual generous tributes that he didn't spew even filthier curses.

"My lord, official business comes first. Your concubine isn't going to vanish in the blink of an eye, hee hee~ Last night my lord was so vigorous that your concubine truly could not withstand the assault. Do allow your concubine to catch up on some sleep. Once my lord has finished with official matters, your concubine will serve you well again, alright?"

The woman speaking was named Huanyu. She had originally been a courtesan in a Yangzhou brothel. Being gentle by nature, and moreover clever and obedient, she had won Liang Qi's favor after several nights of intimacy. In the end, Liang Qi simply redeemed her from the brothel and brought her to the yamen, where she became his concubine.

"Very well! I'll listen to you this once! Rest well now—when your lord returns, I'll be sure to give you little vixen a proper working over!"

Liang Qi forcibly suppressed the lust in his heart, sat up, and took the calf-nose trousers from the head of the bed to put them on. Then he stepped into his thin-soled boots and rose to his feet. Huanyu hastily sat up and made to get out of bed to attend him, but Liang Qi waved her off. He took his robe from the clothing rack and dressed quickly, then turned back to the bed. His large hand gave her snow-white bosom a rough squeeze. Huanyu cried out in pain and shrank back, gazing at Liang Qi with silken, seductive eyes, a bashful blush spreading across her face. Liang Qi laughed heartily, turned, and opened the door to walk out.

Wu Shanghu, along with Sun Zhong and Zhang Tao, had taken a boat to Yangzhou the previous afternoon, arriving at the city's outer docks by nightfall. As the city gates had long since been closed, the three found an inn outside the city to stay the night. Rising in the morning and eating breakfast at the inn, they hurried to the city gate. When the gates opened at the hour of Mao, the three entered the city and made straight for the Chiliarchy.

Since Yangzhou and Huai'an were not far apart, and Huai'an was where Governor-General Chen Qiyu, in charge of grain transport, had his office, Zhu Youjian was unwilling to cause this able minister of repeated merit any displeasure. He had therefore specifically ordered Luo Yangxing that no Embroidered Uniform Guard station be established in Huai'an Prefecture city—only a Platoon Leader's post at the customs house to oversee tax collection. The customs house guards fell under the jurisdiction of the Yangzhou Chiliarchy, which was why Wu Shanghu had come all the way to Yangzhou to see Liang Qi.

Upon entering the Chiliarchy compound, Wu Shanghu reported his purpose to the officer on duty, then was led by a captain to the second hall to await Liang Qi's arrival.

After the three had waited the better part of half an hour, Liang Qi, having finished his meal in the rear courtyard, came around the screen into the second hall. Wu Shanghu and the others quickly rose and bowed. Liang Qi grunted in acknowledgment, strode to the seat of honor, and settled himself after lifting his robe. "Speak, then," he said. "What important matter brings you here at this hour of the morning? Surely the customs house hasn't been robbed? Otherwise why would you, Wu Shanghu, come running all night long?"

Hearing the displeasure in Liang Qi's tone, Wu Shanghu quickly stepped forward, bowed, and got straight to the point: "Reporting to the Chiliarch, one of my subordinate captains discovered a case of official vessels smuggling private goods at the customs house yesterday. As the matter involves Yangzhou Prefect Liu Zuo, I felt there might be an opportunity to exploit. I therefore rushed here overnight to report to the Chiliarch. As for how exactly to proceed, I await the Chiliarch's instruction!"

"Official vessels smuggling private goods? Who would be so bold and reckless? Have these civil officials no sense of shame at all! Damn them! Truly willing to throw away all face for silver! Official vessels are meant for the official business of court officials—how have they become private property! This matter should be dealt with severely! Tell me the whole story from beginning to end!"

After Liang Qi had cursed a few times, the evil fire in his heart subsided somewhat, and Wu Shanghu then related the previous day's events in full.

After hearing Wu Shanghu's account, Liang Qi pondered for a moment before speaking: "This matter isn't really all that serious, as such. If we were to report it to the court, Liu Zuo would only suffer a charge of negligence in oversight—at most a fine of his salary and back payment of the tax silver. We wouldn't gain anything from it. Unless... you're thinking of settling privately with the Liu Family Trading Company—seize the goods on the boat, then have the Liu Family Trading Company pay silver to redeem them? That's not a bad idea! I think we should demand at least five thousand taels from the Liu family, or else inform the Liu Family Trading Company that if they don't come redeem promptly, and it so happens a fire breaks out in the warehouse, twenty thousand taels' worth of goods will go up in smoke in the blink of an eye!"

Wu Shanghu secretly sneered with contempt: *With a brain like that, he still managed to become a Chiliarch—Heaven above must truly be blind. And he has the nerve to curse civil officials for throwing away face over silver—you're no better than them yourself! *

In truth, Liang Qi was not such a mediocre man. It was precisely because of his outstanding abilities that he had originally been entrusted with the important post in Yangzhou. The case of the Liang-Huai Salt Transport Commission had been handled single-handedly by him, and for that he had been promoted ahead of schedule.

But ever since being elevated to Chiliarch of the Yangzhou Chiliarchy, seeing that further advancement was no longer possible, his only remaining thoughts were of accumulating money and finding women. He had long since forgotten the Embroidered Uniform Guard's fundamental function of opposing the civil officials.

The problem was—you, Liang Qi, might not want promotion, but most of the officers and captains under your command still harbored hopes of rising in rank and growing rich. With you so inert, what were they supposed to do?

Wu Shanghu felt greatly aggrieved in his heart, but there was nothing he could do about it.

One had to know that within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, hierarchy was extremely strict, and there was an unwritten rule: it was forbidden for subordinates to challenge superiors. Even if one's superior was mediocre and incompetent, as a subordinate one could not openly or covertly report or denounce him.

Most officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard held hereditary posts, with families serving within the Guard for generations or even over a dozen generations. The various powers within the Guard were deeply intertwined, and nepotistic connections were exceedingly complex. If you carelessly offended one person in daily life, behind them you might well have offended a whole network—and who knew when you might find yourself with shoes that pinched. Thus, for low-ranking officers to gain promotion, they had to render great service and win the appreciation of their superiors.

"What the Chiliarch says is most reasonable! But your subordinate feels there may be another way to handle this matter. If arranged properly, who knows—the Chiliarch's seat might be able to move up a notch, and we subordinates could share in the glory! Even if the merit isn't enough for promotion, it would still bank some capital for future advancement—and should the right opportunity arise, who knows when it might prove useful!"

Wu Shanghu clasped his fists and bowed as he spoke.

"Promotion? What capital can be gained from this matter? Liu Zuo hasn't stuck his head out—how can we use him as a handle? Wait... are you saying...?!"

As long as his mind wasn't entirely occupied with gold, silver, and women, Liang Qi was still a fairly clever man. At the mention of Liu Zuo, he suddenly understood Wu Shanghu's intent.

"Exactly! The Chiliarch is truly a worthy superior—you thought of such an excellent scheme in an instant! Do not speak, Chiliarch—allow your subordinate to guess at your brilliant plan, shall I?"

Liang Qi felt greatly pleased by Wu Shanghu's flattery: "Look at this head of mine—so focused on official business that I forgot to have you all sit down. We're all old brothers in the Guard—do sit, quickly. Let's hear whether you, Old Wu, have guessed this officer's thoughts!"

Wu Shanghu and the other two gave their thanks and took their seats. Having stood for so long, all three felt their legs somewhat numb and sore.

"Then your subordinate will make a rough guess, and if there are any errors, I hope the Chiliarch will correct me. Your subordinate believes the Chiliarch intends to keep the goods detained at the docks. Even if the Liu Family Trading Company ultimately caves and pays the back taxes, we can still refuse to release the goods on other pretexts—or even destroy them by the method of a 'flood.' Liu Zuo, a fourth-rank official, would surely be furious beyond measure. The Jiangnan gentry and wealthy merchants, who have long complained bitterly about the court's commercial taxes, would surely gather around Liu Zuo at this time to discuss countermeasures—their intent being nothing more than to find some way to force the court to rescind the tax levies. Your subordinate predicts he will resort to the same old tricks: first calling for the merchants to shut their shops in strike, then gathering large numbers of merchants, scholars, and street ruffians to besiege the government offices, making it appear that local unrest is brewing—all to coerce the court into backing down. This method worked time and again in the Wanli and Tianqi eras, but now His Majesty Chongzhen sits on the throne. From the various measures he has taken over these years, His Majesty will absolutely not be swayed by such manipulation of public sentiment—he will surely find a way to crush their schemes to establish his imperial authority. Would this not be precisely the opportunity for our Yangzhou Chiliarchy to render distinguished service?! These are your subordinate's thoughts—does the Chiliarch agree?"

"Exactly so! Old Wu, you're truly capable! What you've said is precisely what this officer intends! Proceed with this plan! You three return to the customs house first and handle matters there. This officer will immediately summon the officers and make arrangements. From this day forward, whether it's Liu Zuo or the Liu Family Trading Company, all persons connected to them and their comings and goings must be kept under close surveillance, and the movements of all related personnel must be thoroughly investigated. This officer will have the clerk of this office draft the documents and report to the Regional Military Commissioner. If we gain reward and promotion this time, Old Wu, your contribution will be indispensable!"

Liang Qi stood up excitedly and decisively made his decision.