Chapter 299: Evidence

After learning that the Four Seas Trading Company's shop had caught fire, Xu Qiming, who had been waiting in his study all along, finally felt at ease and returned to his bedchamber to rest.

The next morning around the mao hour, the sky had just begun to glow red at the horizon, the sun had not yet climbed into the sky, and there was scarcely a soul on the streets—almost everyone was still enjoying a deep sleep in the cool of the summer morning.

But the side gate on the western flank of the Xu estate in the eastern part of the city had already been opened from within. A young servant of the Xu household stepped out, yawning and bleary-eyed. The night-soil man who had been waiting punctually outside hurried forward a few steps, his face wreathed in smiles: "Young Master Sheng is always diligent—opening the gate at the mao hour every time. If Manager Li knew, wouldn't he have to raise Young Master Sheng's monthly wages!"

"Raise my wages my ass! You're not Manager Li! You old bastard, you're up to no good! Don't go to the master's courtyard today—the other courtyards are as usual!"

Young Master Sheng grumbled a few complaints before giving his instructions.

Before the night-soil man could reply, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from one end of the alley. Both turned to look as one, and saw several dozen paces away a group of warriors in resplendent clothing, weapons in hand, striding swiftly toward them.

Young Master Sheng, who had never seen such a display, went pale with fright. He wanted to turn and run back into the courtyard to hide, but his legs had gone as weak as noodles. The aged night-soil man was terrified as well, but he had seen something of the world. Seeing the situation, he hastily knelt to the ground, and looking up saw Young Master Sheng standing there trembling all over. He reached out an arm and yanked him down to the ground.

"Tie them up! Throw them aside! Do not take their lives!"

At the Platoon Leader's command, several of the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers who had already reached them split off from the group, pulled ropes from their bosoms, bound the two men tightly, and dragged them to the base of the wall. The other officers had already poured through the side gate into the Xu estate, and several made straight for the main gate.

In less than half a quarter-hour, as the Xu estate's heavy main gate slowly swung open, Liang Qi, who had been standing outside with his hands clasped behind his back, strode in. Behind him, the great mass of neatly arrayed officers entered in squads by Platoon Leader, and after rounding the screen wall they scattered—some surging toward the side courtyards, others passing through the second courtyard's main hall and heading straight for the rear residence. Liang Qi, meanwhile, found a flourishing camphor tree in the picturesque front courtyard. An officer fetched a bench from the gatekeeper's room and set it beneath the tree. Liang Qi sat himself down with legs spread wide and began to admire the rockeries, potted landscapes, clear waters, and lush flowers of the courtyard.

After destroying Huang Zhi's den the night before, Liang Qi had not immediately ordered the arrest of Xu Qiming, Liu Xingwen, and the others. These wealthy gentry households possessed fortunes of hundreds of thousands, with gold, silver, jade, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings beyond count. Had he raided their homes at night, precious items could easily have been pocketed by his subordinates in the confusion. If the Guard Commander's yamen and the Provost's yamen got wind of it, he could not escape a charge of dereliction of duty—and whether he kept his Chiliarch post would be another matter entirely.

It wasn't that Liang Qi was so loyal, incorruptible, and selfless. The truth was that when Li Ruolian had arrived in Yangzhou this time, he had specially sought Liang Qi out for a private talk—this Chiliarch position of his was something Li Ruolian had helped him obtain.

In that secret conversation, Li Ruolian sternly warned Liang Qi that the Eastern Depot had already quietly developed no small number of informants within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who would periodically compile reports on the performance of the two yamens and the various local chiliarch offices and submit them upward. Any misconduct by Embroidered Uniform Guard officers would be presented to the palace, and once it incurred the Sacred Dragon's wrath, the consequences would not be as simple as losing one's post.

Liang Qi had originally planned to use this opportunity of catching several fat sheep to make a killing. But upon hearing Li Ruolian's warning, he broke out in a cold sweat of fright. From then on, Liang Qi looked at every Centurion, officer, and guardsman as though they might be an Eastern Depot spy, and his formerly overbearing manner was considerably reined in, becoming much more mild.

The information Li Ruolian had received was deliberately leaked by Wang Shiqin, whether intentionally or not, at Zhu Youjian's direction—the purpose being to intimidate the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whose power was daily expanding.

Ever since Luo Yangxing had carried out his rectification campaign within the Guard, the formerly lazy and negligent atmosphere had been swept clean. As Zhu Youjian increased his rewards and promotions for the Guard from top to bottom, competition within the Guard grew ever fiercer. From Chiliarchs at the top down to the officers and guardsmen handling specific cases at the bottom, everyone wanted to do their work well in order to gain capital for promotion and hefty bounties.

Over the past few years, as the number of cases handled grew geometrically, the Embroidered Uniform Guard gradually recovered its former glory, and Zhu Youjian's authority in both court and country was greatly strengthened.

The strengthening of the Depot's and Guard's power meant a further extension of imperial authority—this had always been Zhu Youjian's primary intention, and now it was clear that remarkable results had been achieved.

But as various vague rumors drifted into the palace, Zhu Youjian discovered that some mid- and high-ranking officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had revealed a selfish and greedy side—especially when confiscating the homes of lawbreaking officials and gentry, seizing the opportunity to line their own pockets and secretly keep the property of convicted officials. And this phenomenon showed a growing trend.

To prevent the situation from spiraling out of control, and to avoid earning a reputation for killing the hounds once the hares are dead, Zhu Youjian instructed the Eastern Depot to begin planting informants within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and to let this move be known—thereby warning those greedy ones to stop in time.

In the fourth courtyard of the Xu estate's inner residence, Xu Qiming, still deep in slumber, was startled awake by a burst of screams and wailing. Anger surging, he was just about to bellow when footsteps sounded, followed by a great bang as the tightly shut door of the outer room was kicked open from outside. More than a dozen big men surged into the room and fanned out. The two maidservants dozing on the bed in the outer room shrieked, and five or six men pushed their way into the side bedchamber one after another.

Xu Qiming, dressed in white silk undergarments, sat up with a start. The concubine sleeping on the outer side of the bed let out a scream and wrapped the thin silk quilt tightly around herself.

"Xu Qiming?!"

A cold, stern voice rang out, and immediately a horse-faced man with undistinguished features leaned in. A pair of mung-bean-sized eyes sized up Xu Qiming, who sat on the inner side of the bed, their gaze carrying the cold indifference of one looking down upon ants.

"I am he! Vice Minister Xu of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing is my uncle! What yamen's officers are you? How dare you forcibly break into the private residence of an official gentleman! Have you no law in your eyes?! The officials and gentry of Jiangnan are not to be lightly insulted! What you do is unlawful, and it will surely rouse the righteous indignation of all discerning people in the realm—then we'll see how you settle this!"

Xu Qiming understood who these people were the moment he saw their attire—the Embroidered Uniform Guard—but the arrogant mentality of one long accustomed to ease and privilege, who had wielded influence throughout Jiangnan, still drove him to emit an angry roar.

"Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel? Nanjing? Heh heh! What a grand official! Even in the capital, Grand Secretaries and Ministers are but prisoners awaiting trial in the eyes of our imperial guard! Settle this? Perhaps settling your corpse would be more like it! Men, take him to the Chiliarch! Search the rest!"

The horse-faced Centurion, whose breath reeked, turned and walked toward the door.

Two officers rushed forward, dragged the concubine down from the bed, and carried the shrieking woman into the outer room. The thin quilt slipped from her body to the floor, revealing the gauze as thin as cicada wings she wore—great expanses of snow-white skin exposed.

Several officers surged over and, with a flurry of hands, dragged the cursing Xu Qiming off the bed. They bound his arms behind his back with rope. One officer produced a wad of cotton cloth, pinched his cheeks with one hand to force his mouth open, and stuffed the cotton into Xu Qiming's mouth. Two men half-dragged, half-carried him toward the front courtyard. The concubine and the two maidservants were driven outside the room and placed under guard, while the remaining officers began a meticulous search.

Beneath the camphor tree in the front courtyard, Liang Qi looked over Xu Qiming—disheveled, barefoot—from head to toe, then gave a slight lift of his chin as a signal. An officer pulled the cotton from Xu Qiming's mouth. After taking several deep breaths, Xu Qiming glared at Liang Qi, who sat on the bench, with eyes full of hatred.

"Master Xu, I have a few questions in my heart, and I hope Master Xu can resolve them for me: As an official gentleman, you've amassed a considerable estate over the years—a grand mansion, beautiful women, servants in droves, fine clothes and rich food every day, living at ease. What a carefree life that is! Why then must you collude within and without, opposing the court? Who taught you this path to self-destruction? Let me ask you—how did Xu Wenyuan and Liu Zuo conspire with you, plotting to delude the people and plunge Jiangnan into chaos?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qiming's eyes flew wide open, and he lunged forward as if possessed by madness. Two officers gripped his arms and held him back. Xu Qiming roared in fury: "Villains! Do not slander others! You villains trample the ancestral laws of the Great Ming, arbitrarily raising taxes and contending with the people for profit! And now you seek to frame and harm the pillars of the state through false accusation! Where is the law of the court? Where is heavenly justice? To slander without evidence—who under heaven can be convinced!"

Liang Qi chuckled nonchalantly. "No evidence? Master Xu, it seems you know very little of our imperial guard! If evidence is what you want, I can produce even proof of your treason! In a moment, when Liu Xingwen is brought here under escort, we shall go together to the Yangzhou prefectural yamen and meet with Prefect Liu Zuo!"