Chapter 1039: Came Up Empty

But after a few cups of wine had gone down, the men at the post station realized they didn't need to crouch outside eavesdropping — the voices inside were so loud they carried straight out. These foreign riders were clearly accustomed to swaggering about and didn't care in the slightest.

"Tsk tsk, I just can't figure these backwater places. The man's already passed the provincial exam, his family's a major household like this, and yet he still goes messing around with some spirit-summoning cult. How does someone get that desperate?" The moment they heard this, the eavesdroppers outside turned dead serious. They knew exactly who was being talked about. The Tian family had given the post station plenty of perks — everyone even suspected each other of being White Lotus cultists.

"Brother, you really don't get it. In a place like this, having scholarly rank is one thing, turning that rank into real benefits is another. Running a cult — think how much money that brings in, how many followers you get. And come to think of it, once someone in the family has rank, the officials don't dare crack down too hard. The cult can grow big, and the two sides prop each other up!"

"Bullshit! If there were really that many advantages, why would the higher-ups send us to arrest them? No matter how much you summon wind and rain in your cult, no matter what spooky tricks you've got, once we brothers ride into town with official papers and bailiffs at our backs, it'll be like grabbing a chicken — hands down, no contest. If he dares rally a crowd, that's rebellion! Unless he wants the army to come wipe them out, he'd better behave and surrender quietly!"

The men outside listened with the utmost care, terrified of missing a single word. The more they heard, the more their hearts pounded with dread. They thought the Tian family's good days were surely over. That Xuzhou sorghum liquor packed a real punch — the men inside were drinking merrily, but their tongues had gotten plenty loose, and every kind of talk was spilling out.

"This time the Tian family's just unlucky. The Incense-Smelling Sect stirred up such a huge mess, and now the Tians have gone and started some White Lotus cult — the name alone is even more taboo. Not to mention the Tian family's so loaded with silver. The big lords up in the provincial capital are bound to find it an eyesore..."

"We brothers have got to move fast. Jinan and the capital have already settled things, but there are still a few big lords in Jinan who want to shield them. If this drags on a few more days, things could change. We brothers need to get into the city tomorrow and wrap this up — then we might still pocket some benefits. Otherwise, we'll have made this trip for nothing."

"Why worry about that? Don't ruin the drinking mood. Haven't we already scouted it all out? Both Tian brothers are living right in the city. Tomorrow we go in and arrest them — won't it be like catching a turtle in a jar? Where are they going to run? Anyway, it's no big deal. Didn't they say this post station has some sing-song girls? How about we all sample the wild game?"

"All you ever think about is that couple ounces of meat in your pants. Wild game, huh — careful your jealous wife at home doesn't flip the vinegar jar. If you ask me, when we go raid the place tomorrow, a big household like that is bound to have some lovely wives and pretty concubines. We'll have our fun then!"

Raucous laughter and chatter, the drinking mood growing livelier. They stopped discussing the assignment and their talk turned more and more lewd and filthy, their tongues gradually thickening. The eavesdroppers outside knew there was no more fresh news to be had. They exchanged glances — some stayed behind to attend to the guests, while others hurried off. The post station had a donkey; the man mounted it and raced straight for the city gate.

By now the sky was already dark, the city gates long shut. The area around them was pitch black, only two lanterns visible hanging from the battlements. The donkey rider bringing the news arrived below the wall, drew a deep breath, and let out a whistle. After several whistles, someone on the wall shouted down, "What are you doing at this hour of the night? Don't you sleep?"

"Urgent business! Urgent business for the masters in the city! Let me in, quick!"

"Don't tell me you're sneaking into town to see your sweetheart!"

"I don't have time for your nonsense! This is dead serious — if I don't get in and report it, my whole family's done for! For ancestors' sake, lower the basket already!" The messenger from the post station was hopping mad, roaring up at the battlements with all his might.

At those words, the men on the wall didn't dare drag their feet. Before long, a bamboo basket lashed to thick ropes was lowered down. The post station messenger first tied the rope around his waist in a loop, then climbed into the basket. The men above shouted as they hauled him up.

The next morning, the four foreign riders didn't get up. They lay snoring loudly in their quarters. When the post station attendant brought breakfast in, all he smelled was a reeking cloud of alcohol — clearly they'd drunk too much and simply couldn't rise. Everyone snickered to themselves but didn't rush to wake them. Only when the sun was three poles high did the four riders barely manage to drag themselves up. Even over breakfast they were still muttering about how today, once they got into the city, they'd be in for a good time.

After breakfast, they washed their faces with cold water, then the four riders mounted their horses and entered the city. The gate guards, seeing such well-dressed men on horseback, didn't inspect them too closely and let them ride straight through. Once inside, the riders went directly to the subprefectural yamen, identified themselves, produced their official papers, and demanded the yamen provide them assistance.

For all the prestige of the Brocade Guard name, their official rank was what it was, and with civil officials esteemed over military men, a sixth-rank subprefect certainly didn't hold them in high regard. Still, they had to be treated with courtesy. After their papers, commissions, waist tokens, and other credentials were given what seemed a cursory but was in fact a meticulous inspection, the subprefect's personal secretary came out to receive them and immediately ordered the constable to muster men and accompany them to make the arrests.

The Yizhou subprefectural yamen didn't do things by halves. When the Brocade Guard came to handle a case — one that carried the intent of both the capital and the province — they naturally couldn't just assign a few constables to go through the motions. In one go they mobilized twenty mounted constables and a hundred estate guards, setting out from the yamen in a massive, imposing procession toward the Tian family compound northeast of the city. Along the way, countless people were frightened out of their wits.

The spectacle made the four riders somewhat uneasy. They thought, with such a grand, flagrant approach, wouldn't the Tian family catch wind and flee? The constable leading the squad thumped his chest so hard it boomed and declared, "Your Excellencies can rest easy! We'll be there in less time than it takes to burn a stick of incense — how could they possibly get word? Besides, even if they tried to run, Your Excellencies' mounts and our twenty-some horses here aren't just for show. We'll definitely catch up!"

When they arrived before the Tian family mansion, though it was nearly lunchtime, the mansion's main gates were still tightly shut. For a local magnate with scholarly rank, a household that normally saw a constant stream of callers and guests all day long, how could it be this deserted?

Seeing this, the lead constable put on a very contrived look of astonishment and muttered to himself, "How can the gates be closed at this hour? Go knock and announce that we have business with the household master."

The order given, several able-bodied men stepped forward and pounded on the gate — bang, bang, bang. The door panels shook with a thunderous noise, but there was no response from within. Even if they closed the gates and received no visitors during the day, there should still be gatekeepers and servants inside. In broad daylight, and within the city walls, it made no sense that they couldn't hear, and even less sense that they'd make no reaction at all.

The four Brocade Guardsmen also sensed something was wrong. They stood there, faces dark, scanning left and right. The Tian family mansion had a distinctive feature: this street held only two households, their compounds facing each other across the road, identical in layout and design as if cast from the same mold. Seeing no response from this side, the constable forced out a few dry laughs and said, "Go knock on the other gate!"

Several more able-bodied men went to pound and shout at the opposite gate. The constable explained with a dry laugh, "The two Tian brothers each live on one side. We folks in Yizhou call them Big Tian Manor and Little Tian Manor. This is really strange — there's no reason they shouldn't be here."

The lead Brocade Guardsman gave a cold snort. Just then, at the compound they'd first knocked on, the small side door next to the main gate actually swung open. The scene instantly fell silent, everyone turning to look. In that moment, the lead constable's shock was utterly genuine. He spun around quickly and saw an old servant in a small cap emerge from the side door. The man was very old, his eyes and ears seemingly not too sharp. Hunched over, he asked, "What do you want? Both of my household masters have left the city. The whole family's gone, leaving just us few old men to watch the place. Everyone else went with them. Nothing can be done here."

The Yizhou lead constable froze for a moment, then bellowed, "You say they're not here and we're supposed to believe it? We're going to search the place!"

"This old man already said they're not here, and you still don't believe me. Search if you must, just don't break anything. This old man can't afford to pay for it," the gate-opening old man said indifferently. The lead constable, his face a mask of righteous severity, turned to the riders and said, "Your Excellencies, it's quite possible the Tian household is hiding inside and refusing to come out. We underlings should search to confirm."

The Brocade Guardsmen's faces were all dark as thunderclouds. The lead rider gave a cold laugh and said, "Of course we'll search. But I suspect we won't find a thing. What do you think?"

The constable laughed dryly and raised his voice to give the order: "Brothers, get in there and search carefully! Don't overlook a single blade of grass or twig! Don't delay the assignment the Excellencies have entrusted to us — move!"

A loud, unified shout of acknowledgment came from below as men surged toward the two Tian mansions. They looked fierce and aggressive, but their movements were exceedingly cautious. No one dared enter through the main gates; they all filed in through the side door the old servant had opened. At the other compound, where the door remained unopened, no one tried scaling the walls — they just kept knocking until the door was opened for them, then went in to search. The Brocade Guardsmen, faces grim, each went to one side, then just as grimly returned to the center of the street. The constable also came over. One of the Brocade Guardsmen sneered, "In all our years of raiding homes, we've always smashed and battered everything — we're terrified the family might hide money or account books inside porcelain vases and jars. You Yizhou folk are remarkably polite. We can't even hear a sound. Is it that you don't want to, or you don't dare?"

"Your Excellency jests. We underlings are here to make a fortune too. But with everyone being neighbors and kin, and with Your Excellencies present, the men don't dare go too far. I beg Your Excellencies' understanding." The constable spoke with a face full of smiles. The Brocade Guardsmen all glared fiercely at him, but the man's smile never wavered; he just stood there, bowing and grinning obsequiously.

Not too much time passed before the constables and estate guards emerged from both compounds without so much as a bead of sweat on their brows. One after another, they reported finding nothing. The Brocade Guard riders each went in and made a round themselves. Desolate and quiet — the two vast mansions had only five people watching them in total, all old servants in their fifties or sixties. No one else was hiding anywhere.

Thanks to "Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Book Friend 1647604673, Dragon King of the Wind, Wu Zhan Tian Xia" and several old friends for the tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you, everyone. Three updates today, will be released around seven to eight o'clock. Thank you all.