Chapter 1403: A Capital Heavyweight, Han

Prefect He's expression flickered slightly.

After all, he had read so many books of the sages, was a presented scholar who had passed both the provincial and metropolitan exams, and had received profound favor from the Great Ming court. Hearing that he should seek another path, though he had mentally prepared himself somewhat, still left him feeling rather miserable.

"It seems Zhao Jin doesn't think much of scholars; he might not be willing to give me an official post..." Of course, this was his greatest concern.

"My patron, holding office is certainly one of life's supreme pleasures, but the Great Ming court is now tottering in the storm. What joy is there in clinging to this sinking wreck of a ship?" Mister Bai sighed softly. "These years, my patron has surely amassed a family fortune, hasn't he? From what I observe, although Zhao Jin's methods are peculiar, he has his own principles and is not a man of mindless cruelty. The lands under his rule may not be a golden age, but they are peaceful territories where all trades flourish. When the time comes, my patron could live quite well as a wealthy gentleman..."

"A wealthy gentleman..." Prefect He murmured softly, still looking reluctant, but in the end, he gave a bitter smile. "Fine, a wealthy gentleman it is. Ah, it's just a pity that I know nothing of the subjects Zhao Jin favors, and I'm too old to learn anything new. Otherwise... forget it, let's not speak of this."

"In that case, my patron, why not stop blocking the refugees altogether? Let them all go to Zhao Jin's territory and earn yourself a good name in the process," Mister Bai advised again.

"But..." Prefect He still hesitated, reluctant to part with that income.

"My patron, do not lose the greater for the lesser! You have already built your family fortune; why make trouble with Zhao Jin now? You must think of the future!" Mister Bai raised his voice. "Besides, those who fled earlier were wealthy households from whom one could squeeze some oil. But these refugees lagging behind now are mostly common folk ruined by routed soldiers. How many coins can you squeeze from them? All for nothing but to ruin my patron's reputation..."

"Fine, we'll do as you say!" After a moment of silence, Prefect He nodded in agreement.

Because he felt so aggrieved, he could not help but sneer. "Routed soldiers, hah, routed soldiers. Who knows how many people's purses these routed soldiers have fattened? The Great Ming now keeps such troops — it would be a wonder if it didn't fall!"

Prefect He had long known that many of those "routed soldiers" pillaging everywhere were actually the local government garrison troops in disguise.

The government armies of the court had a long-standing practice of withholding soldiers' pay, and now with the court's finances in dire straits, they could hardly issue any pay at all. So garrisons everywhere had been looking to fend for themselves, and many had set their sights on the local common folk. Disguising themselves as routed soldiers to loot and plunder had long become commonplace.

Although the Great Ming had always followed the convention of civil officials outranking military men, now that the seeds of chaos had sprouted, the civil officials everywhere could no longer restrain the soldiers. Never mind a mere prefect — even the Grand Secretaries in the capital, what could they do about these soldiers? They could only swallow their anger and try to placate them, letting them loot and harm the common folk, bleeding the Great Ming dry drop by drop.

In the Great Ming today, corruption ran rampant from top to bottom, and the soldiers were arrogant and commanders fierce, with no one able to control them. In the eyes of those who knew the inside story, how could they see a shred of hope? Prefect He was hardly the only one thinking of abandoning this sinking ship.

After receiving Mister Bai's guidance, Prefect He finally recovered from his state of lingering shock and put a smile back on his face as they traveled. "If I can preserve myself in these troubled times, it is all thanks to you, sir!"

"My patron flatters me; I merely offered a crude analysis. It is my patron who made the decision... Moreover, since my patron treats me so well, how could I not serve with all my heart and strength?" Mister Bai smiled calmly, showing no sign of claiming undue credit.

"Tonight I have a banquet arranged at the Jade Gazing Pavilion. Please join me, sir; there will be guests who need your help in receiving them."

"I am at my patron's disposal." Mister Bai agreed at once.

Just as the two of them were still chatting and laughing, a runner suddenly knocked on the door and brought them some rather unexpected news.

"Men from the Eastern Depot have come to find me?" Prefect He was greatly alarmed again and immediately turned his head toward Mister Bai. "What... what is this about..."

"My patron, do not panic!" Mister Bai remained unhurried. "If the court truly meant to move against my patron, there would certainly not be no word of it beforehand. Now that the new Son of Heaven has ascended the throne, he detests the Depot and the Guard, and the Eastern Depot's power is far less than before. I am certain they would not dare act on their own authority!"

Mister Bai's reassurance finally helped Prefect He steady his nerves somewhat. "Good, then let us see just what sort of figures they are..."

Under the watchful eyes of Prefect He and Mister Bai, a group of men dressed in Eastern Depot uniforms filed into the room.

The leader was a large man with a fierce countenance and a very unfriendly look in his eyes, though his face was somewhat pale and his steps rather unsteady, as if he had recently been injured.

"I am the prefect of this jurisdiction. May I ask what business brings the Eastern Depot here?" Having found his footing, Prefect He carried himself with a measure of reserve, merely cupping his hands toward them casually.

"I am Li Zhao, here on orders." The large man's attitude was equally lacking in deference; he merely cupped his hands casually in return. "I request the prefect's cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Prefect He was somewhat puzzled. He shot a glance at Mister Bai beside him. "What business could the Eastern Depot have that requires my cooperation? Please be explicit."

Ever since the Eastern Depot was established in this dynasty, its operations had always been utterly unrestrained. For them to now request his cooperation and assistance seemed strange no matter how one looked at it.

Li Zhao walked up to Prefect He and then said in a low voice, "I request that the prefect immediately muster his runners and assist us in capturing Wei Zhongxian and bringing him back to the capital."

"Ah?" Because he had just been discussing this very topic with Mister Bai, Prefect He looked especially astonished. "Capturing Eunuch Wei?"

"Yes. Wei Zhongxian was previously ordered to be sent from the capital to Fengyang to guard the imperial tombs. By our reckoning, he should now be within your prefecture's borders. Orders have now come from the capital for us to bring him back." Li Zhao's tone was even colder than before, carrying an undisguised hatred. "Therefore, I request the prefect's assistance in escorting him back to the capital."

"In that case, why... why have I not received any official dispatch?" Prefect He was still somewhat doubtful. "Who is ordering me to assist in the arrest of Eunuch Wei? To ask me, on the word of Eastern Depot men alone, to bring my men and assist in an arrest... this really does not accord with proper procedure."

"Has Prefect He never heard of adapting to urgent circumstances?" Li Zhao sneered. "Think of Wei Zhongxian, who with his gang of followers lorded it over the court for so many years. Who knows how many people secretly took orders from him? Although Wei Zhongxian is now a disgraced exile, if the court issued an official dispatch to arrest him, the eunuch faction would probably have informed him before the document even left the capital. Therefore, this matter was entrusted to me to carry out in secret."

That does make some sense... Prefect He thought.

But hadn't Mister Bai just said not to take Wei Zhongxian too seriously? With that thought, he glanced again at Mister Bai.

Mister Bai, with a solemn expression, made a gesture to him to stay calm, then stepped between the two men himself. "May I ask this officer: you say the court has issued no official dispatch and that you are handling this secretly on your own. In that case, why have you come to find us? Could you not simply handle it yourself?"

"A few days ago, we caught up with Wei Zhongxian and intended to bring him back then." Li Zhao's brows furrowed deeply, his expression full of resentment. "But to our fury, that eunuch had bribed the Brocade Guard escorting him. When we tried to arrest him, those Brocade Guards helped him resist arrest and even wounded some of our men... So we had no choice but to come and ask you, Prefect, to send men to assist."

So that's how it is! Mister Bai and Prefect He exchanged another glance.

"Then... since there is no official dispatch, may I ask Officer Li how you can prove that the court truly wishes to have Wei Zhongxian arrested and brought back?" Mister Bai asked further. "It is not that I doubt the officer, but this matter is of great importance. Although Eunuch Wei is now a convicted criminal, he once held a certain dignity, and we cannot afford to be careless..."

Li Zhao's brows furrowed even tighter, and a fierce glint flashed repeatedly in his eyes, but Mister Bai still appeared completely unruffled. He looked again at Prefect He and saw that the man had the air of someone who had entirely entrusted the matter to this scholar, clearly treating him as his trusted confidant.

"True enough. Empty words are no proof. Since you gentlemen bear an important duty, a little extra caution is only right." After a moment, Li Zhao made up his mind, then reached into his bosom and drew out a letter, handing it to Prefect He. "Once the prefect reads this letter, he will naturally understand."

Prefect He took the letter with a blank expression, then beckoned Mister Bai over, and the two of them unfolded the paper together.

The letter was not long. When they clearly saw the handwriting on it, both their expressions changed slightly at the same time.

Then, Prefect He hurriedly looked for the signature.

Yes, there was no mistake. It was indeed that man's letter.

"This..." Prefect He looked at Li Zhao in astonishment, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back, and handed the letter to Mister Bai beside him.

"In that case, Officer, rest assured. We will certainly do our utmost to handle this properly." Mister Bai took the letter and answered on his behalf. "Only... Eunuch Wei has now bribed the Brocade Guards watching over him and is preparing to defect to Zhao Jin!"

"What?! Defect to Zhao Jin?" Li Zhao's eyes widened, and he grabbed Mister Bai's sleeve. "What is going on?"

Because he was simply too shocked, he forgot to restrain himself, and his expression became somewhat ferocious. Seeing the unnatural looks on the two men before him, he realized what he was doing, and quickly moderated his tone somewhat. "May I ask, sir, what exactly is going on?"

"Isn't Officer Li going a bit too far?" Prefect He could not stand to watch this. After all, Mister Bai was his trusted aide; disrespect toward Mister Bai was a slight to his own face. "This is, after all, a government office. The officer has urgent business and is thus impatient — that I can understand — but to bellow here is hardly appropriate..."

"I was rude; my apologies." After hesitating a moment, Li Zhao decided to endure it for now and cupped his hands toward Mister Bai.

"No matter, no matter." Only after he had apologized did Mister Bai smile with feigned modesty. "The officer bears a heavy responsibility; concern clouds one's judgment."

Then, he recounted to Li Zhao, in full detail, everything the runners had just reported to him.

"Eunuch Wei bribed those Brocade Guards, then swept up a crowd of refugees, broke through the government checkpoint, and headed to Xuzhou to defect..." Li Zhao repeated the other man's words unconsciously. "This... how is this possible? Wei Zhongxian... a man like Wei Zhongxian, actually going to defect to the Xuzhou bandits? This..."

His head swayed slightly; it seemed he was having trouble accepting this news for the moment.

"Is the officer all right? Wei Zhongxian must have realized his situation was hopeless and is grasping at a slim chance of survival." Mister Bai appeared to be offering comfort, but there was a hidden mockery in his words. "It's a pity Officer Li arrived two days too late; I fear they are already far away by now..."

Li Zhao first shuddered, then quickly regained his composure. "No! We must catch them and bring them back before they enter Xuzhou!"

Then, he walked over to Prefect He. "Prefect, please muster your men at once and come with me to arrest Eunuch Wei. We absolutely cannot let him slip away!"

"Of course, of course..." Though the other man was anxious, Prefect He remained unhurried, gently waving his hand. "Officer Li, stay calm. I will make the arrangements immediately. For now, why don't you go and rest a while?"

Li Zhao paused briefly, clearly very displeased with Prefect He's foot-dragging and evasiveness. But after locking eyes with Prefect He for another moment, he forcibly swallowed his anger.

"Fine. Since Your Excellency puts it that way, this humble one will comply for now. I shall go rest first; when your men are ready, Prefect, send someone to notify me." He gave a slight bow, but his eyes were full of unyielding fury. "Only, I ask Your Excellency to prepare properly and by no means bungle this important matter. If court business truly goes awry and the court lays blame, this humble one cannot bear the consequences either…"

With that, he reined in his angry expression, set his face like stone, turned, and left.

Prefect He kept a smile on his face the whole time. Only after Li Zhao's retreating figure vanished through the doorway did the smile slowly fade. Finally, he spat coldly on the ground. "Peh! This fox borrowing the tiger's might — he really thinks he is the court! Nothing but a petty headman from the Eastern Depot, yet he dares put on such airs before this official!"

"Indeed, my lord. That man is utterly arrogant, thinks far too much of himself!" The corner of Mr. Bai's mouth twitched too, clearly equally dissatisfied. "Had this been when Wei Zhongxian still held power, we would have had to fear them somewhat. But now, at this juncture, they still dare be so brazen — truly senseless!"

"He thinks that just because he's cozied up to Xiangyun Gong, this official must bow and scrape to them? Absurd… utterly absurd!" Prefect He flicked his sleeve and gave a cold laugh. "This official will deliberately leave him cooling his heels, let him learn what's what!"

Indeed — the letter they had just seen was actually written by Han Xiangyun, Han Kuang. In the letter, Han Kuang explicitly stated that Li Zhao was assisting the court in carrying out a mission, and asked any local official who saw the letter to cooperate fully with his actions.

Han Kuang was a grandee of the Donglin faction. He had already been red-hot during the Wanli reign, once serving as Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion. Like former Chief Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao, he had been a mainstay of the Donglin faction at the time. In the early Tianqi years, because the Son of Heaven had newly ascended the throne and needed Donglin support, he had even been elevated to the post of Chief Grand Secretary, reaching the pinnacle of ministerial power.

Later, however, the Son of Heaven gradually favored the eunuch Wei, paying little heed to governance. Eunuch Wei seized the chance to arrogate power and manipulate affairs. Han Kuang was swiftly dismissed from the Chief Grand Secretary post and squeezed out of the capital. Only when the current Son of Heaven ascended the throne, expelled Eunuch Wei, and purged the eunuch faction was he summoned from his hometown back to the capital to serve as a minister once more.

Although he has not been placed in the Grand Secretariat now, he is after all a Donglin elder — his seniority is indisputable. He commands immense prestige among court officials, and two of the Grand Secretaries in the Secretariat are Donglin men, which naturally adds to his standing.

Though he feigned indifference outwardly, inwardly Prefect He was actually somewhat uneasy.

"Mr. Bai, in your view, how should this be handled?" After cursing the insensible Li Zhao for a while, he cautiously asked his advisor again, "Just now you said to stay out of it, but… now the Eastern Depot man has come bearing a letter from Xiangyun Gong, explicitly asking me to help arrest that Wei Zhongxian…"

"My lord, do not be hasty." Mr. Bai remained very composed. "My lord, why not first consider why Xiangyun Gong would write such a letter? Wei Zhongxian is an imperial convict; the court decreed his banishment to Fengyang. If they wished to bring him back to the capital, naturally the court itself would have to issue the order. Yet what that Headman Li brought us was merely a personal letter, not an official dispatch. His attitude was also ambiguous — is that not suspicious?"

"You have a point…" Prefect He lowered his gaze, then abruptly widened his eyes. "Are you saying Xiangyun Gong is falsely passing this off as the court's will?"

"I would not go so far as to say that. Given Xiangyun Gong's standing, he would hardly act so rashly…" Mr. Bai shook his head, dismissing the conjecture. "But this matter is truly suspicious… Consider, my lord: if the court had truly reached a resolution, even if they feared alerting the snake, would they need Xiangyun Gong to step forward and write a letter? After all, there are still several Grand Secretaries in court. Unless… unless…"

At this point, Mr. Bai suddenly felt a stir in his mind, as if something had occurred to him.

"Unless what?" Prefect He pressed at once.

"Unless this was done by Xiangyun Gong behind the Grand Secretariat's back — or by the Donglin faction behind the backs of Grand Secretaries Sun and Wang!" After a moment of silence, Mr. Bai voiced his conclusion in a low tone. "Only this can explain why it was done so strangely. Though, whether the Son of Heaven is aware or not…"

"Not a decision of the Grand Secretariat?" Prefect He was jolted with alarm, but upon thinking it through himself, it made a great deal of sense.

If the court had truly reached a resolution, even if they wanted to act in secrecy, they would not have sent only a minor headman from the Eastern Depot to carry it out.

But what exactly did the people behind the scenes want?

"They are using the Eastern Depot and us as marionettes, to carry out some unspeakable business!" Prefect He was horrified.

"Precisely. Someone at court wants something done, and has shifted the trouble onto your head, my lord." Mr. Bai nodded in agreement.

"But what do they want to do?" After mulling it over for a long while and still failing to grasp the key, Prefect He asked with some agitation. "Since Xiangyun Gong is involved, this matter is surely no small affair. How can we handle it carelessly!"

"Well… I too have not fully thought it through yet; the situation is truly bizarre." Mr. Bai honestly admitted he had not figured it out either. "However, a way to deal with it does exist."

"Please, sir, speak quickly!" Prefect He was overjoyed and urged him on.

"Meet change with constancy." Mr. Bai did not keep him in suspense. "No matter who is behind the curtain, you, my lord, should simply pretend to know nothing at all. Do your proper duty honestly and well. As long as no one can seize on anything against you, then naturally, however the winds shift, you will not be implicated."

"What do you mean by constancy?" Prefect He still did not quite understand.

"Constancy means simply acting as one normally would. Since you have received Xiangyun Gong's letter, and the Donglin faction is currently so powerful, you naturally should do them a good turn and act according to the letter — assist the Eastern Depot man in seizing Wei Zhongxian." Mr. Bai explained softly. "However, you need only do your duty. By no means wade in too deeply. Whatever matters the higher-ups have, let the higher-ups handle themselves."

"You mean I should go through the motions perfunctorily, without taking it too seriously?" Prefect He finally grasped his meaning.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean." Mr. Bai inclined his body slightly. "Since this matter is so strange, you naturally must strive not to get entangled in it. Besides, the Son of Heaven currently detests the Depot and Guard. If you grow too close to the Depot and Guard, I fear it may also run counter to His Majesty's wishes…"

"I understand, I understand." Prefect He had finally sorted out his line of thinking. "Very well, we shall do just that!"

However, a troubled look soon appeared on his face. "But Xiangyun Gong holds high office and great power. If I handle things perfunctorily, it would be fine if it goes unnoticed — but if… if that crafty scoundrel files a complaint against me, what then?"

"On that point, my lord, you need not worry overmuch." Mr. Bai broke into another smile. "Had this been a few years ago, the court would indeed hold power of life and death over you. But now the court is a setting sun, too busy with its own troubles to bother with you. Why fear it? If it truly comes down to it, just as we discussed earlier — simply follow Eunuch Wei's example and defect to Zhao!"

"Right, right… I had forgotten!" Prefect He immediately nodded repeatedly.

The court's accumulated authority over many years had not yet fully dissipated from this Presented Scholar's mind. Only after being reminded did he see it clearly.

The struggles within the court nowadays actually had little to do with him anymore. Whoever won, he would obey. Besides, who could say how much longer this court itself would last — why care who wins or loses? Just muddle through perfunctorily. If they really pressed him too hard, he would simply defect to Zhao Jin. Did he need to fear not living out his days as a wealthy man?

"Good, we'll do as you say!" Once Prefect He had thought it through, his mind was suddenly clear, and his whole body relaxed. "Mr. Bai, you are truly my Zhang Liang. How fortunate I am to have you point out the way…"