Chapter 409: The Aftermath Lingers

"Those two are official types, definitely clerks in a yamen, and they've never been pushed around — they're the ones who push others around." Someone drew a conclusion.

Once he said it, the bystanders chimed in: "Brothers on the river and lake circuit at this age can't afford to be idle — where would they get a belly like that? Look at these two, they look like they're expecting."

Since they were official types, they had nothing to do with their own investigations. Everyone lost interest, laughed and joked a few times, then went over to the city gate guards to ask around, just so they'd have something to say if anyone came asking.

What they could see, the guards at the gate could see just as well: "One look and you can tell they serve in a superior's yamen, noses practically pointing at the sky, thinking no one can tell... I can't read a word myself, so of course I can't make out their travel permits. One's called Han Song, the other Yan Shao'an..."

"That's enough to know. Just go back and tell Master You." No one took it seriously — what did official comings and goings have to do with common folk?

Han Song and Yan Shao'an, the subjects of their discussion, rode through the city. They entered by the south gate and were met at once with scenes of ruin and poverty.

At the sight, their faces grew even darker. Yan Shao'an spat outright and cursed: "What rotten luck, this assignment. Even crossing north of the river — Yangzhou, Qingjiangpu — anywhere's better than this wretched place. It's as wrecked as if a whole army marched through. What perks or pleasures could there possibly be!"

Han Song's expression was no better. Hearing this complaint, he said impatiently: "Who told us our luck was bad and we drew the lot? Old Yan, let me tell you, this case was personally ordered down by Eunuch Liao. If we don't handle it seriously, watch out — he'll flay the skin right off us."

"You don't need to tell me that. I know what's at stake. Tell me, that old Yu has already left his post and returned to the capital. Eunuch Liao is a big shot out of the Directorate of Ceremonial — why does he still have to do this man favors?" Yan Shao'an asked in return.

Han Song lowered his voice in feigned secrecy and said: "I heard from someone I know in the Ministry of War — old Yu from Fengyang went through his sworn brother's connections. This time back, he's going straight to the Directorate of the Imperial Horses as its Superintendent. And old Yu's sworn brother has been in the Directorate of Ceremonial all along — word is he's about to become the Director. Everyone has to show him face."

"Eunuch Tao is taking over the Eastern Depot?" Yan Shao'an asked, then said sullenly: "Then we'd better handle this assignment seriously!"

Han Song laughed and said: "Don't go thinking Xuzhou is poor. A place this big can't be without wealthy households. Once we finish this assignment, we'll just casually cook up some case on the side. Then this trip won't have been for nothing."

"True enough. That Hanjing liquor — doesn't it come from right here in Xuzhou? A business that big, can the silver be in short supply?" Yan Shao'an said, his eyes gleaming.

The two men exchanged a glance on horseback and chuckled darkly.

Tonghui Inn remained one of the finest inns in Xuzhou city. This time, with Zhao Jin and Xu Zhenzhen's wedding, many relatives who had traveled from afar were put up at this inn for hospitality, making the owner, the manager, and the staff below feel their faces shone with honor.

Back when Fu Chuchuan had stayed at Tonghui Inn, the inn had nearly been shut down and cleared out because they hadn't reported it to the Zhao Character Camp. After that incident, they never dared be the slightest bit negligent again.

Like the city gate guards and the men of the rivers and lakes, the inn's manager and staff spent their days greeting and sending off guests, receiving visitors from all directions, and their eyes were just as sharp.

Han Song and Yan Shao'an, for their part, did not mean to shortchange themselves. They went straight to this Tonghui Inn, asked for a private courtyard, and even gave five taels of silver as a gratuity upfront, telling the staff to take good care of the horses, then to fetch two catties of Hanjing Famous Liquor and have a few good dishes sent to their quarters.

This gratuity was a perk for the staff, and five taels of silver was truly lavish. Normally, with such a perk given, service would certainly not be sloppy, and these staff would also pass along news and tips, affording many conveniences. Though Han Song and Yan Shao'an were unhappy about this assignment, they did what needed to be done and were quite willing to spend money.

But at Tonghui Inn, no one would let such perks cloud their judgment. If they failed to do what they were supposed to and the Zhao Character Camp came calling to hold them accountable, no amount of perks would be worth spending if you had no life left to enjoy them.

These two were official types, and not from any ordinary yamen at that. Even if they came from lofty places like the Grand Coordinator's office or the Provincial Administration Commission, trusted servants sent out wouldn't carry themselves this way. No matter how arrogantly a servant threw his weight around, there would always be some telltale signs.

Moreover, these two had a somewhat fierce and imposing air about them, and they were in plain clothes yet carrying blades — that was even more off.

Coming to Xuzhou in the twelfth month, right before the new year, they certainly weren't here to visit family or friends. On official business yet moving so secretively — there was definitely something fishy.

The staff immediately reported this to the manager, and the manager, not daring the slightest delay, went at once to find You Zhenrong. Before the sky had even darkened, the news had reached Zhao Zhentang.

"When they're drunk or out, go in and take a look. See what their background is." Zhao Zhentang did not hesitate and gave the order directly.

With Zhao Jin not in the city, everything was to be decided by the old master — that had long been established. Once this order was given, every part of the city immediately got busy. That night, among the staff at Tonghui Inn, a few new faces appeared, and they were constantly and diligently attending to the guests.

But Han Song and Yan Shao'an's caution surprised the Xuzhou men. Several attempts at probing found no opening. Everyone quickly reached a judgment: these two were likely old hands on the rivers and lakes, or at least very well-versed in the ways of the rivers and lakes — otherwise they wouldn't be so thorough.

This made everyone in Xuzhou all the more cautious. You Zhenrong sent someone to He Village to deliver a message to Wang Zhaojing, and also summoned several of the desperadoes under his command back into the city. Zhao Zhentang likewise consulted with Chen Wu, and over a dozen trusted constable chiefs under them were put on standby.

On the twelfth day of the twelfth month, Han Song and Yan Shao'an appeared outside the city distillery.

During the new year, everyone wanted to improve their meals, eating and drinking well, so sales of Hanjing Famous Liquor naturally soared. As a local product of Xuzhou, it naturally had to give more consideration to the home region. During the twelfth month, the amount of Hanjing Famous Liquor shipped out of the region decreased, while the quotas for local merchants to take stock increased. The open ground outside the distillery was bustling with excitement, packed with carts and workers, all waiting to pick up their goods and haul them away.

The area outside the distillery had already been expanded several times. Many poor households' homes had been bought up and razed, yet the open space for stacking goods and parking carts never seemed to get any wider — it was truly like a marketplace.

Because of the bustle here, besides the merchants and workers picking up goods, there were also peddlers who came to do business selling food, hoping to catch some reflected glory, and even more idlers mixed in among them, seeing if they could scavenge a bit of easy pickings.

Han Song and Yan Shao'an carried no blades and had even changed into inconspicuous short robes, blending into the crowd to watch the excitement — but in truth, they were carefully scrutinizing every corner.

"Damn, this business is really something. A catty of this liquor sells for nearly three hundred wen in Nanjing. Every day, a few big bosses snap up almost all of it. Whether you can even get a drink outside is pure luck. And here they're producing this much — where's it all being sold to?" Han Song muttered.

Beside him, Yan Shao'an's face was full of greed, practically drooling, as he ground his teeth and said: "A country bumpkin of a landlord sitting on a gold mine like this — what a waste. Better it fell into the hands of us brothers."

"Keep dreaming. You think the two of us could hold onto this thing? It'd go straight to those big bosses!" Han Song said with a scoff.

"Then we'd still get a bite. Fine, strong liquor like this — even if there's no profit in it, drinking our fill would be good enough."

"That's just short-sighted. Squeeze him properly, wring out the benefits — that's the right path. Get that greedy look off your face. This kid has some clout here in Xuzhou." Han Song was clearly of slightly higher standing than Yan Shao'an and didn't mince his words.

Yan Shao'an chuckled twice, then turned his head, eyes gleaming, and said: "What's there to be scared of? What ability could some country thug have? It's just that this place is remote and no one's had their eye on it. We brothers might just have hit the jackpot this time. Even one bite of this meat would leave your mouth dripping with oil!"

Han Song shook his head and said: "No rush. This kid offended Eunuch Yu — that's his own calamity. Besides, these local thugs don't know the rules. They've done heaven knows how many lawless things. How hard can it be to catch them with something? And if anyone's really blind, we'll flash our credentials — scare them to death!"

The two men were speaking with some restraint, but their habit of talking loudly wasn't something they could change overnight. Anyone nearby paying attention could hear most of it.

The open ground outside the distillery's main gate was very crowded, and it wasn't strange for people to be jostling and rubbing shoulders. Except that the people surrounding these two were all thugs under You Zhenrong, along with a few constables who were Zhao Zhentang's trusted men. Every word they spoke fell into others' ears without missing a single one.

The news was quickly passed upward, but You Zhenrong's side couldn't glean much information from it either. Other than the fact that these two were official types, the rest was still unknown.

Zhao Zhentang, having spent time in the yamen after all, was able to pick up some clues from it. "Eunuch Yu" — and someone with ties to Zhao Jin — recently, that could only be Eunuch Yu, the Fengyang Garrison Eunuch. Could these two have been sent by him? The specifics were still beyond him, so he had no choice but to take these words and ask the clerks of the Six Offices — those fellows were thoroughly versed in such intricacies.

The spies and informants planted at Tonghui Inn finally found an opening. The two men had wandered around several places in the city, not just the distillery — they'd also gone to look at Cloud Mountain Tavern and Cloud Mountain Company. By the time they returned to Tonghui Inn, it was already evening.

Both men were in high spirits. They again ordered the inn to prepare a lavish spread of food and drink, and even had the staff call over two singsong girls. The brothels and houses of pleasure all drummed up business at the inn, and these women were all under You Zhenrong's control. Before going in, they had all received their instructions.

Late at night, one of the singsong girls came out of the room and said that even after going through all their personal belongings, she'd found nothing remarkable. They'd brought an especially ample amount of silver and money. There was an iron tablet stuffed inside the luggage — it should be something important.

The iron tablet was the size of a palm, a blackish lump, with a few characters on it. The singsong girl couldn't read, and neither could the thugs and constables standing watch there. They had no choice but to rouse the manager.

With the year's end approaching, the inn had few guests, and the manager had gone to bed very early. When woken, he was bleary-eyed, but knowing the matter was urgent, he dared not be negligent. He looked at it by lamplight.