Chapter 506: Turmoil Everywhere

Many thought things would stay like this until daybreak, but after the better part of a shichen, someone barged in. The constable who had gone out to check had been gone so long his partner grew suspicious. When they came over here, all they saw was red paper from firecrackers strewn across the ground — nothing else out of the ordinary. Even the front gate of the Feng residence was clean and tidy.

They were government runners after all, and they immediately sensed something was wrong. The Feng household always had guards posted outside — there was no reason for the place to be completely deserted. And they caught the smell of blood too. After years in public service, they were more familiar with that scent than most.

What they didn't expect was that every gate of the Feng residence, front and back, was locked tight from the inside. This struck them as strange, and they began to doubt their own judgment. If the Feng family had locked their gates, surely nothing could have happened.

At bottom, no one could imagine anyone committing so great a crime in Yangzhou. Everyone believed no one could be so utterly deranged.

They were about to leave when one man steeled himself, pounded on the gate, and shouted. No response came from within — that was when they truly knew something was wrong. They knocked open a neighbor's door, called out a dozen able-bodied men, set up ladders, and climbed over the wall. Then they saw the bodies. Moving farther in, they found a household servant, blindfolded, with a short stick propped against his back by a brick, trembling as he struck the cloud clappers.

They went up and questioned him, and only then learned that the bandits had tied him up, blindfolded him, and ordered him to keep striking the cloud clappers. They had told him that if he stopped even once, the spear braced against his back would thrust straight through. The people inside the Feng manor had long since been scared out of their wits, and with their eyes blindfolded, they could see nothing — so naturally they did as they were told.

The people lying on the ground dared not raise their heads, and the man striking the cloud clappers knew nothing of what was happening outside. So it went on in this muddled, ignorant way. Had no outsider come in, it likely would have continued until dawn.

The moment they saw the constables arrive, the Feng household — after a night of terror and dread — collapsed completely. Some fainted on the spot. Some wailed at the top of their lungs. Others began scheming whether they could seize this chance to line their own pockets. A handful of the truly loyal shouted for the constables to go after the killers.

The Feng compound held several hundred people. The dead and wounded numbered around two hundred, with over a hundred corpses on the ground. Casualties on this scale would have meant little around Xuzhou — there had been so much open fighting in recent years that a hundred dead or wounded was nothing rare. But in Yangzhou, this was an earth-shattering affair. Not only were the Feng people stricken with terror; the constables and runners themselves had legs shaking beneath them.

This place was so close to the city walls, and it was the great Feng manor. The Feng family was renowned in both official circles and the underworld. They kept several hundred guards in their household, and government officers were constantly coming and going. With such defenses and regulations in place, these "river-and-lake bandits" had still charged in with utter recklessness. No one knew what kind of vicious criminals would have such heaven-defying gall to slaughter their way inside — and so many of the Feng family's so-called experts and strongmen had been killed.

Against fiends like these, what could constables, runners, militia, and village braves possibly do? They would have to call in the river defense garrison or the nearest military outpost. Better not to go after them themselves. By their reckoning, the killers had been gone less than a shichen. If they actually caught up and had to fight — wouldn't that be walking straight to their deaths?

Their minds made up, the few of them exchanged knowing glances and declared they must first tally the dead and wounded, then wait for reinforcements to be sent from the city after daybreak before making any further plans.

As the saying goes, a thief never leaves empty-handed — and government officers investigating a case don't go home empty-handed either. Once they had recovered a little from the shock, the runners and bailiffs paid no attention at all to the dead and wounded in the great house. They went searching through every room, one by one.

The grisly sight of Old Master Feng and Master Feng certainly made them gasp, but the unsealed treasure vault and the valuables scattered all across the room made every man's eyes blaze red. At that point, they cared even less about handling the case. Someone rushed out and came back with a large cart.

The government men hauled away load after load of valuables. The remaining members of the Feng household, of every stripe, now had their own ideas stirring. The Old Master and the Master had been killed. Even the steward Feng Da, who could have taken charge, was dead. The Feng family looked ready to fall apart at any moment. Seizing this chance to grab some wealth was what mattered — who knew whether they themselves would still be in this compound tomorrow?

By the time the first light of dawn appeared, the Feng manor had descended into utter chaos. Women wept and wailed, men shouted and cursed, everyone struggling and fighting over the spoils. At first they fought over gold and silver; later they wouldn't even let go of a porcelain vase or a length of curtain fabric. Every person was laden with bundles large and small, while the women of the household wept to high heaven.

Several more hiding places for valuables within the Feng inner compound were also discovered. As long as people were inside these grounds, coming and going, they were bound to leave traces — and there were always those with sharp eyes watching.

In this scene of turmoil, the ones who profited most were the guards. They had been no match for the "river-and-lake bandits," but when it came to dealing with the Feng family's servants and maids, they held the absolute upper hand. They immediately banded together to take control. There were also quick-witted servants who knew where valuables were hidden and understood they couldn't swallow it all alone. They sought out the constables and guards, negotiated shares, and everyone divided the spoils.

While the Feng household clamored in chaos, Chen Sheng and his party had already boarded boats and entered the Grand Canal, now traveling north along the waterway. The few horse-drawn carts they had used, after being wiped clean of bloodstains, were left parked together at a dock. The draft animals had been unhitched and tied to hitching posts, leisurely eating fodder from feed bags.

Passersby who saw this thought nothing of it. The scene was far too common in Yangzhou: a carter, after delivering people or goods, would stop by the dock to rest, or step away briefly for a meal or tea. Nothing unusual at all. Few would have imagined that the carters were already gone.

Yangzhou is a canal hub. The first stop for merchant ships and tribute grain barges after crossing the Yangtze River is Yangzhou, so naturally there were thousands upon thousands of vessels. The previous night, the men of Zhao's Camp had boarded and disembarked with hardly anyone seeing them. Even if someone had seen, trying to pick out a few boats amid that forest of sails racing across the water would have been exceedingly difficult.

Not long after the city gates opened, the county runners and mounted constables were all dispatched, searching every inn inside and outside the city and sealing off the canal docks. But judging by the timing, even the searchers themselves knew there was no chance of catching the criminals now.

Yet with a disturbance this enormous, and given the Feng family's status, even the imperial court in the capital would likely be shaken. The Grand Coordinator of Fengyang, the Prefect of Yangzhou, and the Magistrate of Jiangdu all issued orders for a rigorous investigation. Fast riders galloped north to Gaoyou Subprefecture, and swift boats raced south to Changzhou, notifying local authorities everywhere to inspect all passing merchants and travelers, to see whether any great bandits were hiding among them.

In all this coming and going of inspections, however, there was one category no one touched: the tribute grain barges. Tribute barges transported grain, and they carried their own escort troops and grain transport laborers — a self-contained system that local authorities had no jurisdiction over. Besides, the tribute barges were filled entirely with grain; there was no place to hide anyone anyway.

Chen Sheng and his group had boarded a tribute barge at daybreak. They were all dressed as merchants, and their weapons and armor had been packed into chests.

The tribute barge carrying them naturally had no idea that Chen Sheng and his men were the perpetrators of the previous night's great crime in Yangzhou. They did not even know a great crime had occurred in Yangzhou at all.

Zhao's Camp and the Sun Family Trading Company, through the exchange of tribute grain for liquor and every aspect of tribute transport, had close ties on all sides. Asking them to help carry a few people and goods was naturally a trivial matter. Hearing Chen Sheng and his men's Xuzhou accents, the grain laborers simply assumed they were wealthy young gentlemen from Xuzhou out on a pleasure trip.

And so they traveled on, passing through prefecture after prefecture. When they reached Qingjiangpu, those who could ride horses disembarked one after another and mounted up. But they did not race north in haste; instead, they advanced together with the fleet carrying the others, and only when they entered Pi Subprefecture did the entire group leave the boats.

News of the Feng family incident reached Xuzhou faster than Chen Sheng's company did. Liu Yong had stationed men there specifically to wait for word, ready to race back by fast horse the moment anything happened. To ensure everything was aboveboard, this man was a Chief Flag Officer from a guard battalion, traveling there on official business.

From the first month to the fifth month of the forty-fifth year of the Wanli reign, Zhao Jin did not have a single moment of leisure. From late in the fifth month into the sixth month, Zhao Jin could be described as idle. Of course, his idleness was different from other people's. For Zhao Jin, drilling the troops every day and managing internal affairs already counted as idleness.

On the second day of the sixth month, Zhao Jin summoned Feng Jinde of the Feng family, who was stationed in Xuzhou, to come see him. This Second Uncle Feng had only been in Xuzhou a few days, yet he had already taken a concubine into his household and was living quite the splendid life.

Whatever Feng Jinde might think in private, whatever he might have said, in front of Zhao Jin he remained utterly deferential, not daring to show the slightest negligence — even though he was nearly thirty years older than Zhao Jin.

"Elder Feng, don't stay in Xuzhou any longer. Make haste and return to Yangzhou," Zhao Jin said, coming straight to the point.

These words stunned Feng Jinde. He wondered, baffled, why he was suddenly being shown the door. But he dared not show the slightest defiance toward Zhao Jin's words. Uncomfortable as he felt inside, he still smiled and said, "Since Master Jin says so, this Feng will set out at once."

Feng Jinde's dignity extended only so far as not referring to himself as "this humble one" or "this lowly person." Seeing him so obedient, Zhao Jin smiled and said, "Going back this time is no bad thing. Once you've returned, Elder Feng, if you encounter any difficulties, this Zhao is willing to help."

These words baffled him. Feng Jinde gathered his courage and asked, "Master Jin, this old man is dull-witted. Might I beg Master Jin to speak plainly?"

"Speak plainly about what? I know nothing either. Elder Feng, go back quickly — best to set out today. When difficulties arise, Zhao's Camp will absolutely not stand by with folded arms!" Zhao Jin replied with a smile, speaking in riddles.

Having said this much, he gave Feng Jinde not a moment's delay. Soldiers from the personal guard unit immediately "escorted" Feng Jinde back to his residence and watched as they arranged carriage and horses and set him on the road.

And all along the way, Zhao Jin was exceedingly warm — he even arranged for a mounted escort to follow, making sure Feng Jinde boarded a boat at Pi Subprefecture.

Feng Jinde's boat made its customary stop at Qingjiangpu. By then, the news that the Yangzhou Feng family had been attacked at night, with over two hundred dead and wounded and both the Master and Old Master brutally killed, had spread like wildfire. Feng Jinde's trusted attendants heard this and rushed back to report.

Upon first hearing it, Feng Jinde sat frozen, blank, for the time it takes a full incense stick to burn. Then he leaned over the gunwale and vomited violently, as if struck by sudden seasickness. When he finally managed to compose himself, his face was deathly pale and his whole body trembled. He bought a padded gown from a pawnshop on the shore and wrapped it around himself, yet even then he kept crying that he was cold. Everyone thought it strange, seeing as people outside in thin shirts were still sweating in that weather.

Despite the vomiting and the complaints of cold, Feng Jinde went ashore and switched to a horse-drawn carriage, racing at top speed all the way toward Yangzhou Prefecture.

The Feng family had already descended into utter chaos. Still, they were a great house that had endured in Yangzhou for so long, branching out into many lines, with every branch and sub-branch counting no small number of people surnamed Feng. Each had their own backers and forces, and every one of them wanted a bite of the Feng family's great fatty hunk of meat. Swallowing it whole, of course, would be even better.

Thank you to the three friends "Mu Ming," "Zhi Sheng Yun Yan," and "He Guang Tong Chen" for your gifts. Thank you, everyone.

The second update of the day is at ten o'clock — don't miss it, everyone.

Also, in the Ming dynasty, imperial authority did not extend below the county level. This system — or phenomenon, rather — can explain many of everyone's questions.