Chapter 522: Are They Insane?

No sooner had they shut their doors than a fast horse galloped out of Xuzhou's west gate, heading straight for He Village.

The city's underworld boss, You Zhenrong, first rushed to the constable station, then hurried back, bustling about everywhere in a flurry—though to the common folk, Xuzhou seemed no different from any other day.

But everyone in the city who needed to know about the Embroidered Uniform Guard's arrival had learned of it within a single hour.

Weary from the road, Zhang Jianting and the other three guardsmen washed up briefly and then each went off to rest. When they rose, they saw the sky outside already darkening. They called out for a waiter to bring in candles, had them lit, and were told that the banquet and women would arrive shortly.

Once the waiter had left, one of the men, of a slightly leaner build, sneered, "This Xuzhou really is a lawless place. We brothers have been here this long, and not a single person has come to pay their respects. What nerve, what arrogance!"

When the Embroidered Uniform Guard came to a place to handle a case, the entire locality would invariably be shaken and terrified. People from all sides, either fearing implication or hoping to frame a rival, would beat down the door the moment word of the guardsmen's arrival spread, coming to visit, offer gifts, curry favor, and negotiate.

Yet this Xuzhou was strange. They had made such a commotion at the city gate—by all rights, word should have spread throughout the entire city—but still no one had come to call.

"The higher-ups gave instructions: it's enough that the locals know we've been here," Zhang Jianting said.

One man spat viciously on the floor and said through gritted teeth, "Once this job is done, we'll just grab a few wealthy households. If I don't fleece them till they weep, then my hands have gone soft!"

Just then, someone outside announced, "Masters, the banquet you ordered has arrived."

"Wait outside!" Zhang Jianting barked, then turned to his puzzled companions and asked, "Do you know who the biggest wealthy household in this Xuzhou territory is?"

The men shook their heads, and one laughed and cursed, "Can there even be any real wealthy households in this backwater?"

They all burst into laughter. Zhang Jianting grinned and said, "There's a wealthy man in Xuzhou named Zhao Jin. He came from a guard-post background. He owns a big distillery—that Han Well Famous Liquor comes from it. Word is he also controls the illicit salt trade. Even the Feng family got the short end of the stick dealing with him..."

At this, someone cried out in sudden recognition, "I've heard of this man! I thought he was just a story from those storytellers at the Sixteen Towers. You mean it's all true?"

"The distillery, the illicit salt—not to mention that eighty percent of the good land in Xuzhou belongs to his family alone. Think about it: there's got to be at least a hundred thousand taels to squeeze out of him, probably more!" Zhang Jianting said.

At the figure of "a hundred thousand taels," the breathing of the other three grew heavy. One asked, "Chief Zhang, did we come here for this Zhao Jin? Weren't we supposed to be tracking down Han Song and Yan Shao'an?"

Zhang Jianting chuckled a few times, then lowered his voice with an air of mystery and explained, "Think about it. Han Song and Yan Shao'an were sent out on assignment and haven't returned in nearly a year. Why? Because they squeezed a huge sum of silver out of this Zhao Jin and didn't want to hand it over. They're off somewhere living it up. Now several of the big shots in Nanjing know about this fat sheep—why wouldn't they come down and carve off a slice?"

The men's eyes reddened as they listened and nodded. One suddenly asked, "But what good can we get out of something like this? That Horse Yanwang is a man who won't tolerate a speck of dust in his eye. We'll only earn some hard-luck money."

"But Horse Yanwang never shortchanges those who do the work. On this job, we'll walk away with at least eight thousand taels!" Zhang Jianting declared with absolute conviction.

None of them were fools. With things spelled out this far, they could piece together the rest. Before anyone could ask, Zhang Jianting volunteered, "I'll be frank with you all. This job was assigned by Master Hu, but before I left, Superintendent Ma called me in and gave me a few instructions personally. If the old man himself said so, what's left for us to doubt?"

The other three erupted. One slapped the bed frame in excitement, raising his voice before hastily lowering it again: "Chief Zhang, why didn't you say so earlier? That Horse Yan— I mean, Superintendent Ma, is the type who always looks out for us underlings. He definitely won't let us down."

"If I'd said so earlier, everyone and their brother would know. When it comes to splitting silver, the fewer the better," Zhang Jianting quipped, and they all burst into laughter.

But once the initial excitement faded, someone immediately voiced a doubt: "Chief Zhang, a job this big, and it's just the four of us handling it? This isn't a trap, is it? Superintendent Ma isn't originally from our Nanjing circle."

Zhang Jianting snorted. "How could it be a trap? You think it's just the four of us? When we checked into the inn, I went to the stables and saw the secret marks. A squad from the Rear Thousand-Household also came—they disguised themselves as merchants and left here the day before yesterday. By now, they should have reached that village of Zhao Jin's. Inside and out working together, with this many elite men, we can't handle one country thug?"

This put everyone at ease. One man chuckled darkly and said, "We'll just pin Han Song and Yan Shao'an's fate onto Zhao Jin. Even if he doesn't die, we'll strip a layer of skin off him. Murdering the Emperor's personal guards—a crime like that, he can't say his life's been unjust."

"Not necessarily a dead end. If he coughs up a truly huge sum of silver, there's still a way out."

They all laughed again. Zhang Jianting nodded with a smile and added, "Now that you all know the score, you still need to exercise some discretion in how we handle this. I've heard this Zhao Jin has a censor from the capital backing him."

"A censor?" someone shot back, and the laughter grew even louder.

"Those bookish prigs can only bluff their own kind. They don't control us. The Southern Prison Court doesn't pay any mind to those sourpusses, and His Majesty pays even less." They all spoke with brimming confidence.

In all the realm, only the Embroidered Uniform Guard's own Southern Prison Court had the authority to investigate and punish unlawful acts within the Guard—not even the Eastern Depot could do so. Even when the Depot's power eclipsed the Guard's, the Depot's working-level officers were all guardsmen transferred over, and there was a tacit understanding between them. Even a grandee like the Depot Director had to consider the face of the men doing the work below and wouldn't press too hard. As for the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was one step further removed. Though it was effectively a place of exile, in practice, it was also a place beyond all law.

Moreover, since the twentieth year of the Wanli reign, the Emperor had essentially stopped holding court. Memorials and the like went unanswered, and he was unwilling even to deal with the civil officials of the outer court, trusting only the inner-court eunuchs, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and a few other select bodies. In all these years, no impeachment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had ever succeeded.

While there were some grandees they dared not offend, a mere rank-seven censor was beneath their notice. Even if such a man had boundless prospects and even provincial grand coordinators and regional inspectors had to tread carefully around him, the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not care. There was simply no connection between them—they were separated by several layers.

The more they talked, the more confident they grew. Seeing his men's morale rise, Zhang Jianting nodded with satisfaction and said, "The job can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, let's enjoy ourselves first."

With the prosperity over at He Village, Xuzhou city itself had become a stagnant pool, barely a ripple disturbing its surface. In such a dead and listless calm, the arrival of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—here to investigate a case—instantly jolted the entire city. Word spread everywhere in a flash.

Investigating Prefect Tong Huaizu? What was there to investigate about a spineless, incompetent local official? Investigating Regional Commander Zhou Baolu? He was a ranking general in the imperial military establishment; moving against him required an imperial edict. What could a handful of plainclothes Embroidered Uniform Guards do?

After weighing all the possibilities, everyone could guess who the Guard's real target was. Barring the unexpected, it could only be the man whose name had thundered across the region these past two years, the man of boundless prestige—Zhao Jin, Master Jin.

Prefect Tong Huaizu, for all his spinelessness and incompetence, was still the father-mother official of this prefectural seat. And because Zhao Jin had taken over the grain-tax collection, his hands were relatively free with money. With silver in hand, he could employ people, and his information was not entirely blocked.

When he heard from his personal attendant that Embroidered Uniform Guard officers had entered the city to investigate a case, the blood drained from Tong Huaizu's face. He sat there in a daze for a long moment, then began trembling uncontrollably. Cold sweat seeped out in layers, as if he were shivering with a feverish chill. The attendant, terrified he had fallen gravely ill, had to shout twice to rouse him.

Once Tong Huaizu came to his senses, he cast aside all pretense of dignity and composure, urgently ordering someone to fetch Adviser Wang, then shouting for his page boy to summon his wife.

The attendant and the page boy, more versed in officialdom than ordinary folk, understood perfectly well what trouble the words "Embroidered Uniform Guard" spelled. They themselves panicked, fearing that any investigation into Tong Huaizu would implicate them. Receiving their orders, they rushed out.

But no sooner had they run out of the courtyard than Tong Huaizu hollered them back at the top of his lungs. A prefect was, after all, a local grandee of the lower fifth rank; such fluster was rare. But when one considered it involved the Guard's horsemen, it was hardly strange.

Yet the matter still terrified the attendant and page boy. When they had run out, their master's face had been deathly pale, as if he might collapse at any moment. But now his face was radiant with joy, as if he were about to be promoted and strike it rich. Had he been scared out of his wits? Even stranger, their master was telling them to go buy wine and ordering the cook to prepare a few fine dishes. He really had gone mad.

They hastily smiled and agreed, but exchanged glances with each other. They would humor him for now, then hurry out to inform the mistress and summon a physician at once.

In truth, there was no need for them to go. Tong Huaizu's shouting just moments before had already roused the entire residence. Before the attendant and page boy could even leave to deliver the message, Madam Tong came rushing over anxiously.

"Madam, Heaven has eyes! Good and evil are repaid! That great villain has run rampant over Xuzhou for two years, and at last, he's going to face punishment!" The moment he saw his wife, Tong Huaizu could not contain his excitement.

After so many years as husband and wife, she naturally knew whether her husband was mad or not. And Madam Tong had already guessed whom he was talking about. It was not only Madam Tong who guessed—the attendant and page boy also had a fair idea.

The servants withdrew. Tong Huaizu's face shone with delight as he paced back and forth in the courtyard in agitation, saying as he walked, "The court has finally remembered Xuzhou. That great villain's countless evils have finally met their retribution. When the time comes... when the time comes, Xuzhou will once again see bright and clear skies!"

"... No, that distillery is a specialty of Xuzhou. It cannot be ruined. This official must make arrangements in advance..."