Chapter 527: Let

"You're not here to arrest anyone — you're here to extort money!"

"Get lost!"

Inside the room, pent-up fury suddenly erupted. Everyone was shouting, and some even grabbed whatever was at hand and hurled it at them. The two Embroidered Uniform Guards who had stepped forward to seize people had not drawn their blades. Kettles, tea tables, chairs — all came smashing down on their heads and faces. Caught completely off guard, their whole bodies ached, and one of them was knocked flat on the ground.

"All of you, stop this instant! Striking the Son of Heaven's personal guards is striking imperial commissioners — are you committing rebellion?! If you don't stop now, you will be killed without mercy!" Over on that side, Zhang Jianting had already grown frantic and directly drew his blade with a roar.

Seeing the naked steel drawn, the crowd finally stopped, though their expressions remained decidedly hostile. Moreover, the clerks and copyists standing at the front were now replaced by the constables and able-bodied men from the rear.

Zhang Jianting turned his head in fury. The room had erupted into such chaos all because of the snide remarks from that man outside the door. He looked back and saw a strapping fellow in his forties standing there, square cap and black robe, dressed as a constable, with several other men beside him, also in constable's garb.

"So it was you spouting that nonsense?"

The big man's expression was indifferent. Just as he was about to speak, Embroidered Uniform Guard Squad Leader Zhang Jianting heard Clerk Li behind him ask in a clear, loud voice: "Since you gentlemen, the esteemed envoys, claim to be handling a case, do you have the official documents and credentials? Even the Son of Heaven's personal guards, even the Embroidered Uniform Guard, must have documents and credentials to arrest people and handle cases. If you have them, please produce them for inspection. Once verified, we will proceed according to regulations. If you don't, what exactly are you gentlemen trying to do here?"

The clerks and scribes of the yamen were most familiar with regulations and statutes, so the words came out naturally. The several Embroidered Uniform Guards who had come were, however, utterly enraged. The Embroidered Uniform Guard handled major cases, imperial cases, and imperial cases often came with imperial edicts or verbal decrees — that, of course, was awe-inspiring and beyond question.

But how many imperial cases could there possibly be in the world? The Northern Pacification Office that could arrest, convict, and sentence people was in the capital, and the Imperial Prison was also in the capital. Strictly speaking, the Embroidered Uniform Guard everywhere else in the realm only had the authority to investigate and spy; they were merely extensions of the capital's Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Sometimes when the Embroidered Uniform Guard seized someone in a certain place, it was not because they had the authority, but rather what was called exercising discretion on the spot, with the documents and procedures filled in retroactively afterward.

However, this investigating and spying, serving as the Son of Heaven's eyes and ears, only earned them some courtesy and small perks. If they wanted to get rich, they still had to use their borrowed authority to handle cases and extort people, fabricate a charge, throw someone into the main jail, and then they could blackmail as much money and benefit as they pleased.

The government yamens, wary of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's function of spying, investigating, and reporting, simply turned a blind eye to these unlawful acts.

This was the case in every province across the realm, but South Zhili was different. In these lands south and north of the Yangtze, whether it was the salt merchants of Yangzhou or the wealthy of Suzhou, Songjiang, and Changzhou, every one of them had connections that reached the heavens. Inside Nanjing itself, powerful officials and noble houses were everywhere. The Embroidered Uniform Guard truly had little opportunity to extort money and enrich themselves.

But having no opportunity was one thing; not knowing how was another. Everyone understood the tricks of this trade perfectly well.

The methods they dared not use, could not use, in Nanjing, Yangzhou, and the various places of Jiangnan, they could naturally use once they came to Xuzhou. In their thinking, a poor, remote backwater like this would be terrified at the mere mention of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's name — who would have the presence of mind to care about regulations?

The Embroidered Uniform Guard ran roughshod like this everywhere under Heaven. What could possibly be different here in Xuzhou? Yet thinking was one thing; once they arrived, they discovered the other side was not afraid at all. A lowly, unranked, base petty official actually dared to question them so brazenly.

And truth be told, those two who had come at the start to investigate the case had no documents to begin with. It was simply some big shot using men privately to handle a matter. This time, everyone had come to find fault, extort money, and even seize property — these things could not bear the light of day, much less involve any documents. Anywhere else, so what if there were no documents? Who would dare open their mouth against the Brocade-Clad Agents? But now, it had been brought up just like that!

In the hearts of these several agents, how could that Zhao Jin dare kill agents? It was nothing more than those two scoundrels, Han Song and Yan Shao'an, having gotten their hands on silver and gone off to enjoy themselves. So deep down, none of them felt they were in the right; they only thought they could bluff people.

Now that they had been exposed in a single shout, they immediately flew into a rage out of humiliation!

"Rebellion! Rebellion! You are committing rebellion!" Zhang Jianting was already beside himself with fury. He drew his blade, looked to the front, looked to the back, not knowing whom to cut. The three men beside him also drew their blades, faces red and veins bulging, and joined in the loud shouting and cursing.

But the atmosphere had shifted again. Clerk Li took two steps back and actually sat down in a chair. Looking at them askance, he said: "Have you gentlemen come to run wild in our Xuzhou?"

Now even the address "esteemed envoy" was gone. In this world, it was not only the Embroidered Uniform Guard who borrowed authority to intimidate, not only the Embroidered Uniform Guard who extorted money. The clerks of the six offices and the constables and runners did such things all year round. Putting on airs and speaking big words were skills they were all well practiced in.

Some people had already slipped out of the room, but others were walking in. What infuriated the Embroidered Uniform Guard agents even more was that the several men entering the room were actually carrying water-and-fire staves — thick black-lacquered poles about seven feet long and as thick as an adult's wrist. Those who had stood up had also produced iron rulers and waist sabers.

In this room, the agents numbered only four men with four blades, while the yamen people numbered over a dozen, armed with both blades and staves, and they did not look unwilling to use them.

"Could they be impostors posing as government officers?!" someone shouted. At these words, several water-and-fire staves were raised.

"Nonsense! We all carry our waist tallies on us — genuine as can be!" The agents' momentum had already weakened somewhat. Hearing this, they hurriedly argued in their defense, reaching into their coats to pull out their waist tallies.

"Rubbish! What does having a waist tally prove? Where are your official case-handling documents?!" Clerk Li on that side suddenly erupted with a great shout, slamming the table heavily. Even the teacup was shaken off onto the floor.

"Where are the documents? Produce the documents!" Chaotic shouts rose from all around.

Embroidered Uniform Guard Squad Leader Zhang Jianting looked at the hostile, covetous stares surrounding him, then at those cold-faced men outside the door, and felt only a sense of utter absurdity. Was he the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or had he walked into an Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen? Could it be that after so many years without an outside assignment, all the rules had changed?

"You… you people are outrageously bold! Your lord here is a personal guard of the Son of Heaven, and you dare demand documents from me? After this, I'll have every last one of you arrested, flayed…" Zhang Jianting laughed from sheer rage, grinding his teeth as he threatened.

"They're here to extort us! They actually came to our own yamen to run a scam! Brothers, we can't swallow this! Us men of Xuzhou, being bullied like this — if word gets out, we'll be laughed to scorn!"

"Beat the bastards!"

Before the agents' threats were even finished, even louder shouts came from outside, and soon everyone was echoing them.

"Who dares…!"

Zhang Jianting's words were not yet finished when a chair came flying at him. He sidestepped to dodge, and a kettle smashed to pieces against his shoulder. Zhang Jianting was utterly infuriated. He drew his blade, ready to strike, when a long bench came flying over as well.

In this spacious room, the air whistled continuously. Everything that could be thrown or smashed was hurled. The four agents could block at first, but later could only cover their heads and dodge. Zhang Jianting stumbled. So furious that his eyes nearly split, he brandished his blade and charged at Clerk Li. He no longer cared about anything else. If he could cut down this damned petty official with one stroke, he would vent his rage first and worry about the rest later.

As soon as he moved, two middle-aged men blocked his path. They looked to be dressed as constables, water-and-fire staves in hand. One brought his staff down straight at Zhang Jianting's head. Zhang Jianting had at least trained; he raised his blade to parry and was about to sidestep with the momentum, but as he lifted his arm, the other man's staff thrust straight at him.

The butt of the staff slammed viciously into Zhang Jianting's chest. Instantly, he could not draw breath, and all strength left his body. Before he could react further, the staves swept across both his legs. The pain was absolutely excruciating, and he crashed straight to the ground.

These two men were indeed constables of the yamen. The move they had just used was precisely the routine for capturing criminals — a pincer strike with two staves. An ordinary man of the jianghu could not possibly withstand it and would be taken down immediately.

Zhang Jianting's three companions, the Embroidered Uniform Guard squad leader, fared no better. The yamen also had set routines for dealing with blade-wielding thugs, and for this kind of mob, they had countermeasures. Several iron chains were flung directly at them. One man's legs were entangled, and he fell to his knees. The other two dodged by leaping aside, but as soon as they steadied themselves, they saw six great staves smashing down toward their heads and faces.

"Damn it all! Don't you piss on the ground and take a look at your own reflections — you actually dare come to Xuzhou to throw your weight around? Hit them! Hit them hard!" Clerk Li stood there shouting.

At his shout, everyone yelled and attacked even more fiercely, punching and kicking. At first, Zhang Jianting and his companions were still furious, shouting: "If you've got the guts, beat your granddaddy to death! There'll still be someone in Nanjing who can speak up and come!"

"Haven't you eaten? Your granddaddy doesn't feel a thing!"

The crowd was actually exercising some restraint. After knocking the Embroidered Uniform Guard agents' blades aside, everyone just kicked wildly with their feet. No one actually used their weapons. For a moment, the scene turned a bit strange, as if the Embroidered Uniform Guards being beaten by the mob were the ones gaining the upper hand.

"Haven't you eaten your fill?" someone suddenly asked. The voice was very young.

Everyone glared in the direction of the voice, thinking, who is this clueless fool? These are government officers, esteemed envoys. If we really beat them to a bad end, none of us could bear the responsibility.

The speaker was standing right at the door. Everyone recognized him — this was Zhao Zhentang's relative, attendant, and apprentice. Lately, all the beheadings at the yamen had been this man's execution duties. They said he was Zhao Zhentang's distant nephew, called Zhao Shiyi.

Seeing everyone looking his way, Zhao Shiyi's face reddened a little, but he still shouted at the top of his lungs: "Beat them to death! Hit them hard!"

Zhao Zhentang, standing beside Zhao Shiyi, was expressionless, merely watching the room. Inside the room, anyone who wasn't a fool understood the meaning of those words perfectly. Even Clerk Li rolled up his sleeves and stood. Now everyone put real force into it.

Beating people in the yamen was a learned skill. If they wanted to protect you, they could swing a water-and-fire staff in a full arc and smash it down without you feeling the slightest force. If they wanted to kill you, a few strokes of the board would stop your breath. Everyone immediately displayed their respective expertise, striking at the vital spots they knew.

Fortunately, no weapons were used. The Embroidered Uniform Guard agents made a great racket, but they also knew to curl up and cover their heads. Even so, once things got serious, all the toughness of these gentlemen vanished. They gritted their teeth and endured for a while, but could bear it no longer.

Thank you, everyone.