Chapter 896: Stopping the Carriage to Strike

Inside the pawnshop's secret chamber, Li Zhennan lowered his voice as he spoke, his tone betraying an anxiety he could not conceal.

"What kind of scholar could the prince's mansion possibly command? Men in their fifties or sixties who've passed the provincial exam might be willing to come, but what young man would want anything to do with a prince's mansion, let alone a family like the Xin clan? I've even heard of this man's reputation. And besides, the nearly two hundred assassins that night — if our prince's mansion had sent them, the expense would have been enormous. I would definitely have seen that sum in the accounts, but there hasn't been any large expenditure these past few months."

"Right, right. Our prince has also been egged on by his secondary consort to spend his days sending up memorials weeping and pleading, begging the court to take charge and punish your master's side. You have no idea how many people with connections have died, both inside the inner residence and out in the outer compound — so many people hate your family."

"Let's not speak any more pleasantries. I ask only one thing: if something goes wrong on my end, or if I'm arrested, you must send the two of them, mother and child, to Xuzhou. That way I'll have done right by them."

Just as government troops were marching north and south, some incidents occurred within the Prince of Lu's mansion. Rumors were swirling that a palace maid had gone missing; some said she had thrown herself into a well and died, but no body was ever recovered. When eunuchs came out drinking, they'd gossip idly, saying the maid might have been with child. When the princess consort and her people tried to investigate, the person was already gone — very likely she'd had a secret affair with someone outside the mansion. She should have been severely punished once caught, but no one expected the maid to actually escape. This was a scandal, so everyone from top to bottom was silenced and forbidden from spreading word.

Yet no one imagined that the man who had the affair with this palace maid was Li Zhennan. He controlled a constant flow of silver and had close dealings with this pawnshop outside. Li Zhennan understood the gravity of the matter — once it was discovered that the child's father was him, never mind his position or property, even his life would be hard to keep. So he simply spent a fortune to have this pawnshop take the person out and send her away. It was laughable, really — many of the shops surrounding the prince's mansion had eyes and ears reaching deep inside the mansion itself.

The person was taken out, sent away, and settled in a trustworthy place. He had thought the matter would end there, but unexpectedly the pawnshop suddenly changed owners — the original proprietor had been made an offer too high to refuse and had no choice but to sell. Even more unexpected was that what was sold was not only the shop but also this secret information. And what he also hadn't expected was that the one who bought the shop was actually someone connected to that great bandit of Xuzhou...

"Over in Weihui, Henan, it's already been verified — the Prince of Lu's mansion has nothing to do with this matter. The news from the Prince of Lu's mansion in Shandong arrived a day earlier. Big Brother, you should have seen it by now. Right now, that Prince of Lu's mansion is also putting its efforts into the imperial court and hasn't sent anyone here." Liu Yong said in a deep voice.

"Since it's confirmed, send the word — strike." Zhao Jin said decisively.

Around the fifteenth of the twelfth month, the major merchant houses in the capital would close their doors and suspend business, not reopening until after the new year. After the twenty-third of the twelfth month, only a few clerks and runners would remain on duty in the various government offices at every level. The more diligent officials might drop by to take a look, but their most pressing task at this time was giving and receiving gifts, maintaining their mutual connections.

During this season, the normally bustling commercial streets grew desolate and quiet, while the usually quiet residences of the rich and powerful became lively — carriages, horses, sedan chairs, servants, and attendants were all coming and going.

Not to mention the socializing among the outer court officials, this was also the season that tested the warmth of human sentiment within the inner court. The eunuchs with rank and standing in the inner court all had residences and mansions outside the palace. Those currying favor and seeking connections from all quarters had to send gifts and pay court. Who had many visitors and who had few made the difference between favor and neglect starkly clear.

But those who could receive gifts outside were all men of prestige currently in favor. Those truly fallen eunuchs could not even leave the palace and could only huddle away by themselves.

After the fifteenth of the twelfth month, the lower ranks in the palace had already grown practiced in their busy work, and matters of state had all quieted down. The powerful eunuchs who were considerate of their subordinates also spent less time in the duty rooms at this juncture, making it convenient for the younger men under them to go out and enjoy some glory. Everyone had their moment — to strut about and savor the thrill. Once they climbed higher or fell from favor, they would either no longer care or no longer be able to do it, which was another matter entirely.

On West City Avenue, a horse-drawn carriage raced along at top speed, showing no consideration for other pedestrians or vehicles. Accompanying the carriage were two riders, dressed in the uniform of the Valiant Battalion cavalry, and they too bore themselves with swaggering arrogance.

That carriage, from its horses and shafts to its canopy and curtains, was all magnificently ornate. Had an old clerk from the Ministry of Rites been present, he could have spotted countless violations and transgressions of sumptuary law at a single glance. But who cared about such things nowadays? In the mansions of wealthy merchants, dragons were painted and phoenixes carved, gold and silver used freely — had anyone ever said a word about it?

The riders guarding the carriage kept shouting loudly: "Make way for the carriage of Eunuch Zhang of the Imperial Stud! Clear the road!"

Whenever they saw common folk who couldn't dodge in time, they'd lash out with a whip from horseback, then burst into loud laughter. Someone by the roadside muttered under their breath: "If it weren't the Tianqi reign, I'd think this was Zhang Yong of the Eight Tigers from the Zhengde Emperor's time!"

"Zhang Yong at least died a natural death and knew some limits in his actions. This Eunuch Zhang, though, has taken Wei Zhongxian, Eunuch Wei, as his godfather. Even though he's only a military overseer now, he's about to be made a eunuch director!"

"What's the rush for? Off to his death, eager to be reincarnated?"

"Collecting gifts, of course. Just climbed up to glory — loves being flattered and fawned over. Didn't he also buy two beautiful concubines over in the west city? Probably rushing off to meet them."

The bystanders chatted and joked among themselves. Collecting gifts and being fawned over naturally could not take place inside the imperial palace, but in a residence outside the palace, it could be done openly and aboveboard. For the newly risen and newly favored, there were benefits, and being flattered was both glorious and pleasurable — a rare enjoyment. So at this time of year, they left the palace early and hurried toward their outer residences.

Two large carts were ambling slowly along ahead. Hearing the urging from behind, they dared not block the way. One hastily scrambled to the roadside, but as the other tried to drive its animal forward, the beast suddenly turned stubborn and stood stock-still across the middle of the road, immovable, blocking the entire path.

Eunuch Zhang's carriage had no choice; the driver could only shout to bring it to a halt. The two escorting cavalrymen rode forward and began cursing furiously, ordering that driver to move faster. The driver hastily agreed, but at a moment like this, the more anxious he got, the more stuck he became — a real nuisance.

"Strike!"

Suddenly a great shout rang out. Everyone on the street looked over — could it be that Eunuch Zhang was about to have someone beaten? In broad daylight, this was just too bullying...

From the large cart that had just dodged to the roadside, someone suddenly pulled out a short spear and thrust it straight into the cavalryman nearest him. That cavalryman had no guard up whatsoever; the short spear plunged in through his ribs and came out the other side. They were on escort duty for an inner court official on an outing — a job meant for showing off prestige, and here inside the capital city, there was no need to wear armor. Who could have expected something like this?

On the other side, a man who had been crouching by the wall sprang up at the same instant. The front end of the short staff in his hand had been removed, revealing a short spike gleaming with cold light. The cavalryman on his side reacted quickly enough, already turning sideways and drawing his blade, but he never imagined the attacker would move so fast. In turning sideways, he exposed his chest to his opponent, and the short spike drove straight into his heart.

The street was already filled with panicked screams. The driver who had been answering meekly just moments before turned around, yanked a podao from the cart behind him, jumped down, and with one slash cut down the driver on Eunuch Zhang's carriage. Blood sprayed everywhere.

By now, Eunuch Zhang inside the carriage had sensed something was wrong. He lifted the curtain to look out and was so terrified he let out a shriek, shrinking straight back inside. That driver-turned-bladesman leaped onto the carriage, kicked the door open with one foot, and ignoring the pleas and curses from within, thrust wildly with his podao.

"Anyone who looks up gets silenced!" these utterly audacious killers roared. Seeing the ground streaming with blood, who would dare look up? Everyone only feared being caught up in it, thinking with terror in their hearts: could this be rebellion?

The killing was brief. Once it was done, someone pulled a sheet of paper from inside his clothes and tossed it into the carriage compartment. They abandoned their weapons, carriage, and horses, but pulled several long gowns from that large cart that had been blocking the road and slipped them on over their clothes. Had an outsider seen, they would have found it strange, for beneath the firewood and straw in that large cart were even damp hand towels.

With the long gowns worn over the outside, the bloodstains on their clothes could no longer be seen. They wiped their exposed skin with the damp towels, and any blood that had spattered on them was simply cleaned away. After circling around one street, when others saw these men, they noticed nothing wrong or unusual — they were just ordinary passersby.

One street further, the several assassins entered a courtyard with its gate left slightly ajar. Moments later, having changed their clothes, they climbed over the wall and left through the rear courtyard, heading straight for the nearest city gate. By this time, they looked like traveling merchants leaving the capital, and their pace was not too hurried — nothing about them seemed amiss.

The capital was different from other places. The runners of Shuntian Prefecture, the agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the soldiers of the Five Wards Military Command — the forces maintaining public order were far stronger here than elsewhere. As soon as trouble broke out, in barely the time it took to burn a stick of incense, men from all quarters were already rushing to the scene. Yet it was precisely in that time it took to burn a stick of incense that the assassins had already gotten far away.

When questioning the commoners at the scene, most were of the mindset that it was better to avoid trouble than to invite it, terrified that saying too much would bring disaster upon themselves. This eunuch was the godson of Wei Zhongxian, Eunuch Wei — that gang had dared to strike right under the Son of Heaven's feet. If they said too much, what if someone came looking for them later? Wouldn't that be courting death?

The few who did speak each gave contradictory accounts that didn't match up. The incident had happened too suddenly; everyone had been so frightened they'd ducked their heads — who would have dared stare straight at it? The faint impressions they had were mere fleeting glimpses, with no details at all.

But what followed proved the wisdom of those who had kept silent for self-preservation. About half a shichen later, a Chief Sergeant of the Eastern Depot arrived with his men. First he dismissed the people from Shuntian Prefecture and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and after a few private words with them, he then took away every single witness who had provided testimony. This made the surrounding onlookers gasp sharply — once you went to the Eastern Depot, even if you didn't die, you'd shed a layer of skin. Indeed, it was better to have kept one's mouth shut.

"... Shuntian Prefecture, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Five Wards Military Command have all been given word. Even if news can still be picked up elsewhere, it can't be filed as a case — it can only be called hearsay..."

Thanks to the Qidian friend "huaianfqy" for the reward, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Resuming double updates — please, brothers, cast your monthly tickets for Great Ming Wufu!