Chapter 214: The Wind Rises (Part 2)

Chapter 214: The Wind Rises (Part 2)

Perhaps because Zheng Miao had been lost in thought for too long, this guy who was always so good at making things difficult actually had a rare moment of conscience and continued to offer advice: "Ah, if Zheng Miao is worried that Captain Wang isn't familiar with the capital and might find it inconvenient to act, yours truly does have a good candidate in mind..."

Zheng Miao was speechless.

He stood up, walking over to the man as if half-asleep, and cupped his head and face in both hands, mashing and squishing them vigorously.

The man had been all spiffed up, like a sleek, vain fox, but was suddenly tousled into a mess, staring up at him in a daze.

With his emotions surging, Zheng Miao's face went white and red by turns.

After a long silence, he asked a question that even he himself found absurd: "You've figured out how to possess people, haven't you?"

In Zheng Miao's view, Le Wuya's skills were off the charts—even if he descended into the eighteenth level of hell, he could still wangle a job as head jailer and trick a bunch of little ghosts into following him into the fray.

If the dead have any spirit down there, who knows, he might even bribe King Yan himself and pull off that damn trick of stealing a body to come back to life!

He had to rip that mask right off his face!

But who'd have thought—the man didn't even try to deny it, instead looking all pitiful: "Ow, that hurts."

Zheng Miao's mind wandered for a moment, recalling their first encounter in the palace that year—when he, Zheng Sanshui, was at his most spirited and ambitious, with a great future ahead and his heart full of hope.

He had seen a little white goose with red sandalwood beads on its head, strutting proudly in front of him, head high, chest out, and figured they were birds of a feather. He couldn't stop staring at it, and that's how their fate got tangled together.

Many years later, Zheng Miao learned that by then, Le Wuya had already earned the title of number one in the world, but his glory days were long gone.

Le Wuya's best days were already behind him.

And Zheng Miao had come too late to ever see them.

Perhaps, if he had never been wounded, that Le Wuya would have been like the Ming Ke before him—acting cute and spoiled, totally carefree.

Zheng Miao looked at the man before him with a wistful, nostalgic gaze, yet he eased up on the pressure a little: "If it weren't for you, how could you boss around the people in the capital so easily?"

"Oh, come on, my lord, I've got my own tricks, of course," the man said, his brows curving into a smile. "You've only known me for a hot minute, and you're already doing what I say, aren't you?"

"Who listens to you?"

He casually picked up an orange, smiling as he looked at him: "Just now, for instance. I just said it hurt—why'd you stop?"

Zheng Miao yanked his hands back like he'd been scalded, staring at him like he'd seen a ghost.

After a long moment, he let out a bitter laugh and called out: "Wang Cheng."

Wang Cheng dropped in from out of nowhere again.

Zheng Miao returned to his seat, pointed at Le Wuya, and said: "Do what Prefect Wenren says."

Wang Cheng raised an eyebrow—a rare show of surprise from him—then turned to Le Wuya: "Please, Prefect, tell me what you need."

After Le Wuya finished explaining what needed to be done, he added: "Thank you for your hard work, Captain Wang. If you're worried it might not work out, you can go to the Sixth Prince's residence in the capital, pretending to deliver a gift, and seek out a guard named Jiang He. He's a former member of the Imperial Guard, in charge of guarding the outer palace, and knows the streets and alleys of the capital like the back of his hand."

Wang Cheng calmly acknowledged: "Understood."

A moment later, he looked up: "Prefect Wenren, I'm good at handling official business, but my fighting skills aren't top-tier. I'm afraid I might mess up the job and drag Lord Zheng and Prefect Wenren into trouble. I'll only handle delivering messages and scouting the area—the actual work will be left to Guard Jiang. Is that acceptable?"

Hearing him downplay himself like that, Le Wuya was not disappointed but instead showed even greater appreciation.

...Knowing yourself is wisdom; knowing your limits is smarts.

He liked him even more now. Wanted him.

"Of course. Leave everything to him." Le Wuya was almost doting on Wang Cheng. "When you meet Guard Jiang, don't be too surprised. Don't let his looks fool you—in private, he'll try anything."

Zheng Miao, standing nearby, still couldn't hold back: "A man of the Sixth Prince—you dare command him like this?"

"Why not?"

"Siding with a prince—you got a death wish?"

"Forming cliques for personal gain is the crooked path; but if it's for the people, what would Lord Zheng say to that?"

Zheng Miao disapproved: "This is a dangerous precedent. What's done for the public today can be done for private gain tomorrow."

"That's a problem for the future. What lies before us now is an old case involving dozens of lives, buried in dust for years, and at long last, a chance has come for it to see the light of day..."

Le Wuya smiled with narrowed eyes, carrying the seductive charm of a fox spirit coaxing a heart out of someone: "...So my lord, do this official a favor, won't you?"

Of course, Le Wuya still kept one thing unsaid.

The first half of the essay, he had already written.

Whatever the outcome, at least Zhang Kai in Tongzhou wouldn't dare act rashly for now, and he had not failed the Abbot's trust—he had truly brought this matter to light.

He had proven his ability.

Now, if the essay was to have a second half, how it should be written and continued would depend on Xiaoliu.

It was Xiaoliu's turn to prove that his ambition was worthy of Le Wuya's capability.

...

Thus, half a month before Zheng Miao visited the residence of Zhang Yuanye, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, to probe for information, Wang Cheng had already departed ahead of Zheng Miao and arrived in the capital at full speed.

Now that the Sixth Prince was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, it was only natural for provincial officials arriving in the capital for their performance reviews to pay a "courtesy call" to this rising prince.

Zhi Jie, newly entrusted with great responsibility, did not put on an aloof and unapproachable air. When he had time, he would meet with officials; when truly busy, he would have Ru Feng or Jiang He receive them instead.

He accepted no gold or silver, only some local specialties, and would select the best of those to send into the palace—offering them as tribute to show his openness and integrity.

And so, Wang Cheng, arriving to deliver a gift, smoothly obtained an audience with Jiang He.

Jiang He was indeed an extraordinary man. Wang Cheng brought no written proof, only a verbal message, but the moment Jiang He heard that Prefect Wenren had asked for his help, he agreed immediately—abandoning even his current master. He requested several days of leave and accompanied Wang Cheng to scout the area around Fujin Pawnshop.

Watching the bustling crowd outside Fujin Pawnshop, Wang Cheng said quietly: "Prefect Wenren didn't specify a date. I wonder when the person coming to pick up the blue satin box will arrive."

Wang Cheng's real intention was to suggest that running off without informing the Sixth Prince was ultimately improper—he ought to tell his master where he was going.

Jiang He pondered for a moment, then said with a cold expression: "You're right. I'll set a fire so that everyone who stored things at the pawnshop will hurry over to retrieve them."

Wang Cheng: "...No."

Jiang He: "Fine."

After a moment, Jiang He added: "It won't burn down the storage warehouse."

Wang Cheng: "No."

Jiang He: "Okay."

After a moment.

Jiang He: "This way, it'll nudge people to come pick up their stuff sooner."

Wang Cheng: "No, we can only wait. Being too flashy will draw the wrong kind of attention."

Jiang He: "Okay."

Jiang He: "Captain Wang, if you'd just said that from the start, I'd've gotten it."

Wang Cheng: "...Sorry, my fault."

Wang Cheng knew the capital was crawling with informants, so he didn't dare be seen with Jiang He out in the open too much. After casing the place together just once, he holed up quietly at an inn on the edge of the capital, waiting for Lord Zheng to arrive.

Every three days, he'd head into the city, acting like he was just out for a stroll, and swing by the Fujin Pawnshop.

But every time, he never once caught sight of Jiang He.

Only once did he spot a ragged loafer, face hidden under a straw hat, lying at the entrance of a narrow alley, soaking up the sun.

The guy's build looked familiar, and the straw hat had two little holes poked in it, so Wang Cheng took a second look.

The eyes behind the straw hat blinked.

Then the guy reached up and pulled the hat off his face.

It was a late-spring cold snap, and the streets were nearly empty, so Jiang He felt bold enough to greet him, dead serious: "Captain Wang, back again, huh?"

Wang Cheng was a bit taken aback: "..." Again?

Seeing Wang Cheng didn't seem to get it, Jiang He asked, curious: "Don't you show up every three days?"

Wang Cheng went quiet.

He had to admit, Prefect Wenren had a point.

The guy might be simple, but he had his own set of skills.

Jiang He had no clue what Wang Cheng was thinking to himself.

Back in the Tianlang Camp, he'd followed the young general and picked up plenty of tricks for disguising himself and lying low.

But his knack for patience, he'd sharpened after leaving the young general's side.

Jiang He figured every skill he had came straight from the young general, so even when he pulled something off, it had little to do with him.

So he stayed the same humble, stubborn, one-track-minded Jiang He.

He stuck out a hand to Wang Cheng: "Got any silver on you?"

Wang Cheng reached for his money pouch: "What for?"

"Came out today with no money, didn't dress warm enough, kinda cold." Jiang He sniffled. "Figured I'd grab some hot wine to warm up."

Wang Cheng handed over his money pouch.

After leaving Jiang He, he walked off thinking—what was it about Prefect Wenren that could make a guy like this loyal to him to the death, all because of one sentence?

Half a month after Wang Cheng got to the capital, Zheng Miao showed up.

Wang Cheng went off to link back up with his own boss.

But who'd have guessed—on the third afternoon Zheng Miao was in town, news that shook the whole capital hit the streets:

At dusk, someone went to the Fujin Pawnshop to reclaim a pawned item, carrying five boxes of calligraphy and paintings. As he headed to a quiet spot, a masked thug jumped out and robbed him, snatching the stuff right out of his arms.

When the victim tried to fight back, the thug decked him with one punch and took off.

A scholar passing through from another province saw the guy bleeding and out cold, still clutching the pawn ticket, and nearly jumped out of his skin. He hightailed it to report the crime to the authorities.

Wang Cheng, standing next to Zheng Miao, heard the news. His face gave nothing away, but inside he was floored.

Robbery's one thing—but why get violent?

What a damn menace.

...

Right under the emperor's nose, in the most law-abiding district in the land, and at a make-or-break moment when the empire's top scholars were getting ready to take the big exam, a crime this bad going down in the capital naturally sent the emperor into a towering rage.

The Five City Patrol rolled out in full force, cavalry thundering as they chased down every lead, swearing to bring the culprit in.

But the investigation had barely started when things took an unexpected turn.

The Prefect of Shuntian quickly opened court and hauled the victim in to figure out what the thug had taken.

The battered victim, face all swollen and bruised, went red and stammered—not only refusing to say who he was working for, but unable to even explain what he'd lost, babbling nonsense.

A big case dropping out of nowhere, and the Prefect was already fed up to the gills. He had no patience for the guy's stalling, so he just went straight to the pawnshop's records and the pawn ticket. Cross-checking the two, he found it was five valuable paintings and calligraphy pieces.

Looking at the list, the Prefect was annoyed, but suspicion started creeping in:

Just some paintings—what noble household didn't have a few? What was there to hide?

When he checked the guy's ID tag and found he was the steward of Zhang Yue, the Taichang, the Prefect got even more confused.

He didn't yet know how deep this went, but after all these years as Prefect of Shuntian, he knew damn well that when something's off, there's trouble behind it.

So the Prefect went to the palace that very night and laid out the day's findings to the emperor one by one. Once he was done, he played dumb, hands at his sides, waiting for orders.

The big court assembly was the next morning, and some things were better left unsaid there.

This involved Taichang Zhang, and Taichang Zhang was someone the emperor had personally promoted. Even if he'd already topped out in his post, the Prefect still needed to read the emperor's intentions before making a move.

The emperor's face was like stone. He was quiet for a long moment, then asked, "These five paintings—are they all from Zhang Yue's personal stash?"

The Prefect of Shuntian: "Yes, Your Majesty."

The emperor snapped coldly, "Absurd!"

The Prefect broke into a cold sweat.

Not knowing what had set the emperor off, he kept his mouth shut and just took the imperial wrath.

As the tension in the hall got thicker and the Prefect's sweat poured like a faucet, the eunuch Xue Jie scurried in: "Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince has something to report."

The emperor, already irritated, waved a hand: "It's late. I've got important business. Come back tomorrow!"

Xue Jie said "yes" and quietly withdrew. When he reached outside the hall, he said gently to the waiting Xiang Zhi, "Sixth Prince, I told you that His Majesty is troubled by today's robbery in the capital. If you have no urgent matters, please come back tomorrow when His Majesty's anger has subsided."

Xiang Zhi looked as if he wanted to speak but hesitated, glanced at Jiang He beside him, and said, "I will wait here for Father."

Xue Jie's brow twitched slightly, as if he had guessed something, and he bowed, saying, "Then please, Sixth Prince, rest for a while in the Guanlin Pavilion. I will prepare some tea and refreshments, so you won't get hungry or tired."

Xiang Zhi said warmly, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Xue."

...

Meanwhile, at the Fifth Prince's mansion.

Xiang Zhi Yun listened to the messenger's report, his voice growing tight: "Is this true?!"

"Indeed. How would I dare deceive you, Fifth Prince?"

The man before him, whose name was Pan Yang, had been the Fifth Prince's closest subordinate since Zuo Ruyi's death.

He lowered his voice: "You told us to watch for the Sixth Prince's missteps. Just now, I received a report that shortly after the robbery, Jiang He, the Sixth Prince's guard, returned to the mansion carrying a large bundle."

Xiang Zhi Yun: "Do you know what was in the bundle?"

"The spy said it was a long, box-shaped object, tied up with a length of snow-blue silk. I went to inquire, and the authorities at Shuntian Prefecture said that the five paintings stolen today were wrapped in snow-blue silk!"

Pan Yang added, "This Jiang He has been frequently coming and going from the Sixth Prince's residence these past few days, acting suspiciously. He's a military man, so our people didn't dare follow him too closely for fear of exposing themselves, but his coming and going at odd hours without ever being home is indeed suspicious. Little did we know he was up to this!"

"Why would Xiao Liu go rob those five paintings?" Xiang Zhi Yun frowned. "Is he tired of living so comfortably?"

Pan Yang lowered his voice: "Fifth Prince, you should know that what was stolen today were paintings from the household of Taichang Zhang. Back when Taichang Zhang served as Assistant Prefect in Huangzhou, there was a case of fake treasures there..."

The Ministry of Justice was under the Fifth Prince's jurisdiction. After hearing Pan Yang explain the whole story, Xiang Zhi Yun immediately understood and deduced: "Zhang Yue... sent his own man to Huangzhou to destroy evidence, but the man he sent was tempted by greed, intending not only to flee with the ledger but also to kill to silence witnesses, only to be caught red-handed by a group of monks?"

Even as he said this, Xiang Zhi Yun felt foolish.

Given the case files submitted to the Ministry of Justice, it was not surprising that Xiang Zhi Yun reached such a conclusion.

After all, no one would have thought that someone would go out of his way to instruct a group of country monks on how to break their vows, and that these country monks would truly remain in their temple, unchanged at heart, waiting for ten years, just for the right person to be lured in by the tip.

Upon learning the full story, Xiang Zhi Yun stood there stunned for a long time, his hands clasped behind his back, pacing back and forth in the room.

Pan Yang chimed in, "Fifth Prince, this is a golden opportunity! The Sixth Prince has always been interested in astronomy and should have been on good terms with Taichang Zhang. But Taichang Zhang has been loyal to you, even sending that Su Chengyu to our residence as an advisor. His goodwill is plain to see. How could the Sixth Prince be pleased? He probably wanted to gain leverage over Taichang Zhang, to make him serve his interests and also speak well of him before the Emperor..."

Xiang Zhi Yun: "Has Xiao Liu gone mad? Sending people directly..."

He trailed off.

Pan Yang said, "Fifth Prince, the person who robbed the paintings chose a secluded, out-of-the-way spot to strike. Even if the paintings were truly stolen, do you think Taichang Zhang would dare to raise a stink and report it to the authorities?"

"The problem is that during the robbery, Jiang He was caught by Taichang Zhang's steward."

"Jiang He follows the Sixth Prince every day, and his face is well-known. If his identity were immediately exposed, that would be bad. As a military man, he probably acted impulsively in the heat of the moment."

"And once he acted, that alerted the authorities, didn't it?"

Xiang Zhi Yun gritted his teeth and said softly, "Sixth brother... is he that eager to curry favor?"

"He is different from you!" Pan Yang fanned the flames. "You stand out alone, favored by the Emperor's grace for years, the de facto crown prince. As for the Sixth Prince, a rising star, if he wants something good, isn't he only able to snatch it from you?"

The Fifth Prince remained silent for a long time: "Sixth brother's actions are indeed improper, but I shouldn't be too eager to stick my neck out... Taichang Zhang is, after all, Father's favored minister, and this matter involves Father too. I..."

His hands, clasped behind his back, slowly clenched into fists.

Unless necessary, he really didn't want to contend with his sixth brother.

Pan Yang reminded him, "Isn't there a perfect chance? The case from Xuan County in Huangzhou has been submitted. All we need to do is handle it by the book and impartially. Although the imperial examination is the most urgent matter now, when suspicious cases are sent from various regions and the Ministry of Justice cannot decide, it naturally must petition for the Emperor's judgment."

"Minister Geng is shrewd and slippery; he won't want to take the lead."

"Isn't there also a Vice Minister of Justice who stayed up all night searching through old case files? That man is loyal and obstinate."

The Fifth Prince exhaled deeply: "You mean... Vice Minister Yu?"

Pan Yang: "I heard from Minister Geng that he wrote the memorial on the Sangui Temple case in Huangzhou yesterday, just waiting to submit it to request a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices. Minister Geng, on the pretext of the pending review, has held back the memorial, just waiting for your word."

Seeing the Fifth Prince still hesitating, Pan Yang emphasized, "Fifth Prince, we can't wait! The worst thing is if the Emperor tries to hide this, sweeping it under the rug. Then only the Sixth Prince would benefit! Better to bring this out into the open. That way, not only will the Sixth Prince fail to win over Taichang Zhang, but he'll also be in deep trouble! If the Emperor truly investigates and finds that the Sixth Prince sent someone to rob those five paintings, he won't be able to explain himself no matter how silver-tongued he is. By then..."

Pan Yang bowed from a distance toward the palace: "He won't have any hope left!"