Chapter 592
The Persuader
Autumn is high and fresh.
The reed marshes beside the altar of mountains and rivers stretch for miles. In autumn, the reed flowers turn white. When the wind blows, the entire reed marsh bends down like golden waves, then stands up again, making a grand and dense rustling sound.
The sound was unhurried, like someone calmly turning the pages of a book.
Further away, the commotion from Zhengyangmen Street could be faintly heard. It was the sound of the Annamese envoy leaving the capital, with banners, drums, horses' hooves, armor, and onlookers.
The envoy's procession, escorted by the Imperial Guards, passed through Zhengyangmen Street and exited the capital through Yongdingmen, heading south. The sounds that came through the reeds were broken up by the wind, leaving only a faint hum, like something from another world.
It has nothing to do with the traces of the past.
Beside the reeds, a narrow wooden dock extends into the lake. The planks are old and make a slight creaking sound when you step on them.
At the end of the dock, two rattan chairs were placed side by side. Chen Ji and the Pao Ge each held a bamboo pole, their fishing lines dangling into the water, motionless.
Chen Ji leaned back in the rattan chair, his eyes closed, it was hard to tell whether he was awake or asleep.
Sunlight streamed in from the side, and the old, loose-fitting robe he wore lacked the imposing presence of a qilin-embroidered garment, making him look more like an ordinary boy next door.
The man glanced at him sideways, but didn't say anything. He simply put his pipe back in his mouth and continued staring at the water.
On the shore behind them, Xiaoman had already gathered stones to build a fire pit and lit a bonfire, waiting for the two of them to catch fish so they could grill them on the spot. But they waited and waited and waited and no fish came.
She squatted beside the fire pit, one hand supporting her chin, the other poking at the firewood with a stick, and said listlessly, "Will those two be able to catch any fish?"
Erdao remained silent, focusing only on adding firewood to the fire pit.
Xiaoman called out towards the end of the wooden bridge at the dock, "Will you be able to catch any fish today? I've already lit the fire. If you can't catch any, you can have someone buy a few."
The sound carried through the reeds, startling several water birds.
The gangster got up and walked ashore: "Keep your voice down, the boss is asleep."
Xiaoman lowered her voice and asked suspiciously, "Brother Pao, did you really fish before?"
The man laughed angrily: "What are you talking about? When I was a kid, I used to carry a bamboo pole to the river every day. How could I have never fished?"
Xiaoman was even more puzzled: "Then how come you can't catch a single one?"
Just as the gangster opened his mouth, Erdao suddenly said, "The bait won't work."
The man choked on his words and was about to explain when Erdao suddenly said, "The fishing rod is too short."
"..."
"The fish aren't biting when the weather is bad."
"..."
"There are no fish here; they've been fished to death."
"..."
"There are too many small fish, the hook can't reach the bottom."
The man in the robe was exasperated and said irritably, "Why did you steal my lines?"
Xiaoman covered her mouth and laughed, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
Just then, two figures walked along the edge of the reeds from afar. The man squinted and saw a man and a woman, both dressed in black, walking with ease.
Cloud sheep, bright rabbit.
The man sighed and tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe: "They really don't give a moment's peace."
He tucked his pipe into his waistband and strode toward the two men. There, more than ten men with sticks had silently emerged from the reeds, forming a human wall in front of them.
Jiao Tu stopped in her tracks. She glanced at the sticks that formed a human wall, then looked over the sticks and toward the golden reeds.
At the end of the wooden bridge dock, Chen Ji sat alone. Sunlight shone on him, the rustling of reeds surrounded him, and the distant clamor was irrelevant to him. Jiao Tu suddenly chuckled softly: "Lord Chen is now showing some signs of a powerful minister in exile. I heard that the Gelaohui recently went to Panjiayuan to buy some official channels for their underlings? What's the point of those low-class channels? The Gelaohui has brought the Red Gate into my secret service, so I suppose the Prime Minister would also be willing to bestow some official channels from the Jiefanlou. Many famous official channels in the martial arts world have already established themselves in my Jiefanlou."
The man smiled and said, "Lord Jiao Tu is indeed well-informed. The world of martial arts is treacherous. We'll just keep to ourselves and learn some official connections. We don't expect to do anything big."
Jiao Tu covered her mouth and chuckled: "Brother, you're joking. Lord Chen does some truly earth-shattering things. If you follow him, you won't be able to do anything small. However, Brother, you should ask your men to step aside. You can't hear what we have to say to Lord Chen."
The member of the gang said slowly and deliberately, "The master is asleep. Please wait a moment."
Yun Yang raised an eyebrow: "He's putting on airs even more than the Grand Chancellor. Anyone who didn't know better would think he'd become the owner of the Jie Fan Lou. Get out of the way, or else..."
Just then, Chen Ji's voice rang out from the end of the dock: "Brother Pao, let them come over."
The gang leader waved to the men, making way for them. Jiao Tu wasn't angry. As she passed the gang leader, she tapped his shoulder with her finger and said, "We're all on the same side. I almost drank the nuptial wine with your boss."
Yun Yang frowned and asked, "When did this happen?"
Jiao Tu rolled her eyes: "You forgot about that time in Luo City?"
She stepped onto the wooden bridge and came up behind Chen Ji: "Lord Chen, what a refined taste you have! The capital is in complete chaos, and you still have the mind to go fishing?"
Chen Ji leaned back in his rattan chair and casually asked, "How did things get so chaotic?"
Jiao Tu sat down in the rattan chair next to him, crossed her legs, and said, "Lord Chen, are you pretending not to know? Lord Binghu suddenly appeared in the capital and took Han Tong away from the inner prison. Not only that, this Lord Binghu was also able to send the bandits of the Canal Gang out of Anding Gate during curfew. Lin Yanchu, the deputy commander of the Five Cities Garrison, also resigned because of this... I remember that Lin Yanchu was once a member of the Imperial Guard under Lord Chen. Lord Chen is very shrewd. He laid a trap for last night long ago."
Chen Ji remained unfazed: "Lin Yanchu betrayed me in public, which was witnessed by everyone. How can he be considered one of my people?"
Jiao Tu turned to the side, leaning against the armrest of the rattan chair, and lightly traced Chen Ji's shoulder with her fingers: "Lord Chen, you're just burying your head in the sand. Anyone with a brain can see who sent Han Tong away last night. You don't think you can fool the world by covering your face with a cloth, do you..."
When Yun Yang's fingers traced Chen Ji's arm, he reached out from behind and removed Jiao Tu's hand: "Just get to the point, why are you touching me?"
Jiao Tu rolled her eyes, sat up straight, and said, "When did Lord Chen become a sick tiger?"
Chen Ji calmly looked at the lake: "You came here today just to trick me into telling you something?"
Seeing that he was unwilling to talk about this matter, Jiao Tu immediately smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't want to talk about it, my lord. Yun Yang and I are here today to pay our respects. Putting others aside, we have been running around for you for a long time, from Chongli Pass to the Jiaofangsi... My lord, wouldn't you consider me your number one confidant?"
Chen Ji glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Jiao Tu said solemnly, "After the curfew last night, the secret intelligence agency's release of Han Tong could no longer be concealed. In the middle of the night, a group of censors knelt outside the Meridian Gate, and memorials impeaching the Directorate of Ceremonial were like snowflakes. Do you know, sir, that Han Tong has people at every one of the 172 docks along the Grand Canal? The boatmen, boatmen, and dockworkers on the Grand Canal, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, recognize Han Tong's seal, not the official credentials of the court."
Yun Yang stood behind the two men, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and said coldly, “They don’t dare to openly rebel, but the canal gang has many underhanded tricks up their sleeves. They’ll block wrecked boats across shallow waters to prevent official ships from docking, slow down the journey, and send water ghosts to sabotage official ships… If the canal transport is disrupted, the capital will be the first to suffer. Of the capital’s million inhabitants, 70% of the grain they consume daily is transported from the south via the canal. Once the canal transport is cut off, the price of grain in the capital will skyrocket within three months.”
Jiao Tu added from the side, "Secondly, there are the taxes from the south. The salt tax from Lianghuai, the textile tax from Jiangnan, and the grain tax from Huguang all have to go through the Grand Canal to the capital. If the canal is cut off, the court's silver will not come in, the border troops' salaries will not be paid, and the soldiers at Chongli Pass will be left starving... My lord, letting Han Tong go will have endless troubles in the future."
Yun Yang's voice grew even colder: "This release has caused enormous chaos. The court is in an uproar. Some say we should immediately send troops to wipe out the Canal Gang, some say we should offer them amnesty, and some say we should hold you accountable. Jiao Tu is already in a precarious situation. If the Canal Gang rebels, he will only face immediate execution. What are we doing here trying to curry favor with him?"
Jiao Tu didn't even turn her head, only throwing him two words: "Shut up."
She turned her head and stared intently at Chen Ji: "You don't know yet, Your Majesty is furious about this. At dawn, he demoted the Grand Eunuch to the position of Director of the Imperial Palace and sent him to Changping to guard the Imperial Mausoleum. The current Grand Eunuch in charge is Wu Xiu. I imagine the Grand Eunuch's carriage has already left Anding Gate by now."
The fishing rod in Chen Ji's hand finally moved.
He looked down at the water; the fishing line was completely still, apparently just being blown by the wind.
No wonder a spy came to Shaojiu Hutong this morning to summon him for duty; it turns out the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs has changed hands. That eunuch who sat listlessly in the Jiefan Tower has actually been exiled to guard the imperial tombs?
Chen Ji felt that something was amiss.
Jiao Tu continued, "Now the Secret Intelligence Bureau and the Jie Fan Guard are both under the command of Wu Xiu. Not only that, His Majesty has also transferred Li Dongyan from Taiyuan Prefecture to the capital and promoted him to Commander of the Jie Fan Guard."
Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Li Dongyan?"
Jiao Tu explained, "Li Dongyan was demoted to Taiyuan for arguing with the Grand Chancellor. Less than a year later, Lin Chaoqing took his place. This man is a tough nut to crack. He came from a poor family and his family fell into decline. He managed to get himself purged and bribed the then Director of the Imperial Horse Administration to get himself into the palace. He entered the palace at sixteen, was transferred to the Jie Fan Guard at twenty, and is now thirty-two and has already reached the Seeking Dao Realm. He was the most annoying person for us back then. With him watching over us, the Secret Service really couldn't get a single bit of profit."
Chen Ji asked thoughtfully, "What exactly is the purpose of your visit today?"
Jiao Tu said sincerely, "Lord Wu Xiu sent us to ask you if you still want the salt permit and morning report business. If you agree, he can let you continue to manage these two businesses. You don't need to do anything extra, just go to work every day."
Chen Ji slowly closed his eyes and leaned back in the wicker chair: "No, I don't want it anymore." (End of Chapter)