The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 648 The Ten Dogs of the Eastern Depot
Jia Huan and the others had already booked a banquet at the largest restaurant in Tongzhou City to welcome Sun Chengzong. So after exchanging pleasantries, they went straight into the restaurant and sat down to eat and chat.

It is said that Zhang Zhilong passed the imperial examination in the spring this year and has obtained the status of Jinshi. He was also successfully selected as a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy and is currently interning there. In addition, three other students from Diecui Academy passed the imperial examination in the same year. Two of them are also serving as probationary officials in the Hanlin Academy, and the third is observing affairs in the Ministry of Rites. They are collectively known as the "Four Zhangs of Diecui".

Why are they called the Four Zhangs of Diecui? It turns out that, quite coincidentally, all four of them shared the surname Zhang: Zhang Zhilong, Zhang Yiqing, Zhang Yixia, and Zhang Huangyan. All four were surnamed Zhang, graduated from Diecui Academy, and even passed the imperial examination in the same year—a remarkable feat that brought them considerable fame. They were known as the Four Zhangs of Diecui, or the Four Outstanding Talents of Diecui.

Today, to welcome Sun Chengzong back to the capital, all four outstanding talents of Diecui have arrived and are now seated at the lower end of the table.

Those who can pass the imperial examination are undoubtedly the best among the masses, the academic elites among the vast number of scholars. These four outstanding talents each have their own characteristics, but the one who attracts Jia Huan's attention the most is Zhang Huangyan. This boy is only seventeen years old this year and definitely deserves to be called a child prodigy.

Of course, compared to Jia Huan, there is still a considerable gap. Jia Huan passed the imperial examination six times in a row and became a Jinshi at the age of thirteen. He was a prodigy who was unprecedented and will never be surpassed. However, this Zhang Huangyan is already very impressive. Moreover, his demeanor and speech are calm and measured, and his eyes are full of inner strength. He is clearly a person who is destined for great things.

Sun Chengzong clearly liked Zhang Huangyan very much, and during the meal, he couldn't help but ask about his family background and life story, which the latter answered respectfully one by one.

It turned out that Zhang Huangyan was from Yin County, Zhejiang Province, and had only joined Diecui Academy last year after coming to the capital to take the imperial examination. Upon hearing this, Jia Huan's heart stirred, and he asked, "Since Junior Brother Zhang is from Zhejiang, why didn't you join Donglin Academy, but instead joined Diecui Academy?"

Most of the Donglin Party members were from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Today, Donglin Party members are spread throughout various departments of the imperial court. In terms of both connections and teaching staff, Diecui Academy is clearly far inferior to Donglin Academy.

Zhang Huangyan smiled slightly, about to answer, when Zhang Zhilong interrupted him, "Ziming, why don't you guess?"

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "I'm not a fortune teller, I can't guess!"

Zhang Zhilong smiled mysteriously and said, "The reason why Junior Brother Huangyan joined Diecui Academy is also related to you, Ziming."

"What does this have to do with me?" Jia Huan looked at Zhang Huangyan in surprise. The latter smiled shyly, clasped his hands and said, "To be honest, Senior Brother Jia has always been Huangyan's role model. This time, I was able to obtain the rank of Sergeant without Senior Brother Jia's encouragement!"

Jia Huan suddenly realized that he was actually his junior brother's idol. At this moment, Zhang Huangyan smiled and said, "Actually, I had the honor of meeting Senior Brother Jia back in Jinling."

Jia Huan's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be that you also participated in that year's provincial examination?"

Zhang Huangyan nodded and said, "I did participate, but unfortunately I failed and was not fortunate enough to attend the Deer Cry Banquet with Senior Brother Jia. I consider this a lifelong regret."

Zhang Zhilong laughed and said, "It's alright. I failed the imperial examination the year before last. Apart from Ziming, that prodigy who always passed the exam and got the top score six times in a row, who hasn't failed? Even my senior brother couldn't escape it."

All the fellow students laughed, casting admiring glances at Jia Huan. As the saying goes, "Only the person drinking the water knows whether it's hot or cold." Those present had all endured countless days and nights of arduous study, overcoming numerous hardships to finally achieve their imperial examination success. They naturally knew the difficulty involved; passing by sheer luck was already a feat. For someone like Jia Huan to achieve the highest score in all six categories was practically impossible.

At this moment, Liu Yi suddenly said, "Ziming, do you know who Junior Brother Huangyan's father is?"

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "I haven't asked yet!"

Zhang Zhilong laughed and said, "This man was originally a naval officer in Jinling. He was later transferred to Juehua Island and served under Ziming. Ziming should know him quite well."

Jia Huan was taken aback; it turned out that Zhang Huangyan was actually the son of Zhang Guizhang, the naval adjutant. At this moment, Sun Chengzong also looked surprised, clearly unaware of this matter, showing how low-key this father and son were.

"So it turns out that Junior Brother Zhang is a descendant of General Zhang. Your father is quite the secretive; he has such a talented man in the family, yet he has never mentioned it," Jia Huan said jokingly. Zhang Huangyan replied that he dared not accept such praise.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, everyone became more familiar with each other and started talking about current affairs in the court.

Zhang Zhilong was a chatterbox and an upright man, so he was inevitably outspoken. However, Zhang Yixia, one of the Four Zhangs of Diecui, was even more outspoken and lived up to his name. Moreover, he was even more straightforward and fiery. When the two of them got together, they soon started cursing the Eastern Depot and named Shi Dayong, the director of the Eastern Depot, as a eunuch!
Zhang Zhilong cursed and said, "Since the establishment of the Eastern Depot, it has never done anything good. In just a few years, it has made the court a mess and the people are full of complaints."

Zhang Yixia said indignantly, "It's more than that! The people are now living in misery. Ever since the Emperor sent mining and tax supervisors to all parts of the country, the eunuch faction led by Shi Dayong has become increasingly powerful. Under the pretext of tax supervision, they have acted recklessly and committed all sorts of evil deeds. They have created various pretexts to arbitrarily increase taxes and levies, making the people unbearable and suffering immensely. Even many local officials and gentry have suffered greatly. There are countless memorials impeaching them, but the Emperor ignores them and condones the evil deeds of the eunuch faction. If this continues, the country will cease to exist, and our Great Jin Dynasty will be in grave danger!"

Zhang Yixia initially only criticized the eunuch faction, but eventually turned his anger towards Emperor Qiansheng, causing everyone's expressions to change slightly. Liu Yi, always composed, quickly whispered a reminder: "A chivalrous man should be careful with his words; walls may have ears!"

The Eastern Depot now wields immense power, far surpassing the Imperial Guard in its heyday. Without going through the judicial system, it can arrest people and imprison them for torture at any time. Not only ordinary people, but even officials turn pale at the mere mention of it.

However, Zhang Yixia lived up to his name, being upright, chivalrous, and fearless of violence. He said with a sigh, "What's there to be afraid of? What I said is the truth. I, Zhang Yixia, am a man of iron will. I would dare to speak frankly even before the Emperor. Do you think I'm afraid of the eunuch faction? Bah!"

"Good!" Zhang Zhilong clapped and cheered. However, at this moment, the door to the private room was kicked open violently, and several plainclothes agents from the Eastern Depot rushed in with murderous intent.

Liu Yi, Zhang Zhilong, and the others couldn't help but change their expressions slightly, realizing something was wrong, because they all recognized the leader as Luo Heng, the Ninth Chief of the Eastern Depot.

It is said that the Eastern Depot had ten chiefs, known as the "Ten Dogs of the Eastern Depot," who were ten capable henchmen under the command of Shi Dayong, the director of the Eastern Depot. This Luo Heng was ranked ninth. He was fierce, cruel, cunning, and treacherous. He extorted money, bullied men and women, and forced women into prostitution. He was truly ruthless and committed countless crimes. Over the years, countless common people and scholars have suffered at his hands.

It turns out that Luo Heng was in charge of public opinion. He usually sent out his henchmen to do eavesdropping and other clandestine things. He himself didn't distinguish between day and night, wandering the streets all day long. He loved to sneak into teahouses, taverns, markets, and brothels, hiding in the shadows to listen to other people's gossip. He would seize any opportunity to reveal his identity and extort money from you. He would use all sorts of charges, such as spreading rumors, slandering government officials, or defaming the government. There were always one that would suit you. If you knew what was good for you, you would pay money to release you. If you didn't know what was good for you or didn't have any money, you would be dragged back to the Eastern Depot prison and tortured to the point of death.

This man, Luo Heng, came from the lower class and was originally a street urchin. He was illiterate and had a particular hatred for literate people, so he especially liked to target scholars. In his view, these scholars, because they were literate, were all self-important and liked to pontificate, talk big, criticize current affairs, or vent their frustrations whenever they got together. He could usually catch them red-handed.

So in just two years, countless scholars fell victim to Luo Heng's cruelty. However, the Eastern Depot was too powerful, and they couldn't fight against it. Once they were caught, they could only accept their bad luck and pay money to get rid of the trouble. If they had no money, they could only wait to die!
Over time, people became more cautious in their speech, and Luo Heng's "performance" naturally declined. Poor performance, in turn, affected his income. To generate revenue, Luo Heng and his henchmen began to scheme and find fault, creating a climate of fear and unease. Ultimately, this resulted in a significant drop in foot traffic to teahouses, restaurants, brothels, and gambling dens throughout the capital. Seeing their businesses being squandered, the major financial backer behind them became anxious and pressured Shi Dayong, the head of the Eastern Depot, through various channels, which finally improved the situation.

As luck would have it, Luo Heng happened to be acting arrogantly in Tongzhou today. When he saw Jia Huan and his group enter the restaurant, his professional instincts kicked in, and he gave a signal to two of his spies to eavesdrop.

Because Jia Huan and his companions were refined and cultured, clearly pedantic, and dressed smartly, they must be wealthy. For days, they had only run into small fry, squeezing them dry and bones ten or eight times, but hadn't gotten a penny out of them. Today, they had encountered a group of fat sheep, hehe, perfect opportunity to make a killing.

The two henchmen of the Eastern Depot secretly slipped to the outside of the private room where Jia Huan and the others were to eavesdrop. When they heard what the group was talking about, they were overjoyed and immediately called Luo Heng over.

Luo Heng, with his pointed face and monkey-like features, was eavesdropping through the crack in the door when he overheard Zhang Yixia cursing Shi Dayong as a eunuch and criticizing the emperor. He was furious. How could this be? In this day and age, on my own turf, someone dared to insult Governor Shi. Was there no law left?
Luo Heng kicked open the door to the private room and shouted menacingly, "How dare you slander the Emperor and insult Chief Eunuch Shi! Guards, lock them all up in the dungeon!"

Zhang Yixia was indeed brave. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, saying sternly, "What I just said was my own words. I, Zhang Yixia, take responsibility for my own actions. Arrest me alone; it has nothing to do with anyone else!"

Zhang Zhilong's blood boiled, and he shouted, "I've already cursed him, so what? Can't I curse Shi Dayong? He's just a eunuch who brings disaster to the country and the people. Everyone should kill him. Cursing him is already too lenient."

Luo Heng, enraged, sneered, "Fine, you've got guts. If you can still talk back after you're in our Eastern Depot prison, then I'll respect you as a man. Tie you up!"

At Luo Heng's command, the Eastern Depot agents were about to pounce and arrest the man when several of Sun Chengzong's advisors shouted sternly, "How dare you! Minister Sun of the Ministry of Personnel is here! Anyone who dares to be insolent, retreat at once!"

Luo Heng was taken aback for a moment, then carefully examined the tall, upright Sun Chengzong. Although this guy had a notorious reputation in the streets, he didn't recognize Sun Chengzong. He asked with some doubt, "Are you Sun Chengzong?"

Sun Chengzong said calmly, "Not bad!"

Luo Heng's heart skipped a beat. Although surprised, he was not afraid. He smiled and clasped his hands, saying, "So it's Lord Sun. But even if the Heavenly King himself were here today, these two would still have to be arrested for insulting Governor Shi. What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and arrest them!"

Several agents from the Eastern Depot immediately rushed forward and roughly captured Zhang Zhilong and Zhang Yixia. Sun Chengzong was furious. He had been away from the court for two years, but he never expected that the people from the Eastern Depot would be so arrogant, not even putting him, the Minister of Personnel, in their eyes. This showed how domineering they were on a daily basis.

At this moment, Jia Huan stood up and called out towards the door, "Brother Tie Niu!"

Tie Niu was now Jia Huan's personal attendant. He had been resting downstairs when he heard the commotion and had already come up. However, he was an honest man and had not intervened without Jia Huan's orders. When he heard Jia Huan calling him, he immediately strode over.

The Eastern Depot agents felt the light dim in front of them, and a towering, burly man appeared before them. Although his hands were empty, a strong sense of oppression still overwhelmed them.

"What are your orders, Third Master?" Tie Niu asked in a low, booming voice.

Jia Huan was now heavily indebted and had even offended Emperor Qiansheng, let alone a few henchmen of the Eastern Depot. So he decisively ordered, "Get rid of this annoying fly!"

Without a word, Tie Niu grabbed two Eastern Depot agents by the back of the neck, lifted them up, and threw them out of the room. Luo Heng was stunned. Never before had anyone dared to provoke the Eastern Depot like this; it was like lighting a lamp in a toilet—asking for trouble!
——Qiang!

Luo Heng drew his sword and was about to strike when Tie Niu's eyes flashed with cold light. He grabbed a stool and smashed it down on Luo Heng's head. Tie Niu's strength was even greater than Tie Hu's. With this blow, the sword in Luo Heng's hand was knocked away, and Luo Heng's hand was split open, with blood gushing out!

It was fortunate that Tie Niu showed mercy, otherwise that stool would have smashed Luo Heng's dog head to pieces!
Although the Ten Dogs of the Eastern Depot were infamous, they were merely using the power of others for their own gain. When they encountered a fierce general like Tie Niu, who had fought on the battlefield and was the bravest in the army, they were no match for him. At this moment, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they stammered, "You...you...you're asking for death!"

Jia Huan said coldly, "I am Jia Huan. Go back and tell Shi Dayong that if he has any problems, he should come at me!"

Luo Heng was secretly shocked. So this kid was Jia Huan. No wonder he was so arrogant. This guy even dared to refuse an imperial edict. The key point is that this kid actually survived after defying the edict.

"Very well, Jia Huan, is it? You just wait!"

As the saying goes, "Even if you lose the battle, you can't lose the moral high ground." Luo Heng left behind a polite remark and was about to go back to rally his troops when a voice came from outside: "Who's making such a racket here, disturbing my appetite?"

No sooner had he spoken than a large, fat man weighing over 200 pounds walked in from outside. It was none other than Prince Min, Xu Wenhou, dressed in plain clothes. The eunuch Li Jinzhong followed closely behind him, followed by four burly guards from the Prince's Palace.

Naluo Heng recognized Xu Wenhou, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Highness, the Prince of Min."

Xu Wenhou shouted in disgust, "Get out of here!"

Luo Heng didn't dare utter a sound and slunk away with his henchmen.

Sun Chengzong quickly stood up and took the lead in greeting Xu Wenhou, who smiled and said, "No need for formalities, Lord Sun, have you just returned from beyond the Great Wall?"

Sun Chengzong respectfully replied, "Indeed, may I ask why Your Highness Prince Min is here?"

(End of this chapter)