A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 219: Capturing Master Du at Night

Night falls.

During the New Year, the streets of Chang'an were decorated with lanterns everywhere, especially in front of the gates of the nobles' houses, where lantern towers were erected.
During the seven-day holiday of Yuanzheng, the Imperial Guards did not impose any restrictions and lifted the night curfew, allowing people to travel and have fun at night and feel the festive joy.

Qiu Shenyan changed into casual clothes and dressed like a scholar. He called his elder brother Qiu Yingqi, who was on vacation at home, and several brothers from the same clan, and each of them picked a few agile servants to accompany them.

They entered from the west gate of Wubenfang,

There were a lot of people on the street. Everyone took advantage of the rare opportunity. It was New Year, and the whole family came out to play. Adults and children all held colorful lanterns.

Qiu Yingqi also carried a colorful carp lantern.

The group went straight to the Imperial College.

Today, the Imperial College in Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty is actually called the Imperial Academy, which is affiliated with the Taichang Temple and is not an independent Imperial College.

"The Imperial College is on vacation now, what are you going there for?"

"We are not going to the Imperial College, we are going to Fangbei." Qiu Shenyan said.

"Aren't the residences of nobles and high-ranking officials all over Fangbei? What are you going there for?"

"Just follow me. If we brothers are lucky, we might be able to get some credit today." Qiu Shenyan said excitedly.

Wubenfang covers an area of about 600 acres. Because it is adjacent to Huangcheng Street on the north, it only has two gates, east and west.

During the Kaihuang period, the Imperial Academy had thousands of students and occupied a large area inside the west gate of the block. Most of the high-ranking officials, nobles and relatives in the block lived in the east side of the block, and the more powerful they were, the further north they lived.

The Imperial College is on holiday.
The Tang Dynasty had not yet resumed the imperial examination.

The New Year's Eve in Wubenfang was not as noisy and lively as the Kaihuang period.

The Qiu brothers and their followers walked through the streets and alleys and soon arrived at a large house in the northeast of the town.

"What is this?" Qiu Yingqi was not familiar with Wubenfang. He looked at the large house, but it was not decorated with lights and it looked very deserted, which was a bit strange.

"One of the Fengxiang Marquis's courtyards was previously the residence of Imperial Censor Du Yan."

"Why did you bring us here?" Qiu Yingqi asked.

Qiu Shenyan looked around the house and whispered, "Did you know that Li Yi, the Shallow Water Earl of Pingkangfang, was assassinated this morning?"

"Well, the thief is very bold." Qiu Yingqi nodded. Although the news was confidential, the Qiu family was also an aristocratic family with military merits in Guanlong, and his father was the General of the Left Guard, so naturally they knew about it.

"The mastermind behind the assassination of Li Yi might appear in this house."

"Impossible," Qiu Yingqi shook his head. The emperor said that Li Yi's assassination was ordered by Du Yan of Luoyang. This was Du Yan's residence, and it had been sealed off in the afternoon.
How could an assassin come here?

“The most dangerous place is the safest place. Have you ever heard of the darkest place under the lamp?”

Seeing his brother still hesitant, he immediately added, "If we catch him, how can that be a small achievement?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the children of the Qiu family were eager to try.

"Since I'm here, I might as well go in and take a look. I've heard that Du Yan's garden is beautifully built, embodying the style of a Jiangnan water town, with lotus ponds, bamboo forests, and even unusual rocks from Taihu Lake."

The Qiu family is a family of generals for generations, and they are also Xianbei people. Their children have all learned riding and shooting since they were young. They are all good at martial arts and brave.

Everyone quietly entered the quiet and dark Du's house.
There is not a single ghost.
The noisy and bustling sounds from outside could be faintly heard, forming a sharp contrast with here.

There was no one in the North House, and the Qiu brothers were very disappointed. Only at Qiu Shenyan's insistence did they continue searching in the South Garden.

"There's a pavilion on the island in the pond, and it looks like there are people there."

The pond in the south garden of Du's house is very large, covering an area of six or seven mu. Water is introduced from the west of the house and connected to the water of the canal. It flows through a small stream, a stream pavilion, and a small beach to form the West Creek. The West Creek is stored in the South Pond to the south of the main house in the north courtyard.
The entire South Garden covers an area of ten acres, of which the South Pond covers seven acres.

The section where Xixi flows into Nantang is also imitating the water harbors and branches of the Jiangnan lakes, with twists and turns.

There is also a grain storage warehouse in the east of the pond, a zither pavilion in the west, and three islands in the pond, connected by bridges between the three islands and the banks of the islands.
There is Xiping Bridge between the west of the pond and an island, Zhonggao Bridge between the west island and the central island, and Shuibei Pavilion to the east of the bridge.

There is also a library between the main gate of the house in the north of the pond and the south pond.

The arrangement of the three islands and the bridges increases the haziness and depth of the South Garden. The water, waves, bridges and islands are intertwined.

There is also a pavilion in the pond on the central island. Looking at it from across the water, it seems both real and illusory.

There is also a small building to the west of the pond, which was used by Du Yan to brew wine in the past. When entertaining guests and friends in the garden, there must be not only music and chess, but also poetry and wine.

"Damn, it seems like I've strayed into a watery country."

"Yes, I didn't expect that there is such a beautiful scenery in Chang'an City. This place is not big, but this pond, this stream, this Moon-Watching Bridge, the Pavilion in the Pond, and that island and building are absolutely amazing."

"Du Yan never thought that the scenery of Jiangnan was so good,"

"I bet Du Yan must have a beautiful concubine from Jiangnan. To please her, he specially built this Jiangnan scenery."

Seeing that his brothers were all marveling at the waterscape of Nanyuan, Qiu Shenyan quickly reminded them of the purpose of their trip.

"There seems to be someone in the pavilion on the middle island. Let's sneak over there quietly. If we can capture the assassin, it will be a great achievement."

"Yes, we can't miss the important things."

Qiu Shenyan also told his brothers, "The Duyan mansion has now been granted by His Majesty to the Marquis of Qianshui. If we can catch the assassin, won't we be honored guests anytime we visit?"

"That's right, grab your weapons and don't let the meat fly away." Qiu Yingqi also became excited.

"Damn it! Compared to this, our Wugong manor, Chang'an, and our palace seem so crude. Later, we'll find the craftsman who built this garden and build one too. We'll build a bigger one. Then we'll ask A-Zu to send us a hundred or eighty southern women from Jiaozhi. Wouldn't the soft Wu dialect be beautiful?"

Qiu Shenyan's grandfather Qiu He was the governor of Jiaozhi at the end of the Sui Dynasty. He was in charge of Vietnam and comforted the officials, people and heroes. He was very prestigious. The countries west of Linyi were very awed by the Sui Dynasty, which had sent troops to the south, and often gave Qiu He pearls, rhinoceros horns, ivory, and gold treasures. Qiu He made a fortune in Jiaozhi and was as rich as a king.

At that time, the whole country was in chaos. Xiao Xin, Lin Shihong and others who controlled Jingxiang and Jiangyou all came to persuade Qiu He to surrender, but Qiu He ignored them all.

When Xiao Xin heard that Qiu He had a lot of wealth, he sent Ning Changzhen, a powerful chieftain from Qinzhou in Lingnan, to attack him by sea. Qiu He accepted the advice of Gao Shilian, the judicial assistant, and sent troops by land and sea to meet the attack, defeating Ning Changzhen.

Later, the brave army came to Jiaozhi from Jiangdu, and Qiu He learned that Yang Guang had been assassinated and the Sui Dynasty had perished.

Qiu He had no intention of secessionist rule over Jiaozhi and becoming the King of Vietnam. He intended to submit to Li Tang in Chang'an, but since the roads were blocked, he had no choice but to temporarily rely on Xiao Xing. "A'zu is in Jiaozhi, south of the Five Ridges, at the end of the world, where would such a beautiful woman with the soft Wu dialect from the Jiangnan water town be found?"

Those beauties must be from Suzhou and Hangzhou, which is the land of Wu and Yue.

Jiaozhi is Lingnan, not Jiangnan. There are no waterside beauties, only dark-skinned Kunlun slaves." Qiu Yingqi, the eldest grandson of the younger generation, corrected his brothers.

"Stop talking, be careful not to alert the enemy." Qiu Shenyan is now focused on capturing the assassin, or even the person behind the scenes, so that he can get meritorious service and be promoted.

He was deeply stimulated by Li Yi. In just half a year, he was granted four titles, from commoner to county marquis, and was also awarded gold and purple and the fourth rank of inspector.

He had just been promoted to the eighth rank of brigade commander.
Comparing goods will lead to throwing them away, and comparing people will lead to death. Qiu Shenyan was not convinced.

He wants to make a contribution.

The island in the middle, the pavilion in the pond,
This pavilion stands in the middle of the water.
The pavilion has stone steps leading directly to the water's edge, and there is a small boat tied to the steps. Unfortunately, the pond is now frozen, and even the small boat carrying his childhood memories is frozen.

Du Jingai recalled the memories of his childhood in the summer when his parents went boating and took him and his siblings to pick water chestnuts and lotus seeds in the pond.

Summer is the time when this garden can best show the charm of the Jiangnan water town scenery, but now it is winter.

It's bleak,
Only the frozen pond surface and the remaining lotus leaf stems,

The water is calm and the boat remains motionless.

Another violent coughing fit.
Du Jingai took a while to calm down. Looking at the handkerchief stained with blood again, he knew that he probably didn't have much time left.

Congenitally weak and sickly,

Although he was smart since childhood, he had been taking medicine since childhood. Even if he read a lot of books and was full of knowledge, what was the use? He had no chance to become an official.

Although he married his cousin from his uncle's family, he has not been able to have any children since the marriage.

He is dying,

He couldn't even leave behind a descendant, let alone leave his name in history.

Since he was about to die, he would go back to Chang'an in person to help his father solve the troubles that were bothering him.

He killed Du Ruhui and also killed Li Yi, who had deceived Shi Niang.

Some people just quietly recall and wait for death before they die, but some people must go crazy before they die.

Du Jingai turned around,
"Is everyone ready?"

"We're ready. At three o'clock in the morning, we'll split into two groups. One group will go to Anminfang to kill Du Ruhui and take the old lady away. The other group will sneak into Pingkangfang along the secret passage through the canal, kill Li Yi and take Shi Niang away."

"After you're done, set fire to both Du Ruhui's and Li Yi's houses. Remember to ensure the safety of Shi Niang and the old lady. You must get them out."

He looked around and said to this garden that once held countless beautiful memories, "Let's set fire to the north courtyard here. This is my home, and no one else can get it."

Suddenly, a loud shout like thunder rang out.

"Hey, you daring thief, why don't you surrender!"

With a loud shout,

Qiu Yingqi, Qiu Shenyan, and more than ten cousins of the Qiu family, one of them brought several strong servants and rushed towards them from all directions.

Qiu He, the governor of Jiaozhi, had fifteen sons. Five of them are now serving in the court as county dukes, two are third-rank generals, three are fourth-rank lieutenant generals, and several are provincial governors. The rest are also military generals.

These fifteen brothers were all very fertile, with each having seven or eight sons. There were about ten of them who followed Qiu Yingqi and Qiu Shenyan today, and this was only a small part of them.

One after another, tough young men,
They were all warriors who had practiced riding and shooting since childhood and were good at swords and spears. Their fists could stand up a man, their arms could run a horse, they had thick eyebrows, big eyes and beards.
In the middle of the night, one after another suddenly jumped out like demons.

Du Jingai, the eldest son of Du Yan, who had always been frail, was so frightened that he vomited blood and fainted.

Shi Lushan and Qingfeng Mingyue, two sword maids,
They drew their swords one after another,

can be too late,
Dozens of strong men have surrounded them,
There is nowhere to escape on this small island in the pond and on the pavilion on the island.

Shi Lushan rushed forward with a knife in hand, hoping to fight his way out. However, although he was a famous Tuojie mercenary on the Silk Road, the followers of the Qiu family were all veterans of the battlefield. They rushed forward and knocked Shi Lushan to the ground in a few strokes.
Several of his teeth were knocked out, both arms were dislocated, and even his leg was broken.

If Qiu Shenyan had not shouted quickly to leave him alive, he would have been chopped into meat paste.

Seeing this, the two Persian girls Qingfeng and Mingyue tactfully threw the two daggers in their hands to the ground.

Qiu Shenyan stepped forward,
Looking at the weak chicken who fell to the ground vomiting blood,
"Who is this?"

"This is my son,"

"Tell me clearly, what's your name, who are your parents, and where are they from?"

The two maids told the whole story.

"Du Yan's eldest son, Du Jingai?"

"He was the one who sent people to assassinate Li Yi. He wanted to assassinate Li Yi again tonight, and even didn't let his cousin Du Ruhui go?"

When Qiu Shenyan heard these confessions, he was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out.

Qiu Yingqi patted his brother excitedly, "Erlang, we really caught him. We caught a big fish. Damn, our trip tonight was not in vain. Let's take him to Yongzhou government office quickly."

Qiu Shenyan was also extremely excited. "I must immediately send someone to inform Li Yi and Du Ruhui to be careful of the assassin."

"Let's go, hurry up, there's still a chance to set up a net and catch this sickly fellow in one fell swoop."

"This time we have achieved great success,"

The muscular men of the Qiu family laughed so hard with joy that all the birds flew away.

"Why is this little thing so useless? I just shouted and he was scared to the point of vomiting blood and fainting. How could Du Yan give birth to such a weakling who actually learned from others to assassinate people." Qiu Shenyan looked at the unconscious Du Jingai with disdain.

(End of this chapter)