Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 234 Pounce
The Tianjin Acropolis was far smaller than the capital. It measured over 1,500 meters from east to west and 900 meters from north to south. The entire rectangular acropolis occupied an area roughly the size of two Forbidden Cities, far smaller than the Imperial City. Without the obstruction of residents and merchants, a horse could have easily sprinted from the Gongbei Gate, the entrance to the city, to the Dingnan Gate on the other side.

The Tianjin Guard Command Office was obviously not located near the city wall, so not long after entering the city, Lu Wenzhao and his eleven cavalry captains arrived at the gate.

"Jinyiwei are on duty." Lu Wenzhao stepped off his horse, removing his badge as he walked. "Get out of the way."

The captains were equally agile. They quickly tied their horses' reins to the hitching posts near the yamen entrance, and then followed Lu Wenzhao into the Commandery.

The guards holding spears and guarding the gate had originally intended to stop these strong men in plain and even shabby clothes. But when they heard Lu Wenzhao's muttering and his arrogant attitude, they immediately retreated to the side in dejection.

The officers of the garrison who were working in the hall heard the noise outside and came out to greet them. All of them had an expression of confusion or surprise on their faces.

"Where is Shen Caiyu?" Lu Wenzhao took a quick look and immediately discovered that the fat and bloated Tianjin Wei commander Shen Caiyu was not among the group.

"Excuse me, who are you?" The person who spoke first was wearing a scarlet tiger-patterned uniform, and it was obvious at a glance that he was a military officer with a third-rank rank.

"Lu Wenzhao, Deputy Captain of the Eastern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Lu Wenzhao handed the badge to the leading third-rank officer and repeated his previous question. "Where is Shen Caiyu? Who are you?"

"Deputy Captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" The third-rank official felt his scalp numb and his eyes dizzy, and his eyelids began to twitch unconsciously.

Local yamen rarely interacted with the Jinyiwei, at most maintaining some contact with the Jinyiwei baihu suo, the baihu suo responsible for monitoring their own garrisons. Even then, the baihu suo rarely visited the headquarters of other garrisons, usually visiting them during festivals, exchanging gifts, and cultivating relationships. They were asked to show some mercy and not send random letters to the central government in Beijing, making random accusations, and looking for trouble. This was considered a way to buy peace.

It was terrifying when mid- and high-ranking Jinyiwei from Beijing came directly to the local area without any prior notice. This meant not only that someone was being arrested, but also that the person being arrested would not be given a chance to defend himself. If you were impeached by the Imperial Censor, they would even send you a copy of the impeachment document.

"Your humble servant is Han Chengkui, the commander of Tianjin Wei." Han Chengkui introduced himself tremblingly.

"Well, okay. Tongzhi Han." Lu Wenzhao took back the badge and didn't even think of greeting him.

"They are..." Han Chengkui wanted to introduce Lu Wenzhao to his colleagues around him, but was interrupted by Lu Wenzhao.

"Don't tell me who they are. I don't want to hear it right now." Lu Wenzhao waved his hand to stop them. He had no interest in those beasts in green and blue. Even his own official uniform was just a green robe with a bear patch. "Come on, Han Tongzhi, tell me, where is Shen Caiyu?"

"What's the purpose of your mission to see Commander Shen?" Han Chengkui asked tentatively.

"Just answer my questions. Where is Shen Caiyu?" There was no overbearing aura or excessive impatience in Lu Wenzhao's voice, only a sense of indifference as it should be.

"I don't know." Even though Lu Wenzhao did not give a direct answer, Han Chengkui still guessed: something happened to Shen Caiyu.

Han Chengkui swallowed his saliva and added, "Commander Shen came once on the day the government issued a copy of the report, but he hasn't been to the government office since then."

Han Chengkui's mind raced, instantly listing several ways to disassociate himself from Shen Caiyu. Furthermore, he had already drawn a line in his heart: bribing the deputy commander in front of him to ensure his own safety.

"What did you say!" Lu Wenzhao's voice tone instantly rose eight degrees, and a "chuan" shape appeared between his brows.

"I heard that Commander Shen only came to the yamen on the day when the government made copies, and he never came again after that. During this period of time, I have been in charge of the printing affairs of this yamen." Han Chengkui replied.

"Haha! Han Tongzhi, it seems I'll have to trouble you to make a trip. As for you all, please stay in the yamen for a while." Lu Wenzhao gave Han Chengkui and the guards present in an unquestionable tone of command. Then he said to the small flag officer holding the general flag, "General Luo, you stay here and take care of it. By the way, change into your official uniform."

"Yes." Luo Zongqi accepted the order.

------

Shen Caiyu's residence was within the citadel, less than a mile from the Guard Commander's Office. Therefore, Lu Wenzhao did not ride a horse, but instead walked there under Han Chengkui's guidance. Official uniforms served as a ceremonial device, and were far more effective than waving whips and shouting. Passing peddlers, guards, and their families all gave way at the sight of Han Chengkui's crimson robe and black veil.

On the way to Shen Caiyu's residence, Han Chengkui asked Lu Wenzhao, "Sir, are you going to arrest Commander Shen? What exactly did he do wrong?"

"Han Tongzhi, you're the second-in-command of Tianjin Wei. Don't you know what the head of the yamen has done wrong?" Lu Wenzhao sneered, "Humph. Your superior hasn't come to the yamen for days, and you've neither come to inquire nor report to the court. Now you're asking what happened to Shen Caiyu. Are you so eager to distance yourself from the matter?"

Han Chengkui was completely stunned by Lu Wenzhao's rhetorical questions. "No. I sent someone to look for him. But Commander Shen's servant said he had caught a cold and had consulted a doctor. He needs to rest for a few days. Since that's the case, there's no need to report it to the court."

"Han Tongzhi, you just said you knew nothing." Lu Wenzhao suddenly stopped and stared at Han Chengkui with wide eyes. "Why are you now saying you sent someone to Shen Caiyu's house? You change your tune so quickly!"

"I..." Han Chengkui's expression changed several times, a bitter look on his face. "I did send someone to look for Commander Shen, but his servant lied, so there was nothing I could do. I, a deputy governor, can't send troops to surround the commander's residence, can I?" He hesitated for a long time before finally squeezing out an explanation.

"How do you know his servants were lying?" Lu Wenzhao pressed on. "First you said you didn't know where Shen Caiyu had gone, then you said you sent people to look for him, and now you're accusing his servants of lying. Han Tongzhi, which of your statements is true?"

Han Chengkui was going crazy. He'd only said a few words in a fit of rage, but Lu Wenzhao was seizing on them. With these few words, he practically made him look like a nobody. "If, I mean if... If, I don't know." Han Chengkui was so dizzy that he couldn't even remember what he was saying.

"If you don't know, I'd still say what if you knew!" Lu Wenzhao knew what Han Chengkui wanted to say halfway through.

It was nothing more than Han Chengkui sending someone to look for Shen Caiyu, and learning from Shen Caiyu's servant that Shen Caiyu was ill, and then he stopped asking. If the servant lied, and Shen Caiyu was not ill but had run away, then Han Chengkui would not know more.

Lu Wenzhao had been aggressive, but at this point he changed the subject: "This matter cannot be determined by your words, nor by my words. I have to investigate the matter thoroughly before I can clear you of any involvement."

"Yes, yes, yes! Get to the bottom of this, get to the bottom of it." Han Chengkui felt his half-lost soul return when he heard the words "disassociate himself." "I will fully assist you in getting to the bottom of this matter." "Lead the way." Lu Wenzhao was so relaxed and at ease, like a natural actor.

"Yes, please come this way." Han Chengkui pounced in front of Lu Wenzhao, almost jumping up and down to act as a sniffer dog for Lu Wenzhao.

------

Even though there were some minor incidents along the way, it took less than a quarter of an hour to get from the yamen to the gate of the Shen Mansion.

Lu Wenzhao brought a full staff of small flags to the Weizhihuishiyamen, and when he left, he left half of them, or six people, there to watch over the place. Now he was accompanied by five strong Jinyi captains.

"Knock!" Lu Wenzhao was originally ordering the Jinyi captain. But Han Chengkui rushed over first, knocking on the door and pounding on the doorknob, not behaving like a third-rank official at all.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The door was slammed loudly. But after a long time, a young voice was heard from inside saying, "Who is it? One knock is enough. Are you crazy?"

Boom!Boom!Boom!
"Open the door!" Han Chengkui did not stop and continued to bang on the door as if urging him to death.

"If you keep knocking, I won't open the door." The doorman grew impatient, his arms folded across his chest. He was used to being overbearing. He had never seen anyone dare to knock on the door of the Shen Mansion like that.

"Go in." Lu Wenzhao waved his hand and ordered the Jinyi captain, which stunned Han Chengkui who was about to reveal his identity.

"Yes." The captain accepted the order, and then they divided the work in pairs. One lifted the foot, and the other stepped on the hand and jumped.

The wall of Shen Caiyu's mansion was barely ten feet high. To the well-trained Jinyiwei, it was practically nonexistent. The officer who was stepping on the hand leaped onto the wall and immediately leaned down, stepping on the top. Then, with a single upward pull, he pulled the officer who was supporting his feet up the wall. Finally, all four Jinyiwei officers, holding onto the top of the wall, lowered themselves naturally, landing lightly on their feet without even the slightest stumble.

After entering the courtyard, three of the four lieutenants immediately gathered together and took the simplest defensive stance. The remaining one went to the door and kicked the stunned doorman to the ground. Before the doorman could get up from the ground, the main door of the Shen Mansion was opened.

"In the Ming Dynasty, apart from the Forbidden City, there is no place that the Jinyiwei want to enter but cannot." Lu Wenzhao glanced at Han Chengkui. "If you don't open the door, we will open it for you."

"Huh?" The doorman was still confused and barely understood what the man in the black cloak was saying. But he recognized Han Chengkui and asked, "Han Tongzhi, what are you doing?"

Han Chengkui was completely intimidated by Lu Wenzhao's "stepping, pulling, and intimidation" and did not respond.

"Pull him up." Lu Wenzhao ordered.

"Yes." The strong captain who had just kicked the doorman to the ground grabbed the doorman's collar like a dead dog and dragged him in front of Lu Wenzhao.

"Let me ask you. Where did Shen Caiyu go?" Lu Wenzhao didn't even look at him.

"Who the hell are you?" The doorman didn't understand what was happening. First he'd been kicked for no apparent reason, and now he was being dragged rudely, so he was just furious. He struggled and yelled. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Draw." Lu Wenzhao only said one word.

"Ah?" The doorman was confused, but he knew what the word meant the next moment.

Snap! The captain swung his arm and lashed out, nearly knocking the doorman's teeth out.

"I'm asking you. Where did Shen Caiyu go?" Lu Wenzhao asked the same question as before.

"Who the hell are you?" The doorman's teeth were still there, but his face was swollen. As he spoke, blood bubbles appeared from his mouth.

"Smoke again." Lu Wenzhao saw the other servants coming over at the noise and decided to question someone else. "I don't think it's necessary to talk to this idiot," he added.

"Yes." The captain slapped the doorman on the right cheek again. But this slap still failed to knock him unconscious, so he had no choice but to continue beating him.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?" A servant dressed as a butler approached with a belly as fat as a pig. "Han Tongzhi, why did you bring people to beat up my Shen family's servant for no reason? Even if he did something wrong and offended you, it's our responsibility to enforce the family rules and give you an explanation. Isn't it a bad idea for you to do this?"

"Sir, this is the servant who said Commander Shen, no, Shen Caiyu is recuperating at home." Han Chengkuiya was only concerned with explaining to Lu Wenzhao and ignored the housekeeper at all.

"Didn't you send someone here? How do you even know who replied?" Lu Wenzhao asked again the question he had asked before.

"This is the Shen family's housekeeper, Shen Caiyu's nephew. Everyone in the yamen knows him." Han Chengkui's face turned bitter again.

"No wonder he looks like a pig." Lu Wenzhao cursed without hesitation. Then he said to Han Chengkui, "Tell him why we are here."

"Yes." Han Chengkui liked the word "we," so a hint of joy appeared on his face. No matter what Shen Caiyu was targeted by the higher-ups, as long as the Jinyiwei didn't put him on Shen Caiyu's side, the situation would be resolved.

"This is the angel from the capital, Captain Lu of the Imperial Guard. We're here to question Shen Caiyu. Call him out," Han Chengkui said, turning to the nephew's steward. While he was speaking, he also glanced at Lu Wenzhao subtly.

The butler's face was originally filled with suppressed dissatisfaction and anger, but after hearing Han Chengkui's words, a fleeting flash of understanding immediately flashed across his face. Then, the understanding turned into fear. The rosy color in his cheeks faded to a pale color. "The master is not here."

(End of this chapter)