Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 388: Selling Others’ Hooks and Building Your Own

Several muddy horses hurriedly stopped at the yamen gate. They were Ma Yongan, the acting seal holder of the Tianjin Left Guard, and Zhu Daye, the assistant clerk in charge of the Left Guard's military training, along with a small number of followers.

Ma Yongan stepped on the stirrup and dismounted, and his followers also dismounted one after another, but Zhu Daye remained seated on his horse.

"What are you looking at?" Raindrops splashed on Ma Yongan's straw raincoat and hat, and the noise between heaven and earth made it difficult for him to hear the sound coming from his throat. "Get off the horse!" Ma Yongan shouted at the top of his voice.

"Ma Tongzhi," Zhu Daye pointed at the government office sign. "We've come to the wrong place!"

Ma Yongan looked up, and the rain immediately splashed on his face. He held down his bamboo hat with one hand and wiped the rain from his face with the other. He looked closely and realized they had stumbled upon the "Tianjin Governor's Office." The order they had received was to come to the Tianjin Zhongwei Command Headquarters.

"This must be a joint office!" Ma Yongan understood immediately.

"But I didn't see the second sign either." Zhu Daye said.

"Just ask and you'll find out!" Ma Yongan said impatiently. As the saying goes, spring rain is like oil. The rain along the way not only failed to extinguish the fire of anxiety in his heart, but instead made it burn even more vigorously.

Ma Yongan's tone made Zhu Daye, who was also worried, very unhappy, but Ma Yongan was his immediate superior after all, so Zhu Daye couldn't yell back. He could only frown and swallow his anger. "Yes."

The two handed the reins to the approaching attendant and trotted to the gate of the yamen, but were stopped by the soldiers guarding the gate. "What are you doing?"

"Is this the Zhongwei Command Headquarters?" Zhu Daye walked up and asked directly without revealing his identity.

"Such a large sign hanging there. Can't you read it yourself?" The guard had just changed shifts and was unaware of the Zuowei officials' presence. Seeing the group, dressed in straw raincoats and bamboo hats, unable to discern their faces or attire, and pointing and talking at the gate, he considered them suspicious. "You can't read, and you can't count?" the guard snorted disdainfully.

"Damn it! You're just a small security guard, how dare you talk to me like that!" Ma Yongan just frowned, but Zhu Daye got angry all of a sudden. He put on the posture of an official and raised his hand to hit him.

"What are you doing! Are you crazy?" Ma Yongan rushed forward and pressed down Zhu Daye's raised hand. "This is the governor's office!"

Zhu Daye was suddenly startled. Even though the long journey through wind and rain had made his mind as confused as a ball of paste, after Ma Yongan's reminder, he immediately remembered the basic rule of beating a dog by looking at its owner.

The official's demeanor was still useful. Before the gatekeeper's selection for the Governor's Battalion, he had been an ordinary garrison soldier, so he knew the official's demeanor all too well. Without some official status, he wouldn't strike someone down with a few words.

"Who are you? Identify yourselves." The tone of the gatekeeper softened a little, but he still maintained an arrogant attitude.

As the saying goes, different people are better served. This gatekeeper knew the situation well. Since another more powerful official was afraid of the Governor's Office, it meant that these two officials were not powerful enough to force General Mao or even Governor Sun to dismiss them. Being too soft would only undermine their own prestige.

"Alas." Ma Yongan sighed, a breath of fatigue. He then opened his hat, lifted the corner of his soaked clothes, and took off his badge to show the soldier. "I am Ma Yongan, the acting seal-bearer of the Tianjin Left Guard. I have received a seal from Governor Sun and am here to direct the meeting of the Commissioners' Office."

"A plaque?" The gatekeeper hadn't heard anyone call out and didn't know about this. "Please wait a moment, I'll go and inform you."

The soldier guarding the gate picked up the straw hat and raincoat leaning against the gate wall and put them on quickly. He turned around and ran along the corridor towards the ceremonial gate against the rain.

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Soon, Shen Zhengping, also wearing a hat and straw raincoat, came over, and the gatekeeper followed behind him.

Shen Zhengping took off his bamboo hat and saluted the two men. "I am Shen Zhengping, the official of the Zhongwei Pacification Division. I greet Ma Tongzhi and Zhu Chenshi." Although Shen Zhengping was in charge of the Tianjin Zhongwei seal business as per regulations, his official rank was only fifth rank. To him, Ma Yongan, third rank, and Zhu Dayie, fourth rank, were both superiors.

Ma Yongan and Zhu Daye were both stunned at first, then slowly returned the greeting. "No need for formalities, Divine Concierge."

Ma Yongan stood up and was about to ask something, but Shen Zhengping had already put his hat back on. "My two superiors, please follow me."

"Okay." Ma Yongan did not force the question. He brought his entourage and Shen Zhengping through the rain and entered the yamen.

After entering the yamen, Shen Zhengping didn't lead them directly to the lobby, but instead led them to a room sheltered by a rain porch. The room was neither large nor small, a standard structure of one main room and two secondary rooms. There was no wall between the main room and the other room, only two wooden screens. Aside from a table, chairs, and cabinets, there were no other decorations.

"Ma Tongzhi, Zhu Chenshi. Please change your clothes here first." Shen Zhengping took off his straw raincoat and hat, and hung them on the wall.

"Okay." Ma Yongan and Zhu Daye were thinking the same thing. Even with the protection of their straw hats and raincoats, they had been thoroughly soaked through the rain, and most of their clothes were soaked.

There was a supply of dry clothes in the room, stored in the only wooden cabinet. However, Shen Zhengping saw that the two men's followers were carrying packages, so he didn't say anything. Just as Shen Zhengping was about to quietly leave the room, Ma Yongan stopped him. "Shen Zhenfu, please stay."

Shen Zhengping smiled silently. "Ma Tongzhi, don't worry. Sun Zhongcheng is still busy." After saying that, Shen Zhengping left the room.

Ma Yongan and Zhu Daye exchanged a glance, knowing what this meant. They stopped trying to persuade him to stay and went to change clothes behind the screen, one on each side.

After a while, Ma Yongan and Zhu Daye pushed the door open and walked out. Although they had changed into the scarlet robes of the third and fourth ranks, Shen Zhengping's green robe had not lost its brilliance or become inferior.

"Please come this way, both of you." Shen Zhengping waved his hand to guide them.

"God calms you down." As soon as he took a step, Ma Yongan couldn't wait to speak. "You are the one in charge of the central defender now, right?" Ma Yongan said very tactfully.

"Ma Tongzhi, you're joking. How can I be the head of a household?" Shen Zhengping shook his head and said, "I'm just helping Sun Zhongcheng with some chores."

"I heard that it was Shen Zhenfu who reported Commander Shen?" Zhu Daye, who was walking on the right side of Shen Zhengping, said it more bluntly.

"I didn't report Shen Caiyu," Shen Zhengping said calmly. Zhu Daye snorted and quickly ran to Shen Zhengping, blocking his way. "Shen Zhenfu is so righteous, why are you so eager to deny it?" Ma Yongan's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't stop Zhu Daye as he had before.

Shen Zhengping looked at Zhu Daye, his eyes a shimmering mixture of emotions. "I'm not denying it. The people I've denounced are Han Chengkui and Jiang Huangchun, parasites who are harming the nation and its people. Shen Caiyu was originally a wanted criminal by the Jinyiwei, just like Zhang Tongzhi of the Left Guard and Liu Tongzhi of the Right Guard. It's just that they didn't flee like Shen Caiyu did, so their crimes are even more severe." Both the Left and Right Guards held the seal of Tongzhi, but didn't yet have a commander.

"What the hell is going on?" Ma Yongan was still standing behind Shen Zhengping.

Shen Zhengping seemed not to understand. He put on a righteous face and said, "It is my duty. I have no choice but to do it."

"What a duty!" Zhu Daye rolled his eyes fiercely. "The Divine Appeasement is truly noble!"

Ma Yongan couldn't see Shen Zhengping's expression, but he didn't care if he was playing dumb. After a moment's hesitation, Ma Yongan stopped dwelling on the report and asked, "What crime did Commander Shen, Deputy Magistrate Zhang, and Deputy Magistrate Liu commit that the imperial guards were sent to arrest them all at the same time?"

Ma Yongan's words made things much clearer, but he didn't reveal everything. In reality, Ma Yongan didn't care about the lives of Shen Caiyu and the other two seals. Even if the higher-ups really wanted to kill them, Ma Yongan wouldn't necessarily feel grief. What Ma Yongan really wanted to know was whether these messes would implicate him.

"Do you two really know nothing?" Shen Zhengping asked.

"If we knew, why would we ask you?" Zhu Daye said angrily.

"Since the two superiors don't know, how can I know?" Shen Zhengping sighed. "But I think after today, everyone should know."

Ma Yongan's eyes lost their luster and he closed his mouth and stopped talking.

Zhu Daye wanted to ask more, but Shen Zhengping spoke first: "If you two superiors have anything else to ask, please don't stand here and ask. Zhang Tongzhi and Wu Qianshi have been here for a long time. Don't keep them waiting any longer."

"Zhang Tongzhi, he wasn't..." Ma Yongan was stunned, but he quickly realized. "Zhang Bojun and Wu Shihuan? The Right Guards are here too!" Ma Yongan thought he was the only one who received the imperial seal from the Governor's Office.

"It's been here a long time ago."

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Shen Zhengping led Ma Yongan and Zhu Daye to the reception room. As soon as the door opened, Zhang Bojun, the acting seal-holder of the Right Guard, and Wu Shihuan, the assistant secretary in charge of military training, immediately stood up. The summons clearly stated that only the acting seal-holder and the assistant secretary in charge of military training were to be summoned; all other officials were to remain in their jurisdiction and not leave without permission.

Zhang Bojun and Wu Shihuan were stunned at first when they saw the official uniforms and faces of the newcomers, but then they went to greet them. "Ma Tongzhi, Zhu Chenshi, long time no see."

Imperial regulations prohibited officials from leaving their jurisdiction without a summons from their superiors and before the year of inspection. Otherwise, they would be charged with desertion. Therefore, although these officials lived close together and did have some contact, they generally communicated through family members and correspondence.

Ma Yongan and Zhu Daye also returned the greeting, "Zhang Tongzhi, Wu Qianshi, long time no see."

"My superiors, please sit here for a while. I will go and inform you. If the Minister of Justice is free, I will come and inform you again." After saying this, Shen Zhengping turned around and walked out without waiting for his superiors' consent.

"Damn it, he's really a brothel owner's son." Before Shen Zhengping even walked away, Zhu Daye couldn't wait to curse.

"Can you please be quiet?" Ma Yongan raised his voice slightly. "The Divine Guards, a dignified fifth-rank official, has come to greet us personally. What else do you want?"

"If the madam doesn't greet customers with a shameless face, how can she sell other people's butts?" Zhu Daye grinned and said sarcastically.

Ma Yongan stopped talking and found a nearby chair to sit down. He was exhausted after a whole morning's running around. A few fruitless rounds of wit attacks had sapped his remaining energy. Fortunately, he had changed his clothes, otherwise he would have been starving and cold.

"Brother Zhu, you can't say that." Zhang Bojun and Zhu Daye were both military graduates and had some friendship in their youth. He knew what kind of temperament this guy had. "It's his duty, he has to do it."

"The entire Zhongwei Yamen has been arrested, and he is the only one left. What else can he do but sell his ass?" Zhu Daye said dissatisfiedly.

Wu Shihuan walked over to the chair opposite Ma Yongan and sat down. He picked up the slightly cold tea and took a sip. He said quietly, "Mr. Zhu, since you think Shen Zhenfu sold his ass, then who did he sell his ass to?"

"What else could it be?" Zhu Daye was about to answer, but he stopped himself abruptly. "How should I know? I only know that he's selling out other people's butts to build a good reputation for himself." He then walked over to the chair next to Ma Yongan, sat down with his legs crossed, and stopped talking.

Zhang Bojun walked over to the coffee table beside Wu Shihuan, picked up a plate of cold mung bean cakes, and came to Ma Yongan. "I guess you two must be hungry after all the hard work."

"Yes, some. Thank you." Ma Yongan picked up a piece of mung bean cake and started chewing it in big mouthfuls.

"I put it here, you two can use it." Zhang Bojun put down the pastries.

"When did Zhang Tongzhi and Wu Qianshi arrive?" Ma Yongan was eating the dry and cold mung bean cake, and the residue in his mouth spat out as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Around noon." Zhang Bojun returned to his original seat and sat down.

"Have you met Sun Zhongcheng?" Ma Yongan wanted some water, looked around, and finally found a kettle on a small wooden table in the corner.

"Sun Zhongcheng is busy." Zhang Bojun knew full well that this wasn't a matter of being busy or not; it was a superior trying to intimidate his subordinates. As the second-in-command of Tianjin Right Guard, and then acting commander, he'd done similar things himself. After all, the higher-ranking official can crush the lower-ranking one. But at this moment, Sun Chengzong's willingness to intimidate them was actually a good sign.

Although Zhu Daye's words were harsh, Zhang Bojun agreed. Shen Zhengping was a brothel owner who had built up a reputation by stepping on other prostitutes. If Sun Chengzong was willing to give him a chance, he wouldn't mind selling out all his colleagues in exchange for a reputation of "duty required."

(End of this chapter)