Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 421 Omissions but not omissions

On the official road facing the post station's main gate, Cui Yuan, dressed in a bright red flying fish robe, leaned on the armrests on a bamboo chair that looked completely out of place with his silk and gold-threaded robe. In front of him stood the long, marching formation of the governor's battalion, while behind him stood only four eunuchs wearing three-peaked hats and ordinary eunuch robes.

The post station's chief was also present, though he wasn't beside the eunuchs. Instead, he stood timidly under the eaves of the post station's main gate, head bowed, his hands and feet hunched, slyly observing the bewildering scene from the corner of his eye. The East Depot's thugs had controlled the post station for quite some time, yet even now, he still couldn't quite understand what these powerful officials were up to.

"Cui Tixing!" Sun Yuerong was an excellent rider. After that scream, he immediately drove his horse around the five guards in front of him and came close to Cui Yuan.

Sun Yuerong naturally didn't dare look down at Cui Yuan. Before he could get close enough, he hurriedly stepped off his horse's stirrups. Sun Yuerong threw off the reins and quickly approached Cui Yuan under the horse's bewildered gaze.

"Your servant." Sun Yuerong was about to kneel down and kowtow, but she heard Cui Yuan say, "Forget it. There are so many people watching. Let's not bother with the formalities."

".Knowing the truth, Cui Ti Xing." Sun Yuerong obeyed and did not kneel, but still knelt and said "OK" to Cui Yuan verbally.

Soon, Sun Chengzong and Mao Yuanyi also rode their horses to the eunuchs. Cui Yuan's bright red robe was so conspicuous that even though Sun Chengzong's eyesight was not as sharp as that of a young man, he could still clearly make out the dragon-shaped flying fish with its wings spread out, ready to take flight.

Without waiting for Sun Chengzong to dismount, Cui Yuan stood up by himself, using the handrail to support himself. He walked quickly towards Sun Chengzong, raised his head and extended his hand to him.

"Thank you!" Sun Chengzong extended his hand, only to realize Cui Yuan wasn't standing in a position to help someone dismount. He paused for a moment, then realized Cui Yuan wanted to help him with his horse. But how could Sun Chengzong allow a eunuch wearing the Feiyu robe to serve as his stable boy? He might have been willing to accept the offer of the ordinary eunuchs behind Cui Yuan helping him with his horse, but Cui Yuan himself would never allow it.

Sun Chengzong gripped the reins, held onto the saddle, and dismounted from the other side. Mao Yuanyi and the other four guarding cavalrymen followed suit.

"Student Cui Yuan pays his respects to Sun Zhongcheng." Cui Yuan's attitude was still very humble, so humble that Sun Chengzong was a little afraid to accept it.

"How can I bear it when Chief Justice Cui comes to greet me from ten miles away?" Sun Chengzong threw down the reins, stepped forward and held Cui Yuan's arm, preventing him from completing the long bow.

Since he refused to accept the offer of a horse and couldn't bow deeply, Cui Yuan didn't force him. He instead bowed with both hands, then gave a shallow bow: "Mr. Sun, you are a man of great integrity and have come from afar. How can I not welcome you?"

"I eat your salary and share your worries." Sun Chengzong returned the greeting. "Cui Tixing, please stop talking nonsense."

Cui Yuan began to understand Sun Chengzong's character. Cui Yuan judged that if this old man could stay healthy and live a long life, it would only be a matter of time before he became a prime minister.

The two of them exchanged a few words, and the people around them followed suit and toasted each other.

Sun Chengzong, fearing the night would drag on, lost his patience and cut to the chase, "Cui Tixing, since you're here, please show me the way. I can then lead my men over and apprehend the suspect." They were now less than ten miles from Beitang, and word could leak out at any moment, causing unnecessary trouble. This was not what Sun Chengzong wanted.

"Don't be anxious, Zhongcheng Sun. Come with me into the post station and have a seat first." Cui Yuan turned around and waved his hand towards the gate of the post station.

Sun Chengzong hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse. Instead, he turned his head and said to Mao Yuanyi, "Rest here and set off in two quarters of an hour."

"Yes." Mao Yuanyi immediately ran to pass on the order.

"Haha." Cui Yuan knew Sun Chengzong was talking to him. He led Sun Chengzong towards the post station and said, "Don't worry, Sun Zhongcheng. The main roads and the whereabouts of the suspects are all under surveillance by the East Factory. I can hear any movement. Nothing will happen."

"Your humble servant greets you two!" Seeing the two men in red robes approaching side by side, the postmaster immediately went to greet them and pay his respects. Cui Yuan also used him as an example: "Just before you, the Minister of Finance, arrived, this postmaster sent someone to deliver a report to the Ministry of Revenue."

Although there was no malicious intent in the words, and the postmaster had obtained his permission before sending the postman to Li Changgeng, he still felt a chill in his heart when Cui Yuan mentioned him. His head, which had been lowered due to the bow, drooped further.

"Last month's official report?" Sun Chengzong immediately understood that Cui Yuan was telling him that without Cui Yuan's permission, no news could pass through his hands.

"Yes, it's the latest one." Cui Yuan asked casually, "I think you should have seen it."

"I've read it. The emperor is wise and it's a great blessing for the country." Sun Chengzong couldn't help but sigh when he thought of the content in the court report.

"Your Majesty is certainly wise," Cui Yuan said, bowing towards Beijing. "But this is also a natural and logical thing."

Sun Chengzong nodded solemnly and walked into the post station with Cui Yuan.

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Sun Chengzong originally thought that Cui Yuan brought him into the post station to treat him to a meal, but after entering the post station, Cui Yuan led him directly to the stable.

Arriving at the stable, Sun Chengzong was stunned because a skinny man was tied to the thickest pillar in the stable.

The man's face was pale, his eyes wide with fear. He struggled back and forth, clearly trying to say something. But because his mouth was stuffed with a piece of rag that looked obviously dirty, he could only make a few whimpering sounds.

Smelling the smell of horse manure in the air, Sun Chengzong even thought that the rag might have been used to scrub a horse's butt.

"Who is this person?" Sun Chengzong was disgusted by his own association. As he spoke, the muscles on his face twitched slightly.

"That's the fugitive," Cui Yuan said, pointing to a roan horse struggling with hay. "Early this morning, he rode that horse, trying to escape, but before he could get more than a few steps, he was stopped by our men."

Hearing the words "fleeing for fear of crime," the bound, thin man struggled even harder. Sun Chengzong looked at Cui Yuan. "Can I ask him a few questions?"

"Of course, this is your prisoner. I brought you here to hand him over to you." Cui Yuan smiled and nodded, then turned to a soldier guarding the stable and ordered: "Take away the cloth used to wipe the horse's buttocks." Hearing this, Sun Chengzong's eyebrows twitched again.

"Yes." The man received the order and immediately stepped forward to pull the rag out of the man's mouth. He couldn't find a place to put the rag, and didn't want to keep holding it, so he shook the rag and covered the man's head with it.

Sun Chengzong shook off the distracting thoughts in his mind, stared at the thin man, and asked, "What's your name?"

"Who are you?" The thin man looked at Sun Chengzong and spat dirty water on the ground.

Snapped!
The man, seeing the man not answer but ask questions and even spit on the ground, immediately took this as a provocation. He paid no attention to the honorific. Without a word, the man slapped him. "You bastard! When was it your turn to ask questions?" He slapped him so hard that not only did he interrupt the man's words and swell his face, but he also dropped the rag to the ground.

Sun Chengzong frowned and looked at Cui Yuan. Cui Yuan smiled awkwardly and said, "You're a rough man. All the flesh is on your body, but you don't have any brains at all. Please forgive me." Then he said to the man, "Get out of the way and stop making noise. When is it your turn to speak here?" Although it was also a scolding, Cui Yuan's voice did not have that fierce tone.

"Yes." The man nodded sullenly and walked aside, stepping on the rag.

"I'm Sun Chengzong, the governor of Tianjin." Sun Chengzong didn't have the arrogance to look down on others and didn't mind introducing himself. "What's your name?"

The thin man's face was swollen, and a little blood oozed out of his mouth. The smell of blood spread in his mouth, but this time he really didn't dare to spit. The thin man swallowed the dirty and fishy blood with nausea and said, "In reply to the governor, my surname is Liu, and my given name is Weishan."

"Liu Weishan..." Sun Chengzong raised his eyebrows and turned to ask Sun Yuerong, "Master Sun, you didn't tell me there were members of the Liu family."

Sun Yuerong was stunned, staring blankly at Cui Yuan with wide eyes. All the information he had on this case came from Cui Yuan, and except for the difficult questions, he had told Sun Chengzong almost everything he knew without reservation.

Sun Chengzong understood Sun Yuerong's silence, so he followed Sun Yuerong's gaze and cast a questioning look at Cui Yuan.

"Sun Zhongcheng, it's not strange for one family to have two surnames. Our ancestors' godsons all keep their family names. The person is right here. You can ask for your own advice to see if I have deceived you." Cui Yuan added a look of grievance to his face. "He was just arrested this morning and sent to you without asking any questions. I just wanted to gain your trust, but you still sighed." As he spoke, Cui Yuan suddenly looked at the man from before. "It was you! Why did you hit him? You made Sun Zhongcheng misunderstand me for nothing."

"." The man was stunned and shrank back.

Sun Chengzong didn't respond to Cui Yuan's question. He looked away and carefully examined the thin man. He found that apart from a noticeable red mark on his face, he didn't look like he had been tortured. Sun Chengzong pondered for a moment, and instead of directly mentioning the case, he asked, "Do you know why they arrested you?"

"Governor, how would I know this? I was riding my horse on the road when I was stopped by them for no apparent reason. I thought I was being robbed by bandits! Governor! Your Excellency! Please help me!" Liu Weishan had no idea what the two high officials were talking about, and his deliberately pretended pitiful look also brought out some genuine confusion.

Sun Chengzong nodded slightly. Most of Liu Weishan's long speech was unimportant, and the content didn't matter. He just wanted to make sure Cui Yuan didn't use violence to force him to say something he didn't want to say. Sun Chengzong silently bowed to Cui Yuan in apology and asked Liu Weishan, "Do you know who they are?"

Liu Weishan's eyes rolled. "I don't know."

"What were you thinking about just now?" Sun Chengzong kept staring at Liu Weishan, and all the changes in his expression were seen clearly by Sun Chengzong.

Liu Weishan was stunned and said mournfully, "Oh, these adults really didn't tell us who they are!"

"Where are you going this morning?" Sun Chengzong raised his head towards the motley horse, but his eyes were still on Liu Weishan's face.

"Go back." Liu Weishan swallowed another mouthful of dirty blood. "Go back."

"Where are you going back to?" Sun Chengzong asked.

"Of course I'm going home," Liu Weishan replied.

"Where is your home?" Sun Chengzong's mouth corners actually curled up slightly.

Although the man before him tried hard to act like a frightened commoner, Sun Chengzong knew from these few meaningless yet fluent responses that this was definitely not some innocent individual who had been inexplicably captured by the East Factory to serve in a crime. Once he was certain of this, Sun Chengzong had nothing to worry about.

Liu Weishan didn't realize that Sun Chengzong had already seen through him with just these few words. After a moment's hesitation, he decided it would be better to tell the truth: "The capital, the Guo family."

"Marquis of Boping?" Sun Chengzong asked immediately.

"Yes, yes." Liu Weishan began to panic. His heartbeat instantly accelerated and his whole body began to feel cold.

Liu Weishan had originally expected Sun Chengzong to ask, "Which Guo family?" That way, he'd assume that even though these people had stopped him, they were still in the investigation phase. However, as soon as Sun Chengzong's seemingly questioning, yet ultimately pointed question, came out, Liu Weishan knew these people were coming straight for them. They might even have uncovered some clues.

"Since they are from the Guo family of Boping Earl, then I think you should know who they are." Sun Chengzong moved half a body to the side and guided Liu Weishan to look at Cui Yuan.

Liu Weishan immediately denied it and said, "How could I know who this master is?"

Cui Yuan arrived later, and this was Liu Weishan's first time meeting him. During their earlier conversation, Liu Weishan's attention had been fixed on Sun Chengzong, the man questioning him, preoccupied with his disguise. He hadn't paid much attention to Cui Yuan behind him. But when Liu Weishan's conversation shifted his focus to Cui Yuan, his breath hitched. He recognized the dragon pattern embroidered on Cui Yuan's red robe.

This is a winged dragon! Or rather, a flying fish!
(End of this chapter)