SEHE Chapter 19

Inquiry 

 

Wushu and Wuli saw him angry and dared not speak further, obediently setting down the dishes and quietly retreating from the room.

 

Pei Yanci rubbed his wrist. Earlier downstairs he hadn’t eaten much before Xin Hai dragged him upstairs, and now smelling the food on the table, his lost appetite was stirred again.

 

Just as he sat at the table, Wuli’s round head poked out from the not-quite-closed door.

 

“Big brother, you must eat everything – it’s very nourishing!”

 

Pei Yanci: “……”

 

His appetite was completely gone.

 

****

 

The weather was beginning to show signs of warming.

 

Pei Yanci took Wuli out to buy two sets of ordinary clothes for washing and changing. When they returned to the inn, they encountered Song Qi’an making inquiries at the innkeeper’s counter, along with the two academy students they had met before.

 

“Brother Pei.” Song Qi’an cupped his hands in greeting.

 

“How did you all come here?” Pei Yanci looked surprised.

 

At noon he had just told Xin Hai to watch the movements of those academy people, especially Song Qi’an. Those three wouldn’t move so quickly.

 

Unexpectedly, Song Qi’an had taken the initiative to seek him out.

 

“There’s something I want to ask you about,” he said with some difficulty, “regarding the Crown Prince, and matters concerning Great Scholar Fang.”

 

“Please come in quickly.” Pei Yanci’s mind raced as he welcomed the three into the room and had the inn servants bring two pots of hot tea.

 

Song Qi’an had been holding back for a long time. After the servants left, he finally spoke urgently, “I heard that the Crown Prince’s mansion was raided by the Elu Bureau the day before yesterday?”

 

“It wasn’t exactly raided,” Pei Yanci said. “They just arrested all the stewards and servants in the mansion. They’re now in prison being interrogated, and His Highness isn’t having an easy time either.”

 

“Was it because of Great Scholar Fang?” Song Qi’an asked even more urgently.

 

He only knew that last night Fang Hongchun had mentioned meeting with a young man from a prominent family after dinner. If he could persuade that person to have his family intervene, perhaps they wouldn’t need to beg Cui Ya for mercy.

 

This should have been an excellent thing.

 

It’s just that he didn’t know how Fang Hongchun ended up being arrested by the Elu Bureau, and even implicated the Crown Prince.

 

They had really stirred up a hornet’s nest this time.

 

The problem was that Song Qi’an still didn’t know how they had stirred it up. The highest-ranking person from his clan in the court was just a sixth-rank Lantai official who dealt with books all day and couldn’t find out anything.

 

Going to General Jiang Yi’s mansion would require a formal calling card, and he couldn’t wait that long. By coincidence, academy students wandering in the East Market had spotted Pei Yanci buying clothes and immediately informed him.

 

“From what I’ve heard, that seems to be the case,” Pei Yanci said carefully. “Yesterday I narrowly escaped disaster. Afterward, I heard people mention that the stewards and servants around the Crown Prince’s mansion are all extraordinary – very likely scions of prominent families who are willing to hide their identities and stay in the mansion. What do you think they could be there for? If His Highness wanted to accomplish something, do you think those people would persuade the families behind them to use their power to help the Crown Prince?”

 

“This…” Song Qi’an, connecting this with what Fang Hongchun had said that day, understood the general situation. “It wouldn’t be charges of collusion and forming factions for personal gain, would it?”

 

At these words, even the two academy disciples became nervous.

 

The matter of the former Crown Prince had only just passed, and everyone was extremely wary of such things.

 

“It depends on how many people with suspicious identities the Elu Bureau can ultimately uncover.”

 

Song Qi’an irritably stroked his goatee and discussed with him, “If I were to petition young General Jiang Yi, do you think he could get Great Scholar Fang out?”

 

Pei Yanci found his naivety somewhat amusing. “Tell me, when General Jiang himself could end up in prison, how could he save others?”

 

He had also been curious earlier about how the Elu Bureau people showed so little regard for Jiang Yi, despite his great achievements upon returning. Later, after making some inquiries, he learned that Jiang Yi came from a poor family and had risen to his current fifth-rank general position purely through military merit – already a remarkable achievement.

 

But in the current situation with powerful clans everywhere and eunuch factions controlling the government, he was completely alone in court with no real influence.

 

It showed that the Elu Bureau didn’t arrest people randomly – they specifically targeted the weak.

 

Pei Yanci took a small sip of tea, watching their increasingly anxious expressions, and finally said, “I once heard General Jiang mention that among those arrested was also the son of a military officer from the Capital Magistrate’s Office?”

 

“Yes.” Song Qi’an had heard of this, but a military staff officer was only an eighth-rank minor official, and from the Capital Magistrate’s Office which hadn’t fought a war in decades. Standing before the commoner Great Scholar Fang, such a person would seem insignificant. They had never considered him.

 

Pei Yanci saw his doubts and said, “He’s at least someone who moves in official circles, much better than you or me. You should go meet with him and see if you can get people out through him.”

 

Song Qi’an was skeptical.

 

“His Highness the Crown Prince won’t escape so quickly. Right now he can barely protect himself, let alone think about these scholars,” Pei Yanci said. “If you can’t persuade him, have him come find me, and I’ll help you speak to him.”

 

Song Qi’an felt somewhat embarrassed. “How could I impose like that?”

 

“When those scholars all get out someday, just don’t forget my contribution,” Pei Yanci joked. “Give me the five thousand taels of silver you prepared for ransoming people as my errand-running fee.”

 

“That would be proper,” Song Qi’an said seriously, solemnly raising his wine cup to clink with his.

 

After seeing Song Qi’an off, Pei Yanci had Xin Hai and the other two return as well. With Zhang Huairu arrested by the Elu Bureau, they could now leave the city openly and legitimately.

 

Wuli came out of the room and, seeing them excitedly discussing where to venture next, couldn’t help but listen in.

 

After listening for a while, he couldn’t help but interject, “You don’t like the Western Regions, the borderlands are too harsh, southerners are too cunning, the south is too dangerous – are you really jianghu people? You’re too picky.”

 

Gu Xing scratched his head and grinned foolishly. “We lived the good life for a few years at the Crown Prince’s mansion and got used to comfort.”

 

Xin Hai habitually touched the knife scar on his neck and said in his hoarse voice, “Too many enemies – we need to be careful.”

 

“If you ask me, you might as well follow my big brother. You’ve already helped him with plenty of things before anyway,” Wuli said.

 

The three frowned, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

 

Cui Nan laughed it off. “If we serve under his command, would we be servants of servants?”

 

Gu Xing chimed in. “We weren’t sold to the Crown Prince’s mansion.”

 

“That old bastard Zhang Huairu was also a servant, a rootless old eunuch at that, and I didn’t see you complaining. You wagged your tails like fans,” Wuli retorted.

 

They usually drank together, bragging and chatting about everything under the sun without restraint. Hearing that Wuli didn’t seem to be joking, they became serious too.

 

“Are you telling the truth?”

 

“How could this be false? There’s no one more capable than my big brother. If you follow him, you’ll achieve success sooner or later.”

 

Cui Nan and Gu Xing laughed. “Go on, keep bragging.”

 

Xin Hai, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said, “We haven’t decided on anywhere to go lately. How about this – if your big brother has anything that needs doing, hire us brothers to run some errands. We’ll just earn enough for travel expenses to leave the city. How about it?”

 

Wuli scratched his head. “I need to discuss this with my big brother.”

 

Pei Yanci had only asked him to keep them around, not mentioned hiring them.

 

Cui Nan and Gu Xing secretly exchanged glances with Xin Hai. They were eager to leave the city – how could they be short of travel expenses?

 

Xin Hai signaled them to stay calm and said to Wuli, “Alright, discuss it with Pei Yanci and give us an answer tonight.”

 

Wuli responded with an “eh” and went to find Pei Yanci.

 

“Big brother, before this, it was because he saved us that we helped him to repay the favor. Are you really going to be ordered around by a lowly slave?” With no outsiders present, Cui Nan said urgently.

 

“Today’s lowly slave might not be tomorrow’s,” Xin Hai said in his hoarse voice. “Think about it – we know that last night those few were in the Crown Prince’s mansion. Now even the Crown Prince’s fate is uncertain, yet these few could escape from under the Elu Bureau’s nose. Could you manage that?”

 

Cui Nan and Gu Xing fell silent.

 

“Besides, we’d have an employment relationship with him – taking money to do jobs honestly. How is that demeaning ourselves or being at his beck and call?”

 

This reasoning seemed sound enough.

 

****

 

The Capital Magistrate’s military officer was named Hu Shang. He had held this position for over ten years, owned a few thin acres of farmland and a small residence, and with his salary managed to marry three beautiful concubines. His life was quite manageable.

 

The only problem was that his household had five or six daughters but only one son. His aspirations weren’t grand – he just hoped his son could distinguish himself in this year’s imperial examinations, at least not ending up like his old father who topped out at eighth rank for life.

 

He never imagined that his obedient and filial good son would actually join those fair-weather friends in publicly cursing the Elu Bureau’s wrongdoings. Wasn’t this courting death?

 

Overnight, half his hair turned white. He begged everyone he could, borrowing money where possible, pulling strings where he could, but in the end not only did the money go down the drain, his son was still languishing in prison.

 

Until his wife said someone had brought a calling card and wanted to see him.

 

The next day he met the person and was led to an inn.

 

He was puzzled, but when he pushed open the door, he saw a refined young man sitting in the room – dignified and composed, with an impressive bearing. Though wearing the most ordinary coarse clothing, the first thought that popped into his mind was that this was some unworldly scion from a prominent family practicing asceticism.

 

He didn’t dare ask about the other’s identity and entered the room in confusion.

 

Pei Yanci had Song Qi’an leave first. When only he and Hu Shang remained in the room, he didn’t beat around the bush: “I can save your son.”

 

Hu Shang was stunned.

 

Having heard too many refusals and people who took money then gave excuses without doing anything, this person could actually say something so audacious.

 

“But there’s one thing that needs you to handle,” Pei Yanci didn’t waste words. When dealing with military men, he preferred being direct. “How much do you know about the household registration officer at the Capital Magistrate’s Office?”

 

“We don’t interact much in daily life – just normal collegial exchanges. I don’t know much,” Hu Shang didn’t dare speak too definitively, speaking in official language.

 

“Does your wife often visit with his family?”

 

“They attend banquets together sometimes, and occasionally go to temples to burn incense together. Why do you ask this?”

 

So the two families had a good relationship.

 

“Do you know some of his habits?” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “For instance, being accustomed to hiding important things in places only he knows about?”

 

Hu Shang’s expression tightened. “What do you want me to do?”

 

“Can you find evidence of his forging household registrations?”

 

Hu Shang’s eyes suddenly widened.

 

A drop of cold sweat slid down from his forehead.

 

“What is this for? If he hasn’t forged household registrations…”

 

“He definitely forged household registrations – not many, just the registrations of the Crown Prince’s mansion servants,” Pei Yanci said with certainty. “What you need to do is steal them before these things are destroyed.”

 

Last night the Elu Bureau had already detained everyone from the Capital Magistrate’s household registration office. With over 3.7 million people in the capital, they would be working around the clock these few days to find the household registration information of the Crown Prince’s mansion servants.

 

If there were none, the Crown Prince’s chances of escaping trouble would be much greater.

 

“Let me think about it,” Hu Shang said uncertainly. “I don’t know – all registered household records are kept in the government office, and I’m in charge of military affairs, not this.”

 

“Have you considered asking his family members?” Pei Yanci sipped his tea, finding the strange taste much more palatable now. “Last night, the Elu Bureau people didn’t find the household registration officer’s wife and children. Don’t you find that strange?”

 

“I didn’t hide them,” Hu Shang immediately responded, eager to clear himself.

 

“Even if you didn’t, it would be much easier for you to find out where they are, wouldn’t it?” Pei Yanci smiled slightly. They would be extremely wary of Elu Bureau people, but if the person was a former colleague and friend of the husband, it would be much easier. “Bring me the household registrations of all the Crown Prince’s mansion servants to this inn, and you can trade your son’s life for them.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

This involved the Crown Prince – one wrong step could mean the extermination of nine generations.

 

“You don’t need to know that,” Pei Yanci said. “Just tell me if you’re confident you can do it.”

 

Hu Shang gulped down a mouthful of tea, the bitter taste clearing his mind a bit.

 

“Can you really save my son?” he said. “If that evidence is handed over, will the household registration officer… will he be beheaded?”

 

“Even without finding evidence, hasn’t he already entered the Elu Bureau prison? Do you think he can come out whole?”

 

“Yes, he’s already gone in.” This response seemed like Hu Shang was speaking to his own heart.

 

He drained the tea in his cup, wiped the tea stains from his mouth, stood up and cupped his fists. “When do I need to get this to you at the latest?”

 

Pei Yanci smiled. “Before curfew tomorrow.”