Chapter 2299: Nightfall
Liu Youwang had no idea that the chests were filled with death warrants. He only thought about how he would listen to opera and feast tonight, then toy with the girls in the troupe. The more he thought about it, the happier he became. He sat obliviously in his office smoking and reading the newspaper—recently, he had taken an interest in the Lingao Times, which he had previously cared little for. If one wanted to climb the ladder, one had to study more.
Chang Qingyun, however, was far from relaxed. His forehead and palms were sweating. In his forty-some years of life, this was the first time he had been this nervous—even the moment he had been captured alive by the Australians hadn't been this tense. That had merely been fear.
While directing the preparations for Liu Youwang's nightly "dress rehearsal," he was secretly coordinating the conspirators in the camp.
At Sanhezu, through internal recruitment or external infiltration, Chang Qingyun directly controlled fifty or sixty conspirators. According to Yi Haoran, there were other conspirators in the camp as well—obviously backups in case he failed.
Liu Youwang had accumulated a dangerous amount of hatred in the camp; it had reached the point where a single spark could ignite an inferno. If they raised a cry, the camp would erupt into chaos. However, as long as the Third Squadron outside wasn't pinned down, the chances of a successful riot were slim. That depended on the people outside.
Chang Qingyun had little confidence in the "people outside." He had served in both the bureaucracy and the military and knew that "coordination" was a troublesome thing. Even for the Imperial Army, synchronizing a simultaneous advance on a specific date was no easy task. The slightest mishap could cause the coordination to fail. Therefore, he didn't dare trust the "outside support" too heavily.
According to the current plan, once the signal was given in the city, they would first seize control of Liu Youwang, then ignite the gunpowder in the opera chests to start a fire and immediately incite a riot.
Without armed support from outside to harass the enemy, the Third Squadron would be able to suppress such an uprising quickly if they moved fast.
However, doing so would still mean the chaos at Sanhezu would inevitably draw Wuzhou City's attention. The defenders would have no time to attend to other matters, allowing the team entering the city to act with greater freedom.
To be honest, Chang Qingyun wasn't too worried about his own safety. Once the riot started, slipping away wouldn't be difficult. The ones who would truly find it hard to escape were the "righteous men" who had infiltrated the city—and Yi Haoran.
Truth be told, his feelings toward Yi Haoran were quite complex. Originally, he had resented being dragged into this conspiracy. Now, however, he felt a sense of awe and respect for this "pedant." Master Yi sought neither fame nor profit, nor even really the restoration of the Imperial Court, but solely for two words: "Name" and "Teaching"—the Confucian moral code.
In this world, men of such purity were rare. Yi Haoran was such a man. Chang Qingyun had a premonition that Master Yi would likely not leave Wuzhou alive.
Luo Yangming had barely warmed his seat after returning home when everyone in the household came to complain about Mister Hao's arrest. They all spoke in unison: Mister Hao was innocent, and he must find a way to bail him out as soon as possible.
Luo Yangming couldn't reveal that Mister Hao's arrest was actually his own idea. He simply comforted them, saying that Chief Xie had too many matters to attend to these past few days; he would handle it tomorrow when he had time.
Li Wensheng remained uneasy. "Master! Nowadays, military law rules in Wuzhou. You'd best send a greeting to the Yamen tomorrow. Otherwise, once an order comes down to execute a batch of prisoners, Mister Hao might get swept up in it—once a person stops breathing, they can't be revived."
After Xie Erren entered the city, he had purged the disorder within the city and prosecuted rogue soldiers and criminals for arson and looting, executing hundreds on the river beach outside Wuzhou. This had left a deep impression on everyone.
"Rest assured, there have been no military tribunals recently," Luo Yangming comforted them. "Besides, the Australians follow rules. Even under military law, there must be a procedure, right? They can't just drag someone out and behead them..."
"If Master says so, this old man is relieved," Li Wensheng said.
Unexpectedly, when they retired for the night, Wen Yun also complained: "Mister Hao is a good scholar and has never done anything bad. He treats everyone well! Why did they suddenly arrest him? It's unreasonable!"
Because Ding Atao had her monthly course recently, it was Wen Yun who slept with him tonight.
Luo Yangming was already drowsy and replied perfunctorily.
"I told you, this is the Australians' decision; there's nothing I can do about it," Luo Yangming said with a bitter smile. "Don't be nervous. It's nothing serious. At most, Mister Hao will spend a few days in a cell. They absolutely won't let him suffer..."
"I know about government lawsuits. Once you enter the depths of the Yamen, even if you're innocent, you have to squat there for ten days or half a month. Even if he doesn't suffer in jail, what about Liheng's studies..."
"Who is Liheng?" Hearing an unfamiliar name, Luo Yangming's drowsiness vanished instantly, and he pressed for an answer.
"It's the student Mister Hao took on—you've been coming home so late these days, no wonder you don't know. He's Miss Jiang's son..."
"Miss Jiang?!" Luo Yangming suddenly recalled something. "Is that... Qiuchan?!"
"Qiuchan?" Wen Yun tilted her head in thought. "Yes, yes, that's her! The Mistress said she's the daughter of the Ruijintang Silk Shop family. Her husband was killed by rogue soldiers when Wuzhou fell, leaving only this son. Mister Hao is a relative of her maiden family..."
As she spoke, Luo Yangming vaguely recalled that his wife had indeed mentioned this. A chill ran down his spine: Wasn't this Jiang Qiuchan serving as a "companion" right beside Cai Lan?! People who seemed completely unrelated were suddenly linked together: Hao Ran—Jiang Qiuchan—Cai Lan...
Luo Yangming knew nothing of Zhao Fengtian's suspicions about Cai Lan. But the fact that Hao Ran's trail could lead to someone beside the Chief! This immediately aroused his professional vigilance—this matter was likely not simple.
With this thought, he threw on his clothes and got out of bed. He lit the oil lamp.
The girl was startled by the noise and asked in surprise, "Master, what's wrong?"
"I have urgent business and must go to the Yamen!" Luo Yangming said. "Just go to sleep."
"If Master needs to go out, this servant will help you dress and call a shop assistant to accompany you..." Wen Yun moved to get up.
"No need, just stay at home," Luo Yangming instructed. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Where is your brother sleeping tonight?"
"He and the assistants are all sleeping at Danan Gate... There's work tomorrow. Does the Master need him?"
"I'm not looking for him," Luo Yangming said. "Just go to sleep. Don't wait up for me."
Luo Yangming changed clothes and called a shop assistant from the storefront to follow him. He rushed toward the City Government. Though Wuzhou was under curfew, he had a special pass and arrived at the City Government unimpeded, where he met Zhao Fengtian.
Hearing his words, Zhao Fengtian stood up abruptly from behind his desk, looking agitated. "No wonder!"
"No wonder what?"
"I've always felt something was strange about this. So that's it!" Zhao Fengtian immediately recounted his search for the external verification letter. "...No wonder the letter disappeared without a trace! Cai Lan was originally the biggest suspect! Only she could access the Chief's documents. Now, with your lead, the connection between them becomes clear!"
"Cai Lan might still be innocent. Jiang Qiuchan is more suspicious!" Luo Yangming said. "Don't forget, she's been by Cai Lan's side the whole time. If she really wanted to scheme, it's not impossible."
"It seems this matter isn't simple," Zhao Fengtian said. "It's hard to say who destroyed the letter right now, but it's certain that Hao Ran is connected to them. It seems this Mister Hao is a big fish..."
"Definitely! Otherwise, why would Cai Lan or Jiang Qiuchan take such a great risk to save him?!" Luo Yangming said. "In my opinion, we must interrogate him tonight!"
"No need to be so hasty." Zhao Fengtian looked at Luo Yangming's bloodshot eyes. "The man has been caught; where can he run? I'll instruct Zheng Ergen to put him in solitary confinement right away."
Having said that, he immediately summoned a naturalized staff member and ordered him to notify Zheng Ergen: "Not only must he be kept in solitary, but post someone to watch him and prevent suicide!"
"You don't need to worry about other things either. Everyone has been busy enough these past few days. Zheng Ergen doesn't have many capable hands, so he has to do it himself. Speaking of which, this matter isn't simple; quite a few people are involved..."
"Who else..."
"There's also Manager Da, who recommended Jiang Qiuchan to Cai Lan—he needs to be investigated too. If there's a connection, we might as well make it a major case." Zhao Fengtian said, "These masters are all putting on airs; we need to show them some color." He comforted Luo Yangming again. "We can deal with this case slowly after the goods are unloaded tomorrow. Cai Lan and Jiang Qiuchan are also under our control and can't escape. We'll try the cases together then."
Luo Yangming felt his reasoning was sound. After all, it was just a scholar plus two weak women; what could they do? Besides, they were all under surveillance. Unless they had three heads and six arms, they couldn't stir up any trouble. However, his vigilance as an intelligence officer made him think again, and he said:
"I suggest we interrogate immediately. This Advisor Hao has been lurking in the city for a long time and didn't hesitate to have Cai Lan destroy the letter, which shows his presence in the city has a purpose. It's not simply avoiding trouble or gathering intelligence. A large shipment of grain is arriving soon; we must guard against any enemy conspiracies..."
Zhao Fengtian thought for a moment. "You have a point. I'll tell Zheng Ergen to interrogate him right now!"
Yi Haoran had already dozed off when he was suddenly startled awake by the sound of the cell door opening. The guard outside called out:
"Hao Ran! Hao Ran!"
Yi Haoran stood up. "This student is here."
"Come out!"
Yi Haoran stepped out calmly and asked, "Might I ask what instructions the constable has?"
"We're moving you to a different place," the guard said. "Follow me."
Yi Haoran's heart tightened. He instantly understood that the Australians knew they had caught a big fish. His time was running short.
He spoke calmly: "Please lead the way, constable."
(End of Chapter)