Chapter 2306 - Pleading for Mercy

When Luo Yangming returned home, broad daylight had broken. The entire household was waiting in the main hall. The moment he appeared, they surrounded him. Ding Atao and Wen Yun were teary-eyed, clutching his arms and refusing to let go.

"What's all this crying about?" Luo Yangming let out a long breath. "Didn't I come back safe and sound?"

"Rushing out in the dead of night with such violence going on outside..." Ding Atao's eyes were cried swollen like rotten peaches. "There's a whole family here depending on you. What's the use of selling your life to the Australians? Risking life and limb like this!"

Normally, Luo Yangming hated hearing his wife criticize the Senate and would inevitably reprimand her for it. But seeing her eyes red from worrying about him, he felt a surge of love and pity. "Following the Senate has plenty of benefits. Don't worry about it." He turned to Wen Yun. "Your big brother earned great merit tonight. The Senate will certainly promote him."

Wen Yun had also been crying, but being young, she didn't carry heavy worries. Seeing Luo Yangming return safely had already put her at ease. Hearing this, she broke into a smile through her tears. "Is that really true?"

"Of course it is."

As he spoke, he sank into a chair, feeling aches throughout his body. "Not just him—his porters will benefit from this as well." Even as the words left his mouth, the room began to spin. He collapsed to the floor.

The household erupted into chaos. Women wailed, men shouted, and calls for a doctor filled the air. It was Li Wensheng, being older and steadier, who kept his head. He checked Luo Yangming's breathing and pulse and said, "The Master is fine. He was simply too tense and busy all night. Now that he's relaxed, exhaustion has overtaken him. Just let him rest."

They removed Luo Yangming's dirty clothes and carried him to Wen Yun's bedroom. Ding Atao instructed everyone that from now on, the Master would receive no visitors. Even if the sky fell, it could wait until he woke.

By the time things were settled, full daylight had come. Outside in the streets, gongs were being beaten and notices read to calm the populace: the night's disturbance had been quelled, Wuzhou City was safe inside and out, the four gates were open, and common folk could go about their business.

"Finally, peace and safety," Ding Atao said to Li Wensheng. "My heart was about to leap out of my throat. I was so afraid the government troops were fighting their way back..."

"Mistress, set your heart at ease. The government troops couldn't possibly retake the city. Just a few jumping clowns causing trouble..."

Just as they were speaking, Ah Chun suddenly announced: the Eldest Mistress of the Jiang family was here requesting an audience.

"Which Eldest Mistress of the Jiang family?" Ding Atao didn't immediately place the name.

"The wife of Master Jiang, the manager of Ruijin Tang Silk Shop..."

"Ah, Qiuchan's sister-in-law." Ding Atao finally understood. But though she and Jiang Qiuchan were close friends, she had no regular dealings with this particular Jiang mistress. Why the sudden visit? It didn't follow proper etiquette. Moreover, with the situation outside still unsettled, it was better to avoid complications.

"Tell her: the Master isn't feeling well and cannot receive guests. Ask the Eldest Mistress to return for now, and we'll pay a visit another day to receive instructions."

Ah Chun went to deliver the message but returned shortly, reporting:

"Mistress! The Eldest Mistress of the Jiang family says it's an urgent matter. She begs the Master and Mistress to save her family—she says it involves Jiang Qiuchan!"

Since it involved Jiang Qiuchan, Ding Atao couldn't help but care. She knew something of the Jiang Mistress's character—quite snobbish, generally looking down on their family. Only an urgent matter would bring her to their door seeking help.

"In that case, show her in."

The moment the Jiang Mistress entered, she fell to her knees with a thud, hands clasped together. "Madam! I beg you to save our family!"

Now Ding Atao was shocked, and Li Wensheng was equally confused. Ding Atao hastily said, "Eldest Mistress, why are you doing this? Get up and speak slowly. Quickly, help the Eldest Mistress up!"

But the Jiang Mistress prostrated herself on the floor, crying and pleading, refusing to rise unless Ding Atao gave her personal promise.

"Eldest Mistress, what do you want me to promise?" Ding Atao was increasingly bewildered. "Please stand up and speak. If we can help, we certainly will!"

Only then did the Jiang Mistress get up, still weeping, and sit on a nearby chair. Between sobs, she recounted the whole story.

It turned out that Jiang Qiuchan had not returned from the Three Generals' Office the previous night. Early this morning, officers had come and arrested Jiang Rongxian, her husband.

"...Only after spending money did I learn from a Detective Team member that his sister caused trouble and implicated my husband..." She broke down crying again. "The Detective Team people said this matter is enormous—everyone involved may be hanged. That spendthrift sister-in-law of mine..." She had been about to curse Jiang Qiuchan, but suddenly remembered that her only hope, Ding Atao, was that woman's close friend. If she angered her, this trip would be wasted.

"What?! Qiuchan has been arrested?!" Ding Atao was shocked. To be honest, she didn't particularly care if Jiang Rongxian was hanged. What mattered was Qiuchan falling into unexpected disaster. After all, in her years in Wuzhou, Jiang Qiuchan was one of her few close friends. Their bond was deep, and there were many things she could only confide to her.

"Eldest Mistress, don't panic. Tell me the whole story in detail," Ding Atao said.

"Yes, yes..." Seeing Ding Atao's serious expression, the Jiang Mistress knew there was hope, so she recounted everything from the beginning, including what she had learned through her inquiries.

"...Our Jiang family has always been law-abiding citizens. It was so under the Great Ming, and it's been so since the Senate came. Last time Chief Xie said there wasn't enough silver to buy grain and asked merchants to contribute, our family was the first to step forward..."

Though her account was rambling and punctuated by tears, Ding Atao grasped the situation clearly: Jiang Qiuchan had been swept up in a major conspiracy involving a plot to harm a Senator. That was why a citywide search had been launched this morning and the heads of the Jiang household arrested.

Ding Atao immediately connected this to Teacher Hao's arrest the previous night. Hadn't Teacher Hao been recommended by Jiang Qiuchan? He was also the tutor for Qiuchan's son. Could this be connected to Teacher Hao's case?

The thought made her restless. Teacher Hao had worked in her own home for quite some time. If he was truly involved in some "rebellion" case, how could her family escape implication?

She had no heart to listen to the Jiang Mistress's rambling any longer. "I'll discuss this matter with my husband later. Whatever help our family can provide, we'll provide! Don't lose your composure."

After sending the Jiang Mistress away, Ding Atao paced anxiously around the room in circles. She wanted to wake her husband and demand clarification but worried about his health. She had to consult Li Wensheng. He counseled patience. "Mistress, don't worry. The Australians do things by the rules—they won't convict people lightly or wrong the innocent. For now, neither Mr. Hao nor Qiuchan and the others are in immediate danger. We don't need to rush. The Master will wake by noon at the latest. It will be easy to ask him then."

Zhao Fengtian was busy with aftermath matters all morning. After dawn, the scouts Qian Duo had sent to Sanhezu returned with their report: Sanhezu had been breached the previous night. Most of the captives and refugees in the camp had fled, and some were killed. Of the retained personnel responsible for management and security inside the camp, barely one in ten remained—some killed, some fled.

"...Some also left with the bandits."

Zhao Fengtian nodded. That was to be expected.

According to a preliminary count by the collection team Qian Duo had dispatched, the Sanhezu camp currently held fewer than eight hundred people—mostly women, children, and the elderly. Over five hundred corpses lay in the camp; the rest had mostly scattered. The camp was effectively destroyed. Half the buildings had burned, and supplies and tools had suffered heavy losses.

"Who attacked Sanhezu?"

"A band of outlaws. Not that many, actually. But the camp was attacked from inside and outside simultaneously," Qian Duo said, frowning. "Jiang Yougong was killed in an explosion as soon as the fighting started..."

"Blown up? Did the bandits bring artillery?" Zhao Fengtian recalled the cannon sounds that had echoed throughout the night.

"No artillery, but they brought a lot of gunpowder..."

Zhao Fengtian still couldn't picture how this had happened. The Sanhezu National Army Squadron's camp was a closed fortification—there was no way bandits should have been able to approach close enough for demolition.

"He took some substance or other and went into the Sanhezu camp to 'attend the opera'!" Qian Duo spat in disgust. "Later we found out he went there to sleep with actresses! In the end, instead of sleeping with the actress, a local bomb planted by an insider blew him sky-high! Truly a well-deserved death!"

Before a major operation, the Squadron Leader of the Third Squadron and Warden Liu Youwang had been "attending the opera" and "playing with actresses." Hearing these details, Qian Duo was astounded beyond measure. He had vaguely heard there were "problems" over at Sanhezu, but he hadn't expected the problems to be this severe.

"Attending the opera? You mean the opera troupe Liu Youwang set up?" Zhao Fengtian immediately remembered the opera chests the Chief had ordered sent out, and his head throbbed.

"Yes, that opera troupe," Qian Duo said. "I'm not clear on the specifics yet. The camp is chaotic, and many people have fled. But Liu Youwang can't escape responsibility for this!"

"What's his condition?"

"He was injured in the explosion and buried under rubble, but somehow he survived. The death toll in the camp is massive, though—corpses everywhere. The Third Squadron's ramparts weren't lost, but more than half the men are dead or wounded. The squadron is essentially finished. It's going to be quite a sight when the grain fleet arrives today."

"Spectacle or not is beside the point." Zhao Fengtian spoke heavily. "We have so many debts we've stopped worrying, and so many lice we've stopped scratching. How much worse can it get? Sanhezu is a key position. The Third Squadron's ramparts must be repaired as quickly as possible. When the First Squadron returns, have them take over defense and rest and reorganize there. The Second Squadron will switch to patrol duty."

"That leaves only one company in the city during the day..." Qian Duo observed.

"Though the Third Squadron suffered heavy losses, its framework is still intact. Fill out its ranks; they can still handle sentry and patrol duty inside the city. We'll train them up gradually."

(End of Chapter)