Chapter 2652: The Capital (Part 8)
The woman nodded but offered no reply.
Li Rufeng continued, "There's a broken tree by the roadside. The bandits must have lain in wait for Master Leng's carriage, then hauled down the trunk to block the path. Archers positioned on both sides loosed their arrows in unison, cutting down the guards. Once the killing was done, they dragged the tree aside and took Mister Leng along with the draft horses—but left the carriage and the corpses where they fell."
Robbery and murder on the official road in broad daylight—ten years ago, such a thing would have been unthinkable. Now it was commonplace. Most passersby dared not intervene, even when screams and the clash of weapons reached their ears.
"Since Mister Leng's body isn't among the dead, he's most likely still alive," the woman said. "Return immediately and interrogate the Leng residence servants. We need the sequence of events while memories are fresh. If we delay, the government office will detain them as witnesses before we can speak with them."
Li Rufeng felt as though he had stepped off the edge of an abyss, tumbling endlessly through infinite darkness, sinking, sinking.
If this had been a straightforward kidnapping for ransom, it would have been simple enough to handle. Whether paying for his release or tracking down the hideout, neither posed great difficulty—such bandits followed predictable patterns. By tracing the "tongues" and "bird listeners," combined with the capital's various connections, they could always uncover leads.
But the evidence at the scene told a different story. These were no ordinary kidnappers. They had acted with deliberate purpose.
If that was true, their next move after seizing Manager Leng would be to vanish. In this vast Northland, finding one man was like searching for a needle in a haystack. The chances of rescuing Leng Ningyun alive were less than one in ten. And if his captors had spirited him into the mountainous regions north of the capital, there would be no hope of rescue at all.
The greater mystery was why Manager Leng had suddenly appeared on the road to Haidian. Apart from his monthly trips to Tianjin, he almost never left the capital these days. And whenever he did travel, he always notified "Heliansheng" to dispatch escort masters for protection.
Even Wu Kaidi had no knowledge of his whereabouts. It made no sense.
Leng Ningyun was no reckless youth. He was known for his caution and meticulous care in daily affairs. Li Rufeng could not fathom what circumstance could have driven him to venture out so carelessly.
Li Rufeng glanced at the woman beside him. At present, the only escort masters stationed in the capital were himself and her. Female escort masters were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, whether in the Great Ming or in Lingao, and Golden Phoenix Liao Sanniang stood foremost among them.
He drew in a long, bitter breath of cold air. The Senate was too far away. They could not wait for rescue from that quarter. In this world beyond the Senate's reach, they had only themselves.
Shuntian Prefecture Judge Liu Yike, wrapped in a sable cloak from beyond the Pass, was still shivering despite his furs—the north wind sweeping down the main road cut to the bone. He tugged down his eye veil and surveyed the scene: the Fast Squad bailiffs bustling about, the Wanping Magistrate standing off to the side with a blank expression, knowing nothing useful. A secret irritation kindled in Liu Yike's chest. What had possessed this man surnamed Leng to venture outside the city walls in such bitter cold?
Delong's people were already at the scene. That went without saying—their intelligence network was swifter than even the Shuntian Prefecture Yin's; they had likely arrived the moment the city gates opened. Of course, Judge Liu harbored no resentment toward them. After all, Delong had never once failed to deliver their share of the "Three Festivals and Two Birthdays" gifts over the years. That courtesy, at least, deserved acknowledgment.
The coroner finished filling out the corpse examination form. Afterward, the Wanping Magistrate approached to inquire: might Delong be permitted to claim the bodies?
"Have them sign a bond and claim the corpses," Liu Yike instructed. "But they must not bury them yet—in case someone else needs to examine the remains."
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Also, send all physical evidence seized at the scene to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, and have the carriage brought back for inspection." Liu Yike wanted nothing more than for this wretched field survey to end. He could hardly bear the freezing cold any longer.
Upon returning to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, Liu Yike reported the survey details to Zhong Kai point by point and handed over all the evidence collected from the carriage and the corpses.
"The carriage has also been brought back. It's parked in the stable."
"Were Delong's people present at the scene?" Zhong Kai asked.
"They were. The corpses have been claimed under bond."
"Master, we should summon the witnesses..." the private secretary reminded him.
Zhong Kai considered for a moment, then shook his head. "No hurry. Let us wait a while."
After all, this was a major case, and the interrogation would sweep in a wide net of people. Witnesses were the "ATM machines" for the clerks and bailiffs. Once summoned and locked into the detention room, they would be squeezed for every copper. It was common enough for a victim's family to be ruined or bankrupted over a homicide case.
Neither Zhong Kai nor Liu Yike cared particularly whether Delong or the Leng family met such a fate. But Delong had been established in the capital for several years now, holding deposits from countless high officials and nobles, handling remittances across the realm. If it suddenly collapsed due to this case—if its operational turnover failed—the consequences would be catastrophic. Even someone as upright as Zhong Kai had to weigh the implications and grant Delong a buffer to make arrangements.
Moreover, judging from Liu Yike's survey, nine chances out of ten this was not the work of ordinary thieves. Certain powers were likely pulling strings behind the scenes.
Using the resources of Shuntian Prefecture to investigate would mean constraints from every direction, and the case might never be resolved. It would be far more expedient to let Delong spend its own silver hiring people to investigate. With their financial might and social network in the capital, this was no difficult task.
In the living room of Heliansheng, several core members of the Beijing Station sat facing the two leading escort masters of the establishment. Dim light filtered through the willow-leaf lattice of the partition door, drawing slanting rays across the room. Countless motes of dust drifted through the beams, lending the air a turbid, oppressive quality. The atmosphere pressed down with terrible weight; only an occasional cough broke the silence, revealing a trace of life within.
Li Rufeng's body was pressed against the back of his officials' hat chair. His left hand absently stroked the beard beneath his chin while his right rested loosely on the armrest. Two walnuts rolled against each other in his palm, their grinding contact producing a continuous, grating creak.
After a prolonged silence, Li Rufeng fixed his gaze on Wu Kaidi, staring hard into his eyes. His voice was slow and measured.
"Old Wu, those of us in Qiwei have handled errands for the Senators more than once or twice. We're all trusted attendants. We've never made a mistake. This is Beijing City—the center of the world, the heart of the metropolitan area. It has every strategic advantage and solid defenses. The city prohibitions are the strictest in the realm. By day there is the Wardens' Office of the Five Wards; by night, the Patrol Battalion. They make their rounds ceaselessly. The various wards and alleys have military patrol stations, each with its heads and firemen to maintain order. Though the Great Ming is in decline and there have been disturbances and thefts in the capital of late, as long as one remains within the city walls, there will be no grave mishaps. Bandits dare not strike inside the city for precisely this reason."
Li Rufeng coughed before continuing. "Therefore, the rule of the Beijing Station is clear: if Master Leng leaves the city, he must first notify 'Heliansheng,' and additional personnel must be assigned for protection. But today, I received no message. And..." He paused, letting the silence stretch before resuming. "Mister Wu is Master Leng's shadow. Why weren't you with him today?"
His tone was faint—so faint it carried no emotion at all.
Wu Kaidi squirmed under Li Rufeng's unrelenting stare. At these final words, he sprang from his chair as though stung, his face livid. "What? Escort Head Li, are you accusing me?"
Before Li Rufeng could respond, Liao Sanniang interjected from the side with a gentle smile. "This tea has such a lovely fragrance—it clears the heart and cools the temper. Please, both of you, have some." Her voice was husky, carrying a faint trace of allure. Without waiting for their response, she ignored the others and lifted her own teacup to take a sip.
Setting down the cup, Liao Sanniang's expression hardened. She spoke solemnly to Li Rufeng. "I understand the fire burning in both your hearts, but do not let suspicion turn family members against each other. If Mister Wu truly intended to sell us out, this escort agency, this draft bank, this grand mansion with its several courtyards—all of it would have been confiscated long ago. Our heads would already be on display at the West Market. Why would he wait until today?"
"Sanniangzi speaks fairly," Wu Kaidi said from beside her.
Li Rufeng snorted coldly but said nothing more.
Liao Sanniang rose leisurely from her seat. She was twenty-five or twenty-six years of age. Even indoors at night, she still wore a cloak that nearly brushed the floor. Her long oval face was dominated by a pair of slender phoenix eyes, and a scattering of pale pockmarks dotted the bridge of her nose. Her seven-chi frame stood taller than many men, and her presence exerted an indescribable pressure upon everyone in the room.
Once standing, she swept her gaze across those assembled, paused, and then spoke again. "Now that this incident has occurred, what is the first thought in everyone's mind?"
The few people present sat stunned. They exchanged glances, but no one dared speak.
Liao Sanniang gave a soft laugh. "Allow me to say it plainly for everyone. What you are all scheming in your hearts is Tao Zhi Yao Yao—fleeing."
The words fell like a thunderclap. Every face in the room changed color. One of the Beijing Station members leapt to his feet and shouted, "Liao Sanniang! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Liao Sanniang's lip curled in a sneer. "Assistant Manager Xiao, what instructions did you give your page boy when you left home just now? Something about packing up? Rolling up a bundle? And Delong's silver?"
Every eye in the room turned strange, swiveling toward Assistant Manager Xiao. At the same time, the colors on their faces shifted—clearly, they all had guilty consciences of their own. Assistant Manager Xiao's face flushed crimson, and he shouted harshly, "Slut! How dare you practice the ways of the Factory and Guard!"
After a moment's pause, a new thought struck him. His face drained to ashen white. He trembled as he spoke. "You... you are from the Political Security Bureau!"
A commotion rippled through the room.
Liao Sanniang walked to the hall door and gazed through the half-open crack into the courtyard beyond. The branches of the ancient tree stood sparse and bare. The autumn wind moaned, shaking loose a scattering of withered leaves.
She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and murmured, "The weather has turned cold. One leaf reveals the autumn."
Her soliloquy finished, she turned back to face Assistant Manager Xiao and shook her head. "Assistant Manager Xiao overthinks the matter. Qiwei is Qiwei—not Political Security, nor Military Intelligence. But in a dangerous place, at an extraordinary time, one must employ extraordinary means." She began to pace slowly, as though oblivious to everyone watching. Their gazes followed her figure as it moved.
Liao Sanniang continued, "Losing a Senator is something that has never happened since the Great Song established itself in Lingao. To the Great Ming, I imagine it would be equivalent to losing an Imperial Prince. This is a hole as vast as the sky itself—even if Goddess Nuwa descended, she could not fill it. No one can shoulder this responsibility. Whether we will all be dragged out and shot remains to be seen. It is only natural that everyone is afraid. The desire to survive is human nature."
At these words, beads of sweat appeared on every forehead in the room.
(End of Chapter)