Chapter 2714: The Capital (Part 70)

"Heliansheng maintains letter bureaus at every major wharf and trading port, both inside and outside the capital. Send correspondence to this address. For urgent matters, dispatch someone to Old Jiang's Pottery Shop inside the Guang'an Gate barbican and use Code Ten."

Min Zhanlian's squad spent an entire day at the inn, poring over the intelligence Wu Kaidi had provided. The more Min Zhanlian read, the more troubled he became. This matter is thorny indeed.

An escort bureau like Heliansheng—whether speaking of the two managers, Li and Liao, or the escort masters who served under them—consisted entirely of seasoned Jianghu veterans, "ground worms" of the capital who knew its underworld intimately. Escort masters understood the ins and outs of kidnapping for ransom as well as they knew the backs of their own hands. Combined with their massive bankroll, by all rights they should have settled this affair long ago, whether by paying the ransom or mounting a rescue. Instead, not only had they made no headway whatsoever, they had fallen into a passive position.

It seemed the other side were no ordinary Jianghu bandits. There was a good chance they were people from the court itself.

What most distinguished Min Zhanlian from Li and Liao was this: although his time basking in the glory of the Senate had been brief, his seniority in the Jianghu ran far deeper than theirs.

"...The other side demanded one hundred thousand taels of silver but still hasn't provided a delivery location. It's truly baffling," Little Qian said. "For a hostage of such importance, the principle is always quick in, quick out. Who ever heard of dragging things out for half a month?"

Everyone agreed the situation was deeply suspicious—extraordinary events must have extraordinary causes. Min Zhanlian sensed something peculiar lurking beneath the surface.

Zhou Ruolan studied the materials again and again, then suddenly spoke. "There's a problem here."

Everyone knew there was a problem. They waited to hear what she would say.

"In my view, I suspect the kidnappers aren't of one mind."

"What?" The others started in surprise. They were all old Jianghu hands. From start to finish, this case had been riddled with strange points, yet no one had arrived at such a conclusion.

"How do you figure?"

"I've done kidnapping jobs before in the past. What's the key to kidnapping? Quick in, quick out. Dragging things out is the greatest taboo," Zhou Ruolan explained. "If the victim's family needs time to raise money, you have no choice but to wait while hiding the hostage. If searchers draw close, you must transfer them. Whether hiding or transferring, it all costs money. Now the victim's family has plenty of money, and they've hung out the cloth strip as required, ready to pay at any moment. So why won't the kidnappers hand over the person?"

"Maybe he's dead..." someone said in a low voice.

Everyone drew a sharp breath. It was indeed not impossible.

"We can't determine whether he's alive or dead right now," Zhou Ruolan continued. "But the kidnappers' actions are quite strange. First, they agreed to ransom but haven't provided a delivery location or time. Second, Delong's banknotes can circulate anywhere, yet they demand silver. How do they plan to receive, transport, and conceal one hundred thousand taels of silver? Aren't they afraid that after we ransom the person, we'll track them down and take the silver back? Even if we don't, the scent of one hundred thousand taels will make everyone on the road drool with greed; everyone will want a bite. Can they actually protect that silver?"

"They don't dare take Delong's notes..." Little Qian said.

"If they don't dare take Delong's notes, they could ask for notes from a Shanxi bank—according to this intelligence, the Shanxi banks are also involved in this matter. They have no reason not to accept them." Zhou Ruolan picked up a pen and drew several circles on the paper, then sketched an inference diagram with arrows connecting them.

"Based on the intelligence from the Escort Bureau and what everyone has gathered these past few days, my view is that the upper and lower levels of the kidnappers aren't on the same page. The person masterminding the plan doesn't want silver; the demand for silver is the underlings acting on their own."

This inference left everyone baffled. They had been in the Jianghu for years, had worked as kidnappers, had rescued hostages. Between their own experiences and what they'd heard, they could count at least dozens of cases—yet they had never encountered kidnappers with two different agendas.

"How is that possible?" Someone immediately shook his head. "Kidnappers work in small gangs; the boss directly commands the brothers below. The boss isn't dead. Sending ransom letters follows the proper rules—that's done by his trusted men. On the perimeter, there are lookouts listening for trouble. How could anyone act on their own? This isn't the government..."

Only in an organization like the government, with its numerous layers and tangled, competing interests, would you get such a disconnect between upper and lower levels.

"In my view, this matter likely involves people from the official side," Zhou Ruolan said, lowering her voice. "The Shanxi banks being involved is already suspicious. The bandits who tried to rob the silver cart had eunuchs mixed in to monitor them. From the confessions, it doesn't seem like a simple bandit job."

"I'm puzzled by this as well: the silver was originally ransom money. They could openly exchange the person for money. Why deliberately leak information to incite bandits to rob the cart? What good does that do them? And why go to the trouble of sending two eunuchs along?" Little Li chimed in.

Everyone wore confused expressions. They didn't quite agree with Zhou Ruolan's reasoning, yet they couldn't explain these strange points themselves either.

"Let's not get tangled up in how many agendas there are. Let's find the person first," Min Zhanlian said, knowing that dwelling on these details would only make them lose direction. He asked, "Little Li, how did your investigation of the altars and temples go?"

"Of the several altars and temples, I've only checked the Temple of Heaven and the Sun and Moon Altars so far. Nothing found."

The capital's various altars and temples covered vast areas but were rarely used. Most of the time they sat empty. By the dynasty's end, management had grown lax. Aside from the main buildings and roads, which remained in good condition, many other structures had fallen into decay. Trees went unpruned, grass grew thick as a forest, making the search even more difficult.

The altars and temples were places for imperial sacrifices and state ceremonies. By rights, security should have been tight. In reality, because of their vast size and infrequent use, guards were few, and door checks and patrols were virtually nonexistent. Many kidnappers in the capital colluded with the soldiers and petty officials who guarded these altars, using them as hiding places for hostages. Min Zhanlian knew these inner workings well, which was precisely why he had focused on these places from the start.

"The Heliansheng people have also been checking the altars, temples, and gardens. No useful leads."

Min Zhanlian took a deep breath. "We can't be certain of that."

"Certain of what?"

"If this really was done by people from the official side, it'll be hard to handle. 'A lone wolf doesn't fight power'—even a local tyrant won't offend officials just to earn a few extra coins."

"You're saying someone gave a warning?"

"It's possible," Min Zhanlian said. "Sister Lan makes a good point. We need to be on guard."

"So what do we do?" Anxiety showed on everyone's faces. If officials really were involved, the capital's Jianghu forces couldn't be relied upon. After all, they were outsiders, newcomers, and losing their information sources in such a vast capital would be like searching for a needle in the sea.

Min Zhanlian pondered the situation. It was more difficult than he had anticipated. In truth, he agreed somewhat with Zhou Ruolan's thinking. Given Heliansheng's years of operation in the capital and their generous spending of money, leads should have surfaced long ago. Yet after more than ten days, nothing had been found. Possibly their every move was being watched closely. The kidnappers' power was great enough to force the capital's urban foxes and social rats into silence.

Now it was nearly impossible to rely on local informants for leads; they would have to investigate themselves. Min Zhanlian thought for a moment and said, "It seems we'll have to do this ourselves. Tomorrow we leave Zhangjiawan..."

Before he could finish, Old Ten, who was keeping watch at the courtyard gate, suddenly knocked and entered.

"Boss! Master Cao requests an audience."

Everyone in the room became alert. Master Cao was the "sitting tiger" of Zhangjiawan Town. When they had come to lodge here, they had paid respects at his pier, as was proper. By rights, since they weren't conducting business in Zhangjiawan and were only resting temporarily, paying respects should have been the end of it. There was absolutely no reason for the boss himself to come visiting.

"Invite him in." Min Zhanlian didn't hesitate, then added, "Little Qian, you accompany me to see him. Everyone else, return to your rooms."

"Boss, should we...?"

"No need." Min Zhanlian shook his head. "We're on his turf. If he really wanted to deal with us, wouldn't it just take a word from him? Why would he personally come and take the risk?"

As Min Zhanlian had expected, Master Cao brought only two servants in blue, traveling light.

Master Cao's name was Cao Sheng. He had originally been a grain transport banner soldier on the Tongzhou section of the Grand Canal. Life was hard for Ming military households; life for canal banner soldiers was even harder. Though only middle-aged, he looked as old as a man in his fifties or sixties. Yet beneath his brocade robe, despite his aged face, was a body of solid muscle.

His sudden visit was phrased with great politeness, but cutting through all the pleasantries, it boiled down to a single question: What are you doing in Zhangjiawan?

By rights, Min Zhanlian had already explained his purpose when paying respects at the pier: they were going to the capital "on business," and Zhangjiawan was merely a temporary stop where they wouldn't interfere with local affairs. Having made that statement, Master Cao should have been satisfied. Jianghu people lied and deceived all the time, but few dared lie to a local boss's face.

Min Zhanlian naturally repeated himself. Cao Sheng nodded slightly and said, "Normally I wouldn't pry, but I find myself quite interested in this 'business.' Might you enlighten me?"

For Jianghu people, this was remarkably rude. Extraordinary events must have extraordinary causes. Min Zhanlian decided to draw him out and asked in return:

"Master Cao! What wind is blowing outside that makes you ask such questions?"

This question was both probing and expressing displeasure. Cao Sheng understood immediately and hastened to say:

"It's not that I don't know the rules; I simply have no choice!" Cao Sheng looked apologetic. Ordinarily he wouldn't be so polite, but the other party's appearance and bearing weren't those of common highway robbers—they were likely people who dealt in big matters. There was no need to offend such desperate men.

"Oh? Which big boss from which road, and what great event, has the wind blowing all the way to Zhangjiawan?"

"Hehe, in this capital, apart from them, who else has such power!" Cao Sheng smiled bitterly. "Who doesn't have to give them face!"

Though unnamed, the meaning was obvious. Min Zhanlian's heart jolted. He quickly put on a surprised expression. "I see! I spoke out of turn."

(End of Chapter)