Chapter 2718: The Capital (Part 74)

Based on Li Rufeng's understanding of officials and nobles, the likelihood of them booking passage on a coastal liner was exceedingly slim. The sea was too rough, too fraught with unknown perils. For men of their station, the steady, predictable inland riverboats were always the first choice.

When he considered the purpose behind such a purchase, only two possibilities emerged: either the man planned to travel somewhere within the year, or he was preparing to flee at a moment's notice.

These days, the Escort Bureau's most lucrative business was guarding shops and residences, which meant they understood the mentality of officials and nobles all too well. These Qiwei cabin reservations were typically purchased by merchants who traveled frequently. Traveling by boat required no advance ticket—one simply went to the wharf and exchanged the slip for boarding. If same-day travel proved impossible, Qiwei would arrange food and lodging.

Officials and nobles were never in such a hurry. They could plan anything months in advance, usually purchasing boat tickets just before departure and traveling on schedule.

The second possibility seemed far more likely.

And yet, whether considering Eunuch Yang himself or Yang Tianliang, neither man could claim to wield real power in the palace—but they lived comfortably enough, earning tens of thousands of taels each year. Though the Great Ming was tottering, it would not necessarily collapse in the near term. Why would he secure a boat ticket in preparation for flight?

Unless...

Li Rufeng's eyes gleamed. He felt as though those long days of gloom were finally showing a crack, and through it, he glimpsed sunlight.

He asked suddenly, "Fifth Master Huang! You mentioned there's been a rift between Eunuch Yang and his disciple. What is their relationship like now?"

Huang Qi smiled slyly. "That's difficult to explain in a few words."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Back when I served in the Eastern Depot, under orders from the Supervising Director, I once kept watch on what these great eunuchs did outside the palace. I know a thing or two about this particular master-disciple pair." He smacked his lips appreciatively.

Li Rufeng called out, "Someone! Refill Fifth Master Huang's tea!"

A cup of richly fragrant tea was brought. Huang Qi inhaled deeply and said, "What fragrance! The finest jasmine tea, supplied to the imperial presence! Chief Escort Li has a generous hand!"

After comfortably finishing the cup, Huang Qi finally spoke of Eunuch Yang and his godson's past.

Eunuch Yang himself had been a disciple of a powerful eunuch from the Wanli reign, and so during those years, he had done very well in the palace. Yang Tianliang entered palace service in late Wanli and benefited somewhat from his godfather's standing. However, after the "Nine Thousand Years" rose to power, Eunuch Yang's position grew precarious. Only through desperate flattery and heavy bribes did he manage to hold onto his position at all—though he remained utterly unsuccessful within the palace, relegated to idle, unimportant posts.

Yang Tianliang naturally suffered from his master's troubles and could make nothing of himself either.

"...He was still young then and didn't dare show resentment in front of his master. Besides, he understood that once he acknowledged Eunuch Yang as his godfather, their fates were bound together in life and death. Even if he wished to switch allegiances, no one else would take him. So father and son remained united, enduring hardships in the palace, hoping for a turnaround..."

Eunuch Yang had fawned over and attached himself to the Eunuch Faction by every means possible, hoping to join their ranks. But his own master had clashed with the Nine Thousand Years in the past, so despite spending considerable silver, he could only maintain his safety. Watching his godfather's savings dwindle, Yang Tianliang began to disagree with this approach.

"...He told Eunuch Yang that rather than spending silver this way without seeing any results, they might as well temporarily leave the palace and lie low. Whatever happened to the court later, at least with silver in hand, they could always establish themselves."

"That advice made sense."

"Hehe, from our perspective, there's nothing wrong with it. But Eunuch Yang was already old. Old people are most suspicious when it comes to money. Little Eunuch Yang's words immediately aroused his suspicions. Though he said nothing openly, from that moment on, a gap formed between them."

Yang Tianliang was no fool either. Once he sensed his master suspected him, he began making his own plans—privately recruiting people and conducting business outside the palace. Originally, he had merely skimmed off the top as a middleman; from then on, he harbored thoughts of starting his own operation.

"...Master Li probably knows about the incident when the Nine Thousand Years was in power, when local officials competed to build living shrines in his honor."

"Yes, I've heard of it."

"To curry favor, Eunuch Yang specifically sent Yang Tianliang to Guangzhou to handle this matter. Later, for some reason, the project suddenly stopped before completion. But the wealthy merchant Gao family, who operated under his patronage in Guangzhou, had reportedly already contributed five thousand taels of silver and many Australian treasures. After returning to the capital, Yang Tianliang handed over the Australian goods, claiming that since the living shrine was canceled, the silver had been returned to Gao Ju. But Eunuch Yang didn't believe him..."

"That's easy enough to verify—just write to Gao Ju and ask."

"Hehe, whether he wrote that letter, whether the silver was truly returned—only they themselves know. But from that time on, the relationship between master and disciple grew even more distant. Now, it's probably just surface harmony: Eunuch Yang relies on this disciple to care for him in old age; the disciple relies on his master's status to throw his weight around and make money. That's the only reason they haven't broken openly."

"So that's how it is. Fifth Master Huang, you are truly an expert!" Li Rufeng gave a thumbs up. "Without you, we wouldn't know a thing about the secrets of palace eunuchs..."

"You flatter me." Fifth Master Huang laughed and spoke modestly. "People outside the palace see those inside as though they were inhabitants of heaven itself. In reality, they're just people too. Whether it's the Emperor, the Empress, palace maids, or eunuchs—none can escape those four words: 'human nature and worldly affairs.'"

"Well said, Fifth Master." Li Rufeng thought to himself: By this logic, the likelihood that Little Eunuch Yang would take such a risk for a large sum of silver was very high indeed. From all the leads gathered, he was the most suspicious person.

He suddenly remembered that Min Zhanlian's report had mentioned a Eunuch Cao—Liu Xiaobian's position at Nanyuan had been arranged by this Eunuch Cao. After starting the job, Liu Xiaobian had attached himself to some "benefactor." There might truly be a connection here.

He asked, "Do you know Third Master Qin of the outer city?"

"I do!" Huang Qi nodded. "The sitting tiger of the South City."

"Do you know if he has an old acquaintance who also serves in the palace, surnamed Cao?"

"Yes. Eunuch Cao hails from Wei County in Daming Prefecture. But he's not exactly an old acquaintance of Third Master Qin. I've heard they only became close these past two years. Probably because of their respective work."

Huang Qi explained that Eunuch Cao actually hadn't fared well in the palace. He was nearly forty before he obtained the position of Managing Eunuch at Nanyuan. Since he was Nanyuan's managing eunuch, he had to cultivate good relationships with local powers. It was probably around that time, through some connection or other, that he linked up with Third Master Qin.

Li Rufeng thought: No wonder Liu Xiaobian's position was arranged by Eunuch Cao—there was this layer of connection beneath it all.

"Speaking of which, a few days ago Third Master Qin's cousin died. That's also suspicious!" Huang Qi added.

"Oh? How so?" Li Rufeng had wanted to ask about this matter himself. Since Huang Qi brought it up on his own, he obviously knew something.

Huang Qi smiled. "If you weren't Master Li, I'd have to squeeze this 'Australian toothpaste' a bit. But since it's you, I'll speak plainly. Master Li probably knows that Second Master Qin wasn't exactly clean himself."

"I know. He traded with Mongols beyond the Western Pass. No one in that line is clean."

"Master Li, you only know half of it. Second Master Qin had backers."

"Oh? Whose doorstep did he belong to?"

"He'd never say whose doorstep, but the person who works for that household is an old acquaintance of mine. When I served in the Eastern Depot, he was in the Brocade Guard. After the Nine Thousand Years fell, he and I both abandoned our posts and fled..."

Li Rufeng's face remained calm, but in his heart, the answer was ready to burst forth. He controlled himself and asked:

"Who is this person?"

"His official name is Liu Sha. After fleeing the capital, he wandered destitute, making a living as a fortune-teller. I saw him in Guangzhou back then too. Later, he attached himself to some wealthy household, dressed splendidly..." Huang Qi's words carried a hint of envy. "He even started acting like a gentleman."

Li Rufeng was ecstatic inside. He hadn't held great expectations for the information Huang Qi could provide. He never expected that not only would he uncover Yang Tianliang as the prime suspect, but he would also connect all the fragmented leads that Min Zhanlian and the others had gathered!

Whether Yang Tianliang or Liu Sha, both had major connections to Leng Ningyun's case! If they had been completely in the dark just a few days ago, now they had clear targets!

"Fifth Master Huang is in his prime. Perhaps there's good fortune ahead for you yet." Li Rufeng smiled. "Please don't hold back. Tell me—what makes it suspicious?"

"Hehe, you've drawn so much out of me—you'll have to pay for it all later." Huang Qi laughed, then spoke seriously, "Think about it, Master Li. This Second Master Qin had backing, and his cousin is the outer city's sitting tiger. What ordinary person would dare provoke such a figure? Yet now he's been killed, his tongue cut out, and dumped in the moat like a lotus flower. Isn't that suspicious?"

"You slippery fellow—you've said nothing of substance!"

"What do you mean, nothing?" Huang Qi protested. "Since Second Master Qin isn't someone ordinary people would dare touch, the person who killed him must be a major power in the capital—otherwise, why would Third Master Qin, the resounding tyrant of the outer city, wail a few times at his brother's memorial and then hide away like a turtle with its head retracted?"

"Fifth Master, there's no shortage of major powers in the capital. What you've said amounts to saying nothing at all!"

Huang Qi stared at Li Rufeng for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Master Li, oh Master Li. You're a figure in the Jianghu. How did your mind suddenly get muddled? What does cutting out a tongue signify?"

"Obviously, someone thought he talked too much."

"Talked too much about what?"

"How would I know!"

"Master Li, don't you think this is a case of 'cleaning house'?"

Li Rufeng's eyelid twitched! What Huang Qi said did make sense. Cutting out the tongue and dumping the body in the moat was obviously meant as a warning to certain people. These people likely had connections to Second Master Qin, and Second Master Qin had said something he shouldn't have.

But this explanation felt somewhat forced. Li Rufeng knew that men like Huang Qi enjoyed making shocking statements to inflate the value of their intelligence. So he deliberately asked, "If that's the case, who is doing this 'house cleaning'?"

"Naturally, his patron." Huang Qi's eyes gleamed. "Don't ask me why. I don't know either. It's just a feeling."

(End of Chapter)