Xuanqing Guard

Shen Hao had absolutely never imagined things would go this far.

He originally thought he could use interrogation methods to trace the clues and quickly expand the results, but now it seems he was too naive. This was a mistake—quite a serious one, in fact.

But fortunately, fate doesn’t cut off all paths. Wang Jian’s inadvertent discovery brought a new direction to a case that should have reached a stalemate.

"Immediately search the Zhou Family of Xinliang City on charges of ’colluding with foreign enemies, plotting treason.’ Remember, move quickly, don’t overlook any clues related to Xu Hong. Whoever dares to obstruct, treat them as guilty of the same crime. I want results by 5 p.m. today! At the same time, follow the proper procedure and notify the Imperial City Government Office with a copper rod, under the name of Fengri City Black Banner Battalion—just say the Xu Family is involved in a major case, and ask the local government office to help watch over the Xu Family, and restrict any Xu Family member from leaving the Imperial City."

"Ah? You mean we’re to notify the Imperial City Government Office?" Wang Jian asked, puzzled.

"Yes. The Xu Family isn’t ordinary. Xu Hong is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, with distinguished military merit. He’s also National Pillar General Yang Yansi’s most trusted confidant. His status is eminent. Alone, we Xuanqing Guard can’t suppress him, so we need outside help."

"You mean the Imperial City local government office will support us?"

"Ninety percent sure. The military is a thorn in the civil servant group’s side. The two are like the ends of a seesaw: when one rises, the other falls. Now that the southern military is ascendant, military status will surely rise, and the civil servant group will be forced down. If it were you, would you just sit back and await your doom?

I hear the civil servants, led by the Left Minister, are actively advising Your Majesty to subdue the barbarian race with gentle methods rather than costly wars. Heh, never mind whether their thinking is naïve—just look at their actions. Don’t you think they’ll play the ’big picture’ angle? We’re giving them a perfect excuse. If you were them, wouldn’t you make the most of it?"

Wang Jian swallowed hard. He had something he didn’t dare say aloud, but in his heart he really thought: Lord Shen is truly full of cunning!

"But, Lord, this still doesn’t allow us to detain Xu Hong, right? He’s the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and his connection to the Zhou Family is distant now. It’s almost impossible to implicate him much."

Shen Hao shook his head. "Everything comes down to two words: ’take seriously.’ This is called making a mountain out of a molehill. Of course, these methods aren’t something the Xuanqing Guard excels at, but the civil servants do. Let them make the ruckus. Our goal is to ensure that even if Xu Hong returns from the hunting grounds, he won’t be able to interfere with our case.

Also, as long as we find correspondence or evidence of contact between Zhou Qing and Xu Hong at the Zhou Family residence in Xinliang City, it gives us even more to work with. Xu Hong’s status, combined with Zhou Qing’s position—accusing them of ’conspiracy’ is justified, don’t you think? That gives us much more room for maneuvering later.

We could even push those ten hard-boned suspects to break in the reverse direction—it’s not impossible."

Upon hearing these words, Wang Jian didn’t bother thinking further. He hurried off to carry out Shen Hao’s plan, especially making the search of Xinliang City’s Zhou residence as swift as possible.

As for manpower, Wang Jian chose to mobilize the remaining two Xiaoqi units from the Li City Black Banner Battalion, and combine them with the local Xinliang City Xuanqing Guard—more than enough for the job.

Of course, to avoid uncertainties, the local Xinliang City Xuanqing Guard would only control the Zhou Family members. The actual search and gathering of evidence would be handled personally by Wang Jian’s team.

Before departing, Wang Jian was already certain they wouldn’t return empty-handed. After all, with someone like Xu Hong as a connection, the family was bound to rely on him. Moreover, Zhou Qing was reportedly the current pillar of the Zhou Family, and serving in the military, he must have contact with his higher relatives. Letters are proof of communication—and even after the Thousand-Mile Sound is used up, the messages should be kept.

They weren’t looking for state secrets—just ordinary correspondence would suffice.

Of course, any unexpected gains would be an absolute delight.

...

Shen Hao never acted alone with a matter this wide-reaching and complex. Both right and proper, he couldn’t decide everything by himself; he needed to constantly communicate with Jiang Cheng. Which methods were off-limits, which could be used quietly, even the direction of the investigation—all needed to be discussed with Jiang Cheng.

Luckily, Jiang Cheng didn’t immediately question Shen Hao’s ability or change his attitude because of setbacks in the investigation. On the contrary, Jiang Cheng continued to give Shen Hao maximum support, firmly trusting Shen Hao’s judgment. For example, Shen Hao’s plan this time—to use the civil servant group’s power to pressure Xu Hong—although Jiang Cheng felt uneasy about it, he didn’t veto Shen Hao’s idea. Instead, he just reminded Shen Hao to be careful and try it out.

"Your disciple is far bolder than you, and have you noticed? He doesn’t have any notion of political factions in his mind, nor is he confined to the Xuanqing Guard’s internal affairs. He doesn’t just focus on the case itself, but looks at the bigger picture, from the highest vantage point he currently stands.

I used to think highly of him, but now it seems I underestimated him. Haha, he really is an exceptional talent!"

Shen Hao didn’t dare act alone; Jiang Cheng likewise needed to constantly communicate with Commander Pang Ban—even Pang Ban also had to stay in contact with the Emperor. The case was too big; it’s what the saying ’Heaven Breaker’ refers to.

The tension between Jiang Cheng and Shen Hao was different—since the case couldn’t proceed smoothly, they could only find an alternate path. That was already a miscalculation, but Pang Ban remained calm and unruffled, as if he’d expected such a situation all along.

"Lord, Shen Hao is indeed talented, but he was a bit careless this time. The investigation has gone far astray from the original plan. Please, Lord..."

Pang Ban stood from his chair and waved off Jiang Cheng’s words, smiling, "How little you think of Yang Yansi! You actually believe you could solve the case smoothly from the start? Do you take Yang Yansi as a vegetarian, or made out of clay?

Running into difficulties is normal. The Xuanqing Guard always tries to use violence and torture to break suspects, and now they’ve met tougher opposition and can learn from it. I’m sure the opposing side’s barriers aren’t just those ten hard-boned suspects—there’s definitely more behind them."

Unexpectedly, Pang Ban directly mentioned ’Yang Yansi.’ Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but ask, "Lord, do you really think Yang Yansi is the mastermind behind this?"

"It’s the messages you brought back that convinced me. Xu Hong is a very interesting man—he almost has no independent opinions. Major decisions are all made by Yang Yansi. You could see him as Yang Yansi’s spokesperson. Since everything now involves Xu Hong, and he likely plays a key role, Yang Yansi definitely can’t escape involvement!"