Chapter 152: A Terrifying Realization Upon Closer Inspection

"Oh, I wonder who these great figures Magistrate Xu mentioned might be?" Xue Yuanhao asked with a frown.

Xu Wei popped a preserved fruit handed to him by a nearby beauty into his mouth and assumed a mysterious air. "I cannot reveal the names of these great figures. However, even the one with the lowest official rank among them is not someone you or I can afford to provoke. I advise Magistrate Xu to be wise and raise the grain prices at once, lest you lose your official position in the end and still have to part with your wealth to avert disaster!"

"I will consider what Magistrate Xu has said. The hour is late now, and I must return to the yamen for my duties. I shall take my leave."

Seeing that Xu Wei was tight-lipped, Xue Yuanhao abandoned the idea of probing further for inside information and prepared to take Xue Rui away. In any case, he had already confirmed the fact that Xu Wei and Han Zuo were colluding with grain merchants. Once the Brocade Guard arrested them, they would naturally find a way to make them confess.

Just as he stood up, Sun He sneered, "The two magistrates went to great lengths to come here simply to resolve the matter of grain prices. How can Magistrate Xu just walk away like this without giving a definitive answer?"

"What if I insist on leaving?" Xue Yuanhao looked at Sun He and asked with a dark expression.

Sun He smiled and suddenly smashed the wine cup in his hand onto the floor.

*Clang!*

The wine cup shattered into pieces, and immediately afterward, the door of the private room was violently pushed open, and three fierce-looking men rushed in.

"What—what do you intend to do?" Xue Yuanhao had not expected Sun He to be so arrogant as to use the smashing of a cup as a signal, practically reenacting the famous Feast at Swan Goose Gate.

Sun He laughed heartily. "Magistrate Xu, rest assured. You are a court-appointed official, so naturally I would not dare do anything to you. However, the same cannot be said for Young Master Xue. Should something unfortunate happen to him, I wonder if your good wife would ever forgive you?"

Seeing the murderous glint in the eyes of the three burly men, Xue Yuanhao instantly grew anxious. These fellows had lethal weapons tucked into their waists, and if his son were accidentally injured, the loss would far outweigh any gain.

"What on earth are the Brocade Guard doing? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Xue Yuanhao cursed inwardly upon realizing no help was coming.

Seeing Xu Wei and Han Zuo watching him with amused interest, Xue Yuanhao demanded angrily, "Did Village Master Sun do this on his own initiative, or was it instigated by the two magistrates?"

"Heh, Magistrate Han and I have already advised you. Since you refuse to listen, we will no longer interfere. As for the rest, it is Village Master Sun's personal behavior and has nothing to do with us." Xu Wei wore an air of utter detachment, as if he had no intention of participating in the affair.

Xue Yuanhao took a deep breath, looked at Sun He, and asked, "Then tell me, what will it take for you to let us leave?"

"It would have been much better if Magistrate Xu had asked that sooner!" Sun He chuckled softly, pulled a piece of paper from his bosom, and said to Xue Yuanhao, "Magistrate Xu only needs to sign and put his thumbprint on this, and you may take your young master and leave in peace."

Xue Yuanhao took the paper and glanced at it, his expression changing drastically.

It was a statement of confession detailing how, on a certain year and month, Xue Yuanhao had helped Sun He divine his fortune and accepted fifty taels of silver as remuneration. Later, because the divination proved inaccurate, Sun He had reported him, forcing Xue Yuanhao to submit a written self-accusation to Xu Wei.

Ordinarily, if someone helped others divine their annual fortune, no one would care. But as an official of the Imperial Board of Astronomy, such behavior was strictly forbidden by imperial decree. If an official knowingly violated the law, the light punishment would be a fine and dismissal from office, while the heavy punishment would be exile to the military frontiers.

Presumably, Xu Wei and his associates knew they could not easily interfere with the appointments and dismissals of the Imperial Board of Astronomy officials, so they had devised this scheme to force Xue Yuanhao into admitting to a crime that had never existed. With this leverage in their hands, they would have no fear of Xue Yuanhao disobeying them.

Xue Yuanhao knew all too well that once this confession was signed, his official career would forever be at the mercy of this pack of corrupt officials. Yet if he refused to sign, Sun He would undoubtedly use his son as a hostage. For a moment, he broke out in a cold sweat, completely at a loss for what to do.

"Magistrate Xu, will you sign or not?" Sun He had his men bring over the writing brush and ink that had been prepared long ago, and asked in a threatening tone.

"This trumped-up charge is something I will never sign!" Xue Yuanhao gritted his teeth and refused.

"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Sun He signaled to his subordinates, and one of the brawny men cracked his knuckles, walking toward Xue Rui with a sinister grin.

Seeing the man coming to grab him, Xue Rui cursed Old Man Chen inwardly for leading him astray, then ducked behind Qianniang and shouted, "Sister, save me!"

Hearing him cry out for help to a delicate beauty, the burly man sneered, "Even if you called down the King of Heaven right now, he couldn't save—ah!"

Before he could finish, Qianniang lashed out with a fierce kick directly to the brute's chest, sending him flying backward through the air.

"Holy cow!" Xue Rui could not help blurting out a vulgarity. Qianniang looked so frail, yet the strength in her legs was truly formidable. The brawny man was kicked flying like a tumbling gourd, rolling over several times before finally coming to a stop.

This sudden turn of events caused everyone in the private room to involuntarily rise to their feet.

Sun He's jaw dropped in shock, and it took him a long time before he roared angrily, "You wretched woman! I paid good money to hire you, and yet you help this brat? Do you not want your silver anymore?"

Xu Wei looked at Qianniang with a mixture of shock and suspicion, then suddenly said to Sun He's subordinates, "Quickly, seize this little bitch! She must be in cahoots with the Xue father and son!"

Prompted by this, Sun He realized something was amiss and hurriedly instructed his three remaining men to capture her, following Xu Wei's orders.

"Sister Qianniang, what do we do now?!" Seeing the three opponents draw sharp daggers and approach with murderous intent, Xue Rui felt his heart leap into his throat.

"Take your father into the inner music room!"

Shielding the Xue father and son as they retreated into the inner chamber, Qianniang picked up the pipa from the table to use as a weapon and pointed it at the three approaching men.

Facing the glittering blades of the daggers, Qianniang showed not the slightest trace of fear, her eyes even flashing with a hint of provocation.

"Little bitch, you must have a death wish!" Stung by her attitude, the burly men let their malice take over and charged directly at Qianniang with their daggers raised.

Seeing the fight break out, the Xue father and son, fearing Qianniang might be outnumbered, hurriedly grabbed stools and vases, intending to rush to her aid.

To their surprise, the moment they rushed to the doorway, they saw Qianniang swinging the pipa like a windmill, fearlessly charging forward.

A flurry of banging and crashing echoed through the room. Before the Xue father and son could even process what was happening, the three blade-wielding thugs were sent flying, crashing to the floor where they lay motionless.

The scene left the Xue father and son utterly dumbfounded, as if they were trapped in a dream.

When the fight began, the three courtesans had shrieked and fled outside, leaving only the three men—Xu Wei, Han Zuo, and Sun He—in the room. Everything had happened so fast; they had just been screaming at the top of their lungs to cheer their men on, but after shouting a single syllable, the battle was already over.

For a moment, all three of them froze in place.

Seeing Qianniang approach with the pipa in hand, Xu Wei snapped back to his senses as if waking from a dream and whispered hurriedly to Han Zuo, "We had better leave quickly!"

"Yes, yes, yes, my lord, please go first."

Han Zuo knew the situation had slipped beyond their control; lingering here would only spell immense trouble. Once they escaped this place, handling the aftermath would be much easier.

Seeing their powerful backers prepare to flee, Sun He dragged his trembling legs and struggled to follow them.

Unexpectedly, just as Xu Wei and Han Zuo reached the doorway, they slowly retreated back inside.

"My lords, why aren't you leaving?!" Sun He glanced back, only to see Qianniang glaring at him with a predatory gaze, prompting him to urge them on anxiously.

"I'm afraid you won't be leaving at all!"

As the two men backed into the room, Sun He finally saw what was happening at the door.

At some point, a squad of Brocade Guards armed with powerful crossbows had appeared at the entrance, forcing Xu Wei and Han Zuo back into the interior.

As the Brocade Guards filed in one after another, an elderly man clad in scarlet official robes walked through the door.

At the sight of this man's appearance, Xu Wei and Han Zuo knew instantly that their game was up. Their knees went weak, and they collapsed onto the floor like heaps of wet mud.

"Chief Censor, why did it take you so long to get here? My dad and I almost lost our lives!" Seeing Chen Yi stride in with his toes pointed outward, Xue Rui almost wept with relief.

Chen Yi glanced at them, noting that both were completely unharmed, and chuckled, "Commander Lu specifically selected the most skilled agents of the Brocade Guard to protect you. Leaving aside a few ordinary thugs, even legendary bandits from the rivers and lakes would hardly be her match. Where was the mortal danger you speak of?"

Xue Rui could not help but gaze at Qianniang. He had assumed this woman was merely a hired helper brought in by the Brocade Guard, never dreaming she held a proper, official rank within the organization!

"Lord Chen, this subordinate has pressing matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave!"

Seeing Xue Rui staring at her intently, Qianniang offered a bow of apology to Chen Yi and swiftly departed the tavern.

Once she had gone, Chen Yi ordered his men to bind Xu Wei and the other two, leading them to separate rooms for interrogation.

With the transcripts of the conversation provided by the Xue father and son, the Brocade Guard's interrogation proceeded with twice the efficiency for half the effort. At first, Xu Wei and his companions refused to admit to their previous statements, but the Brocade Guard excelled at interrogation—how could their fabricated stories possibly hold up?

Ultimately, after being shown the instruments of torture brought by the Brocade Guard, Xu Wei and Han Zuo were forced to confess to the truth of threatening the Xue family on behalf of the treacherous merchants. However, Xu Wei steadfastly refused to admit he had been directed by any higher-up behind the scenes, attempting to shoulder the blame entirely by himself.

Having received the Emperor's mandate to thoroughly root out the corrupt elements within the imperial court, Chen Yi naturally had no intention of stopping there. Since the two men were unwilling to talk, he would let them suffer a bit; once they could no longer bear the hardship, they would naturally confess.

In the other room, Sun He proved far less resolute.

The moment he laid eyes on the Brocade Guard, he was so frightened his liver and gallbladder felt as though they would split. Once isolated in a room with them, his psychological defenses utterly collapsed, and he spilled every detail regarding how the major grain merchants had conspired to drive up grain prices.

As soon as Sun He signed and pressed his thumbprint on the confession, Chen Yi immediately dispatched a Brocade Guard to report to Commander Lu Zhong, ordering him to act upon the roster provided by Sun He and swiftly arrest the corrupt merchants attempting to manipulate the grain market.

After half an hour of commotion, Chen Yi had the Brocade Guard escort the three prisoners back to the yamen, finally freeing up time to speak with the Xue father and son.

"Chief Censor, did Xu Wei reveal who the great figure behind him is?" Xue Rui asked with intense curiosity.

Chen Yi shook his head. "His mouth is very stubborn. Those behind him are likely no ordinary individuals. I've already had them taken back for interrogation, and no doubt within the cells of the Brocade Guard, they will provide answers."

"Then the Chief Censor must unearth the mastermind behind this as quickly as possible, otherwise my father and I remain in danger." Xue Rui said with lingering apprehension.

"Heh, what is there to fear? Right now, we are acting on behalf of His Majesty. No matter how influential the opposing party may be, they can hardly surpass His Majesty, can they? Rest easy; even if the sky were to fall, this old man will hold it up for you first," Chen Yi declared with absolute confidence.

"That is a relief." Xue Rui nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked with curiosity, "Chief Censor, why are there women in the Brocade Guard? Can women truly serve as secret agents?"

"The Brocade Guard serve as the eyes and ears of the Son of Heaven, responsible for probing the movements of both court and countryside. You could say they permeate everywhere; even places like the pleasure quarters often house secret operatives of the Guard.

As far as this old man knows, Qianniang was secretly trained by the Brocade Guard since childhood to serve as such an operative. Today, to ensure your safety, Commander Lu had to play this trump card," Chen Yi explained in a low voice.

"So that's how it is. I thought she was just hired help," Xue Rui said in sudden realization.

After chatting for a few more moments, Chen Yi, needing to meet with Lu Zhong to discuss the interrogation of Xu Wei and the grain merchants, departed first in his carriage.

The Xue father and son then returned to the Imperial Board of Astronomy.

The scandal of the capital's major grain merchants artificially inflating grain prices coming to light, followed by their arrest by the Brocade Guard, quickly swept through the entire city.

When Xue Rui went to visit his grandfather's household after finishing his shift, he heard the news that Wang Guiqing and the others had been cast into the imperial prison.

However, Xu Weichang, the largest grain merchant in the capital, had somehow managed to evade the net of justice—a fact that came as a great surprise to Xue Rui.

While inquiring about the details, Xue Rui happened to overhear a piece of juicy gossip.

It was said that when the Brocade Guard went to arrest the implicated grain merchants, Xu Weichang alone was not to be found in his residence. While questioning the members of the Xu household, the guards unexpectedly stumbled upon a bizarre affair.

More than a decade ago, Xu Weichang had come to the capital from his hometown to trade in grain, bringing only his principal wife, Lady Yuan. Yet Xu Weichang remained cold toward Lady Yuan, and over the many years, she never bore him any children.

To continue the family lineage, Xu Weichang took seven or eight concubines, but they gave birth exclusively to daughters, failing to produce a single male heir. When outsiders learned of this, they frequently mocked Xu Weichang behind his back, predicting his family line would end in extinction.

The strange affair uncovered by the Brocade Guard was directly connected to Xu Weichang's offspring.

According to the testimony of Lady Zhou, one of the concubines, after she was married into the household, Xu Weichang never touched her once. Instead, he ordered his long-term personal servant to take his place and forcibly consummate the marriage with her in the marital chamber.

Naturally, Lady Zhou felt extreme revulsion toward sleeping with a servant, but Xu Weichang ruled his wives and concubines with an iron fist. After being severely punished several times for resisting, Lady Zhou had no choice out of sheer desperation but to submit to this humiliation.

In the days that followed, Lady Zhou obliquely questioned the other concubines and gradually realized they had suffered the exact same treatment. Furthermore, the children they had given birth to were likewise the wild spawn of that servant.

This led Lady Zhou to suspect Xu Weichang might be a eunuch from birth, incapable of engaging in relations with women, which was why he used a servant as a substitute.

Hearing today that the imperial court was arresting Xu Weichang, Lady Zhou seized the opportunity to escape her living hell by decisively reporting the matter to the Brocade Guard, hoping the court would bring this beast to justice.

Compared to the economic crime of manipulating grain prices, this sensational rumor spread through the streets and alleys at a blistering pace. While cursing Xu Weichang, the populace also avidly tracked his whereabouts, wondering where on earth he could be hiding since even the Brocade Guard had failed to capture him.

Xue Rui, however, subjected the matter to a deeper level of analysis.

Xu Weichang had risen to prominence in the southeast, bringing his grain business to the capital a little over a decade ago, and had since grown into the most powerful grain merchant in the city. Yet for a man with such far-reaching influence and connections, he not only failed to father a son, but willingly allowed his servant to cuckold him.

This made Xue Rui deeply suspicious: was Xu Weichang truly physically incapable, resorting to this method merely to keep up appearances?

Or did he deliberately wish to prevent his concubines from bearing his own children, thus forcing a servant to take his place?

If it were the former, it would be easy enough to explain—after all, men possessed a certain pride, and being constantly mocked for failing to produce a son must have filled Xu Weichang with quiet fury, making the borrowing of a servant's seed quite plausible.

Yet if it were the latter, upon closer reflection, it became a terrifying prospect. For a man over forty years old to intentionally avoid having his concubines bear his flesh and blood strongly suggested he was trying to prevent something else altogether...