King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 740 August th
Chen Yuntai has been very busy recently. A few days ago, he received an order from Zhu Jinghong, ordering him to prevent muskets from appearing at the banquet.

This musket incident was personally handled by him.

The purpose of dispatching more personnel to the Western Garden was to conduct a thorough search and prevent anyone from smuggling muskets into the garden.

When Chen Yuntai received a report from Ni Er yesterday about a large-scale personnel movement, he knew that the fun was about to begin.

This made him feel very excited, as if he saw the positions of the captain and the commander-in-chief were waving at him.

At this moment, he was sitting in the duty room, thinking about how to arrange it to absolutely guarantee Zhu Jinghong's safety.

While he was thinking, a voice came from outside: "Sir, the flag officer Fan Rong wants to see you!"

Chen Yuntai was in charge of three hundred-household offices, under which there were more than thirty small flag officers. Although Fan Rong was unremarkable among them, he also knew of such a person.

Normally, centurions often come here to report matters, but there are not many general flag officers who come here to report matters, and even fewer small flag officers.

"Let him in!" Chen Yuntai ordered.

"Yes!"

After a while, Fan Rong entered the lobby and saluted in front of Chen Yuntai.

"I am Fan Rong, your humble servant, and I am here to pay my respects to His Excellency the Thousand Householders!"

When the chief captain was not present, everyone addressed Chen Yuntai as "Captain Captain," and the word "deputy" was consciously omitted.

Of course, Chen Yuntai was not the only one who received this treatment. This was the general trend in the Jinyiwei.

"What's the matter?" Chen Yuntai asked calmly.

"Sir, I checked the East City Thousand Households Office today and found traces of the White Lotus Sect!"

Fan Rong really didn't dare to be negligent, so he didn't waste any words and directly pointed out the most important thing.

When Chen Yuntai heard these words, the first thing he thought of was who was behind Fan Rong and what was his purpose in saying these things to him.

As a retainer of Prince Xiang's Mansion, one of Chen Yuntai's most important tasks at the moment is to ensure that the Crown Prince can launch his rebellion safely.

Now Fan Rong came to report that he had discovered traces of the White Lotus Sect, which made Chen Yuntai alert.

Could it be that someone is testing me? Or is it testing the Prince Xiang's Mansion? Could it be someone from the Prince Rui's Mansion? Or someone from the East Factory?
No matter who he is, as a person who should be completely unaware of the situation, Chen Yuntai showed a surprised expression.

Then he said solemnly: "Fan Xiaoqi, you know... this matter is of great importance!"

Fan Rong knew that the matter was of great importance, so he answered very cautiously: "Sir, how dare I speak nonsense? Today I am in Dongcheng..."

Next, Fan Rong told Chen Yuntai all the information he had.

Of course Chen Yuntai knew all the White Lotus rebels in the East City Thousand Households, and he also knew exactly who they were.

So while Fan Rong was talking, Chen Yuntai was paying full attention to observing his expression, trying to see something from Fan Rong's face.

But the final result was that Fan Rong behaved very normally. Combining with what he said before and after, Chen Yuntai initially concluded that Fan Rong's discovery was an accident.

Although he made such a judgment, Chen Yuntai still did not dare to take it lightly, so he chose to be friendly with Fan Rongxu.

After Fan Rong finished speaking, Chen Yuntai ordered: "This matter is serious and involves a lot of people. It is hard for me to believe your one-sided statement!"

After thinking it over again and again, Chen Yuntai ordered: "Don't let the news leak out yet. You are responsible for investigating this matter. Don't alert the enemy!"

"When you find the evidence, bring it to me... I will report to the Pacification Office!"

Hearing that the task was specifically assigned to him, Fan Rong was overjoyed. If such a task was given to him and he succeeded, it would definitely be a great achievement.

"Yes, I will get to the bottom of this matter!"

"Go ahead!" Chen Yuntai smiled slightly.

Fan Rong left with hope, but did not notice the cold gaze of Chen Yuntai behind him.

That’s right, in order to prevent Fan Rong from making mistakes due to reckless investigation, Chen Yuntai has decided to kill him.

The Jinyiwei were the eyes and ears of the emperor. Killing the Jinyiwei could be regarded as treason. To kill a small flag officer of the Jinyiwei, especially at this sensitive moment, required extreme caution.

So after thinking about it, Chen Yuntai planned to report to Zhu Jinghong first, and then decide what to do. Anyway, Fan Rong had been stabilized by him.

After thinking this through, Chen Yuntai hurried to the villa of Prince Xiang's mansion.

Zhu Jinghong would also make up excuses, saying that he missed his deceased mother and decided to live outside the imperial mausoleum, so he took his family to Si Mausoleum.

"Si Ling" is the tomb of Zhu Xianming. There is not much meaning behind this name. Simply put, it is because he missed his wife.

The imperial mausoleum area is very large and has many supporting buildings, so it is very easy to find a place to live.

The reason why Zhu Jinghong chose to move out of the city for a short period of time was to avoid the chaos in the city. It was actually safer to stay outside the city.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was shooting arrows. Accompanying him were Luo Zhen, the commander of Siling Guard, and two lieutenant generals of the Beijing Camp, Shen Jinxun and Zhou Shoujun.

These three people are not simple, especially Luo Zhen and Zhou Shoujun, who made a promise with Zhu Jinghong in the tenth year of Zhengtong that they would "never let each other down."

Of the thirty or so people back then, the lowest rank now is Lieutenant General of the Beijing Camp, or they serve in the Imperial Guards. They are basically middle-level generals in the army.

There are too many people Zhu Jinghong can use near the capital, but there are always differences in closeness among them. The people around him at this moment are obviously closer to him.

Of course, these three people were chosen not simply because of their closeness. What was more important was that they were either stationed in the imperial mausoleum or very close to it.

In this way, these people can play the role of protecting the royal family without the need to mobilize troops.

After shooting the last arrow and hitting the bull's eye again, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "Well, today was not bad!"

"Your Highness is a master archer, far beyond the reach of our officials!"

"I have been with Your Highness for so many years, and every time I see Your Highness's superb archery, I am always shocked..."

"Your Highness, I'm afraid you are the mortal god of war..."

The three of them kept talking one after another, praising Zhu Jinghong to the sky, and Zhu Jinghong felt sick of it.

Sitting on the chair, Zhu Jinghong waved his hand, took the teacup handed over by Yu Hai, and said to his left and right: "Okay, you are full of jingles, why don't you go and perform?"

"It's getting late, go back home, just finish your work in the next two days, and don't come to me so often!"

Seeing Zhu Jinghong's serious expression, the people present did not dare to neglect him. After saying a few auspicious words, they said goodbye and left.

"Now... we just wait for the show to begin!" Zhu Jinghong sighed.

He sat there for a while, and when he was about to go to the Xiandian to burn incense for the queen, a eunuch came to report that Chen Yuntai wanted to see him.

Chen Yuntai seldom comes to see Zhu Jinghong in person, and Zhu Jinghong is still outside the city. It must be something important that he comes to see him at this time.

So Zhu Jinghong ordered: "Call him over!"

After a while, Chen Yuntai was brought in and then bowed deeply to Zhu Jinghong.

"Tell me...what's the matter!"

"Your Highness, one of my subordinates, a small flag officer, has found clues about the White Lotus Sect in the Dong'an Gate Thousand Households of the Yiwei Division. He has implicated so many people that the ministers dare not deal with him arbitrarily, so I came to ask for your instructions!"

Zhu Jinghong keenly grasped the problem, but still asked: "Tell me what you think!"

"I think this matter is..."

Chen Yuntai began to state his ideas, and after he finished speaking, Zhu Jinghong found that they were similar to what he had worried about.

"What do you think...how to deal with it?"

"I think that no matter what, we can't let him do anything bad. We might as well just kill him and put an end to it all!"

Zhu Jinghong did not respond to this, but said: "Just now you said that it might be tested by someone. There is no need for the Eastern Palace to do so. The most likely place is the Rui Wang Mansion. Don't you think so?"

When it comes to such an important matter, Chen Yuntai would not be a yes-man. He thought carefully and then nodded.

"Exactly!"

After standing up, he slowly walked towards the palace gate in front. Zhu Jinghong said, "The Rui Palace is just like us. They definitely don't want the matter to be exposed, so if this person is not arranged by them, they will definitely kill him!"

Chen Yuntai lagged behind by two steps, followed behind with his waist slightly bent, and thought carefully about Zhu Jinghong's words. "So, think of a way to pass the news to the Rui Palace and see how they react!"

"If they take action directly, it means that this person is not planted by the Rui Palace, and we don't have to take action!"

"If the Rui Palace does not take action, this person is most likely arranged by them, which means that the Rui Palace suspects that we have noticed something!"

"If that's the case, we can't kill Fan Rong, otherwise it will be confirmed that we already knew about it!"

In other words, Fan Rong would either be killed by the Rui Palace or he would have to leave his eyes behind. In any case, the Xiang Palace could not kill him.

After hearing Zhu Jinghong's analysis, Chen Yuntai nodded and then reported: "Zhang Qian, the commander of the Northern Pacification Division, is a disciple of the Rui Wang Mansion. This matter... I will report it directly to him. What do you think, Your Highness?"

"Don't go directly. Let your superiors go and tell them. Since you don't know about this matter, you should report it to higher authorities one level at a time. Otherwise, if you skip the level like Fan Rong did, people will suspect your motives!"

"Yes!" Chen Yuntai responded.

The two discussed for a while, and then Chen Yuntai left and hurried to the capital.

After Chen Yuntai returned to Beijing, he immediately found Ni Er and assigned him the task of monitoring Fan Rong.

Ni Er is doing well now. He has been promoted to the position of general flag for nearly two years. Now he has only one job, which is to keep an eye on the people placed in the Eastern Palace.

Having received this important task, he certainly did not dare to slack off in the slightest. He appointed two of his most trusted men and went to do the work.

A night passed and it was August 14th.

Chen Yuntai had just arrived at the yamen early in the morning when Fan Rong came to find him.

He investigated until night yesterday, and he actually found out some clues, especially the unusual behavior of the person he was paying attention to, and his unclear origins.

In the lobby, Chen Yuntai listened to Fan Rong's report and said, "From what you have found out, is it true that there are White Lotus rebels in the imperial city, and that they have implicated many people in the army?"

"That's right!" Fan Rong replied.

"This matter is of great importance and is beyond our ability to handle. We must report it to the Pacification Office!"

At this point, Chen Yuntai said solemnly: "You continue to investigate secretly, I will report to the commander, and then ask him to report to Zhang Chenshi!"

"Yes!"

The case is expanding and Fan Rong is very happy.

The more high-ranking officials are involved this time, the greater the chances will be for him to show up later, and he will also receive a lot of benefits if he does a good job.

After Fan Rong left, Chen Yuntai looked at the report in front of him and slowly put it away.

Then, after waiting for about half an hour, he got up and went to the lobby of the Qianhu Office in the next courtyard, where Qian Gang, the chief Qianhu of the North City Qianhu Office, was.

After entering the courtyard, Chen Yuntai confirmed that Qian Gang was inside before walking in.

About ten minutes later, Chen Yuntai and Qian Gang rushed to the Zhenfu Division not far away.

The matter is serious and urgent. In order to ensure that no accidents occur, it is necessary to fully mobilize manpower to investigate, so it is necessary to report to the superiors.

As the assistant commander, Zhang Qian was in charge of both North City and West City, so Qian and Chen had to report to him.

Ten minutes later, they successfully met Zhang Qian, and Qian Gang reported the situation to him.

While listening to the report, Zhang Qian was not as calm as he appeared. Like Chen Yuntai, he had murderous intentions towards Fan Rongsheng.

At the same time, Zhang Qian was also observing Chen Yuntai, the person promoted by the Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Chen Yuntai looked solemn at the moment, and did not show any expression on the surface, which made Zhang Qian feel a little relieved.

After thinking for a while, Zhang Qian looked at Chen Yuntai and asked with a smile: "Deputy Captain Chen, what do you think about this matter?"

Going beyond Qian Gang and asking Chen Yuntai directly for his opinion, the situation is indeed a bit delicate.

Chen Yuntai had a very good psychological quality, and said solemnly: "Sir, this matter is of great importance. I dare not make a decision arbitrarily. I need your discretion!"

"Captain Qian, what do you think?" Zhang Qian turned around and asked.

"This is a serious matter. If there are White Lotus rebels in the imperial city, I'm afraid something terrible will happen. I think we should conduct a thorough investigation!"

"Yeah!" Zhang Qian nodded.

Stroking his beard, Zhang Qian pondered for a moment and said, "I've read the clues about Fan Rong, and what he said is... just suspicious!"

"Take that incense for example. It's similar to the one used by the White Lotus Sect. What does that prove? Does it mean that because it's used by the White Lotus Sect, no one else can use it?"

"The White Lotus Sect eats, drinks, defecates and urinates. Don't we have the same rights?"

Seeing that both of his subordinates were looking at him, Zhang Qian slowly put away his smile and continued, "I am not trying to excuse the traitor, but these so-called evidences are indeed too flimsy!"

Taking up the papers handed over by Fan Rong, Zhang Qian said solemnly: "It is really... not appropriate to start a war based on these things and ruin tomorrow's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet!"

After a few moments of silence, Chen Yuntai held back and said nothing, while Qian Gang beside him asked, "So...what does the lord mean?"

"We still need to investigate, but there is no need to make a big fuss. Just be loose on the outside and tight on the inside!"

"Forget it. The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is coming soon. You are all very busy. I will send someone else to investigate this matter!"

After pretending to think again, Zhang Qian continued, "This matter is of great importance after all, so we must prevent the news from leaking out!"

"Tell Fan Rong and the person who knew about it to come see me. I want to ask him in person!"

On the surface, Zhang Qian's arrangement seemed fine, so Qian and Chen both agreed to it.

After the two of them returned to the Qianhu Suo, Qian Gang asked Chen Yuntai to be in charge of this matter, while he himself went to busy himself with other matters.

The Qianhu Division has had a lot of things to do in recent days, especially the matter of the short guns and the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, both of which are mainly handled by Qian Gang.

Fan Rong was very busy, and Chen Yuntai sent someone to call him, but he waited for a full half hour.

Fan Rong was indeed a good investigator. In just an hour, he discovered some clues.

"Sir, the identities of these people have been proven to be members of the White Lotus Sect. I am sure that we will catch a big fish this time!" Fan Rong said excitedly.

Chen Yuntai looked at Fan Rong calmly. In his eyes, Fan Rong was already a dead man. After the question and answer session with Zhang Qian just now, he concluded that Fan Rong was not from the Rui Wang Mansion.

All that's left to do next is to verify the results, and for this, Fan Rong and the captain named Yao Chun will pay a heavy price.

"Captain Qianhu, we just need to arrest the man and we will know everything after the first trial!" Fan Rong was still excited, as he had seen a bright future.

Chen Yuntai signaled Fan Rong to calm down, and then said: "This matter has been reported to Zhang Chenshi, and he will be investigating it personally. Since this banquet is coming up, it is important to prevent the news from leaking out... He asked you to report to him in person!"

As a small flag officer who had to report to the commanding officer four levels higher, Fan Rong almost thought he had heard it wrong.

But then he became even happier. If Zhang Chenshi valued his handling of the case this time, it would be easy for him to be promoted to the rank of captain, let alone the general flag.

"I understand. Thank you, Master Qianhu!"

Chen Yuntai smiled, then signaled Fan Rong to leave.

Just a few minutes after Fan Rong left, Ni Er appeared in Chen Yuntai's duty room.

"Sir, this guy knows too much. I think... it's better to kill him!" Ni Er said with his eyes wide open.

Chen Yuntai drank his tea nonchalantly and said slowly, "Why are you in such a hurry? Someone will kill him for us!"

"Who?"

"Zhang Qian!"

Putting down the teacup, Chen Yuntai continued, "You don't have to worry about what's happening in the Imperial City. Just keep an eye on Fan Rong!"

"When he dies, report to me immediately!"

"Sir, who knows if Zhang will take action, and when!"

Sitting on a chair nearby, Ni Er said with a grudge: "Tomorrow night is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I still want to stay in the Imperial City to protect His Highness' safety!"

(End of this chapter)