Chapter 577: The Heroes of Hebei

In the inner room of Miaoshou Huichun Hall, manager Zhang Yue was assigning tasks to Zhao Jiaju when suddenly urgent footsteps were heard. The pharmacy’s attendant rushed in at top speed, saying anxiously, “Manager, Gao Shang has brought troops to search. The pharmacy is completely surrounded by soldiers.”

Zhang Yue was shocked. How could Gao Shang know about this place? Without time to think, he immediately handed a key to the attendant and Zhao Jiaju, saying, “You two must go and destroy all important documents right away. In my inner room, move the bookcase aside—there’s a red box under the floor. Burn both volumes inside it. Hurry!”

No one was allowed to enter Zhang Yue’s room, let alone his inner room. But given the urgency, the two didn’t hesitate. They took the key and rushed upstairs.

Zhang Yue adjusted his clothes, tried to calm himself down, and strode toward the main door. By then, nearly four thousand soldiers were outside, surrounding Miaoshou Huichun Hall completely. An Lushan, upon learning that his twenty thousand paper fire bombs had been destroyed, was devastated. Vowing to capture Li Qingan’s spies, he sent another hundred thousand soldiers to conduct a thorough search throughout the city. Every household with even a slight connection to Chang’an would be searched, including his own officials—none would be spared.

Gao Shang’s search was naturally the focus of An Lushan’s attention. Fearing Gao Shang might lack enough men, An Lushan added another twenty thousand soldiers to his force. Gao Shang immediately ordered that all ten pigeon-keeping households be surrounded to prevent anyone from escaping. He was convinced that Li Qingan’s intelligence station was among those households.

After waiting a while, Zhang Yue stepped out quickly. From afar, he bowed and said with a smile, “I was treating a patient and couldn’t leave right away. I’m sorry for making you wait, Governor Gao.”

Zhang Yue was a highly renowned figure in Youzhou City. Even An Lushan sought his medical services, so Gao Shang didn’t dare underestimate him. He quickly bowed in return, saying, “It’s just routine work. I apologize for causing trouble to Manager Zhang!”

“Not at all! Miaoshou Huichun Hall will certainly cooperate fully with Governor Gao.”

Seeing thousands of soldiers, Zhang Yue was secretly alarmed. This search seemed extraordinary. He silently prayed that his two subordinates would burn those top-secret documents as soon as possible. Those documents contained information on all bases in Hebei Province. If Gao Shang found them, the foundation of Hebei’s intelligence network would be destroyed. Though worried, he showed no emotion on his face. Waving his hand and bowing, he said, “Governor Gao, please come in.”

Before arriving, Gao Shang had people investigate Zhang Yue’s background. Although Zhang Yue had moved from Suiye to Youzhou in Hebei over twenty years ago, he still came from Suiye—Li Qing’an’s stronghold. Though the times were different, as Li Qing’an’s rise had only happened in the past decade, the name Suiye still raised some suspicion in Gao Shang’s mind.

He must thoroughly search this Miaoshou Huichun Hall. His intuition told him there was definitely something wrong with it. Smiling, he said, “It’s indeed just routine procedure. There’s no other way. Since Master Zhang doesn’t mind, I won’t be polite.”

He waved his hand and ordered, “Search!”

A thousand elite Yan soldiers rushed into Miaoshou Huichun Hall and began a thorough search…

Gao Shang also entered the pharmacy and said with a smile, “Master Zhang, I’d like to see the pigeons you keep. Is that possible?”

Zhang Yue felt a bit nervous. Of the two pigeons he had sent to Chang’an, only one had returned. But he had registered fourteen pigeons with the authorities, yet there were only thirteen in the cages—this would surely arouse suspicion. But since Gao Shang had made the request, he couldn’t refuse and could only nod. “The pigeons are in the back yard. Please follow me, Lord Gao!”

He led Gao Shang to the back yard, chatting as they walked.

“Is Master Zhang’s ancestral home Suiye?”

Zhang Yue chuckled. “No. My ancestral home is Xindu County in Jizhou. In the second year of Tiaolu, my grandfather took our family to Suiye to practice medicine. But when the court abandoned Suiye, the Han people there returned eastward. I returned to Youzhou from Suiye in the twelfth year of Kaiyuan and brought the entire Miaoshou Huichun Hall with me.”

“Oh! Then why didn’t you stay in Xindu and come to Youzhou?”

“Well… at that time, I thought Youzhou had a large population, so business would be good there. Besides, my mother’s ancestral home is in Youzhou, so it can be considered my second ancestral home as well.”

“I see. Master Zhang is kind-hearted. Having you practice medicine in Youzhou is a blessing for us. I’ve always admired you greatly.”

Though he said this, Gao Shang’s suspicion remained. He kept scanning the surroundings for anything suspicious. After passing through a door, they arrived at the back yard, where they could hear the cooing of pigeons from afar.

As they approached the cages, Gao Shang’s eyes lit up. At a glance, he could tell these were top-quality homing pigeons capable of flying thousands of miles—each with shiny feathers and a strong build. What was Miaoshou Huichun Hall doing with such fine pigeons?

He walked around the cages with his hands behind his back and suddenly asked, “Master Zhang, why are there only fourteen or fifteen pigeons? Shouldn’t there be fourteen?”

Zhang Yue’s heart skipped a beat. He had indeed come prepared. It seemed Gao Shang had found a way in—by targeting the homing pigeons. He quickly said, “Your Excellency, you don’t know the situation. My shop is in urgent need of ginseng. I sent a messenger to Liaocheng State yesterday, which is why we happen to be short one.”

Gao Shang chuckled. “I see. It seems I was overthinking it.”

He searched the courtyard again but found nothing unusual. Though he still had doubts, he had no evidence, so he said with a smile, “Well then! Once the soldiers finish searching and nothing is found, we’ll leave.”

He walked back to the main hall with his hands behind his back. By then, all the patients had been driven out of the pharmacy, and the hall was filled with the pharmacy’s clerks and assistants. A colonel in charge of the search stepped forward and reported in a low voice, “We’ve finished searching. There’s nothing unusual.”

His voice was soft, but Zhang Yue, who was listening attentively, heard it. A huge weight lifted from his heart. He had been worried that burning the documents would leave a smell of smoke that could easily be detected. It seemed Zhao Jiaju had done a great job—how had he destroyed the documents?

The soldiers returned one after another, bringing the last few people from the pharmacy to the main hall. Zhao Jiaju and the clerks were among them. Zhang Yue stared at Zhao Jiaju, signaling that he wanted to know how he had destroyed the documents. Zhao Jiaju understood his intent. He touched his stomach, and Zhang Yue suddenly realized—they had swallowed the documents. With so many documents, it must have been difficult for them.

“Everyone, stand properly. This is the final step, and then it will be over.”

The assistants lined up, and one of them, holding an official roster, called out names one by one, “Lu Ping!”

“Here!”

“Han Silang!”

“Here!”

“Zhang Yue!”

“Here!”

“Zhao Ruzhen!”

“Here!”

Zhao Ruzhen was actually Zhao Jiaju. Jiaju was his nickname, while Zhao Ruzhen was his real name. Gao Shang, standing nearby, paid special attention to those with the surname Zhao. There were two people with the surname Zhao in the pharmacy: an elderly doctor named Zhao Heng in his sixties, who obviously wasn’t involved. Gao Shang’s gaze then fell on Zhao Jiaju. He was only in his twenties, with fair skin, and his hands were very smooth, unlike the other assistants whose hands were rough and yellow from years of handling medicinal materials. This Zhao Ruzhen had delicate skin—although he claimed to be an assistant, he didn’t resemble one at all; rather, he looked like a spoiled rich boy.

Gao Shang began to suspect something. He whispered a few words to a soldier, who quickly ran out. Moments later, he brought in the Taoist priest, Chen Zhi, as if leading a dog.

Zhao Jiaju suddenly saw Chen Zhizi and was utterly shocked. He instinctively stepped back and hid behind a burly employee. Unbeknownst to him, twenty steps away, Gao Shang was watching him closely, noticing every slightest change in his expression or movement. Seeing Zhao Jiaju’s panic and attempts to evade attention, Gao Shang immediately understood what was going on. He gave a signal to the soldiers beside him, who rushed forward and grabbed Zhao Jiaju’s arms, dragging him out forcefully. “Zhao Jiaju!” Chen Zhizi recognized him at once and shouted, “It’s him, Zhao Jiaju!” The situation changed abruptly, leaving everyone in the hall stunned. Some were members of the Han-Tang Society, while others were ordinary employees. Gao Shang laughed triumphantly and ordered, “Arrest them all!” The soldiers rushed in to capture the people in the pharmacy, causing chaos in the hall. Zhang Yue felt as if he had fallen into an abyss. He knew he was doomed, but fortunately, the roster of the Hebei Branch had been destroyed, and only the branch leaders had direct contact with him. Now, aside from him, no one else knew the secrets of the branches. Seeing several soldiers approaching, he shouted, “Wait!” The soldiers stopped. Gao Shang looked at him and sneered, “I never thought Manager Zhang would be Li Qingan’s spy. Truly unexpected!” Zhang Yue replied coldly, “There are many things you can’t predict!” He turned to the employees and declared loudly, “The century-long wish of my family of four generations is about to come true. A true man should be like Ji Bu, keeping his promises at all costs, or like Hou Ying, willing to die for his word. Zhang Yue will not disappoint his ancestors and will die proudly!” Gao Shang was shocked and shouted sharply, “Catch him quickly!” Zhang Yue laughed loudly, but gradually his voice faded as blood flowed from his seven orifices. He collapsed faceup on the ground… Zhao Jiaju was devastated. Screaming in grief, he said, “Headmaster, it’s me who caused your downfall!” He broke free from the soldiers’ grasp and rushed toward a pillar, his skull shattering as he died instantly. The hall fell silent. The soldiers took away all the pharmacy employees. Gao Shang slowly walked up to Zhang Yue, staring at him in silence. After a while, he bowed before Zhang Yue’s body and sighed, “Magnificent!” He quickly left the hall, filled with emotion. He ordered his guards, “Bury these two with proper honors. Do not neglect them!” Then he pointed at the sycophantic Taoist Chen Zhizi and said, “Behead this man and use his head as an offering for them.”

Gao Shang turned and walked toward the carriage.