Chapter 661: Fishing for Big Fish (Part 2)

Xiamen in Chang’an Prefecture is located southeast of Chang’an, not far from Qujiang Pond. Once inside Xiamen, one enters Tongji Fang, Ande Fang, and Quchi Fang. Night had fallen, and nearly a hundred officials from Jingzhao Prefecture, Wannian County, and Chang’an County gathered outside Xiamen. Additionally, over a hundred officials transferred from counties such as Gaoling and Xinfeng joined them, bringing the total to more than five hundred people, all led personally by Li Gan, the governor of Jingzhao.

Su Zhen rode on horseback wearing official robes, holding a long sword in his hand. He already knew a little about tonight’s operation and was extremely shocked, but he dared not say a word.

At that moment, Zhao Yu, the magistrate of Wannian County, came over to him and pointed at the over a hundred officials from other counties in the distance, whispering, “It’s strange. Those people don’t seem like officials! They’re all so tall and strong. I don’t recognize any of them. Normally, I should have seen the officials from Gaoling and Xinfeng County.”

“Don’t ask too much. It’s not in your interest to know more, understand?”

Seeing Su Zhen’s terrifyingly serious expression, Zhao Yu was frightened and dared not ask further.

Li Gan, also dressed in third-rank imperial robes, rode slowly forward. Beside him was Cui Qi, the chief censor. Cui Qi, over sixty years old, was a highly experienced veteran censor. He rode alongside Li Gan as well. There was also a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Punishments, Shang Heng, the vice minister, who rode silently behind them, saying nothing.

Li Gan shouted to the officials, “We’ve just received news that fake officials from Southern Tang have been spotted. Normally, the Intelligence Bureau and the Imperial Guards should handle this, but General Qin and General Hu are both not in Chang’an. So it falls to us to capture them. Follow my orders tonight. No matter who it is, anyone who needs to be captured must be captured. Do you hear me?”

“Yes!” the officials replied in unison.

At that moment, an official rode swiftly from inside the city and handed a letter to Li Gan. After reading it, Li Gan said, “The target has appeared. Let’s go! Target: Quchi Fang.”

In the darkness, over five hundred armed officials set off in a grand procession toward Quchi Fang.

…

Inside the Wei family’s residence in Quchi Fang, the lights were bright, and people came and went—very lively. It was the first birthday of Wei Tao’s great-grandson, and Wei Tao had specially organized this banquet. Holding banquets was a tradition of the Wei family, with ones held frequently. In addition to the Wei family members, some court officials also attended. Today’s banquet was particularly important, with over a hundred court officials coming, all belonging to Wei’s faction, along with their families. That night, as many as a thousand people gathered at the Wei family’s residence.

By this time, most of the guests had arrived. Wei Tao was also in the small reception hall, chatting with some high-ranking officials, while only his son Wei Jun was still greeting guests outside the mansion. In the darkness of the night, a carriage came from afar and stopped in front of Wei’s mansion. Two people got out of the carriage—one was Zhang Bingguo, the Left Minister of Water Resources, and the other was a middle-aged man with a thin build, appearing very astute and capable. This man was Qi Xun, the Minister of the Judicial Bureau of Southern Tang. He was Wang Gong’s confidant; originally a military officer in Yuanzhou, he had only been transferred to the imperial court as a deputy minister of the Judicial Bureau for two months before following Wang Gong to Southern Tang. As a result, most of the court officials were not familiar with him, and Hu Peiyun could not recall any officials with the surname Qi in the court. He had been summoned by Zhang Bingguo that night, who said Wei Tao wanted to see him, which made Qi Xun secretly delighted—if he could turn Wei Tao over, it would undoubtedly be a great achievement for him. The two men stepped forward, and Wei Jun hurriedly went to greet them, saying, “Welcome, Left Minister Zhang, for coming despite your busy schedule!” Zhang Bingguo bowed his hands and apologized, “I’m sorry for being late; there were too many matters to attend to.” “It’s fine! The banquet hasn’t started yet.” Wei Jun glanced at Qi Xun, thinking he was also an official from the Water Resources Bureau, but realizing he didn’t know him and that the man wasn’t wearing official robes, he asked with a smile, “Who is this?” “This is a friend of mine. Minister Wei knew he would be coming, and he has important matters to discuss with Minister Wei.” Wei Jun had not heard his father mention him, but since Zhang Bingguo was a key member of Wei’s faction, he quickly invited the two into the mansion. Zhang Bingguo glanced at the guest register; since Qi Xun hadn’t signed in, he took him straight into Wei’s mansion. Seeing the bustling activity in the main hall, he said to Qi Xun with a smile, “Let me take you to the East Garden to enjoy the night view! Wei’s mansion’s night garden is quite famous.” Qi Xun understood that he was worried about others recognizing him, so he replied cheerfully, “I’ll follow your arrangements, Left Minister.” The two turned and walked along a path toward Wei’s East Garden. … In the small reception hall, things were extremely lively. Wei Tao and his brother Wei Huan were chatting with over a dozen key officials from Wei’s faction, including Lu Huan, the Minister of War, Li Kaifu, the Deputy Minister of Works, Miao Jinqing, the Deputy Minister of War, Luo Junyi, the Minister of the Imperial Guards, and other important figures—all core members of Wei’s faction. But instead of discussing official matters, they were chatting about romantic affairs, who had taken concubines or had grandchildren, sparking waves of laughter among them. At that moment, Wei Jun rushed in and whispered something in Wei Tao’s ear. Wei Tao’s expression changed, and he stood up, saying, “You continue chatting; I’ll be back soon.” Without even time to change his clothes, he hurried out. Seeing Wei Tao’s unusual expression, Lu Huan quickly grabbed Wei Jun and asked, “What happened?”

Wei Jun saw he could no longer hide it and had to tell the truth: “Many yamen officials have come outside; it seems they’re here to arrest someone.”
Everyone was shocked and exchanged glances. Who would dare come to Minister Wei’s residence to arrest someone? They all headed toward the main gate.
Outside the gate, hundreds of yamen officials with torches crowded in front of Wei’s residence. The flickering flames illuminated the place like daylight. Li Gan stood at the front on horseback, his expression stern. Behind him were five or six officials. On the steps, over thirty servants from Wei’s household stood with knives and swords, facing the officials nervously.
“What’s going on?”
Wei Tao stepped out angrily. Seeing that it was the governor of Jingzhao, he was initially stunned, then grew extremely displeased and said to Li Gan, “Did hosting a family banquet violate the law? Do I need the governor to enforce it personally?”
Li Gan bowed and said, “Someone has reported that Minister Wei is hiding a fake official from the Southern Tang dynasty. I’ve been ordered to conduct a search!”
“Ordered?”
Wei Tao snorted coldly. “Whose order? Zhang Yun doesn’t have such authority!”
At that moment, Cui Qi, the chief censor behind Li Gan, stepped forward. He also bowed and said, “Prime Minister Wei, we’ve come under the Empress Dowager’s orders to conduct a search. We ask for your cooperation.”
Next to Cui Qi was Shang Heng, the vice minister of the Ministry of Punishments. He said nothing but bowed to Wei Tao.
The appearance of Cui Qi and Shang Heng shocked Wei Tao greatly. With the chief censor and vice minister of the Ministry of Punishments involved, along with the Empress Dowager’s order, this was surely a precursor to a grand trial by the Three Departments!
Wei Tao suddenly realized the situation was serious. He said in a deep voice, “Who said I’m hiding a fake official from the Southern Tang dynasty? What evidence do you have?”
Li Gan replied coldly, “Minister Wei, I hope you’ll cooperate. This fake official from the Southern Tang is no ordinary person. He’s here to undermine the order of our Great Tang Dynasty. The incident involving Prince Zhao was his doing. If he escapes, Minister Wei, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!”
“Are you talking about Qi Xun?”
Wei Tao quickly realized who it was. He stepped back and said sternly, “How is that possible? How could I hide him in my residence?”
“It seems Minister Wei knows this person.”
Cui Qi sneered and quickly unfolded the imperial edict from Shen Zhenzhu, reading aloud, “By the grace of the Empress Dowager, Wei Tao, the minister of rites, is suspected of hiding a fake official from the Southern Tang dynasty. The Jingzhao yamen is ordered to search his residence, with the Censorate and the Ministry of Punishments overseeing the operation. So be it!”
Sweat streamed down Wei Tao’s forehead. With the Empress Dowager’s edict already issued, he dared not resist any longer. He ordered his servants, “Move aside and let them search!”
Li Gan waved his hand. “Search!”

Hundreds of officials rushed into Wei’s mansion and scattered in all directions. Their target was clear: middle-aged men with thin features and a hint of mustache, not wearing official robes—any such man was to be brought in for identification.

Wei Tao was filled with confusion. Though he knew people like Li Kaifu and Luo Junyi were connected to Qi Xun, he hadn’t invited him, so how could he be in his mansion? Yet Li Gan and the others clearly came prepared, even alerting the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Empress Dowager. Could it be that his brothers or nephews had hidden him there without his knowledge? If so, he would be in big trouble.

Sweat broke out all over his body. He waved for his son to come forward and whispered, “Tell me the truth. Did your brothers hide this man in the mansion?”

Wei Jun shook his head frantically. “Impossible! How would we dare hide such a dangerous person here? It would kill Father.”

“That’s strange!”

Wei Tao murmured to himself, “Could it be a guest? There’s no such person among today’s guests!”

Wei Jun suddenly remembered something and said quickly, “Father, I’ve thought of something.”

“What is it?”

“Not long ago, Zhang Bingguo, the left envoy of the Water Management Bureau, brought a strange guest. I’ve never seen him before. He said he had been told to come see Father and that he had important matters to discuss.”

“Zhang Bingguo came? I didn’t see him.”

Wei Tao was stunned. Zhang Bingguo had mentioned bringing his cousin Zhang Bingqian, and he had wondered why he hadn’t arrived yet. It turned out he had already come.

“He’s caught!”

A large group of burly officials came from the eastern path. They dragged a middle-aged man in like a chick, led by Su Zhen, the deputy governor of Jingzhao.

In the dim light, Wei Jun recognized him at once and urgently said to his father, “It’s him! The man Zhang Bingguo brought.”

Wei Tao also recognized him—it was indeed Qi Xun. He was stunned. Why had Zhang Bingguo brought this man? Could it be to try to win him over? His mind was in chaos; the sudden turn of events left him at a loss.

Qi Xun was tightly tied up with his mouth covered. Su Zhen stepped forward and bowed to Li Gan, saying, “I captured this man in the guest rooms in the eastern courtyard. He admitted to being Qi Xun.”

Li Gan glanced at Qi Xun and turned to Cui Qi, asking, “Cui Zhongcheng, you must know this man!”

Cui Qi, an experienced official, nodded after taking a look. “This is indeed Qi Xun. He used to be the deputy head of the Supreme Court and later defected to Southern Tang, serving as a fake head of the Supreme Court.”

Shang Heng, the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice who had remained silent until then, also said, “I know him. It’s Qi Xun.”

“Very good!”
Li Gan waved his hand. “Take him away and keep a close eye on him.”
Dozens of strong men took Qi Xun away. Li Gan then ordered, “We can end the search. Let the men return!”
“Dang! Dang! Dang!” The gongs signaling the withdrawal sounded, and the clerks began returning from all directions.
At that moment, Wei Tao stepped forward urgently and said, “Governor Li, this is a misunderstanding. This man was brought here by Zhang Bingguo, the left envoy of the Water Management Bureau. It has nothing to do with me.”
Lu Huan, Li Kaifu, and others also stepped forward and said, “Governor Li, this matter indeed has nothing to do with Minister Wei. We can prove it!”
Li Gan sighed and said, “Minister Wei, I don’t know whether this matter is related to Zhang Bingguo or not, but we indeed found this man in your residence. Since you are the prime minister, I didn’t dare to be careless. I went to consult the Empress Dowager personally. She said that just our intervention wasn’t enough to convince people, so she ordered the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice to get involved as witnesses. Now, both Censor-in-Chief Cui and the Gentleman-in-Waiting have seen it with their own eyes. You can’t say I’m framing you!”
“This…”
Wei Tao was speechless. Suddenly, he turned around and shouted, “Go quickly! Find that Zhang Bingguo!”
Wei Jun rushed off with dozens of servants. Wei Tao then said to Li Gan and the others, “Please wait a moment, Governor Li, Censor-in-Chief Cui, and Gentleman-in-Waiting. I’ll have Zhang Bingguo come out for a confrontation.”
“Good! We’ll wait.”
Time passed slowly. Wei Tao was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. Without Zhang Bingguo’s confrontation, he would be utterly ruined—accused of colluding with a fake official from Southern Tang, a man who even posed a threat to the court. If this charge were proven, he wouldn’t just lose his position; he might even be executed.
Finally, Wei Jun and the others returned. Wei Tao grabbed him anxiously and asked, “Did you find him?”
Wei Jun shook his head. “It’s strange. We just can’t find him.”
“This… how is that possible!”
Li Gan took out today’s guest registration book and said to Wei Tao, “Minister Wei, I think you don’t need to look any further.”
He held up the registration book and said coldly, “I’ve checked it several times. There’s no signature from Zhang Bingguo. Minister Wei, I’m sorry, but we need to report back to the Empress Dowager. We can’t wait any longer.”
Wei Tao, in desperation, grabbed his son by the collar and gritted his teeth, “What’s going on?”
Wei Jun trembled with fear and stammered, “I… I only paid attention to the people around him. I didn’t… notice whether he signed or not.”
Wei Tao felt as if the world was spinning. Now, he was truly beyond redemption.

At that moment, Cui Qi stepped forward again. “Minister Wei, I have another imperial edict from the Empress Dowager. She said that if Minister Wei is innocent, there’s no need to show it, but given the current circumstances, I must present it.” He swiftly unrolled another edict and read aloud, “Qi Xun, a fake official of Southern Tang who acts as a spy, has framed high-ranking court officials and threatened the stability of the Tang Dynasty. His crimes are extremely grave. This case will be thoroughly investigated. No matter who or what position is involved, favoritism or bias is not allowed. Minister Wei Tao is implicated in this case and is suspected of guilt. He should no longer hold any official positions. All his duties are suspended for now, and he is to be placed under the supervision of the Censorate until the truth is uncovered. So it is decreed!” After reading the Empress Dowager’s edict, Cui Qi said calmly, “Please stay at the Censorate for a few days, Minister Wei. If you are indeed innocent, nothing will happen to you. I hope you won’t force me into a difficult position. Please go.” Wei Tao watched helplessly as Li Gan took away his guest list. It seemed he understood something; he felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, unable to breathe. With a “pfft,” blood sprayed from his mouth, his vision went dark, and he collapsed weakly to the ground. “Father!” “Minister Wei!” Chaos ensued within Wei’s household.