Chapter 751: The Unexpected Return of an Old Friend

Guide Gate, Guangzhou Prefecture.
Although the martial law order had been lifted days ago, the number of guards at Guide Gate had doubled compared to before, and all civilians entering or leaving had to undergo strict inspections. The once lazy and slack soldiers were now neatly dressed, and their usual corrupt practices had vanished. As a result, those who were used to entering the city were puzzled and couldn’t figure out what was going on.

It was a busy day until the sun was high in the sky. As fewer people came in and out of the city, the soldiers dispersed, rubbing their arms as they rested in the shade, quietly discussing their superiors’ strict orders over the past few days. Those well-informed among them inevitably brought up the incident a few days earlier when Marquis Zhenyuan had traveled from afar, mysteriously claiming that the Li people in Qiongzhou Prefecture had rebelled. But as soon as he finished speaking, he was spat at.

“Just because an official farts, everyone has to go through so much trouble. Do you really believe such nonsense? Ever since Emperor Yongle, Qiongzhou Prefecture has received special treatment and officials, and those Li people live even more comfortably than us. Which idiot would think of rebelling? Let me tell you—I have a cousin who works in the prefectural government. He heard that Marquis Zhenyuan colluded with the Xu family to pull many tricks, so they deliberately spread such a rumor to disgust people. As for the order from above to keep a close eye on the city gates, it’s because some important people are coming these days!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp-eyed soldier nearby suddenly shouted, “Stop talking nonsense! People are really coming! There are dozens of riders, and they seem to be elite troops from somewhere!”

Hearing this, the soldiers who had been gathered together immediately dispersed, each positioning themselves according to the rules, setting up barriers and standing in front of the city gates. When they saw the cavalry crossing Guide Bridge over the moat, they all gripped the handles of their knives. If they were imperial troops, nothing would happen; otherwise, a battle would be inevitable, though this possibility was quite low.

When the swift cavalry suddenly stopped, the officer leading them realized that the newcomers were clearly divided into two groups. He remembered the man at the head of the left group—it was Marquis Zhenyuan, Gu Xingzu, who had caused chaos in the city before. As for the young officer at the head of the right group, he didn’t recognize him. But just by looking at his bright red brocade official robes adorned with intricate embroidery and the fierce-looking soldiers behind him, he knew this wasn’t an ordinary official. He quickly stepped forward. After checking the official documents and ID badges, he felt a chill run down his spine and quickly led his subordinates to the side.

To send someone with such a high-ranking status—how serious could this matter be?

After receiving the urgent dispatch from the Ministry of War and the Military Governor’s Office, Gu Xingzu, though furious and throwing things around in anger, ultimately had no choice but to accept reality. As expected, Marquis Anyuan Liu Sheng and his party arrived only five days later than the previous messengers. Their formal and businesslike attitude further unsettled him. When he learned he was ordered to wait in Guangzhou for the imperial envoy, he dared not delay. He handed over his duties and hurriedly rushed to Guangzhou with his trusted guards.

Yet, he never expected to encounter the imperial envoy sent by the court right on the official road leading into Guangzhou! Just by seeing their attire, he realized they were from the Jinyiwei!

“Please go first, My Lord.”

Seeing their friendly smiles, Gu Xingzu forced a smile as well and said, “Commander Fang has come by imperial order. You go first.”

Fang Ling glanced at Gu Xingzu, nodded with a bow, and stepped into the gate first, with the Jinyiwei following closely behind. It wasn’t until he watched the group head down Gui De Straight Street that Gu Xingzu took a deep breath, whipped his horse hard, and led his guards back into Guangzhou.

This time, he no longer had his earlier confidence. His mind was fixed on the situation in Qiongzhou Prefecture—Gu Pingan had brought only the most loyal warriors willing to die for the Gu family, elite fighters capable of fighting a hundred men alone. Even if they failed, they should not fall alive into enemy hands. He had already erased all traces in Guangxi; without witnesses, no matter how much Zhang Yue claimed, it would be useless!

The two groups rushed into Fan Si Street like a whirlwind. With a few sharp commands, passersby stepped aside. As they neared the dismounting stone, Fang Ling suddenly pulled back on the reins, causing his horse to stop with a loud neigh. The dozen or so people behind him also stopped their horses. Jumping off his horse, he saw two gatekeepers approaching from the government office and said calmly, “Fang Ling, Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei and representative of the Northern Pacification Commission, has come to Guangzhou Prefecture on imperial orders!”

Seeing the gatekeepers’ faces change instantly as they rushed back into the office, he turned to look at Gu Xingzu, who was dismounting, and smiled faintly. “There’s no time to lose. Since we’re here, I intend to handle this matter today. What do you think, My Lord?”

“The censor from the Censorate hasn’t arrived yet. Is it too hasty for Commander Fang to start working?”

“When I arrived, the Emperor ordered that speed is crucial in warfare as well as in handling affairs. Given the seriousness of this matter, it must be resolved swiftly to avoid an uncontrollable situation. Although the imperial envoy is a civil official and cannot travel all night like us, he carries the Emperor’s orders and will be delayed at most by two days. By the time he arrives, I will have already sorted things out— Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

At this point, Gu Xingzu knew full well that the other party had already made up his mind and could think of no counterarguments. In his earlier plans, it would take at least half a month to travel from the capital to Guangzhou, and after the imperial envoy arrived, he would need to rest for a few days before meeting with relevant officials from the Three Departments and others to sort out all the details before starting investigations. But Fangling’s decisive actions had thrown his plans into disarray. Seeing the main gates of the Provincial Administration Office wide open with neatly dressed officials lining up to greet him, he quickly summoned a bodyguard behind him, gave him strict instructions in a serious tone, and then sent him away.

Yet as he tried to figure out what to do, fearing that the high-ranking officials in the court might think the Zhang family was too powerful and needed to be checked, thus siding with him, a fearful voice came from behind: “My lord, both ends of Fan Si Street are blocked. Under the Fengle and Taihe archways, local Jinyiwei officers are guarding them, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. I didn’t dare confront them head-on, so I had to return. Please advise, my lord—what should we do now?”

“How is this possible… When did he send them? How fast did they act!”

Gu Xingzu’s forehead veins bulged as a sense of dread settled over him. He did have some sources of information in the capital, but his attention had been focused on Guangdong, leaving him no time to pay attention to what was happening there. Coupled with the long distance, he could only rely on guesses and had no idea about the power struggles in the court. Moreover, since ascending the throne, the emperor had not been as close to the Jinyiwei and Dongchang as during the Yongle era, so he hadn’t paid much attention to their personnel matters. As for Fangling, the commander of the Jinyiwei in the Northern Pacification Commission, he knew almost nothing about him, only that he was from a noble family.

Before he could figure things out, he saw Fangling turn around and gesture invitingly. At that moment, he had no time to think further. Forcing a smile, he nodded and followed him into the Provincial Administration Office. Once they sat down in the main hall and the servants brought tea, he kept his head down, staring at his teacup with an unreadable expression.

Fangling glanced at Gu Xingzu, saw him with his head lowered, and gave Zhang Yue a wink before speaking seriously, “Lord Zhang is the governor of a province and very busy; Marquis Gu is also a key figure in the military and cannot leave easily. That’s why I’ve been sent here by imperial order to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. Please send someone at once to summon Eunuch Zhang, the supervisor of maritime affairs, Lord Li, the military commander, and Lord Yu, the inspector. Also, if there are any witnesses or evidence, bring them all to the governor’s office for interrogation.”

Although they used to be good friends, ever since Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, Zhang Yue had not seen Fangling except during court sessions and other official duties. Seeing him sit calmly and with a serious expression, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but admire him in his heart and promptly issued the orders. Just as he was about to say something, unexpectedly, Gu Xingzu raised his head.

“Commander Fang, since you’re in charge of the Northern Pacification Bureau of the Jinyiwei, you should know that witnesses can be fabricated and are not reliable at critical moments. The world is so vast—just find a few people and fabricate statements. What kind of witness can’t be created? Since Zhang Yue knows that hiding rebel information privately is a grave crime, he would do anything to avoid punishment!”

“Marquis, you’re right. Witnesses can be forged, but so can physical evidence. Those thick stacks of evidence you presented earlier—whose witnesses were all beheaded? Who knows if they weren’t set up to leave no proof?” Seeing Gu Xingzu’s face turn pale, Zhang Yue didn’t bother arguing further. “Now that the emperor has appointed an imperial envoy to investigate this matter, it’s just a matter of whose evidence is stronger and more reliable. Why bother saying more nonsense, Marquis?”

“You… Hmph! I’ll see just how arrogant you can get!”

Remembering how Zhang Yue had left him speechless at the Huangpu Town dock last time, Gu Xingzu gave up the idea of gaining an advantage verbally, sneered, and fell silent. Since he had quieted down, Zhang Yue naturally had nothing to say either. Fangling sat calmly, closing his eyes to rest. The entire hall was utterly silent—so quiet that even the sound of a needle falling could be heard. Both Gu Xingzu and Fangling had attendants with them, while Zhang Yue was alone. It was fine that the three of them had seats, but it was tough for the others standing there—unable to speak or move freely. So, after what seemed like a long time, suddenly there was a thud—as one of the officers behind Fangling knocked over a table.

Gu Xingzu was already full of anger and wanted to take this opportunity to vent, but when he saw the bodyguard sit down on the ground with his head resting on the chair leg and pass out, he immediately abandoned his earlier thoughts of sarcasm. He spoke before Fang Ling, saying, “Commander Fang, it seems your subordinate has been on the road for days and can no longer bear it. If he’s in such a state, the others must be in even worse condition. When we meet the others later, why not take a night’s rest? After all, it’s not possible for just you alone to carry on.”

The distance from the capital to Guangzhou is nearly eight thousand li. Fang Ling kept changing horses but not people along the way. Although it wasn’t as fast as sending an urgent messenger over eight hundred li, reaching here in half a month still required considerable effort. Glancing back, seeing that his attendants were forcing themselves to stay alert, he said calmly, “Carry him down. The other four should go to the guest rooms in groups of four, changing every two hours. Wake up when it’s time. Lord Zhang, could you fetch some ice so I can wash my face with cold water to refresh myself?”

Zhang Yue had originally intended to persuade him, but since Fang Ling had spoken first, he could only agree. He then ordered someone to take those four Jinyiwei officers to rest in shifts. Soon, two servants came over, each carrying a large bucket of ice, and carefully placed them on the ground. Watching Fang Ling wipe his stubble-covered face with ice and cover his eyes with a soft cloth soaked in ice water, Gu Xingzu’s heart tightened involuntarily—he felt that those seemingly slow movements carried a hint of menace.

“Eunuch Zhang from the Maritime Administration has arrived!”
“Military Commander Li has arrived!”
“Lord Yu from the Censorate has arrived!”

Since the offices of the Military Command, the Censorate, and the Maritime Administration were all roughly the same distance from the Provincial Government Office, the three of them arrived almost simultaneously. They had already learned from messengers about the identity of the imperial envoy from the capital, so they remained composed upon meeting. Only Zhang Qian gave Zhang Yue a meaningful glance after exchanging greetings before taking the last seat.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Fang Ling stood up and said, “Since everyone is here, let’s go to the interrogation hall together!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud announcement came from outside: “Lord Yu Qian, the Censor of the Censorate, has arrived!”

Although they had just heard this name from Fang Ling, everyone in the hall was stunned at that moment. After a brief pause, Gu Xingzu was overjoyed and said with a smile, “I never thought a civil official could be so diligent in handling state affairs—just two hours slower than Lord Fang. Now that he’s arrived, everyone is truly here. Gentlemen, since we’re all imperial envoys, shall we go out to greet him?”
In front of the Bu Zheng Si yamen, a man covered in dust stood upright, his eyes filled with exhaustion. If it weren’t for his straight posture and his bloodshot, glaring eyes, people might have mistaken him for a scholar on his way to take the imperial exams. Soon, a scribe rushed out of the yamen like the wind, shouting to open the main gate while carefully holding his bundle. When he got closer, he bowed respectfully and presented the bundle high with both hands.
“Lord, this is your official seal. The other lords have gone out to greet you; please wait a moment.”
Yu Qian nodded and took back the bundle. He had rushed all the way here, with the Jinyi Wei changing horses at each post station, while he traveled by carriage—much slower. So he also changed horses along the way. But since he wasn’t a civil official, he couldn’t endure riding for long distances. Instead, he switched to a lighter carriage at one of the stations and kept changing horses to speed up his journey. When he got off the carriage, he could barely stand steadily. Though he still felt dizzy, he had finally recovered a bit.
Before leaving, Yang Shiqi, the chief minister of the cabinet, had given him many instructions, and Gu Zuo had repeatedly reminded him. How could he face his two mentors who had recommended him if he finished all the tasks ahead of them thanks to the Jinyi Wei?