Chapter 792: The Sorrow of Calamity from Heaven

Compared to other prefectures in Henan, being the prefect of Nanyang was not particularly difficult. Although Nanyang had many waterways, it was still far from the Yellow River. Unless there was a once-in-decades flood, the surrounding areas remained peaceful. Tu Keming, the prefect of Nanyang, was not an outstanding administrator, but he was cautious in governing and knew how to raise his children well. Thanks to his wealthy family, he would provide rice, porridge, and clothes during festivals when the government’s aid was insufficient, earning him a good reputation in Nanyang.

However, Tu Keming’s career as prefect was not smooth. He had passed the imperial examinations in the ninth year of the Yongle era, but after over a decade in office and now in his fifties, he was still just a prefect—primarily because of his timidity. He dared not give gifts to his superiors, nor accept bribes from the common people. As for dealing with powerful elites who committed crimes, he dared not interfere at all; instead, he would try to smooth things over and offer some compensation to the victims. With such a personality, his performance evaluations were always mediocre.

That night, upon learning that the nephew of the Eastern Depot supervisor had caused trouble on his territory, Tu Keming sighed. He knew he could only endure it this time and send some silver to appease the injured people from the government office. Although the Jinyiwei and Eastern Depot no longer had the notorious reputation they once did, he had been an official for so long that he could not forget past incidents and certainly dared not provoke these inherently vicious people.

When the official suggested that he visit Lord Lu, however, he shook his head firmly. Though he dared not intervene, he would not go to them unless they came to him. He could not do such an outrageous thing. So, he left the matter of compensation to his subordinates and returned to his private quarters, hoping that the troublemaker would leave soon.

In the middle of the night, the prefect, who had finally fallen asleep after much disturbance, was awakened by someone pushing him. Irritably opening his eyes, he saw his anxious wife. He quickly swallowed back any curses that were on his lips, sat up abruptly, and forced himself to ask, “What happened?”

“Sir, Chief Chen sent someone to deliver a message. There’s been an incident outside… Several Jinyiwei officers are escorting a nobleman who says he wants to see you. It’s deep at night, but he wouldn’t dare neglect it, so…”

By this point, Tu Keming no longer had the heart to pay attention to what was being said; his mind was fixed on those three words—Jinyiwei. He kept racking his brains, wondering if he had done anything over the years that could get him caught by the Jinyiwei, if he had said anything unintentionally, if he had written poems with ambiguous meanings, or if he had befriended any sensitive people he shouldn’t have… Only after confirming repeatedly that he was utterly innocent did he hastily get dressed in his official robes with the help of his old wife, slipping on his shoes and rushing outside. It was only as he descended the stairs that he quickly tied his shoelaces, still moving like a young man despite his age.

By then, the second gate was already locked. He asked the woman in charge of the back courtyard to open it, and there he saw Chief Investigator Chen Qing standing outside, looking extremely anxious. He hurriedly went with him to the makeshift office on the other side. Along the way, he kept asking what was going on, but Chen Qing also knew little, only that the official in question seemed very young and was accompanied by a local Jinyiwei officer and over a dozen others. At the sight of such a large group, his heart began to pound, and cold sweat broke out on his palms and back.

Upon arriving at the makeshift office, Chen Qing, not having the proper status to enter, was instructed to wait outside for any emergencies. Tu Keming adjusted his official hat and robes before entering with a forced smile. It was already very late, and although oil lamps and candles were lit, the room remained dim. He could only make out that the person sitting there was in his twenties, not wearing official robes, and his features were indistinct due to the darkness.

“I am Tu Keming, the prefect of Nanyang…”

“Prefect Tu, no need for formalities. You came here late at night for just two reasons… Well, it’s more accurate to say one reason.”

Zhang Yue sat in the shaded area, allowing him to observe the prefect of Nanyang clearly. Tu Keming had gray hair and a plump build, neatly trimmed beard, and his official robes were clean and tidy, giving him an official appearance. His eyes, however, were kind, though his movements were somewhat nervous. He had already heard from the Jinyiwei officer about the prefect’s personality, so he had an idea of what to expect. Then he handed over the purple-sealed official seal.

As Tu Keming was still trying to figure out what Zhang Yue meant, he saw something being handed to him and hurriedly took it with both hands. Realizing it was a purple-sealed official seal, his heart grew even more uneasy. After all, true officials always carried seals, while those with such copper seals were temporary appointees, ranging from military commanders to provincial governors—always high-ranking officials. But when he carefully pressed the seal onto the paper and examined the inscription under the light of the nearby lamp, he was left confused.

This is an official sent to Jiaozhi. Why would an official sent there come to see him?
Seeing Tu Keming’s utterly confused expression, Ma Baihu from the Jinyiwei, who was eager to resolve matters, could no longer stand by. He stepped forward and whispered Zhang Yue’s identity in Tu’s ear. Only then did the man seem to wake up from a dream, his heart sinking again. When Zhang Yue calmly mentioned the incident in the evening and then the Jinyiwei’s false report that led to a confrontation at the inn that night, he immediately gasped in shock.
That man wasn’t just causing trouble—he was outright lawless!
Seeing Tu Keming become even more cautious after being frightened, Zhang Yue spoke up, “Trampling on passersby is one crime; using his uncle’s authority to file a false report with the Jinyiwei is another. The incident happened in the territory of Nanyang Prefecture. I ask Governor Tu to take charge of it. You should know that I rented the entire inn, and accompanying me was the eldest son of the Duke of Qian. Where could there be any Yellow River bandits?”
“This…” Tu Keming was sweating profusely from fear. After hesitating for a long time, he stammered, “Sir, this is indeed a serious matter, but since it involves the Jinyiwei, if the prefecture intervenes rashly…”
“The Jinyiwei will naturally work together with the prefecture. What is there for you to worry about?”
Nanyang Prefecture wasn’t exactly a lucrative position. Having been assigned to this area by the Henan branch of the Jinyiwei, Ma Baihu already felt extremely aggrieved, not to mention encountering such an unfortunate incident. Earlier, when Zhang Yue summoned him alone and scared him half to death with just a few words, he had no choice but to obey. Now, he naturally wanted to drag someone else down with him. Seeing Tu Keming freeze like a statue before finally nodding his head in defeat, he felt quite pleased.
Neither the Jinyiwei nor the prefecture could mobilize many people, but when twenty or thirty torch-bearing men broke down the door of the inn and rushed in, their presence was incredibly intimidating. From the innkeeper to the servants, everyone was stunned.
He had specially asked a maid to keep him company that night. Lu Yi, deep in his romantic dreams, was awakened by the loud noise. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the curtain before him being rudely pulled back, revealing the sweaty, fair back of the woman in his arms and his own naked body to everyone’s view. Facing the man holding a knife lifting the curtain, he didn’t think much before shouting angrily.
“Who are you? How dare you break into my house!”
“Young Master Lu, your crimes have come to light!”

Knowing that this would most likely offend Lu Feng severely, the imminent threat was far more important than some distant, terrifying superior. Seeing that he had caught the real culprit, Ma Baihu didn’t hesitate at all. He ordered his subordinates to bring a blanket, quickly wrapped Lu Yi in it, covered his mouth, and ordered them to carry him away. In the other rooms, all of Lu Yi’s attendants and servants were tied up one after another. In less than fifteen minutes, the people who had rushed into the inn had all withdrawn like a tide, leaving only the dumbfounded innkeeper and clerks standing in the empty hall.

It was the first time the Jinyiwei prison in Nanyang Prefecture had been filled with so many people. Aside from Lu Yi, everyone else was crammed in here. By this point, Nanyang’s prefect, Tu Keming, realized he had no idea what Zhang Yue intended to do, so he simply handed over the constables and officers to Zhang Yue’s command and stayed at a distance under some pretext. Now that the constables and officers had been sent away, Ma Baihu, due to Zhang Yue’s earlier words, followed without hesitation to carry out orders.

Although the problem had directly hit him, if it weren’t for Mu Bin accompanying him—and knowing that Lu Yi was Lu Feng’s nephew—Zhang Yue wouldn’t have acted so openly. Now that Lu Yi was in prison, he asked Ma Baihu to bring in a few members of the Lu family. After learning that Lu Yi had come to the capital because someone brought a Eastern Depot token to the Lu family—not a letter written by Lu Feng himself, but just a message, with the messenger leaving right after delivering it—he grew even more wary.

So, when two more attendants were brought in, he calmly revealed their identities. Upon hearing this, the attendants immediately burst into tears and confessed that the one who advised Lu Yi to try to manipulate the Jinyiwei was a servant named Jiang Bai, who was usually the most trusted. Another person kneeling nearby quickly agreed, complaining that he had been slapped by the young master for this matter. Hearing this, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but glance at Ma Baihu.

“I never expected that Ma Baihu’s troubles this time were all caused by this guy. What a despicable scoundrel.”

“He’s truly a troublesome slave. It seems the young master has been completely deceived by him!” Though resentful, Ma Baihu saw an opportunity to clear himself of trouble. He quickly bowed and said with a smile, “May I go and bring that troublesome slave here?”

Zhang Yue did not reply immediately but began to think rapidly. What if Lu Feng had not gone to the capital on his orders but had been deceived by false messages? What if this scoundrel had come up with this plan not to please his master but under someone else’s instigation? What if Lu Yi had caused trouble along the way not just out of his nature but also because of others’ encouragement… Then, he really hadn’t been overthinking things.

“Take that troublemaker in for interrogation. I’ve questioned so many people; I’m too tired. Let’s head back to the inn first,” Zhang Yue said, standing up. Seeing Ma Baihu’s panicked expression, he added calmly, “Don’t worry. I promised not to hold you accountable. I’ll take full responsibility in front of Lord Lu, so I won’t deceive you. Interrogate him thoroughly. If anything happens, send someone to inform me at the inn. Just make sure no one dies! Later, send everyone except Lu Yi and that troublemaker to the prefecture prison for detention, and interrogate them one by one. Understood?”

Ma Baihu, who had served as a Jinyiwei officer for many years and seen countless devious tactics, thought Zhang Yue was just reminding him to share the responsibility with the prefecture and didn’t take the part about interrogating them alone seriously. He readily agreed, his face lighting up with joy. After seeing Zhang Yue out, he immediately returned to the prison and ordered his subordinates to transport the others to the prefecture prison using a prison cart. Then he had two trusted men carry Jiang Bai, the one identified by others, into the torture room.

Although the Nanyang Jinyiwei unit was small, handling only a few cases throughout the year and rarely assigned any missions, the torture room was equipped with all kinds of instruments. Coupled with the dim lighting and the lingering smell of blood, it was enough to scare any ordinary person to death. As soon as Jiang Bai was dragged in, Ma Baihu ordered without hesitation that his shirt be removed and he be hung high, with his feet unable to touch the ground, two blue bricks added to his feet. Seeing the man stretched taut like a rope and hearing his incessant pleas for mercy, he picked up a whip, dipped it in saltwater, and whipped him mercilessly across the head and face, cursing as he struck.

“You little wretch! Your stupid idea almost got more than a dozen of our Jinyiwei brothers killed! If I don’t make you suffer all these torture methods today, I’m not worthy of calling myself a Jinyiwei!”

Jiang Bai had never endured such treatment before. After just a few whips, he was screaming in pain, begging for mercy through tears and snot. But Ma Baihu, furious that his bad idea had nearly gotten him into big trouble, didn’t stop but intensified the torture. It wasn’t until the man’s head lolled to the side and he fainted that he dropped the whip and irritably rotated his sore arm.

“Damn it! I haven’t used a whip in years, yet I can’t even handle it for just a moment. You two, don’t stand there! Douse him with cold water to wake him up!”
With a bucket of cold water poured over him, Jiang Bai quickly regained consciousness. Seeing the fierce-looking man in front of him raising the whip to strike again, he shouted at the top of his voice, “Sir, spare my life! It wasn’t my idea! Someone gave me 100 taels of silver to stir up as much trouble as possible for the young master along the way. After that, I’d get 100 acres of good farmland!”
Just as Ma Baihu was about to swing the whip, he heard these words and hesitated, stopping in doubt. He stepped forward, grabbed Jiang Bai by the chin, and demanded harshly, “Was it that damned bastard who instigated you?”
“I don’t know him…” Seeing Ma Baihu pressing the tip of the whip against his chin, Jiang Bai was terrified and quickly cried out, “But I remember his accent—it’s from the capital! That man also said that after this is done, I should go to Taikang Silk Shop in the capital to collect my reward!”
If there were an antidote for regret, Ma Baihu wished he hadn’t asked that extra question earlier. He wasn’t stupid; by now he had understood the deeper meaning behind Zhang Yue’s words. What seemed like the arrogance of a spoiled young master was actually a power struggle involving high-ranking officials in the capital. For him, a mere minor officer, getting involved in this was nothing but seeking death. Moreover, there were two people right beside him at the moment!