Chapter 976 - 815: Silver Like a Blade

After Feng Daban charged alone into the cabin, for a short while there came the clash of metal, shouting, then wailing, and in the end it fell silent.

The people and horses on the Berth Pier held their breath involuntarily; none of them could see what was happening inside the cabin, and they didn’t know whether that Feng Daban had won or died.

After thirty minutes, Feng Daban walked out of the cabin.

He casually took off the leather armor on his body, revealing the white robe underneath; apart from the places covered just now by the armor, the rest was stained entirely with blood, fresh blood on his sleeves and hems like red patterns embroidered there.

He walked to the ship’s side, lowered his head to look at Wang Changzhen and the General of the Governor Mansion below, and said with a smiling air, "Lord Wang, it’s been a long time since I crossed blades with anyone; forgive me. This scene today reminds me of more than ten years ago, when the Prime Minister ordered us to slaughter the Jianghu. Back then I alone could wipe out an entire sect and still go down the mountain to drink through the night. Later, following by Prince Jing’s side, I could go an entire year without drawing a weapon even once. I did not expect that killing a few Jianghu riffraff now would take this much effort."

Wang Changzhen’s expression tightened.

After staying in the south for so long, he had almost forgotten that Ritual Supervision was a government office that ate people and spat out no bones.

Feng Daban tossed his long sword to the Jiefan Guard beside him and ordered, "There are still nine live ones in the cabin. Bring them out. And send some men to check the Anti-Japanese Army’s ship, see what’s left on board."

More than ten Jiefan Guards hurriedly ducked into the cabin, and more than ten others piloted a ship out to sea.

Wang Changzhen raised his head to look at Feng Daban. "Since Lord Feng is taking over here, I shall take my leave."

"Hold on." Feng Daban leisurely rolled up his sleeves, and with just that one phrase, the more than four hundred Jiefan Guards on the Berth Pier had already encircled Wang Changzhen and his men.

Wang Changzhen’s face sank like water. "Lord Feng, what is the meaning of this?"

Feng Daban finished rolling his sleeves and smiled. "Lord Wang, earlier someone said you were the pirates’ backing, and I didn’t believe it. Now a major Collaborating with the Japanese case has just broken out at Dinghai Port, and Lord Wang immediately instigates a bunch of Jianghu riffraff to assassinate the Anti-Japanese Army—under these circumstances, I can’t help but believe it."

Wang Changzhen’s hand tightened on the reins, yet his face remained impassive. "Lord Feng, do not be misled by others chasing shadows. I too received word and came to suppress these Jianghu riffraff."

Feng Daban shook his head. "What exactly Lord Wang came here to do—come back with me to the inner prison Pipa Hall in Jinling and explain it clearly. If Lord Wang is clean, our Ritual Supervision certainly will not make things difficult. But if you truly are the pirates’ backing..."

Wang Changzhen narrowed his eyes and cut him off. "Lord Feng intends to throw me into the inner prison and beat a confession out of me? I am a Second Grade Product official of the court, and moreover Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War in the Capital City Ministry of War. Even with a King’s Command Flag in your hand, you cannot simply toss me into the inner prison at will."

Feng Daban looked troubled. "That’s true. Let’s first interrogate those Jianghu riffraff and see if any of them recognize Lord Wang."

As he spoke, the Jiefan Guard carried six Jianghu Officials back onto the deck and whispered, "My lord, three have swallowed poison and killed themselves; only six are still alive."

Feng Daban frowned. "I checked those men; there were no poison bags hidden in their mouths."

The Jiefan Guard opened his palm; there lay a severed finger. "The poison was hidden under the nail. I took a sniff—it’s the taste of the Dao Court ’Three Ministries’. Once it’s dabbed on a wound, there’s no surviving."

Feng Daban was silent for a moment, then picked out a man whose whole body was trembling. "Let’s start with him."

A Jiefan Guard lifted the man by the collar with one hand and brought him to the ship’s side. Feng Daban pointed at Wang Changzhen. "Little brother, do you recognize this man?"

The man looked at Wang Changzhen, then turned to look at Feng Daban, unsure for the moment what Feng Daban wanted from him. "My lord, I...should I recognize him or not?"

Feng Daban said gently, "Just speak the truth, little brother. If you recognize him, say you recognize him; if you don’t, say you don’t."

The man hesitated for a moment. "I recognize him..."

Wang Changzhen let out a cold laugh. "If you recognize me, then say what my official name is!"

The man stammered and stumbled. "He’s called...called..."

Feng Daban narrowed his eyes and stared at the man. "Do you actually know this lord’s name?"

The man shook his head in terror. "I don’t know, my lord."

Wang Changzhen burst into hearty laughter. "Lord Feng, the one who fed you this information has tricked you. I am Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War in the Capital City Ministry of War; how could I be entangled with this rabble of bandits?"

Feng Daban frowned, saying nothing for quite some time. After a moment, he asked the man in a deep voice, "Who sent you to Dinghai Port, and for what purpose?"

The man, held by the collar in the Jiefan Guard’s grip, had his face flushed scarlet from the pressure. "I’m an escort in Jinling City who takes jobs. A few days ago, Zhou Yan from the Ghost Market by the Qinhuai River gave me fifty taels of gold, saying a shipment on a ship had been robbed and asking me to come help settle accounts. On the way here I sensed something was off, but..."

Feng Daban sneered. "But fifty taels of gold as a deposit, and if you backed out you’d have to return one hundred taels?"

The man spoke softly. "No. Zhou Yan said if I backed out, he didn’t want Silver Coin—he wanted the lives of my entire family in exchange."

Feng Daban asked back, "And where is Zhou Yan?"

The man hurriedly pointed to the cabin. "Before you forced your way in, my lord, he had already swallowed poison."

Feng Daban sighed. "Who knows which of the Eight Great Merchants it is; bold indeed, to try to fool Mr. Hu. And it’s not just one house—seven families all playing games, with only one truly sending someone in the Seeking Dao Realm."

Wang Changzhen said darkly, "Lord Feng, do not make reckless claims. What has any of this to do with Mr. Hu? If you keep spouting nonsense, I will certainly impeach you."

Feng Daban ignored Wang Changzhen and had another man brought over by the Jiefan Guard. "Who ordered you?"

The man’s voice shook. "I also make my living running escorts..."

Feng Daban questioned all six in succession: two were escort masters, two were Jianghu Killers, two were mountain bandits who had already performed Golden Basin Hand Washing; all were Officials, but two of them hadn’t even reached the Innate stage.

Standing on the deck, Feng Daban frowned, lost in some thought.

Wang Changzhen said lazily, "Lord Feng, having taken Dinghai Port is already a great merit; you should stop while you’re ahead and not let greed for merit ruin yourself. If there’s nothing more here, I’ll take my leave—Jinling still has many affairs waiting for me to handle."

Feng Daban said nothing, and could only stand by the ship’s rail, quietly watching Wang Changzhen turn his horse and leave.

Wang Changzhen led his men and horses to the archway at the dock. Dozens of Jiefan Guards blocked the way; they said nothing, but they also refused to let them pass.

He turned back to look at Feng Daban, and asked with a smile, "Lord Feng still won’t give up? Do you truly mean to beat a Second-rank Official of the court into a forced confession? Even that Poison Minister in the Jiefan Building wouldn’t dare act so, would he?"

Feng Daban smiled without smiling: "Please come back and wait a moment, Lord Wang, and allow Mr. Feng to think this over once more."

As his words fell, the Jiefan Guards all drew the sabers at their waists, then urged their horses in unison, forcing Wang Changzhen and his men back onto the Berth Pier.

Wang Changzhen was furious, and shouted harshly, "You lot of the Eunuch Party, do you think you can cover the sky with one hand? Clear the way for this official!"

But just then, lonely hoofbeats sounded again outside Dinghai Port.

The hoofbeats grew closer, faster, heavier; iron hooves drummed on the bluestone road like a war drum—this was no ordinary hoofbeat.

Everyone looked over, and saw a splash of red-brown enter their vision: a powerful red-brown horse was galloping, its mane and tail flaring wildly, and the woman on its back, clad in a white archer’s robe, shot toward the dock like an arrow.

Prince Fu was stunned. "Little sister-in-law?"

Zhang Xia spurred her horse in a headlong charge; Zaozao was fierce, and once within thirty paces her momentum alone drove all the warhorses back against their will, even the Jiefan Guards’ mounts were no exception—the reins couldn’t hold them.

She urged her horse through a gap and came to the Anti-Japanese Army’s great ship. Looking up and seeing Feng Daban there, she was a little surprised. "What is Feng Daban doing here?"

Feng Daban explained, "Mr. Feng was entrusted by the Anti-Japanese Army to come investigate the great case of Collaborating with the Japanese at Dinghai Port."

Zhang Xia thought for a moment, then looked out to sea. "And the Anti-Japanese Army?"

Feng Daban pointed at Zheng Jiye and the others on the dock. "Those would be them."

Zhang Xia’s gaze swept over the faces of the Anti-Japanese Army one by one. "Just these?"

Chen Yu answered, "Just these."

Zhang Xia raised her brows slightly and muttered under her breath, "They ran off again!"

Feng Daban stepped down from the great ship onto a sampan. "Second Miss Zhang must have rushed here from Jinling day and night. What brings you?"

Zhang Xia tossed over, through the air, a sheet of paper folded into quarters. "Four days ago, a batch of Jianghu Officials set out from Jinling for Dinghai Port. They didn’t dare take the water route for fear of stirring up the Cao Guild. By land, without relay stations to change horses, it would take them at least seven to ten days of travel. This is the fire ticket issued by the Capital City Ministry of War, used by those Jianghu Officials to borrow horses at relay stations along the way; it is enough to serve as proof that the Ministry of War secretly directed them to commit murder. If that’s still not enough, you can have the posthouse soldiers identify them; they’re sure to remember some of these men."

Wang Changzhen’s expression changed. He searched the area for a certain figure, but suddenly realized that from beginning to end that person was not here. The man had set out from Jinling, yet vanished after reaching Dinghai Port.

This Ministry of War Fire Ticket should have been in that man’s keeping, to be burned after use... could he have fallen to the Zhang Family’s poisonous hand?

Feng Daban suddenly burst out laughing, laughing in great satisfaction.

He pointed from the deck at Wang Changzhen and the others. "Seize them!"

The Jiefan Guards surged forward as one, dragging the Central Army Commander’s Mansion troops from their horses.

In the chaos, Wang Changzhen grabbed the collar of the Governor Mansion’s General, yanking him askew in the saddle, and leaned in to hiss, "Remember, once you’re in the inner prison, don’t say a single word. You and I are both third-rank court officials; even Meng Ji can’t judge us. As long as you and I keep our mouths shut, the Hu Family still has room to maneuver. If you and I sell out Mr. Hu of the Hu Family, not only will you and I die, but every male in our households will be exiled to Lingnan, and all the womenfolk will be thrown into the Imperial Music Bureau!"

The General’s lips trembled. "I know, but..."

Before he could finish, the Jiefan Guards had already pulled the two of them apart, hauling them down from their horses one after another.

On the other side, Chen Yu looked to Prince Fu. "Your Highness, with Hu Junye’s left and right arms in Jiangnan hacked off this time, I fear this brings you a hundred harms and not one benefit. Are you truly willing to do this?"

Prince Fu was silent.

In that silence, the Jiefan Guards who had gone to search the Anti-Japanese Army’s great ship steered their vessel back.

Before the ship had fully come alongside, a Jiefan Guard called out loudly to report to Feng Daban, "My lord, there truly is no one aboard the Anti-Japanese Army’s ship. They... they also took away the customs silver that Dinghai Port has collected these past few days."

Feng Daban froze. The customs Silver had been taken?

Only then did Prince Fu and the others recall that the Anti-Japanese Army had already been collecting customs at Dinghai Port for ten days.

The Jiefan Guard Thousand Households murmured at Feng Daban’s side, "My lord, no wonder they fled. Ships entering and leaving Dinghai Port this season only do so over these few days; just these days alone likely brought in nearly a hundred thousand taels worth of Silver Coin... and it’s all Your Majesty’s Silver."

Feng Daban narrowed his eyes.

The Jiefan Guard Thousand Households continued, "With so much Silver, it would be too inconvenient to haul it off by cart and horse—they must have exchanged it for Buddhist Treasure at nearby temples. If I take men to question the temples around here, we’ll know exactly how much Silver they took and can see this Silver recovered..."

Just then, Chen Yu suddenly laughed. "My advice is that you’d best not chase it."

Feng Daban turned to look, and saw Chen Yu leading over two warhorses from the Central Army Commander’s Mansion, mounting up together with Chen Xu.

Feng Daban spoke in a soft voice, "Imperial Censor, this is Your Majesty’s Silver—why tell us not to pursue it?"

Chen Yu sat astride his horse, smiling pleasantly. "This Imperial Censor is kindly reminding you: that person has always liked to use Silver as Daozi. Last time, at the pawnshop, that stroke of the Daozi fell on the Xu Family; and this time, at Dinghai Port, the stroke has already chopped down on the Xu Family and Lord Wang. Where the next stroke will fall is still unknown... If you ask me to guess, I’d say: whoever goes chasing this Silver, the next stroke falls on them."