After a long while, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed as Han Anbo burst through the door, leaning on a table to catch his breath.
"Brother Zheng, what’s wrong?"
Zheng Hui recounted what had happened.
Han Anbo frowned and analyzed the situation. "In the old days, we Night Guards would just show up at their door and take the person. But if we do that now, they’ll have something to hold over us. This person found the alleged victim and came prepared, setting a trap for us. He took your money but didn’t say a word. I suspect that besides revenge, he also wants to bleed you dry, squeezing you for every last drop. Once there’s nothing left to take, he’ll let him go."
"I’ll sell everything I own if I have to!" Zheng Hui said.
Han Anbo sighed. "Brother Zheng, you’re panicking because you care so much. You think selling everything will be the end of it, but this is them bleeding you dry. After you sell everything you own, they’ll make you sell your house and land. After that, they’ll force you into debt. And when you can’t pay it back, they’ll force you to sell yourselves into servitude. Those officials, merchants, and landowners are masters of this game; they’ve been passing it down for generations."
Zheng Hui clenched his teeth.
The method sounded familiar to Li Qingxian. ’I feel like I’ve encountered this somewhere before.’
"Brother Han, do you know anyone in the West District Military Department?" Li Qingxian asked.
"I know some people, but their Grade Level isn’t high. The person we’re dealing with is Eighth Grade. An ordinary Seventh Grade official might not have enough clout to handle him; we’d need a Middle Grade official at least. But who among us knows a Middle Grade official in the Military Department? And even if we did, imagine asking a Sixth Grade official from the Military Department for help. How big of a favor would that be?"
Li Qingxian shook his head.
"The key issue is that arresting thieves and criminals is the Military Department’s duty. As for when they hand him over to the Divine Capital Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, they can easily drag it out for ten days or more. If they don’t see any money today, tomorrow they’ll send... people to threaten you, to force Brother Zheng to raise the funds," Han Anbo said.
Zheng Hui secretly wiped away a tear.
"Are there any other options?" Li Qingxian asked.
"It’s difficult. They have witnesses and evidence, so they can do as they please without repercussions. Our only option is to wait for the Divine Capital Prefecture Magistrate’s Office to take custody of him. It’s easier to pull strings there than at the Military Department," Han Anbo said.
"If it really comes to it, I’ll go ask Uncle Zhou. He should know people in the Military Department," Li Qingxian said.
Han Anbo said, "The Five Cities Military Department and the Night Guard have been at odds for a long time, and that’s not going to change, not right under the Emperor’s nose. If Lord Zhou steps in, he’d probably have to find intermediaries and owe a huge favor. The main issue is Gao Jue’s status as a civilian. If they had dared to arrest Brother Zheng, we Night Guards would have been justified in storming the Military Department, and no one could blame us."
Zheng Hui sighed in despair.
Li Qingxian mulled it over for a moment, then smiled. "What if Zheng Gaojue was also one of us Night Guards?"
"Huh?" Zheng Hui looked completely baffled.
Han Anbo’s face lit up. "Can you do it?"
"For something like this, it just means I’ll owe Uncle Zhou a favor. It’s a small matter! Come on, let’s go to the Chunfeng Inn. If Uncle Zhou isn’t there, we’ll go look for him."
The three of them stood up. Zheng Hui grabbed Li Qingxian’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Captain Li, will it really work?"
"Just set your mind at ease. You’re one of our Night Guards. Now that your son is in trouble, Uncle Zhou can’t just ignore it."
The group arrived at the Chunfeng Inn, but Zhou Chunfeng wasn’t there, so Li Qingxian had a Guard go find him.
Li Qingxian invited the other two to sit, but they didn’t dare, and simply stood outside the room.
Before long, footsteps could be heard outside.
Li Qingxian looked over and saw Zhou Chunfeng, lifting his emerald green robes as he stepped over the threshold, with Zhou Henn following behind him.
"Uncle Zhou," Li Qingxian said, walking up to greet him. "My Room A9 is short-staffed. Captain Zheng’s son, Zheng Gaojue, is tall, strong, and honest. If he tempers himself in the Night Guard for a few years, he’s sure to succeed at Entering Grade. I think we should let him join us."
Zhou Chunfeng glanced at the two men who were bowing in greeting, his gaze lingering on Han Anbo for a split second. As he walked into the room, he said, "No problem. Is it urgent?"
Li Qingxian followed him, explaining the day’s events as they walked. By the time he finished, Zhou Chunfeng had taken a seat.
Zhou Chunfeng snorted coldly. "How utterly lawless! I’ll issue the appointment letter right now to make Zheng Gaojue a Night Guard. Take my Golden Token..."
The air suddenly froze.
Zhou Chunfeng, Zhou Henn, Li Qingxian, and Han Anbo all stared at the empty Command Token Barrel on the table.
Li Qingxian gave a mischievous chuckle, took two Golden Tokens out of his Qiankun Bracelet, placed them in the Command Token Bamboo Tube, then took one back out and held it in his hand.
Zheng Hui, standing at the door, was dumbfounded. Han Anbo wiped the sweat from his brow.
"And the other one?"
"To have Han Anbo establish an Art Troupe to help the Divine Capital Bureau gather intelligence and prevent villains from disrupting the Emperor’s birthday celebration," Li Qingxian said with a perfectly straight face.
"Hmph!"
Zhou Chunfeng shot Li Qingxian a glare, then picked up his brush and said, "Zheng Hei, give me the details on your son—hometown, appearance, and so on."
"Thank you, Lord Zhou! Thank you, Lord Zhou! My son’s full name is Zheng Gaojue..."
A short while later, Zhou Chunfeng finished writing the document appointing Zheng Gaojue as a Night Guard of Room A9. He then wrote another letter and said, "This is for Commander Tann of the West District Military Department. Go on, now. Don’t bring shame to the Night Guard."
"As you command!"
Li Qingxian stepped forward and collected the two letters. "The other side might be tough to deal with. I’d like to get some backup from Room Leader Hex."
"Fine." After speaking, Zhou Chunfeng raised his right hand to his lips and gave a soft cough.
"Have you been taking your loquat syrup?"
"I have."
"Don’t forget—at least once a day. Uncle Zhou, I’ll be going now." Li Qingxian waved the documents in his hand and left with the other two men.
Zhou Chunfeng stared out the door. After a moment, he said, "Follow them from a distance, in case the Military Department tries anything reckless."
"Yes, sir." Zhou Henn strode away.
Li Qingxian found Hex Lei, the Room Leader of the Street Patrol Room. After Hex Lei saw the Golden Token and heard how one of his own had been wronged, he began cursing out the Military Department.
"The Border Army are tigers, the Capital Camp are wolves, and the Military Department are little lambs! Those sons of bitches need to be taught a lesson! But the Night Guard isn’t what it used to be; a small group won’t work. Don’t you worry. We’ll wait until noon, when all the Night Guard brothers are back. We’ll get a full meal in us, and then we’ll go fuck them up!"
Li Qingxian took out some silver coins and had Han Anbo contact the Dining Hall to prepare a great feast for the men of the Street Patrol Room.
As noon approached, Night Guards from all over the Street Patrol Room returned to find long tables set up under the great locust tree in the courtyard. Huge basins of stewed chicken, braised mutton, red-braised pork knuckle, and red-braised pork belly steamed alongside white rice, their fragrant aromas filling the air.
Once everyone had gathered, Hex Lei explained the situation with the Military Department. Coupled with the fact that Zheng Hui was known for being a loyal and righteous comrade, the Night Guards began to roar with indignation.
"Kill those Military Department bastards!"
"Let’s stew those little lambs!"
"The Night Guard won’t let the Military Department walk all over us!"
Hex Lei nodded in satisfaction and bellowed, "Fill your bellies and build your strength! Then follow me to the Military Department to get our man back!"
The Night Guards tore into the meat and shoveled down the rice.
After they had eaten their fill, they took a short break, and many of them went to console Zheng Hui.
When the time came, the four divisions of the Street Patrol Room—A, B, C, and D—mustered one hundred and twenty Night Guards. They checked their weapons, brought crossbows, door-breaching equipment, and even hitched up two horse-drawn carriages.
It was just after noon, when most Night Guards were resting in their Government Offices.
Along the way, Night Guards from other bureaus kept asking what was going on. When they heard the group was heading for the Military Department and that the one and only Fate Master was leading them, people continuously joined the procession.
The Night Guards from the Demon Hunting Bureau all remembered the arrangements Li Qingxian and Han Anbo had made for their fallen comrades, and they called on their friends to join the group.
By the time they marched out of the Night Guard’s main gate, the force had grown to nearly three hundred strong.
Zheng Hui watched the column of Night Guards, his eyes red. He slowly straightened his back, as if he had returned to his prime.
Han Anbo walked over and said, "They have a witness, which could cause unforeseen problems. I think it would be best if we go find the witness directly and get the story straight."
"I agree. We should bring the person to the Imperial Prison to prevent the Military Department from getting to them first."