Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 698 A fire caused by the drunken moon brings harm to innocent bystanders.

On a sweltering summer morning, the air was still thick with the pungent smell of burning, a mixture of moisture and ashes, hanging heavily over Hidden Spring Workshop.

Zuiyue Tower, this once extravagant den of iniquity, has now been reduced to a massive, twisted, charred ruin, emitting wisps of smoke. Only a few broken pillars and beams remain stubbornly standing, like the skeletal remains of a giant beast that has been completely devoured.

Although the fire was extinguished last night, its residual heat lingered, with occasional sparks popping from beneath the scorching rubble. The fire mercilessly engulfed Zuiyue Tower itself and spread further, burning down more than a dozen shops and residences in the surrounding area. Most of Yinchunfang was reduced to ruins, with the broken walls and rubble a shocking sight.

Burnt beams, furniture wreckage, and other debris that couldn't be salvaged lay damp and piled up on the muddy streets. Besides the smell of burning, a faint, unsettling, and indescribably sweet, fishy odor lingered in the air.

A blue official sedan chair stopped outside the ruins. The curtain was lifted, and Zheng Zao, the prefectural judge of Hancheng, stepped down with a stern face, wearing a black official robe with a round collar and a black gauze hat.

Zheng Zao, around fifty years old, had a gaunt face, but now his brow was furrowed, and his eyes reflected deep weariness and worry. As the highest administrative official of Hanyang Prefecture, this catastrophe in the heart of the capital was undoubtedly a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. In any other year, he would probably have been bombarded with impeachments from the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Censors by this morning. But in this sensitive period, with the king deposed, the Ming army stationed, and all sides lying in wait, even worse things were likely to follow.

"Why did this have to happen to me!" Zheng Zao lamented inwardly.

General Jin Xuanwu of the Bureau of Arrest and Crackdown, along with his deputy, Officer Ming Ruikai, were already waiting at the edge of the ruins. Jin Xuanwu, dressed in plain clothes, was covered in mud and soot, his face streaked with black and white, his eyes bloodshot, and his lips cracked—clearly exhausted from directing the firefighting efforts all night. Seeing Judge Zheng alight from his sedan chair, he immediately led Ming Ruikai forward, bowing deeply in greeting. "Your humble servants, Jin Xuanwu and Ming Ruikai, pay our respects to Judge Zheng!"

Zheng Zao slightly raised his hand, gesturing for the two to dispense with formalities. "General Jin, you've worked hard. What exactly happened? What are the casualties? What is the damage?"

Kim Hyun-woo forced himself to stay awake, his voice still hoarse, carrying a deep weariness and heaviness: "Reporting to Judge Jung. Last night, the fire broke out rapidly, fueled by the wind, making firefighting extremely difficult. Despite our best efforts, Zuiyue Tower was completely destroyed, and neighboring shops and residences were also affected. Preliminary counts indicate that the fire destroyed no fewer than thirty houses. As for the casualties..."

Kim Hyun-moo paused, his facial muscles twitching painfully. "Of the residents inside and around the building, those who perished in the fire... are estimated to be no fewer than fifty or sixty. In addition, there are over a hundred others suffering burns or smoke inhalation and unconscious. All have been sent to the hospital for treatment. The exact list is still being verified..."

"My God, how could this happen?" Such heavy casualties weighed heavily on Zheng Zao's heart like a boulder. He was about to press for details when Kim Hyun-woo seemed to recall something even more terrifying; his face turned deathly pale, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Jing Panyin. There's another matter, extremely thorny..." Jin Xuanwu swallowed hard, as if a lump of coal was stuck in his throat, "According to... according to the identification of those who escaped last night, at least three Ming army officers who stayed at Zuiyue Tower... failed to escape. Among them... one of them seems to be... Jin, the captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard!?" A chill ran from the soles of Zheng Zao's feet straight to the top of his head. He saw stars before his eyes and his body swayed violently! If it weren't for the quick-thinking officer Ming Ruikai beside him who grabbed his arm, Zheng Zao would have fallen to the ground.

Zheng Zao felt his mouth go dry, and his back was quickly soaked with cold sweat. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but found that his throat felt like it was being choked by something, and he couldn't utter a single word.

--------

Shortly after the morning bells rang out, a rapid and imposing sound of horses' hooves tore through the noise near the fire site from afar.

The crowd was roughly dispersed, and a group of more than ten riders sped into the scene. The leader was dressed in the uniform of a fifth-rank military officer, with a long, narrow sword at his waist, and a face as cold and hard as iron. Closely following behind him was Lu Jianxing, who had escaped the fire the previous night.

The fifth-rank military officer reined in his horse. He looked down at them, his cold gaze like a sharp blade, sweeping over Zheng Zao, Kim Hyun-moo, and the other North Korean officials, finally settling on Zheng Zao's face, which was etched with exhaustion and fear.

"I am Lu Wenzhao, Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I am here on orders from Supervisor Yuan and Young Marshal Luo." Lu Wenzhao spoke in Korean. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable, rock-solid weight, striking clearly into everyone's hearts. "The person in charge, come out and speak!"

"I am Zheng Zao, the Prefect of Hancheng, and I greet Lord Lu." Zheng Zao bowed in a trembling voice.

"I am Jin Xuanwu, a general of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and I greet Lord Lu." Jin Xuanwu was panting heavily.

"It has been reported that some of our Ming soldiers may have been caught in the fire last night. This matter is of great importance," Lu Wenzhao's voice suddenly turned stern, each word carrying an unquestionable and absolute authority: "Therefore, effective immediately, this case is to be taken full control by my Imperial Guard! All witnesses and physical evidence at the scene are to be sealed! All soldiers under the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the yamen runners of Hancheng Prefecture are to be at my command from this moment forward and provide full assistance without fail!"

The official hat of the second-rank Prefect of Hancheng Prefecture seemed so pale and powerless before the fifth-rank Imperial Guard. Zheng Zao swallowed hard, his mouth opening and closing several times, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he asked nothing, said nothing, and didn't even ask to see the identification badge. "Yes, sir!"

"What's the situation on the ground?" Lu Wenzhao dismounted and threw down the reins.

Zheng Zao opened his mouth and turned to throw the question to Kim Hyun-moo: "General Kim, you've been busy here for most of the night, so you know the situation better. Why don't you tell me?"

Kim Hyun-woo's face was ashen. The exhaustion from fighting the fire last night and the anxiety he felt now made the burly man, who was over seven feet tall, almost unable to stand. He didn't want to answer at all, but now that the question was posed to him, he dared not push it any further.

"The fire destroyed a total of 36 houses and shops. Preliminary estimates suggest at least 60 people perished in the flames." Kim Hyun-woo bowed deeply, his voice hoarse. "As of now, we have recovered 27 bodies. Two of them are... approximately, approximately..."

"Are they soldiers of my Great Ming Dynasty?" Lu Jianxing stepped forward, his face grim as he finished speaking for Kim Hyun-woo.

“That’s right.” Kim Hyun-woo shuddered.

"Who are they?" Lu Wenzhao asked, frowning.

"The waist tag was completely stuck to his body, making it impossible to identify his name. We were afraid of disrespecting the deceased, so we didn't remove it. However, judging from the style, it is definitely the official style of the Celestial Empire." Jin Xuanwu had already recognized the waist tag of the Imperial Guard envoy, but fearing that the Imperial Guards in front of him would be angry if they heard it, he simply used euphemisms to give a vague report.

"Where is the body?" Lu Wenzhao asked without suspicion.

“Over there.” Kim Hyun-woo raised his hand, reaching over Lu Wenzhao’s shoulder, and pointed to a house that had been burned but had not collapsed.

"Let's go." Lu Wenzhao turned his head and continued as they walked, "General Jin, I heard the source of the fire is a brothel called Drunken Moon Pavilion?"

Kim Hyun-woo, hunched over, followed behind Lu Wenzhao and said, "Although it's not certain yet, the vast majority of those who escaped and those who witnessed it said that Zuiyue Tower was the first place to catch fire. And the casualties there were the most severe."

"Where is it? That Drunken Moon Pavilion." Lu Wenzhao looked around and saw only a patch of pale, broken walls amidst the gray and black.

“It’s over there,” Kim Hyun-woo said, pointing to several soldiers from the bandit-catching camp who were watering and digging in the ruins of Zuiyue Tower.

The fire left the ground white and ashes, a scene of utter devastation. Without these soldiers marking the way, he wouldn't have been able to quickly locate the Drunken Moon Pavilion amidst the rubble and dust.

"Have you found out the cause of the fire?" Lu Wenzhao looked in the direction indicated, but his steps did not deviate at all.

“Uh…” Kim Hyun-woo’s eyes darted around in their sockets. “There are many conflicting theories, and it’s difficult to verify them all at once.” “What are these theories?” Lu Wenzhao asked, looking away.

“Some say it was a fire in the backyard, some say it was a fire in the kitchen, some say it was a fire in the woodpile, and others say…” Kim Hyun-woo stuck out his parched tongue and gently licked his equally dry lips. “Drunk guests caused trouble in the lobby, and in the struggle, they knocked over the oil lamp and set the curtains on fire.” Kim Hyun-woo didn’t even dare to say that the troublemakers were Ming army officers.

"Causing trouble?" Lu Wenzhao's tone wavered slightly.

“This is just one version of events,” Kim Hyun-moo quickly said. “Moreover, we have received contradictory testimonies regarding this version of events alone.”

"What testimony?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"It's said that after the overturned oil lamp ignited the gauze curtains, a guest immediately came down from the second floor and extinguished the fire with his own clothes." Kim Hyun-woo's worried face seemed to have a deliberate attempt to ingratiate himself. "Therefore, I believe that whether this is the real cause of the fire still needs to be investigated."

"Have you found these troublemakers?" Lu Wenzhao glanced at Lu Jianxing subconsciously.

"We have limited manpower, so we haven't had time yet," Kim Hyun-moo shook his head.

Lu Wenzhao nodded slightly. "Where are the eyewitnesses who provided these accounts now?"

"The injured were sent to the nearest clinic, while the uninjured were taken to the Hanyang Prefecture government office," Kim Hyun-woo said.

"Which clinic?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

Kim Hyun-moo thought for a moment. "It should be Renhe Medical Clinic."

"Send someone to take him there." Lu Wenzhao casually summoned a member of the Imperial Guard.

"Yes." Kim Hyun-woo also beckoned to one of his subordinates.

"Once we're over there, get everyone's testimonies as quickly as possible," Lu Wenzhao told the Imperial Guard. "Don't let anyone leave until we receive new orders."

"Yes!" The Imperial Guard bowed in acceptance and then turned to leave the scene with Kim Hyun-woo's men.

“Zheng Pan Yin.” Lu Wenzhao then looked at Zheng Zao, the magistrate of Hanyang.

"Huh? Ah. I'm here!" Zheng Zao followed, but his mind was elsewhere.

"I want you to send all the witnesses who were taken to the Hanyang Prefectural Government Office to the Yijinfu," Lu Wenzhao ordered.

"The Righteous Forbidden Prefecture!?" Zheng Zao exclaimed in surprise.

"Is there a problem?" Lu Wenzhao asked, frowning.

"This fire shouldn't involve the palace." Zheng Zao said, then suddenly realized that the current Yijinfu was no longer the Yijinfu of the past, but rather the lair of the Jinyiwei.

"Not involving anything?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"It's nothing, I was just a bit out of it," Zheng Zao said with a forced smile. "I'll go back and arrange the handover right away!"

Lu Wenzhao immediately realized that Zheng Zao wanted to take this opportunity to leave, but he didn't say anything more. "You guys go with him. Once you get there, take charge of the government office."

"Should we seal off Hanyang Prefecture?" Luo Shi, the leader, glanced at Zheng Zao with a sly smile.

Zheng Zao looked stern, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching incessantly.

"No need for that. The government offices will continue to operate as usual. Just keep a close eye on things," Lu Wenzhao said.

"Yes." Luo Shi, the centurion, bowed in response and then put his arm around Zheng Zao's shoulder.

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Lu Wenzhao ignored Zheng Panyin who had left, and led Lu Jianxing and several trusted guards, under the guidance of Jin Xuanwu, into the courtyard of the house that was being used as a temporary morgue.

As soon as the courtyard gate opened, a pungent stench, a mixture of burnt, greasy, and the sweet, fishy smell of decaying entrails, assaulted the nostrils, making it hard to breathe. The aura of death, almost tangible, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, making even breathing difficult.

The courtyard grounds were densely covered with straw mats or coarse linen. Beneath these coverings, dozens of twisted, curled-up, charred and deformed human figures were outlined. Some of these figures were in bizarre "fighting stances," while others were almost completely charred and indistinguishable.

The house had also been burned, so the ground was wet. There was dark brown mud everywhere, and almost every two steps you would step into a puddle of sewage mixed with some unknown substance.

Lu Wenzhao remained expressionless, his gaze like a cold probe sweeping across this hellish scene. The Imperial Guards behind him, though accustomed to death, also looked grim; some instinctively covered their mouths and noses. Jin Xuanwu was deathly pale. Perhaps still filled with fervor and duty while fighting the fire last night, the intense physical discomfort of witnessing such a concentrated death made his stomach churn.

“General Jin,” Lu Wenzhao’s voice broke the deathly silence, cold and hard as ever, “Where are the two bodies of our soldiers you mentioned earlier?”

“Reporting to Lord Lu…” Kim Hyun-woo suppressed his nausea and pointed slightly to a somewhat empty corner of the courtyard with a trembling voice: “It’s over there. It’s placed separately.”

Lu Wenzhao strode forward, his boots making a soft sound as they stepped on the damp, cold ground. In the corner, two corpses were also covered with burlap, but their bodies were more intact than most of the charred corpses in the courtyard, and human figures could still be vaguely discerned. He gestured, and a member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward and carefully lifted the coverings.

(End of this chapter)