Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 218 Father and Son Working Together
"Jinyiwei?"

"Yes……"

Haiyue was just wondering why the Embroidered Uniform Guard didn't thoroughly investigate people like Madam Sheng who had access to information about powerful figures. Wasn't that a bit too useless?

As it turned out, while their methods might have been rigid, they weren't truly incompetent; they understood the importance of making the best use of people.

One of the duties of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was to monitor the powerful and wealthy classes in the capital, especially the bureaucratic class.

However, large-scale surveillance is not only laborious and time-consuming, but also easily attracts criticism. On the other hand, a matchmaker like Sheng can use marriage as a starting point to investigate each family thoroughly and openly. Both the man and woman will think that she is serious and responsible, which is indeed suitable for providing the Embroidered Uniform Guard with a continuous stream of private intelligence.

It's no wonder, given the excellent reputation of this top official matchmaker in the capital; none of the marriages she has arranged have ended in separation.

On the one hand, divorce or separation from a wife is a major event that affects both families, and usually even if the relationship breaks down, it will not go that far.
On the other hand, in order to maintain Lady Qiansi's authority, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would naturally try to suppress those whose marriages had broken down. After all, once they had a handle on her, they could use coercion and inducement to control her at will.

Haiyue pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "So, the person who tracked down your parents and forced you to stay away from Qiongshan has nothing to do with the Liyuan Society?"

"Liyuan Society... Ha! It has nothing to do with us!"

Hai Hao laughed and said, "Those who are afraid of the Li Yuan Society are the high-ranking officials in the imperial court and the emperor in the Forbidden City, because these people are of noble status and cannot afford to suffer losses! As for us Jianghu people, the Li Yuan Society may try to bribe us in secret, but they dare not provoke us. If things really get out of hand, who is afraid of whom? If the Li Yuan Society really has the ability to send a group of people to relentlessly chase after me and your mother, then it is not a secret society, but a group of open rebels!"

Haiyue understood and continued to ask, "Then who is it that is relentlessly pursuing Jianwen's secret treasure?"

Hai Hao stared at him: "You've already entered officialdom, you're an official appointed by the court, are you really prepared to know these things?"

"Running away from problems won't solve anything..."

Haiyue said solemnly, "It is precisely because I have entered officialdom that I must know this answer!"

"it is good!"

Hai Hao no longer evaded the question and gave the answer directly: "The people following us all these years are the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard! To be precise, it's a group led by Sun Weixian, the Commander of the Southern Garrison!"

With the groundwork laid earlier, Haiyue was not surprised and immediately asked, "Did this group of people not report the matter of Jianwen's secret treasure?"

Hai Hao raised his thick eyebrows, somewhat surprised: "Why do you think that?"

Haiyue said, "Because Elder Mo said that the group of thieves who were tracking you were hesitant to act rashly and did not want to really fight to the death. At the time, I thought it was my father's martial prowess and the power of the Yinglue Society that served as a deterrent. Now it seems that they were probably investigating for their own selfish reasons and naturally did not want to make a big fuss. Otherwise, even if the secret treasure was opened, it would not be their turn to enjoy the wealth inside. If they really wanted to offer it to the court, why would they go to such lengths?"

"Haha! Good lad! You're really something!"

Haihao was overjoyed: "Your mother and I dealt with these people for a while before we realized this, but you saw it right away. You're amazing!"

Haiyue was also quite curious: "Even the Imperial Guards in Nanjing are relentlessly pursuing us. Could it be that the legendary Jianwen secret treasure is really true?"

"Have!"

Hai Hao said with certainty, "The secret treasure definitely exists. Those people from the Southern Garrison have obtained the craftsmen's records from back then, which clearly record the boxes being transported into the secret treasure. At that time, they were heavy boxes, and it was definitely the imperial court that transferred the treasure there!"

Haiyue thought that the transcript could also be forged, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard could access old cases from the imperial court, so perhaps they really could find a way to prove its authenticity. But there was still a question: "Was it taken away afterwards?"

"This is the key!"

Hai Hao laughed and said, "The records are incomplete. There are records of the valuables being transported in back then, but whether they were taken away afterwards is unknown! So the secret treasure now may contain world-shaking treasures and rare objects, or it may just be dozens of empty boxes. Those who have been chasing it for nearly a hundred years and have worked hard for two or three generations are nothing but a joke!"

"But they still won't give up..."

Haiyue sighed softly: "Wealth moves people's hearts, especially this kind of windfall. There are countless legends of treasures since ancient times. Even the most illusory treasures have caused countless people to fight tooth and nail for them, let alone the real ones. This Sun Weixian of the Southern Garrison Command must be eliminated!"

"You're quite the bloodthirsty one, aren't you? That's a big shot in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You absolutely mustn't act rashly!"

Haihao was startled.

Despite his previous ruthless treatment of Mo Guangqi and his group, including drowning them in the river and destroying the evidence, he acted decisively only after observing that the court did not value the son of the traitor Mo Dengyong.

As expected, there was no trace left afterward, so his death was in vain.

It would be completely different if it were the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Unless they really decided to wander the world or even raise a flag to rebel, they would have to think twice about the consequences, even if it meant killing a junior officer.

"Father, don't worry, I won't do anything unwise!"

Haiyue comforted him, "There are many ways to get rid of someone. Direct assassination is only a last resort. Besides, it's related to the relentless pursuit of Jianwen's secret treasure. Simply killing Sun Weixian alone won't solve the problem..."

Hai Hao asked solemnly, "So what do you plan to do?" "This person has deep connections in the south. The first step is to transfer him away, preferably from Nanjing to Beijing!"

Haiyue answered without hesitation.

The Southern Garrison was also established during the Yongle reign. Its function was to supervise military discipline, and it was responsible for the internal legal and disciplinary supervision and personnel review of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It also managed military craftsmen and was in charge of military equipment manufacturing, household registration and archives and other affairs.

Compared to the Northern Garrison Command, which was in charge of the imperial prison, the Southern Garrison Command was clearly much weaker.

That's fine, but if its internal oversight can live up to its name, it would be a sharp weapon to curb the Northern Garrison Command.

Unfortunately, the Southern Garrison Command investigated a case of corruption within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but needed the Northern Garrison Command's cooperation in making arrests, which became a joke.

Over time, the Southern Garrison Command was nominally an institution mainly responsible for internal supervision and management of military craftsmen. Although it was on the same level as the Northern Garrison Command, its actual power and influence were far inferior to the latter. In Beijing, the Southern Garrison Command was basically a retirement home.

However, Nanjing is different.

Both the Imperial Guards in the two capitals had a Southern Garrison Command, but since Nanjing did not have a Northern Garrison Command, the Southern Garrison Command rose to prominence, and the Garrison Commander had a considerable number of men under his command.

Sun Weixian was clearly a powerful figure in the Nanjing Imperial Guard, which enabled him to exert influence over local strongmen like Hai Hao, even forcing him to leave his hometown and travel to various places to deal with him.

Therefore, the first thing Haiyue did was to make this local tyrant of the Southern Garrison relocate.

Upon hearing this, Hai Hao's expression turned strange, and he added, "Sun Weixian has already been transferred to the capital."

"Oh?"

Haiyue raised an eyebrow: "That's great!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is an independent system. Although he had even visited the Imperial Prison once, he had never met anyone except for Lu Bing's faction.

In contrast, in the previous case of the two skinning doubles, Commander Xiao Zhen was dismissed and subsequently disappeared without a trace. It is clear that the case was handled quietly, unlike the high-profile actions of the officials of the Six Ministries.

Could it be that Xiao Zhen's downfall prompted Sun Weixian to come to Beijing?

Regardless, this is definitely good news. Considering the timing of her parents' appearance, Haiyue chuckled, "Your trip to the capital this time is also related to Sun Weixian, isn't it?"

"No, no! Of course I came to see you! My son achieved the highest honor in the imperial examination, bringing glory to our Hai family!"

Hai Hao felt a little guilty, but he still told the truth: "As for Sun Weixian, we do want to take advantage of the fact that he has just arrived in the capital and is at his weakest. We can't keep being chased by the elite Jinyiwei all the time..."

"Those who want to monopolize Jianwen's secret treasure are not the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but just a bunch of bandits!"

Haiyue corrected him, and said coldly, "There are also factional struggles within the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If this person had stayed in Nanjing, I really wouldn't have been able to do anything to him. Now that he has been transferred to the capital, the situation is different. My son and I must work together to eliminate this threat!"

Brothers fighting tigers, father and son go into battle.

The two quickly determined their approach.

Haiyue has now officially entered officialdom, and naturally she is using the power of the bureaucracy.

Haihao, on the other hand, continues to follow the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) path. The two sides have already clashed before, and this time it's time for him to turn the tables and take the initiative.

After seeing her exhilarated father off, Haiyue returned to her bedside and pondered their current relationship, finding it quite interesting.

The Emperor, the Liyuan Society, the Jianghu heroes, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard—each of these four parties has its own advantages and fears.

The emperor was worried about Li Yuanshe because this group of thieves was hiding in the shadows, plotting against the unsuspecting, and impossible to guard against.
Li Yuanshe did not want to provoke the Jianghu people, because those with nothing to lose are not afraid of those with something to lose. The Jianghu people acted recklessly and would inevitably hinder their grand plan.
Jianghu heroes are unwilling to provoke the Embroidered Uniform Guard because the Embroidered Uniform Guard can use the power of the imperial court to carry out confiscation and extermination of families of civilian associations. Jianghu heroes also have wives, children and elderly parents, and are not all invincible people who are all alone.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard feared the emperor, because with a single word from the emperor, the Embroidered Uniform Guard could undergo a complete overhaul. Even the most powerful and imposing figures could fall from power instantly, or at worst, be moved to a different position, which would severely damage their power.
The loop is closed.

Of course, the relationship is not that simple; the individual's prominence must also be considered.

For example, people like Hai Hao are clearly not ordinary江湖客 (jianghu ke, meaning people who travel the martial arts world), and there are also former members of the Liyuan Society who have a strong江湖 (jianghu) style.

But in general, these niches are mutually restraining.

So how should one make good use of it?
Hai Yue pondered for a moment, then raised her eyebrows: "Madam Sheng, the top matchmaker in the capital, secretly worked for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, collecting secrets from the ladies of wealthy families, but now she has died a mysterious and tragic death. This case must be thoroughly investigated!"

(End of this chapter)