Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 278 Money Moves People

The area around the North Gate is only so big, but the number of guards stationed there is quite dense. Any new or interesting news will spread by word of mouth immediately.

Wang Sixian was also one of the meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty. Although his position in the Imperial Guard was not as prominent as Ge Fushun's, he was still a mid-to-upper-level imperial guard general. It was precisely because his power and influence had increased that he wanted to marry his son to a woman from one of the five prominent families, in order to elevate the social status and social standing of the entire family.

When he learned that a bounty had been placed on his son's head, Wang Sixian was naturally shocked and furious. He ordered his soldiers not to discuss the matter or spread rumors, and at the same time, he searched for the source of the rumors.

However, this search yielded no concrete results. The soldiers of the Northern Army relied on the gossip of their comrades or the idle chatter of eunuchs and palace maids in some palace garden, and could not find a specific target.

He couldn't pinpoint the source of the information, but the rumors were becoming increasingly detailed, even specifying how to collect the reward after the success.

Some people have also heard that there is a portion of the reward money that the hitman hired has buried somewhere in Beiman Mountain outside the city. If the soldiers of the Northern Army do not believe it, they can go and dig it up. The reward money is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Even if Wang Sixian could control his own soldiers, he couldn't control the soldiers in other camps. During his investigation, he even saw some soldiers suddenly ask their respective camp leaders for leave to go out. When asked why, they stammered and hesitated, probably because they were going to Beiman Mountain to dig for reward money.

"These audacious and wicked thugs, do they really have the guts to sell my son's life for money?"

Realizing that the situation was no longer under his control, Wang Sixian panicked.

The reward of 30,000 strings of cash was clearly not an ordinary amount in daily life. Wang Sixian could easily guess that the matter was probably related to his in-laws, the Zheng family or the Zhang family, whom he had bought with money.

Considering the decline of the Zheng family and the fact that they obviously wouldn't have the guts to do such a thing, Wang Sixian naturally suspected the Zhang family as well.

Although he had some suspicions, he had no concrete evidence. Fearing that the matter would escalate further, he ordered his servants to quickly recall his son who was out having fun, while he personally went to the home of his direct superior, Duke Geng, Ge Fushun.

Although Ge Fushun was also a general in the Northern Army, he was slightly inferior to Wang Maozhong in many aspects. One of the most obvious examples was that he was not qualified to settle in the palace, but instead lived in Lushunfang in Luobei.

Because of the recent disruptions to his children's marriages, a rift has developed between Ge Fushun and Wang Maozhong. Wang Maozhong wields more power in the North Gate than Ge Fushun, so Ge ​​Fushun has not been allowed to enter the Forbidden City for several days and has instead been resting at home.

Upon Wang Sixian's arrival, he was received by Ge Fushun shortly afterward. Concerned for his son's safety, Ge Fushun offered little in the pleasantries, bowed upon entering the hall, and immediately said, "Lord Geng, are you aware of the strange occurrence at the North Gate? A daring thief has even hired someone to kill you..."

"How audacious! Who dares to tempt my lads from the North Gate with such enormous profits to kill each other?"

After listening to Wang Sixian's account, Ge Fushun immediately glared and roared angrily. Because of the nature of their work, the North Gate particularly values ​​loyalty and righteousness. Now, someone is inciting the North Gate soldiers to kill each other; whatever the reason, this is undoubtedly a grave offense.

"The source of the rumors is really hard to trace. But I suspect it's the work of eunuchs in the inner court, and as for the instigator, I guess it's the Zhang Yan family..."

Wang Sixian recounted his conjecture, and Ge Fushun frowned and pondered after listening.

"My marriage to the Zheng family is a mere distant relative of a prominent family, yet their dowry demands are outrageous. Having made the agreement, I had no intention of breaking it. However, the promised profit sharing from Lord Huo has been repeatedly delayed since last year. Most of my family's wealth has already been lost to the Zheng family; without this income, where would I find the spare money to make up for it?"

At this point, Wang Sixian looked helpless: "But the Zheng family completely disregarded kinship and my illness, only greedily pressing for more money, and even enlisted the help of Zhang Yan's family to bully me. The young men in the family are known for their sense of righteousness, and knowing that Lord Geng has offended the Zhang family, they are seeking revenge out of righteous indignation. Perhaps because of this, they hold a grudge against the Zhang family, and now they have resorted to such a wicked scheme to coerce me..."

Different perspectives lead to different angles and narratives. In Wang Sixian's words, it was clear that the Zhang and Zheng families were in cahoots, conspiring to intimidate and extort his family.

"Zhang family brat, let him be beaten. If Lord Yan is still angry, he can come and ask me. But if he uses this to cause unrest in the North Gate, does he think he is still the incomparably powerful Lord of the Southern Province?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Fushun snorted coldly and looked at Wang Sixian, saying, "If the Duke of Yan wants to question or make things difficult for you, you don't need to respond. Just let him come to me."

"I am deeply grateful for Lord Geng's protection. However, Lord Yan has not yet spoken out, only a few rumors of hiring assassins are circulating, and now everyone in the North Gate knows about it!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Sixian's face fell again. He said, "I was fortunate to serve under Lord Geng, and now I have both fame and fortune. I have no other desires. My only wish is for him to settle down, establish a family, inherit the title, and carry on the family business. If he is attacked by villains..." "I will go with you to the North Gate and warn all the soldiers that anyone who dares to be greedy for money, betray loyalty, or harm their comrades will not be spared. Even if they receive a reward, they will not live to enjoy it!"

After thinking for a moment, Ge Fushun said that Wang Sixian was also a capable assistant in managing the affairs of the Wanqi Camp, and this time he had also helped him slap the face of the Shuo family, which made him feel better, so naturally he should take care of and help him.

"It would be best if Lord Geng were to step forward, but there are also some wicked and treacherous men among the troops who value profit over righteousness. If anyone is misled by this and underestimates the authority of the authorities, I am worried about my son... Regardless of whether it is Lord Zhang Yan or not, such treacherous people are stirring up trouble in the North Gate, and their wicked intentions deserve to be punished severely!"

Wang Sixian then hurriedly said, "Should we report this to the Emperor and ask him to grant permission to thoroughly investigate this matter and show no leniency?"

"Are you teaching me what to do?"

Ge Fushun had already stood up by this time. Upon hearing this, he immediately said in a deep voice, "This is just a mere rumor. Why can't the people of Beimen be on guard and investigate? Why do they have to disturb the emperor's ears? Nonsense!"

He knew that the Emperor was currently dissatisfied with Wang Maozhong, and he himself was planning to demonstrate his greater and more reliable control over the Northern Army compared to Wang Maozhong. Reporting such a trivial matter would undoubtedly make the Emperor doubt his abilities.

The best course of action would be to maintain stability at the North Gate while resolving the matter properly, and then report to the Emperor.

"This humble official dares not, this humble official dares not..."

Wang Sixian quickly lowered his head and said, not daring to say anything more. He followed Ge Fushun out the door, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the North Gate.

The atmosphere in Beimentun camp was very lively because someone actually went to Beiman Mountain to search and dig, as instructed by the rumors, and actually dug up hundreds of strings of coins!

This further confirmed the rumors' veracity, making many soldiers restless. Even if they didn't dare actually attack their comrades for the reward, digging up a hundred or so strings of cash from Beiman Mountain as the rumors suggested would still be a considerable income!
Just as everyone was eager to try, Ge Fushun and others arrived at the camp. When they learned that some soldiers had actually dug up money according to the rumors, Ge Fushun and Wang Sixian's faces turned extremely ugly.

"You bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the palace, and should uphold loyalty and righteousness without fail! Yet you have been misled by rumors, abandoned your posts, and even harbored thoughts of murder for money. You truly deserve to die!"

Enraged, Ge Fushun immediately ordered, "Hand over all the stolen goods immediately! Anyone who deserts their post and sneaks into Beiman to search for money will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane! If there are any further offenses, the punishment will be doubled!"

"Please forgive us, Lord Geng... We had no intention of harming our comrades; we merely wanted to verify the truth of the rumors..."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers who had been so pleased just moments before turned pale and knelt down, begging for mercy. Wang Sixian, however, cursed loudly, "You dog, still trying to argue! If you had no intention of harming my son, what does it matter to you whether it's true or not! If you dare to harm my son, I will not spare your lives!"

As he spoke, he personally picked up a military baton and began to beat the soldiers who had dug up money in Beiman Mountain mercilessly, as if they had a blood feud over the killing of their sons.

Just as Ge Fushun was strictly ordering the 10,000 cavalrymen in the military camp not to discuss or get involved in this matter without authorization, Wang Maozhong, who was living at home in the palace, naturally learned of the relevant news.

When his subordinates asked him how to handle the situation, Wang Maozhong simply sneered, "Didn't I say the other day that matters concerning the Ten Thousand Cavalry would be handled by the Ten Thousand Cavalrymen themselves? Let's see how this old man will handle it!"

"But this matter is inextricably linked to Zhang Liu! Such a bizarre thing happened as soon as he returned to the capital. This scoundrel was already incredibly audacious before, and now he dares to cause trouble again. He clearly doesn't take us, the people of the North Gate, seriously! If we don't retaliate, we simply can't swallow this insult, Father!"

Wang Maozhong's son, Wang Shouqing, couldn't help but speak up. Because of Wang Rouniang's recent elopement, his family had been ridiculed and mocked by the people of Beimen, and they hated Zhang Dai intensely.

“There are priorities. That Zhang Liu is just a nobody. Even if he has some schemes and tricks, what big deal is he? Rumors spread like wildfire around the North Gate in an instant. This must be because a eunuch is using this as a mouthpiece. Li Shi is cunning and scheming. Perhaps he is the one who is taking this opportunity to cause trouble.”

After thinking for a moment, Wang Maozhong said in a deep voice, "You all take turns guarding the various locations at the North Gate. Arrest any officials who enter or leave the palace, especially those whose business is not confidential, and throw them into the Wanqi Camp. Let the two sides fight even more fiercely!"

Ge Fushun has been provoking him repeatedly lately, which makes him extremely dissatisfied. However, because his daughter broke off her engagement and ran away, and is now being hidden by Gao Lishi, he feels guilty and unable to speak out. So he plans to take advantage of the situation to stir up trouble and try to escalate the conflict between Gao Lishi and Ge Fushun.

(End of this chapter)