Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 279 It’s hard to guard against domestic thieves
"These eunuchs still refuse to confess who ordered them! Keep beating them until they confess!"

Upon hearing the report from the soldiers in the Wanqi Army camp, Ge Fushun spoke in a deep voice.

He had just finished giving his instructions when another subordinate entered the tent to report: "Reporting to Lord Geng, Lin Zhaoyin, an imperial censor, is requesting an audience outside. He says that several of his disciples were arrested without cause on their way back to the palace, and he earnestly requests that Lord Geng allow them to pass."

"There's a reason for arresting these people at the North Gate! These eunuchs are restless and don't wait for orders in the palace. Why should they wander around the streets? Once they're found guilty, they'll be released. Tell them to strictly control their subordinates after they return and not to come here to cause trouble again!"

Upon hearing this, Ge Fushun said in an annoyed tone.

Upon hearing this, his subordinates hurriedly responded and left, while Ge Fushun's expression turned grim. His original intention was to first stabilize the morale of the Wanqi members before purposefully investigating several sources of information with obvious clues.

However, Wang Maozhong suddenly took action, arresting a large number of eunuchs and sending them to the Wanqi Army camp. Now that he wanted to establish a stronger image among the Wanqi Army and seize enough influence from Wang Maozhong, he naturally could not easily let these eunuchs go.

After all, the conflict between the eunuchs and the Northern Gate Imperial Guards has a long history. Wang Maozhong can arrest people at will, while if he releases people without explanation, it is self-evident who is strong and who is weak.

However, these eunuchs were imprisoned in the Wanqi Army camp, which made it impossible to effectively trace the source of the information. At the same time, these eunuchs all had their own backers, and the chief eunuchs behind them would inevitably harbor resentment.

As he pondered how to handle the situation, Wang Sixian entered from outside with a grim expression. He bowed to Ge Fushun and said, "I heard that during the interrogation of those eunuchs, several new clues were obtained. They said that there are several other places in Beiman Mountain where money is buried that are unknown to others. Should we send soldiers to guard these places to prevent theft? At the same time, we can also use this information to investigate who committed the crime of burying money and arrest the mastermind behind it!"

"I have a plan to handle this, so please be patient! You think sending your soldiers out here is like sending ten thousand cavalrymen as your personal guards?"

Ge Fushun was already in a bad mood, and upon hearing this, he immediately became irritated. Then he said to Wang Sixian, "If you are worried about the safety of your children, you can bring them to the North Gate for temporary accommodation."

"This...this, it's not necessary for now. My son holds no official position, and to bring him here rashly would be a violation of military orders..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Sixian hurriedly shook his head and said, "That rumor was meant to incite the soldiers at the North Gate to kill for a reward. If they lead his son to the North Gate, wouldn't that be like a rabbit falling into a wolf's den?"

After a pause, he couldn't help but speak again: "I have a plan in mind. This passive defense is not a good strategy. We should take the initiative and arrest the Zhang and Zheng families who are suspected of hiring assassins. If anything happens to my son, they will pay with their lives. Under such strict control, they will surely not dare to commit any more crimes!"

"Who gave you the audacity to enter the neighborhood through the north gate and arrest people? Ma Chong died recently, and you haven't learned a thing of reason! Besides, do you think the Zhang family can bully and arrest ordinary people at will? What solid evidence do you have to prove that they spread rumors and hired someone to kill?"

Ge Fushun immediately launched into a series of rhetorical questions, showing his growing impatience with the confused Wang Sixian.

"Therefore, it would be best to report directly to the Emperor and ask him to issue an edict to arrest them! Without arresting and investigating, where will the evidence come from? Besides these few households, whose other families has my son had a deep grudge that is even a matter of life and death?"

Wang Sixian was concerned for his son's safety and naturally hoped that Ge Fushun could take a stronger approach: "Besides, this feud is not just a personal matter for my family, but is to vent my anger for Lord Geng..."

"Whom are you taking your anger out on? When did I ever tell you this? Your son is reckless, and you are foolish too?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Fushun was furious and immediately pointed at Wang Sixian, loudly questioning him.

"Yes, yes, I misspoke in my haste. I have always followed Lord Geng's lead, as all the officers and soldiers know. Now that we are being harassed by this evil deed, I only hope that Lord Geng can protect us."

Upon hearing this, Wang Sixian immediately bowed and thanked him.

"Since you are so worried, staying here will not help. Go back to the camp and select a team of trusted elite soldiers to return home and guard the area. Order your son to stay at home and not to go out until the matter is over!"

Although Ge Fushun disliked Wang Sixian's subtly threatening tone, he knew he had a responsibility to protect his son. If his son were truly killed, he would undoubtedly lose face, and the other generals in the North Gate would likely not feel comfortable submitting to him.

He had already considered petitioning the emperor to arrest the suspect, since intrigue and scheming were not his forte. However, after hearing Wang Sixian's words, he abandoned this plan.

Firstly, the matter had already been mediated by the Emperor himself, yet Wang Sixian still claimed it was to vent his family's anger, which is why his son attacked Zhang Shuo's grandson. This undoubtedly shows his dissatisfaction with the Emperor's mediation. Secondly, if unfounded speculation could be used as evidence to arrest someone, wouldn't Gao Lishi bring up the attack he suffered in Bianzhou, thus arousing the Emperor's suspicion and displeasure?

Ultimately, even if this matter caused chaos among the people of Beimen, it only targeted Wang Sixian's son, and Ge Fushun wasn't worth taking too much risk for. To put it bluntly, if Wang Sixian's son had truly been murdered, it would be much easier for him to trace the murderer back to the real culprit!
Upon realizing this, Ge Fushun's eyes lit up, and he realized that he didn't need to worry too much about this matter.

If Wang Sixian's son was indeed murdered by hired assassins, what a shocking thing that would be! The soldiers of the Northern Gate, as the emperor's personal guard, were actually greedy for profit and misled by others to kill their comrades. This matter must be thoroughly investigated and someone must be held accountable!

Wang Maozhong had long been the head of the North Gate, and now that such chaos had occurred, he was naturally to blame. Furthermore, the Emperor had recently harbored considerable dissatisfaction with Wang Maozhong, and when investigating the truth, he would likely not trust him, and would probably hand the matter over to Ge Fushun.

At that time, he will have great power and be able to achieve many of his original intentions, making this an opportunity for himself.

The price paid was nothing more than the life of Wang Sixian's son and a little bit of his own face. The son wasn't his own anyway, and the lost face could be regained during the investigation!
"Go ahead. I will strictly discipline the soldiers here and will also have personnel continue to investigate the source of the rumors. I will never let the men of the Northern Gate be harmed by treacherous schemes!"

He waved to Wang Sixian and said that after sending the man away, he summoned his personal guards and ordered, "Return the money and goods that the soldiers who were punished earlier, and let them go home to recuperate after their shifts are suspended. Tell them that the reason they were severely punished was because they did something that was considered unrighteous in public, which embarrassed General Wang, rather than because they were actually guilty."

He certainly couldn't openly encourage the soldiers at the North Gate to commit murder for the reward, but he could offer them some leniency and hints. After giving these instructions, he himself simply left the 10,000-cavalry camp and returned to his own residence.

While Ge Fushun relaxed, Wang Sixian's family remained tense. He selected several soldiers from the Wanqi Army camp who considered themselves loyal and righteous, and took them back to his home.

When he returned home, his son, Wang Chongjun, had already returned and was beating his newlywed bride, Zheng, in the back courtyard: "You filthy woman! I thought your family was a prestigious clan with excellent family traditions, but you're just a money-grubbing devil! I trusted your family's reputation, but you've brought me so much trouble. You're truly hateful!"

"The bride is innocent, why are you beating her!"

Wang Sixian, being a newcomer to a prestigious family, was reluctant to let his daughter-in-law, whom he had married at great expense, become his son's training sandbag. Therefore, he went inside to reprimand her and then instructed her: "From today onwards, you shall stay at home obediently. Do not go out until the matter is settled! In particular, remember not to readily accept the invitations of those playmates from the North Gate. Those lads are inexperienced, pleasure-seeking, and utterly lacking in loyalty and humanity!"

"How long am I supposed to stay at home? This is clearly Zhang Liu's doing. Why doesn't Lord Geng just send troops to arrest him?"

Hearing this, Wang Chongjun looked displeased again, and then said angrily, "If it weren't for venting Ge Lang's anger, I wouldn't have beaten Yan Gongsunzi so badly. Ge Lang's new bride ran away with Zhang Liu, which is a disgrace to the entire North Gate. Today I am bringing glory to the North Gate. Which scoundrel dares to harm me for money? Aren't they afraid of being despised by everyone?"

"Will being scorned by everyone save your life? Stay home obediently and play games with your wife in bed! We spent so much money and caused so much trouble to marry this new wife, she should hurry up and give my family a son!"

Wang Sixian gave another instruction, and then summoned his servants and soldiers to begin setting up defenses and vigilance both inside and outside the house.

The next morning, Wang Sixian was still fast asleep in his room when he suddenly heard his son's exclamation from the inner courtyard. He hurriedly grabbed his robe and rushed out, only to find more than a dozen decapitated chickens and ducks scattered outside his son's bedroom, and the windows were also covered with poultry blood.

"They're really going to kill me! These scoundrels are really going to kill me! Father, Father, save me..."

Although Wang Chongjun was quite uneasy yesterday, he still had some confidence, believing that loyalty was paramount in the North Gate. But seeing this scene today, he was terrified. How could they have sneaked into his courtyard so silently? Killing him would be easy enough, wouldn't it?
Who entered this place last night?

Upon seeing this, Wang Sixian's face turned ashen. He summoned the guards and servants from the previous night and gave them another stern lecture: "You all know my family's affairs. If anyone dares to plot against my son and cause my lineage to end, no matter who it is, I will cut them into a thousand pieces!"

Upon hearing this, the guards were all shocked and shook their heads, indicating that they had not done it.

This couldn't have happened out of thin air, and Wang Sixian also felt the power of the rumors about hiring assassins. These people were either his carefully selected confidants from the North Gate or his long-time household servants, yet they allowed such a thing to happen. This shows how wicked people can be.

At the same time, several of his subordinates from the North Gate came to his door to report that all the prohibitions issued by Ge Fushun yesterday had been lifted today as usual. Several colleagues from the North Gate also came with their servants, offering to help guard the house to prevent bad guys from entering. This made Wang Sixian even more suspicious and uncertain.

He sat for a long time in the courtyard, which, although cleaned and tidied by his family, still reeked of blood. After struggling and hesitating several times, he once again ordered the servants to be summoned. Holding his sword, he said to his son in a deep voice, "Come with me to Lord Yan's house!"

(End of this chapter)