nucmednet Chapter 499 Caught
Chapter 499 Caught
Guided by Chang Wei, Liu Ye and the others found the exit of the tunnel in the second alley behind the eunuch's mansion.
The exit was a well, next to which were several lines of wet footprints heading west. Qin Tian had hunted before and was quite skilled at identifying and tracking footprints. He examined them carefully with a torch and told Liu Ye, "These are the footprints of three people, all men. If there's no one in the tunnel, it means Chang Kun has already escaped."
Liu Ye nodded: "Send someone down to take a look."
Qin Tian selected a shorter soldier, lowered him into a bucket of water to inspect the tunnel. After a while, the soldier came back up and reported: "The tunnel entrance is not underwater, but in the well wall. It's very narrow inside, only wide enough for one person to walk through crouching. It's also a straight passage, so there's no way to hide anyone."
Liu Ye was somewhat disappointed: "We just let him get away like that?"
Qin Tian looked at the footprints on the ground, then surveyed the surroundings, and said, "That's not necessarily true. The footprints are still wet, which means they couldn't have gone very far. Besides, Chang Kun is probably hiding somewhere to avoid us, so he won't dare to wander around. If we search all the houses around here, we'll have a good chance of catching him."
One of Liu Ye's strengths is his unwavering trust in his employees and his belief in each person's expertise. He knew Qin Tian had experience in this area and was level-headed, so since he was confident in his abilities, he decided to let him handle it.
“Very good. You take the special forces and search the area first. I’ll have Lin San bring the guards to help. If we encounter any troublesome wealthy families, surround them first. I’ll go and talk to the Duke of Wei and have him take us in under the pretext of searching for wanted criminals by the imperial court. We must search every corner and capture Chang Kun. The assassination attempt at Meilou cannot happen again.”
Nanjing is teeming with powerful and influential people. Although Liu Ye is not afraid of trouble, he doesn't need to make too many enemies. As long as Xu Hongji intervenes, the search will proceed without any obstacles. No one can bear the accusation of harboring a wanted criminal. Liu Ye is confident he can persuade Xu Hongji that he was also a victim of tonight's assassination attempt and won't let Chang Kun off so easily.
A massive search began. Taiping Gate was far from peaceful that night. Torches illuminated half the sky. The guards and special forces operated in unison, and large numbers of Qionghai naval soldiers arrived near Taiping Gate, fully armed, searching house to house. Chaos erupted in every household. No one was exempt, whether commoner or nobleman, minor official or minister. Occasionally, a powerful figure refused the Qionghai naval soldiers' requests to search their homes. Then, the imperial guards of the Beijing Garrison and the Duke of Wei's residence would step in, expressing suspicion that the household was harboring a wanted criminal. This startled the homeowner, and then a large contingent of soldiers would swarm in.
With such a thorough search, not even a rat could escape. They quickly eliminated most of the houses and mansions, leaving only one place—the Nanjing Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Office.
The soldiers, who had been searching without hindrance, encountered staunch resistance at the Thousand Household Office, and the pretext of searching for wanted criminals was no longer valid.
Upon learning the news, Liu Ye personally led a group to the Thousand Households Office. The person who confronted him was a centurion of the Nanjing Imperial Guard, a lowly official who dared not offend the powerful Marquis of Pingnan. His words were tactful, essentially stating that the Imperial Guard could not possibly harbor a wanted criminal, and that the Thousand Households Office contained many files related to major treason cases; if these were destroyed during a search, no one could bear the responsibility.
The incident had already alarmed half of Nanjing, so Liu Ye naturally wouldn't let it go. Besides, he had never taken the Embroidered Uniform Guard seriously; at least a dozen of them had died at his hands. He warned them, "My men must search tonight. If you know what's good for you, get out of the way, or don't blame me for showing you no mercy."
Seeing that this Earl of Pingnan disregarded official etiquette and was determined to act recklessly, the centurion was at a loss. At this moment, a man dressed in a flying fish robe stepped forward and said sternly, "I am Ge Bu, the deputy commander of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the capital. I have come to Nanjing on official business by order of the Emperor. I have a wanted criminal in my hands, and he will be escorted to the capital tomorrow. If anything goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"
Liu Ye almost burst out laughing. This deputy commander was probably used to being arrogant and domineering, only knowing how to use the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to intimidate people, without using his brain. He clearly knew that he was there to kill and silence Chang Kun, and that their mission in the south was to bring Chang Kun back to the capital. By saying this, he was essentially admitting that Chang Kun had likely played a trick on them after escaping, seeking the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard here—after all, he had no chance of survival in Liu Ye's hands, but returning to the capital offered a sliver of hope.
Liu Ye turned around and beckoned to Lin San, signaling him to come over, then asked in a low voice, "Did this person come to Nanjing from Beijing with you on official business? Was his mission to capture Chang Kun and bring him back to Beijing?"
Lin San nodded: "It's him. Although we went our separate ways, I saw him before leaving the capital."
Liu Ye nodded, feeling reassured. He turned to Ge Bu and smiled, "You're the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the Northern Garrison. Coincidentally, I also have a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard here, whose rank is slightly higher than yours. If he orders you to step aside, will his words carry any weight?"
Lin San understood, walked to the front, and showed his commander's badge.
Different ranks of the Embroidered Uniform Guard wore different waist badges. The lowest-ranking guards, such as Lieutenants and Captains, used wooden badges; those below the rank of Centurion used bronze badges; Deputy Centurions, Centurions, and Garrison Commanders used silver badges engraved with their names; and Commanders, Assistant Commanders, and Commanders-in-Chief used gold badges, also engraved with their names. Ge Bu was a veteran of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. One look up and he knew that the gleaming silver badge in the other person's hand was most likely genuine. Moreover, he knew that the Emperor had just appointed a nominal Centurion, and he guessed that this was the person in question.
He replied with a stern face: "Lord Pingnan, don't joke. So what if he is a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? I have an official post appointed by the Emperor. Even the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard cannot change my position without my permission, let alone a commander in name only."
Liu Ye seemed not to hear him and ordered his men, "Deputy Commander Ge has disobeyed his superior's orders. Let's help Commander Lin tie him up!"
The special forces and guards rushed forward, surrounded Gebu who was caught off guard, and tied him up tightly.
Gebu was furious: "What you are doing is tantamount to rebellion..." Soon his mouth was stuffed with a cloth, and he could no longer speak, watching helplessly as a large number of soldiers filed in.
Inside the garrison headquarters, Chang Kun huddled on the ground, trembling, completely devoid of his earlier high spirits. Perhaps he knew in his heart that he was really going to die this time, and that what he had done before was just an act.
Liu Ye looked at him and clicked his tongue in admiration: "Eunuch Chang, you are a powerless eunuch who has forced me to offend half of the powerful and influential people in Nanjing. You are quite capable! As your opponent, I admire you. So I will give you a choice. Tell me, will you hang yourself or perish in a sea of fire?"