Lin Taichu returned to the Barracks and immediately had men watch Yingke Teahouse and the back wall of the prime minister's residence. He had calculated that since Governor Wu had sent someone last month, there would definitely be more movement soon.
Sure enough, five days later, a personal soldier reported that the out-of-town confidant had appeared again. As before, he entered Yingke Teahouse at dusk and sat by the window.
Lin Taichu immediately took four Personal Soldiers, changed into plain clothes, and quietly slipped into the back street behind the teahouse.
There were few people on the back street, and miscellaneous clutter was piled against the walls. He had two Personal Soldiers guard the mouth of the alley while he led the other two around to the teahouse's rear window.
The rear window was slightly ajar, and the faint sound of someone drinking tea came from within. Lin Taichu made a gesture. The two Personal Soldiers shoved open the window and leaped inside, with him close behind.
The confidant reacted swiftly, raising a hand to overturn the table. One personal soldier kicked him in the knee, sending him to his knees with a thud. Just as he was about to shout, a cloth gag was stuffed into his mouth, and his hands and feet were efficiently bound.
The teahouse owner cowered behind the counter in fright. Lin Taichu took out a silver ingot and tossed it over. "If even half a word about today gets out, you know the consequences." The owner nodded repeatedly, clutching the silver and trembling.
The confidant was stuffed into a carriage and taken directly back to the Barracks, where he was locked in the innermost barrack room. Lin Taichu had the gag removed and interrogated him personally.
"Who are you? Why are you exchanging messages