If you put on an act, see it through.
To fool Wei Heng, Yang Ge had put some thought into it.
He took a complete set of banners and tablets from the Imperial Envoy Minister's ceremonial equipment, then divided Fang Ke's Hundred-Household Office into five groups. Like ants moving their nest, they carried the banners and tablets out of Yangzhou in separate batches and headed for Hangzhou.
During the operation, he genuinely worked to keep Wei Heng in the dark, employing every sort of disguise for Fang Ke's Hundred-Household Office.
From disguising and dispersing the men and horses.
Down to controlling the timing of their departure from the city.
Even he himself, before the last group left, made a special visit to Wei Heng to ask about the various hurdles and tricks involved in the second level of the Golden Bell Shield.
After returning from Wei Heng's lodgings, Yang Ge immediately summoned Deputy Thousand-Household Commander Qin. Ignoring his protests, he forcibly handed over responsibility for everything in Yangzhou and told him that he would return within ten days.
After executing this smooth little combination of moves, Yang Ge found an out-of-the-way house and settled down without a care to study the Golden Bell Shield.
And his elaborate deception did indeed fool Wei Heng's eyes and ears in Yangzhou.
Not until the third day, when Wei Heng made his routine inventory of the Imperial Envoy Minister's ceremonial equipment, did he discover that a set of envoy banners and tablets was missing.
Then he recalled that he seemed not to have received any news concerning Yang Ge for two or three days, and finally sensed that something was amiss...
He immediately went to the Prefectural Yamen himself to investigate, only to discover that Deputy Thousand-Household Commander Qin was overseeing its work.
Faced