Wang Yang did not know what the Directorate of Arms was, but he could hardly betray his ignorance in front of Jiao Zheng. He simply listened in silence as the man continued:
"I was escorting ten large cartloads of valuables to Jiankang when I encountered a messenger from the Directorate of Arms. He ordered me to change course and take everything straight to a manor, saying it was a property under the directorate's authority. I found it strange, but the messenger had an identification plaque and official orders from the directorate. Besides, the money was meant for the directorate in the first place, so I had no choice but to obey."
Jiao Zheng stopped there, as though gathering the strength to continue.
Wang Yang asked the crucial question. "So the Directorate of Arms ordered the plundering of civilian property?"
"I don't know." Jiao Zheng looked utterly lost.
"Go on," Wang Yang said.
"Yes. After completing my assignment, I went home to visit my family. Only then did I hear that word of the Imperial Guard's plundering had spread like wildfire. They said General Chen... Chen Tianfu had already been imprisoned, and some even said he had killed himself out of fear of punishment. I wanted to hurry back at once and find out what had happened. But then that messenger from the Directorate of Arms suddenly came to my door! He told me Chen Tianfu was dead and gave me two choices. First, I could lay all the blame on the dead man and enjoy promotion and riches. Second, I could expose the directorate's orders to change course. The messenger would take the blame, then accuse me in turn. We would both be treated as accomplices, neither of us would escape death, and our families would not be spared..."
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