The next morning, rain poured down in torrents.
As soon as Jia Huan entered the Geng-Character Office, he saw General Banner Qian sitting there drinking tea, his great belly jutting out.
"General Banner Jia, congratulations on rising to seventy-ninth on the Dragon-Tiger Ranking. You've done the Celestial Pivot Office Garrison proud."
General Banner Qian rose and cupped his hands with a broad smile.
"A little empty fame, hardly worth mentioning." Jia Huan returned the salute, then noticed the case files on the table. The folder bore General Banner Qian's stamp.
"What's this?" he asked.
General Banner Qian said:
"That's why I came to see you. There's a case that needs handling, but I can't get away, so I'd like you to take it over."
"What sort of case?" Jia Huan did not rush to agree.
General Banner Qian's expression turned grave, and he said in a low voice:
"Word came the night before last that a Strongman surnamed Liu from our Celestial Pivot Office Garrison had died suddenly in Xinchang Prefecture, Jizhou."
What?
Fathead Fish, Twin Whips, and the others stopped their work, anger written across their faces.
Under Great Qian law, assassinating an Embroidered Uniform Guard was equivalent to treason, punishable by extermination of the entire clan!
Who had such heaven-defying gall?
"Any leads?" Jia Huan asked.
General Banner Qian shook his head. "We know nothing."
Jia Huan frowned in thought.
This case might be enormous, or it might be trivial.
If it was revenge by an enemy from the Jianghu, it would be a case no bigger than a fly's head.
But if Liu Strongman had known something and been silenced, it might expose a major case.
Jia Huan refilled the empty teacup and smiled.
"Why not go yourself, General Banner Qian? Xinchang Prefecture in Jizhou is only two days away if you ride hard."
General Banner Qian did not conceal his reason. He lowered his voice.
"I hear Lord Wang's transfer orders are coming even sooner now. Any day, he might leave to take up his post in Jinling."
"No wonder." Jia Huan nodded.
Who knew when Hundred-Household Commander Wang would be transferred? At this critical juncture, whoever left the capital would lose out. Power had never tolerated a vacuum. If General Banner Qian trudged off to solve a case in Xinchang Prefecture and the transfer papers suddenly arrived, his rival, General Banner Zhao, would reap the benefits.
"If it puts you in a difficult position, General Banner Jia, forget it." General Banner Qian looked indifferent.
You're still being picky? If the situation weren't so tense that I couldn't get away, who would willingly hand you a case?
"I'll take it!" Jia Huan picked up the files.
"Whether you find the murderer or not, bring Liu Strongman's ashes back when you return to the capital." With that reminder, General Banner Qian left.
"Boss, without any leads, there's nowhere to start."
Scholar came over and glanced at the case files. The few scant lines contained no useful information.
Jia Huan also found it troublesome. He said quietly:
"We'll stay ten days at most. If the investigation turns up nothing, we'll return to the capital."
"Let's go home first. We leave at noon."
"Yes, sir!" the six answered in unison.
After returning to the estate and informing Concubine Zhao, Jia Huan headed back to the office to prepare for departure under Qingwen's reluctant, lingering gaze.
"General Banner Jia!"
Just before he left, the sinister, one-eyed General Banner Zhao paid an unexpected visit.
"That smiling tiger gave you a case? You'll pass Hundredfold Ferry on your way to Xinchang Prefecture. I happen to have a case you can handle while you're there."
General Banner Zhao had always been a man of few words, and his voice was hoarse.
Jia Huan smiled. "Then you have my thanks."
General Banner Zhao handed over the files and said unhurriedly:
"Two gangs at Hundredfold Ferry have been fighting, harming many innocent civilians. Go mediate. Try to execute only the chief offenders, though of course you have discretion to act as circumstances require."
Jia Huan nodded.
In official circles, discretion to act meant, simply put, having authorization to handle matters yourself without seeking further instructions.
More bluntly, it meant doing whatever you pleased!
"When you return to the capital, I'll treat you to drinks!" General Banner Zhao deliberately emphasized his words.
Naturally, Jia Huan heard the meaning beneath them.
A gang fight was a case as small as could be, with no merit to be earned.
But there was plenty of fat to skim!
He had picked up a case for nothing; he could hardly keep all the benefits for himself.
He cupped his hands and said:
"Let me make this clear beforehand: I have a poor capacity for drink and can only manage seven cups. Please forgive me."
General Banner Zhao's eyelid twitched. A seventy-thirty split, and he called that a fucking poor capacity?
"Not a problem." He did not object.
At this crucial point in his career, winning Jia Huan over was vital. After all, he was the Celestial Pivot Office Garrison's third General Banner. Though he was no contender, his opinion still carried weight.
A General Banner stood only one step away from becoming a Hundred-Household Commander, yet that single step was difficult to cross even in an entire lifetime. Now that an opportunity had come, he absolutely could not let it slip!
"I'm off." General Banner Zhao left.
Jia Huan leafed through the case files.
Hundredfold Crossing was the third ferry crossing south along Great Qian's Grand Canal. The canal provided a livelihood for a million grain transport workers. Wherever people gathered in large numbers, factions formed. The Grain Transport Gang was riddled with smaller gangs, and the Tiger Head Gang and Toad Gate were two unremarkable examples. Now they were locked in a bitter struggle over territory.
He ordered:
"Scholar, Twin Whips, go ahead to Hundredfold Crossing and investigate undercover. Make a list of the villains who've committed crimes."
Scholar was quick-witted and skilled at gathering information. With ink in his belly, he could mingle with literary circles; with skill in his fists and feet, he could probe the Jianghu.
Twin Whips, meanwhile, was steady and decisive, handling matters cleanly and efficiently.
"Yes, sir!" The two cupped their hands, donned cloaks, and set out.
"The other four, come with me. We'll apprehend criminals along the way."
Jia Huan took a stack of case files from a drawer. Most involved small fry, whose sin values were probably in the middle or lower ranges of the ninth rank.
But something was better than nothing. Small amounts would add up.
Three days later.
At Hundredfold Ferry, boats still came and went despite the unending rain. Shops lined the little town like closely packed scales and comb teeth, making it exceptionally bustling and prosperous.
Drunkard drew his bow and fired an Embroidered Uniform Guard Signal Arrow into the rain.
Half an hour later, Scholar and Twin Whips arrived at the restaurant after receiving the signal.
"Boss!"
"What did you find?" Jia Huan sat by the window and took a small sip of fragrant tea.
Scholar reported:
"Giant Tiger, chief of the Tiger Head Gang, is steeped in wickedness and has considerable fighting skill. His gang runs rampant through town, oppressing the people. They control the ferry, robbing and murdering people, and secretly traffic infants too."
"Giant Tiger? He deserves to be hacked into ten thousand pieces!" Jia Huan loathed human traffickers. His own maid Xiangling had been abducted and sold by them, reduced from a wealthy young lady of Jiangnan to a servant.
Scholar continued:
"Golden Toad, master of Toad Gate, has committed every evil imaginable and has a savage temper. His gang members live by robbery and also run several brothels. They routinely ruin young women's families, then force them to sign contracts selling themselves into servitude."
"The two gangs have planted spies in each other's ranks and infiltrated each other in all sorts of ways. Seven days ago, they clashed over protection money from a street of shops. The dispute escalated into open fighting."
"They've arranged another fight on the riverbank north of town tonight."
"Boss, this is the list of evildoers with murders to their names. Almost every middle- and upper-ranking member of both gangs deserves execution!"
Having finished, Scholar handed him a sheet of paper.
"Thank you both for your hard work." Jia Huan nodded, then said coldly:
"We'll finish off these clay chickens and pottery dogs tonight, then head to Xinchang Prefecture overnight."
Fathead Fish asked:
"Boss, should we requisition constables from the county office? They have a lot of men. We'll have trouble handling them."
Jia Huan stared at him and rebuked him:
"That huge head of yours is wasted. Is it full of shit? Those two gangs have been operating here for years. How could they not have insiders at the county office? By the time you get the men, those two old dogs will have vanished without a trace!"
"Afraid they have strength in numbers? Let's see whether their skulls are harder than our Embroidered Spring Sabers are sharp. We'll kill until those beasts tremble with terror!"
"You're right, Boss!" Fathead Fish gave a sheepish chuckle and lowered his head in shame.
"You big-headed fool, have you forgotten the boss's nickname in the Jianghu?" Twin Whips shot him a glare.
Little Butcher!
Before you continue