RPAGF Chapter 31 News about the Jia Family
Chapter 31 News about the Jia Family
The Embroidered Uniform Guard served as the emperor's eyes and ears, covering the entire capital.
In addition to planting spies in officials' homes, Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) Hundred-Household Offices were set up in various important locations in the capital to facilitate their deployment at any time, secretly arrest people, and prevent information leaks and tip-offs.
The primary responsibility of the Qianmen Street Hundred Household Office under Liu Feng's jurisdiction was to guard Zhengyangmen and maintain the security of the surrounding area, while also keeping an eye on the wealthy merchants, guild halls, and officials coming and going in the area.
Although there is a saying in Beijing that "the east is rich and the west is noble, while the south is poor and the north is lowly," Qianmen Street is the most bustling and prosperous place in the entire capital.
Here, guild halls stand side by side, and shops abound. Officials from all over the country and scholars taking the imperial examinations mostly stay in these guild halls. They often shop, socialize, and discuss matters in the streets and markets. With so many people and so much gossip, it is a key place for the Northern Garrison Command to gather intelligence.
Liu Feng barely slept all night, not out of excitement, but because he was thinking about how to turn disposable gloves into gloves that could be used multiple times.
After much thought, there's only one way: achieve merit, and achieve great merit. Only by demonstrating my ability and value to the emperor can I avoid being easily used and then discarded.
The Hundred-Household Office held roll call twice a day at very fixed times, much stricter than local government offices.
The early morning watch (zaomao) was set at dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten in the height of summer; at other times, it was still dark. Except for those leaving the capital on official business, everyone was required to attend; those who failed to attend would be punished with demerits, salary deductions, or caning.
The office for managing hundreds of households was not on the main street, but at the entrance of an alley.
It wasn't big, just two courtyards with a black lacquered gate and a black lacquered wooden plaque beside it, with no other decorations.
The interior was quite simple, with a gatehouse and main hall in the front yard, as well as east and west wing rooms that served as both guardhouses and temporary prisons. The back yard contained an armory, kitchen, guard quarters, and a stable.
It was already daylight, but the torches were still burning, crackling occasionally.
The captain and lieutenants of the centurion's office suddenly received orders last night that the newly appointed centurion should report for duty early this morning, and they are now gathered in the courtyard.
Both the original centurion and the probationary centurion were transferred away. Liu Feng stood on the stone steps in front of the main hall, flipping through the yellow book in his hand, occasionally glancing at the junior officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the courtyard.
Liu Feng closed the yellow book, his gaze slowly sweeping across everyone's faces, and said, "Wang Daniu, Zhang Laifu, and Li Shoutian, stay. The rest of you who are supposed to do your jobs, do them. Those who are not, tell them to disperse." After saying that, he turned and went into the main hall.
"Yes!" came the reply from behind, some voices louder and some softer.
The three flag bearers, each with a distinct aura, exchanged a glance and followed them inside.
Liu Feng went straight into the back hall, sat down in the main seat, and looked at the three people who followed him in, saying, "You've been in the capital for almost half a month now, have you familiarized yourself with the place?"
The three of them exchanged glances, all somewhat surprised.
I thought my new boss would start with some pleasantries, try to build rapport, promise some benefits, and then get down to business. But to my surprise, he went straight to the point right away.
Li Shoutian, who had a scholarly air about him, stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Your Excellency, the hutongs of the capital are crisscrossed, the streets and alleys are complicated, the flow of people is dense, and the situation in each place is complex. We subordinates really cannot get familiar with it in a short time."
"How long will it take?" Liu Feng pressed.
How should I respond to that?
The three of them looked rather grim, wondering if this was a deliberate attempt to intimidate them.
Liu Feng observed this, leaned back, and slowly said, "The capital is not a battlefield; your old tricks won't work. No matter how deliberately you disguise yourself, you can't fool those who have lived in the capital for a long time. When it comes to gathering information and intelligence, you can't compare to the veterans of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; but when it comes to actually killing, they are far inferior to you."
"Everyone has their own expertise. Leave the professional work to the professionals... From now on, you just need to arrest and kill people according to the intelligence, understand?"
The three exchanged a glance and replied in unison, "Yes."
Liu Feng: "Li Shoutian, change your clothes and come out with me. You two should train the men properly. Street fighting is about teamwork, not the kind of individual scout battles you see every day."
As the sun slowly rises, the whole city gradually awakens. People go out to make a living, open their shops to do business, and beat their children, all intertwining to create a scene of everyday life.
Liu Feng and Li Shoutian, now in plain clothes, slipped into the alley diagonally opposite to have breakfast.
The street was lined with food stalls, each with its own stall, which was the prototype of a food street.
After looking around, I didn't see any of the famous old brands in Beijing that would later become known as Tea Soup Li, Wonton Hou, or Bai Kui Lao Hao.
The two found a less crowded porridge shop, each having a bowl of rice porridge, and then went to the sesame seed cake shop next door to buy ten sesame seed cakes.
When dining with his superior, Li Shoutian knew he couldn't let his boss pay, so he voluntarily settled the bill.
Liu Feng didn't stand on ceremony with him and started eating the pickled vegetables that the boss had given him; they were delicious.
Li Shoutian wasn't a picky person, so he buried his head in his food and started eating heartily.
At this moment, two middle-aged men walked to the table and sat down in the other two empty seats.
The fat man shouted at the top of his lungs, "A bowl of sweet rice porridge, and two sesame seed cakes while you're at it, and hurry up!"
"Hey, why aren't you eating braised pork today? You used to have it with every meal!" the skinny guy next to him joked with a laugh.
"Still want some braised pork? You'll be lucky to get two sesame seed cakes!"
"What's wrong?"
"I don't have any money in my pocket!"
The skinny man also ordered a bowl of sweet rice porridge and two sesame seed cakes. After taking a bite of one, he looked puzzled and asked, "Didn't I hear the other day that you bought a Song Dynasty porcelain cup?"
"Don't even mention it! It makes me so angry!"
"What happened?"
"I don't know which scoundrel tipped off Leng's antique shop beforehand. That bastard Leng Zixing stopped me halfway there and insisted on dragging me to his shop to check out the goods. He immediately accused me of being fooled, saying that it wasn't Song porcelain but a Ming dynasty imitation, and that he would only pay 30% of its cost price. Damn it!"
The fat man grew angrier as he spoke, slapping his thigh: "We took our stuff and left without a word. But that bastard Leng Zixing is unruly! He's spreading rumors everywhere, ruining the quality of my goods, and he's even secretly blocking other shops, preventing anyone else from inspecting the merchandise!"
"Such a thing actually happens? In this capital city, under the emperor's very nose, is there no justice or fairness at all?"
"The law? In this world, what law is there to speak of?"
"You two, keep your voices down!" The stall owner, sensing something was amiss, quickly came over to persuade them.
The fat man glanced at Liu Feng and Li Shoutian, who were eating in silence, and lowered his voice: "This Leng Zixing has the Rongguo Mansion's Jia family backing him up..."
The Jia family of Rongguo Mansion?
Liu Feng's eyes flashed, he swallowed the sesame seed cake in his mouth, picked up the bowl of porridge, shook it, and gulped it down. Seeing that Li Shoutian had also finished eating, he stood up and said, "Let's go."
After taking a few steps forward, Liu Feng turned to Li Shoutian and said, "Investigate the Jia family and this Lengji Antique Shop."
"Yes." Li Shoutian nodded.
What terrifies people most in the capital is never the Forbidden City, but the Northern Garrison Prison located at the foot of the imperial city. Even censors and officials are reluctant to mention it.
The two-zhang-high blue brick wall blocked the rising morning light, making the narrow alleyway even more secluded.
Li Shoutian rubbed his arms and muttered under his breath, "This place is really weird! It's the height of summer, but it's still chilly." As he spoke, he looked at the two black lacquered doors of the Imperial Prison. Suddenly, the doors opened, startling him.
Liu Feng came out carrying a bundle, which looked like it contained a box.
Li Shoutian strode forward, took the bundle, and lowered his voice: "Sir, let's hurry."
"What's wrong?" Liu Feng asked, puzzled.
Li Shoutian glanced at the closed door: "This place has an eerie feel to it!"
Liu Feng chuckled: "You're a man who's survived countless battles, what are you afraid of?"
Li Shoutian said with a serious expression, "This isn't about being afraid or not, it's about respect! In the past, when I was on a mission, if I felt inexplicably panicked or unwell, I would immediately change course and never linger!"
Liu Feng smiled and looked at him, teasingly saying, "That scholarly air about you, could it be from spending all your time studying the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams?"
"You have a good eye, sir. I've loved following Zhang the fortune teller at the village entrance since I was a child, learning his divination and prediction skills," Li Shoutian said with a smile, recalling the old days.
Liu Feng shook his head. He had thought he had gained a strategist, but it turned out to be a charlatan.