Accompanied by Marquis Xinchang Li Pu, Shen Yang, Zheng Hui, Li Chong, Gao Chengyuan, Guo Liang, Zheng Xingxuan, and others, Yang Yuanpu personally led over six hundred cavalry guards and rushed through the night to Yandangji.
The Yandangji estate was in complete disarray. Not only had nearly three hundred servants of all ages disappeared, but the storehouses had been emptied. The furnaces in the forging rooms and brewing rooms had been destroyed, and equipment like steaming pots and sail-type windmills had all been dismantled and carried away.
“Damn it! Since when could Han Qian’s command token mobilize so many people? Are you all blind? Such a major matter, and not one person thought to verify it with me or Master Shen Yang first?” Yang Yuanpu kicked over the Yongchun Palace Administrator who was kneeling on the ground begging forgiveness, venting his inner anxiety through this display of extreme agitation: This looks far too real—would Master Han betray me?
Both Shen Yang and Zheng Hui showed a trace of worry in their eyes. After all, Jinling no longer had any chips to restrain the Han father and son.
Those being reprimanded dared not defend themselves, only kneeling and kowtowing in supplication.
Li Chong also looked upon all this in shock.
They had not been without worries about Han Qian fleeing to Xuzhou, but Han Qian taking so many supplies and coercing so many Left Bureau elite in his escape was completely beyond his expectations.
Besides the salt and silk that Han Qian had withdrawn overnight from the Lanting Lane warehouse, Yongchun Palace also had a stockpile of armor and other supplies that Han Qian had swept away. Furthermore, Han Qian had previously obtained seven to eight thousand bags of refined rice and other supplies on credit from Taowu Market. The Prince’s Manor had lost at least eighty to ninety thousand strings of cash this time.
Although confiscating the Feng family had given the Prince’s Manor assets worth over a million strings of cash in one stroke, most of it had already been used up. Now, to fill this gap, the liquid funds available to the Prince’s Manor would be reduced by nearly a quarter.
Gao Chengyuan, Guo Liang, Zheng Xingxuan, and even Wang Lin—all those who had not known of the plot beforehand—thinking at this moment of the devastating blow this incident dealt to the Prince’s Manor, all had extremely ugly expressions. In their hearts, they all thought: if this flight incident is not handled well, the Third Prince will probably be completely cut off from the throne, won’t he?
Marquis Xinchang Li Pu’s face was also ashen.
When the Feng clan members relocated to Xuzhou, Zhang Ping had been quite worried, and Yao Xishui had even made a special visit to probe Han Qian’s intentions. But after Han Qian presented the “Heavenly Craftsmanship Manual,” Marquis Xinchang Li Pu had been inclined to believe that having the Han father and son manage Xuzhou was more about leaving themselves an escape route. With the Third Prince having increasingly better prospects of ascending the throne, he did not believe the Han father and son would give up this “rare commodity.”
He had never expected that scoundrel Han Qian would flee so decisively and efficiently.
“Most of the families of the Left Bureau soldiers are still at the Military Bureau, which shows that the vast majority of Left Bureau soldiers have merely been temporarily deceived by that scoundrel Han Qian and have no treasonous intent themselves. Currently, only a few people like Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng are resolutely following Han Qian in defection,” Marquis Xinchang Li Pu said through clenched teeth to Third Prince Yang Yuanpu. “Please grant me permission to pursue them by fast horse. Perhaps I can intercept them before they enter Tanzhou.”
In Marquis Xinchang Li Pu’s view, most of the elite scouts and Left Bureau disciples had no intention of defecting—they were merely deceived. As long as they could catch up to the westward-fleeing fleet, there would be an opportunity to incite those elite scouts and Left Bureau disciples to rebel and return to righteousness, minimizing as much as possible the negative impact of this incident on the Prince’s Manor and on Wanhong Tower’s plans over these years.
“Director Zheng, immediately lead a hundred elite cavalry and carry my command token to pursue them along the river. You must intercept Han Qian and his group for me.” Yang Yuanpu ignored Marquis Xinchang Li Pu, even though he was his father-in-law, and instead directly ordered Zheng Hui, thinking privately: If the fleet heading west encounters some mishap and is delayed, allowing my father-in-law to catch up, and some Left Bureau disciples and scouts are then incited to oppose Han Qian, wouldn’t that ruin everything?
Yang Yuanpu at this moment ordered Zheng Hui to lead over a hundred elite cavalry in pursuit along the river so that whatever happened, they could coordinate well with Han Qian without revealing the slightest flaw, allowing Han Qian to successfully deceive everyone and borrow passage through Tanzhou territory to establish himself in Xuzhou.
Currently, there was no evidence showing that Xuzhou Governor Han Daoxun was also involved, so this flight for now remained merely an internal matter of the Prince’s Manor.
Marquis Xinchang Li Pu held no official rank in the Prince’s Manor. He had just volunteered impetuously in his urgency. Seeing the Third Prince delegate someone else, he offered no opinion.
Zheng Hui accepted Third Prince Yang Yuanpu’s command token and had Zheng Xingxuan lead a cavalry squad to mount up with him immediately, pursuing westward along the river.
……
……
The courier stations of the current age could cover five hundred li per day because there were relay stations all along the route for changing horses, allowing them to maintain the horses’ fastest speed toward the destination throughout.
But Zheng Hui leading over a hundred cavalry, traveling day and night, could cover at most two hundred li per day. Naturally, the distance from the westward-fleeing fleet only grew larger and larger.
Leaving Jinling, they encountered snowy, rainy weather. Though it was only light snow, it made rapid marching difficult. Zheng Hui only reached Chizhou three days later.
By this time, news came back from Jiangzhou that the westward-fleeing fleet had already left Jiangzhou at dawn the day before yesterday and entered Ezhou. They had probably passed through Ezhou before nightfall yesterday and entered Yuezhou, which was under the jurisdiction of the Tanzhou Military Commissioner.
Although Jiangzhou had naval river forces, by the time they received notification by courier horse, the westward-fleeing fleet had already passed at full speed a day and night earlier. Aside from continuing to send courier notifications in the Ezhou direction, the Jiangzhou naval forces no longer had any point in pursuing.
Continuing to pursue with his forces also no longer had any meaning for Zheng Hui. He could only rest temporarily at Liuting Post Station, thirty li west of Chizhou city, awaiting further orders.
Zheng Hui led his troops into the post station without contacting Chizhou officials, but the Chizhou Governor’s Office seemed to explode as if the sky had fallen.
In two days it would be his mother’s birthday. Han Jun had specifically requested leave in advance and was returning to Chizhou with Han Duan and their wives and children to celebrate her birthday, planning to rest at the Chizhou Governor’s Office for a few days before returning to Jinling. Unexpectedly, a spy from the Bureau of Operations hurried to the Governor’s Office seeking an audience, bringing the shocking news of Han Qian’s flight.
Like a calm lake struck by a meteorite from beyond the heavens, waves surged in fury!
Han Jun sat in a pavilion in the inner residence’s garden, staring at his father, Chizhou Governor Han Daoming, face to face.
Outside the pavilion, light snow drifted down.
Han Daoming stroked his beard, unconsciously pulling out several strands of the fine whiskers he was so proud of without realizing it, his brow furrowed like a mountain.
Han Daoming no longer had time to regret not dispatching warships to intercept and search when the Xuzhou boat gang passed through. What troubled him now was not knowing what kind of implication he would face.
Third Brother and their side had long since parted ways, but even with Old Father gone, could he go explain to outsiders that Third Brother had completely severed ties with them?
Who would believe it?
Would His Majesty believe it, or would the Crown Prince believe it?
The Han clan in Chizhou city had only three hundred household troops, and Chizhou city was only four hundred li from Jinling. He was far from qualified to declare independence in Chizhou.
“Third Brother is too heartless. That father and son are driving the Han family to death, utterly without any consideration for blood ties at all!” Han Daochang entered the garden with a devastated expression, despair spreading across his face as if a great mansion were about to collapse. Suppressing his voice like a wounded beast’s low growl, he said, “Zheng Hui led over a hundred elite cavalry but hasn’t continued pursuing westward—he’s entered Liuting Post Station instead…”
“…” Han Daoming waved his hand, gesturing for Second Brother to sit and speak.
“You unfilial son, you’ve been mixing around in Jinling for over a year—how did you not detect even a hint of Han Qian’s wolfish ambitions?” Han Daochang looked at Han Duan sitting there with a dejected expression and kicked the chair leg until it broke, angrily rebuking him.
Caught off guard, Han Duan took a tumble like a dog eating dirt, rolling out of the pavilion. Looking up and seeing his father’s furious anger, afraid of being beaten again, he knelt in the snow outside the pavilion to receive the lecture.
Everyone said Han Qian was not favored by Emperor Tianyou, achieving great merit at Xichuan yet receiving no reward. But no matter what, he was still far more prominent than he and Han Jun were. Even some mid-level military officers who didn’t want to offend either side still had to greet Han Qian with smiling faces.
Under these circumstances, how would Han Duan be willing to go to Lanting Lane or Yandangji to gather information?
Ever since Han Qian had his subordinates kill Niu Erdan and then acted outrageously within Chizhou city, Han Duan had determined that scoundrel Han Qian was a rebellious traitor. But he had never imagined Han Qian would suddenly sweep away part of the Prince’s Manor’s assets and flee to Xuzhou.
This bastard grandson truly was going to bring eternal ruin upon the Han family!
“Father,” Han Jun’s heart felt as if crushed beneath a mountain. Like a wounded beast trapped in a cage watching sharp spears thrust in, his eyes red as he looked at his father Han Daoming, he couldn’t help but ask, “What should we do?”
Han Daoming swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty and said to Han Daochang: “Second Brother, you and Jun’er and Duan’er return to Jinling immediately to see Niu Gengru. Take the land deeds for our estate in Liyang County and the property deed for our bronze vessel shop in Jinling city. Give the bronze vessel shop to Niu Gengru, and as for the estate in Liyang County, trouble Niu Gengru to deliver it into Anning Palace. Tell him I’ll enter Jinling in two days to plead guilty on my back…”
“If Elder Brother enters Jinling now, won’t it be too dangerous?” Han Daochang asked in surprise, worried that Emperor Tianyou might on a whim directly arrest them all and throw them in prison.
At that point, the Han family would have no way to explain themselves clearly, yet countless people would kick them while they were down, trampling heavily upon them.
Wasn’t this a repeat of the Feng family?
Perhaps slightly better than the Feng family in one respect—that damned Third and his son had already escaped to Xuzhou and established a foothold there.
“Why don’t we also go to Xuzhou?” Han Duan said.
“Don’t you have any brains at all? Even if we could go, do you think that father and son would tolerate us once we reached Xuzhou?” Han Daochang grabbed a handful of white jade chess pieces from the stone table and hurled them at Han Duan’s head and face. He was truly driven mad by his stupidity. Zheng Hui leading cavalry without continuing westward but remaining in Chizhou territory—what was he guarding against?
He was guarding against them also fleeing to Xuzhou!
Han Daoming waved his hand, stopping Second Brother and son from continuing to make a scene in the garden, and said: “The Third Prince trusts that scoundrel Han Qian extremely. Secretly establishing the Jinyun Tower Left Bureau—this is the greatest authority outside of the Prince of Linjiang’s Manor’s Personal Affairs Bureau, Household Bureau, and Guard Bureau. This scoundrel sweeping away the Left Bureau’s goods and coercing Left Bureau forces to flee is an enormous blow to the Third Prince, who has just attracted His Majesty’s interest. I suspect Zhao Mingting was not unaware of the abnormalities at Yandangji—he may even have deliberately allowed this to happen…”
Han Jun thought for a long while and vaguely understood his father’s meaning.
Such a huge leak on the Third Prince’s side could only demonstrate the incompetence of the Third Prince, Shen Yang, and the others. Forget about the princes and ministers opposing it—Emperor Tianyou at this point had most likely already abandoned the thought of deposing the heir.
In this incident, the Crown Prince’s side was undoubtedly the greatest beneficiary, so the Crown Prince’s side could only be pleased with their Han clan, without half a trace of hatred.
And once Emperor Tianyou abandoned the thought of deposing the heir, Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s side would have greater voice and authority.
So for them to come through unscathed, they could only plead with Anning Palace and the Crown Prince to speak on their behalf.
Even if Father were removed from his position as Chizhou Governor, that would still be a hundred times better than being granted death like Feng Wenlan and Kong Zhou and then having the family property confiscated!