Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 346: A soldier never tires of deceit
Wang Anshi accepted the order and withdrew, walking through the courtyard shrouded in night.

The lights in the duty room of the West Wing were all off, and he didn't know whether Lu Beigu was asleep or not, so he stood outside the door and gently knocked on the door.

"Boom, boom, boom."

Lu Beigu had already been startled awake, and now that he had returned to the bed, he was not asleep, but merely dozing off.

However, not wanting the other party to realize that he had been spying, he hesitated for a moment before responding.

"coming."

Then, he put on his shoes, got out of bed, and went to open the door.

With a creak, the wooden door opened.

Under the moonlight, Lu Beigu saw that it was indeed Wang Anshi who had come to see him. Moreover, the other man's clothes were damp with night dew, and his expression was solemn yet concerned. He immediately understood what was going on.

"Brother Jiefu."

Wang Anshi was of the same generation as Zeng Gong and Wang Tao. He was older than Lu Beigu and Su Shi, but not by a generation. Therefore, after they became familiar with each other, they addressed each other as elder brother.

But if someone were to reach Su Xun's age of over fifty, it would certainly be inappropriate to address him as a brother.

He stepped aside to let Wang Anshi into the room, lit the lamp, and the two sat facing each other.

Then, Lu Beigu looked outside again.

"There's no one else here, I'm the only one."

Wang Anshi said, "I'm just having a chat with you, it's not an interrogation, don't worry."

The dynasty has rules that, regardless of the government office, a formal interrogation must be conducted by at least two people, with someone holding paper and pen to take a written record for it to be considered a testimony.

If someone comes alone, then whatever they say doesn't really count.

Of course, this refers to normal circumstances. If you were to enter the Imperial City Guard's dungeon, well, that's another story.

Lu Bei asked, "I wonder what Brother Jiefu would like to talk about?"

"That's right, a murder just happened outside the city."

Wang Anshi got straight to the point and briefly recounted the events: "An accountant was chased to the main road. Although he was rescued by constables, he succumbed to his injuries. The two assailants escaped, and judging from their figures and clothing, they were not ordinary thugs."

Lu Beigu's heart skipped a beat, but he remained expressionless: "But what does this have to do with me?"

"It is suspected that Bao Gong murdered him to silence him."

Wang Anshi stared intently at him and asked, "There's something fishy about your brother-in-law's case, my dear brother. If you know anything, you might as well speak frankly now. Although Judge Bao is unable to investigate openly due to his position, I still have some autonomy in overseeing the counties and towns around the capital."

The room was silent for a moment, with only the sound of the water clock dripping.

Lu Beigu looked outside the door again.

Indeed, there was no one else there. He had heard it clearly from the couch; it was only Wang Anshi's footsteps.

Finally, he spoke.

“Someone wanted to use my brother-in-law’s case to harm me, so that I wouldn’t be able to take the imperial examination, but I just didn’t succeed.”

Wang Anshi nodded; this was quite obvious.

Otherwise, why would anyone bother to harm Jia Yan, a captain who flatters the Japanese army?

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Lu Beigu, he wouldn't even be worth being schemed against.

"Do you know who wants to harm you?" Wang Anshi asked.

"I have no evidence."

Lu Beigu's words did not surprise Wang Anshi.

Right now, no one has any evidence, and when there is no evidence, it is a good choice not to speak recklessly.

"So you mean you have someone you suspect? Don't deny it. You can tell me your thoughts. Who exactly wants to harm you?"

Lu Beigu looked at Wang Anshi and asked instead, "Could you tell me the details of the case this afternoon? Perhaps it can provide more evidence for my guess."

"can."

Afterwards, Wang Anshi recounted the details of the afternoon's case to Lu Beigu.

"I do have some ideas."

After listening, Lu Beigu finally spoke, his voice calm: "Brother Jiefu, have you ever considered how Jia Yan, a mere constable, could have infiltrated the Privy Council with a weapon?"

"This is precisely the biggest point of contention in this case."

"What if someone impersonates a police officer and uses Privy Council documents to lure him into a trap?"

Lu Beigu had pondered this matter repeatedly before, and the analysis he had made in his mind was actually quite close to the actual situation.

"You mean the deceased was an imposter police officer?"

Wang Anshi frowned. He was in charge of official business in the counties and towns outside Kaifeng and didn't know much about the Jia Yan case that had just happened. He had only heard a general account from Bao Zheng, so he had never thought about it before.

Lu Beigu slowly said, "If you ask me, even if the people here in the Privy Council don't admit to having seen Jia Yan, Jia Yan couldn't have just appeared out of thin air. Yesterday wasn't a holiday or a day off, so he must have come to the Privy Council from the army, right? Can't the people in the military camp be investigated?"

"We can't investigate the soldiers who supported the Japanese army."

Wang Anshi was also somewhat helpless. Even if he used the pretext of investigating other cases, he couldn't investigate the Imperial Guards.

"You can't check inside the barracks, but soldiers always have times when they go out to buy supplies or take a break, right?"

Lu Beigu looked at him and suggested, "What I mean is, since the deceased's body is here at the Kaifeng Prefectural Government Office, we can find an opportunity to let the soldiers who were with Jia Yan that day come out of the camp to recognize him. If they recognize him, it can be proven that this person tricked Jia Yan into going to the Privy Council, thus clearing him of the crime of 'infiltrating the Privy Council'."

"Even so, this is just someone who does the work; who's behind it all?"

"To forge documents requires a thorough understanding of the Privy Council's format and seals; to orchestrate the guards to perfectly bypass Jia Yan's route into the Privy Council requires familiarity with its internal security. Brother Jiefu, who do you think could have accomplished such a feat?"

"It has to be someone powerful within the Privy Council. Just tell me directly, who do you think wants to use Jia Yan's case to harm you?"

Wang Anshi was not a particularly patient person. Lu Beigu's constant avoidance of talking about the people behind the scenes made him somewhat unwilling to beat around the bush.

"I guess it's Pei Degu. Pei Degu is afraid that I will take revenge on him after I enter officialdom. The Lu and Pei families have a history of grudges. The collapse case during the construction of the Rainbow Bridge and how my father died are all recorded in the files. They can be found out with a simple check."

Then Lu Beigu looked at Wang Anshi and kindly advised, "If Brother Jiefu is afraid, you don't have to investigate. I can't bear to see Brother Jiefu involved in this matter."

Upon hearing this, Wang Anshi immediately became displeased.

What do you mean I'm scared?

He frowned and said, "If you're afraid of even this little thing, how will you ever reform and strengthen the country, and save the nation? Didn't you hear what I said at the Green Pine Society gathering that day?"

"I only think of Brother Jiefu, who has cultivated his reputation for twenty years and has just come to the capital from the countryside. His future is bright, and I am afraid that there may be setbacks."

"What could one Petegu possibly have?"

Wang Anshi was startled.

"You mean?"

"I do not know."

Lu Beigu said sincerely, "I urge Brother Jiefu to consider this carefully. This case is of great importance. If it affects your career, I will feel truly ashamed."

“You don’t need to say anything more.” Wang Anshi seemed quite calm. He only said, “In all matters of the world, those who follow the way of the king are open and aboveboard.”

"If that's the case, then I won't hide it anymore."

Seeing that his targeted provocation was working, Lu Beigu simply went on to elaborate.

"That accountant might just be a pawn. Forging documents requires an official seal, and mobilizing guards requires a password. These traces can be covered up, but they are by no means untraceable. Of course, those are all internal matters of the Privy Council, and the Kaifeng Prefecture cannot investigate them. However, I think there are clues in the location where the deceased was stabbed. Brother Jiefu, have you considered why it was an abandoned lumberyard? Which merchant house did this lumberyard belong to before? I think if Brother Jiefu can investigate the deceased's recent whereabouts and the ownership of this abandoned lumberyard, he might be able to discover his connection with certain people."

"Some people" naturally refers to Pei Degu.

As for Jia Changchao behind him, the case hasn't yet reached that old fox.

However, this old fox has already become Lu Beigu's next target.

Wang Anshi nodded; these clues were all important for him to solve the case.

Having a specific target before searching for relevant evidence is like shooting an arrow and then drawing the target; it's much more efficient than blindly investigating.

Lu Beigu paused for a moment, then said, "Furthermore, the fact that the perpetrators were both professional yet failed suggests they were not repeat offenders. Two robust men, each six feet tall and dressed smartly, should not be difficult to find in the capital. After killing them to cover their tracks, they must have been eager to escape and are probably hiding somewhere."

Wang Anshi's eyes flickered slightly, and he already understood: "I will send people to investigate gambling dens, inns, and carriage shops in detail."

Finally, Lu Beigu revealed his most important thought.

"Moreover, the deceased could also be 'not dead'."

"what do you mean?"

"The two thugs only stabbed him, not killed him on the spot. They couldn't be sure if he was dead or not. And everyone who knows about this is under Brother Jiefu's jurisdiction. If there's no mole, the news won't spread so quickly. So why not use this incident to set a trap? After all, all's fair in war."

The two then discussed this idea in detail.

After the meeting, Wang Anshi got up to leave, but then turned back and whispered, "Brother, don't worry. If what you say is true, I will definitely investigate the matter thoroughly."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Jiefu." Lu Beigu bowed and saw him off.

Wang Anshi quietly left, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Lu Beigu lay back down on the couch, gazing at the moonlight outside the window, knowing that many people in Kaifeng were destined to be sleepless tonight.

He tossed and turned on the couch a few times before finally falling asleep.

In his dream, he returned to Chongzheng Hall. He seemed to see the Emperor nodding slightly as he reviewed the papers, he seemed to see Princess Fukang's concerned gaze from behind the curtain, and he seemed to see his own name hanging high at the top of the list.
The darkest hour is often when dawn is just around the corner.

The thousands of houses in Kaifeng stand silently, awaiting the arrival of a new day.

The following morning, the Privy Council, which had just opened its doors, was shrouded in silence.

Holding documents in his hand, Pei Degu, under the guise of official business, arrived at the office of Privy Councilor Jia Changchao.

On the day of the incident and yesterday, the two had no contact with each other in order to avoid suspicion.

So as soon as Jia Changchao returned today, Pei Degu, who was extremely anxious, rushed over to discuss countermeasures.

“Tian Kuang was clearly deliberately delaying things the day before yesterday. I should have realized something was wrong the moment he put on his glasses.”

When talking about what happened that day, Pei Degu still seemed somewhat remorseful.

Jia Changchao remained calm and stroked his beard slowly: "The problem doesn't lie with Tian Kuang. He is always cautious, but he is also good at assessing the situation. He doesn't dare to openly obstruct, so he can only use this kind of delaying tactic, which is actually useless."

The carved door to the duty room was tightly closed, but Pei Degu still unconsciously lowered his voice.

"The most troublesome thing is that when documents are sent to the palace, they just happen to run into the princess."

After hearing this, Jia Changchao began to understand.

So all that self-blame earlier was just a prelude to secretly blaming me now?
However, Jia Changchao couldn't say anything. He had previously assured Pei Degu that as long as the documents were delivered to the palace, Pei Degu wouldn't have to worry about anything else.

But the problem lies precisely in the fact that there has never been a problem with the ban on China before!

Therefore, it's true that his arrangements were inadequate.

But he certainly couldn't say that out loud, since the two were not equals. How could Jia Changchao possibly admit that he had made a mistake?
"Wu Jilong has done his best in the Forbidden City."

Jia Changchao sneered, "Who would have thought that the princess would dare to slap the Vice Director of the Palace Attendants in front of the Chuigong Hall just to protect that brat?"

At this point, seeing that Jia Changchao realized he also bore responsibility, Pei Degu finally dared to reveal the latest situation in detail.

"The most troublesome thing now is that the men I sent to silence him failed. Although the accountant was stabbed several times, he was rescued by the constables of Kaifeng Prefecture, although they said he should have died on the spot from his injuries."

Jia Changchao, who had been very composed until now, finally turned pale upon hearing this news.

"What do you do for a living?!"

Pei Degu was momentarily embarrassed.

"I'm asking you, what if he's still alive and betrays you?"

At this point, Jia Changchao truly felt that the situation was getting difficult.

If that accountant really survives and implicates Pei Degu, then Pei Degu will have to go to jail.

If Pei Degu loses his mind and bites him, then he will also be in danger.

This made Jia Changchao realize that he could no longer blame Pei Degu for alienating him. After all, the deed was done, and blaming him was pointless and would only increase the probability of the other party turning against him.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the window, and the two of them fell silent.

After the footsteps faded away, Jia Changchao slowly got up, walked to the window, and after confirming that no one was outside, he returned and said urgently.

“Remember this, what we fear most right now isn’t the lowly soldiers supporting the Japanese army. The Imperial Guards are all under the control of the Three Military Commands, which are people we can influence. What we fear most right now is that accountant from Kaifeng Prefecture who might not be completely dead yet. Bao Xiren is not someone to be trifled with.”

Pei Degu also stood up at this moment and said solemnly.

"Understood. I've already sent people to Kaifeng Prefecture to investigate. If that person is still alive..."

He swallowed hard: "Let him shut up forever."

"It needs to be clean and efficient."

Jia Changchao continued, "Have the other loose ends been cleaned up?"

“Everything else has been taken care of,” Pei Degu said hurriedly. “The forged documents have long been burned.”

"What about Jia Yan?"

"As you instructed, he has been transferred to the Rear Division of the Three Offices for detention."

Before he could finish speaking, there was a sudden, urgent knocking on the door.

Pei Degu was startled, but Jia Changchao calmly gestured for him to sit down.

"Enter."

A minor official bowed and entered, presenting a document: "Reporting to Lord Jia, an urgent military report has just arrived from Linzhou."

Jia Changchao casually took the document, waved away the clerk, and opened it. His expression darkened even more.

The document clearly stated that as many as 30,000 Xia cavalrymen had appeared on the west bank of the Quye River.

(End of this chapter)