Chapter 37: What on Earth Is Going On?

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Meanwhile, Dong Ping selected a few trusted men, rode through the streets, and headed for the prefectural jail.

At the same time, Su Wu took Wu Song and galloped toward Yanggu County. They did not enter the county seat, but went straight to the village near Jingyang Ridge, where Ximen Qing, Liu Tang, and the others were still being held.

There was no time to lose. They would simply take the prisoners and make for Daming Prefecture. Daming Prefecture was also the Northern Capital of Great Song, and it was not far from Yanggu County—just a little over two hundred li.

A commotion suddenly broke out in the Dongping government office. Dong Ping was arguing with one of the clerks.

“This is the prefectural office, and that is the prefectural jail. How can a general simply barge in? If you wish to enter and see someone, you should at least have a written order from the assistant prefect.”

Dong Ping was still clad in armor, but he did not lose his temper at once. After all, that was indeed the proper procedure.

He merely turned back and asked Yun Liwan in a low voice, “Are you truly certain the man is inside?”

“General, the incident occurred yesterday evening, yet Su Wu did not return to Yanggu. Today, that fellow Su Wu suddenly appeared in Dongping Prefecture. He must have brought the man here after capturing him!”

Yun Liwan was utterly convinced. By all common sense, whenever official runners handled a case, they needed certain methods, a place to hold the prisoner, and men to guard him.

If he was not in one government office, then he must be in another.

Dong Ping turned around and barked at the clerk, “What sort of official are you?”

“I am no official, sir...” The clerk truly was not one, merely a low-ranking functionary.

“I am only going inside to have a look. Why is that forbidden? Ordinary citizens may enter to see their relatives. What is this, then? Must I offer you some money as well?”

Dong Ping spoke as though he had caught the man in a weak spot, and what he said was not untrue.

The clerk looked deeply troubled, waving and shaking his head. “No, no, General, you misunderstand. It is only that if you enter in this manner and word gets out, I fear I will not be able to answer for it.”

“Must I sneak in here?” Dong Ping demanded, glaring at him.

In the past, when Chen Wenzhao had been prefect, Dong Ping had enjoyed considerable prestige within this office. Now that the prefect had changed, if that prestige no longer carried weight, then someone was clearly looking down on him.

He could just about tolerate being scorned by the prefect. But if even a mere clerk dared look down on him, that he would not endure.

The clerk was frightened and hurriedly said, “Why make things difficult for this humble servant, General? Just go to the magistrate’s quarters. Who would dare make trouble for you there?”

Dong Ping raised a hand and shoved the clerk aside. Without another word, he strode inside.

There were quite a few jailers nearby. They exchanged glances. Who in all Dongping Prefecture did not know that General Dong was no ordinary man?

Who could afford to offend him openly? If he gave them a thorough beating, where would they go to seek redress?

And so, just like that, Dong Ping forced his way in. Yun Liwan followed behind him and said, “What imposing authority, General!”

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When Dong Ping had set out, he already knew that entering a jail was a trivial matter. Even so, he lifted his chin slightly. “It is nothing.”

The prefectural jail was quite large, with one cell after another stretching into the gloom. Whenever outsiders appeared, the prisoners all pressed themselves against the bars to look. Yun Liwan searched from one end to the other, looking everywhere.

In the rear office, someone hurried before the prefect and reported, “My lord, this is terrible! General Dong has actually forced his way into the prefectural jail!”

“What?” Cheng Wanli was startled as well. Dong Ping’s audacity seemed almost deranged.

“What are we to do? Please give your orders, my lord.”

What else could be done? What other choice was there but to submit a memorial to the imperial court and the Privy Council impeaching him?

By the time the Privy Council reacted and the impeachment was approved, the sun would already have set.

Cheng Wanli waved a hand. “Let him be, let him be. So long as he does not barge into the rear office, let him do as he pleases.”

Cheng Wanli knew perfectly well why the man had broken into the jail. Fortunately, someone had been one move ahead of him. The prisoner had never been brought to Dongping Prefecture at all, but had already been sent to Daming Prefecture, the Northern Capital.

Let him search the jail, then...

“But...” The messenger was somewhat bewildered by the prefect’s reaction.

“Stop stammering. Go on, then...” Cheng Wanli was in a thoroughly foul mood. Could there really be another prefect in all Great Song as helpless as he was?

The messenger withdrew with a face full of confusion, completely unable to understand what sort of world this had become.

This prefect was truly something...

One must not discuss the prefect behind his back. Even private grumbling had to stop. Best not to think too much—just leave quickly.

Seated in his study, the prefect was not sighing in despair. He was instead gritting his teeth, muttering, “Go on, make as much trouble as you like. We shall see how you clean up the mess when the time comes...”

When something was not taken seriously, when no one cared about it, it was only a minor matter—not a matter at all.

But once it was treated as important, once it was elevated into a major issue, it could become a calamity capable of bringing down the heavens.

Dong Ping and Yun Liwan searched the jail thoroughly, and the longer they searched, the more anxious they became.

Yun Liwan even shouted aloud, “Ximen Qing! Ximen Qing...”

Still, they found nothing.

Yun Liwan was already sweating profusely when Dong Ping cursed, “You are utterly useless!”

After searching the entire jail, Dong Ping asked, “Where is he?”

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Yun Liwan furrowed his brow in thought and said, “He truly is not here. Then... he must have gone back to the Yanggu County office.”

“Hmph!”

Dong Ping snorted and strode out of the jail. He glanced left and right. “Move!”

Yun Liwan hurried after him. “General, I shall return to Yanggu County at once. So long as the man is in Yanggu, this will be easy enough to resolve.”

“You have been led around by the nose by a mere constable, and you even dragged me into this pointless bustle.” Dong Ping’s voice was filled with extreme impatience.

“Rest assured, General. He must be in Yanggu County this time. Once I return to Yanggu, everything will be settled.” Yun Liwan repeatedly cupped his hands.

Dong Ping waved him off, raising the riding crop in his hand. He did not strike anyone; he was merely expressing his displeasure. “Sort out what happened, handle it properly, and then come report to me.”

“Yes, General! Yes!”

Yun Liwan bowed repeatedly as General Dong left the government office, mounted his horse, and rode away.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Yun Liwan hurriedly mounted as well and rushed back to Yanggu. His mind was considerably calmer now. So long as the man was not in the prefectural office but in the county office, there would be no great difficulty.

Meng Yi was not hard to deal with. Even if some troublesome matter arose, he would at least be on his own ground. Faced with such a dangerous situation, he ought to be able to find some way to manage it.

On the other side, Su Wu had not yet covered half the two-hundred-li journey. Meanwhile, Yun Liwan had already arrived at Yanggu County.

The moment he reached the city gate, Yun Liwan raised a hand and beckoned. The gate officer stationed atop the wall immediately came running down.

Though utterly exhausted, Yun Liwan asked, “Did Su Wu bring anyone back? Did you see Ximen Qing? Have Su Wu and that constable called Wu Song entered the city?”

He fired three questions in succession. The gate officer could only shake his head. “General, I have been watching the whole time. I have not seen them...”

“What? What about the other gates?” Yun Liwan asked again.

“Knowing that the General had given orders concerning this matter, I have had men make inquiries at all the gates from time to time. We truly have not seen anyone return. There are also men watching the county office, and no one has seen them enter there either...”

Yun Liwan slapped his own forehead and looked around in a daze. “What is going on? What is happening...”

“General, what is it?” the gate officer asked.

“Go to the drill ground and beat the war drum. Muster the troops!”

Yun Liwan no longer knew what else to do. But he still commanded a battalion of soldiers, and that was the foundation of his authority—the very capital on which his livelihood depended.

It was not that he intended to do anything reckless. He could not do anything reckless, and he would never dare to.

But he had to find a solution. The only choice was to send men outside the city to search, searching everywhere.

If they failed to find him, how could Yun Liwan possibly sleep or sit in peace?