Chapter 39: Striking the Mountain to Frighten the Tiger

This out-of-nowhere remark caused Dong Xinwu to tightly knit his brows, a heavy premonition of misfortune welling up in his heart: "How so? Wasn't it just this morning that the Five-City Gendarmerie issued a joint notice with the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen to coordinate our investigation? Why is Commander Liu suddenly recalling his men?"

Fang Wei and Zhou Wei were also somewhat irritated. "Indeed! He goes back on his word in less than half a day. If the gendarmerie withdraws, a vast capital city like ours can never manage this with just a few dozen people."

Dong Xinwu glared at the two of them, then grabbed Liu Yongji by the arm. "Come, Commander Liu, the sun is fierce outside. Let us step inside and speak."

Liu Yongji followed him into the room with an extremely grim expression. Dong Xinwu asked, "Commander Liu, what on earth has happened?"

Liu Yongji removed his helmet and held it in his hand. "It is not convenient for me to speak of this." He pointed his right index finger toward the ceiling. "Your Shuntian Prefecture will also receive word before long, but what I can tell you is that shortly, the main force of the Shuntian Prefecture will be pulled away alongside the gendarmerie for other purposes."

A thought stirred in Dong Xinwu's mind, and he suddenly understood. Maintaining his composure, he asked, "How many days at most can you leave the brothers of the gendarmerie here?"

Liu Yongji pondered in silence. Dong Xinwu sighed. "Over the past five years, Tang Haiqiu has run amok in the capital, ruining the chastity of countless women and plunging the populace into panic. Now that we have finally dealt him a heavy blow, it is the prime opportunity to capture this scoundrel. If we let him slip through our fingers in vain, his eventual resurgence will spell yet another catastrophe."

Liu Yongji raised his head, his expression loosening somewhat. Dong Xinwu looked straight into his eyes: "You and I are officials whose duty is to arrest bandits. For every innocent citizen in this capital who suffers harm, another fraction of guilt rests upon our shoulders."

Liu Yongji shuddered slightly. Meeting Dong Xinwu's gaze, his breathing grew heavier. "I will give you one day. By dawn tomorrow, the gendarmerie's forces will be withdrawn from the case of the 'Painted Butterfly'. Shuntian Prefecture does not have much time left either; if we fail to take Tang Haiqiu by tomorrow, I fear the rapid-response bailiffs will no longer have the energy to spare for this lecherous villain."

"One day..." Dong Xinwu muttered thoughtfully. The time left to him was far too brief. His mind raced. "With time limited, our previous strategy may need to be altered."

Fang Wei, Zhou Wei, and Liu Yongji crowded closer. Dong Xinwu swept his gaze across the three of them and said softly, "We will post arrest warrants for Tang Haiqiu in every ward within the city, making his identity public knowledge."

"No!" "That must never be!" Liu Yongji leaped up in alarm, while Fang Wei and Zhou Wei wore looks of utter shock. Liu Yongji exclaimed, "Tang Haiqiu has already been declared dead! To reveal his true identity now would be a slap to our own faces—where would you place the authority of the government? Furthermore, Tang Haiqiu has committed countless atrocities, and the common folk are terrified of him to the extreme. If they learn he is still alive, it will inevitably spark panic on the streets. And then there is... that matter. If the powers above are alarmed, your career as an official will also come to an end."

Dong Xinwu's mind was made up. "Previously, our manpower was plentiful. As long as we progressed steadily, we could have compressed Tang Haiqiu and his accomplices into a tighter circle without alarming the populace, catching the turtle in the jar. Now, however, the situation is different. With time pressing, we can only mobilize the strength of the common people. This is equivalent to granting us tens of thousands of pairs of eyes simultaneously. As long as we can capture Tang Haiqiu swiftly, we can snuff out the fallout before it spreads."

Liu Yongji stared blankly at Dong Xinwu, terrified by his bold notion. He muttered, "I cannot speak for the rest, but Prefect Wan will certainly not let you off."

A smile, neither bitter nor mocking, touched Dong Xinwu's lips. "If anything goes wrong, I shall bear all the blame."

Fang Wei and Zhou Wei slammed their palms onto the table. "We shall bear it together with our master!"

"Sit down!" Dong Xinwu tapped his knuckle lightly against the table. The two men looked at each other and obediently sat back down. Dong Xinwu straightened his robes, stood up, and bowed deeply to Liu Yongji. "Commander Liu, safeguarding the peace of the capital is a responsibility we cannot shirk. When old Dong first entered this profession, my master commanded me to commit ten words to memory: Guard the peace of a region, protect the hearths of ten thousand homes. Those words have stayed with me to this day. This matter is settled."

Liu Yongji returned the bow with cupped hands. "I am instructed. If our superiors assign blame, I shall take my share; I will never leave you to bear it alone."

Dong Xinwu opened his mouth to speak, but Liu Yongji waved a hand. "My men still have time today. How we deploy them relies upon your instructions, Chief Constable Dong."

Knowing that time was of the essence, Dong Xinwu did not decline further. He combined the forces of both parties, reallocated them to various wards, and ordered them to post the arrest warrants along the streets and alleys. This would swiftly spread the word among the common folk, driving them to conduct self-inspections and flush Tang Haiqiu and his cohorts out of their hiding places.

Dong Xinwu said to Liu Yongji, "My young disciple has already taken Li Fu's arrest warrant to the Patrolling Censor's Office, but I fear that due to his humble standing and low rank, he may be ignored. I must trouble Commander Liu to transmit the arrest warrant to the Nine Gates; we must on no account let him slip through." The city gates were jointly guarded by the imperial guards and the Five-City Gendarmerie. With Liu Yongji stepping forward, the efficiency would naturally be doubled with half the effort.

Liu Yongji stamped his foot. "Chances are he has already missed him. Rest assured, I will attend to it immediately!"

A commotion broke out at the entrance of the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen. Under the deployment of Dong Xinwu and Liu Yongji, the constables and gendarmerie soldiers hurried off toward their respective assigned sectors. With time pressing, Dong Xinwu and Liu Yongji also took the field personally, each leading a contingent away. Fang Wei led his own squad out through the side gate, his subordinates carrying thick stacks of official proclamations.

An adolescent boy was pacing back and forth before the entrance. Seeing Fang Wei emerge, the yamen guard said to the boy, "Aren't you looking for Chief Constable Fang?"

"Are you Chief Constable Fang Wei?" The boy walked up to Fang Wei, his eyes timid, clearly still harboring a sense of dread toward these men in official uniform.

Fang Wei looked at him in bewilderment. The boy extended a hand. "Someone entrusted me to give you something." Fang Wei stretched out his palm facing upward toward the child. The child loosened his fist and bolted backward. When Fang Wei looked closer, he saw that his palm now held a string of beads, glossy and smooth, strung together with a red silk thread. Fang Wei, however, was struck as if by a thunderbolt, terror flashing across his face as his entire body shook like a sieve in the wind.

This was something he and Lady Fang had gone to Longquan Temple to pray for in their early years, meant to soothe the spirit and ward off evil. Lady Fang had worn it constantly around her wrist; how had it now fallen into this child's hands? One of the constables, seeing Fang Wei suddenly lose his composure, called out, "Chief..."

Awakening as if from a dream, Fang Wei darted forward like an arrow released from a bow. The boy had not yet run far before Fang Wei caught up in a few strides and grabbed him by the collar. The boy looked back to see Fang Wei's face livid and distorted, and in the next instant, he felt the world spin as Fang Wei slammed him violently to the ground. Overcome by pain, the child burst into tears. Fang Wei gritted his teeth and demanded, "Who gave you this?"

"You're hurting me!" the child cried.

"Speak!"

The child sobbed, "Just now, while I was playing with my friends on the street, a man gave me a copper coin and asked me to pass this string of beads to you. He said you would naturally understand. I don't want the coin anymore, please let me go..."