Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 8 The Imperial Sword

The twenty burly men at the entrance of the Southern Fist School quickly lined up to block the way! Seeing that the leader of the government entourage was none other than their son-in-law, one of the leading men hurriedly dismissed the others, stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "So it's the son-in-law! I'll send someone to invite the master out right away!" Bai Shandian waved his hand and shouted, "No need, I can go in myself!" Seeing that his expression was very unpleasant, the burly man did not dare to ask any more questions and quickly ordered his men to open the gate and let him into the courtyard.

According to Qing Dynasty law, when high-ranking officials visited the residence of a Grand Secretary, civil officials would dismount from their sedan chairs and military officials would dismount from their horses. Unexpectedly, Bai Shandian pulled on the reins and led a large group of people straight into the inner hall! The flashing of swords and the sound of iron hooves had already alerted the Xiang family of Jiangnan! An elderly man wearing a two-eyed peacock feather on his head and an official robe with a crane embroidered badge led a large group of his family members out!

Judging from his attire, he was clearly dressed like a first-rank official of the Qing Dynasty. Even if Hongchen were a first-rank official, he wouldn't be as high-ranking as him, because he was a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, a first-rank official! Bai Shandian was the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, wearing an official robe with a qilin embroidered pattern and a three-eyed peacock feather on his head. He could at least be compared to him! Hongchen quickly gave Bai Shandian a wink and shouted, "Everyone dismount! Pay respects to Grand Secretary Xiang!" The term "Grand Secretary" was a respectful colloquial term used by the people of Hangzhou to address a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet.

At a command, more than a dozen guards dismounted in unison. Seeing everyone else jump down, leaving him all alone on the horse, Bai Shandian, his face flushed, glared at Hong Chen before finally dismounting himself. He rushed to Hong Chen's side and, along with the others, bowed respectfully to Elder Xiang. Elder Xiang gave him a cold look, pretending not to notice, and said to Hong Chen with a warm smile, "General Hong, your presence is an honor to my humble abode. Please, have a seat in the reception hall!" Hong Chen immediately noticed the coffin placed in the hall and said with an awkward smile, "I heard that the funeral of Miss Xiang Quan, the esteemed leader of the Southern Fist Sect, is in the next few days, so I led my men to your residence to offer my condolences ahead of time!" Elder Xiang smiled coldly to himself, but remained outwardly calm, and led everyone into Xiang Quan's memorial hall.

After everyone had finished their greetings, Elder Xiang invited Hong Chen and Bai Shandian into the guest room, ordered tea and snacks to be served, and then said seriously, "General Hong, what brings you here with your troops today? Has someone in my Xiang household broken the law?" Hong Chen, being very cunning, remained silent, but secretly nudged Bai Shandian with the corner of his mouth. Elder Xiang understood, and suddenly flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "Bai Shandian! You are the son-in-law of my Xiang household! My daughter, nephew, and niece were brutally murdered!" "Where were you these past few days? We've been eagerly awaiting your return, hoping you'd take charge and that your wife, children, and elderly parents could rest in peace! But instead, you've come to our mansion today like a monstrous demon, leading a large entourage. What do you want?! Are you heartless? Don't you have any feelings for your children? Are you even human?!" Bai Shandian, hearing his father-in-law's words, knew he already knew he had been in Hangzhou for three days and had only shown up today. He wanted to explain, but his father-in-law, in his rage, continued to ramble on: "For so many years, you've been running around outside all the time, neglecting the well-being of your family! Tell me! What have you ever cared about? When your wife was seriously ill, did you even take her to see a doctor once? Or did you even hold your children and soothe them when they cried? It's as if you're not part of this family! Now that such a terrible thing has happened, after you returned to Hangzhou, you should have rushed home immediately to find out what was going on! But you… you didn't even come! I heard you've been going to brothels and taverns these past few days, having a great time! You truly have no shame, no sense of propriety or morality! And you're supposed to be a high-ranking official! How can you face your tragically deceased wife, children, and elders? How can you face His Majesty? Get out! I don't have a son-in-law like you!" The old man grew angrier and angrier, even standing up trembling, raising his hand to strike Bai Shandian!

"To be honest, I have indeed wronged Xiangquan a lot over the years. Because of my profession, I have been lukewarm towards her, and our marital relationship has always been strained. But I am in the officialdom, and I have no choice in what I do. In order to abide by the strict discipline that Emperor Qianlong privately set for me, I cannot act on emotion! Moreover, Xiangquan and her brother have both fallen into the mire of crime. As their family, can I stand idly by and do nothing? No! I must save them!" He dodged his father-in-law's attack and calmly said, "Father-in-law, please calm down and listen to me!" Hongchen also quickly stood up and persuaded Elder Xiang to calm down. He let out a long sigh of anger, glared at Bai Shandian with resentment, and finally sat down.

Bai Shandian calmly replied, "Father-in-law, you misunderstand me! I arrived in Hangzhou three days ago, but I was completely absorbed in solving the case! I led the constables all over the streets to find the culprit who murdered my family, not what you think! Yesterday, I finally broke through the case and discovered that my wife, children, and elderly parents are not dead!" Upon hearing this, Hongchen was greatly surprised, and Elder Xiang was even more shocked: "Could he have discovered something? Otherwise, he wouldn't have put on this show today! It seems that the Imperial Guards are indeed worthy of their reputation, especially since he is the head of the Imperial Guards—the Minister of the Martial Guard! His methods are truly remarkable!" But he coldly retorted, "You say my daughter and the others are not dead, then where are they now? Let us see for ourselves!"

Bai Shandian's gaze burned fiercely as he stared intently into Xiang Ge's eyes: "Father-in-law, I dare say with certainty: that family of three is right here in our Southern Fist Sect!" Xiang Ge was slightly taken aback, then snapped back to reality, bursting into a tirade: "You're talking nonsense! With such a devastating turn of events, you've probably lost your mind! In my own mansion, how could I not know anything about them! Don't spout nonsense!" Bai Shandian sneered: "Father-in-law, do you dare let me search the entire mansion?" Hong Chen also stared intently at Xiang Ge. Seeing the two men's piercing gazes, he felt a surge of panic, his head spinning as he nearly collapsed! Bai Shandian quickly reached out to support him, coldly asking: "I'm beginning the search, Father-in-law!"

"You... don't rush, let me ask you: do you have the Emperor's decree to search the residences of high-ranking officials?" Grand Secretary Xiang racked his brains, finally finding a suitable pretext! Unexpectedly, Bai Shandian drew his sword from his waist, holding it in both hands, and laughed, "This is the Imperial Sword that His Majesty personally handed to me before his arrival. His Majesty's decree: With the Imperial Sword in hand, it's as if I am personally present! I can behead tyrannical emperors above and slay treacherous officials below!" Grand Secretary Xiang hurriedly rubbed his dim old eyes, peering at the hilt. Beneath the mouth of a golden dragon spewing clouds and mist, four gilded characters were carved—Imperial Sword! It seemed this sword wasn't fake! A genuine Imperial Sword! With Bai Shandian holding it, let alone searching a small Southern Fist Sect, even if he went to the Forbidden City in Beijing, who would dare stop him? He could behead tyrannical emperors above and slay treacherous officials below!

Xiang Ge Lao could no longer hold on; his body trembled like a leaf and he collapsed to the ground!

"I've offended my father-in-law!" Bai Shandian sheathed his sword, strode out of the guest room, and waved to the guards waiting at the door: "Search each room one by one!" The soldiers responded with a thunderous roar: "Yes, sir!" They then dispersed, forming groups of three and five, and quickly began searching using a carpet-like, layer-by-layer method.

Unexpectedly, after a dozen guards meticulously searched the entire Southern Fist Sect for half the morning, practically turning the place upside down, they found neither Xiang Quan nor his family, nor even a trace of the wanted criminal, Stinky Feet! Bai Shandian then summoned the constables and whispered, "You guarantee that no one went out last night?" The constables replied in unison, "Absolutely not! We'll vouch for it with our lives!" Bai Shandian and Hong Chen exchanged a glance. Hong Chen said, "Lord Bai, you're more familiar with this place. Think carefully, are there any underground caves or cellars in the mansion?" This reminded Bai Shandian of the toilet. It was there last night when he was interrogating the servant Afu when his wife suddenly attacked him… and Stinky Feet had appeared in that same spot a moment later! It seemed their hiding place was there! Or at least not far from there!

Bai Shandian led the group to the toilet. Hidden among the green trees, through the sparse sunlight, a latrine about ten feet long and six feet wide came into view. Strangely, the latrine wasn't made of bricks, but rather a huge bronze cauldron embedded in the grass. Using a bronze cauldron as a latrine suggested the owner's extravagance! But it was also somewhat unexpected! It had a faint air of evil, a hint of the uncanny…