Chapter 43 Retribution

Wanting to strike down Zhu Jixi with a single blow was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

Chen Kan could only set the board properly; the next move depended entirely on Li Jinglong's performance.

However, indulging in a petty revenge to disgust him and vent the anger from yesterday's assassination attempt—now that he was free from any lingering concerns in the imperial court—allowed Chen Kan to conjure up numerous sinister methods in an instant.

Sending Fang Xu to scout out the defensive forces of the Prince of Jin's temporary residence was the very first step of Chen Kan's retaliation.

He still dared not place absolute trust in the embroidered uniform guards under his command.

Therefore, Chen Kan did not tell them that he intended to lead them to make trouble for Zhu Jixi.

He would get things done first, and only then reveal the truth to them.

By the time the rice was already cooked into porridge, everyone would be grasshoppers tied to the same rope, and only then could Chen Kan use them with peace of mind.

For the omnipresent Brocade Guard, investigating the background of a vassal prince who had arrived in the capital was as simple as eating and drinking.

After all, this was their specialty to begin with.

Just as Shi Wen finished gathering the Brocade Guards under his command, precise news came back from Fang Xu's end.

As for why Fang Xu was so fast, it could only be attributed to the terrifyingly high operational efficiency of the Brocade Guard.

A vassal prince entering the capital without an imperial decree—how could the Brocade Guard, acting as both the emperor's personal army and a secret service agency, possibly fail to monitor him?

Therefore, Fang Xu brought back not only the detailed deployment information of the guards at the Prince of Jin's residence, but also conveniently found out which woman Zhu Jixi had favored the previous night and how long he had lasted.

Looking at the document brought back by Fang Xu, which even recorded clearly how many times Zhu Jixi had drank water that day and at what exact time he drank it, a chill involuntarily welled up in Chen Kan's heart.

No wonder the Brocade Guard was notoriously infamous, evoking hatred even centuries later whenever these three words were mentioned.

And no wonder the officials of the Ming Dynasty were mostly perverted. Just imagine: having a group of people constantly monitoring you, knowing even whether or not you snored in your sleep, without you even knowing who they were. Over a long period of time, wouldn't you be driven to madness?

Therefore, it was completely normal for the Brocade Guard to be hated; it would be strange if they weren't.

Fortunately, he was now one of the leaders of this formidable force.

Otherwise, Chen Kan truly could not imagine how he could possibly live if he were under someone else's surveillance twenty-four hours a day.

After reviewing the information brought by Fang Xu, Chen Kan arrived at the drill ground.

Shi Wen said, "My lord, the brothers have all assembled. Please give your orders."

Chen Kan nodded and said, "Very well. Everyone listen up, change into casual clothes immediately and follow this official to the Five City兵马司 (Military and Civilian Patrol Command)."

The best thing about the Brocade Guard was their strict adherence to orders and prohibitions.

No one asked Chen Kan what they were going to the Patrol Command to do.

They simply executed Chen Kan's orders with absolute loyalty.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Kan led a dense crowd of towering, burly men to block the entrance of the Southern City Patrol Command.

The commander of the Southern City Patrol Command was a slightly hunchbacked, short man named Zhang Yong.

Looking at Chen Kan, he asked with a mixture of apprehension and suspicion, "May I ask what esteemed business brings this大人 (lord) to our Southern City Patrol Command?"

The Brocade Guards had changed into casual clothes, but Chen Kan certainly had not.

Therefore, an arrogant expression naturally appeared on Chen Kan's face. He unhooked the ivory tally from his waist, flashed it before Zhang Yong's eyes, and said, "I am Chen Kan, Guard Vice Commander of the Northern Pacification Bureau. Listen well, today this official is requisitioning the water carts and kerosene from your Southern City Patrol Command."

"Phew."

Hearing that Chen Kan only wanted to requisition water carts and kerosene, Zhang Yong subconsciously let out a breath of relief.

As long as he wasn't here to make arrests, it was fine.

He hurriedly turned around to lead the way for Chen Kan, saying ingratiatingly, "We have water carts, and we have kerosene. Please follow this humble official, my lord."

"Hmph!"

Chen Kan let out a grunt through his nose. "You know what's good for you."

Zhang Yong led Chen Kan to the storage room of the Southern City Patrol Command.

At Chen Kan's command, the plainclothes Brocade Guards split into two teams.

One team was responsible for draining the water from the water carts, while the other team was responsible for pouring kerosene into them.

Once half of the water carts were filled with kerosene, Chen Kan ordered the men to push the carts away.

The water carts filled with kerosene were at the front, followed by the water-filled carts at the rear.

Pushing the convoy into an alley on Yongning Street, Chen Kan beckoned several of his subordinates over and instructed them in a low voice, "Do you see the largest mansion on that street ahead? Go and throw a few torches into the courtyard. Make sure the people inside notice you, and when they chase after you, lead them toward this alley."

After saying that, he turned and instructed Shi Wen, "Take your men and lie in ambush. There's no need to hold back later, just make sure you don't kill anyone."

"Understood!"

"Go."

Though the guards at the Prince of Jin's temporary residence could not be described as airtight, it was sheer fantasy for ordinary people to even approach it.

Before the few Brocade Guards could reach the front gate, their path was blocked by two patrolling sentries.

"This is the residence of the Prince of Jin, idlers keep—ah..."

Before the two sentries could finish a complete sentence, two of the Brocade Guards suddenly launched a sneak attack and subdued them.

Seeing this, the other Brocade Guards ignited the kerosene-soaked torches in their hands and hurled them at the front gate.

In an instant, the front gate of the Prince of Jin's residence burst into raging flames.

"Scoundrels, how dare you!"

Other guards of the Prince of Jin's household patrolling outside the gate were instantly shocked and furious upon discovering the sudden turn of events at the entrance.

Seeing that the fire had caught, the few Brocade Guards turned around and fled without the slightest hesitation.

"Quick, protect the Prince!"

"Fire! There's a fire!"

"Hurry, protect the Prince and evacuate through the back gate! I'll take men to chase the villains..."

Passersby were also startled by the sudden change and began to shout with tearing cries.

"Help! There's a fire..."

In fact, the fire at the Prince of Jin's residence wasn't particularly large at the moment; the only part actually burning was the front gate.

However, the common folk were terrified, and the entire street instantly descended into chaos.

Meanwhile, the guards of the Prince of Jin's household were currently flustered and disorganized, not knowing whether to put out the fire, pursue the culprits, or protect the Prince.

"What is there to panic about? Split off twenty men to follow me and capture the arsonists! Divide half of the remaining men to put out the fire, and use the other half to escort the Prince out through the back gate!"

At the crucial moment, a stern shout rang out from behind the blazing front gate of the Prince of Jin's residence.

"Zhu Jixi still has capable men under his command."

Chen Kan sighed with emotion, then turned back to instruct the Brocade Guards operating the water carts, "Be careful not to splash kerosene onto the surrounding houses. If the fire spreads, put it out immediately."

The Brocade Guards controlling the kerosene and water carts nodded in unison.

Then, under Fang Xu's protection, Chen Kan charged onto Yongning Street and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The water carts are here! Make way, get out of the way!"

After letting out a roar, he led Fang Xu in a sprint toward the back gate of the Prince of Jin's residence.

He wanted to go and witness Zhu Jixi's exasperated expression firsthand.

At the same time, furious curses and screams of agony began to echo from the alley where Shi Wen and his men were lying in ambush.