Book 7: Ode to the Emperor
Chapter 84: All From the Capital
Gao Da’s luck was bad—exceptionally bad, to be precise.
He knew that earlier at the noodle stall, one of the constables had slipped away unnoticed. However, he paid it no mind. Most government officials were cowardly and self-serving, and in his judgment, a mere prefecture like this couldn’t possibly harbor anyone of significance. Moreover, he and his mute wife had acted swiftly—returning to their residence to fetch their child before heading straight for the city gates. The authorities simply couldn’t have reacted in time.
But when he was about half a li away from the city gates, he heard the heavy sound of the gates closing, followed by chaotic shouts and tense commands. Gao Da stared wide-eyed at the distant gates, watching as more and more constables gathered there. A chill ran down his spine, and he was utterly shocked and taken aback.
He glanced at his wife beside him. Their earlier haste had caused sweat to bead on her temples, her face flushed red, and her clear eyes filled with fear and unease.
Gao Da patted her hand and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
The mute wife opened her mouth slightly and nodded, but in her heart, she knew that her husband had killed a constable—an act of defiance against the imperial court. She feared that their family of three would not survive this. A wave of bitterness washed over her, seeping into her eyes, making her look utterly sorrowful.
For some reason, the order to close the city gates had not been followed by an expanded search, giving Gao Da some time to react. Frowning, he carried their child and took his mute wife’s hand, leading them into the residential area behind them. Soon, they disappeared into the streets of Dazhou City.
…
The reason Gao Da’s luck was exceptionally bad was that members of a special task force from the Ministry of Justice had chosen Dazhou as their gathering point. Coincidentally, this task force was dispatched by He Zongwei, a Grand Academician of the Secretariat-Chancellery, to investigate none other than Gao Da—the Tiger Guard who might have escaped from Mount Daodong years ago.
For months, He Zongwei had maintained a low profile in the capital. He knew that neither his connections in the court nor the emperor’s favor were enough to challenge Fan Xian’s position. Thus, he had been quietly working on this matter behind the scenes.
He aimed to find a breakthrough through either Wang Qinian or Gao Da. However, after months of investigation, there was still no trace of Wang Qinian from the Overwatch Council. Even though Old Wang was clearly hiding with his family, the task force found no leads. In contrast, under the immense pressure and support from He Zongwei, officials from the Ministry of Justice began investigating minute details at the foot of Mount Daodong. Gradually, they uncovered clues about Gao Da’s escape route and eventually narrowed down his possible hiding spots to seven towns and counties between the southern part of Dongshan Road and the northern part of Jiangbei Road.
Dazhou was one of them.
Finding a master whom everyone believed to be dead was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, since they couldn’t issue public warrants, the experts from the Thirteen Bureaus of the Ministry of Justice had spent the past six months scouring these seven towns and the surrounding villages, yet they found nothing.
In addition to the experts from the Thirteen Bureaus, He Zongwei had also dispatched several elite guards from the Inner Court to the area. Although the Qing Emperor had assigned these guards to protect He Zongwei’s personal safety, He Zongwei had staked all his chips on Wang Qinian and Gao Da, sending all of them to assist in the search.
As the Eastern Barbarians were pacified and Fan Xian’s return loomed, He Zongwei grew increasingly anxious. Though he maintained a calm and gentle demeanor in front of his subordinates, his private orders began to reflect immense pressure.
The experts from the Thirteen Bureaus were nearly driven mad by this pressure. Their gathering in Dazhou was meant to share intelligence and cross-reference information, hoping to find the vanished Tiger Guard.
It was at this moment that the lazy constables, assigned to verify household registrations in the city, entered a noodle stall. The owner of the stall fought back and killed one of them.
Before the fleeing constable could return to the Dazhou Prefecture Office, he encountered these imposing and intimidating experts from the Thirteen Bureaus.
Terrified, the constable reported the incident at the noodle stall to these officials from the capital. Driven to the brink of madness by He Zongwei’s pressure, the Ministry of Justice officials were struck with a sudden realization. Though they couldn’t confirm the identity of the noodle stall owner, their keen investigative instincts and strong execution prompted them to bypass the Dazhou Prefecture Office’s authority and immediately order the city gates closed.
Gao Da and his family of three were trapped inside Dazhou City.
…
After a night of frantic activity, the Ministry of Justice officials had confirmed the identity of the noodle stall owner. The broken chopsticks and the fatal wounds on the constables at the stall demonstrated the owner’s exceptional blade skills and ruthless efficiency. Why would a master of such caliber hide in a small town selling noodles? Something was clearly amiss.
The officials from the Thirteenth Bureau were all on edge. Torches burned all around the noodle stall, illuminating everything inside brightly. They thought to themselves, after more than a year of hard work, they had finally found the real target, right? The fiery red glow shone on the faces of all the Ministry of Justice officials. They stared nervously and excitedly at the Imperial Court expert in the noodle stall, hoping for his final confirmation.
The pale-faced Imperial Court expert gently pressed his fingertip against the broken end of the chopstick. After a long silence, he nodded.
The Ministry of Justice officials exchanged glances, unable to contain the joy in their eyes. In order to investigate this fabricated imperial fugitive, they had endured immense pressure from Grand Academician He. Moreover, it was a baseless matter from the start. After rushing around the seven circuits of the Qing Kingdom for an entire year, they had finally narrowed their target to the vicinity of Dazhou. They never expected their luck to be so good, that the target would reveal himself so quickly.
The Imperial Court expert was currently under He Zongwei's direct command. However, having spent these years navigating the complexities of the palace, he didn't understand why Grand Academician He was investigating this matter. He only knew that the escaped noodle stall owner was probably the last remaining Tiger Guard in the world. A trace of worry flashed across his aged face; he didn't know what dangers lay hidden behind this affair.
The old-timers in the palace all knew that the Tiger Guards were fierce men trained personally by Minister Fan. And His Majesty had used the Great Dongshan incident to sever all of Minister Fan's powerful wings. How could there still be one left in Dazhou?
The Imperial Court expert's eyes suddenly gleamed intensely. Could it be that Grand Academician He was acting on a secret decree from His Majesty, hence the relentless search for this person throughout the kingdom? But what about Young Master Fan? If Young Master Fan learned that this person was still alive, what would the consequences be?
However, these were matters for the great personages to consider. They were merely subjects, subordinates who followed orders. Since he was an imperial fugitive who had deserted, he had to be captured. The Imperial Court expert looked at the joyful expressions in the eyes of the Ministry of Justice officials and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. These officials probably had no idea how terrifying a Tiger Guard could be.
Especially one who had actually learned to desert.
... ...
The city had been sealed for a full day and night. The Prefect of Dazhou also learned of the matter. Although he was furious that some troublemaker had dared to kill his own constables, compared to the major event of sealing the city, he felt an inexplicable anger. These Thirteenth Bureau officials from the Ministry of Justice actually dared to interfere with local administration? Didn't they understand that once the city was sealed, the people of Dazhou would struggle to survive?
However, when the Thirteenth Bureau of the Ministry of Justice presented the secret order from the Grand Secretariat and revealed the identity of the Imperial Court expert, the Prefect immediately fell silent like a quail. He realized that the noodle stall owner wasn't just an imperial fugitive; he likely had some terrifying background, which was why so many people had come from the capital to capture him.
The Prefect of Dazhou immediately made his stance clear. He mobilized all the officials and constables of the prefectural office to cooperate with the Ministry of Justice officials from the capital, conducting a thorough combing of the city. All the local village heads, district chiefs, and elders were also mobilized.
In a place like the Qing Kingdom, once the local government fully mobilized, finding a few people in the city wasn't particularly difficult. Since the fugitive had a wife and child, he still needed to sleep, eat, and interact with people.
The Ministry of Justice officials were very satisfied with the level of cooperation from Dazhou. They believed that, at most, it would take two days to force the fugitive out of the civilian residences in Dazhou City.
... ...
Gao Da, hidden in a civilian residence, had not eaten for a day and a night. He carefully concealed his traces, only daring to venture out to steal a few pieces of clothing and some food and water for the child. The Tiger Guards had never received training in evasion and hiding. However, after following Fan Xian for several years, if Gao Da truly wanted to hide alone, it would likely be very difficult for anyone to find him.
Yet, just as the authorities had judged, having his wife and child with him was the most troublesome issue. The mute wife's spirit was already stretched to the breaking point by the ordeal, her large eyes filled with sorrow and despair.
Two days. Gao Da knew that if the authorities were to find the three of them, it would take at most two days. After pondering for a long time, he decided to take the initiative and break through the siege.
He chose dusk, the time when people are most likely to let their guard down, for the breakout. This was still the first day after the killing at the noodle stall.
Amidst the dusk as red as blood, Gao Da, with a cloth sling tied across his chest securing the child, holding his wife's hand, slowly walked toward the city gate.
He had thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out a way to get his family over the high city walls. So, he had no choice but to opt for a forced breakthrough.
He walked step by step toward the city gate. The soldiers and constables at the gate were intently watching the people coming and going. Although the city was nominally sealed, villagers bringing in water and vegetables could still enter and leave. However, the defense here was extremely tight, even feeling stricter than in the capital.
Several Ministry of Justice officials from the capital, holding a portrait, were coldly and meticulously checking everyone's appearance against it.
As he got closer to the city gate, Gao Da felt his hand becoming damp. It wasn't from his own nervous sweat, but from his wife's hand. He glanced at the mute wife and saw her body was already trembling.
It seemed they couldn't get past the keen, wolf-like senses of the Ministry of Justice officials at the gate. Gao Da sighed inwardly. Of course, he had never really thought they could slip out secretly.
The family of three stood thus before the city gate, before the officials of the Ministry of Justice, the constables, and the soldiers. They were only seven zhang away from the line marking the city’s exit.
Beyond the gate, there was a donkey cart transporting fresh vegetables.
Gao Da’s eyes were fixed on that donkey cart.
“The city is sealed; no one enters or leaves,” a soldier shouted at Gao Da. It was clear these three could not be farmers from outside the city.
The experts from the Thirteen Bureaus of the Ministry of Justice narrowed their eyes. Gazing at the family so close at hand, their pupils gradually contracted. The portraits in their hands were slowly lowered as their hands crept toward the hilts of their blades.
They were too easy to recognize. At a glance, they knew these were the imperial fugitives they had been chasing for a year!
The other party had actually come out on their own, arriving at the city gate. Did they think they could just fight their way out?
The experts from the Ministry of Justice slowly emerged from various directions, gradually encircling the family of three.
But before the encirclement could close, Gao Da raised his head and calmly looked at the nearest Ministry of Justice expert. His eyes held no emotion, only indifference.
“Surrender…!” The Ministry of Justice expert suddenly sensed a wave of danger rushing toward him. He roared loudly while simultaneously drawing the blade at his waist.
He only managed to utter the first two words of “surrender and be captured” before the latter two were drowned in a spray of blood. In the blink of an eye, Gao Da lunged forward two steps, his hand striking out like a dragon, directly chopping at the expert’s wrist.
The Ministry of Justice expert had no time to react, only to retreat hastily. Yet, as his wrist still hung in the air, it snapped with a crack.
Gao Da seized the blade, swung it back in an elbow strike, leaving behind a trail of blood and the collapsing body of the Ministry of Justice expert.
He retreated back to Deaf Madam’s side, coldly watching the Ministry of Justice experts and soldiers charging at them from all directions. There was not a trace of fear or self-doubt in him, only powerful confidence.
With a blade in hand, who could stop him?
Amidst flashes of blade light, Gao Da, holding his blade, led his wife and carried his child, charging toward the city gate. Before his blade, no one could withstand a single strike. With every swing, someone fell. Paving his way with blood and the sound of wind, he was about to break through the gate in an instant.
This was the advantage of sheer courage. In that moment, he intimidated all the officials of the Ministry of Justice, making it difficult for them to close their encirclement as they watched his formidable figure.
Seven zhang was not far, and the cart was not far either. Gao Da’s face and body were already stained with blood, but his hand still tightly held Deaf Madam’s, carefully protecting her. The cost was several additional gashes on his own body.
The experts of the Thirteen Bureaus were indeed skilled, but none matched Gao Da’s fierce and terrifying courage.
With a furious roar, Gao Da shattered the combined assault of three Ministry of Justice experts before him like a blood-drenched dragon. The blade shattered into countless fragments, and with these fragments leading the way, he charged toward the outside of the city.
At that moment, a palm struck out. It emerged from the twilight, from the direction of the cart, and slammed toward his face.
Gao Da grunted, sank his waist, and landed firmly, throwing a straight punch in return.
Fist and palm collided, stirring a whirlwind of dust at the city gate.
As the dust settled, the expert from the Inner Court stared at him in astonishment and said, “Gao Da, you really aren’t dead.”
Gao Da’s pupils contracted as he pulled his wife behind him. “It’s actually you. Could it be that Lord Eunuch Yao has come as well?”