Chapter 297 — Pleading for Mercy
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
If Hua Tang had not been a formidable character, he could never have conceived the idea of having his own son take Qiu Lingwei's place as chiliarch. Still, it was rather hard to believe that a father could truly be helpless before his son.
After Wang Yu left, he pondered for a long while, then went to the Marquess of Lu'an's residence.
The Marquess of Lu'an was staring at his chief steward in utter disbelief. "You mean the Earl of Donglin refused to release him?" Unwilling to accept it, he pressed again. "With me as guarantor, he still refused to release him?"
That very morning, his personal attendant had been seized by men from the Shuntian Prefecture on suspicion of involvement in the fire at the Yingzhen Duke's residence. He was not well acquainted with Huang Qi, so he had written a letter and sent his chief steward to the Earl of Donglin, hoping the Earl might put in a word and secure the man's release.
The chief steward lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "The Earl of Donglin says the Emperor has set a deadline for the arrest of the culprit, and that he and Lord Huang share joint responsibility in the matter. He truly cannot bring himself to ask Lord Huang for this favor. He also said—perhaps you might try the heir of the Yingzhen Duke's household. The Emperor has bestowed upon the Duke's heir the very sword the Taizong Emperor carried in life, charging him with urging the Five Districts Garrison Command and the Shuntian Prefecture to hunt down the culprit; and since he is the injured party besides, if he were to speak a word on your behalf, it would be easier for the Earl and Lord Huang to oblige..."
Before he had finished speaking, the Marquess of Anlu's face had turned iron-gray. With a crash, he smashed the teacup at his hand onto the floor.
"They arrest my personal attendant without so much as asking right from wrong! Never mind that he has nothing whatsoever to do with the affair at the Yingzhen Duke's residence—even if he were involved, they had no business slapping me in the face like this. And now they expect me to go beg a favor of a junior? What do they take me for? Do they think that because a tiger does not bare its fangs, it must be a sick cat?" With that, he coldly ordered the chief steward, "Call up the household guards. We are going to the Shuntian Prefecture. I refuse to believe Huang Qi would dare stand in my way!"
The chief steward shuddered.
If they seized the man from the Shuntian Prefecture by force, the matter would blow up beyond all control.
In his alarm he could think of no words of persuasion—but then out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a trusted servant boy peeking in at the door. It was as if he had seen a savior. Whatever the boy had come about, he thought, he must first stall the Marquess, then seize the chance to send word to the Dowager. With the Dowager to bar the way, the Marquess would not dare disobey. At once he barked toward the spot where the boy was hiding, "Who is that skulking outside?"
The boy came in trembling. "My lord, Commander Hua of the Yu Prefecture Garrison seeks an audience!"
The Marquess of Anlu frowned and was about to say "Turn him away," when the chief steward said, "Is not the Hua family about to be joined in marriage with the Song family? Perhaps Commander Hua brings good news."
The Marquess of Anlu considered this and gave a slight nod.
The chief steward breathed a sigh of relief and at once invited Hua Tang in.
Hua Tang and the Marquess of Anlu took their seats as host and guest, and Hua Tang lost no time in tactfully disclosing the purpose of his visit. "...I am not familiar with the ways of the capital, and I have no way of judging whether what the heir of the Marquess of Yan'an said is true or false, so I have come especially to consult you, my lord."