Chapter 151: Wang Dazhi

As Zhu Hao’s voice trailed off, a man in his thirties among the advancing troops urged his horse forward to the front of the detachment. He dismounted in one fluid motion, bowed to Zhu Hao, and said, "I am Wang Dazhi, Commander of the Hangzhou Rear Guard. I pay my respects to Your Highness, Prince Xin. Please forgive this subordinate for arriving late to your rescue!"

Hearing Wang Dazhi’s self-introduction, Zhu Hao finally realized that the newcomer was the commander of the Rear Guard, one of Hangzhou's two major garrisons. The Hangzhou Rear Guard and the Hangzhou Vanguard each commanded a force of five thousand six hundred men. Recognizing the weight of Wang Dazhi’s identity as a formidable military presence within the city of Hangzhou, Zhu Hao did not treat him lightly.

Once Wang Dazhi finished speaking, Zhu Hao hastily replied, "Commander Wang, please rise and speak. You have arrived precisely in the nick of time; otherwise, my life would have been forfeit today!"

Observing Xu Chu, who was covered in blood, standing right before him, Zhu Hao anxiously asked, "Commander Wang, did military physicians accompany your troops? My bodyguard general has sustained severe injuries and requires immediate medical attention!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhi quickly answered, "My military physician is right at the rear, Your Highness need not worry!"

Turning to the soldiers behind him, Wang Dazhi ordered, "Come here and take this general to the physician for treatment!"

Two soldiers stepped forward to support Xu Chu and lead him toward the rear. However, looking back at Zhu Hao with deep concern, Xu Chu remained rooted to the spot. The two soldiers did not dare to use force, and a brief, awkward stalemate ensued.

Realizing that Xu Chu was merely worried for his safety, Zhu Hao urged, "General Xu, go with these two brothers and tend to your wounds! I am perfectly fine here, you have nothing to worry about!"

Only after Zhu Hao spoke did Xu Chu cast one last apprehensive glance at his master before allowing the two soldiers to escort him to the rear of the formation.

Once Xu Chu had departed, Zhu Hao turned back to Wang Dazhi and asked, "Commander Wang, why did you bring such a large force here? And how did you know I was at this location?"

Strictly speaking, Zhu Hao had no grounds to interrogate Wang Dazhi like this. After all, if not for Wang Dazhi’s timely rescue, his soul would have already departed for the nine heavens. The mere fact that Wang Dazhi had come to save him proved that he was an ally rather than an enemy. Yet, having just been manipulated and backstabbed by Feng Gongcheng, Zhu Hao simply could not bring himself to trust others easily. Thus, he remained deeply suspicious of Wang Dazhi’s sudden appearance, terrified of stumbling into yet another trap.

With a cautious expression, Wang Dazhi drew a letter from his bosom and presented it to Zhu Hao with both hands. "Reporting to Your Highness, this subordinate received official orders from the Five Army Chief Military Commission, which is why I mobilized the troops and entered Hangzhou City. Originally, I went to the official residence to seek Your Highness, but you were not there. Noticing that the Judicial Commissioner's Office was brightly lit, I sent scouts to investigate. To my astonishment, Your Highness was indeed here, surrounded and attacked by these miscreants. Upon receiving my scout's report, I immediately led the troops to charge to your rescue. To my surprise, by the time we arrived, Your Highness had already broken free from danger by your own means. It must be the protection of the heavens; otherwise, even if I died a hundred deaths, my crime would remain unpardonable!"

Taking the letter from Wang Dazhi’s hands, Zhu Hao unfolded it and saw that it was indeed an official command from the Five Army Chief Military Commission. The contents stated roughly that Gao Yuan, the Surveillance Commissioner of the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commission, along with Gao Naiqian, the Commander of the Hangzhou Vanguard, had forged orders from the Five Army Chief Military Commission. Wang Dazhi was thereby instructed to take over the Hangzhou Vanguard, place the two men under arrest, and deliver them to Zhu Hao to be brought back to the capital for trial and sentencing.

Having finished reading the official dispatch from the Five Army Chief Military Commission, Zhu Hao mused inwardly, "No wonder Wang Dazhi mobilized every single soldier of the Hangzhou Rear Guard. It turns out he was ordered to take over the Vanguard. Without a sufficient force, things could easily have gone awry. Judging by Gao Yuan's willingness to put even a imperial prince to death, those two uncles and nephews are certainly not to be trifled with. It seems Wang Dazhi has a fairly good grasp of their character, or he would not have made such thorough preparations."

Pondering these thoughts, Zhu Hao realized that he currently lacked trustworthy men of his own. Wang Dazhi appeared well-versed in the political climate of Zhejiang, making him a prime candidate to win over. With this in mind, Zhu Hao said, "Commander Wang, I owe my survival today entirely to your prompt rescue. Once I return to the capital, I will undoubtedly submit a memorial to the imperial court to formally commend your merits!"

The intention to co-opt Wang Dazhi was glaringly obvious in Zhu Hao's words. Naturally, Wang Dazhi caught the hint immediately. He dropped to his knees and bowed, "This subordinate thanks Your Highness for your cultivation! Hearing that Hangzhou City has been rather turbulent lately, I humbly request to temporarily serve as Your Highness's personal bodyguard. I wonder what Your Highness thinks of this?"

Hearing this, Zhu Hao thought to himself, "This Wang Dazhi is far from a crude soldier; he catches on instantly and knows how to return a favor. Quite a clever fellow!" With a smile, he replied, "Commander Wang's proposal is entirely to my liking. I must simply trouble you with the burden!"

Wang Dazhi beamed and hastened to say, "Being able to serve Your Highness is a blessing this subordinate could only dream of. How could it be considered a trouble? Your Highness is far too courteous, making this subordinate feel deeply ashamed!"

With a faint smile, Zhu Hao let the polite pleasantries drop. Instead, he gestured toward the three captured men in the distance and said directly, "These three individuals are crucial prisoners of mine. Within the walls of Hangzhou, I trust no one else. Does the Hangzhou Rear Guard possess a suitable holding place? I wish to detain the three of them in your custody. Would that be feasible?"

Understanding that this request was a test of trust, Wang Dazhi answered without hesitation, "Your Highness, that is easily arranged! Although the Rear Guard does not have a formal prison, I can have a camp tent cleared out specifically to detain them, and station guards around the clock. Absolute security is guaranteed!"

Nodding slightly, Zhu Hao said, "Very well. I shall leave the aftermath here in your capable hands. I am returning to the official residence now. Once you have completed the takeover of the Vanguard, come see me at the residence."

Wang Dazhi bowed in acknowledgment. To ensure his safety, Zhu Hao was accompanied back to the official residence by a detachment of soldiers dispatched by the commander.

Upon returning to his quarters, Zhu Hao summoned all the remaining guards and eunuchs. He looked at them and demanded, "I have a question for you all, and you must answer truthfully! Has any letter from the capital arrived at the residence over the past few days?"

Zhu Hao asked this because since Commander Wang Dazhi of the Rear Guard had received orders from the Five Army Chief Military Commission, Xie Gang, serving as the Assistant Commissioner of the Left Military Commission, could not possibly have been unaware of the matter.

Furthermore, he had previously written to Xie Gang to inquire about this very affair. Since the Commission had now issued orders for Wang Dazhi to arrest Gao Yuan and Gao Naiqian, it was undoubtedly orchestrated by Xie Gang. Logically speaking, Xie Gang should have sent a confidential letter to brief him in advance rather than leaving him completely in the dark.

Yet, Zhu Hao had received no word from Xie Gang whatsoever, which baffled him. Driven by this suspicion, he questioned the servants and guards.

After Zhu Hao finished speaking, a young eunuch stepped forward with trembling steps and stammered, "Reporting to Your Highness, yesterday evening a letter from the capital arrived. However, since Your Highness could not be found at the time, I handed the letter over to Miss Ziyan!"

Zhu Hao's heart skipped a beat. "Ziyan? Why her? Did she simply forget to pass it to me, or did she deliberately withhold it?" For a moment, doubt and suspicion toward Ziyan began to take root in his mind.

Suppressing his thoughts, Zhu Hao waved his hand and said, "I see. Very well, that is all. You are all dismissed."

The attendants bowed and dispersed back to their respective duties. Back in his chambers, the more Zhu Hao pondered the situation, the stranger it felt. He quietly summoned Wei Xiaobao to his room and instructed him in a hushed tone, "Xiaobao, Ziyan has privately withheld a letter meant for me. Of course, it is possible she merely forgot to deliver it, but caution is paramount. Send out your intelligence operatives in Hangzhou immediately to keep Ziyan under surveillance twenty-four hours a day. Should she make any unusual moves, report to me at once!"

Wei Xiaobao’s face froze in utter astonishment upon hearing this command. Mistaking his stunned expression for reluctance to monitor Ziyan, Zhu Hao snorted coldly, "You have quite some nerve! Do you dare to defy my orders now?"

In truth, Wei Xiaobao was not reluctant to spy on Ziyan; he had simply been caught off guard by the abrupt order. Jarred back to his senses by Zhu Hao's reprimand, he hurriedly protested, "Your Highness, you misunderstand! How would this subordinate ever dare to defy your commands? I will attend to it immediately!"

Bowing deeply, Wei Xiaobao whispered, "This subordinate takes his leave," and backed out of the room.

Little did Zhu Hao know, barely a quarter of an hour later, a maidservant who had eavesdropped on the entire private conversation rushed straight to Ziyan and repeated every single word exchanged between him and Wei Xiaobao.

After recounting the conversation, the maid whispered anxiously, "My lady, Prince Xin has already grown suspicious of you! You should quickly hand the letter over to him now. Once he finds out on his own, he will surely not spare you!"

Ziyan offered a faint, elegant smile and slowly shook her head. "You silly girl, why don't you understand? If I produce the letter the moment he makes a move, wouldn't that practically confess that I hid it on purpose? Right now, he still thinks I simply forgot to give it to him. To avoid exposing myself, I must play this role to the very end. Since I supposedly forgot, I cannot possibly remember it on my own initiative unless he brings it up. I will only hand it over whenever he comes looking for it himself. That is the only way to put his mind completely at ease."