How Deep the Red Maple’s Glow Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Mao Residence

The gate of Jiqing Ward stood wide open, and the ward warden watched in trembling fear as the constables before him stormed in like hungry wolves. It was the darkest hour of the night. Some of the torches and storm lanterns they had brought were already out of oil, so Fang Wei gathered together those that still gave light and arranged them in a line at the head of the column.

They had not gone far when Wu Haichao suddenly cried out from the side of the procession, “Fifth Brother, I’ve found something!”

Fang Wei hurried over. Three paces from Wu Haichao, several dark-red spots of blood stained the ground. Fang Wei slapped his palms together, and the weariness of the entire night seemed to vanish. He said excitedly, “Tang Haiqiu really did enter Jiqing Ward.” Then he looked at Gu Yu behind Wu Haichao. “You really were born to be a constable!”

Gu Yu gave a shy smile. He appeared reserved, but inwardly he was thrilled beyond words.

Fang Wei smiled. “What should we do next?”

Gu Yu returned his smile. “Fifth Brother is testing me. Naturally, the next step is to stir up the grass and startle the snake.”

Fang Wei drew the iron ruler from his waist. “Just what I had in mind.”

He signaled to a constable beside him. The man was an experienced hand and had worked with Fang Wei for years, so he understood at once. Seeing that the trail of blood led toward a house by the roadside, he called two constables to follow him and went to the door. He pounded on it with such force that the sound rang like thunder.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The noise carried far through the empty night. Soon there was movement inside.

“Coming, coming! Stop knocking—you’re announcing a death!”

As footsteps approached, the door creaked open. A man in his thirties, clad only in a thin robe, poked his head out. The constables surged forward.

“Government business. Cooperate quietly!”

Without giving him a chance to protest, they shoved the man inside and pinned him against the wall. His chest pressed against the cold bricks, his arms twisted behind his back. Terrified, he begged repeatedly, “Sir, I haven’t broken the law. Have you arrested the wrong man?”

The other two constables ignored him and charged straight into the house. His wife was sitting on the bed, craning her neck to peer outside. When two men suddenly burst into the room, she let out a frightened scream and hurriedly wrapped herself in the bedclothes.

The constables searched every corner of the room, leaving no nook or cranny untouched, but there was no sign of Tang Haiqiu. They returned to the doorway and reported, “Nothing found.”

Fang Wei nodded. He had expected as much.

The search party continued forward. Before long, they found another patch of blood. The same procedure was repeated, and after another commotion that sent chickens squawking and dogs barking, Tang Haiqiu was nowhere to be seen.

After this had happened three times, the neighboring households gradually began to stir, though no one dared come outside. They persisted until the sky began to pale with the first light of dawn. At that moment, four constables in official uniforms came running in from outside the ward, each carrying a bronze gong.

It was now just light enough to make out people without the aid of torches.

“Begin,” Fang Wei ordered.

The four men answered and ran to the entrance of the main crossroads. Then, all at once, they began beating their gongs. Amid the deafening clamor, they shouted at the tops of their voices, “Residents of the ward, listen! The Shuntian Prefecture is here to apprehend a thief! Keep watch over your homes!”

Beating their gongs as they went, they split off in four directions. The sound reverberated through the streets and alleys.

The disturbance grew from a murmur into an uproar. Fang Wei guessed that the residents who had already received the warning had begun searching their own homes. If Tang Haiqiu was hiding in someone else’s house, this thorough inspection would inevitably expose him.

He slowly walked to the crossroads, feeling the waves of noise rise higher and higher, and waited in silence for a response. His gaze swept over the constables standing on full alert. In his heart, he felt both remorse and pride.

Being a constable in the capital was no easy task. His master, Dong Xinwu, often sighed over it. The old man had spent his entire life handling criminal cases and had a profound understanding of the rise and fall of fortunes in officialdom. Beneath the Son of Heaven, every high official and nobleman was, by definition, their superior.

Yet he and his brothers had never thought themselves beneath anyone. They neither fawned nor flattered. They simply fulfilled their duties honestly and did what they could answer for before their own consciences.

His gaze came to rest on Gu Yu. The young man was somewhat dull and taciturn in ordinary matters, but when it came to a case, his powers of observation were remarkably keen. During their several exchanges, he had left a deep impression on Fang Wei.

Gu Yu, however, had not noticed Fang Wei watching him. He was standing before a residence beside the main street.

The house had been built with exceptional care. Its broad, brightly lit gate and towering walls proclaimed the wealth of its owner, while the pair of stone lions before the entrance lent the place an unmistakable air of nobility.

And yet the residence had no plaque.

Gu Yu tilted his head back, staring intently at the black-lacquered signboard. His brows drew together. Something about it struck him as indescribably wrong.

Wu Haichao had been stooping for half a day, searching for traces of blood. He was so exhausted that he felt ready to die. When he saw that no one was paying attention, he quietly extinguished his torch and leaned lazily against the wall to rest.

Noticing that Gu Yu was still lost in thought, he could not help saying, “Junior Brother, aren’t you tired?”

He was ranked sixth among their master’s disciples, while Gu Yu had entered the school one step later and ranked seventh.

“I’m fine,” Gu Yu replied. “Once I get nervous, I forget about being tired.”

He shifted his gaze from the signboard to Wu Haichao. Wu Haichao pulled a skeptical face, clearly unconvinced.

Seeing Fang Wei walking toward them, Gu Yu hurriedly warned him, “Get up quickly. Don’t slack off, or Fifth Brother will catch you!”

Wu Haichao sprang away from the wall and hurriedly bent over, pretending to search. Gu Yu shook his head and was about to leave when his eyes passed over Wu Haichao’s back. He suddenly froze.

“What is that?”

Wu Haichao looked at him in bewilderment. “What is it?”

Gu Yu stared at his back so intently that Wu Haichao’s skin began to crawl. He twisted around, trying to see what was behind him, but Fang Wei had already come close.

“Don’t move!”

Several drops of blood were clearly visible on the back of Wu Haichao’s clothing. Gu Yu suddenly understood. He rushed to the base of the wall where Wu Haichao had been hiding from work and searched carefully.

Then he cried out in delight, “Here!”

Following his indication, Fang Wei saw a pool of blood on the wall, far denser than the traces they had found before.

The two men looked up at the courtyard wall, which rose more than nine feet high. Gu Yu clicked his tongue in astonishment.

“His lightness kung fu is actually that good?”

Fang Wei had crossed hands with Tang Haiqiu five years earlier and knew perfectly well how formidable the man was. He snorted at the remark.

“Too bad he’s put it to the wrong use.”

This was no time for reflection. Fang Wei turned and called the constables together.

Meanwhile, Wu Haichao had barely knocked twice on the black-painted gate when it opened. He stared in surprise. The man standing inside was dressed in military uniform—a soldier.

He appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen. Seeing the group outside, he wore a puzzled expression.

“May I ask who you are?”

Wu Haichao did not dare act rashly. He cupped his hands and said, “I am a constable of the Shuntian Prefecture. We pursued a thief last night. In his panic, he seems to have fled into your residence. We request the young commander’s permission to search the grounds.”

He handed over his identity tablet. The young soldier examined it twice.

“Wait a moment.”

He drew the gate shut, and his footsteps receded. After a short while, the sound of many hurried steps approached. When the gate opened again, several more people stood within.

At their head was a tall, broad-built man with a square face and a thick beard. He clasped his fists and said, “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. My name is Mao Huaishan. Which of you gentlemen is in charge?”