Upon hearing that Chen Ran was going to investigate the Incense Fragrance Sect, many of the Jinyiwei couldn't help but show expressions of surprise.
It turned out that the Incense Fragrance Sect was a branch of the White Lotus Sect, and they were even more fond of using deceptive methods to sway people's minds, instigating the commoners to resort to violence.
A few years ago, Xu Hongru, claiming to be the leader of the sect, launched a rebellion, shaking several provinces in the north of the Ming Dynasty, and inciting more than a hundred thousand people to revolt.
Although they were eventually suppressed by the court, many remnants escaped and hid among the commoners.
In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has been plagued by both internal and external troubles, with widespread famines providing fertile ground for the revival of the Incense Fragrance Sect. Many followers have emerged across the Ming Dynasty, particularly in areas like Zhili and Shandong.
However, the Ming court has been primarily focused on eliminating the eunuchs, and with Zhao Jingzhong's betrayal and treason, the Jinyiwei of the Northern Garrison Command had completely forgotten about the Incense Fragrance Sect.
Hearing Chen Ran's words, Fang, the Hundred-Household Captain, rolled his eyes and quickly said,
"Commander Chen is always thinking ahead, truly beyond our capabilities!"
"It just so happens that these past two days, while Commander Chen led everyone in pursuit of the traitor Zhao Jingzhong, we were also searching the city for Jurchen spies, and managed to capture a few suspicious individuals. Yesterday, I interrogated them, and one of them turned out to be a member of the Incense Fragrance Sect!"
"Such a coincidence?"
Chen Ran couldn't help but look at Fang with a hint of suspicion, thinking that this guy might be using torture to extract a confession and planting false evidence.
Chen Ran, having lived two lives, was more familiar than anyone else with the tricks of the Jinyiwei.
But Fang, with a confident expression, replied with a smile,
"Commander Chen, it's just a coincidence!"
It turned out that Fang, leading a group of Jinyiwei, had stormed into Zhao Jingzhong's secret residence, only to find nothing. Meanwhile, Chen Ran received secret information from the Qi Family Army's elite swordsmen and immediately led his men out of the city to pursue Zhao Jingzhong.
Seeing that Lu Jianxing and Jin Yichuan had apprehended Jurchen spies at the Tianfu Fragrant Wine Tavern, while he, a Hundred-Household Captain, had achieved nothing, Fang felt extremely disheartened.
This was a great opportunity to earn merit!
Therefore, under the guise of city-wide search for Jurchen spies, he also led a group of Jinyiwei to arrest any suspicious individuals.
After two days of searching, he didn't find any Jurchen spies, but he did manage to capture two members of the Incense Fragrance Sect at an inn!
After interrogating them for a day, Fang felt discouraged when he discovered that they were just members of the Incense Fragrance Sect.
But unexpectedly, when Chen Ran returned to the Northern Garrison Command, the first thing he wanted to do was investigate the Incense Fragrance Sect.
This was like finding a pillow when one was already drowsy!
Thinking about this, Fang's face broke into a wide smile, and he immediately led Chen Ran to the prison of the Northern Garrison Command. Shen Lian, Lu Jianxing, and Jin Yichuan followed closely behind.
They saw two people locked in the prison cell. One, with his flesh torn and bleeding profusely, was beaten beyond recognition and had already fainted.
The other seemed to have endured less torture, with only some whip marks on his body. He was sitting on the ground.
Fang whispered,
"Commander Chen, the one sitting is Jiang Jie, a real wimp. I beat him up a bit, and he confessed everything!"
"The one who fainted is Hu Dayou, a tough nut to crack. He only confessed everything after being tortured for a day!"
"They are both members of the Incense Fragrance Sect from Baxian. They came to the capital to gather intelligence and connect with the Incense Fragrance Sect in Shanxi. But they were unfortunately caught by us!"
Chen Ran nodded and walked straight towards Jiang Jie, the seated member of the Incense Fragrance Sect.
Seeing Chen Ran dressed in the purple-trimmed flying-fish robe, and Fang, who had tortured him yesterday, now acting servile, Jiang Jie knew that he must be a high-ranking official. He quickly knelt down and said,
"Your Honor, I was momentarily confused and deceived by the Incense Fragrance Sect!"
"Please spare me, Your Honor. I will serve you as a slave, doing any work, even if it means being a cow or a horse, to repay your kindness!"
Before Chen Ran could respond, Fang stepped forward and kicked him,
"Commander Chen has plenty of slaves. Why would he need a slave from your evil sect? Answer the commander's questions properly, or I'll take your life!"
Jiang Jie, who had suffered a lot yesterday, trembled at Fang's words. He immediately said,
"Yes! I will speak truthfully and absolutely dare not deceive you!"
Chen Ran nodded and was about to ask questions when Fang, with considerate service, brought over a chair and asked him to sit down.
Seeing this, Shen Lian, Lu Jianxing, and Jin Yichuan couldn't help but shake their heads and roll their eyes.
No wonder he was a Hundred-Household Captain!
This kind of insight was something that they, with their straightforward personalities, couldn't imagine!
Chen Ran sat down and said,
"Answer me honestly, how many members of the Incense Fragrance Sect are there in Baxian?"
Jiang Jie immediately replied,
"Reporting to Your Honor, there are thousands of followers of the Incense Fragrance Sect in Baxian. The leader, Xu Daqiu, is over sixty years old and uses the guise of practicing medicine to spread the teachings. Many villagers in the countryside are misled by him!"
Chen Ran listened and frowned,
"Just that many?"
Jiang Jie was taken aback and didn't know how to answer.
Fang, the Hundred-Household Captain, was very quick-witted and understood that Chen Ran was dissatisfied with the small number of followers. If they were wiped out, the merit to report to the court wouldn't be enough.
He immediately kicked Jiang Jie again,
"You said that many villagers are misled by him, how could there be only that many followers!"
Jiang Jie trembled from the kick and quickly said,
"I made a mistake. There are tens of thousands of followers..."
Seeing that Chen Ran still frowned, Fang kicked him again,
"How many?"
"It's tens of thousands, tens of thousands. I remember now!"
Jiang Jie, fearing further beatings, shouted loudly.
Chen Ran then nodded and smiled slightly,
"That's right. Tens of thousands of followers of the Incense Fragrance Sect gathering together must be planning to rebel, so you and Hu Dayou came to the capital to gather intelligence, right?"
This time, without Fang's need to beat him, Jiang Jie immediately said,
"As Your Honor said, the rebel leader Xu Daqiu has gathered tens of thousands of followers, preparing to rebel and attack Baxian County. He was afraid that the capital was too close to Baxian, so he sent us to gather intelligence and connect with the followers in Shanxi, so that we could coordinate our actions!"
In reality, Xu Daqiu had only a thousand or so followers, and daring to attack the county was completely fabricated.
But Jiang Jie heard that Chen Ran wanted him to exaggerate the number of followers and the threat of the Incense Fragrance Sect in Baxian, so he immediately followed Chen Ran's instructions.
Chen Ran smiled slightly in satisfaction,
"You are very clever, quite a talent. I think you were simply deceived by deceitful words, so you went astray, right?"
Hearing this, Jiang Jie felt a mixture of joy and relief, and quickly said,
"Commander Chen is wise. I was simply deceived by Xu Daqiu's deceitful words, so I was misled and became an accomplice, but I am absolutely loyal to the Ming Dynasty..."
Chen Ran nodded and said,
"Since that's the case, I will give you a chance. If you can help this official, then maybe this official can make an exception and let you join the Northern Garrison Command. What do you think?"
Jiang Jie was taken aback, looked up at Chen Ran, and suddenly his face showed an expression of extreme joy. He knelt down and said loudly,
"Your Honor, you are the best official I have ever met!"
"If I am truly favored by Your Honor, I am willing to go through fire and water, bind myself to you as a slave... "
"No! "
"I have a younger sister, she's sixteen this year, she's quite a beauty, I don't know if Your Honor..."
"That's good!"
Chen Ran's smile grew wider,
"Where is your sister now? Why don't you bring her over?"