usatvline Chapter 131 The Spark
Chapter 131 The Spark
Chapter 131 The Spark
Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
Dengzhou City, the office of the Prefectural Magistrate.
Lu Yan sat behind a table in the second hall, with a letter in front of him.
The letter was delivered this morning; it was from Hu Jingshui.
The letter contained only a few words: "To my esteemed lord: The Shunfeng merchant ship set sail on December 15th and was attacked by pirates near the Changshan Islands on the 16th. The cargo on board was stolen, and of the twelve sailors, seven died, three were injured, and two went missing. The ship was burned, and the wreckage drifted to the coast of Penglai."
Lu Yan finished reading the letter, his face expressionless.
He knew this day would come.
The "Shunfeng" was a decoy he deliberately sent out. The ship was loaded with silk and porcelain, worth about three thousand taels, and was traveling the route frequented by the Li family's "pirates".
He wanted the Li family to hijack the ship.
only--
He never expected the Li family to go to such lengths.
Seven dead, three injured, and two missing.
Of the twelve sailors, only three returned alive.
"Master."
Shen Qing pushed open the door and came in, his face grave.
"I just returned from the dock. I've questioned all three surviving sailors."
"How so?"
"They said that seven or eight pirate ships came and surrounded the 'Shunfeng'," Shen Qing said. "The people on board wanted to surrender, but the pirates wouldn't accept. After looting all the cargo, they set the ship on fire and shot the sailors who fell into the water with arrows."
Lu Yan remained silent for a moment.
How did those three people survive?
"They hid under the ship's hold and waited until the pirates left before clinging to planks and drifting ashore," Shen Qing said. "One of them was soaked in seawater all night and is still running a fever; he probably won't live more than a few days."
Lu Yan stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window, the sky was overcast and a cold wind was howling.
"The Li family—" he said in a low voice, "went too far."
"Master," Shen Qing asked, "what's the next step?"
Lu Yan turned around, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Report it to the police."
"Report a crime?"
"Yes," Lu Yan said. "I'm going to report this to the prefectural government and make a big deal out of it."
"But—" Shen Qing hesitated, "Prefect Zhou Wenyuan is a member of the Li family, he won't care."
"I know he won't care," Lu Yan said. "I want him to ignore it."
Shen Qing was taken aback, then understood.
"The master wants—"
"I want everyone to know that the government is incompetent and ineffective in suppressing bandits," Lu Yan said. "Then, I will use the pretext of 'warship construction' to assemble my own fleet and go out to sea to suppress bandits. It will be perfectly legitimate, and no one will be able to say anything."
A glint flashed in Shen Qing's eyes.
"The employer is very capable."
"What's so clever about it?" Lu Yan waved his hand. "It's called 'using someone else's strength against them.' The Li family wants to use pirates against me, so I'll use pirates against them."
He straightened his clothes and strode out of the study.
"Let's go to the prefect's office."
It was already past 1:00 AM.
The main hall of the Dengzhou Prefectural Government Office.
Prefect Zhou Wenyuan sat in the hall, with Lu Yan kneeling before him.
Zhou Wenyuan was about sixty years old, with a gaunt face and cloudy eyes, clearly an old and senile bureaucrat. Dressed in official robes, he sat in a grand chair, listening listlessly to Lu Yan's account.
"—My merchant ship, the 'Shunfeng,' set sail on December 15th and was attacked by pirates near the Changshan Islands on the 16th. The cargo on board was stolen, worth over three thousand taels. Of the twelve sailors, seven died, three were injured, and two are missing."
Lu Yan knelt below the hall, his voice loud and clear.
"I implore Your Excellency, the Prefect, to immediately dispatch troops to suppress the bandits and avenge the fallen sailors!"
Zhou Wenyuan frowned after hearing this.
"Prefect Lu, do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"
"Yes," Lu Yan said. "The three surviving sailors are all witnesses. The wreckage of the ship has also drifted to the coast of Penglai and can be examined."
"Hmm—" Zhou Wenyuan pondered for a moment, "I have also heard about the rampant piracy. However—"
He paused, his eyes flickering.
"But suppressing bandits is no small matter. It requires mobilizing the navy, raising funds and supplies, and so on—"
"What do you need?" Lu Yan pressed.
"It will take time," Zhou Wenyuan said. "I will send a letter to the navy to instruct them to strengthen their patrols. As for suppressing the bandits—I will discuss this further at a later time."
Lu Yan sneered inwardly.
Should we take a long-term view?
To put it bluntly, they don't care.
"Your Excellency," Lu Yan stood up, his voice rising several decibels, "my merchant ship has been hijacked, and my sailors have been killed. This is a matter of life and death! You say you'll 'deliberately consider this matter,' but how long will that take?"
Zhou Wenyuan's expression changed.
"Prefect Lu, what kind of attitude is this?"
"I simply want to ask," Lu Yan said, "that pirates are rampant in the waters off Dengzhou, merchant ships are being robbed, and sailors are being killed. Does the Prefect intend to take any action?"
"You—" Zhou Wenyuan's beard trembled with rage, "How dare you! I am a fourth-rank prefect, and you, a mere sub-prefect, dare to speak to me like that?"
"I dare not," Lu Yan bowed respectfully. "I am merely speaking out for the sailors who perished. They were all law-abiding citizens, murdered by pirates, their bodies never recovered. If the government does nothing, who will redress their grievances?"
Zhou Wenyuan was speechless after being asked that question.
The clerks and yamen runners below the hall were all secretly watching this scene.
They had never seen anyone dare to speak to the prefect like that.
"Fine, fine, fine!" Zhou Wenyuan laughed angrily. "Prefect Lu, since you're so capable, why don't you go and suppress the bandits yourself! I'd like to see what kind of mess a mere prefect like you can make!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Prefect," Lu Yan said, bowing. "I am here by imperial decree to oversee the construction of warships, and I will use this as a pretext to assemble a fleet to hunt down the pirates. I request that you, Prefect, provide the necessary documentation for my assistance."
Zhou Wenyuan was taken aback.
He didn't expect Lu Yan to take advantage of the situation.
"you--"
"I take my leave."
Lu Yan turned and strode out of the hall before he could finish speaking.
Zhou Wenyuan sat in the hall, his face ashen.
"That Lu Yan—" he gritted his teeth, "he's showing absolutely no respect for this manor!"
"Please calm down, sir." The clerk beside him leaned in and whispered, "This man is no ordinary person; he's said to be one of Eunuch Wei's men. Your Excellency should be cautious."
Zhou Wenyuan's expression changed.
Eunuch Wei?
Wei Zhongxian?
He was silent for a moment, then waved his hand.
"Fine, fine. If he wants to suppress bandits, let him do it. Anyway—"
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Anyway, those pirates aren't pushovers."
at the same time.
Lu Yan walked out of the government office and got into the sedan chair.
Inside the sedan chair, Shen Qing was already waiting.
"Boss, how is it?"
"Just as I expected," Lu Yan said. "Zhou Wenyuan is making excuses and refusing to send troops."
"And next—"
"Next, make a big fuss about this," Lu Yan said. "Send someone to the garrison eunuch to report the hijacking of the merchant ship. Also send someone to the provincial governor to report it."
"The master wants—"
"I want everyone to know that the waters off Dengzhou are not peaceful and that the government is failing in its efforts to suppress bandits," Lu Yan said. "Then, when I step in to suppress the bandits, it will be seen as 'sharing the burdens of the court,' and no one will be able to say anything about it."
Shen Qing nodded.
"Understood."
"Also," Lu Yan paused, "have Hu Jingshui prepare a petition, clearly detailing the robbery of the merchant ship, and send it to the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou."
"The Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou?" Shen Qing was taken aback. "Is my master going to file a complaint with the Emperor?"
"It's not about filing a complaint with the emperor," Lu Yan said. "It's about letting the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou know about this. He's the highest-ranking official in both prefectures, and with pirates running rampant, he'll lose face too."
"At that time, even if he doesn't help me, he won't stop me."
A hint of admiration flashed in Shen Qing's eyes.
"The owner has considered everything carefully."
"What do you mean by 'comprehensive'?" Lu Yan waved his hand. "It's called 'manipulating everyone.' That's how things are in officialdom—you can't get anything done unless you drag everyone down with you."
The sedan chair moved slowly along the street.
Lu Yan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.
The fuse has been lit.
Now, it remains to be seen how the Li family will respond.
That afternoon.
Li House.
Li Shouzhen and Li Shouyi sat in the study, with a steward standing in front of them.
"What did you say?" Li Shouzhen frowned. "Lu Yan went to the prefectural government office to report the case?"
"Yes," the steward said. "He had a fight with the prefect in the main hall, saying that the government was not doing a good job in suppressing bandits, and that he would form his own fleet to hunt down the pirates."
Li Shouzhen and Li Shouyi exchanged a glance, their expressions both rather grim.
"This Lu Yan—" Li Shouyi said in a deep voice, "wasn't it said that we had already bribed him? How could he still cause such a mess?"
"Second brother, don't worry." Li Shouzhen waved his hand. "It's normal for him to report his merchant ship hijacked. The key question is—what does he mean by saying he's going to 'form his own fleet to hunt down the pirates'?"
"He's just a prefectural governor, where would he get a fleet?" Li Shouyi said. "Does he intend to mobilize the navy?"
“The navy is our men, he can’t mobilize them,” Li Shouzhen said. “But he has the ‘warship construction’ assignment, which allows him to requisition ships and mobilize craftsmen. If he really does build a fleet—”
He paused, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.
"That's troublesome."
"Brother, do you want to—" Li Shouyi made a throat-slitting gesture.
"No." Li Shouzhen shook his head. "He's an official appointed by the imperial court and also one of Eunuch Wei's men. It's too risky to touch him."
"What should we do then?"
Li Shouzhen was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's see what he does first. If he's just bluffing, then we can ignore him. But if he really intends to go out to sea to suppress the pirates—"
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Then let the brothers at sea teach him a lesson."