Chapter 57: To Win the Hearts of the Scholars and Capture the Enemy (Part 1)

Qinzhou City.

Liu Xian, the registrar of Chengji County, hurriedly walked into Chen Ju's study. Normally, Liu Xian always tried to emulate the leisurely and composed demeanor of the literati, always appearing calm and collected, walking with measured steps. It was rare for him to be so hurried, almost panicked.

In the study, Chen Ju, the famous supervisor of Qinzhou, sat leisurely at the table, sipping tea. A graceful and refined maid held a tea pestle, grinding the tribute tea from Fujian. Although it was only the most ordinary kind of tea, and not the imperial dragon and phoenix cakes wrapped in gold foil, which were worth twenty cakes per pound, it was still a rare treasure to obtain even a piece.

The delicate hands holding the tea pestle were as tender as onion stalks and as white as jade. With a light turn of the wrist, the white tea cake was ground into powder. When boiling water was poured in, the water swirled, and it seemed as if countless flowers, birds, insects, and beasts appeared in the water, only to quietly disappear. Such skillful tea-making would make many people admit defeat in a tea competition.

Chen Ju's maid, Yan Suxin, was known for her tea-making skills in Qinzhou. The green tea bowl and white tea soup were presented to Chen Ju by her delicate, boneless hands. The tea aroma was fragrant, and the rhythm of her tea-making seemed unchanged from the past.

However, Chen Ju, who usually maintained a well-groomed appearance, sat at the tea table, holding the cup to drink, but his brows were deeply furrowed with worry, and his mind was restless, unable to taste the tea. In just a few days, his hair and beard had turned slightly gray. Seeing Liu Xian enter, Chen Ju waved his hand at the maid, "Suxin, tidy up and leave."

Yan Suxin softly responded and began to tidy up the tea set. Chen Ju, however, forgot to put down the tea bowl and rushed forward to ask, "How is it? Has Han San returned?"

Liu Xian shook his head dejectedly, "He hasn't returned."

Yan Suxin quietly left the room, but she could still hear Chen Ju's angry voice from behind, "He hasn't returned? Why hasn't he returned! If he delays, does he want to die?"

"Father, Mother, have we finally waited?" Yan Suxin murmured softly, her face showing no emotion. Her steps did not stop, but tears uncontrollably overflowed from her eyes, "Old scoundrel, you have this day too!"

In the study, Liu Xian pulled out a document with a large red seal from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Ju. He sighed helplessly, "Han San was retained by Zhang Shouyue. This is a document sent from Gangu City to the state office five days ago, stating that Han Gang should remain in Gangu to await orders. It was only forwarded to the county office today. Even if there was a mistake, Zhang Shouyue has taken responsibility. Han Gang, with Zhang Shouyue's support, is now fearless."

According to the law, Zhang Shouyue had no right to retain Han Gang, who was assigned to Chengji County. But who would dare to challenge a military supervisor over a minor official?

Even Li Shizhong would not do such a thing, let alone the county magistrate of Chengji.

Even if Chen Ju could secretly send a document to Gangu to request Han Gang's return without the magistrate's knowledge, if Zhang Shouyue ignored it, what could he do?

Han Gang had escaped thanks to Zhang Shouyue's help. Chen Ju felt a surge of anger, but he quickly calmed down, smiling bitterly.

Han Gang had long been out of his control...

The news of the Pei Valley tribes' defeat had reached Chen Ju's ears on the third day after the battle. Because of this, the Moxing tribe, which had been associated with the Chen family for decades, turned against him, directly killing the trusted messenger Chen Ju had sent to the tribe. In the Moxing tribe's view, they had been deceived by Chen Ju. How could ordinary laborers escorting a supply convoy defeat twice their number of elite warriors in an ambush?

But Chen Ju was equally furious. Nearly a hundred people ambushing a convoy of only forty! How could they lose?

How could they dare to lose?

No wonder the Moxing tribe was declining, being suppressed by the Longzhong tribe.

As for Dong Chao and Xue Erba, Chen Ju did not know whether they were dead or alive, whether they had joined Han Gang, or were still following his orders. Adding to this, Li Qing, the troublemaker, had not sent any word after arriving in Gangu, leaving Chen Ju completely in the dark.

However, the news of Scholar Han shooting an arrow at Xiang Bao's servant in Fugou City had spread throughout Qinzhou in just a few days, but the Xiang family had not even reacted. The day after the Xiang family's caravan returned to Qinzhou, a body wrapped in a mat was carried out from the back door of the Xiang residence and taken directly to the cremation ground, claiming it was a sudden illness and a potential epidemic, needing to be burned quickly.

It was almost the end of the year, what kind of epidemic could there be?

The mighty military supervisor could do nothing about Han Gang, let alone a mere supervisor like Chen Ju.

Relying on his authority, Chen Ju had treated Chengji County as his backyard, believing that with the accumulation of three generations over nearly a hundred years, his position was as solid as iron. But now, it seemed like a mere layer of paper, easily punctured by Han Gang without much effort.

Liu Xian, who was already pale, now looked like paper, "Supervisor, what should we do now?"

Chen Ju tightly gripped the tea bowl, which shattered with a light crack in his palm. The scalding tea splashed out, but he seemed unaware. These past few days, Chen Ju had not slept well, waking up in cold sweats from nightmares. Each time he woke up, the details of the dream were blurred, but the intense bloodiness and the sharp eyes that always appeared in his dreams lingered.

"Spread the word, I will offer a reward of 100 guan. For any information about Han Gang, I will pay for each piece. First, find out everything about Han Gang."

Chen Ju gritted his teeth, how could he be at ease if Han Gang did not die!

Liu Xian nodded in response.

"Also, his parents fled to Fengxiang, right? Find someone to bring them back... No!" Chen Ju changed his mind, his expression more ruthless, "Make them fall ill suddenly, and see if Han Gang will go to Fengxiang to fulfill his filial duty!"

"Along the way?"

Chen Ju glanced at Liu Xian, his eyes cold, and the registrar hurriedly agreed.

"Go find Wang Shunmin. Don't say anything, just give him 100 taels of gold. If he doesn't accept, add another 100 taels."

Han Gang did not return, but Wang Shunmin did, indicating their relationship was not yet close. Two hundred taels of gold could be exchanged for 5,000 strings of copper coins. Chen Ju did not believe a commoner could be so incorruptible. Because of Han Gang, he had already used a third of his family's visible wealth, and most of his hidden wealth was exposed. Now, using another 5,000 strings was not much.

"Say nothing?"

"Wang Shunmin is smart, he will know what to do."

Liu Xian nodded and remembered. He then forced a smile, "With these moves, I don't believe a small village scholar can cause trouble. If he dies, the military supervisor will be happy."

Chen Ju ignored Liu Xian's words, his right hand gripping his forehead, his bloody left hand tapping the table. The tapping continued for a long time, then suddenly stopped. Chen Ju's face turned ashen, "Wasn't the planning commissioner Wang Jiayi back the day before yesterday?"

Liu Xian nodded blankly, not understanding why Chen Ju asked this.

"Wasn't Wang Jiayi in Fugou City recently?" Chen Ju's voice became more urgent.

"Wang Jiayi is in charge of tribal affairs, so these past few months, he has been moving between the border cities and forts. Dalong, Zeda, An Yuan, Tongwei, Gangu, Fugou, he..." Liu Xian's voice paused, a chilling thought rising in his mind, "Supervisor, could it be...?"

"Did he meet Han Gang?" Chen Ju asked softly.

"No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Liu Xian shook his head frantically, but his denial even failed to convince himself. Calculating the dates, the battle in Pei Valley and Han Gang's arrival in Fugou City were two days before Wang Shao returned from the north. From Gangu to Qinzhou, a fast horse could make it in one day. Wang Shao returned with the messenger from Gangu, and it was said that two of his horses died in the stables.

What urgent matter could have required Wang Shao to return so quickly from Gangu, where it was already safe? Chen Ju and Liu Xian could think of no other reason than the Pei Valley incident. As a key figure, Wang Shao would have certainly questioned Han Gang about the details.

Chen Ju's hatred for the Moxing tribe grew. If they could have eliminated Han Gang and his group in Pei Valley, even if there were consequences, they could have blamed it on another tribe. But now, with so many survivors, who could guarantee that Chen Ju and the Moxing tribe would not be exposed?

"It's just a planning commissioner, what's there to fear!" Liu Xian shouted, but his voice only made him seem more nervous.

"Time!" Chen Ju's hands were trembling, his face pale, "How many days have we wasted since Wang Shao returned?"

Although the planning commissioner has significant power, his rank is not high, not comparable to a military governor. If Chen Ju could use all his wealth and connections, he could still make a last stand. But the lost time cannot be recovered. Wang Shao returned from the north, but Chen Ju did not react in time. Now, would Wang Shao give them more time?

"Master! Master! It's... not good!" The old steward of the Chen family stumbled into the inner courtyard, rushing to the study, out of breath.

"What's not good?" Chen Ju glared angrily, "You'll receive twenty strokes of the cane later!"

"Master! Master, forgive me," the steward panicked, breathing even harder, "Outside... outside..."

He stuttered, unable to explain. But Chen Ju and Liu Xian did not need to hear more. A loud crash came from the front courtyard, and the heavy doors of the Chen residence were suddenly smashed open. The two massive doors, weighing hundreds of pounds, fell backward, raising a cloud of dust and pinning several servants underneath.

A rough and powerful voice echoed in the front courtyard, "I am ordered by the military governor to arrest the traitor Chen Ju and Liu Xian, as well as their relatives and accomplices. Any who resist will be killed! Search thoroughly, don't let Chen and Liu escape!"

The steward's face turned ashen, and his tongue no longer tied, "Outside, it's Wang Shunmin with soldiers surrounding us!"

Half an hour later, the Chen residence was still in chaos from the search, but Wang Shunmin was already standing in the study, looking down. In front of him, the two main culprits, Chen Ju and Liu Xian, were tied up like mummies, forced to the ground, awaiting Wang Shunmin's judgment.

Chen Ju and Liu Xian, who usually appeared as refined scholars, now had their clothes torn, hair disheveled, and faces bruised from the arrest.

Liu Xian's face was twisted, all his usual composure gone, and he struggled to lift his head, "Wang Shunmin, don't be too proud! Wait until we get out, and you'll regret it!"

"Get out? Reincarnate?" Wang Shunmin glanced at him, sneering, "I'll wait for you in eighteen years!"

Kicking Liu Xian aside, he squatted next to Chen Ju, leaning down with a sinister smile, "You wanted to kill my brother, right? Who will kill who now?"

Chen Ju's face was pale. The legacy built by three generations was destroyed by a lowly scholar, and his confidence was shattered. The only thing he remembered was to leave a lineage for the Chen family, "General Wang... I will move closer to your feet, General, if you let me send a message to my son in Fengxiang, to leave a way for my family, I will offer all the hidden gold in my house, a total of 10,000 guan!"

"Spit!" Wang Shunmin spat on his face, "Now you're willing to beg? When you were harming others, did you show mercy? Think about how many people your family has harmed over three generations, how much bad karma you've accumulated? Let me tell you, the people sent to capture your two sons have already left and won't be caught! Take them away!"

Wang Shunmin escorted Chen Ju and Liu Xian back to the outer courtyard, where Chen Ju's family members were gathered, crying and tied together with ropes, unable to escape. On the other side, dozens of servants and maids were herded together, all crying and sobbing.

Only a maid in white, holding a little girl, stood calmly in the corner. Wang Shunmin glanced at her, but her eyes were fixed on Chen Ju, and a white flower on her hair swayed in the cold wind.

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