Chapter 351

A lone moon hung in the sky, the clear night soaked in chill.

That night, someone after a ruckus returned to peace......

Then someone was very uneasy.

Thousands of li away, the Guangzhou Zhoufu office.

The entire prefecture office was still and solemn, insects silent in the courtyard, the evening breeze slightly cool.

It should have been a tranquil, quiet midnight, yet suddenly a sharp, piercing sound shattered the silence——

"Pa!"

A pure white official kiln porcelain cup smashed heavily onto the blue‑brick floor, the porcelain shattering instantly, the piercing sound instantly filling the whole study.

Seated at the head of the study, an old man with half‑white beard and hair, his face aged yet his eyes sharp, his whole bearing heavy with anger, was none other than Guangzhou Prefect Chen Yan.

He was nearly seventy, having long held Guangzhou Zhoufu, deep in officialdom, usually steady and composed, rarely losing his temper like this.

But now his chest heaved violently, his eyes full of annoyance and anxiety, like an angry demon glaring, his aura terrifying.

Standing below was a man in military officer's armor, the Guangzhou Zhoufu office's Guard Commander, responsible for city defense, waterway patrols, public order and arrests, specially tasked with investigating waterway banditry and catching thieves.

The Guard Commander, usually seen as high and mighty, now had his back rigid, head bowed, unable to lift his head under the old man's anger.

He shrank into a ball, like a mute quail, not daring to breathe.

Chen Yan glared at him with a piercing look, his slightly hoarse aged voice heavy with anger, he barked:

"A large batch of official goods transported along the river, laden with precious cargo, including the vital salt and iron, were all mysteriously robbed on the Xunjiang route! Such a heaven‑shaking case, it has been a full four months!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he grew, his fingertips trembling slightly, he sternly demanded:

"You who are in charge of patrols and arrests, with the prefecture's manpower and official eyes, after months of day‑after‑day investigation, you still can't find a trace of the bandits! You're a bunch of good‑for‑nothings!"

His fury poured forth, each word heavy, slamming hard into the Guard Commander's heart.

The Guard Commander's face turned ashen, fine cold sweat beading his forehead, his heart full of bitter helplessness, yet he dared not retort, only bowing his head to listen.

Just waiting for Chen Yan's anger to ease a little, his heaving chest gradually calming.

Seeing this, the Guard Commander finally dared to bow slightly, his voice dry, his face full of bitterness and difficulty, he cautiously spoke in his own defense:

"Please calm your anger, Prefect! The water route from Guangzhou to Yongzhou stretches a thousand li, with winding rivers, tangled tributaries, dense forests, and changing flood conditions—I truly am unable."

"The news of the cargo ship's robbery came back from the southern frontier's desolate river, taking over half a month. Upon hearing it, I immediately mustered the prefecture's city patrolmen, gathered arrest officers, rushed all night to the scene to inspect and trace, traveling back and forth over a thousand li of waterway, checking riverside towns, merchants, and outposts—every step made at full speed, I have truly done my utmost, daring not to slack in the slightest......."

But this matter isn't something you can just investigate and solve!

Besides, Yongzhou isn't Guangzhou's own territory—how hard it is to handle your own affairs in someone else's land, surely this need not be spelled out?!

The Guard Commander inwardly groaned.

He dared not lift his head to meet the Prefect's still‑angry gaze, his peripheral vision furtively shifting to the side of the study.

On a side seat in the study sat a scholar in a green robe, his posture upright, his manner warm and steady, his expression calm and composed.

He was the Guangzhou Zhoufu's Vice Prefect, Chen Yan's most trusted aide, constantly at his side, participating in all prefectural affairs, devising plans and strategies, deeply trusted by the Prefect, his rank far above ordinary officials.

At that moment the scholar held a cup of hot tea, lightly gripping the rim, sipping slowly, his expression relaxed and unbothered, as if the fury before him and this deadlock had nothing to do with him.

The Guard Commander repeatedly gave him pleading looks, eyes urgent and humble, full of entreaty, desperately hoping this trusted aide of the Prefect would speak up to break the impasse, say a few fair words for him, and dissolve the accusatory stalemate.

The scholar took in his small gestures, yet did not speak at once, calmly finishing the cool tea in his cup, setting it down with a smooth, unhurried motion, showing no haste.

When the cup settled on the table, he then slowly lifted his eyes, his expression peaceful, his tone warm and measured, he spoke calmly to mediate:

"Sir, everything the Guard Commander said is true. Tracking a thousand‑li waterway is already near impossible; after four months, any traces on the riverbanks have been washed away by water and rain, leaving nothing to find—it is only natural that we cannot uncover the bandits' details."

He shifted his tone, laid out his reasoning clearly, and slowly proposed a countermeasure:

"Although this case has no direct clues, there is a jurisdiction to rely on. The entire convoy traveled safely all the way, only when it entered Yongzhou's jurisdiction on the Xunjiang gorge was it mysteriously robbed, and the goods vanished completely within Yongzhou's borders—this is indisputably linked to Yongzhou."

"Since we cannot start from here, we might as well send a document to Yongzhou Zhoufu, demanding the current Yongzhou officials thoroughly investigate local water bandits and thieves, and give Guangzhou Zhoufu a clear answer."

Chen Yan, who always trusted this Vice Prefect's planning and judgment, frowned slightly upon hearing it, pondered long, then finally shook his head slowly, sighed lightly, his voice full of melancholy regret:

"Your suggestions are all empty talk, of little use."

"Demanding explanations is mere window dressing, unimportant. The real problem is that the huge quantities of tea and silk are completely gone, and the vital salt‑iron war reserves are entirely gone!"

Chen Yan's face showed weariness as he leaned heavily against the chairback, then he laid out his full plan:

"I had already worked this out earlier; I intended to sell this batch of tea and silk, exchange it for silver and grain to stockpile as the prefecture's war reserves. Then, under the guise of trade along the commercial route, I would secretly send this precious salt‑iron material to Yi Zhoufu, to win over its governor, thus forming an alliance, striking far while defending near, to stabilize the surroundings of Guangzhou Zhoufu and lay the groundwork for future deployments."

"Now the core goods have been completely robbed, their whereabouts unknown; the grain, silver, the alliance layout, the war reserves—all my plans have come to nothing, every calculation turned to bubble, nothing can be done."

After his words, the study fell silent again.

Hearing this, the scholar's expression remained calm and composed, showing no panic, he merely gave a slight nod and continued calmly:

"Precisely because your entire plan has been thwarted, this batch of materials is all the more vital, so we must immediately engage with Yongzhou."

"This negotiation offers double benefit. If the robbery has nothing to do with Yongzhou, its officials, to clear their name, will surely mobilize all local forces to help us recover the lost goods and compensate your loss."

"But if this is actually Yongzhou's covert doing, or if they secretly condone local forces to plunder official goods, then our document of accusation will be a blatant show of force."

The candlelight flickered, and sinister shadows loomed.

The scholar's eyes dimmed slightly, he said with a smile:

"You wish to pursue the strategy of far alliance and near attack, but now you lack a pretext to launch. This bandit incident might just be the perfect opportunity."

"Then we can, under the pretext of the official goods robbery, openly challenge Yongzhou, march our troops, and take it directly…… How wonderful would that be?"

?? By the way, the officials in this story are indeed none of them incompetent.