Chapter 766: Gained Information

One bandit happened to look up, mainly because the piece of fish meat floated past right by his hand.

At first he tried to snatch it with his chopsticks, but missed, watching helplessly as it vanished.

The bandit's chopsticks fell to the floor, his face filled with terror: "This, this…"

The other three bandits were still crying and laughing, not paying him any attention.

The bandit swallowed hard, thinking he'd imagined it—but the next moment, a piece of chicken rose up, drifted toward him, and vanished beside his arm…

Screams and shrieks erupted one after another—

Yang Shan immediately stormed in with the Brocade Uniform Guards and saw the four men huddled together, pointing at the table in terror, screaming "Ah! Ah!"

Yang Shan looked over—and a piece of fish meat vanished before his eyes.

Yang Shan: …

He turned his head toward Pan Yun.

Pan Yun rubbed her forehead and nodded to Yang Shan.

Yang Shan waved his hand, ordering men to drag them away and lock them separately in the lower hold.

The room was now empty except for Pan Yun, Yang Shan, and one Brocade Uniform Guard.

The guard stepped forward and closed the door, blocking the view from outside.

Pan Yun finally spoke: "Come out."

A red figure materialized beside the table, sitting on the stool, chewing slowly, and sheepishly grinned at them.

Pan Yun handed her a napkin and sat beside her, glancing at the leftover food—her appetite gone—and asked: "What did they say?"

Xiao Hong moved to the next seat and mimicked their tone: "Dying here, even if you stiffen, no one'll find you, right?"

After saying this, she flashed over and sat down across from him: "We're about to die anyway, what's the point of eating all this stuff?"

Xiao Hong's figure flashed rapidly between the four seats: "The Sun family is too stingy—one life is worth only fifty taels."

…

"The Wang family is far more generous."

"True, the Chen family even abandoned their adopted son…"

"Better to follow the Prince—at least your family's safe…"

Xiao Hong exhaled, settled down, and spread her hands: "Then they started screaming 'Ah! Ah! Ah!' for no reason, and you burst in."

Yang Shan: "... You don't know why they screamed?"

Xiao Hong feigned ignorance: "Should I know?"

Pan Yun cleared her throat: "Commandant Yang, they've given us plenty of information. Though I don't know which Sun family, Wang family, or Prince they mean, I'm certain that with careful inquiry along the coast, we can uncover them. Now it's up to you to investigate further."

Yang Shan: "Do you know which Chen family they mean?"

Pan Yun smiled: "If you'd asked me earlier, I might not have known—but now, I do. This year, during the suppression of pirates, the Chen family provided two ocean-going ships, a large stockpile of weapons, grain, medicine, and nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver—a model of loyalty and benevolence, a renowned righteous merchant. Yet their adopted son allegedly colluded with Japanese pirates, leaking our battle plans, nearly causing the combined allied forces to be annihilated."

Yang Shan's gaze sharpened, his voice low: "They gave so much—what did they hope to gain? You hadn't discovered the silver mountain yet, correct?"

Pan Yun nodded with a smile: "I hadn't found it yet. As for their motive… I believe they truly wanted to suppress pirates—but not the kind you think. They simply didn't want the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Sect or the Wu Lin Alliance meddling in maritime affairs."

"Using others to kill," Yang Shan realized after a moment's thought, lowering his eyes: "But to invest so heavily just to use others as blades… this isn't the work of one family alone."

Pan Yun shrugged: "Who knows? The Chen family won't tell me. Besides, the one who did the evil was their adopted son—the Chen family has publicly declared they knew nothing."

Yang Shan stamped his foot in thought: "The alliance between the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Sect and the Wu Lin Alliance to suppress pirates was tacitly approved by the imperial court—they couldn't stop it. To protect their own interests, they could only send their own men to join. If they could lure you to destroy their rivals, all the better."

Pan Yun smiled but said nothing.

Yang Shan murmured: "Best if both sides are crippled—kill the enemy, weaken the Wu Lin Alliance and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Sect, so they'll never dare interfere in maritime affairs again. But they never expected…"

Yang Shan turned to Pan Yun, eyes gleaming: "They never expected the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Sect and the Wu Lin Alliance not only wiped out several pirate bands but sailed to Japan for revenge—settling last year's village massacre and discovering the silver mountain. The situation spiraled completely out of control."

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly.

A smile flickered in Yang Shan's eyes as he met her gaze, and they shared a quiet laugh.

Pan Yun knew she'd made the right choice keeping that cannon—Yang Shan was as upright and fearless as his aura suggested.

Her gaze slipped through the door's crack toward the outside, and she said solemnly: "Commandant Yang, though I don't know who the Prince, the Sun family, or the Wang family are, clearly the Chen family is insignificant among them. But the Chen family is a wealthy merchant clan from Fujian, powerful in the region. To investigate the three families above them—one of which is imperial kin—you must be cautious."

Yang Shan nodded: "I will be careful."

Outside, someone called for Pan Yun: "Master Pan! Master Pan, where are you? Master Cao requests your presence—"

Yang Shan: "Though I risk offense, I must ask: how much silver was brought back on this ship?"

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly: "Two hundred thousand taels."

Yang Shan's eyes widened, and he exhaled slowly, murmuring: "So it truly is a silver mountain…"

He bowed deeply: "Please take care, Master Pan."

Pan Yun returned the bow: "You take care, Commandant Yang."

The Brocade Uniform Guard watched silently, then opened the door.

Pan Yun left with Xiao Hong. As soon as she stepped out, she called out to the man searching for her: "I'm here—"

It was a customs official from the Maritime Trade Bureau. Seeing her, he hurried over, breathless: "Master Pan, please come quickly! Master Wang won't let us unload the cargo—he says he must wait for you. We've searched everywhere on the ship and asked many people before learning you'd come to the flagship."

Pan Yun asked: "The envoy is on the flagship—why didn't Master Cao come here to pay his respects to Commandant Yang?"

The official smiled: "Master Pan, you jest. Master Cao holds a higher rank than Commandant Yang. The envoy has just returned from overseas—he should report to the Maritime Trade Bureau."

Pan Yun understood. Officialdom followed protocol: Yang Shan must go to see Cao Jixiang.

The official smiled: "But the Prefect has learned the imperial envoy's fleet has anchored at Quanzhou and has already come with a delegation to welcome them. Master Pan, let's go first to your ship to inventory the cargo."

Pan Yun nodded.

Saying "inventory the cargo" meant "inventory the silver."

For months, Cao Jixiang had been waiting with bated breath.

He knew the silver mountain in Japan had just begun, was being mined in secret, and wouldn't yield quickly—but the maritime trade policy remained stalled. Eager for merit, desperate to lift the sea ban, he had been counting the days until Pan Yun's return.

Finally, he had waited for this moment.

As soon as he saw her, he hurried forward, his face beaming: "Master Pan, you've returned at the perfect time! This batch of silver has arrived in Jingcheng just in time for the New Year—it's an auspicious omen to present it before the holiday!"

Pan Yun: "By the grace of heaven."

Cao Jixiang leaned closer to her and whispered: "But how much is there? Is it enough for the tribute?"

Pan Yun also lowered her voice and said: "Exactly two hundred thousand taels."

Cao Jixiang's eyes sparkled with brilliance, his wrinkles bunching up in delight: "No wonder you're Master Pan!"

(End of Chapter)