Chapter Fourteen: Schemes and Deceptions

The sudden reversal of the situation left Chu Lushan momentarily overwhelmed, unable to adjust his thinking. His mind was still filled with the joy of having just caught Zhu Cilang's slip.

“How could Qin Xia have so swiftly and easily seized upon a flaw?”

“It seems… since I took office, there truly have been issues, and Qin Xia actually found them! How could he possess such ability?”

“What should I do, how should I respond?”

A barrage of questions crowded Chu Lushan’s mind, leaving him no time to ponder who this boat owner surnamed Liu might be, or whether the matter was even real. He didn't consider who was aboard the ships aside from the gold-threaded nanmu.

His whole mind was consumed by Zhu Cilang’s incisive, piercing interrogation.

At that moment, no one noticed that Zhu Cilang’s personal bodyguard, Old Seventeen, was no longer at his side. In the corner, the man who had just exchanged glances with Chu Lushan had also vanished without a trace.

Just then, Zhu Cilang suddenly sighed gently, his voice tinged with sorrow for the world, “I had hoped to meet someone fortunate enough to escape such fate today, but alas, it is as I feared. Since time immemorial, those who know to adapt are wise, yet how rare are the truly wise… It is truly lamentable.”

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang shook his head, then stacked the March ledgers one by one, tossing them aside. “These carefully embellished things—what right do they have to waste my time!”

Zhu Cilang’s ****-veiled implication was so obvious that if Chu Lushan still failed to understand, he was unworthy of his rank: “Are you going to present the internal accounts?”

While Chu Lushan hesitated, Zhu Cilang suddenly shouted, “If you still do not hand over the internal accounts for my audit, and the deficit proves enormous, I will show no mercy—I shall see you ruined and your family destitute!”

“Yes… yes…” Chu Lushan muttered, sinking despondently into his chair.

Just then, Yan Wei—who had entered at some point—suddenly recalled how Zhu Cilang, upon entering the office earlier, had quietly perused the accounts for a full hour.

He had been preparing all along!

Poor Chu Lushan had thought he was showing off his authority by making Zhu Cilang wait, not realizing that those two hours had given Zhu Cilang the opportunity to unearth a fatal clue, sowing the seeds of his own defeat.

Had Chu Lushan come out sooner, how could Zhu Cilang—lacking any real leverage—have been so audacious?

But there are no “if onlys” in this world.

The moment Chu Lushan agreed to hand over the internal accounts, the tide had already turned.

Just then, Old Seventeen, who had disappeared for some time, quietly returned to Zhu Cilang’s side and gave him a slow, deliberate nod.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Cilang smiled faintly and looked toward the inner chamber, just as a gaunt man suddenly rushed out from behind the screen. The man’s face was pale, his neck marked by bruises of blue and red.

Zhu Cilang did not know this thin man by sight, but he was well aware of his existence. The clerks from the Tax Division, including Yan Wei, recognized him immediately—this was none other than Fan Wenju, Chu Lushan’s trusted adviser and his closest confidant.

“Mister Fan, who rarely shows himself, is in such a hurry?” Yan Wei and the others were baffled.

“What happened?”

“Fan Wenju has always been Chu Lushan’s strategist—now that he’s here, there will be a fine contest of wits with Qin Xia…”

Sure enough, at the sight of his adviser Fan Wenju, Chu Lushan’s spirits revived.

Fan Wenju leaned in to whisper urgently in Chu Lushan’s ear, repeating his words over and over.

“This Qin Xia is deeply cunning. He must have known I was hiding nearby. I was just now dragged out of the inner chamber by a rough soldier with a hand over my mouth and locked in a dark room. That’s why I couldn’t help you assess the situation earlier.”

“But this, in fact, proves that Qin Xia lacks confidence. He had to remove me, which shows his own uncertainty. It means he must have only trickery, but no solid evidence!”

“All you need do is endure a while longer. Let Qin Xia step into our carefully laid trap, and then you’ll have him at your mercy…”

As Fan Wenju spoke in haste, the color slowly returned to his face, which had been deathly pale from his earlier ordeal.

Yet, contrary to Fan Wenju’s expectations, Chu Lushan did not grow more encouraged; the more Fan Wenju spoke, the paler Chu Lushan became, his expression darkening with anger and despair, barely able to conceal his defeat.

Seeing this, Fan Wenju was utterly perplexed, a shadow growing in his heart as he recalled the mysterious fighter who had subdued him moments ago.

A few of the accountants exchanged glances, their eyes filled with complex emotions—admiration, awe, and a touch of satisfaction. Clearly, Chu Lushan had not won the affection of his subordinates in ordinary times.

Of course, Chu Lushan did have some understanding of the art of officialdom, and had a few die-hard loyalists.

Sure enough, the scribe named Wu Yin, who had hurried to report, sidled up to Fan Wenju and quietly said, “Qin Xia mentioned the matter of the boat owner surnamed Wu in March. He realized that a small five-foot beam boat could not carry nanmu logs of such height. Moreover… moreover… he discovered a tax evasion. Of the eight boats owned by Wu, only four had paid the trade tax for the nanmu; the other four had no tax certificates. So… he used this to press the issue… and forced the official to… to admit to the internal accounts.”

At this, Chu Lushan nodded in a daze, his head drooping further.

Such a glaring loophole had been detected—surely, it would drag out a host of other problems. At that point, forget about profiting in Linqing for retirement—he might not even escape unscathed.

Moreover, admitting the issue with the internal accounts was as good as handing over the evidence of his own wrongdoing.

Just then, Zhu Cilang spoke again, “Well, since Lord Chu Lushan has agreed to replace the ledgers, this matter can be considered settled. After all… I discovered some additional shipping documents. It turns out that the other four boats of Wu Liangyong, the boat owner, were actually official vessels. On these boats were high officials—the Prefect of Hejian, Wu Peihe, and the Assistant Judge of Shuntian, Yang Qiwei. Since that’s the case, once the new ledgers and dossiers arrive, and the corresponding documents confirm they’re official vessels, there’s no problem with the accounts—they won’t affect the handover.”

At this, Yan Wei was dumbstruck; seeing the expressions around him, everyone felt the absurdity of it all.

So…

Zhu Cilang had been bluffing all along!

He had only played a trick, without uncovering any real problems!

He’d dared to so brazenly toy with the head of the Ministry of Revenue’s Tax Division. And yet, Chu Lushan had failed to see through the ruse, instead admitting to the existence of internal accounts.

Their soon-to-be superior was truly terrifying in cunning and strategy!

But just then, Yan Wei suddenly felt a sense of relief, and the others, too, quickly realized something else.