Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 33.2
These old subordinates of Zhao Chong had always been very wary of Lu Yan. It was not until Lu Yan took over the transportation of private salt for Zhao Chong that they regarded him as one of their own.
But isn’t this timing too coincidental?
While Pang Shu was thinking like this, he saw Shen Zhen slowly standing up from behind Lu Yan.
She was disheveled, her hair was in a messy bun, her cheeks were flushed…
When Pang Shu saw this, he immediately reacted and a smile appeared on his face, “I must have disturbed Young Master Wei,” he said
Since arriving in Yangzhou, Lu Yan has gained a reputation as a “playboy” and it is “reasonable” to be caught in this situation.
Lu Yan walked over and asked, “May I ask Lord Pang, what’s going on?”
Pang Shu spat and said, “He is seeking his own death and cannot blame anyone else.” After that, Pang Shu handed a letter to Lu Yan.
This is a memorial, a memorial to be presented to the Emperor.
Lu Yan had seen the man kneeling on the ground. His name was Nie Yuan. He was the county captain of Yangzhou and a subordinate of Zhao Chong.
Lu Yan looked at the memorial in his hand and pretended not to understand, “This is…”
Pang Shu said: “Young Master Wei doesn’t know this, but this man who drank together like brothers two days ago has now been promoted. From a county officer, to a Left Censorate1(Left Censorate was an official position located in a province subordinate. In summary, it was an important advisor to the country) and a Hanlin scholar.”
Even though the Left Censorate is only an eighth-grade official, there is a saying that goes like: “Even a wild chicken under the feet of the emperor can become a phoenix.” An official like the Left Censorate who specializes in giving advice to the emperor must not be underestimated.
Once Lu Yan heard that he had been promoted, the memorial in his hand became much more interesting.
“The wine glasses are filled with the best wines from all over the world, and the rare treasures from all over the world are displayed on the dining table. The fruits that are broken are tangerines from Dongting in the south, and the chopped fish on the plate are fresh fish from the sea in the north.“ 2(This is a metaphor for the debauchery of the officials in Yangzhou, eating and drinking all day long, and doing nothing.)
“The people are living in poverty, their wealth is depleted, and people outside Yangzhou are cannibalistic.” 3(This is a metaphor. The people of Yangzhou are already living in dire straits.)
After Lu Yan finished reading, he sneered and said to Nie Yuan, “Are you going to step on the bones of your brothers and take the high road?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Pang Shu was furious. He grabbed the man and threw him to the ground, “Damn, I hate treacherous people the most in my life.”
Just as he was about to stab him with his sword, Lu Yan turned the ring in his finger and said, “Lord Pang Shu.”
Pang Shu said: “Brother Wei, do you have anything else to say?”
Lu Yan stood up straight and said with a serious face: “I believe that this person should be tried again. What if he has accomplices?”
Pang Shu’s face turned serious, “How could I not have thought about what Brother Wei is thinking? But this person is heartless, simply a villain, he is even willing to throw away his own mother-in-law and children. What else can he confess? I think he just wants to be promoted and get rich!”
Lu Yan put his fist to his lips, coughed slightly and said, “Why don’t you let me try it?”
According to Lu Yan’s experience, a kind and righteous person may not say anything even if he is sentenced to death by dismembering the body4( a feudal form of capital punishment). However, if he is a true villain, as long as he has sufficient benefits, he can say anything.
“Brother Wei, what do you plan to do?”
Lu Yan pointed to the teahouse not far away and said, “It’s so empty around here. It’s inconvenient here after all, so why not go there.”
Pang Shu nodded, “That’s fine.”
Pang Shu held Nie Yuan, Lu Yan held Shen Zhen and the four of them entered the tea room together.
There was only a sleepy little shopkeeper sitting in the dilapidated and cramped teahouse.
As soon as he saw the people coming in, the young shopkeeper quickly straightened his head and said with a smile: “Masters, what would you like to drink?”
Lu Yan was the first to speak, “Longjing tea5(a famous green tea produced in Hangzhou).”
As soon as he finished speaking, the young shopkeeper’s expression changed slightly and he said, “I understand, Master.” Then he turned around and closed the doors and windows tightly.
Pang Shu shook his head at the side and said: “This shabby place also has Longjing tea? The shopkeeper is probably talking nonsense!”
The little shopkeeper came slowly with a pot of tea and said: “Although the shop is not big, it has a lot of tea.”
After he finished speaking, the young shopkeeper poured Pang Shu a glass and said flatteringly, “Would you like to try it?”
Pang Shu took it, took a sip, frowned and said, “Does this deserve to be called Longjing tea?”
Lu Yan also smiled. He picked up the teapot and poured Shen Zhen a cup. “You want to try it too?”
Shen Zhen didn’t suspect him and took a sip.
Lu Yan kissed her ear, his eyes full of smiles, “I poured it for you with my own hands and you just took a sip?”
Shen Zhen was not used to being so intimate in front of others, so she blushed, leaned against him and drank all the tea in one gulp.
Pang Shu blushed when he saw Lu Yan’s unobtrusive intimacy with Shen Zhen and couldn’t help but sigh: “Brother Wei is really a man in the world of mortals, and he is blessed with a lot of beauty.” As he said that, he poured himself another glass, “It’s getting late, how does brother Wei plan to interrogate, we’d better do it as soon as possible.”
Lu Yan looked at Shen Zhen, then at Pang Shu, and said, “Wait a moment.”
Upon hearing the word “wait a moment”, Nie Yuan couldn’t help but tremble at the side: “I’ll give you all my belongings, okay?”
Pang Shu became furious and was about to kick him away but when he raised his foot, he found that he couldn’t use the force at all and then he felt a splitting headache.
He immediately turned back to look at Lu Yan and found that his concubine had also fallen into his arms.
After all, Pang Shu is a tall and strong man. Although he has no strength, he can still stay awake and will not fall asleep directly like Shen Zhen.
He shook his head vigorously, slapped his temples wildly, and roared: “What’s going on!”
At this time, the young shopkeeper bowed to Lu Yan and said, “Master, what should I do with this man?”
Lu Yan said: “Tie him up, I will take him back to the capital.”
Seeing that the time was almost up, Lu Yan stood up and walked to Nie Yuan’s side, saying word by word: “As a Junior Magistrate of the Jingzhao Prefecture of the imperial court, I would like to make a deal with the Left Censorate.”
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