Chapter 193

Zhang Dapeng and Lin Biao have died!

Their bodies were discovered by a mountain hunter, who reportedly stumbled upon them while hunting in the Changbai Mountains near a neighboring town. The two were found lying in a mountain ravine, about three feet apart.

Lin Biao had stab wounds caused by a dagger, with a blood-stained rock in his hand and scattered banknotes nearby. Zhang Dapeng, on the other hand, was holding the dagger and had a fatal wound on his head. According to the coroner’s examination, the wounds on Lin Biao were inflicted by the dagger held by Zhang Dapeng, while the head injury on Zhang Dapeng matched the rock found in Lin Biao’s hand. It was initially determined that the two had quarreled over an unequal share of spoils, leading to a deadly altercation where each killed the other with their respective weapons.

Upon hearing the news, Madam Zhang fainted on the spot and, upon regaining consciousness, rushed unsteadily to her parents’ home.

Grandma and Grandpa Wang were equally shocked. Their first thought was that with these two now dead, there would be no witnesses, and their second son might not be saved. However, after hearing Wang Yuan’er say that Cui Yuan had promised to protect Wang Er, their worries eased.

As for Wang Yuan’er, she found the whole situation suspicious. It seemed like a simple case, yet it cost two lives. The claim that they argued over an unequal share of spoils appeared weak.

Zhang Dapeng was merely a mediator in the deal. Why would there even be an issue over dividing spoils in his case? Logically, as a mediator, he should have been in the safest position. Yet, he lost his life.

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a dense fog of mystery surrounded the matter, as if an invisible hand was stirring the waters and moving the pieces on a chessboard.

Finding it incomprehensible, Wang Yuan’er didn’t dwell on the matter further, while Grandpa Wang and his family planned to go to Zhang’s household to pay their condolences. There was concern that this could lead to yet another uproar.

Meanwhile, at the county office, Cui Yuan was discussing the case with Li Xian.

“If Zhang Dapeng and Lin Biao were still alive, this would merely be a standard case of selling inferior goods, unlikely to draw much attention. But now, with two lives lost, it inevitably raises questions,” Cui Yuan remarked while flipping through the files submitted by his subordinates.

“What’s your view?” Li Xian asked, looking at him.

Cui Yuan had loyally served the emperor since he was a prince, demonstrating both wisdom and strategy. Yet, he had curiously never been granted an official title, leaving others baffled.

“Xiang Zhuang performs a sword dance, aiming for Liu Bang (*)!” Cui Yuan declared as he tossed the stack of files to the side.

“You mean?” Li Xian furrowed his brow.

“Consider this: if this batch of timber were used in constructing river embankments, and a major flood destroyed the embankments, what would be the consequences? And if it was later discovered that the embankment timber was defective, who do you think would be held accountable first?” Cui Yuan asked, lowering his gaze. “The case with the drum of accusations—you know how that one came about.”

Li Xian’s face shifted slightly as he replied, “So this is all targeting me, huh?”

He is the county magistrate of Changle. Although merely a magistrate, he is responsible for overseeing the river expansion project in Changle Town. If any issues arise, who would be held accountable?

The answer is obvious. Blame would fall on him, clearly intended as an attempt to remove him from his position. But why target a mere magistrate?

“The Maritime Trade Office is about to select a location for its establishment, and Changle has become one of the ports. It’s no longer the small, insignificant place it once was,” Cui Yuan remarked calmly.

“This is utterly ridiculous!” Li Xian slammed the table heavily in anger. “It’s just a magistrate position, and yet they go to such lengths, even resorting to such sinister and risky tactics. Don’t they realize that if this batch of timber hadn’t been inspected and was actually used, it would have caused great harm to both the people and Changle?”

Being straightforward by nature, he couldn’t tolerate such behavior that disregarded the lives of ordinary people. Officials should serve the nation and the people, not put them in harm’s way for personal gain.

“Three years as an honest magistrate earns you ten thousand silver taels,” Cui Yuan said lightly. Seeing Li Xian’s expression darken, he quickly added, “I didn’t mean you.”

Li Xian snorted and turned his head away.

“Even a magistrate has authority over a region, especially with the Maritime Trade Office just around the corner. Once trade begins, the coming and going of merchant ships—how would it differ from the wealthy regions in Jiangnan?” Cui Yuan said with a smile.

“Whose doing do you think this is?” Li Xian furrowed his brow.

“To investigate, start with Lin Biao and Zhang Dapeng. In my opinion, Lin Biao might offer a bigger breakthrough,” Cui Yuan contemplated for a moment.

Li Xian nodded in agreement but still couldn’t wrap his head around it.

“This case is riddled with flaws. With so many people working on the river, anyone paying attention would notice this timber. If the person behind this plot really wanted to take me down, why would they use such a low-level tactic? As we see now, it hasn’t even been used, and it’s already been discovered. Even as an attack against me, it’s ineffective. What’s the point? One careless move, and they risk exposing themselves. This is a foolish act of shooting oneself in the foot,” he expressed his doubts.

Li Xian made a valid point—who could be such a foolish political rival? Who would want Li Xian removed from his position, and who would benefit from his downfall?

Speaking of Li Xian, before the emperor ascended the throne, he had already placed Li Xian in Changle as the county magistrate. To put it bluntly, Li Xian was a trusted confidant of the emperor. His placement in Changle was merely to build his credentials, and it was only a matter of time before he would be promoted. Targeting Li Xian was not a wise move—it could easily arouse suspicion without achieving much.

Cui Yuan pursed his lips and tapped the table. Could something have been overlooked?

It wasn’t that Cui Yuan had overlooked anything; rather, he had overestimated the mastermind behind this scheme.

In the Tang family study, Second Master Tang gathered his elder brother and his sons, Tang Xiu’an and Tang Xiuping.

Second Master Tang, fuming with anger, threw a polychrome blue bowl at Tang Xiu’an’s feet and shouted, “Look at what you’ve done! Without proper skills or sense, you should’ve just managed the family business honestly. Acting on your own, making decisions without consulting anyone—do you realize the mess you’ve caused? Do you know you’re putting me in danger?”

Tang Xiu’an pressed his lips tightly together, his face full of defiance.

“Second Brother, what exactly happened?” First Master Tang asked, utterly confused.

“Ask your son what he’s been doing in secret!” Second Master Tang glared at him.

Tang Xiu’an replied, “Second Uncle, I was only thinking of the family’s best interests.”

“For the sake of the family? Do you even have the ability?” Second Master Tang sneered. “Do you really think that by planting a few rotten pieces of timber, you can topple Li Xian? Li Xian served as a county magistrate in Shanxi for years, achieving outstanding political accomplishments annually. He was transferred to Changle Town two years ago—an appointment arranged even before the emperor ascended the throne. It’s clear as day that he is a loyal and upright minister of the emperor. By next year, Li Xian will likely return to the capital with high honors or, at the very least, be promoted directly to a governor position. Who do you think you are to challenge him?”

“It was just a minor setback,” Tang Xiu’an muttered.

“Nonsense! A setback? With such a massive river project, do you think everyone is blind and unable to notice the flaws in the timber? Do you know why you failed? It’s because you didn’t think things through comprehensively. If you were truly set on such an act, you should have coordinated with everyone involved, tying them all to the same ship so it wouldn’t capsize. But now, what’s the point of having Wang Er accept the timber? The stage wasn’t even set before the whole act collapsed,” Second Master Tang fumed, his face red with anger. “Your biggest mistake was acting on your own without consulting me first, resorting to such a low-level scheme. Now look at the mess you’ve caused. After botching the plan, you rushed to silence witnesses. Even a three-year-old could sense something fishy!”

He was truly enraged. Upon learning about his nephew’s foolish blunder, he was so alarmed that he rushed back immediately. Hearing about the murders nearly caused him to faint.

If the incident had been traced back to the two individuals involved, they could’ve simply paid hush money and stuck to the accusation of selling inferior goods. At worst, they’d face some corporal punishment—why escalate it to this? But now, with lives lost, Li Xian has no choice but to investigate thoroughly!

“What? So it was Elder Brother who orchestrated Wang Er’s embezzlement?” Tang Xiuping finally pieced together the situation from the conversations between his second uncle and elder brother.

He was aware of Wang Er, Min’er’s father, and that matter. Min’er’s mother even pleaded for help, but the family refused to intervene. Moreover, once Madam Rong discovered his relationship with Min’er, there was a major fallout, which made him even more reluctant to get involved. But now it turned out that this was all orchestrated by his elder brother. Why?

Tang Xiu’an lowered his head silently, though his heart was full of defiance. He thought it was merely bad luck that Chen Zhou had ruined his plan. Had things gone differently and that batch of timber been used, when the floods hit and the wood was investigated, regardless of Li Xian’s rank at the time, he would surely have been removed from office. Isn’t that how the case involving the drum of accusations happened? By toppling Li Xian, he could claim credit and see how Second Uncle could continue to look down on or boss the family’s main branch.

Yes, Tang Xiu’an was bitter. Clearly, his branch of the family was the main branch, yet because they had failed in their studies, they were forced to live under the thumb of their second uncle’s branch. He and his father were overshadowed, and his mother was oppressed by his second aunt. Was his son, Cong’er, destined to live the same way, forever unable to rise?

Cong’er was nearly fifteen, and next year, he would surely pass the exams and become a licentiate. With such an achievement to his credit, the family’s main branch could finally hold their heads high.

If Cui Yuan knew what was happening in the Tang family, he might spit out blood in frustration. He would have seen foolish people before, but none quite so foolish as this—a family working against itself, collapsing its own foundation. This family’s downfall wouldn’t be far off.

First Master Tang had always followed his second brother’s lead in handling matters and living his life. Upon hearing that his son had caused such a huge problem, he broke out in a cold sweat.

“Second Brother, what do we do about this?”

“What do we do? When the Crown Prince fell from power, I had already chosen my side early. Without the maneuvering of my mentor and father-in-law, I would’ve been dismissed from office and sent home long ago. Even so, I was demoted two levels. For the honor of the Tang family, I did everything I could to secure a marriage with the Rong family so that Ping’er could uphold our status through the alliance. And what did you all do? Not only did you fail to achieve anything, but you actively sabotaged things, leaving me to clean up your mess. How did I end up with nephews as foolish as you?” Second Master Tang stormed back and forth in the study, livid with rage.

With lives lost, there was no doubt a thorough investigation would follow. If the Tang family was implicated, would he still be able to hold onto his fifth-rank position? Most likely, his career would come to an end.

“Whether the Tang family can weather this storm depends on the heavens!” Second Master Tang, drenched in a cold sweat, sank into a chair in defeat.

Notes: The phrase ‘Xiang Zhuang performs a sword dance, aiming for Liu Bang’ originates from the historical record Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) by Sima Qian, specifically from the chapter “The Biography of Xiang Yu.” It describes a banquet incident where Xiang Zhuang, under the guise of performing a sword dance for entertainment, intended to assassinate Liu Bang, who was a key rival in the power struggle. The true aim of this act was concealed behind the outward appearance of a harmless performance. This expression metaphorically describes situations where someone’s words or actions carry a hidden agenda, masking their real intentions. It’s a warning to remain cautious, as what appears on the surface may not reveal the actual motives at play. This idiom has become common to highlight scenarios where duplicity or ulterior motives are suspected.