Chapter 141: Bai Tingting’s Assassination

"The Holy Emperor has entrusted me with two tasks for this trip. First, Zhenhai County has been occupied by pirates, and I must retake it. That is the first task."

"As for the second, the Minister of Justice and the Vice Minister of Justice accepted bribes from Zhenhai County and concealed the military situation. The Emperor has ordered me to investigate the truth and report back."

"I originally thought Qianjiang Prefecture was entirely peaceful, save for the rampant pirates over at Zhenhai. To subdue the pirates of Zhenhai, we must recruit soldiers, and to recruit soldiers, we need money."

Long Chen looked at Chen Zu with a grinning smile and gestured with his hand to ask for money.

Chen Zu understood what Long Chen meant—this was extortion.

"My Lord, to be honest, this humble official has always been an honest and upright bureaucrat; I simply have no money on hand..."

Chen Zu was merely a small pawn, a puppet working for the Three Patriarchs, and he truly had no money.

Long Chen chuckled and said, "You have no money, but what about the wealthy gentry in the city? I hear the Xu family, the Yuan family, and the Wang family are known as the Three Patriarchs. Do they not have money?"

Chen Zu was startled. He had assumed Long Chen knew nothing of the situation, yet he was well aware of the existence of the Three Patriarchs.

Chen Zu said with a troubled expression, "My Lord, the Three Patriarchs are the local overlords here. If I were to ask them for money, wouldn't that be..."

That remained the core issue: Chen Zu was just a small-time lackey. If he dared to ask his masters for money, he would be beaten to death.

Long Chen waved his hand dismissively and said, "I am not asking you to demand money from them. You shall host a banquet at your estate tomorrow, and I will personally appeal to their sense of duty and reason. It is only right and proper for the common people to make donations for the imperial court."

Daring not to agree outright, Chen Zu could only say, "My Lord, I must consult with my colleagues regarding this matter."

Knowing that Chen Zu intended to report to Xu Zhi and the others, Long Chen did not press him further.

"Very well. I shall return to camp first and await your good news."

Long Chen instructed the Brave Cavalry Captain to have the chest carried out, a look of triumph plastered across his face.

When Chen Zu offered to escort Long Chen out of the city, Long Chen politely declined, urging Chen Zu to contact the Three Patriarchs promptly to discuss fundraising and troop recruitment. However, Chen Zu insisted on accompanying them for a short distance.

Stepping out of the Provincial Governor's Official Residence and onto the bustling, crowded street, Long Chen wore a broad smile.

"Corrupt official!"

With a sharp, angry cry, a white figure suddenly swooped down from the second-story window of a roadside building, a flash of cold light striking directly at Long Chen.

Zhang Qian and Wu Jian reacted simultaneously, a dagger and a waist saber springing up to intercept the attack.

Clang... Clang...

Amidst two metallic rings, the white figure landed on a table by the roadside.

Startled, Chen Zu shouted at the top of his lungs, "Guards! There is an assassin!"

Hearing the commotion, the bailiffs of the governor's office came running in a panic.

Looking closely, Long Chen recognized the attacker as none other than Bai Tingting.

Zhang Qian stepped in front of Long Chen, while Wu Jian motioned for the Brave Cavalry Captains to surround Bai Tingting, causing the surrounding pedestrians to scatter in all directions.

Long Chen looked at the sword in Bai Tingting's hand and sneered, "So, you've come to avenge your mother?"

Bai Tingting sneered back, "You damned eunuch! I thought you were a decent man, but it turns out you're just another corrupt official."

"Today, I, the great hero, will kill you and rid the people of a scourge!"

With that, Bai Tingting brandished her sword and rushed to attack Long Chen. Enraged, Zhang Qian drew her dagger and engaged Bai Tingting in combat.

Back in the capital, relying entirely on the prestige of her father Bai Qiulian, the Minister of War, Bai Tingting had bullied others who dared not retaliate, but her actual martial arts skills were quite mediocre.

In just a few moves, Zhang Qian subdued her.

Disarming her of her sword, Zhang Qian twisted Bai Tingting's arms behind her back and shoved her forward before Long Chen.

"My Lord, she is captured!"

Long Chen sneered, "With just this meager skill of yours, you still thought you could avenge Bai Qiulian?"

Bai Tingting spat, "This has nothing to do with Bai Qiulian! You let your soldiers plunder the common people—you are a corrupt official, and you deserve to die!"

Long Chen paused for a fraction of a second before delivering a sharp slap across Bai Tingting's face, drawing blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Nonsense! It was the pirates who plundered the common people last night. As an imperial commissioner, how could I possibly plunder the common people!"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with saliva, Bai Tingting burst into loud laughter. "Corrupt official, you dare to do it but lack the spine to admit it! If you have the guts, kill me. Or let me return to the capital, and I will submit a memorial to the Empress, letting her see precisely what kind of creature the eunuch she favors really is!"

Crack!

Long Chen landed another vicious slap across her face and cursed, "Plug her mouth, drag her back to the military camp, and I'll slowly have my way with her!"

By then, the governor's bailiffs had arrived, and Provincial Governor Chen Zu hastened to plead his case: "My Lord, this humble official failed to provide adequate security and almost allowed the assassin to harm you..."

Waving a hand, Long Chen replied, "This matter has nothing to do with you. I have some adversaries in the court who have come seeking revenge; it does not concern you. Go prepare for tomorrow's fundraising."

Only then did Chen Zu lead his troops back into the governor's mansion.

As for Long Chen, he had Bai Tingting bound securely and brought her back to the military camp.

Upon arriving at the camp, Long Chen tossed Bai Tingting into a military tent, gagged her mouth, and fetched some fish oil from Wu Xiangyun's quarters to smear across Bai Tingting's face.

"My Lord, what should we do with this Bai Tingting?" Zhang Qian asked.

She still could not fathom Long Chen's true intentions.

Long Chen replied, "Leave her be for now. Her blunder actually played right into my hands."

Uncomprehending, Zhang Qian asked, "Wasn't she just making trouble? How could she possibly have helped you, My Lord?"

Long Chen chuckled, "You will find out in a couple of days."

Inside the city.

Having watched Long Chen exit the city gates, Chen Zu immediately led his men toward the Xu Estate.

Upon entering the estate, he happened to find a smiling middle-aged man. Chen Zu stepped forward and asked, "Steward, where is the Patriarch?"

The man asked with a beaming smile, "Has that imperial commissioner been dealt with?"

Chen Zu sighed, "Ah, he is a tricky one. I gave him a thousand taels today, yet he was still unsatisfied, trying to extort the Three Patriarchs."

The man's smile remained fixed, but his tone turned icy. "Oh? For all these years, he is the first person who dared to try and extort the Three Patriarchs."

Chen Zu muttered with frustration, "Indeed! He must have eaten the gallbladder of a bear—no, a sea urchin!"

The two walked inward until they reached the back courtyard, where they found Xu Zhi and the monk Fayin deep in conversation.

"This humble one pays respects to the Patriarch."

Seeing Xu Zhi, Chen Zu knelt and kowtowed with utmost reverence.

Xu Zhi asked, "How did it go with that Long Chenge?"

Rising to his feet, Chen Zu replied, "This humble one followed Master Fayin's instructions and presented a thousand taels of silver. He happily accepted it, but he also brought up two additional matters."

Chen Zu recounted all of Long Chen's demands. Xu Zhi and Fayin listened quietly, weighing the underlying implications of Long Chen's words.

Fayin spoke up, "Family Head, in my view, this Long Chenge simply wishes to line his pockets while he is here."

"Furthermore, it seems he has discovered that something is amiss in Qianjiang Prefecture, yet he is willing to conceal it for us—provided the price is right."

Nodding in agreement, Xu Zhi said, "I feel the same way. However, I have no idea how vast Long Chenge's appetite truly is. Should he make exorbitant demands, how much must we pay to satisfy him?"

Fayin suggested, "We shall probe his attitude tomorrow. If his terms are acceptable, this could turn out to be a fortunate development."

"Long Chenge is the favorite paramour of the Fourth Princess, and rumors say even the Empress shares an intimate relationship with him. If he is willing to cover for us back in the capital, then Qianjiang Prefecture will belong to us forever."

In the past, they had gone to great lengths to act and deceive past governors and commissioners. If they could successfully co-opt Long Chen, matters would become infinitely simpler in the future.

Chen Zu added, "Just now, as Long Chenge was leaving the city, he encountered a female assassin rumored to be the daughter of Bai Qiulian."

Fayin raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, "Bai Qiulian's daughter? Is she seeking revenge against Long Chenge?"

News of Long Chen bringing down Bai Qiulian had already reached Qianjiang Prefecture, and these men were well aware of the feud.

Nodding, Chen Zu said, "The female assassin threatened to report Long Chenge, so she was taken away by him."

Xu Zhi asked, "Report him for what?"

Chen Zu answered, "For letting his soldiers plunder the populace."