Chapter 146: Poisonous

“Gentlemen, I am both Minister of the Two Departments and the Chief Eunuch overseeing the Imperial Harem. To boast a little, I have lain with the princess and served the Empress herself. As long as you pay me, I guarantee that this Qianjiang Commandery will be yours—do whatever you please!” Long Chen spoke with unwavering confidence, though Zhang Qian mentally mocked him.

Xu Zhi and the others exchanged glances. Though his words were crude, they made sense. If he had been with both the princess and the Empress, he must have considerable influence over the court’s affairs.

Governor Chen Zu couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, you’re a eunuch, aren’t you? How did you manage this?”

Long Chen was momentarily taken aback—he hadn’t expected such a question.

“I have my own tricks. If you want to learn, you’ll have to pay.”

Chen Zu wanted to press further but was deterred by Xu Zhi’s warning glance.

“How much do you want, sir?” Xu Zhi asked on behalf of the three.

Long Chen tapped the table and said, “Governor, you mentioned there are 100,000 pirates here. To quell them, I’ll need at least 100,000 troops. At ten taels of silver per soldier, that’s a minimum of one million taels.”

Ouch. Xu Zhi and the others winced at the price.

Divided three ways, each would have to come up with over 330,000 taels—a hefty sum.

“Sir, that’s... too much,” Wang Zhong stood up, unable to hide his objection.

Although they were pirates, they took pride in the wealth they’d seized through blood and steel. For Long Chen to demand a million taels so readily seemed a raw deal.

Xu Zhi shot Chen Zu a look and said, “Governor, there aren’t 100,000 pirates. Those on Ghost Island number barely 30,000. We don’t need that much silver.”

Long Chen’s heart leapt with joy—he hadn’t expected to glean the truth from Xu Zhi’s lips.

His expression darkened. “Xu, you’re deliberately misreporting intelligence. Governor Chen clearly said 100,000, yet you claim only 30,000. Do you want me to underestimate the enemy?”

Chen Zu hurriedly explained, “Sir, there are indeed only 30,000 pirates. The rest are merely opportunistic bandits exploiting the chaos.”

Long Chen turned sharply to scold, “Governor Chen, you dare falsify military intelligence!”

Chen Zu quickly defended himself, “Sir, I feared your wrath, so I overstated the numbers to deflect blame. Please calm your anger.”

Long Chen’s face remained grim. “Even so, I cannot accept less than 300,000 taels. I must also reclaim Zhenhai County—there will be many expenses for troops and supplies.”

Yuan Tengfei interjected, “Sir, if we assist you in recapturing Zhenhai County, then the funds...”

Long Chen’s brow furrowed. “Yuan, you truly have ability? You can retake a city occupied by pirates?”

Yuan Tengfei’s expression stiffened, and he fell silent.

Xu Zhi cursed Yuan Tengfei silently—such foolishness just to save money.

Long Chen said coldly, “If you can help me recover Zhenhai County, I’ll reduce the amount I demand.”

Yuan Tengfei’s face brightened. “Is that true, sir?”

Long Chen nodded. “True. Help me reclaim Zhenhai County, and I’ll only ask for 200,000 taels.”

Xu Zhi, who had just been cursing Yuan Tengfei’s idiocy, now thought him a genius.

Zhenhai County was already a ruined city; holding it was of little use. By withdrawing troops there, they could save 100,000 taels—this deal was definitely worthwhile.

“Sir, rest assured, we will find someone to reclaim Zhenhai County,” Wang Zhong said happily.

Then Xu Zhi cautiously added, “Sir, to be honest, we have some funds, but producing 200,000 taels at once is a heavy burden.”

Long Chen slammed the table and cursed, “What do you mean? You don’t want to give 200,000 taels?”

“Sir, don’t misunderstand. What we mean is, we could pay you 60,000 taels a year. How about that...?”

Long Chen sat quietly, narrowing his eyes and staring coldly at the three men.

Xu Zhi and the others were unsure if Long Chen would accept this proposal.

Governor Chen Zu was nervous, fearing the negotiations would collapse.

After a long pause, Long Chen suddenly laughed heartily. “Gentlemen, from now on we’re brothers. I promise this place will forever be yours.”

A sigh of relief swept through Xu Zhi and the others—the deal was done.

By paying Long Chen annually, he would keep their secrets, and they would be bound together.

“Sir, gentlemen, I have prepared some modest wine in the rear office. Shall we share a drink?” Chen Zu said, like a junior brother.

Long Chen stood and smiled. “Of course. Today we’ve made friends—I insist on a toast.”

Xu Zhi and the others gladly bowed. “Sir, you’re too kind. Please lead the way.”

They entered the rear office, where a table was set with wine and dishes. An old cook brought the food, then bowed his head and left quietly.

Long Chen glanced sideways at the old cook, then took the seat of honor. Zhang Qian and Wu Jian stood nearby as guards.

Xu Zhi and the others took their seats, with Chen Zu on the left and Xu Zhi on the right.

A clerk came to pour wine, setting out bowls and chopsticks.

“Sir, let us toast you,” Chen Zu raised his cup. Long Chen lifted his as well.

Zhang Qian stopped Long Chen. “Sir, test the wine for poison first.”

Xu Zhi laughed heartily. “Sir, this is our territory—there’s no poison here. Don’t worry.”

They were about to drink in respect.

Long Chen was unhurried and passed his cup to Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian took out a silver needle and dipped it into the wine; the needle immediately turned black.

“Poisoned!”

She flung the wine onto the ground. Zhang Qian and Wu Jian drew their swords, and the cavalry guards drew theirs as well, surrounding Xu Zhi and the others.

Long Chen sneered, “Governor Chen, Xu, you seek to poison me!”

Xu Zhi spat the wine from his mouth. Yuan Tengfei had not yet drunk; Wang Zhong had.

“Urine, feces!” Wang Zhong choked, clawing his throat and tongue but couldn’t vomit.

A clerk hurriedly fetched a pail of waste from the privy. Wang Zhong drank some, then vomited violently.

Though he had vomited, Wang Zhong’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed. Xu Zhi shouted for a doctor.

Chaos erupted in the rear office. Long Chen’s expression was icy as he demanded, “Chen Zu, do you dare attempt to murder the imperial envoy?”

Chen Zu shook his head fervently. “Sir, it was not me. If I had poisoned you, why would I have poisoned my own men as well?”

Xu Zhi coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Though he hadn’t swallowed the wine, the poison had entered his mouth.

Zhang Qian said sharply, “Sir, they’ve attempted poisoning—kill them all!”

Long Chen stopped her. “No, it wasn’t them who poisoned the wine.”

“Chen Zu, if you don’t give me an explanation, I will report you to the capital for colluding with pirates and attempting to assassinate an imperial envoy! The Emperor will surely dispatch troops to pacify Qianjiang Commandery.”

With that, Zhang Qian and Wu Jian escorted Long Chen as he rushed from the governor’s mansion, swiftly mounting horses to ride back to the military camp.

Inside the mansion, Xu Zhi continued coughing blood, while Chen Zu urged the doctors to arrive quickly.

Soon, physicians entered the rear office to treat Xu Zhi and Wang Zhong’s poisoning.