Chapter 149: Bargaining with the Tiger

Long Chen asked with a cheeky smile, "Did you give yours to me?"

Zhang Qian blushed and scolded, "Nonsense, from head to toe, I gave you my first time, you damn eunuch!"

Long Chen chuckled, "Alright, get some rest tonight. Let the soldiers keep watch outside, tomorrow we'll have our hands full."

Knowing that tomorrow would bring many tasks, Zhang Qian agreed, had the soldiers keep guard outside, and slept in the tent with Long Chen.

...

The next morning.

After Long Chen finished washing up, Du Gu Jiali's troops were already assembled, with Wu Jian and thirteen elite cavalry guards standing by.

"Today will be the same. We will enter the city first, and you wait outside," Long Chen instructed.

Du Gu Jiali shook her head and said, "That won't do. After what happened yesterday, if I don't follow, what if they close the city gates? How will Your Excellency get out?"

Long Chen replied, "Don't worry, I have it under control. If a fight breaks out, your thousand men wouldn't be enough anyway."

If they had brought troops into the city from the beginning, it would have raised suspicion, or even angered the Wang family and provoked an armed conflict.

Therefore, Long Chen planned to enter the city with only his usual escort, and once matters were discussed and settled, he would order Du Gu Jiali to bring her troops in for combat.

Du Gu Jiali nodded helplessly and said, "Please be careful, Your Excellency. The moment the situation changes, set a fire in the city, and we will charge right in."

Long Chen agreed and entered the city with Zhang Qian, Wu Jian, and the thirteen elite cavalry guards.

When they reached the West Gate, only a scattering of soldiers were on guard, and Sima Douyu Fei was nowhere to be seen.

Upon seeing Long Chen, the soldiers immediately opened the gates and let them pass.

Instead of going to the Prefect's Mansion, Long Chen headed straight for the Wang estate.

With Wang Zhong dead, Xu Zhi and Yuan Tengfei would naturally be at the Wang residence attending the mourning rituals.

True to expectation, when they arrived at the gates of the Wang estate, white mourning cloth was hung all over the doors and trees.

Spotting Long Chen's approach, a servant at the gate rushed into the mourning hall in the courtyard and shouted to a tall, thin man with sunken cheeks and a fierce gaze, "Eldest Young Master, the imperial envoy has arrived."

This man was Wang Zhong's eldest son, Wang Li.

Upon hearing that Long Chen had come to his door, Wang Li flew into a rage and cursed, "Bring me my broadsword!"

A servant quickly brought over a massive blade. Wang Li grabbed the weapon and rushed to the front gate, just as Long Chen was dismounting his horse.

"You corrupt official, pay for my father's life with yours!"

As the broadsword slashed down, Zhang Qian flashed to the front, drew a dagger from her waist, and engaged Wang Li in combat.

As the old saying goes: a man with sunken cheeks is harder to deal with than a ghost.

Though Wang Li had a robust build, his cheeks lacked flesh, making him look at first glance like a ferocious bandit.

Zhang Qian had only a dagger, while Wang Li's broadsword gave him the advantage of reach. Combined with his immense strength, Zhang Qian actually found herself struggling to keep up.

The guards of the Wang household all grabbed their weapons and rushed forward, surrounding Long Chen and his men.

Wu Jian asked in a low voice, "Your Excellency, should we help?"

Long Chen shook his head slightly; he was waiting for Xu Zhi and the others to come out.

Sure enough, the sound of the fight was too loud. Xu Zhi and Yuan Tengfei, who were discussing matters inside, rushed out upon hearing the commotion and caught sight of Wang Li and Zhang Qian trading blows.

Seeing Xu Zhi emerge, Long Chen called out, "Brother Xu, I've come to pay my respects to Third Brother Wang, why resort to weapons?"

Xu Zhi hurried over and shouted, "Stop..."

His throat was so hoarse that no sound came out, and nobody could hear him.

Yuan Tengfei stepped out and yelled, "Stop! Cut it out!"

Ignoring the shouts, Wang Li continued to swing his broadsword, forcing Zhang Qian back step by step.

At that moment, Long Chen's figure flashed as he suddenly appeared right in front of Wang Li, driving his fist straight into the shaft of the broadsword.

Bang!

With a single punch, Long Chen sent Wang Li staggering backward through the air, snapping the broadsword's shaft cleanly into two halves.

Wang Li was shocked. He had heard that Long Chen was a eunuch and secretly despised him, never expecting that a single punch could shatter his weapon.

"Nephew Wang, this official came to mourn Third Brother Wang. What is the meaning of this?"

Long Chen's tone was icy, and his expression showed deep displeasure.

Discarding the broken sword, Wang Li pointed at Long Chen and cursed, "You caused my father's death and yet you dare to come here and mourn? What are your true intentions?"

Long Chen replied helplessly, "You can ask Brother Xu and Second Brother Yuan. The assassin originally intended to poison this official, but Third Brother Wang accidentally drank the poisoned wine. I am deeply saddened by this as well, but claiming that I murdered Third Brother Wang is something I cannot accept!"

Wang Li shouted, "You are the one who ordered someone to poison him! You wanted to kill my father!"

Long Chen's expression shifted as he snapped, "Absurd! It was clearly your own cook who poisoned the food in an attempt to murder this official and assassinate the imperial envoy. Fortunately, I was vigilant enough to escape disaster, yet you still dare to make false accusations!"

"Do you really take this official for a coward? When I return to the capital, I will report this to His Majesty and dispatch 300,000 troops to flatten Qianjiang Prefecture!"

As the saying goes, observe courtesy before resorting to force; blind concessions get one nowhere. Thus, Long Chen suddenly changed his demeanor, threatening to deploy troops to pacify Qianjiang Prefecture.

True to form, these words struck fear into Wang Li.

When all was said and通 done, these men were nothing more than regional bandits; the moment they were threatened with imperial armies, their attitudes softened.

Yuan Tengfei hurried into the middle to mediate, "Lord Long, Nephew Wang, both of you calm down. This matter needs to be thoroughly investigated; Lord Long definitely did not poison anyone."

On this point, both Yuan Tengfei and Xu Zhi were certain. Long Chen had only arrived a few days ago and could not possibly have infiltrated the Prefect's Mansion's kitchen.

That cook was someone they had selected themselves, and their own investigation confirmed that the cook's target was indeed Long Chen, making Wang Zhong's death an accidental killing.

Wang Li suddenly pointed at Yuan Tengfei and cursed, "The two of you colluded with this eunuch to poison my father so you could carve up our Wang family! It won't be that easy!"

Yuan Tengfei was dumbfounded, Xu Zhi was speechless, and Long Chen found the scene amusing.

"Nephew Wang, although this official is new here, I know that the three founding elders were like brothers of the same flesh and blood. How could they turn on each other?"

"When all is said and done, this remains this official's responsibility. I have investigated: the poisoner was a shadow guard of Grand General Jing Tianlie. They wanted to kill me, and ended up accidentally killing Third Brother Wang instead."

Wang Li jerked his head up, a fierce light flashing in his eyes as he pointed a finger at Long Chen and shouted, "It really was you!"

Long Chen immediately countered, "They are still in the city!"

Wang Li had intended to resume the fight, but upon hearing that the shadow guards were still in the city, he immediately changed his tune and demanded, "Where are they?! I'm going to kill them and avenge my father!"

Xu Zhi also walked over, his voice raspy as he asked, "Where are they?"

He wanted revenge too; his throat had been nearly destroyed.

Yuan Tengfei asked, "Has Your Excellency found them?"

Long Chen looked around the surroundings and said, "There are too many eyes and ears here. Let's go inside to discuss it."

Yuan Tengfei led the way, with Xu Zhi and Wang Li following into the backyard, where the muffled weeping of the female family members could still be heard.

Once the doors were closed, Zhang Qian and Wu Jian stood guard nearby, while the elite cavalry guards waited outside.

Long Chen sat in the center of the room, Wang Li stood with a gloomy expression, and Xu Zhi and Yuan Tengfei sat on either side.

"Lord Long, the shadow guards are still inside the city?"

Xu Zhi asked anxiously.

Long Chen nodded slightly and said, "You should all know about the enmity between myself and Jing Tianlie. This time, I was ordered here to pacify the maritime rebels. Jing Tianlie dispatching shadow guards is nothing more than an attempt to kill me or gather evidence of my crimes."

"I promised all of you to conceal the true situation in Qianjiang Prefecture and guaranteed that your three families would permanently control this region. What I, this official, have promised, I will fulfill."

"However, right now, shadow guards are lurking in the city. Yesterday they used poison and accidentally killed Third Brother Wang while injuring Brother Xu. Who knows what might happen tomorrow?"

"I came here to discuss this with you all. I have already figured out their hiding place in the city, but being an outsider, it is inconvenient for me to make a move."

"If the three of you are willing to help wipe out the shadow guards, you can have your revenge, I can have peace of mind, and our cooperative endeavor can continue."

"What do you think?"

Wang Li said angrily, "Tell me where the shadow guards are!"

Long Chen remained silent, waiting for Xu Zhi and Yuan Tengfei to state their positions.

Xu Zhi raised his gloomy eyes and asked in a raspy voice, "Lord Long, how did you manage to track down the hiding place of the shadow guards?"