Chapter 174
Chapter 174
Count Xuanwu was truly the pillar that supported the entire clan. Once he fell ill, every dog and cat came out to stir up trouble.
Of course, Lin Mo had come to the estate to humiliate Shen Lang, but he was also there to personally spy on the estate for his backer. He wanted to see if the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was truly in a desperate situation and to gauge just how much they could currently endure.
Now, let's turn our attention to Zhu Wenhua! He had become the Provost of Xuanwu City, in charge of punishments. That's right. It was the post previously held by Wang Lian. Zhu Wenhua, too, was a titan, which allowed him to take that position. Zhu Wenhua had brought not only the Castellan of Liuwuyan but also officials from the Prefect's office and the Governor's yamen. Moreover, among them was even an official sent from the capital.
"I am Wang Qike, an adjutant from the Court of Judicial Review. The path Young Master Shen Lang took when he traveled south recently overlaps with the area where Viscount Zhu Nanting died, so I have come to conduct a special investigation."
The Court of Judicial Review was the highest judicial body in the State of Yue, overseeing punishments. It was formerly called the Office of the Commandant of Justice but had since been renamed the Court of Judicial Review, a department that handled only major cases. To mobilize such an organization, just what kind of grand scheme was at play? The likes of Zhu Wenhua could not have moved the Court of Judicial Review, so there was certainly a powerful figure behind this. Who on earth could have ordered an adjutant from the Court to come and cause trouble for Shen Lang?
A royal consort? Or one of the princes? At the very least, it certainly wasn't the King of Yue. With Count Xuanwu bedridden, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was on the brink of ruin. At such a time, the King was constantly bestowing favors, trying to display his benevolence. Although he was secretly using all sorts of schemes to drive Count Xuanwu to his death, on the surface, he kept up appearances, such as sending royal physicians and feigning concern for the Count's illness. Adding fuel to the fire was a job for his subordinates; the King would never do such a thing himself.
Then could it be Governor Zhu Rong? No, it wouldn't be him either. He, too, needed to appear as if he were bestowing favors upon the Count of Xuanwu's Estate at this time. After all, the destruction of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was one of the major tasks he was spearheading.
He only focused on the bigger picture and wouldn't make a fuss over the death of Viscount Zhu Nanting. If it was neither the King nor Governor Zhu Rong, then no matter how fiercely anyone else attacked, it wouldn't be fatal. In the blink of an eye, everything became clear in Shen Lang's mind. He looked at Lin Mo of the Brocade Pavilion and said.
"Manager Lin, I had pushed that matter aside and completely forgotten about it."
Lin Mo sneered. When a man falls, he is bound to be trampled by the crowd. It was only natural, and this was just the beginning. Once the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was finished, there would be an endless stream of attacks from those steeped in vengeance and greed. Who knew how many people would rush to trample him then? The chance to crush Shen Lang was now.
Shen Lang said in a gentle voice.
"Manager Lin, is it true that I owe you a thousand gold coins?"
"With interest, it comes to thirteen hundred gold coins."
"My apologies, my apologies. I nearly forgot about that debt. Someone, go and bring thirteen hundred gold coins."
Jin Zhong said in surprise.
"Young Master, we don't have much money left in the estate."
"It is only right to repay one's debts. Bring it."
"Yes, sir."
A moment later, Jin Zhong came in carrying a box. Inside were thirteen hundred gold coins. Including the box, it weighed nearly a hundred catties.
"Manager Lin, please count it yourself."
Lin Mo took a silk handkerchief from his robes and used it to open the box. He covered his nose with the sleeve of his silk garment as he inspected the gold coins inside. This was a precaution, as he couldn't fathom what tricks the vicious Shen Lang might have played with the gold coins. Fortunately, he was accustomed to handling money and could estimate the amount with just a glance.
"Manager Lin, let's be clear. I don't owe you anything else, do I?"
"Your personal debt to me has been cleared, but the debt the Count of Xuanwu's Estate owes me has not."
Shen Lang asked in surprise.
"When did our Count of Xuanwu's Estate ever owe you a debt?"
"Did not the people of the Count of Xuanwu's fiefdom raise silkworms and sell the cocoons to my family and the Xu Guangyun family?"
"That is correct. We did. Seventy percent was sold to Xu Guangyun, and thirty percent to the Brocade Pavilion."
"As has always been the case, we provided the estate with silkworm eggs every year. This year, for the autumn harvest, our Brocade Pavilion provided a total of fifty thousand cards of silkworm eggs to the fiefdom of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. But when the autumn silkworms were harvested this year, the estate did not sell the cocoons to our Brocade Pavilion. Therefore, shouldn't you repay us the cost of those fifty thousand cards of silkworm eggs?"
Each card of silkworm eggs, which contained roughly thirty thousand eggs, was worth one silver coin, so fifty thousand cards came to twenty-five hundred gold coins.
"Twenty-five hundred gold coins plus four months of interest totals thirty-three hundred gold coins."
Shen Lang's jaw dropped for a moment.
‘We, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, tried to sell the cocoons to you, Lin Mo, but you colluded with Xu Guangyun and refused to buy them in order to precipitate a financial crisis for us. It wasn't that we wouldn't sell. And now, after pulling a stunt like that, you dare to demand payment for the silkworm eggs under the pretext that we didn't sell the cocoons to you? Are you here to probe the limits of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate for your master? Or did you come to see just how miserable we could become?’
Shen Lang said with a troubled expression.
"Our Count of Xuanwu's Estate recently suffered immense losses on Gold Mountain Island, and we have too many expenses. Our cash flow is tight at the moment. Could Manager Lin perhaps delay the payment for a few days?"
"How many days are you asking for?"
"Three days will be enough. Just give me three days."
"It is only natural to repay what you owe. I have no intention of granting any delay. I must have that money right now."
Even if his master had ordered him to probe the limits of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, Lin Mo would not normally have the courage to be so brazen. But now, he had someone to back him up: the chiliarch from the Blackwater Terrace. With him by his side, Lin Mo could act outrageously without any fear. In his eyes, Shen Lang was about to be dragged away to the Blackwater Terrace's headquarters for interrogation. It was well known that anyone who entered the prisons of the Blackwater Terrace, guilty or not, would emerge with their lifespan cut in half.
Shen Lang said to Lin Mo.
"How about this? If Manager Lin grants me a three-day delay, I will give you thirty-five hundred gold coins in three days. I will write you an IOU. How does that sound?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment, then replied.
"Out of respect for Count Xuanwu, I will allow it."
Shen Lang then wrote out an IOU.
"I shall take my leave now!"
Lin Mo of the Brocade Pavilion took the IOU and was about to leave the guest hall immediately. But as he reached the entrance, he couldn't resist adding one more thing.
"Shen Lang, what goes around comes around! Isn't your miserable state today the result of your past arrogance and refusal to stay within your bounds? Don't you regret your past actions now?"
After saying that, Lin Mo swaggered out. This time, the newly appointed Provost of Xuanwu City, Zhu Wenhua, spoke to Shen Lang.
"Shen Lang, now that you've settled the debt with him, it's our turn. Come with me to the Prefect's office. You can tell us in detail how you killed my father."
Just moments ago, when Lin Mo had belligerently demanded repayment, Shen Lang had repeatedly compromised, allowing the man to extort money from him. Such a weak display was almost laughable.
‘How arrogant you used to be! Now that the Count of Xuanwu's Estate faces annihilation, you've become a complete fool, Shen Lang. To think a mere merchant can trample all over you! Besides, the people I've brought this time are not those you can afford to defy. I've even brought an adjutant from the Court of Judicial Review!’
Ordinary people would piss themselves in fear just hearing the name of the Court of Judicial Review. It was said that those taken in by the Court might keep their lives, but they would emerge as near cripples. The officials who worked there were known to be disgustingly harsh; they wouldn't even blink if an ordinary person died. Shen Lang bowed low to them and said.
"My lords, I don't know why, but I'm sweating like rain. To avoid any discourtesy, I will go change my clothes and then return to speak with you."
Zhu Wenhua laughed loudly.
"The weather is so cool as we move from autumn to winter, yet Young Master Shen Lang is sweating from the heat. Are you scared, or is your conscience bothering you?"
"Don't tease me, please don't tease me."
Shen Lang bowed, retreated, and went to a back room to change. Beside him, Thirteen knelt motionlessly, awaiting his orders. Shen Lang gave the order.
"Go and kill Lin Mo."
"Yes!"
After replying, Thirteen was about to leave immediately to carry out the task.
"So careless. Do you even know how he should be killed?"
Thirteen knelt again, ready to listen.
"Please give your instructions, Master."
"The manager of the Brocade Pavilion is quite a character. Tian Heng is dead, Xu Guangyun is dead, even Zhu Nanting is dead, yet Lin Mo is still alive, popping up just to humiliate me. Impressive, truly impressive."
Thirteen knelt on the floor, not moving a muscle.
"Such an impressive person deserves an extraordinary death! He must die in the most miserable, most foul-smelling, and most bizarre way possible. However, his death must have no connection whatsoever to our Count of Xuanwu's Estate."
"Thirteen is slow-witted. Please give your instructions, Master."
"Does Lin Mo have any other family?"
"When Lin Zhuo died before, all the servants and concubines in his household fled. All that remain are one wife and two sons."
"Kill them all. And if that official from the Weaving Bureau is staying at Lin Zhuo's house, kill him too!"
Thirteen flinched in surprise. The official from the Weaving Bureau was only a minor functionary of the seventh rank, but he was still part of the Royal Weaving Bureau. Killing him as well would surely cause a massive backlash. Shen Lang closed his eyes and thought of a way to kill Lin Mo's entire family without arousing any suspicion. In less than a minute, he had devised a plan.
"Because Lin Mo fled before, the Lin family residence has long been dilapidated. Many things will be neglected, and with a shortage of servants, there's no one to clean the chamber pots in the rooms, so they must be filthy. You will sneak into the Lin residence and make the chamber pots even filthier, so that they become completely unusable."
Thirteen's face twitched once.
"Yes!"
"Then, put a bit of laxative in their food to give them diarrhea."
"Yes!"
"Since they can't use the filthy chamber pots in their rooms, they'll have no choice but to go to the outhouse. But the outhouse hasn't been cleaned in a long time either, so a great deal of urine and feces will have accumulated, creating a lot of marsh gas. You will take a small container of sulfuric acid and pour it into the outhouse pit. This will release a large amount of hydrogen gas. When the hydrogen and marsh gas have mixed together, and they go to the outhouse, you will ignite the gas inside, and the entire outhouse will explode.
Yes, that's how to die in a distinctive way! While you're at it, saw through the floorboards halfway so that as soon as they step on them, they fall straight in with a splash. Drowning in a cesspool of piss and shit, then being blown to bits by an explosion... no one will be able to recognize what's left of them."
Shen Lang explained every step to Thirteen in detail and ordered him to carry out the plan accordingly.