roccoschili Chapter 128 Evidence Collection
Chapter 128 Evidence Collection
Chapter 128 Evidence Collection
afternoon.
In Dengzhou City, in the East District, there is a teahouse.
The teahouse, named "Tingtao Pavilion," is the largest teahouse in Dengzhou City. It is three stories high, built facing the street, and its business is booming.
In a private room on the second floor, Lu Yan sat by the window, holding a cup of tea and looking at the street scene outside.
Across from me sat a man in his thirties, dressed in a blue robe, with a thin face and shrewd eyes.
This person was none other than Fan Fu.
Back in Chongzhou, Lu Yan persuaded Fan Fu, the illegitimate son of the Fan family, to defect, and used the evidence he provided to bring down Fan Renfu. Afterwards, Lu Yan had Fan Fu continue to infiltrate the gentry circles of Yanzhou as a covert agent.
During his trip to Dengzhou, Lu Yan secretly transferred Fan Fu over.
"Master, I have been in Dengzhou for five days now," Fan Fu said. "As instructed by you, I have been traveling around the Dengzhou business district as a 'merchant from out of town'."
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"What did you learn?"
"Quite a harvest." Fan Fu took out a small notebook from his pocket, opened it, and said, "I've learned that the Li family's business is mainly divided into three parts."
"The first business is maritime trade. The Li family owns more than 30 ships of various sizes, which travel between Japan and Korea every year to transport silk, porcelain, and tea, and exchange them for silver, copper, and sulfur. This is the Li family's main business, with an annual profit of at least 100,000 taels of silver."
"The second business is the salt industry. The Li family has several illegal salt production sites outside Dengzhou City, producing tens of thousands of catties of salt every year. The profit from illegal salt is much higher than that from official salt, amounting to twenty to thirty thousand taels annually."
"The third business was lending. The Li family owned three pawnshops and two money shops in Dengzhou, specializing in usury. Half of the merchants in Dengzhou owed money to the Li family."
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Lu Yan nodded.
"I know all of that. Is there anything else?"
'
"Yes." Fan Fu lowered his voice, "My subordinates also found out that the Li family has a clandestine business—smuggling."
"Smuggling what?"
"Saltpeter, sulfur, ironware," Fan Fu said. "These are all military supplies, and the imperial court has explicitly prohibited their private sale."
But the Li family not only bought and sold these goods, they also shipped them overseas.
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"Where to send it?"
"I'm not sure," Fan Fu said, "but I've heard that the Li family's ships often head north. North—"
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He paused, then didn't continue.
Lu Yan understood.
To the north lies Liaodong.
North of Liaodong lies the Later Jin dynasty.
Where did you get this information from?
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"From the Li family's competitors," Fan Fu said. "The Li family isn't the only maritime merchant in Dengzhou. There are several smaller trading companies also involved in maritime trade. However, they are too small to compete with the Li family and can only get a small share."
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"These small businesses hate the Li family to the core. After a little inquiry, they revealed all of the Li family's secrets."
0
Lu Yan's lips curled up slightly.
"It seems the Li family has made quite a few enemies."
"It's more than just making enemies," Fan Fu said. "I've heard that in recent years, several businesses have been driven out of business by the Li family. Some had their businesses robbed, some had their goods stolen, and some had even been murdered. Merchants in Dengzhou both hate and fear the Li family."
"The goods were hijacked?" A glint flashed in Lu Yan's eyes. "Who hijacked them?"
'
"Pirates," Fan Fu said. "In the waters off Dengzhou, there is a gang of pirates who specialize in plundering passing merchant ships. This gang of pirates is elusive, appearing and disappearing without a trace. The government has tried to wipe them out several times, but they haven't been able to completely eradicate them."
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"But strangely enough, the Li family's ships have never been hijacked."
Lu Yan sneered.
"Because those pirates were from the Li family."
Fan Fu was taken aback.
How did the employer know?
'
"I'm guessing," Lu Yan said. "The simplest way for the Li family to monopolize Dengzhou's maritime trade is to eliminate all their competitors. But doing it openly would cause trouble. So they raised a gang of pirates who, under the guise of 'plundering,' would steal all of their competitors' goods and kill all their people."
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"In this way, the Li family eliminated their competitors without worrying about being investigated by the authorities. Because in the eyes of the authorities, it was the work of 'pirates,' and had nothing to do with the Li family."
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Fan Fu gasped upon hearing this.
"The Li family's methods are truly ruthless."
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"Ruthless?" Lu Yan shook his head. "This is called 'cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots.' When you do business to this extent, you're no longer a businessman, you're a bandit."
3
He put down his teacup and stood up.
"Fan Fu, I have something I need you to do."
"Please give your instructions, sir."
"I need you to find a way to get the Li family's smuggling ledgers."
Fan Fu's expression changed.
"Account books? This—"
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"It's not difficult," Fan Fu said, "it's extremely difficult. The Li family's account books are definitely hidden very well; they won't be easy to obtain."
"I know," Lu Yan said, "that's why I don't want you to take it by force; I want you to use another method."
"What method?"
"Bribe them," Lu Yan said. "Among the Li family's accountants, stewards, and employees, there are bound to be a few who are greedy. Go and find out who you can bribe, and name your price."
"Money is not a problem. As long as we can get the account books, it's worth spending whatever it takes."
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Fan Fu thought for a moment and nodded.
"Understood. I will take care of it immediately."
"Okay," Lu Yan said. "I want to see results within three days."
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"Yes."
Fan Fu got up to take his leave.
Lu Yan watched his departing figure, a smile appearing on his lips.
The ledger is the first step.
Next, there were the pirates' confessions and physical evidence of their treason.
Take it one step at a time, no rush.
three days later.
November 10th.
Outside Dengzhou city, by the sea.
Lu Yan rode his horse slowly along the coastline.
-
Zhao Changying and more than a dozen guards followed behind him.
This was Lu Yan's inspection tour outside the city under the pretext of "inspecting coastal defenses".
In fact, he wanted to see for himself what the maritime trade in Dengzhou was really like.
The sea breeze was blowing fiercely, making my robes flutter.
In the distance, the vast expanse of blue water meets the horizon. Several fishing boats float on the surface, and fishermen are casting their nets.
"Master, the outer port of Dengzhou is just ahead," Zhao Changying said, pointing into the distance.
Lu Yan looked in the direction he pointed.
The outer harbor was much larger than the city's inner docks, with dozens of boats of all sizes moored there. Some were fishing boats, some were merchant ships, and a few looked like warships.
"What kind of ships are those?" Lu Yan asked, pointing to the warships.
"It's a naval patrol boat," Zhao Changying said. "Nominally, it's patrolling the coast, but actually—"
'
He paused, then lowered his voice.
"Actually, it was to escort the Li family's merchant ships."
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Lu Yan sneered.
"The navy's ships escorted the merchants. The navy of Dengzhou was truly 'dutiful and faithful'."
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He spurred his horse forward and arrived at the dock in the outer harbor.
The dock was bustling with activity. Workers chanted as they unloaded goods from the ships and then carried another batch of goods onto them.
Lu Yan dismounted and walked around the dock.
He saw that the dock was piled high with all kinds of goods—silk, porcelain, tea, cloth, ironware—
"Are all these goods going to be shipped out to sea?" Lu Yan asked.
"Yes." A foreman at the dock came forward, bowing and scraping, and said, "Sir, these are all destined for Japan and Korea."
"How are the profits?"
"Profits?" The steward's face showed a hint of smugness. "My lord, you may not know this, but the profits from maritime trade are frighteningly high. A ship of silk is worth a thousand taels of silver in Dengzhou, but can be sold for ten thousand taels in Japan. A ship of porcelain is worth five hundred taels in Dengzhou, but can be sold for five thousand taels in Korea."
"Ten times the profit?"
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"Pretty much," the manager said. "Of course, that's under the best-case scenario. If we encounter storms or pirates, we'll lose everything."
Lu Yan nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
Ten times the profit.
No wonder the Li family was able to rule and dominate Dengzhou.
No wonder so many people take the risk and engage in smuggling.
This is a shipping route that flows with gold.
Whoever controls this air route controls the lifeline of Dengzhou.
"Sir, are you the newly arrived prefect?" the steward asked cautiously.
"Yes."
"I heard that you've come to oversee the construction of the warships?"
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"Yes."
"That's wonderful." The steward smiled ingratiatingly. "Sir, I have a favor to ask."
"explain.
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"I would like to ask you, sir, to build a few more large ships," the steward said. "Currently, most of the merchant ships in Dengzhou are Fujian-style ships and sand-style ships, which have limited cargo capacity. If we could build a few large ships, they could carry more cargo at once, and the profits would be much higher."
Lu Yan looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Are you from the Li family?"
'
The manager's expression changed.
"My lord—how did you know?"
'
"Just a guess," Lu Yan said. "Half of the docks in Dengzhou are owned by the Li family. If you're the manager here, who else could you be if not someone from the Li family?"
'
The manager smiled awkwardly and dared not say anything more.
Lu Yan ignored him and turned to mount his horse.
"Let's go back to the city."
The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and Lu Yan left the dock with his guards.
The manager stood there, watching their departing figures, his expression a mixture of emotions.
That evening.
The magistrate's office, the study in the backyard.
Lu Yan sat behind the desk, with an account book in front of him.
This is the ledger that Fan Fu just delivered—the ledger of the Li family's smuggling activities.
Fan Fu spent five hundred taels of silver to bribe one of the Li family's accountants and obtained a copy of the account book from him.
Lu Yan opened the account book and looked at it carefully.
The ledger records goods smuggled by the Li family—saltpeter, sulfur, ironware, and gunpowder.
Every single detail is recorded: when the goods were purchased, where they came from, who they were sold to, and how much they were sold for.
"Good stuff." A cold smile appeared on Lu Yan's lips.
With this ledger, the Li family's crime of smuggling was confirmed.
But this is not enough.
He also needs the pirates' confessions and physical evidence of their treason.
"Master."
Shen Qing pushed open the door and came in, a hint of excitement on her face.
"We have news."
"What news?"
'
"The spies I arranged have already infiltrated the Li family's 'pirate' fleet," Shen Qing said. "That spy is an old sailor who has been at sea for more than ten years, so it was easy for him to infiltrate."
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"What did he find out?"
"I've found out quite a bit," Shen Qing said. "That gang of 'pirates' is indeed kept by the Li family. Their leader is called 'Black Shark,' and he's Li Shouyi's confidant. They usually hide on a small island east of Dengzhou, waiting for the Li family's orders."
"The Li family tells them who to rob, and they rob whoever they want. The stolen goods are all transported back to Dengzhou and sold through the Li family's channels."
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Lu Yan nodded.
"Anything else?"
'
"There's one more thing," Shen Qing said in a low voice. "My spies say that the 'pirates' don't just plunder merchant ships."
They also had another mission—to escort the Li family's smuggling ships.
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"convoy?
'
"Yes," Shen Qing said. "The Li family smuggles contraband and is afraid of being discovered by government patrol boats. So every time their smuggling ships go out to sea, there are several 'pirate' ships following them to keep watch and provide escort."
"If they encounter government ships, the pirates will step in and lure them away. If they encounter other merchant ships, the pirates will rob them and kill them to cover their tracks."
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Upon hearing this, a chill flashed in Lu Yan's eyes.
"Good tactic."
"Master, I think we can start with this group of 'pirates,'" Shen Qing said. "As long as we capture a few prisoners and get them to confess, the Li family's crimes will be confirmed."
Lu Yan pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
No rush.
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"The employer?"
"It's too early to act now," Lu Yan said. "The Li family is deeply entrenched in Dengzhou; the government and the navy are all under their control. Even if we capture the 'pirates' and get their confessions, we might not be able to bring them down."
"What the employer means is—"
'
"Continue to gather evidence," Lu Yan said. "We have the account books, and we can wait for the confessions. The most important thing now is the physical evidence of treason."
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"As long as we obtain evidence of the Li family's treason, no matter how deeply entrenched they are in Dengzhou, we cannot protect them."
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"Treason and betrayal are heinous crimes punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. At that point, even powerful figures in the capital won't be able to save them."
Shen Qing nodded.
"Understood, sir. I will make the arrangements immediately and have the spies continue the investigation."
"Okay," Lu Yan said. "Tell him to be careful and not to alert the enemy."
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"Yes."
Shen Qing bowed and took his leave.
Lu Yan sat behind the desk, looking at the account books in front of him, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
Li family.
Smuggling, piracy, and collusion with the enemy.
Evidence is being collected little by little.
The day the evidence is complete will be the day the Li family is destroyed.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark night sky outside.
In the distance, the faint sound of waves crashing against the shore could be heard.
The night in Dengzhou is very quiet.
But beneath this calm, undercurrents are surging.
A storm is brewing.