Chapter 343: Every Plan Considered

Wang Darong and Fan Tong—one a eunuch in charge of the Maritime Trade Bureau and the other its supervisor—seemed to get along on the surface, but in reality, they were like fire and water. Thus, when Zhang Yue said he intended to keep the dying Fan family daughter at his home, Wang Darong was utterly puzzled and even more displeased. Yet, seeing Fan Tong sigh after a brief argument, he grew curious and gradually realized how strange this whole situation was.

Seven assassins died in total, with casualties among the guards as well. But the one who was truly close to death was just that Fan family girl. After all, Fan Tong was a scholar—how could he allow his daughter to disguise herself as a man and accompany Zhang Yue around? Aren’t scholars supposed to value propriety the most? In any case, the greatest loser was Zhang Yue. According to a message sent by Huang Yan, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Secretariat, that imperial sword was genuine—emperor had carried it throughout the Jingnan Campaign and his two northern expeditions.

If such a cherished item were broken… the consequences were unimaginable! Of course, no matter how nicely Zhang Yue spoke now, since he had encountered them on the road today, it was hard to say whether they were targeting Zhang Yue or him outright. In any case, the third unlucky one would be himself!

So, when accompanying Fan Tong to see Fan Xiyan, Wang Darong became even more cautious. Seeing Fan Tong even reach out to check her breath and his strange expression as he examined her face, Wang Darong grew even more suspicious. Not only Wang Darong—Lu Feng, who had also spent twenty years in the palace, felt something was off as well. His gaze kept shifting to Zhang Yue, who remained expressionless. After Zhang Yue sent the dazed Fan Tong away, these two men, though physically impaired but still cunning, exchanged a glance before leaving the inner room and sitting down in the armchairs.

Since Zhang Yue wasn’t the host, he planned to see them off only to the second gate. But before he could turn and leave, he heard a deep voice behind him.

“Sir, I entrust this girl to you! My family is all back in my hometown; only she is with me. It’s very likely she took the blame for me this time. If possible, could you lend me the two guards outside? I’ve already prepared those things, but I dare not take them out easily…”

Inside the second gate, there were two maids cleaning the courtyard, while outside, two servants were waiting. Hearing such words from this famously incompetent man, the two maids quietly retreated far back, and the two servants kept their heads bowed. Zhang Yue seemed unaware of them and agreed without hesitation. Only after watching Fan Tong and the two servants walk away did he turn around and head back the way he came. Upon entering, he simply nodded slightly at the two eunuchs sitting in the grand armchairs before going straight into the inner room.

Lingxi Amber and Qiuhen were both there at the time. As soon as they saw Zhang Yue enter, Qiuhen jumped up from the cushion, rushed forward, grabbed Zhang Yue’s sleeve, and quietly repeated Fan Xiyan’s words before anxiously asking, “Miss Fan vomited blood right after taking that medicine and has been unconscious ever since. Is it really impossible to save her?”

“Even the doctors are at a loss. Whether she can survive depends on her own strength.”

Zhang Yue felt he had done his best for Fan Xiyan’s injuries. After checking on her bedside, seeing that she remained unconscious, he sighed deeply before leaving the room. In front of Wang Darong and Lu Feng, he called Hu Qi over and calmly explained the situation. Turning back, he noticed the different expressions on the two men’s faces—Lu Feng looked enlightened with a hint of schadenfreude, while Wang Darong appeared annoyed and frustrated. Since only the three of them were in the room, Zhang Yue didn’t beat around the bush. He sat down in the first chair on the left and said straight away, “Today’s incident is strange. I’ve just arrived, so logically, not many people should know about me, let alone have assassins sent after me for no reason. Eunuch Wang must have realized my arrival only when he saw me, and Eunuch Lu obviously also found out today. Moreover, the first victim was Miss Fan from the Fan family. If not for that shocking arrow, everyone would probably think those assassins had a grudge against the Fan family.”

Wang Darong’s face turned ashen. He was wondering whether the box hidden under the big locust tree contained evidence harmful to him. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he immediately shifted his focus. Glancing up at Zhang Yue, he snorted heavily, “If that guy really intended to kill someone, Lord Zhang might indeed lose his life. But just because of that, you can’t assume it was our family’s doing. That fool does dislike our family, but we have no reason to target his daughter, let alone your Imperial Sword. You should know that if the Imperial Sword is broken and we were there at the time, we’d suffer as well!”

Originally, he had chosen to stay out of it, but now Lu Feng gradually saw the implications. The assassin seemed to be a Japanese pirate, but if so, the opposition to lifting the sea ban would only grow louder. His mission would be a failure, and he would return in disgrace, possibly losing his new position as well. If it wasn’t a Japanese pirate, then it needed thorough investigation—there might even be other benefits.

With these thoughts, he immediately changed from a relaxed sitting posture to a seated one, smiling as he asked Zhang Yue, “Seeing how confident Lord Zhang seems, it seems you already have a plan. I don’t agree with Eunuch Wang’s words. What if you’ve listened to Eunuch Huang from the Imperial Secretariat and are trying to frame Lord Zhang on purpose?”

“You… Eunuch Lu, don’t slander me! Don’t forget I have…”

Wang Darong suddenly stood up, and Lu Feng, without hesitation, also stood up by slapping the rosewood desk, saying with a fake smile, “What’s the use of that document even if you have it? I’m here on an undercover mission. That document is evidence of the Yan family’s crimes. As long as I hand it over to the emperor, I’ll not only be blameless but also credited!”

“Stop arguing!”

Seeing the two of them glaring at each other angrily, Zhang Yue immediately spoke up. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the green floral curtain beside the door lift, and Qiu Hen poked her head out, “Young master, Miss Fan has woken up and wants to see you and Eunuchs Wang and Lu!”

“Since she’s awake, Eunuch Wang, please lead the way. Let’s go in together and hear what Miss Fan has to say.”

Before Zhang Yue could act, Lu Feng said something with a half-smile, then promptly bent down and entered the house first. At that moment, Wang Darong’s mind raced through countless possibilities—killing to silence, refusing to admit guilt, destroying evidence. Finally, he remembered that Lu Feng had originally planned to drive him out of the Maritime Administration. Having one more or less leverage made little difference. Even if he tried to make an excuse and escape now, he would at most flee abroad in panic, only to die even more miserably if the emperor became enraged. Thinking that Zhang Yue seemed to have plenty of confidence in his voice earlier, he resolved to follow in anyway.

Zhang Yue was the last to enter the room. He saw Fan Xiyan already half-sitting up, covered with a thick blanket, her face turning pale and blue alternately. He immediately realized she was only holding on by force.

“The assassins were probably sent by my father,” Fan Xiyan said, ignoring the expressions of those in the room. With a hoarse voice, she continued unabatedly, “They’re not Wa people; they’re people from the Central Plains. Things like those hand-thrown swords came from Japan through the Wa pirates… It’s true that the Yan family has the support of Marquis Fuyang, but between them and the marquis is my father, who obeys Princess Yongping in everything… It was my father who passed on the message to the Wa pirates. He has connections with Wa pirates and raiders on the coastal islands. So when he heard the emperor suddenly sent ships and troops to sweep the coast, he panicked…”

After speaking so much in one go, Fan Xiyan felt a tightness in her chest, and the unbearable dizziness struck again. Gritting her tongue hard, she struggled to say one more sentence.

“If the coastal islands and even Dongfan aren’t cleaned up thoroughly, the sea ban will be lifted, and disasters will follow!”

That evening, two guards brought back a large box from the Fan family. Soon after, Hu Qi and Tian Wen brought another wooden box from Qisheng Street. All of these were sent straight to the Maritime Administration. Even Wang Darong, who had been in charge of the Maritime Administration for years, was stunned by the sudden appearance of five hundred elite soldiers and twenty brightly dressed Jinyiwei guards. Although the evidence in the two boxes was vastly different and even contradictory, when Zhao Hu and the other two, who had disappeared since leaving Beijing, also delivered a whole box of items along with several witnesses, even Lu Feng was astonished.

“Lord Zhang, what is this…?”

“Evidence provided by others is naturally not as good as one’s own, but relying solely on what I’ve collected also requires some corroborating evidence,” Zhang Yue said meaningfully, looking at Lu Feng before continuing, “Eunuch Lu, the biggest obstacle to lifting the sea ban is undoubtedly the Japanese pirates. If we can eliminate those who collude with them as a warning to others, there should be no one left who dares to inform them. Please take a look at this list, Eunuch Lu. If you approve, I’ll send troops to arrest them right away.”
Although he had his own plans, seeing Zhang Yue’s smiling expression, Lu Feng, who had initially intended to urge him to arrest Wang Darong as well, suddenly hesitated. In the end, he simply laughed and nodded, deciding to stay out of it—of course, he wouldn’t skimp on empty phrases like sharing weal and woe. By this point, he already had a clear idea in mind.
It could be said that Zhang Yue had planned everything meticulously. If it weren’t for some inexplicable person suddenly appearing and breaking the Emperor’s sword with an arrow, this mission would have been carried out flawlessly. Unfortunately, this move being exploited could mean losing everything.