Chapter 43: Shadows of Machination, Truth Floating and Sinking

However, despite days of meticulous planning aimed at drawing out the main force of the Japanese pirates, his efforts repeatedly yielded no results.

The unseen enemy seemed capable of anticipating his every move, vanishing at the most critical junctures. This led Li Chengyin to suspect that a hidden faction was colluding with the pirates behind the scenes, continually obstructing his operations at every turn.

That day, as Li Chengyin was deep in thought within the magistrate's office, the figure of Lin Wei flashed hurriedly past the courtyard.

Li Chengyin raised his eyes to see Lin Wei looking flustered and behaving most peculiarly, entirely devoid of his usual composed demeanor.

Without a second thought, Li Chengyin quietly followed him.

With hurried steps, Lin Wei left the magistrate's office and headed straight for the city gates. Li Chengyin trailed closely behind at a discreet distance, his gaze piercing and sharp.

Upon reaching the city gate, he found Wang Yongyao, the wealthiest man in Yu County, already waiting there.

Their eyes met, and immediately the two of them hurried out of the city together, stepping briskly as if attending to a matter of utmost urgency.

Doubts swirled in Li Chengyin’s mind, making him all the more certain that something was amiss. He quickened his pace, keeping a close watch on them.

The outskirts of the city were desolate and silent.

The figures of Lin Wei and Wang Yongyao flickered in and out of view along the narrow path, finally coming to a halt in a secluded corner.

Li Chengyin concealed himself behind a cluster of bushes and peered out. The two men were acting furtively during their meeting, speaking in low tones while casting vigilant glances around them.

Li Chengyin clenched his fists in secret. He knew full well that this tracking session was about to uncover a long-hidden, astonishing secret.

Ever since that day, Li Chengyin had instructed Pei Zhao to keep a close eye on Wang Yongyao’s every move. Receiving the command, Pei Zhao did not dare to slacken in the slightest.

A few days later, he discovered that Wang Yongyao frequently visited a mountain on the outskirts of the city.

Though not precipitous, the mountain was densely wooded and rarely frequented by people, serving as a natural sanctuary for concealment.

Pei Zhao followed cautiously, evading Wang Yongyao’s informants, and gradually approached a courtyard nestled on the mountain.

Through the dappled shadows of the trees, Pei Zhao caught a clear view of the scene inside the courtyard.

Several burly men armed with long sabers were patrolling back and forth within the compound.

Inside the house, Wang Yongyao’s wife and children were seated safely.

Aside from them, a group of ragged, fierce-looking bandits were huddled in a corner.

A shock ran through Pei Zhao’s heart; everything was now crystal clear.

Wang Yongyao was in league with the mountain bandits, and Lin Wei, serving as the county magistrate, must have been implicated as well. No wonder previous attempts to flush out the Japanese pirates had repeatedly failed—it turned out that such internal traitors were at work.

Pei Zhao quickly returned and reported everything he had seen and heard to Li Chengyin.

A stern look settled on Li Chengyin’s face, a flash of resolute determination crossing his eyes.

Without delay, he assembled a team of elite soldiers and, under the cover of night, quietly marched toward the mountain on the city outskirts.

Though the mountain paths were rugged, they failed to impede the advance of the company.

When they reached the courtyard, the surrounding area was already sealed off completely.

At Li Chengyin’s command, the soldiers rushed into the courtyard like fierce tigers.

The bandits and guards inside were instantly thrown into a panic, hurriedly drawing their swords to resist.

For a time, battle cries shook the heavens, and the gleam of blades and swords flashed incessantly.

Li Chengyin fought in the vanguard, long sword in hand; wherever his blade pointed, blood spattered upon the ground.

Pei Zhao also led his men in fiercely combating the enemy, and before long, the majority of the adversaries within the courtyard were subdued.

Wang Yongyao and Lin Wei had been inside the house conspiring over their next plot, but upon hearing the sudden uproar of battle outside, they knew the situation had turned disastrous.

Attempting to escape through the back door, they were blocked squarely by Li Chengyin, who had anticipated the move.

The soldiers captured the two men and brought them before Li Chengyin.

Gazing at them coldly, Li Chengyin spoke in a low voice laden with authority:

"Well, gentlemen, what else have you to say now that matters have come to this?"

Feigning composure, Wang Yongyao stiffened his neck and retorted:

"Lord Li, what is the meaning of this? I am an upright citizen of Yu County; why are you arresting me without cause?"

Lin Wei chimed in from the side, though his eyes failed to conceal his panic.

Li Chengyin let out a cold laugh:

"An upright citizen? You collude with mountain bandits and ravage the coast, yet you still dare call yourself an upright citizen?"

Wang Yongyao still flatly denied the charge:

"My Lord, do not cast false accusations. Where is your evidence?"

Slightly raising his chin, Li Chengyin replied:

"I have already wiped out your stronghold, and all those bandits have been captured. Do you still wish to quibble? You have no way out now; you might as well confess honestly."

Hearing these words as if struck by a thunderbolt, Wang Yongyao turned deathly pale in an instant.

His legs grew weak, and he collapsed to the ground as tears burst from his eyes:

"My Lord, I... I know I was wrong. Please deal with me leniently."

Seeing that Wang Yongyao had confessed and realizing that the general trend was lost, Lin Wei could only hang his head in dejection, uttering no further words.

Inside the prison, a gloomy and damp atmosphere permeated every inch of space.

With a stern expression, Li Chengyin sat upright in the interrogation chair, his piercing gaze fixed intently upon Wang Yongyao.

By this time, Wang Yongyao possessed none of the glory of a wealthy magnate; his hair was disheveled, his face haggard, and his eyes revealed endless terror and despair.

Breaking the silence, Li Chengyin spoke in a low yet authoritative tone:

"Wang Yongyao, matters having reached this point, do not put up any further futile resistance. Confess everything you and your accomplices have done truthfully, and you may yet receive a lenient sentence."

Shivering all over, Wang Yongyao slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Finally, taking a deep breath, he recounted the long-hidden sequence of events.

Wang Yongyao was originally a titan of wealth in Yu County, with businesses spread far and wide and riches rivaling a nation.

Lin Wei, too, had once been an upright, honest official deeply beloved by the people.

He held the common folk dear to his heart; during his tenure, he actively sought the welfare of the populace by lowering taxes and promoting water conservancy. Under his administration, Yu County enjoyed peace and prosperity, earning him high praise from the citizenry.

However, a sudden turn of fate struck. A powerful and influential senior official in the imperial court, driven by selfish desires, cast a greedy gaze upon Yu County.

This official secretly pressured Lin Wei using cruel and despicable methods, even threatening the lives of Lin Wei’s wife and children.

"If you obey me, I guarantee your family a life of wealth and glory to spend your later years in peace; but if you dare defy me, you know the consequences."

The senior official’s words echoed in Lin Wei’s ears like a demon’s whisper, plunging him into boundless fear and inner turmoil.

Lin Wei knew that once he compromised, he would betray his conscience and fall into eternal damnation.

Yet, faced with the life-and-death crisis of his wife and children, his inner defenses gradually crumbled.

After making an agonizing choice, he had no alternative but to submit to the senior official's tyrannical might and begin acting according to his instructions.

The measure that drew the most public condemnation was the heavy increase in taxes. This move plunged the common people of Yu County into profound misery, with grievances filling the air.

As the wealthiest man in Yu County with vast holdings, Wang Yongyao naturally had to pay an astonishing amount of tax.

This exorbitant taxation rapidly shrank his fortune, while his dissatisfaction and anger grew day by day.

Eventually, he approached Lin Wei to question the tax situation. With no other choice, Lin Wei poured out his hidden grievances.

Learning the truth, Wang Yongyao, in order to protect his family fortune, conspired with Lin Wei on an astounding plan—he willingly became the covert "bandit leader."

Initially, their scheme was merely intended to tamper slightly with the taxes to cope with the greedy demands of the senior official.

Yet as time passed, they discovered that the senior official’s appetite was growing ever larger, resembling an endlessly bottomless pit that continuously swallowed the wealth of Yu County and the vitality of its people.

Wang Yongyao and Lin Wei realized that if this continued, their misdeeds would inevitably come to light sooner or later, plunging all of Yu County into inescapable ruin.

It happened that at this very time, a severe drought raged and bandits ran rampant. The two of them actually attempted to exploit this chaotic situation to repeatedly intercept the imperial court’s disaster relief grain.

They figured that as long as they acted cleverly, they could temporarily mask their crimes in these troubled times while simultaneously easing the senior official’s oppression against them.

Yet they never imagined that the development of events would far exceed their expectations.

Upon learning that the relief grain had been plundered, the imperial court was thrown into great fury, not only halting the distribution of relief supplies but also dispatching Li Chengyin to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Quietly listening to Wang Yongyao’s confession, Li Chengyin’s expression grew increasingly gloomy. As soon as Wang Yongyao finished speaking, he slammed his hand down on the table and sternly rebuked:

"Did you ever give a thought to the people of Yu County, who are already suffering from drought and living in the direst straits? As a prominent merchant and local officials, you ought to have been their reliance and their hope. Yet, for your own selfish desires, you colluded with treacherous ministers in the court, increased taxes, and plundered disaster relief grain, disregarding the life and death of millions of common folk. Dressed in silks and satins while enjoying wealth and luxury, you were utterly selfish and utterly foolish in ignoring the people!"

Suppressing the fury burning in his heart, Li Chengyin glared at Wang Yongyao and Lin Wei, demanding:

"Who on earth is this court minister you speak of? Speak the truth at once!"

This time, however, the two men fell silent. Lin Wei’s face was etched with pain and struggle as he dropped to his knees with a thud and pleaded bitterly:

"Your Highness, please do not force us. If we reveal his name, we shall truly be damned for eternity. Our families would all meet a tragic end because of these words."

Just as Li Chengyin was about to question them further, he saw Wang Yongyao’s gaze suddenly harden. Like a madman, Wang Yongyao dashed toward the wall, and with a muffled thump, he slammed his body heavily against the wall and slowly slumped down, blood spreading out beneath him.

A shock gripped Li Chengyin’s heart. He knew that Wang Yongyao had chosen this most resolute method to protect his family.

Gazing upon Wang Yongyao’s corpse, Li Chengyin understood that today it would likely be impossible to extract the identity of that court official from them.

Sighing helplessly, he ordered his men to take Lin Wei back to the prison and hold him pending his transfer to the capital for further interrogation and sentencing.

He was acutely aware that the power struggle behind this was far more complex than he had imagined, and through this heavy fog, he had to uncover the truth and deliver justice to the people of Yu County.