Chapter Sixty: Unwittingly Falling Into a Trap
Wu Changlu had traversed the Northwest, campaigned against Tubo, visited Chang’an, and even made his way to Luoyang.
For this reason, whether among the Wu clan or the citizens of the Tang, he was considered one of the rare, insightful men.
Yet, to be honest, he had never encountered anyone quite like Wu Ning.
So young, cautious like an ordinary villager, yet at the same time possessing a brazen audacity that scorned all; pure as a child of the mountains but not lacking the shrewdness of a townsman; a gentle side, but beneath that kindness always seemed to lurk a latent violence.
Sometimes, this old soldier felt a certain dread, unwilling to ignite the ferocity hidden in Wu Ning’s heart.
At other times, he found himself anticipating...
Wu Ning’s origins were destined to be extraordinary; Wu Changlu waited for someone to spark the fire within him.
It would surely blaze across the land, unstoppable!
“Your uncle was right.”
“Hm?” Wu Ning was taken aback by the sudden remark.
“What did my uncle say?”
“He said you’re far too reckless!” Wu Changlu sneered.
“You delivered a carrot, stood on the street chatting with Qin Wenyuan for only a few moments, and somehow managed to offend the very person in Fangzhou you can’t afford to cross.”
He shook his head with a bitter smile. “I wouldn’t dare say I have that kind of skill.”
“It doesn’t matter whether I offend him or not,” Wu Ning replied with unexpected calm.
To put it simply, he had lived under the shadow of being an escaped household for five years, with no connection to Wang Hongyi in all that time.
But looking at it differently—what if he hadn’t been an escaped household?
Five years!
How much wealth could he have amassed in those five years?
If so, would Wang Hongyi’s attention have shifted, not to Qin Wenyuan, but to him?
Even leaving aside those five years, speaking only of now, Wu Ning already had a relatively complete plan for Xia Shan’ao and his own life, and had begun to act.
Once he accumulated enough, would Wang Hongyi not covet his fortune and grow greedy?
Simply put, as long as Wang Hongyi remained in Fangzhou, Wu Ning could not escape this hurdle—the only difference was whether it came sooner or later.
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll seek revenge against you?”
“I am.”
“But I’m even more afraid that, when he comes for revenge, I’ll have no one beside me to help.”
“Hm?” Wu Changlu frowned, not quite grasping Wu Ning’s meaning.
---
“A Qin Wenyuan who can barely protect himself is no real help,” Wu Ning said.
“Who said anything about Qin Wenyuan?” Wu Ning replied, head down, shoveling rice, his words squeezing through his teeth and almost startling Wu Changlu.
“I mean Sun Hongde, the Prefect of Fangzhou.”
“!!!”
“Sun Hongde!?” Wu Changlu lost his composure. “How could Sun the Prefect possibly be your ally?”
Wu Ning shrugged. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn’t it?”
“That can’t be. Sun the Prefect is as smooth as they come; how would he become Wang Hongyi’s enemy?”
Wu Ning chuckled. “He wasn’t before, but soon he will be!”
...
It was simply that Wu Ning had played a cunning trick, dragging Sun Hongde into the fray.
Of course, whether Sun Hongde and Wang Hongyi would turn against each other depended on whether Qin Wenyuan used Wu Ning’s scheme.
Unfortunately, the patriarch of the Qin family valued money above all—or rather, the stability money could bring his family.
So, after a night of consideration, the next day he truly wrote a divorce letter for Madame Zhang.
Without delay, Madame Zhang moved out of the Qin household the very next day, and on the third, took the mortgage note written by Qin Wenyuan and brought a lawsuit against her own husband.
Naturally, Sun the Prefect dared not neglect his duties, not with the imperial envoy in Fangzhou!
That very day, he held court and summoned Qin Wenyuan.
Confronted with the matter of mortgage and inability to repay, Qin Wenyuan confessed openly in court.
What reason did Sun the Prefect have to hesitate? The facts were clear, the case straightforward, and so he ruled on the spot:
Madame Zhang was to seize the goods and servants from all of Qin Wenyuan’s shops to settle the debt. Qin Wenyuan was forbidden from maliciously obstructing or delaying, else he would be further penalized for resistance.
To show diligence before the imperial envoy, Sun the Prefect even enthusiastically dispatched three teams of bailiffs to accompany Madame Zhang to the Qin shops and supervise the process.
As for how this couple, once harmonious, had turned on each other and begun battling over their assets? Sun the Prefect couldn’t care less about such domestic affairs!
Thus, less than five days after Wu Ning devised this plan, Qin Wenyuan had been reduced to a penniless pauper.
When the payment period arrived and Wang Hongyi sent someone with the mortgage note to collect the shops, there was nothing left but a few empty storefronts—not so much as a fart remained.
Wang Hongyi was infuriated, sending his nephew, Manager Wang, personally to storm the Qin household. Qin Wenyuan simply slapped the court’s final ruling down before him.
The Prefect himself had ruled—how could it be Qin Wenyuan’s fault? If there was blame, it was only for owing too much.
Manager Wang looked at the final ruling, nearly fainting with rage. Was this a joke for children!?
Even a three-year-old could see this was Qin Wenyuan’s ploy. Was Sun Hongde blind to have ruled in his favor?
But there was no recourse; the law of the king was the king’s law. No matter how laughable to a child, once it bore the official seal of the Prefecture, it was law.
A joke?
---
You had to swallow it anyway!
When Manager Wang reported back, Wang Hongyi was beside himself—how could a mere merchant toy with him so?
After much deliberation, there was only one way forward: official channels. He personally went to the Fangzhou Prefecture to confront Sun Hongde.
His point was clear: What kind of ruling was this? You’ve blocked my profits; we can’t be friends. Change the verdict and return the goods Madame Zhang took. You can even have a share.
Sun Hongde replied, “Brother, I really can’t.”
Are you joking? The imperial envoy is right here in Fangzhou—asking me to eat my own words is tantamount to ruining my future!
Besides, you aimed to swallow another’s assets and make a fortune in secret—did you consult me first?
Not a word, and now you blame me? That’s not loyal!
In the end, Sun Hongde said only, “The facts are clear, the case straightforward. This verdict will not be overturned!”
Wang Hongyi was furious. “Old dog, just wait!”
“Wait, then!” Sun Hongde wasn’t afraid. With the imperial envoy residing in Fangzhou, likely for half a year or more, he doubted Wang Hongyi could do anything to him.
And besides, you have connections above, but I’m no featherless chicken. If it comes to a fight, who’s afraid?
Thus, Wang Hongyi and Sun Hongde, these two local bigwigs who had never even heard of Wu Ning, found themselves unwittingly ensnared by the schemes of this nobody.
After driving Wang Hongyi away—who smashed cups and bowls in his rage—Sun Hongde calmed down and realized he couldn’t just leave things be, lest word spread that the Prefect was too easily bullied.
He quickly ordered the bailiffs to arrest Qin Wenyuan, intending to hold court soon and charge the merchant with fraud—mortgaging goods twice over.
...
...
The news left Wang Hongyi feeling as though ten thousand wild horses had trampled his chest!!!
Damn it...
Damn it!
He had locked up Qin Wenyuan...
Locked him up!
Now he couldn’t even find Qin Wenyuan if he wanted to!
...