Chapter 144: The Game (Part 3)

A few days later, Mu Jiazhi arrived as promised with the drafted criminal case proposals to see Le Wuya.

As he stepped into the study, Le Wuya was snacking on melon seeds while reviewing a thick volume nearly a foot tall. Seeing him arrive, Le Wuya's eyes curved into a smile: "Assistant Prefect Mu, you've come at just the right time. I had a quiet night and happened to finish reviewing all the criminal files you sent earlier. While the details are still fresh in my mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions—what do you think?"

Mu Jiazhi was pleased to see Le Wuya so diligent, though his expression remained stern and composed: "Go ahead, ask."

At first, Mu Jiazhi didn't take Le Wuya's questioning too seriously.

It wasn't that he underestimated Le Wuya's abilities—rather, he trusted his own skills.

When it came to matters of criminal law, he could answer any question off the top of his head and write with ease. He was completely confident in himself.

However, the more Mu Jiazhi was questioned, the more unsettled he grew.

Given how meticulously the prefect had examined things, he clearly hadn't just skimmed the proposals—he must have reviewed the original case files to know it all so effortlessly.

For unresolved criminal cases, a few words from Le Wuya were enough to clear things up.

Among the resolved cases, Le Wuya had even identified three that needed more details and one that needed a second look.

Even though Mu Jiazhi was usually sharp and meticulous, he was left speechless and couldn't defend himself at several critical junctures.

After the grilling, he was drenched in sweat, like he'd just been through a brutal review at the Ministry of Personnel in the capital.

Le Wuya, snacking on melon seeds, said casually: "In Yunliang County of Sanjiang Prefecture, there were spoiled rich kids and lowlife thugs who banded together, bullying folks around town, molesting women, shaking people down and running scams, even doing dirty work for people's grudges. They sure deserved to be locked up and punished by the law to clean up the town and calm folks down. The garrison troops in Yunliang should've helped with the cleanup. But since they fought back, over a dozen of these thugs got killed on the spot, blood everywhere—that's a pretty extreme way to handle things."

Mu Jiazhi replied: "Commander Wu took his men into their party spot to help make the arrests while these thugs were feasting together. They pulled guns, so to keep his men safe, he gave the order to open fire. Yeah, it was harsh, but I think there were good reasons. These guys had been a plague on the town for years—a nasty sore that wouldn't heal. With them gone, everyone in Yunliang was cheering."

Le Wuya shrugged it off: "Where are the firearms they held?"

"They were sent with the case files and are locked up in the evidence room."

Le Wuya: "Were they three-barrel guns, crutch guns, cannon-muskets, or fast-shooters?"

Mu Jiazhi: "..."

Le Wuya grinned at him: "You've never handled guns before, huh?"

Mu Jiazhi: "Honestly, I don't know guns—that's on me, and I'll go learn right away. But I sketched the guns and attached the drawings at the end of the file—checked them, no mistakes. If you've got thoughts, just say them straight."

Le Wuya waved a hand: "Don't butter me up. I don't have any grand ideas, but I've got a few plain ones."

He held up the drawing of the firearm: "This is a fast-shooting gun the northern armies used to use—they ditched it five years ago for the bird-beak musket. This thing can't hit anything—past twenty steps, aim at a guy's head and you'll hit his saddle. It's worse than a bow and arrow. Only the northern cavalry still like it, 'cause after you fire it, you can swing it like a club—great for cracking skulls up close."

"Those dozen or so punks were all born and raised in Yunliang..." Le Wuya looked at Mu Jiazhi, his eyes sharp and sly like a fox. "But that Commander Wu—his records say he's from the freezing borderlands... Can't be a coincidence that he used to be in the northern cavalry, right?"

Mu Jiazhi caught his meaning, his face changing as he shot to his feet: "Sir, you got proof for that?"

"No." Le Wuya shook his head. "That's where you come in, isn't it? When you dig into it, keep it quiet—start with the soldiers who went after those thugs that day. This case happened in January this year. If they got paid extra under the table, after hiding it this long, they'd be spending it by now, right?"

Mu Jiazhi felt a fire in his chest, quickly clasped his hands, and turned to leave.

"Hey." Le Wuya stopped him. "Assistant Prefect Mu, where are today's case files?"

Mu Jiazhi stared at the proposal sitting by Le Wuya's hand, confused: "Sir, I already gave you the proposal."

Le Wuya: "I want the case files."

Mu Jiazhi frowned: "Sir, there are way too many death cases across the whole prefecture. You..."

Le Wuya held up a hand to stop him.

"Assistant Prefect Mu, this is your first time working with me, so you don't know me yet—I'm Wenren Mingke. Let me be straight with you. I'm not scared of a heavy load—I like having plenty to do. Don't pretend to be considerate on my account. You're a capable guy—why be scared of a tough boss?"

Le Wuya tapped the cover of the proposal with his fingertip: "Go do your thing. Have your guys bring over the original files, and pull together last year's criminal cases for me to look at."

Mu Jiazhi took a deep breath, and when he let it out, it felt like a whole new world had opened up inside him: "Yes, sir. I'll get it done."

After Mu Jiazhi took his leave, Le Wuya opened the proposal he had brought.

The first case was Qian Shihui, who fell in the river drunk.

Le Wuya ran his finger slowly over the name "Qian Shihui."

The paper smelled of ink and gave off a warm, stuffy heat in the summer air.

And that fiery Prefect Qian was now buried in an icy grave far from home.

Tongzhou was a mountain full of dangers and hidden traps.

He had to spot every trap before he could climb high and see everything below.

Le Wuya zoned out for a second, then put the proposal down and picked up the military registry that Wei Yixian had sent.

One thing at a time. One bite at a time.

The military registry listed all the soldiers on the books—used for taxes and pay. It was packed with info—names, ages, family size, hometowns—all crammed together in tiny print that made your eyes swim.

Le Wuya's eyes zipped over it like lightning.

In no time, he spotted and circled a mistake in the tiny writing.

...If this old guy in the registry were still alive, he'd be over 160—a real record-breaker for old age.

He was busy circling all the sketchy military households when Qin Xingyue popped his head in, grinning ear to ear.

Le Wuya side-eyed him and chuckled: "Why you sneaking around like that?"

Then he casually circled another weird one—a guy who'd fathered fifteen kids in twelve years, easy catch.

Qin Xingyue said with a grin in his voice: "Sir, someone's here from the capital!"

Right behind Qin Xingyue, Jiang He's deadpan face popped into view.

In that goofy position, he said with total seriousness: "Lord Wenren, long time no see."

Le Wuya's eyes lit up. He hopped up and grabbed both guys by the arms, dragging them inside: "Sit, sit, sit!"

Jiang He saw Le Wuya looking upbeat, no sign of gloom, and nodded like an old pro: "Just like the Sixth Prince said."

"What's he been saying about me behind my back?"

Jiang He said straight up: "The Sixth Prince said, 'Tongzhou's a den of tigers and dragons, but when Master Wenren gets here, it's like a dragon taking to the sky, a phoenix coming home—tired but happy, rough but sweet.'"

Someone actually got him—Le Wuya's heart swelled with joy. His eyes dropped to Jiang He's chest, saw something bulging there, and reached over without a second thought: "What good stuff did he send me this time?"

Jiang He was left with his clothes in disarray from his rummaging, yet a warmth slowly rose in his chest.

...Lord Wenren had become much more lively and unrestrained than when he was in Nanting.

He truly loved seeing him like this.

Back then, when he and the young general had disguised themselves as merchants, he had tucked a few meat flatbreads into his robe and returned to the inn. The young general, reading military texts late into the night, his stomach growling with hunger, had caught the scent and pounced on him exactly like this, frisking him down.

Le Wuya pulled a thin blue cloth bundle from his robes and unwrapped it to find a book titled *Caressing Light*.

He traced his fingers over the cover and murmured to himself, "'Yaoguang is that which sustains all things.'"

Jiang He: "..." Huh, why's he saying the exact same thing as the Sixth Prince?

He'd never been able to memorize that line, so Jiang He just glossed over it: "This is a book written by the Sixth Prince, on astronomy, calendars, and the farming seasons. The Sixth Prince said that by observing the sky according to this, one can grasp the farming calendar and calculate the sun's path and the moon's movements—supposed to be way more accurate than the previous dynasty's almanacs..."

A smile curled at the corner of Le Wuya's lips.

Yeah, he knew it—that kid was always practical. Even when it came to practicing Daoism, he had to pick a sect that allowed marriage, always making sure he had a way out.

A guy like that, who loved stargazing—how could it just be about the stars and the moon?

Gazing at the title *Caressing Light*, a memory stirred in Le Wuya's mind.

...

A young Zhi Jie once asked him, "Teacher, which star in the sky do you like best?"

Le Wuya teased, "Oh? You gonna pluck one down for me?"

Zhi Jie thought for a moment, then answered, "Not yet. Not right now."

Le Wuya wanted to get him to talk more: "Is there a star that fixes a kid's stutter? If there is one, that'd be my favorite—I'd pray to it day and night."

Zhi Jie, blushing bright red from the teasing, turned away and tried to change the subject: "I heard that when you were in the army, you established the Tianlang Camp... 'Tianlang' is one of the lunar mansions... As the Jin dynasty almanac says, 'The Wolf is the wild general, in charge of invasion and plunder'..."

At that, Le Wuya's mind wandered.

Back when he'd named the Tianlang Camp, he'd wished, as the *Nine Songs* says, "In robes of blue clouds and white rainbow robes, I raise the long arrow to shoot the Celestial Wolf."

He never imagined he'd be that "wolf"—invading like fire, wreaking havoc in every direction.

Ever since he'd learned the truth about his origins, Le Wuya didn't want to even think about the word "Tianlang" anymore.

But in his veins still ran the Helian clan's restless fire—refusing to be ordinary, using bloodshed to end war.

In his head were the Le family's ideals—protecting the people, stabilizing the realm, governing and serving the world.

Even after taking such a heavy hit, how could he just forget?

Le Wuya looked up and just then spotted the Breaker of Armies star blazing in the sky. He murmured, "The wind howls, war cries ring; the Breaker of Armies star is bright. I vow to be a pillar for a thousand years, to prove this unchanging heart."

Zhi Jie stared at him, dazed, then smiled softly: "Teacher's ambition is truly lofty."

Le Wuya: "Flatter me all you want, you little brown-noser. What can you even see in that crappy poem?"

Zhi Jie said with a smile, "I see that Teacher... has the spirit of the Breaker of Armies star, daring to be the first in the world."

And the Breaker of Armies star—was also known as Yaoguang.

Le Wuya thought, you little shit, you've got me all figured out.

Jiang He, of course, had no idea what Le Wuya was grumbling about to himself, and continued, "The Sixth Prince hasn't presented this book to the Emperor yet. He said since you just got to Tongzhou and everything's in shambles, and farming is the foundation of everything, this book might be more useful to you, so he had me bring it to you to look over first."

Running his fingers over the cover of *Caressing Light*, Le Wuya's eyes sparkled as someone came to mind.

That guy, the second he saw this book, would treasure it like gold and immediately want to make Xiaoliu his best friend.

He rolled up his right sleeve: "Qin Xingyue, take Guard Jiang to get some tea, and on the way, drag Yuan Zijin out of bed to grind ink for me. I need to write a memorial to the Emperor."

Yuan Zijin had stayed up with him till the wee hours last night, and was still dead asleep when Qin Xingyue dug him out from under the blankets.

When he staggered into the study, only Le Wuya remained.

When he heard Le Wuya was planning to send a memorial up, Yuan Zijin didn't dare ask more questions. Squinting groggily, he ground the ink while yawning: "What are you writing a memorial to the Emperor for?"

"To ask for men and money," Le Wuya said. "His Majesty exiled me here without giving me funds or personnel. Is that right? No, it is not."

"Ask for what kind of men?"

Le Wuya smiled slightly: "A stubborn old codger."

Yuan Zijin gave an "oh."

Old Man Qi, of course.

He asked again, "And what pretext do you use to ask the court for money? You can't just hold out your hand and beg, can you?"

Le Wuya said with utter confidence, "My Tongzhou has fifteen thousand soldiers, starving and waiting urgently for their pay to be replenished before they can go clear out Japanese pirates, wipe out mountain bandits, and protect merchant caravans—how is that begging with an outstretched hand?"

Worried he might have misremembered or was still half-asleep, Yuan Zijin said in a daze, "Tongzhou has two garrisons and ten battalions—isn't the total twelve thousand soldiers?"

Le Wuya flicked his sleeve with perfect composure: "You misremembered. It's fifteen thousand."

Yuan Zijin: "...Huh?"

Yuan Zijin: "Oh."

After grinding a full inkstone of ink, Yuan Zijin finally realized what Le Wuya was up to.

"Wenren Mingke, you've lost your mind?!" Yuan Zijin nearly jumped out of his seat. "You—you're going to lead the way in padding the payroll with ghost soldiers?"

"Isn't Tongzhou already doing it?" Le Wuya asked back with an innocent look. "I'm just making sure everyone gets a fuller meal from it—what's wrong with that?"

Author's note:

Yuan Zijin: These days are getting more and more criminal.