MLMD -Chapter 177 Settling Old Scores

In the deep darkness of night, a low, pained howl, like that of a wounded beast, echoed through an old mansion.

“Father… I will make that despicable wretch die without so much as a grave!”

If Yue Yang were here, he would recognize the voice immediately—it belonged to the sixth-rank minor official who had caused trouble for him that very morning. Of course, Yue Yang still did not know this official’s name.

Yue Yang had never taken Fang Yingdi seriously, but that did not mean Fang Yingdi did not take Yue Yang seriously. Having suffered a tremendous insult that day, Fang Yingdi was so furious he felt his blood might burst from his veins. Returning home, he smashed almost everything in his room before finally storming into his father Fang Jiuming’s study, demanding that his father intervene.

Fang Jiuming was fifty years old, with dark, tanned skin that made him appear older than his years—a trait his son had clearly inherited.

Slowly placing the teacup on the table, Fang Jiuming’s short, thick eyebrows furrowed, and he said coldly, “Hmph… you reckless child. I have long warned you not to stick your neck out, and yet, when Prefect Jiang remained silent, you, a mere registrar, jumped in headfirst. And now? Has Jiang Xin spoken a word of justice on your behalf? No, right?”

“But… I simply cannot stand that Yue fellow being so arrogant. He’s no good either. You know, back when he was in Yingzhou Prefecture, he was already a local strongman. He controlled the salt trade in Shanxi single-handedly. Now even we must buy from him to sell our own goods. That would be bad enough, but he has the audacity to set our maximum selling price at just a hundred wen! This is outrageous! And now he has personally come to assume office in Hunyuan Prefecture. Father, tell me, how can we possibly survive under him?”

Hearing this, Fang Jiuming’s dark face twitched several times; his already deep complexion darkened further.

As the saying goes, there is no love or hate without reason. Fang Yingdi’s hatred for Yue Yang was born of the simplest of causes.

After a moment, Fang Jiuming’s expression hardened as he said, “Enough. Are you done talking?”

Feeling his father’s concealed dissatisfaction, Fang Yingdi quickly bowed, “Father, it is your son who has been rude.”

Fang Jiuming glared at his son with disapproval. “Do you think you’re the only one dissatisfied with Yue Yang? Listen, throughout Hunyuan City, there are plenty of people unhappy with that martial man. But why has no one dared to openly accuse him? Because he is now a commander-in-chief favored by the Emperor. He has authority, troops, and wealth. To challenge him… what can you possibly use to oppose him?”

Hearing his father’s rebuke, Fang Yingdi protested, “Even if he has wealth, he’s just a martial man! I am a fourth-rank registrar; why shouldn’t I rebuke him?”

“Rebuke him?” Fang Jiuming sneered. “Today you tried to rebuke him. And? Did it work? On the surface, he is a third-rank imperial official. His lowly military status is only an unspoken rule, not something to bring into the open. And yet, you straight-faced tried to rebuke an official far above you. Don’t talk about him— even a clay figurine would be furious. Who else would he yell at if not you? You’ve made the whole city of officials and commoners laugh at us and shamed the Fang family!”

Finally, Fang Jiuming added, “Remember this: when dealing with someone, never confront them openly. Stab at them in the shadows—that is the wisest course. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Father. I will follow your instructions carefully.” Fang Yingdi respectfully bowed his head. Fang Jiuming let out a slight sigh, frustrated with his son. “You never think things through. You didn’t realize that to deal with Yue Yang, you don’t even need to act yourself. There are already plenty in Hunyuan City willing to oppose him. Why not use them, while you sit back and enjoy the results?”

“Father… you mean…” Fang Yingdi’s eyes flickered with confusion.

“You!” Fang Jiuming pointed at him, exasperated. “Think carefully. Who would be most concerned now that Yue Yang has come to Hunyuan Prefecture?”

“You mean Lu Youyuan?” Fang Yingdi’s eyes lit up.

“Of course!” Fang Jiuming sneered. “Lu Youyuan was the previous commander in Hunyuan Prefecture, in charge of three thousand soldiers. Though half of them were ghosts on the payroll, they were still under his command. He lived comfortably, sucking off the system. But now the court has sent him a new superior. Do you think he’ll be happy? I assure you, if you just stir him a little, he will make a fuss. And then… heh heh… you know what to do next, right?”

At this, Fang Yingdi’s blood boiled with excitement. “Father, I understand! Once Lu Youyuan agitates the garrison, Yue Yang will be implicated as the commander-in-chief no matter how he explains himself. Even if he is favored by Governor Lu and the Provincial Governor, the court will see him as failing to control his subordinates. Then we can exploit the situation!”

“Finally, you’re not completely useless,” Fang Jiuming praised. He then lowered his voice. “Listen carefully. Tomorrow, go find Lu Youyuan and tell him exactly what to do…”

Unaware of these schemes, Yue Yang was still busy with a mountain of tasks. First was arranging accommodations for the three thousand soldiers he had brought. When he followed Lu Youyuan to the training grounds in the west of the city and saw the overgrown field and dozens of rickety wooden structures around it, he could hardly believe his eyes.

“Commander Lu, this… this is the accommodation you’ve arranged for our army?”

Seeing Yue Yang nearly enraged, Lu Youyuan panicked briefly, then covered his anxiety with a reply, “My lord, there’s nothing I can do. This is all the condition we have. I didn’t expect you’d bring so many troops…”

“Fine… fine!” Yue Yang’s expression darkened further. Before he could speak, Hu Laosan behind him could no longer restrain himself. He strode forward, grabbed Lu Youyuan by the collar, and raised his massive fist.

Terrified, Lu Youyuan screamed, “Stop! What are you doing? Beating a fellow officer? If you hit me, I’ll immediately file a report against you!”

“Stop!”

Yue Yang’s cold voice halted Hu Laosan. Glaring at him for a long moment, Yue Yang finally nodded and sneered, “You, Lu Youyuan… I’ve underestimated you.”

“My lord, there’s nothing I can do. You see, we’re all abandoned and neglected. We’re so poor we can’t even eat properly, let alone repair the buildings. Even if you kill me, I cannot produce houses out of thin air.”

“Hmph…”

Yue Yang walked two circles, then stopped. “Commander Lu, how many troops do you really have under you? I want the exact number!”

Hearing this, Lu Youyuan broke out in a cold sweat. Bowing his head, he stammered, “My lord… I… I really have…”

Yue Yang shouted impatiently, “How many! Speak!”

Lu Youyuan shivered. Being a soldier, he knew he couldn’t hide this from his new superior. Resolutely, he stammered out, “My lord, I have just over a thousand troops under me…”

“What!”

Not only Yue Yang, but Hu Laosan, Feng Xiaoming, and Wu Chengfeng were all shocked. Before coming, they had researched that Hunyuan Prefecture’s garrison should have three thousand soldiers. While ghost-pay had become routine, especially among garrison households, Yue Yang hadn’t expected Lu Youyuan to have embezzled sixty percent of the military pay. This was beyond audacity; “insane” might be the only apt word.

“Fine… fine… you’ve got guts, that’s for sure…” Yue Yang’s finger almost jabbed Lu Youyuan’s forehead as he shouted, “Do you know that for this crime alone, I could execute you immediately and report it afterward?”

“Thud!”

Frightened, Lu Youyuan knelt, clutching Yue Yang’s leg, crying, “My lord, spare me! I was blinded by greed and acted foolishly. It wasn’t entirely my choice. The court allocates less than sixty percent of the funds. If I recruited the full number of soldiers, how could I feed them? I had no choice. You, as a commander, should understand my difficulty!”

“Heh…” Yue Yang was almost laughing in anger. “So according to you, not only should I not punish you, I should even commend you to the court?”

“I dare not, my lord, but truly, I have always served the public good, never for personal gain!” Lu Youyuan’s tears and snot streamed down his face.

“Hmph… I’ll spare your worthless life for now. Remember: the day after tomorrow, you hand over the roster to me. I will count every soldier, and review the records of all military rations allocated over the years. For now, get people to help me set up tents, understood?”

“Yes, my lord! Right away!”

Hearing Yue Yang’s command, Lu Youyuan immediately bolted off…