Chapter 100: Infiltrating the City

Liu Wenguang had been living quite comfortably lately. Not only had he successfully severed ties with Zhao Yu, but he had also used a hefty sum to placate Wang Fu. Despite his notorious reputation, he was still favored by the imperial court.

The only thing that bothered Liu Wenguang was that Taiyuan was a remote border town—too poor, with little wealth among the common folk. Especially when he thought about the gifts he had sent to Wang Fu, a sharp pang of regret struck him.

A few days ago, upon hearing that the Liao army was advancing, Liu Wenguang had already prepared to flee. In his view, warfare was the general’s business; only fools would stay behind, living in constant fear.

Fortunately, there had been no news recently. These days, he kept pondering whether he should send more gifts to Wang Fu, hoping to have himself transferred closer to the capital or to the prosperous Jiangnan region.

Returning to his mansion, he hadn’t even taken a sip of tea when a servant reported that a young man had arrived with several boxes of gifts, claiming to want to open a business in Taiyuan and thus came to pay a visit.

If it were any other official, they would certainly avoid meeting with merchants to maintain their dignity. But Liu Wenguang was not such a man. Besides, since he was scheming on how to raise funds, how could he turn away someone who had come bearing gifts? Whether the deal would go through was uncertain, but the gifts must be accepted.

Upon reviewing the list of presents the servants brought in, his desire to meet the visitor grew even stronger—the gifts were extraordinarily lavish.

“A thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, ten strings of pearls, ten luxurious sable pelts...”

What kind of business was this for? Such generosity!

Liu Wenguang was already impatient, barely bothering to inquire about the visitor’s background before ordering his men to quickly bring him in.

Shortly after, Zhao Yu, with a patch of fake beard under his chin, entered the Liu residence, led by the household staff. Behind him were Wu Song and Yan Qing, carrying ten large trunks.

The trunks were opened at the gate to confirm their contents were valuables before being brought inside.

Liu Wenguang’s attention was not on the visitor but on the trunks, his face lighting up with delight.

“Servants! Prepare a feast and send these trunks to the storage room.”

“Lord Liu, please wait. There are several strings of Eastern pearls here that are extremely rare. It would be wise for you to examine and keep them first.”

At Zhao Yu’s words, Liu Wenguang finally glanced at him. He had only met Zhao Yu once before, and after several months, his impression had faded.

He nodded reflexively and smiled, “Since the lord insists, I must respectfully comply.”

Liu Wenguang’s response left Zhao Yu somewhat frustrated. Was he really that forgettable? They had even shared a drink, yet Liu Wenguang had no memory of him—what a failure.

With a slight wave of his hand, Wu Song and the others quickly set down and opened the trunks.

“Lord Liu, please take a look.”

Before Zhao Yu could finish, Liu Wenguang eagerly leaned over, stretching his neck to peer inside.

Seeing that Liu Wenguang was within Wu Song’s grasp, Zhao Yu could no longer contain himself.

“Lord Liu, do you truly not recognize me?” he asked, pulling off the fake beard.

“You are... ah!…” Liu Wenguang hadn’t yet identified Zhao Yu when Wu Song pressed a dagger to his throat.

Terrified, Liu Wenguang shouted, “Who... who are you? What do you want?”

The sudden turn of events left Liu Wenguang’s household stunned. By the time they realized something was amiss, their master was already in Wu Song’s custody.

At that moment, the trunks that had held the gifts transformed—the ten strong men emerged from inside, joining the twenty who had carried the trunks, swiftly subduing the Liu family servants in the hall.

The capture plan had gone so smoothly it was almost unbelievable. Zhao Yu almost pinched himself, wondering if he were dreaming.

“Tell your family not to make a sound, or they will face the consequences,” Zhao Yu warned.

“You... You are Prince Yi!” Liu Wenguang finally recognized Zhao Yu, his eyes nearly bulging in shock.

“Alas! It seems I am a failure at being a person, taking so long to be recognized,” Zhao Yu said, shaking his head. Then he added, “Lord Liu, rest assured, I harbor no ill intentions. Please send for General Han Shizhong; I have business with him.”

Although greedy, Liu Wenguang was not foolish. He knew Zhao Yu would not come to his residence without reason.

“Your Highness, please forgive me. Though I am the highest official in Taiyuan, I have no authority to command General Han...”

Before he could finish, Zhao Yu coldly ordered Yan Qing, “Bring the entire Liu family here. For every refusal from Lord Liu, kill one.”

“As you command!”

“W-Wait! I-I will obey,” Liu Wenguang stammered, his heart a rollercoaster of fear and anxiety. Returning to his desk, he quickly wrote a note, stamped it with his official seal, and handed it to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu read the note: “Urgent military matter to discuss; request General Han’s swift arrival.”

He nodded and handed it to Yan Qing. Such an important matter could not be entrusted to the Liu family servants.

After Yan Qing left, Wu Song ordered his men to escort the Liu family away, leaving only two of his best men in the hall.

“To be frank, Lord Liu, I have come to borrow some grain—well, not much, about one hundred thousand dan,” Zhao Yu finally revealed his purpose.

Liu Wenguang’s face fell, full of bitterness. “Your Highness! Taiyuan does not have that much grain! Even if you kill me, I cannot produce one hundred thousand dan!”

“Heh! I was too abrupt. Never mind how much—take all the grain from the official granary! Once General Han arrives, I will accompany you to the government office. Then you will mobilize the laborers and deliver the grain to Yanmen Pass. Don’t say it can’t be done! My mood has been sour lately—I haven’t killed anyone in days. Lord Liu, don’t get caught in my crosshairs.”

With a strange smile, Zhao Yu added, “By the way, we almost became in-laws. So rest assured, I won’t make things difficult for you. Later, you can pin all the blame on General Han. That way, if you pull some strings in the capital, you’ll come through unscathed.”

Liu Wenguang was momentarily stunned by Zhao Yu’s words. He had only been thinking about how to save his life, forgetting about clearing his name. Zhao Yu’s remark brought him back to his senses, though something still felt off.

In truth, Zhao Yu knew perfectly well that given Liu Wenguang’s nature, even without his advice, the man would do exactly as he suggested.

As they spoke, a sudden rush of footsteps came from outside.

Zhao Yu was momentarily taken aback—so soon?

It was not that Yan Qing had arrived quickly but that Han Shizhong happened to be coming to see Liu Wenguang. At the gate, they crossed paths.

After hearing news of the Liao invasion, Han Shizhong had been closely monitoring the situation toward Zhendong Prefecture. Learning that the Liao army had circled back and left, he shared the same thoughts as Zong Ze.

He had come to ask Liu Wenguang’s permission to lead troops out of the city to scout.

In the Song dynasty, civil officials were esteemed over military ones. Though Han Shizhong’s rank was higher than Liu Wenguang’s, he still had to seek approval, which inadvertently made things easier for Yan Qing...