Chapter 64: The First Signs of Chaos Emerge

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Because of the tragedy at Mistwater Bridge, the entire city of Jianglin once again fell under martial law and a city-wide search. Fortunately, the soldiers did not disclose that it was all because of Lu Jin; otherwise, his name would have been entered into the death register of every family. This son-in-law of the Shen family was truly a handful.

Lu Jin had thought himself doomed, but at the most desperate moment, someone pulled him from the water. Before he could even open his eyes, he heard Yuan Fang shouting and rushing over.

By the time he had coughed up a few mouthfuls of water and opened his eyes, his rescuer was already gone. Lu Jin knew it was the woman in red, the mysterious heroine, but he hadn’t even managed to say thank you.

He was also surprised that Xiao Bai had survived—truly blessed with luck. In the midst of hardship, he had tried to breach the invisible wall between husband and wife, only to nearly lose his own innocence.

The incident happened suddenly and ended just as quickly. After all, it was clear that the water bandits had acted out of malice and revenge.

But Lu Jin couldn’t shake a lingering doubt: were the water bandits really that formidable? They were nothing like the ones he’d seen that night. Yet with no survivors left, there was nothing he could do.

This time, however, the authorities actually made some progress and soon discovered that the perpetrators all belonged to the same security escort agency. Clearly, the agency was the water bandits’ spy post within the city.

However, the remaining staff at the agency knew little, except for one key piece of information: the leader that night was their fourth boss, who also ran the agency. All those involved were escorts, so the entire group had been wiped out.

This explained Lu Jin’s doubts. These people had somehow learned he was still alive, and since their water stronghold was gone, they blamed him. After all, it was natural that the Shen family would wipe out the bandits—why else would the son-in-law have returned?

Yet the authorities never found the secret tunnel behind the agency. Lu Jin took the time to visit the place himself. The agency’s location matched the direction he’d headed out of the city that night, but after a thorough search, he found no sign of a tunnel.

Both Lu Jin and Shen Yanxi soon recovered their health. The kidnapping and assassination attempt had delayed Pei Yunrui’s family, but now they were preparing to return home.

A banquet was inevitable—for comfort, for celebration, and as a farewell.

Aside from the grandmother, who disliked noise, everyone attended: father-in-law, mother-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, Pei Yunrui, Shen Yanyun—a dozen or so in all.

After dinner, the gathering moved to a pavilion on the lake, where the family chatted idly.

“Just a few days ago, the new governor of Haidong, Nangong Zheng, was burned to death in his own residence. In the one hundred and fifty years of Great Liang, nothing like this has ever happened. Even counting back three reigns, I’ve never heard of a second-rank official dying in such a way…” Shen Hao said, frowning.

At once, the conversation picked up.

It was the first time Lu Jin had heard of this, and it was truly shocking. To be burned to death in his own official residence—was this madness?

From what he knew, the governor was equivalent to the military commissioners of the Tang dynasty, and the administrative region was similar, though there were more of them, more akin to provinces of later times. Haidong was east of Jiangbei, south of the Lan River, east to the sea, north to Jingdong and Linhai—truly a fine place.

“The court will surely be furious this time,” said Pei Changshi. “First, the military grain was hijacked, then the governor was burned to death. I expect a large number of officials will be imprisoned…”

Shen Yanxi continued to act as Lu Jin’s personal interpreter, whispering explanations of officialdom in his ear, much to the irritation of his mother-in-law. Pei Yunrui, by contrast, said little.

Today, Lu Jin saw yet another side of Shen Yanxi—her political insight was astute and thorough. So this was what it meant to be the daughter of a noble family: truly formidable. He was but a novice in comparison.

The more Lu Jin listened, the more alarmed he became. Linking the events together—hijacked military grain, the governor’s death, rampant river bandits, collusion between soldiers and criminals—was this not a clear omen of troubled times?

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Damn, could it be that the nonsense I bragged to Lu Wei that day is about to come true? Have I crossed into a dynasty on the verge of collapse?

Could things not be this way? It took me so much effort to resign myself to a life of ease, but how am I supposed to enjoy it with all this going on?

“Yu Wen Yongjia has suffered a heavy loss this time. I heard Nangong Zheng was his personal recommendation, and now he’s gone. Who knows whom the court will send to Haidong next…” Pei Changshi said again.

“You’re the transport commissioner in Chuzhou. Will you be affected by this?” Shen Hao asked.

“The transport of military grain doesn’t go through Chuzhou, so it has nothing to do with me. But I still have to return soon; things won’t be easy,” Pei Changshi replied with a sigh.

“Uncle, how will you be getting back?” Lu Jin asked, deciding he couldn’t just keep playing mute.

“Our family has a boat. We’ll follow the Lan River down to Jinling, then proceed to Chuzhou,” Pei Changshi replied, a bit surprised that Lu Jin had initiated the conversation.

“But the river is crawling with bandits. Is it really safe?” Lu Jin pressed.

“It is dangerous, but carriages are too slow—we have no choice but to travel by water. We’ll sail by day and rest at night; it’s the best we can do.” Pei Changshi sighed again.

In truth, the main reason was that they had several cargo ships this time—too much for carriages to manage. Besides, the noble families of Jiangnan traveled the Lan River regularly; even the bandits wouldn’t dare act rashly. Marauders bold enough to kidnap the Shen family’s son-in-law were rare.

“What about cousin? Will you be returning together?” Lu Jin turned to Pei Yunrui.

“Yes. I’ll escort my father to Chuzhou first, then head to the capital myself.” Pei Yunrui looked at him with surprise, not expecting Lu Jin’s concern.

“What are you really trying to say?” his mother-in-law, Zhou Manyun, interjected.

“Mother, my husband is simply concerned for uncle’s safety. The Lan River truly is in chaos these days,” Shen Yanxi explained.

It was not without reason that Lu Jin had developed feelings for Shen Yanxi. Beyond her beauty, she was rational, intelligent, and always seemed to know his thoughts—almost uncanny.

“Uncle, besides worrying about your safety on the road, I’d suggest you either transfer to another post or simply resign. From what I’ve just heard, Haidong is already rotten to the core. Preserving your life is most important.”

He had just learned from Shen Yanxi that Chuzhou was in the middle of Haidong, right by the canal. Could such a place remain safe in troubled times?

Lu Jin hadn’t planned to say anything, but he couldn’t hold back. If something were to happen, and his aunt was lost, Shen Yanxi would be devastated. The mere thought of her weeping was enough to make him speak up. Whether his advice was heeded was not his concern; he would have done his part.

Unbeknownst to him, his aunt had no intention of leaving and would remain with her natal family.

“The position of transport commissioner in Chuzhou is crucial; not so easy to change,” Pei Changshi replied with calm frankness.

There was much implied in his words, but with Lu Jin’s limited understanding, it all sounded rather muddled.

After some more conversation, Lu Jin and Shen Yanxi slipped away, likely because she sensed his discomfort at staying there.

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On the way back, Lu Jin said little, feeling a heavy weight in his heart.

First, he had been kidnapped by river bandits and then nearly assassinated. Now the governor had been slain—what kind of chaos was this? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the signs of a collapsing world.

But wasn’t he here just to enjoy a life of ease? How had things come to this?

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In the city of Jianglin, two horses were galloping toward the outskirts.

Lu Jin’s mind lingered on that mysterious tunnel. Unable to find it from within the city, he decided to try his luck outside. Too much time had passed—he feared his memory might fail him.

Because he could only ride slowly, Lu Jin shared a horse with Xiao Bai. After leaving the east gate, Lu Jin used the sights he’d glimpsed after emerging from the tunnel that night to roughly determine the area.

That night, he’d seen they were southeast of Jianglin. How could a newcomer figure that out? In fact, he’d used the city’s unique geography—Jianglin bordered the Lan River to the south and Qingqiu to the west. The exit had been close to the Lan River and far from Qingqiu. Factoring in the city wall’s bend, he could pinpoint the spot.

After riding for about a quarter of an hour, they stopped and dismounted to search. Lu Jin shared the key details with his companions: the tunnel entrance wasn’t on flat ground, but under a small slope about waist high, hidden by thick grass.

They split up, scouring the wilds for any sign matching those features. Yet by noon, nothing had turned up. Standing at the foot of a low slope, Lu Jin began to doubt himself—had his memory played tricks on him that night? It seemed they’d searched every likely spot, but no tunnel was in sight.

“Master, come sit here and rest a while. Eat something before we keep looking!” Xiao Bai called from a distance.

Lu Jin walked over, and Yuan Fang soon returned as well. Without a word, the three of them sat on a blanket and chewed on dried meat. If Yuan Fang or Xiao Bai had found any clues, they would have reported at once.

Lu Jin took a swig from his water flask, chewing absentmindedly as he gazed toward the distant Lan River.

As they chatted idly, Lu Jin suddenly noticed a shadow flit past on his right, followed by the rustle of grass. He sprang to his feet.

“Did you see a shadow just now? Over there!” he said, pointing.

“Master, I didn’t see anything,” Xiao Bai replied, frowning in confusion. Was the master seeing things?

“I had my head down and didn’t spot any shadow, but I did hear something. It wasn’t the usual sound of the wind,” Yuan Fang said, eyes scanning the distance, sharp and alert—a true martial youth.

“Come on, let’s check it out.” Lu Jin dashed ahead. With no other leads, any unexpected movement could be a clue.

“Whoa—damn it!” Lu Jin suddenly shouted as the ground gave way and he started to fall uncontrollably.