Chapter 217 Probing

‘Old man Luo Min, you're finally back. Had you been any later, your residence might have been torn down.’ Lin Wanrong wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and thought to himself, ‘This old fox, always fond of mystery.’

"Make way—" Gao Shou, walking in front, shouted loudly, kicking aside a soldier who was obstructing him. He was an Imperial Guard, a man at the Emperor's side. His audacious attitude was well within his rights, and to stand in his way was to seek one's own death.

Though Cheng De had brought many soldiers, none dared to challenge this haughty Imperial Guard. At the sight of Gao Shou's status and demeanor, they felt a certain amount of trepidation.

Gao Shou's group, all palace guards, feared no one. With an air of forceful determination, they strode forth like dragons and tigers, quickly shielding Luo Min as they arrived at the front of the residence.

Luo Min, with his big belly, looked at Cheng De and said coldly, "Cheng De, you come armored and armed, leading troops and surrounding my residence. What do you intend?"

Seeing Luo Min had returned, Cheng De quickly rose from his chair, saluted with his fists and said, "Your Excellency, I had urgent business and was in a hurry. I forgot to remove my armor. I hope you will forgive me."

"Forgive?" Luo Min was furious and shouted, "I, the Governor of Jiangsu, was personally appointed by the Emperor and hold many responsibilities over military and political matters in Jiangsu. You, as the commander of Jiangsu, are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War and are subject to my orders. Without permission, you cannot mobilize the troops. Now you, a subordinate, defy orders, leading troops and openly besieging my official residence. This is clear to the people and officials of Jiangsu. Can your hurriedness excuse this? Where do you place me, the officials of Jiangsu, and the Emperor?"

Luo Min's voice was loud and full of authority as he expressed his anger. As the chief official of a province, his aura was not faked. Cheng De's soldiers couldn't help but show a bit of fear in face of such grandeur.

Luo Min's words were stern and righteous, with profound implications. Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, ‘You old fox, you really know how to play the game, pretending to be so angry to dispel Cheng De and his men's suspicions.’

"Where is Gao Shou?" Luo Min shouted.

"Here!" Gao Shou stepped forward in response.

"I order you to lead my mansion's servants and confiscate all weapons from these soldiers, return the warhorses to the stables, and wait for my report to the Emperor for further action," Luo Min ordered loudly, apparently intending for Gao Shou to disarm these several hundred soldiers.

Seeing Luo Min's fiery temper, Cheng De felt somewhat reassured. He quickly saluted and said, "Please calm down, Your Excellency. I truly have urgent military matters. I ask for your understanding."

Luo Min huffed, "Rules are rules, regardless of your reasons, you cannot act so recklessly. If I do not take action today, how can I face the officials of Jiangsu? Where is my credibility? Gao Shou, why aren't you moving already?"

"At your command!" Gao Shou shouted loudly, leading his several dozen brothers into action. They were all born palace guards. As men who had served by the Emperor's side, they were truly like a group of tigers and wolves, fearing no one. Seeing their ferocious approach, Cheng De's infantry and cavalry readied their weapons for confrontation. Gao Shou and his men didn't care; they kicked those soldiers, who wailed in pain. With a signal from Cheng De, no one dared to resist any further.

The sound of weapons hitting the ground resonated. Luo Min's expression remained as dark as before, seeming truly irritated. His residence had been surrounded by his own subordinates—a chaos never before seen in any province. If this news reached his colleagues in other provinces, it would be truly embarrassing.

Cheng De covertly watched Luo Min's expression. Seeing his clenched fists and ashen face, he realized the governor was genuinely enraged this time.

Seeing Luo Min so concerned about the immediate losses, Cheng De felt somewhat relieved. Seeing his troops had dropped their weapons, he saluted Luo Min again, "My sincerest apologies, Your Excellency, the military situation today was truly urgent, which caused my lapse in judgment."

Luo Min grunted, "Cheng De, today's matter will be reported truthfully to the Ministry of War and the Emperor for their judgment. Now, what's your urgent military matter? Speak up quickly."

Clearly irritated, Luo Min didn't even invite Cheng De inside the residence and asked him to report right there. Cheng De, who had been contesting with Luo Min for years, was not bothered by this old trick. He saluted and reported, "I received information that the White Lotus followers, entrenched in Jining, will soon move, likely entering Jiangsu. The previous White Lotus disturbance greatly affected our people in Jiangsu, causing widespread discontent. As soon as I received this information, I didn't dare delay and rushed here overnight to discuss countermeasures with Your Excellency."

Luo Min's expression improved slightly, he frowned, "The White Lotus is stirring again? That's strange. It's nearly winter, every year at this time the White Lotus cultists would usually retreat and rest in their dens. Why are they venturing out this year? Cheng De, are you sure about your information?"

Cheng De nodded, "Absolutely certain, it's intelligence I gathered personally. From my estimate, they are short of food and supplies, unable to sustain through the harsh winter. That's why they plan to enter Jiangsu again, to plunder wealth and food."

Luo Min hummed in response, "In your opinion, how should we guard against this?"

Cheng De was prepared with an answer, "In my view, why don't we both report this to the court, inform them of the situation here, and request for a directive from the Ministry of War? I will then move the majority of the infantry and cavalry to the border between Shandong and Jiangsu to guard strictly, preventing the White Lotus bandits from entering Jiangsu."

Upon hearing Cheng De's suggestion, Lin Wanrong understood that it was another test. Moving Jiangsu's troops to the border of Shandong ostensibly appeared as a preventative measure against the White Lotus sect infiltrating Jiangsu, but in reality, it was a deliberate blockage of the route to eliminate the sect. If Luo Min disagreed with Cheng De's move, it would only arouse the heightened vigilance of the White Lotus sect and their hidden master, complicating the extermination effort. If Luo Min agreed, Cheng De would conveniently use this as leverage, stationing troops at the border, allowing White Lotus bandits disguised as official army to hide amongst Cheng De's troops undetected. This was indeed a well-devised scheme, presumably Cheng De had smelled something and was continuously probing Luo Min.

Luo Min pondered for a while and said, "Your point does make some sense. Therefore, tomorrow I will submit a memorial to the court along with your report to the Ministry of War and the Emperor. We can wait for the command from the court before mobilizing troops."

Luo Min's swift agreement surprisingly stunned Cheng De. He was a man who seldom showed his emotions. He respectfully responded, "I appreciate Your Excellency's understanding. It is getting late. I will take my leave now and bring the troop deployment memorial to your mansion tomorrow."

Cheng De was quite straightforward. He came when he said he would and left just as swiftly. Leaving behind the weapons and horses scattered on the ground, he led his bare-handed troops back to their camp.

Luo Yuan approached and said, "Father, you're finally back. If you were a bit later, our home would have been torn apart by Commander Cheng."

Luo Min patted Luo Yuan's shoulder and nodded, "Little Yuan, your earlier responses to Cheng De were well thought out. I'm very pleased." Luo Yuan laughed and said, "That's all thanks to Brother Lin. He told me to say what needed to be said and to at least intimidate Commander Cheng if we couldn't beat him."

Luo Min laughed heartily, "Young Master Lin is quite right. Little Yuan, you've chosen the right person to follow."

Lin Wanrong stepped out from the courtyard and modestly saluted, "Your compliment is too generous, Governor. It was merely a minor effort on my part."

Seeing Lin Wanrong, Luo Min was taken aback and then bowed deeply, "So Young Master Lin is here. I must thank you for your excellent advice."

‘Damn it, you old Luo, why are you offering such a deep bow? Are you trying to shorten my life?’ Lin Wanrong quickly helped Luo Min up and said with a smile, "Governor Luo, what is this? Weren't you fine at noon?"

Luo Min sighed, "As a father, I have terribly neglected my duty. My daughter Ning fell so ill, and I was entirely unaware. If it weren't for your message through Gao Shou, I would still be in the dark."

"Did you come back just to see Miss Luo?" Lin Wanrong was somewhat surprised. According to Gao Shou's judgement, this old Luo was not one to abandon national affairs for family matters. What caused his change in character?

"I'm ashamed to admit," Luo Min spoke softly, "I received a letter from Mr. Wenchang, who said there was unusual movement in Cheng De's troops, which is why I rushed back overnight. I did not expect to run into him bringing troops to surround my mansion. This Cheng De is becoming more and more presumptuous."

Lin Wanrong nodded, thinking, 'So, you did not come just for your daughter, it's still all about official business. Poor Luo Ning, it seems like it's up to me, her big brother, to care for her.'

"Rest assured, Governor. I just visited Miss Luo. Her fever has subsided, and she is gradually recovering. She even ate some lotus seed porridge. Judging by her spirits, I suspect she will improve in the next couple of days," Lin Wanrong comforted the elder Luo.

Luo Min's expression dimmed as he murmured to himself, "Ning has always been strong since childhood. I have always been busy with official duties and haven't properly taken care of her these years." He sighed softly, "I'm afraid I'm going to let her down again this time."

Lin Wanrong was puzzled by his words. Luo Min offered a bitter smile and shook his head. Apologizing, he hurriedly left to visit Luo Ning.

Thinking of Luo Ning, Lin Wanrong also sighed inwardly. He already had several wives, including Qiaoqiao, Yushuang, Qingxuan, and a prospective one, Qin Xian'er. This Luo Ning, a talented woman from a prestigious family, was a well-known social activist. She had ideals and aspirations, was enthusiastic about charity work, and was not easy to please. If he were to marry her, just supporting this talented girl’s endeavor would cost a significant amount of money. However, her figure was indeed superb, a match for Qingxuan. Touching her was a delight. Although she had a somewhat proud temperament, couldn't he conquer her with a man's charm? Lin Wanrong chuckled to himself. Taming Luo Ning would indeed be a challenging task.

Lost in his thoughts, he returned to the Xiao residence, only to find Xiao Feng anxiously pacing at the entrance. Upon seeing him return, Xiao Feng's face lit up. He rushed forward and cried out, "Brother Lin, something terrible has happened. They started fighting, they're fighting—"