Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Evidence Sent to the Capital

Qin Song’s breathing hitched the moment he saw the letters. He reached out to retrieve them, but Zhang Pengyuan stopped him.

"Qin Song!"

Faced with Zhang Pengyuan’s warning and concerned gaze, and noticing the equally grave expression on Chu Haiyuan’s face nearby, Qin Song realized the situation instantly.

"My Qin family is already locked in a life-or-death struggle with Lin You. As for Li Wei and Cao Renjie, who stand behind him, they are no better!"

"As for any other concerns, I have none!"

Qin Song, fully aware of what the two men were worried about, dismissed it entirely. He openly took the letters, unsealed them one by one, and began to read through them.

Although Chu Haiyuan and Zhang Pengyuan kept mentioning their concerns, the expressions on their faces betrayed their true thoughts.

Qin Song quickly finished reading the twenty-some letters. His face was cold, yet his eyes held a hint of disappointment and confusion.

"Well?"

Compared to an old fox like Chu Haiyuan, Zhang Pengyuan was better at keeping his composure.

"These are all letters written by Lin You to Wang Long. The evidence of our family’s merchant ships being repeatedly plundered by Wang Long is all here!"

"However!"

Qin Song’s tone shifted, and he frowned. "There is no mention of an amnesty in these letters."

"What amnesty?"

Chu Haiyuan was clearly unaware of this. Zhang Pengyuan, standing by, had to explain.

"That is absolutely impossible. While the Great Xia has precedents for granting amnesty, His Majesty would never grant one to a group of heinous water bandits!"

Hearing that the imperial court intended to grant amnesty to these bandits, Chu Haiyuan was beyond skeptical. If the Emperor truly wanted to offer amnesty, it would, to a certain extent, be a critique of the strength of the Great Xia Navy, effectively a slap in the face to Chu Haiyuan himself.

"General Chu, who said it was His Majesty who proposed the amnesty?" Qin Song retorted. This question instantly jolted Chu Haiyuan into realization.

"Since Wang Long mentioned that the court wanted to grant them amnesty in front of his subordinates, it means someone did indeed bring this up to him!"

"But since it isn't in these letters, there are many possibilities."

"First, it is possible that after Wang Long read the letter, he burned it immediately!"

"Beyond other reasons, I am more inclined to believe that this talk of amnesty did not come from Lin You."

"Lin You took office as the Governor of Yuezhu three years ago, but these water bandits were active here long before that!"

"Judging by the dates on some of the letters, it can be inferred that Lin You established contact with Wang Long shortly after taking office!"

"Of course, these are just my own deductions."

Although this was a certainty in Qin Song’s mind, he clearly wouldn't state it so bluntly in front of Chu Haiyuan and Zhang Pengyuan.

"So, what do we do now?" Zhang Pengyuan, quite shaken, finally asked.

"I have other evidence of Lin You’s corruption and bribery over the years. I will send those along with these letters to the capital, directly to my uncle."

Qin Song had just learned from Chu Haiyuan that after the Emperor’s anger subsided, he had released Qin Zhong from prison, though he was forbidden from leaving the capital. Even so, Qin Zhong was not entirely powerless. Entrusting these items to him was the safest course of action.

"No!"

Before Qin Song could finish, Chu Haiyuan and Zhang Pengyuan spoke in unison.

Qin Song laughed, looked down at the letters in his hand, and finally said, "Very well. Half for each of you. Take your share and send it to your own people. As for mine, help me deliver it directly to my uncle in the capital!"

The reason Chu Haiyuan and Zhang Pengyuan had been afraid to look at the letters earlier was that they feared they might implicate others besides Lin You. While fear was one factor, as men in the bureaucracy, they faced their own unspoken difficulties.

But now, since all the letters only involved Lin You’s collusion with the bandits, and knowing full well that Lin You was a dead man walking, how could they bear to let Qin Song take all the credit?

"Agreed!"

Chu Haiyuan and Zhang Pengyuan exchanged a look, and finally, Chu Haiyuan nodded first.

Soon, the twenty-some letters were divided between them. Both sides wrote explanatory notes for their contacts in the capital, included their own findings, and shortly after, Chu Haiyuan’s men dispatched the parcels—which would soon shake the capital—at a gallop.

Additionally, Qin Song sent a letter home, reporting that he was safe and asking his mother, Madame Wu, to quickly send some women to help settle the twenty-some women he had rescued.

"General, what should we do with the captured bandits?" Zhang Pengyuan asked Chu Haiyuan once everything was settled.

"Naturally, we take them all back, lock them in the naval prison, and wait for the Governor and His Majesty to decide their fate!"

Chu Haiyuan was getting on in years, and as he spoke, he looked so pleased with himself that his nose was practically in the air.

"General Chu, before these bandits are locked in the naval prison, I hope to interrogate them further!"

Chu Haiyuan frowned at this, but remained silent.

"This has nothing to do with either of you. It is purely my own personal action. If there is any investigation later, you can shift all the blame onto me!"

"I will not reveal a single word of the interrogation to you, either!"

Qin Song knew very well that once the bandits were in the naval prison and the court was informed, even Chu Haiyuan might not have the authority to interrogate them. At that point, the handling of the bandits would be entirely up to the court.

Zhang Pengyuan, realizing this as well, turned his gaze toward Chu Haiyuan, waiting for his word.

"I heard that in order to loosen their tongues, you killed one of the bandits?"

Chu Haiyuan’s expression calmed, and before Qin Song could explain, he scolded, "Do you have any idea how much of a reward a single captured bandit is worth to the court!"

While Qin Song was still stunned, Chu Haiyuan, having finished his reprimand, suddenly smiled.

"I was wrong, I was wrong! It won't happen again!"

"Qin Song thanks you, General Chu!"

Realizing what was happening, Qin Song quickly admitted his mistake. After expressing his sincere gratitude, he turned and left.

"Could that blow from the Cao boy’s staff have truly knocked some sense into the Qin boy?"

Watching Qin Song’s departing figure, Chu Haiyuan asked this, scratching his head in bewilderment.

Long ago, Chu Haiyuan had investigated Qin Song. Ever since the young man had been knocked unconscious in the street by Cao Ruixuan, the notorious playboy of Yuezhu seemed like a completely different person upon waking.

Over the past few days, especially during this bandit suppression, Qin Song’s performance had been witnessed by Chu Haiyuan. The composure, calmness, and analytical prowess far beyond his years that Qin Song displayed made Chu Haiyuan sigh, to the point that he occasionally ignored Qin Song’s youth.

"Perhaps it is fate," Zhang Pengyuan said, also watching Qin Song’s back. "Even Heaven does not wish for the Qin family to fall."