Chapter 34: Striking the Serpent at the Vital Spot

Uncle Zhong had come under orders, and the matter had to be settled. He smiled, seeing through the pretense without exposing it.

"The Young Lord made a fine purchase, but that residence is the apple of my master's eye. He hopes to buy it back and asks that you relinquish it."

Xue Zhao snatched the banknotes and counted them; there were only sixty thousand taels. He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Is Lu Lan incapable of counting? I bought it with eighty thousand taels of cold, hard cash, and the subsequent renovations cost nearly twenty thousand more. If he truly wants to buy it, he needs to add more money!"

Having reached this point, Xue Zhao had no patience for further haggling; there was no point in talking without money.

"Tell him to host a table at Tongfu Restaurant another day, and then we can discuss the price."

He rolled his eyes at Uncle Zhong, but just as he shifted to get up, Uncle Zhong pulled a letter from his sleeve.

"Young Lord, this is a secret letter from my master, entrusted to be opened by you personally."

Xue Zhao snatched it impatiently, tore open the wax seal, and glanced at the contents. He was so enraged he nearly suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Uncle Zhong narrowed his eyes; the letter surely contained leverage against Xue Zhao.

Panicked, Xue Zhao walked to the goose-shaped lamp and burned the envelope along with its contents. Even after it was reduced to ash, his composure did not return. His eyes were filled with vigilance and unease.

Like Lu Lan, Xue Zhao was a wastrel living off his ancestors' merits. However, Xue Zhao was more deranged; he lacked any tenderness toward women and enjoyed torturing them during his debaucheries. Once, on a flower boat, he had tortured a famous courtesan to death and dumped her body into the river.

As fate would have it, a torrential downpour occurred the next day, and with the river surging, the courtesan's body drifted away, its location lost. The incident became a cold case for a time. It was not until two years later that her bleached bones were discovered by a woodcutter in a mountain stream.

The "Six Doors" of the Capital's Investigation Bureau boasted a divine detective named Bai Yutang. This man was a master of forensics and criminal investigation, having solved numerous mysterious cases in the capital, for which the Emperor had bestowed upon him the title of "Imperial Cat." Bai Yutang was loyal and righteous, fearing no powerful figures; once he caught a scent, he would track it down like a cat following the smell of blood. In the end, he uncovered that the true culprit was Xue Zhao.

The case shook the imperial court. The Emperor decreed a joint trial by the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicature and Revision, and the Censorate, ultimately sentencing Xue Zhao to "immediate execution." The Duke of Qing, having failed to educate his son properly, was demoted two ranks to Earl of Qingyang.

As a man reborn, Lu Lan had a deep impression of Xue Zhao's involvement in that case. He had even gone to watch when Xue Zhao was dragged to the vegetable market for decapitation. Therefore, he had written the four words "dumped the body into the river" in the letter. As for the details, he mentioned none, for he could not recall them clearly himself.

Lu Lan admitted there was an element of gambling involved.

But Xue Zhao dared not gamble. If Lu Lan were to take this matter to the Six Doors, he would be finished. As a first-rank noble, the Duke of Qing certainly had the power to abduct a woman in broad daylight or ruin someone's reputation and cover it up—at most, he would suffer some loss of face. But murder was a capital offense; handling such a charge was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Xue Zhao would rather lose forty thousand taels of silver than risk his own life fighting Lu Lan. He knew better than anyone what kind of person Lu Lan was. In terms of sheer lawlessness, all the playboys in the capital combined could not compare to him. Whenever they were out causing trouble, it was almost always Lu Lan leading the charge, with the other playboys cheering him on from the sidelines. He might very well dig up that old case.

Since both the Duke of Yu and the Duke of Qing held first-rank hereditary titles granted by the founding emperor, Xue Zhao's status could not intimidate Lu Lan.

Helpless, he gritted his teeth and compromised, his tone toward Uncle Zhong softening significantly.

"Steward Lu, please go back and tell Brother Lu that from now on, we are even."

"Understood. I shall return to report the success. My master says that in three days, he will bring a middleman to act as a guarantor, and we shall go to the Department of Revenue to register the deed. The property will then change hands smoothly."

"See the guest out!"

Though Xue Zhao felt bitter, Lu Lan had him by the throat; what else could he do but compromise? After Uncle Zhong left, his personal servant stepped forward and whispered:

"Young Lord, how are we to answer to His Highness the Crown Prince?"