Chapter 170 - 118: Digging Your Own Grave

Chapter 170: Chapter 118: Digging Your Own Grave

The seventh day after Bai Lang left, a light snow began to fall in the city.

The snow pellets rustled against the blue-green roof tiles, like a handful of salt scattered in the night.

The large pearwood desk in the office of the Director of the Water Patrol Bureau had sat empty for seven whole days, a thin layer of dust settling on its surface.

The logjam of cargo ships on the Canglan River grew thicker by the day.

After Bai Lang left, he did not return.

Naturally, the position of Director of the Water Patrol Bureau could not remain vacant indefinitely.

The city’s merchants couldn’t tolerate the vacancy.

And so, following a popular petition, Lu Jing’an was reappointed to the position of Director of the Water Patrol Bureau.

However, it was unclear whether it was due to a procedural issue or pressure from the Bai Family.

Lu Jing’an’s official title for now was Acting Director.

Lu Jing’an paid it no mind.

He had only retaken the post of Director to resolve the trouble his third uncle was in.

On the day he resumed office, Lu Jing’an did not wear the Director’s uniform.

He wore only an indigo cotton robe, with a well-worn, black greatcoat over it.

It was only about a mile from the Lu Family’s Old Mansion to the Water Patrol Bureau, and Lu Jing’an walked the entire way.

The sky had cleared after the snow, and a thin layer of ice had formed over the melting slush on the bluestone path, crunching softly underfoot.

Shopkeepers along the street peeked at him from behind cracks in their doors and through window lattices, their expressions complicated.

A few veteran patrolmen on duty at the bureau had already gotten word and were standing in a row by the entrance.

Lu Jing’an didn’t break his stride, merely giving them a slight nod as he walked straight through the main gate.

Lu Jing’an had just settled in behind his desk when visitors arrived.

It was the very same shopkeepers who had jointly framed Lu Huaisan.

The one in the lead was Boss Sun of the grain business, a man of about fifty.

A smile was plastered on his round face, but terror hid in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

Seven or eight men crowded into the hall below, shoving and deferring to one another, none willing to be the first to speak.

Lu Jing’an neither offered them seats nor had tea served.

He simply kept his eyes downcast, flipping through an old case file on his desk, his knuckles tapping an irregular rhythm on the tabletop.

TAP... TAP... TAP. The sound wasn’t loud, yet it echoed in the spacious hall.

A plume of blue-green smoke rose arrow-straight from the Incense Burner, only beginning to drift and curl when it reached the ceiling beams.

Finally, Boss Sun took half a step forward, bowed, and said:

"Director... Director Lu, that business the other day... it was all a misunderstanding! A terrible misunderstanding!"

He pulled a stack of papers from his sleeve and offered it up with both hands.

"It was our subordinates! They didn’t know any better and made wild accusations!

"This is a written explanation. We’ve all signed it and affixed our Hand Seals, and we’ve prepared the full amount for the fine..."

Only then did Lu Jing’an look up.

Lu Jing’an accepted the stack of papers and slowly turned the pages one by one.

The pages were freshly cut rice paper, but the ink was uneven, a clear sign it had been written in haste.

The "culprits" confessed within were mostly distant relatives or outside Stewards of their various households.

Two of the statements even blamed old servants who had left their service long ago.

As he reached the last statement, his fingertips paused on a particular line of text.

"So."

Lu Jing’an closed the stack of papers, his voice placid.

"It was all your subordinates acting on their own accord, and you gentlemen knew nothing of it beforehand?"

"We didn’t know! We absolutely didn’t know!" everyone chimed in, waving their hands frantically as sweat beaded on their temples.

"Good, then."

Lu Jing’an set the stack of papers aside, took a blank case file from his drawer, and dipped a brush in ink.

"In that case, I will close this case accordingly.

"The Water Patrol Bureau accepts your ’written explanations’ and the fines.

"As for these wicked servants who framed their masters..."

Lu Jing’an’s brushwork paused as he looked up, his gaze sweeping over the men.

"They will be handed over to the Public Security Bureau in accordance with the law. They will be jailed or fined as required. Do any of you have any objections?"

A dead silence fell over the hall.

No one had expected Lu Jing’an to actually follow through on their story.

Some of those ’scapegoats’ were their actual kith and kin.

But the words had been spoken. To take them back now would be a complete loss of face.

Boss Sun’s face paled. He swallowed hard a few times before forcing a smile:

"As it should be, as it should be. That is the most just way to handle it."

Lu Jing’an nodded.

A nearby clerk recorded each family’s ’confession’ and the amount of their fine, filing them away.

He then had each man sign and affix his mark again, sealing any and all loopholes they might use to overturn the verdict.

Once the ink was dry, Lu Jing’an closed the case file with a soft SNAP.

"If there is nothing else, you may all leave," Lu Jing’an said. "The bureau has a significant backlog of work, so I won’t keep you."

But no one moved.

They looked at each other, until finally, Boss Sun had to brace himself and speak up.

His voice trembled obsequiously. "Director Lu... about... about the Snake Demon in the River. Do you know when you’ll be able to...?"

Lu Jing’an set his brush back on the celadon rest and leaned back in his chair.

The chair let out a soft CREAK.

"The matter of the Snake Demon cannot be rushed."

His voice was level, betraying no emotion.

"In the time I’ve been away, many problems have accumulated within the bureau.

"You all saw with your own eyes how many men and how much ammunition Bai Lang lost in his previous attempts to eliminate the demon.

"Right now, the bureau is understaffed, and morale is low.

"To rush into battle now would be to repeat his mistakes."

He paused, tapping his knuckles lightly on the desk twice.

"You must give me some time to sort out the bureau’s affairs, both internal and external.

"We need to replenish our ranks, repair our firearms, and establish new regulations.

"Otherwise—"

Lu Jing’an looked up, his clear, cold gaze sweeping across them.

"I would be sending my men to their deaths. That is something I will not do."

Boss Sun stepped forward anxiously:

"But our goods can’t wait that long!

"If we delay any longer, the raw silk and tea leaves in our warehouses will be ruined by mold!

"Director Lu, please, just give us a straight answer. How long will it take?"

Lu Jing’an fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, a jackdaw flew past the window, its CAW piercing the silence.

"I cannot give you a specific date."

Lu Jing’an said slowly.

"The mess Bai Lang left behind is bigger than any of you imagine.

"But there is one thing I can tell you right now."

Lu Jing’an rose to his feet, his black greatcoat sweeping out in an arc beside him.