Chapter 35: A Cornered Dog Will Leap the Wall; Precautions Must Be Taken

Magistrate Meng Yi glanced at the wooden box on the side table and remarked, "Military Advisor, why be so courteous?"

Yun Liwan merely smiled. "My Lord, after all, it is better to resolve grudges than to harbor them..."

Meng Yi picked up the wooden box, noting its considerable weight. Upon opening it, a brilliant golden glow spilled out—it was full of gold ingots. He simply said, "A rare treasure indeed... My household is, in truth, somewhat lacking in such rarities."

"A humble gift, please do not take offense."

Meng Yi closed the box, placed it back on the table, and said slowly, "If this had been a few days ago, it would have been easy to handle, and no such treasures would have been necessary. But now, I fear it is no longer possible..."

Yun Liwan’s heart tightened. "How so?"

Meng Yi waved his hand. "I have never involved myself in these matters. That Su Wu... he was displeased, feeling that I would not uphold justice for him, so he went to the Prefect’s yamen. You tell me, now that the Prefect himself is inquiring, what can I do?"

"The Prefect?" Yun Liwan’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately asked, "What does this have to do with the Prefect?"

Meng Yi waved his hand again. "I know very little of the details..."

"My Lord, why do you allow such a low-ranking Captain to ride roughshod over you like this?" Yun Liwan pressed.

Meng Yi smiled helplessly. "I am the Magistrate of Yanggu County. While he is new, he is the Prefect of Dongping. I am a seventh-rank official, while he holds the fifth rank. I wear green robes, and he wears red..."

These words left Yun Liwan stunned. He stammered, "Then... then... I beg for your guidance."

"Guidance?" Meng Yi looked at Yun Liwan.

Yun Liwan quickly stepped forward, pushed the small box on the table toward Meng Yi, and said, "I implore you to show me a clear path."

Clearly, Yun Liwan was truly desperate. Though he did not know exactly what had happened outside the city, he was filled with mounting dread, especially since the matter involved the bandits of Liangshan. Something was definitely amiss. If he succeeded, it would be fine, but if he failed and the Liangshan bandits were even slightly implicated, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Meng Yi looked at the table and said slowly, "Since he has gone to Dongping Prefecture, you should go to Dongping Prefecture as well. He is but a minor captain, a mere yamen functionary; you are a Military Advisor of the Prefecture, a proper eighth-rank military official. You have superiors who value you. He merely happened to meet the Prefect once—how can he compare to you?"

Yun Liwan suddenly realized. "Thank you for your guidance, My Lord."

Meng Yi nodded. "And this... rare treasure?"

"It is nothing, truly nothing. Your subordinate will head to Dongping Prefecture at once. Farewell." Yun Liwan could not wait another moment and turned to leave.

"Go safely, I shall not see you out." Meng Yi did not rise, merely waving his hand.

***

Yun Liwan turned and ran.

Meng Yi picked up the small wooden box again, opened it to look, and muttered to himself, "Such a generous gesture—he is desperate, truly desperate. Su Wu, oh Su Wu, you truly have some fortune; you are worth my assistance..."

What was Su Wu doing?

With two fast horses and several bundles of depositions and case files, he was galloping toward Dongping Prefecture with Wu Song.

Covering over a hundred *li*, they reached the city by mid-afternoon and headed straight for the Prefectural Yamen. The officials there recognized him, and he was ushered directly into the rear office.

Prefect Cheng Wanli was still in his study, reading the documents Su Wu had submitted.

"Sit, sit..." the Prefect invited him again.

Su Wu did not stand on ceremony. He sat in the guest seat, and as the Prefect read, he began to speak: "Forcing good women into prostitution, coercing men to pawn their wives and sell their children, adultery, murder... these are but minor crimes. They even dared to collude with the Liangshan bandits to entrap and kill government officials. That Yun Liwan is truly a cornered dog jumping over a wall..."

The Prefect nodded, but his brow furrowed. Clearly, the matter was not so simple.

The Prefect asked, "The affairs of Yun Liwan are clear... it is just that..."

"My Lord, Yun Liwan is surely panicked now. In his panic, he will grasp at straws. The only person he can rely on is... Dong Ping. Dong Ping likely does not know the full details, but if he learns from Yun Liwan that this matter concerns me, his rage will surely ignite."

Su Wu’s analysis was incisive. At such a critical juncture, one had to keep a sharp mind.

Cheng Wanli stroked his beard and nodded. "In that case, Dong Ping will likely refuse to let you go. It is highly probable he will intervene in this matter to shield Yun Liwan."

"That is exactly my thought. Dong Ping is narrow-minded; once he sees my name, he will certainly take action," Su Wu agreed.

"You..." Cheng Wanli gave him an appreciative look, nodding with a sense of relief and a faint smile. "Truly impressive. Your depth of strategy is far beyond that of an ordinary man."

"How could I not plan and deliberate carefully when carrying out your Lordship’s orders?" Su Wu replied.

"Good, very good. Then proceed as you have planned." Cheng Wanli set the documents aside and added, "If Dong Ping falls from power, would you be willing... to come to Dongping Prefecture?"

"I serve at your command, My Lord. I have not thought of such things; my only priority is to handle the matter at hand."

Su Wu knew his future was beginning. The first step had been taken, and in truth, he had long anticipated it.

"Haha... so young, yet so steady. Your future is limitless." Cheng Wanli laughed aloud. "Do not think my words are empty. Do you not know who my patron is?"

***

For the first time, Cheng Wanli spoke to Su Wu of personal matters.

"I have not thought of that, My Lord. I only wish to finish this task without any mishaps." Su Wu suddenly remembered—Cheng Wanli did indeed have a powerful patron named Tong Guan.

Who was Tong Guan? At this very moment, he was the Superintendent of the Military, held the rank of Grand Marshal, and was a signatory of the Bureau of Military Affairs...

This was an unexpected windfall!

However, seeing that Su Wu showed no signs of excessive joy, Cheng Wanli noticed a sudden frown on his face. "My Lord, there is still some danger in this."

"Oh?" Cheng Wanli’s smile faded.

Su Wu continued, "Within Dongping Prefecture, most are Dong Ping’s trusted subordinates. Dong Ping himself is a lawless man. I fear he may resort to desperate measures; we must be prepared."

"You mean... do you think he would dare? How could he possibly?" Cheng Wanli was still incredulous.

In the Great Song Dynasty, how could there be such a brazen military officer? If he were truly pushed to the edge, would he really dare to start a rebellion on the spot? Could he really wreak havoc on a prefecture city?

Su Wu nodded seriously. "I fear... he truly might. The few squads of yamen runners in the office would not be able to apprehend him, and he is certainly not the type to surrender."

If the matter were handled through proper procedures, step by step, toppling Dong Ping should not be a problem. The danger was that if Dong Ping were to act out of desperation, the prefecture’s garrison would never dare to strike him down, and the yamen runners posed no real threat to him.

If Dong Ping rallied his own loyalists, Dongping Prefecture would be left at his mercy. Even if Su Wu were present, it would be of little use. A hundred armored cavalrymen would be unstoppable; Dong Ping could simply kill, plunder, and wreak vengeance before leaving at his leisure.

Cheng Wanli was a civil official of significant background, but he had never encountered such a situation. After Su Wu’s warning, he realized that if Dong Ping truly went rogue, there would be no way to stop him.

Cheng Wanli asked, "Since you have foreseen this... do you have a plan to counter it?"

"I do!" Su Wu nodded.