20demayo Chapter 30 Preparations for Entering the Capital
Chapter 30 Preparations for Entering the Capital
The morning sea breeze carried a hint of coolness, dispersing the thin mist in the backyard of the Imperial Stables' Grain Hall.
As soon as Liu Cheng, the eunuch, stepped out of the sedan chair, he smelled a familiar odor mixed with hay and horse manure. He frowned, covered his mouth and nose with a clean white silk handkerchief, and his always-squinting triangular eyes revealed a hint of impatience.
"Where's that scholar surnamed Lu?" Liu Cheng asked in a shrill voice. "I heard the timber has all been put into storage? That kid's efficient. But how's that batch of 'scrap' being handled? If it's rotting in the yard, I won't let him off the hook."
The "waste" he referred to was naturally the dozens of plague-stricken horses reported as damaged by the Imperial Horse Administration. In his view, after such a long and arduous journey, even if those horses weren't all dead, they were probably barely clinging to life, and their hides could be skinned and sold to leather factories to make donkey-hide gelatin.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, Scholar Lu is waiting in the stables in the backyard." Steward Zhang bowed, his expression somewhat strange. "He said... he would like Your Excellency to come and 'inspect' him."
"Inspection? Inspect a bunch of dead horses?" Liu Cheng scoffed, flicking his sleeves. "Fine, I'll go see what he's up to."
Passing through two moon gates, we arrived at the stables in the backyard.
Before even entering, Liu Cheng heard a series of loud neighings coming from inside, full of energy, not at all like someone who was ill.
He paused, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Push open the courtyard gate.
The sight before him stunned Liu Cheng, who didn't even notice the silk handkerchief in his hand falling to the ground.
On the spacious riding arena, forty-two tall warhorses galloped in the morning light. Although their coats had not yet fully regained their luster, their muscles were well-defined and their limbs powerful. Several guards from Lu's company were brushing the horses' coats, and the horses occasionally snorted, appearing extremely spirited.
These aren't plague horses at all! They're clearly a herd of elite Liaodong horses that can be ready for battle in just another half a month!
"What...what's going on?" Liu Cheng pointed at the herd of horses, his fingers trembling. "Have they come back to life?"
"Father-in-law is joking."
Lu Yan walked out from beside the stable, holding a brush in his hand. He was dressed in shorts and looked exceptionally capable. He walked up to Liu Cheng and bowed.
"These horses were originally in good health, but they were cooped up on the ship for too long and were not fed properly, which is why they looked like they had a plague. I know a little about veterinary medicine, and with careful treatment along the way, I managed to save their lives."
Liu Cheng's expression shifted unpredictably.
If it were anyone else, they might be happy to have recovered their losses. But Liu Cheng, a eunuch in the Imperial Horse Administration, knew the gravity of the situation. These horses were already "dead" on the books; the reimbursement forms were all filled out. Now, they were suddenly appearing here, alive and kicking. If the Ministry of War or the Eastern Depot saw them, it would be a crime of "deceiving the emperor"! It would be irrefutable evidence of the Imperial Horse Administration's embezzlement!
"Lu Yan!" Liu Cheng lowered his voice, a murderous glint in his eyes. "You're causing trouble for us! If this batch of horses is transported back to the capital, it'll be a slap in our face! Are you trying to kill us?"
"Please calm down, Father-in-law."
Lu Yan seemed to have anticipated Liu Cheng's reaction. He calmly dismissed everyone around him, leaving only the two of them standing by the empty horse field.
"These horses certainly cannot be transported back to the capital."
Lu Yan's voice became deep and seductive, the tone he often used at the engineering negotiation table—a spell called "exchange of interests".
"Father-in-law, let's settle some accounts."
"In the Imperial Stables' ledgers, these horses are listed as dead, reduced to a pile of rotten flesh and a few taels of silver in the leather factory's inventory. You've balanced the books, and no one can find out."
"But now, in reality, they are alive."
Lu Yan pointed to the group of horses, "These forty-two warhorses, even if they were unharvested, could fetch 1,500 taels of silver on the black market. If they were trained into military horses, they would be worth 3,000 taels."
"These three thousand taels appeared out of thin air. They were a 'gift from heaven'."
Liu Cheng's breathing quickened. Three thousand taels was no small sum.
"But... what should we do with the horse? We can't just hide it in our crotch, can we?" Liu Cheng was still hesitating.
"Dealing with these horses is a problem. It's a pity to kill them, but selling them is risky." Lu Yan looked at Liu Cheng, his true intentions revealed. "Therefore, I have a favor to ask."
"Lu's Carriage and Horse Company is short of a crew to escort your father-in-law's goods. I am willing to share your burden and take on this 'trouble'."
Lu Yan took out a silver note that he had prepared beforehand, with a face value of one thousand taels.
"This is a small token of Lu Ji's appreciation, a 'compensation' for you, sir. As for these horses, from today onwards, they are the ones Lu Ji bought from merchants in Liaodong. They have absolutely no connection with the Imperial Horse Administration or with you, sir."
Liu Cheng looked at the silver note, then at the horses, and finally gave Lu Yan a deep look.
He understood.
This isn't just about sharing burdens; it's about money laundering.
Lu Yan helped him settle the accounts, eliminated the potential danger, and even gave him a thousand taels of silver as "extra income." As for Lu Yan himself, he obtained the prototype of a cavalry force that he had always dreamed of.
This is a win-win situation. It's also a tacit understanding that only intelligent people can grasp.
"Good lad..." Liu Cheng reached out and took the silver note, his gloom vanishing in favor of the delight of finding a treasure. "These methods, these cunning... It's a waste of your talent to be a mere scholar in Shandong. Your brains are born to go to the palace... no, to the ministries and departments to do great things!"
"You flatter me, sir." Lu Yan cupped his hands in greeting. "I am just a small business owner."
"A small business?" Liu Cheng stuffed the silver notes into his pocket, in high spirits. "Being able to turn a dead account around, that's a skill you can't develop with a small business. Alright, these horses are yours. If anyone asks in the future, just say they're yours, and keep your mouth shut."
"I understand."
"However..." Liu Cheng's tone shifted, his expression becoming serious, "This time when you go to the capital, your little bit of cleverness won't be enough. Although you've delivered Su Mu, that's just a stepping stone. If you want to see Wang Tiqian, you're still far from it."
"I was just about to ask you, Eunuch Wang," Lu Yan asked respectfully, "What should I prepare to meet your approval?"
Liu Cheng took a warm ivory waist tag from his waist, and then took out a series of sealed letters with sealing wax from his sleeve, and solemnly handed them to Lu Yan.
"Take this."
"This is your pass for entering and exiting the Imperial Household Department, and also a personal letter of recommendation from my servant to Eunuch Wang. With these, you'll be able to enter the Imperial Household Department."
At this point, Liu Cheng lowered his voice, his tone carrying a deeper meaning:
"Wang Tiqian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Palace Attendants. I've heard he has some connections with the Crown Prince's faction and is very astute in the palace. These days, aligning yourself with the right people is more important than anything else."
"A person like him doesn't lack money, nor does he lack antiques and calligraphy. What he lacks is someone who can help him 'save money,' help him 'make money,' and handle things perfectly without leaving any loose ends."
Liu Cheng pointed at Lu Yan: "Just like how you dealt with this batch of horses. If you can apply this skill of 'balancing accounts' to the procurement of imperial timber and help him solve that mess, then you will have gained a foothold in the capital."
Lu Yan accepted the waist token and letter with both hands, feeling their weight.
This is the admission ticket.
"Thank you for your guidance, Father-in-law." Lu Yan's eyes were firm. "I will certainly live up to your expectations."
……
After returning to his residence from the grain hall, Lu Yan did not rest.
He had Zhao Changying stand guard at the door, while he closed the door and took out the Western self-ringing clock he had bought from the ghost market.
Although the clock has an exquisite movement, its casing is rusty and its style is too fashionable, which does not conform to the aesthetics of the palace.
"Engineering renovation, commence."
Lu Yan took out a set of exquisite tools from the package—these were specially made by Zhao Tie.
He carefully removed the outer casing, revealing the complex gear structure inside. For someone who had worked in mechanical engineering in his previous life, this kind of spring-driven mechanical device was not difficult to understand.
He not only repaired the broken spring, but also made a bold "localization" modification.
Next to the Roman numerals on the clock face, he meticulously marked the twelve two-hour periods of the day with an extremely fine vermilion pen: "Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao". On the top of the clock, he designed an ingenious mechanism—every hour on the hour, a gilded wooden magpie would pop out and, with the meshing of gears, make a "bowing" motion.
This is called "magpie bringing good news," and it's considered very auspicious.
By the time I finished all this, it was already late at night.
Lu Yan did not stop. He spread out a huge sheet of Xuan paper, picked up a charcoal pencil, and began to draw another, more important "gift".
That was a "Royal Timber Logistics Loss Node Analysis Chart".
Based on his knowledge of the Grand Canal from his previous life, as well as the information he had extracted from Liu Cheng in the past few days, he meticulously marked on the map every checkpoint, every dangerous shoal, and every link along the route from Sichuan to Beijing that could potentially lead to "drifting" (corruption).
Next to the diagram, he wrote down a plan called "Full-Process Closed-Loop Logistics Management" in tiny characters.
This is his real "proposal".
Compared to the self-ringing clock, this proposal, which could save Wang Tiqian hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, was the real weapon that could impress that "God of Wealth".
next morning
Lu Yan, with his newly refurbished convoy, carrying the secret letter and two "gifts," slowly drove out of Tianjin and headed towards the majestic capital city in the north.
The wind came from the sea, making the flag on the front of the car flutter loudly.
Lu Yan sat in the carriage, gazing at the scenery rushing past the window, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
"Beijing, here I come."
This time, he wasn't a guest; he was the host.