Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 126 The Local Tyrant Li Family

Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

The second hall of the magistrate's office.

Lu Yan sat behind the desk, flipping through a stack of official documents.

These official documents were delivered by Clerk Qian last night, saying they were "backlogged official business, please take a look, sir."

Lu Yan flipped through it and found that most of them were trivial matters—a field boundary dispute in a certain village, tax arrears in a certain town, a business license application for a certain merchant...

Not a single truly important official document was included.

"Interesting." Lu Yan put down the official document, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

He knew that his subordinates were testing him.

Pile up unimportant documents for him and see how he handles them. If he buries himself in work, he's a bookworm and easy to fool; if he abandons his responsibilities, he's a lazy official and even easier to fool.

"grown ups."

The voice of the clerk, Qian, came from outside the door.

"Come in."

The clerk, Qian, pushed open the door and came in, bowing and smiling broadly.

"My lord, someone outside requests an audience."

"who?"

"It's the steward of the Li family, named Li Fu. He said he's here on the orders of the head of the family to deliver gifts to you, sir."

A glint flashed in Lu Yan's eyes.

coming.

"Please let him in."

"yes."

The clerk withdrew.

A short while later, a middle-aged man in his forties walked in.

The man was dressed in a long silk robe, wore a square scarf on his head, and had a fair complexion and no beard; he looked like a shrewd businessman. He carried a mahogany box in his hand and wore a perfectly appropriate smile on his face.

"This humble one, Li Fu, greets Lord Lu."

Li Fu bowed respectfully.

"Please rise, Steward Li." Lu Yan slightly raised his hand. "May I ask what brings you here, Steward Li?"

"I dare not accept the title 'Your Excellency'," Li Fu said with a smile. "I am here on my master's orders to deliver a small gift to Lord Lu as a token of my respect."

He placed the mahogany box on the table and opened the lid.

Inside the box, a stack of silver notes was neatly arranged.

Lu Yan glanced at them and saw that there were about twenty bills, each worth one hundred taels.

Two thousand taels.

"This is a small token of my master's appreciation; please accept it, Lord Lu," Li Fu said. "Lord Lu is new here and has many matters to attend to; this small amount of money is merely a small token to help you settle in."

Lu Yan looked at the stack of silver notes, a playful smile appearing on his face.

"The Li family's generosity is truly remarkable."

"You flatter me, sir," Li Fu said. "My master said that Lord Lu is an official appointed by the imperial court, with a bright future ahead of him. It is an honor for the Li family to befriend you. This small amount of silver is nothing but a token of our respect, and we hope you will not find it offensive."

Lu Yan didn't speak, he just looked at Li Fu.

Li Fu felt a little uneasy under his gaze, and the smile on his face gradually froze.

"grown ups……"

"Manager Li," Lu Yan began, "is your master Li Shouzhen, the Assistant Commander, or Li Shouyi, the wealthy landowner?"

Li Fu was taken aback, not expecting Lu Yan to ask this question.

"Your Excellency, I am the steward of Master Li Shouyi."

"Oh, it's Master Li." Lu Yan nodded. "I've heard that the Li family is one of the most powerful families in Dengzhou. Commander Li controls the military garrisons, and Master Li monopolizes half of the maritime trade. The two brothers, one a scholar and the other a warrior, have made Dengzhou an impregnable fortress."

Li Fu's expression changed slightly.

"You jest, sir. My master is merely a businessman; how could he dare utter the word 'monopoly'?"

"Really?" Lu Yan smiled. "I took a walk around the city today and found that at least half of the shops have the Li family's secret mark on their signs. Isn't that a monopoly?"

Li Fu's expression turned even uglier.

He hadn't expected that this newly arrived prefect would find out so quickly about the Li family's background.

"Your insight is truly remarkable, I admire it," Li Fuqian said with a smile. "However, my master always conducts business honestly and never does anything illegal."

"I didn't say your master broke the law," Lu Yan said. "I'm just curious how the Li family amassed such a large fortune."

Li Fu was silent for a moment, then said:

"My master said that Lord Lu is a wise man, so I don't need to say more. Lord Lu is new to Dengzhou and unfamiliar with the place, so some inconveniences are inevitable. My master is willing to befriend you, and if you ever need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask; the Li family will certainly do our best."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan's lips curled up slightly.

"Make friends?"

"Yes," Li Fu said. "My master said, 'Having many friends makes life easier. You, sir, are an official in Dengzhou, and my Li family is a businessman in Dengzhou. We each get what we need; it's a win-win situation. Isn't that wonderful?"

Lu Yan nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

Seeing this, Li Fu was secretly delighted.

It seems this new prefect is also a pragmatic person.

"Sir, this silver..."

"I'll accept the money," Lu Yan said.

A smile appeared on Li Fu's face.

"Thank you for your presence, sir. My master said he will host a banquet another day, and we cordially invite you to join us..."

"However," Lu Yan interrupted him, "I have a condition."

"Please speak, sir."

"I need to see your master," Lu Yan said. "To talk in person."

Li Fu was taken aback.

"this……"

"What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"

"It's not that it's inconvenient," Li Fu said, "it's just that my master has been quite busy these past few days and I'm afraid he won't be able to find the time..."

"Then let's talk about it when he has time." Lu Yan stood up and pushed the mahogany box back to Li Fu. "Take this silver back first. I'll take it back after I see your master."

Li Fu's expression changed.

"My lord, this..."

"Manager Li, go back and tell your master," Lu Yan said. "I, Lu Yan, am not an ungrateful person, but I'm not someone who can be easily dismissed. He wants to be friends with me, fine. But he has to show sincerity."

"Two thousand taels of silver? Is that enough to feed a beggar?"

Li Fu's expression changed completely.

He hadn't expected that this newly arrived prefect would be so disrespectful.

"My lord, what do you mean by that?"

"What do you mean? Go back and ask your master," Lu Yan said. "If he really wants to be friends with me, he'll come see me in person. If he doesn't..."

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Then don't blame me for being impolite."

Li Fu stared at Lu Yan for a long time before finally picking up the mahogany box and coldly saying:

"Yes, sir, I will certainly convey your message."

He turned and walked out, his steps hurried and heavy.

After he walked away, Shen Qing came out from behind the screen.

"Master, are you deliberately provoking him?"

"It's not about provoking," Lu Yan said, "it's about testing."

"What are you testing?"

"Testing the Li family's bottom line," Lu Yan said. "The Li family sending someone with gifts shows they want to win me over. But two thousand taels of silver isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either; it's clearly a test of my appetite."

"By returning the money, I was telling them—I'm not so easily fooled."

"What they do next will reveal where their bottom line is."

Shen Qing nodded.

"The master is brilliant."

"What's so impressive about that?" Lu Yan waved his hand. "This is just an appetizer. The real show is yet to come."

He walked to the window and looked at the sky outside.

"Shen Qing, go and investigate whether the Li brothers are truly united."

"What the boss means is..."

"What I mean is, the drama of brothers fighting has never stopped throughout history," Lu Yan said. "Li Shouzhen controls the military, and Li Shouyi controls the finances. One is a military leader, and the other is a civil official. Do you really think there's no conflict between them?"

A glint flashed in Shen Qing's eyes.

"Understood."

"Go," Lu Yan said. "Within three days, I need to know everything about the Li brothers."

"yes."

Shen Qing turned and left.

Lu Yan stood by the window, watching his figure disappear outside the door.

Li family.

Local bully.

They had been entrenched in Dengzhou for three generations, wielding immense power and deep-rooted influence.

Even the thickest tree has roots.

Once the root is found, it can be uprooted completely.

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

Does the Li family want to fight him?

Let's see how it goes.

Let's see if it's their deep roots or his sharp knife that's the real deal.