Chapter 157 - 114: Lu Huaisan, Death Penalty

Chapter 157: Chapter 114: Lu Huaisan, Death Penalty

They even occasionally transported illicit goods for others; it was an unspoken arrangement.

The profits were substantial, and the risks were relatively manageable.

Even if they were caught, a few bribes could usually make the problem go away.

But opium was the Lu Family’s absolute taboo!

Lu Huaiqian had laid down an ironclad rule more than a decade ago.

No one in the Lu Family, in any business, was ever to touch opium!

Whoever touched it would have their legs broken and be cast out of the Lu Family!

This wasn’t an empty threat. Years ago, a distant uncle had done just that.

Lu Huaiqian had broken his legs with his own hands and thrown him out of Yin Mountain County.

Lu Jing’an had absolute faith in his third uncle, Lu Huaisan.

That forthright, righteous, and at times even reckless man.

He might take a gamble and smuggle other "contraband" for profit.

But opium? He would never touch it!

It was a matter of principle, one of the bedrock values that had allowed the Lu Family to stand firm in Yin Mountain County for so many years.

He had to be proven innocent.

’But how could he prove it?’

’How do you prove you *haven’t* smuggled opium?’

’Especially when the enemy came prepared, having likely already forged "evidence."’

’Those transaction ledgers?’

’Cargo ship logs?’

’Even "eyewitnesses"?’

"How many people made the report?"

Lu Jing’an asked in a low voice.

Uncle Zhang’s lips trembled. He lowered his head, his voice dropping even further.

"N-Not just one or two."

"The rumor from the Water Patrol Bureau is that over a dozen merchants filed a joint report."

Over a dozen!

Lu Jing’an closed his eyes.

’This wasn’t a coincidence. This was a long-planned siege!’

’Bai Lang had just threatened the merchants this morning, forcing them to "cut all ties with the Lu Family."’

’And by the afternoon, someone had filed a "joint report" accusing Third Uncle of smuggling opium!’

’The coordination was flawless!’

’Those who didn’t participate in the report were likely scared into silence by now.’

’Who would dare stand up and speak for the Lu Family?’

’Who would dare testify that Lu Huaisan didn’t smuggle opium?’

’Wouldn’t that be openly opposing the Bai Family and the Water Patrol Bureau?’

The world was cold and fickle, and the hearts of men were treacherous.

"What about... Father?" Lu Jing’an forced himself to calm down and opened his eyes again.

Steward Zhang rushed to say, "The Master already knows!

"He immediately sent Steward Liu to the Water Patrol Bureau to negotiate, hoping to bail him out first."

"B-But they beat Steward Liu and threw him out!

"They said the evidence was irrefutable and there was no room for argument."

"They told... told us to wait for the Provincial Government’s verdict!"

"What’s Third Uncle’s condition now? Has anyone seen him?" Lu Jing’an asked, trying to remain composed.

"There’s a clerk at the Water Patrol Bureau we bribed years ago. He secretly passed a message out."

Uncle Zhang caught his breath slightly.

"He said Third Master is currently being held in the bureau’s holding cell. For now... for now, he hasn’t been tortured.

"And he’s still conscious.

"It’s just... he’s very agitated. He was cursing them out for a long time."

’Not tortured, and still okay.’

Lu Jing’an breathed a small sigh of relief.

As long as he was unharmed, there was still room to maneuver.

’Bai Lang not using torture right now probably isn’t a sign of mercy.’

’Instead, he’s waiting to use Third Uncle for a bigger play.’

Lu Jing’an took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then said to Uncle Zhang:

"Uncle Zhang, go back and tell my father that I am aware of the situation.

"Tell him not to worry about me; I will absolutely not act rashly.

"Everything will proceed according to Father’s original plan and pace."

Uncle Zhang looked at his young master’s face—young, yet extraordinarily calm and resolute.

His own panicked heart inexplicably settled a little.

He nodded heavily. "Yes, Young Master! I will go report to the Master right away!"

With that, he turned and hurried away, his footsteps quickly fading outside the corridor.

The Warm Pavilion fell silent once more.

The charcoal fire had weakened at some point. The warmth dissipated, and a creeping chill seeped in.

Orchid looked at Lu Jing’an’s grim profile and opened her mouth.

She wanted to say something comforting, but her throat felt dry, and she couldn’t utter a single word.

She just felt a tightness in her chest, a mixture of fear and anger.

Cui Jieyi gently tugged Orchid’s sleeve, gave her a slight shake of the head, and then gestured toward the door with her eyes.

Orchid understood, though her heart was filled with worry.

She followed Cui Jieyi, silently exiting the Warm Pavilion and gently closing the door behind them.

’Right now, the Young Master needed quiet, solitude, and time to think.’

’The best they could do was not to disturb him.’

...

The winter sky darkened early, and profoundly so.

It was just past four in the afternoon, and the sky had already dimmed to a murky gray.

By five, it was pitch-black.

Lamps were lit one by one throughout the Lu Family estate, their dim yellow halos swaying in the cold wind, appearing especially desolate.

Lu Jing’an sat alone in the gradually cooling Warm Pavilion, motionless as a statue.

The wind outside seemed to have picked up, howling as it swept through the courtyard.

It swept up withered leaves and flurries of snow, rattling them against the windowpanes.

Time trickled by.

No new word came from the study.

This silence, instead, felt like a form of invisible pressure.

It hung heavily over the Lu Family estate.

It wasn’t until after seven in the evening that the steward came again to summon Lu Jing’an to the study.

Inside the study, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt almost solid.

Lu Huaiqian sat behind the large desk, his face ashen.

His hands on the desk were clenched into fists, the veins on their backs bulging.

Second Uncle Lu Huaiyuan stood by the window, his back rigid.

He stared out at the impenetrable darkness, not saying a word.

Third Aunt was slumped in a Grandmaster’s Chair to the side, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Suppressed, broken sobs escaped through her fingers as her shoulders shook nonstop.

Her eyes were red and swollen; she had clearly been crying for a long time.

Lu Jing’an walked in quickly and first said to his third aunt in a steady voice, "Third Aunt, don’t worry. Third Uncle will be all right."

As if grasping at a lifeline, Third Aunt shot her head up.

She grabbed Lu Jing’an’s sleeve, tears streaming down her face.

"Jing’an! Jing’an, you have to save your third uncle!

"They... they’re trying to kill him!

"He’s never touched that poison!

"Never!"

Lu Jing’an took his third aunt’s cold, trembling hand and gave it a firm squeeze, his gaze resolute. "Third Aunt, I promise, I will definitely get Third Uncle out."

His composure seemed to infect his aunt; she calmed down slightly, but her tears still flowed endlessly.

Only then did Lu Jing’an turn to his father and second uncle. "Father, Second Uncle, what is the situation now?"

Lu Huaiqian’s lips moved as he was about to speak.

"RRRIIINNNGGG—!!!"

The old-fashioned black telephone on the desk suddenly erupted with a piercing shriek!

Lu Huaiqian took a deep breath. The hand reaching for the receiver had an almost imperceptible tremor.

He composed himself before snatching up the receiver and putting it to his ear.

"Hello?"

He said only one word.

After that, there was a long silence.

Lu Jing’an stared intently at his father’s face and saw the color...

...drain from it at a visible rate, until it was ashen white as paper.

His straight spine, as if struck by a heavy, invisible hammer, suddenly hunched over.

The knuckles of the hand holding the receiver made a faint CRACKING sound from the excessive force.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged, looking as if they might burst.

The study was terrifyingly quiet, the only sounds being the faint, indistinct static from the earpiece and Third Aunt’s desperately suppressed sobs.

Finally, as if using all the strength in his body, Lu Huaiqian slowly placed the receiver back on the telephone cradle.

The movement was stiff and slow, as if he were holding an immense weight in his hand.

He raised his head and looked at the people in the study.

His lips trembled a few times before he managed to squeeze out a hoarse sentence from deep in his throat, each word sounding like it had been scraped with sandpaper:

"The Provincial Government... just sent word."

He paused, every word spoken with extreme difficulty, as if tasting of blood.

"In light of Huaisan’s smuggling of opium in an exceptionally large quantity...

"...and given the especially heinous circumstances... the Provincial Government’s Judicial Department has approved the death penalty."

"The official verdict... will be issued... soon."

The moment the words fell.

With a CRASH, the Grandmaster’s Chair beneath Third Aunt tipped over, and she fainted.

Fortunately, Lu Jing’an’s reflexes were quick, and he caught her.

But the two words "death penalty" had also struck Lu Jing’an a deep blow.