Chapter 351 - 335: Vicious Scheme

Chapter 351: Chapter 335: Vicious Scheme

The Commandery Magistrate’s Office.

The somewhat somber atmosphere in the hall was completely shattered by this sudden development.

Chen Shouheng, Zhou Shuwei, Cao Wenxuan, and even Tan Mingyuan all turned their gazes to the entrance, their faces filled with shock and uncertainty.

’The Celestial Sword Sect?’

’What are they doing here?’

A flash of anger crossed Zhao Yuanhong’s eyes. After all, forcing their way into the Commandery Magistrate’s Office was not only a contempt for the Court’s laws, but also a direct slap in his face. However, he quickly suppressed his rage.

He took a deep breath and raised a hand to stop his subordinates and the government constables. He then stepped down from the dais and came to a halt a few paces from the leading Celestial Sword Sect Elder, cupping his hands in a formal greeting.

"So, it is an esteemed master from the Celestial Sword Sect who graces us with his presence. Which Elder might you be? I wonder what business brings you to force your way into my office? If you had instructions for me, why not send word? I, Zhao, would have naturally come out to greet you. Why make such a scene?"

"Jian Chen of the Celestial Sword Sect."

Faced with Zhao Yuanhong’s veiled accusation, the middle-aged man leading the group showed no sign of shame. He returned the greeting coolly and said, "Forcing our way into your esteemed office today was a matter of circumstance. We had no choice. I offer my apologies."

Though his words were apologetic, his posture remained arrogant, devoid of any real remorse.

Suppressing his anger, Zhao Yuanhong pressed, "Elder Jian Chen, what matter could be so urgent as to warrant such extreme measures? Please speak plainly."

Jian Chen’s gaze shifted, bypassing Zhao Yuanhong to lock directly onto Chen Shouheng, who was seated in the hall.

"This matter concerns this young master here."

Jian Chen raised a hand and pointed at Chen Shouheng. "Young Master Chen, if you please."

In an instant, all eyes focused on Chen Shouheng’s face.

Chen Shouheng’s heart sank. A dreadful premonition shot through him.

Zhou Shuwei’s hands, resting on her lap, quietly clenched into fists.

"The one million taels of silver you exchanged previously in our Celestial Sword Sect’s Ruins Market..."

Jian Chen spoke word by word, his voice echoing in the silent hall. "My Celestial Sword Sect just received an urgent dispatch from the Jiangzhou Riverway Office. It has been verified that the silver you received was stolen silver, plundered last month by the Water Bandit crew of Flipping River Flood Dragon Peng Dayan from a Long Sheng Trading Company merchant ship in Jiangzhou. Now, the Riverway Office has ordered my sect to recover the stolen goods. Therefore..."

He paused, his tone suddenly turning harsh. "Young Master Chen, please return the one million taels of stolen silver immediately. The Celestial Sword Sect can return your five thousand taels of gold."

"What?"

"Stolen silver!"

"Flipping River Flood Dragon Peng Dayan? The Riverway Office?"

The moment Jian Chen finished speaking, the entire hall erupted.

Although no one dared to shout, the waves of stifled gasps and sharp intakes of breath clearly revealed the extreme shock of everyone present.

At the same time, his words struck Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei like a bolt of lightning.

The color drained from their faces instantly.

Unlike the others, the two of them immediately sensed the problem.

’A trap!’

’This is a pre-laid trap!’

’What plunder? What recovery of stolen goods by the Riverway Office?’

’A Black Market is a black market for a reason. It operates in the shadows. When silver coins change hands, they only care about the assets, never the origin.’

’That’s the iron law of the Black Market’s existence.’

’Otherwise, who would dare trade there?’

’If origins were really investigated, the Celestial Sword Sect would be the first to be wiped out!’

’How could the Celestial Sword Sect not understand this rule?’

’Besides, what kind of coincidence is this? The very silver they exchanged just happened to be the stolen silver being pursued by the Government Office?’

’And it just had to happen at this critical juncture, right before the auction, with them brazenly forcing their way into the Commandery Magistrate’s Office with an official document from the Riverway Office to demand its return?’

’This is clearly meant to hold our feet to the fire.’

’Agree to return it?’

’That would mean instantly losing one million taels of bidding capital.’

’Even if we get back the five thousand taels of gold, converting it at the official rate would yield five hundred thousand taels of silver at most. Our capital would be halved in an instant, our entire plan thrown into disarray. How could we possibly compete then?’

’Refuse?’

’That would be openly defying the law. Even if the crime of possessing stolen silver couldn’t be proven, the Liyang Commandery Magistrate’s Office absolutely could—and certainly would—use this as a reason to refuse our funds, or even disqualify the Chen Family outright.’

’One way was a devastating loss.’

’The other way was complete disqualification.’

’Pulling the rug out from under them—it was utterly vicious!’

The expressions of everyone in the hall varied.

The anger on Zhao Yuanhong’s face had long been replaced by uncertain suspicion. He looked at Jian Chen, then at the Shouheng couple, his eyes flickering as he contemplated something.

Cao Wenxuan raised a slight eyebrow, sizing up Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei with great interest. A faint, inscrutable smile played on her lips, as if she were enjoying a good show.

As for Tan Mingyuan, he looked as if it was none of his business, adopting the mentality of a spectator. His face wore an undisguised expression of schadenfreude.

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

All eyes were fixed on Chen Shouheng, awaiting his response.

The silence lasted for about a dozen breaths.

Chen Shouheng could feel Zhou Shuwei’s hand give his a firm squeeze.

He slowly raised his head to meet Jian Chen’s aggressive gaze. "Elder Jian Chen, I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. Could it be that you’ve mistaken me for someone else?"

"A misunderstanding?"

Jian Chen shook his head and said coldly, "Young Master Chen, don’t take everyone in the world for a fool. One million taels of silver is no small sum. How could its transport leave no trace? As long as one is determined to investigate, it’s not difficult to follow the clues back to the source. My Celestial Sword Sect has been in Jiangzhou for many years; we have at least that much ability."

He paused, his tone suddenly becoming earnest. "I came here today out of good intentions. If you return it voluntarily now, you can still get the gold back and minimize your losses. If you wait for the Officials from the Riverway Government Office to come knocking, it will be confiscated without compensation, and you’ll end up with nothing! Young Master Chen is a smart man. You should know which choice to make."

Zhou Shuwei’s gaze was as cold as autumn frost. She looked directly at Jian Chen and spoke, "Elder Jian Chen, you keep insisting it’s stolen silver. What proof do you have? We’ve never heard of any Flipping River Flood Dragon or Long Sheng Trading Company. Is the reputation of the Celestial Sword Sect’s Ruins Market based on such after-the-fact revisions?"

Jian Chen seemed to have expected this question. He replied coolly, "Of course there is proof. The inside of the chests containing the stolen silver all bear the secret mark of the Long Sheng Trading Company. Some of the silver ingots even have the Commerce Association’s seal engraved on the bottom."

"My sect only discovered this discrepancy after receiving the dispatch from the Riverway Government Office and carefully checking our inventory and records. It was indeed an oversight on our part not to have noticed it earlier. But the silver is genuinely stolen. With the official document from the Riverway Office right here, would we spout such nonsense?"

’What bullshit ironclad proof!’

’This is just a setup, planned from the very beginning!’

The rage in Chen Shouheng’s heart was about to burst from his chest. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, the sharp pain being the only thing that allowed him to maintain his composure.

’The Celestial Sword Sect runs a Black Market. How could they not inspect the silver they take in?’

’If there was a problem, they would never have let me exchange it in the first place!’

’These so-called secret marks and seals were most likely fabricated by them afterward, or perhaps prepared long ago, for the sole purpose of cementing this ’stolen silver’ accusation.’

’Their intentions are utterly damnable!’

Just as Chen Shouheng was on the verge of losing control, a soft, cool hand gently covered his clenched fist.

It was Zhou Shuwei.

Chen Shouheng glanced to the side, meeting his wife’s calm gaze.

Zhou Shuwei gave him an almost imperceptible nod, her lips parting slightly as if to say, ’It’s come to this. Fighting back is useless. We must make a clean break when necessary.’

Chen Shouheng took a deep breath and nodded.

Receiving her husband’s response, Zhou Shuwei released his hand and slowly stood up.

"Fine! Since Elder Jian Chen puts it that way, we accept! We can return the silver!"

At these words, Zhao Yuanhong, Cao Wenxuan, Tan Mingyuan, and the others all showed surprise. They hadn’t expected the Chen Family to just accept their loss so easily.

Zhou Shuwei looked at Jian Chen, her voice low but clear and cold. "However, this entire affair was caused by the negligence of your Celestial Sword Sect, causing my Chen Family to suffer such a huge loss. How should this account be settled? How does the Celestial Sword Sect intend to compensate my Chen Family for our losses?"

"Compensation?"

Jian Chen shook his head, his tone firm and leaving no room for negotiation. "This matter was indeed our Sword Sect’s oversight. But we must also turn over the entire one million taels of stolen silver to the Riverway Government Office, which means we also suffer a total loss. Our willingness to return the five thousand taels of gold is the greatest sincerity we can offer. I hope you two can understand our difficult position."

Zhou Shuwei turned to Chen Shouheng. Seeing that his face was ashen but his eyes had regained their calm, she knew he had made his decision.

Their eyes met, and in an instant, they understood each other’s thoughts.

"Further talk is pointless."

Chen Shouheng looked at Jian Chen and said coldly, "You keep talking about recovering the stolen silver. I assume you’ve brought the five thousand taels of gold to return to us?"

Jian Chen nodded. "Naturally. It is in the carriage outside the office, untouched."

"Good."

Chen Shouheng stared hard at Jian Chen and said crisply, "Then please, you and your men wait outside the office for a moment. Once the auction matters here are concluded, my wife and I will naturally return to our residence and hand over the one million taels."

Jian Chen said coolly, "I’m afraid there isn’t time. The Riverway Government Office is pressing us. This batch of stolen silver needs to be transported to Jiangzhou immediately. To be safe, please return to your residence with us at once to retrieve the silver. If you delay and hold up official business, then this deal is off. You two can deal with the one million taels yourselves."

The hand inside Zhou Shuwei’s sleeve once again squeezed Chen Shouheng’s.

Chen Shouheng felt the resolve conveyed through her fingertips. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were filled with an icy calm.

He gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

Having gotten her husband’s agreement, Zhou Shuwei no longer hesitated.

She spun around to face Zhao Yuanhong. "Lord Zhao, I will take my leave now. Please forgive my discourtesy."

Without waiting to see Zhao Yuanhong’s reaction, she turned her gaze to Jian Chen, her tone frigid. "In that case, let’s go, Elder Jian Chen!" ℯℯ𝘭.

Before her voice had even faded, she strode decisively out of the hall.

A flicker of surprise crossed Jian Chen’s eyes, followed by a cold smirk. He waved his hand, and led the group of Celestial Sword Sect disciples after her, quickly leaving the hall.

In the blink of an eye, the uninvited guests who had arrived so abruptly were gone just as quickly.

The hall returned to silence.

However, this silence was even more eerie than before.

Chen Shouheng stood alone, feeling the ambiguous gazes from all directions.

He slowly sat back down in his chair, his expression as calm as still water. Only in the depths of his slightly lowered eyes did a fire seem to burn.