Chapter 2752: The Capital (Part 108)
The conversation between Qian Taichong and Zhou Lezhi stretched deep into the night before Mr. Le finally took his leave. Qian Taichong urged him to remain until dawn—the Capital enforced a strict curfew after dark, and the unlit streets posed genuine danger. Yet Mr. Le dismissed the concern entirely. When Qian accompanied him to the door, he discovered a small sedan chair and seven or eight attendants waiting in the shadows of the guild hall's screen wall. Clearly, this Mr. Le was no ordinary scholar.
Returning to his room, Qian found the third watch drum had already sounded. He blew out the lamp and retired to bed, but sleep eluded him. His mind raced with excitement. Who could have anticipated such a fortuitous encounter? He had come to the Capital with the desperate resolve of a last stand, expecting nothing. Yet through sheer happenstance, he had secured an audience with the Emperor. And now this unexpected, far-reaching conversation with "Mr. Le" had opened entirely new horizons in his thinking.
That was it! Given the present circumstances, any hope of the Zheng family "avenging their grievances and washing away their hatred" was out of the question. Fratricidal conflict in Zhangzhou Bay offered no path forward either. The impossible dilemma trapping both him and Zheng Sen ultimately came down to one thing: lack of money.
Only with sufficient funds could they afford to raise soldiers, purchase Kun guns and cannons, and thereby protect their existing holdings. Only then could they speak of anything else.
As things stood, they had nothing, and could only beg from every quarter. They had spent lavishly yet achieved pitifully little. Had it not been for this stroke of fortune, the entire journey to the Capital would likely have yielded nothing.
These thoughts made sleep impossible. He rose, lit a candle, spread out paper and ink, and began listing the matters he had been contemplating, one by one.
First and foremost was establishing a sugar factory. Zheng Sen controlled extensive landholdings, and a considerable portion grew cash crops—sugarcane and indigo among them. Yet without processing capabilities, most of the sugarcane was simply sold to local sugar sheds (tangliao). Over the past two years, Kun sugar had flooded the market in massive quantities, driving nearly all these sheds out of business. Now the sugarcane was mostly purchased by traveling merchants who collected the raw crop. Where they resold it was self-evident—to the Kun, naturally.
The fact that the Kun bought Fujian's sugarcane to manufacture their own sugar was an open secret locally. Fujian had once been a major sugar-producing province, its landscape dotted with sugar sheds. Brown sugar, white sugar, rock sugar—all were produced and shipped in great quantities, both for export by sea merchants and domestic sale. But since the arrival of Kun sugar, the relentless dumping had virtually annihilated the local industry. With their advantages in both price and quality, the various grades of Kun sugar had spread through the entire market like quicksilver poured onto the ground. Shed owners, merchants, and craftsmen had gone bankrupt or lost their livelihoods one after another. Only the sugarcane farmers themselves remained unscathed.
If he were to establish his own sugar factory using Kun methods, raw materials would present no obstacle. The problem was that he possessed neither Kun machinery nor Kun craftsmen—these would still have to come from the Kun themselves. On this point, Qian Taichong harbored doubts. After all, the two sides remained "enemy states." Logic suggested they would be unlikely to assist him. Yet hearing Mr. Le describe the Kun's patterns of behavior, and considering that every family in Zhangzhou Bay now conducted business with them, perhaps it was not so impossible after all.
"Regardless, I must try," Qian Taichong resolved. Just as with this very journey to the Capital—neither others nor he himself had held any real certainty, yet against all expectations, the Emperor had summoned him.
Qian Taichong found himself humming the latest popular Southern Fujian tune, "Success Comes From Fighting" (Ai Pia Cia E Yia). The song had arrived with Kun merchants some years ago. Though Qian Taichong could not fathom why the Kun possessed Southern Fujian melodies, the tune was pleasant and the lyrics inspiring, and it had spread rapidly upon introduction. Everyone in the Zheng household naturally hummed a few lines, and even he, an outsider, was no exception.
Xu Ke studied the middle-aged man under heavy guard. A face weathered by wind and frost, beard and hair already graying—it was hard to imagine this man was only in his early forties, supposedly in the prime of life.
Encountering him on the street, one might genuinely be deceived into thinking him merely a jianghu drifter who wandered the lanes each day, using a glib tongue to earn a few coins for his next meal.
Only when his clothes were stripped away for medical treatment did his body reveal itself: lean, powerful, corded with sinewy muscle.
This was not the physique cultivated by fitness enthusiasts through protein powder, but one honed by years of rigorous training and combat. Though unremarkable in appearance, the explosive power and resilience it contained far exceeded that of ordinary men. Combined with the scars covering his body, Xu Ke recognized that this man's martial skill was extraordinary, his jianghu experience extensive. Had he not been stabbed first, capturing him would likely have required considerable effort.
Such a man possessed excellent physical constitution; his apparent weakness stemmed solely from excessive blood loss. With antibiotics preventing infection and over ten days of recuperation, his condition improved steadily. To ensure the interrogation would be effective, Xu Ke waited until the health worker confirmed that his wounds had essentially healed and he could sit up and take soft food before finally bringing Liu Sha out for questioning.
Liu Sha's sickroom-cum-cell had been arranged in a side chamber. Xu Ke stepped inside. The room was brightly lit, with iron bars newly installed over the windows. Liu Sha lay propped against pillows on a small bed. Iron rings had been chiseled into the wall, and shackles and chains secured his right hand and left foot to them.
Initially, nylon restraint straps had been used to immobilize his limbs. But as his health improved and his strength returned, they had switched to iron shackles. A guard sat vigilantly by the bedside, equipped not only with firearm and dagger but also clutching an electric baton, ready to subdue him at any moment.
Such elaborate precautions reflected Xu Ke's naturally cautious disposition. Interrogating prisoners in enemy territory demanded particular prudence.
Liu Sha not only possessed martial arts skill but had also masterminded the atrocities committed in Guangzhou. Setting aside the considerable trouble he had caused the Senate, his instruction of bandits in caisheng zhege—the mutilation of living people for sorcery and begging—and his practice of witchcraft were crimes sufficient to ensure he would die without a burial place. Such men knew the gravity of their sins and rarely submitted willingly. One had to guard against the desperate, dying struggle that sought to bring ruin upon both jade and stone alike.
Liu Sha had been resting with eyes closed on the bed. Hearing someone enter, he opened them.
"How is your body?" Xu Ke asked gently.
"Recovering quite well. Australian medicine is truly effective." Liu Sha's expression was unremarkable, as though exchanging idle pleasantries about household matters.
"The Daoist priest possesses a strong constitution; such a minor injury is nothing," Xu Ke replied. "A few more days of rest, and you will move as freely as before."
Hearing the address "Daoist priest," Liu Sha's expression shifted slightly—he likely realized his hidden documents had been discovered.
"What use is moving freely?" Liu Sha raised his shackled right hand. "I suspect Your Honor will only rest easy after removing one of my hands and one of my feet."
"It won't come to that," Xu Ke laughed. "Our Great Song has never engaged in the abuse of captives and prisoners. Since the Daoist priest has been captured, whatever crimes may exist will naturally be reviewed and adjudicated by the proper judiciary in due course, that the law may be publicly enforced. I am merely a detective and investigator—these precautions guard only against the unexpected."
Hearing these words, Liu Sha understood that the other party clearly knew he was "Daoist Wood-Stone." Given the things he had done, there was absolutely no possibility of leniency. Strangely, this realization settled him. The stone in his heart found solid ground, and his unease faded. "Since Sir already knows my identity," he said, "why treat and save me?"
"Visiting the poor and inquiring after their suffering, healing the wounded and rescuing the dying—this is truly the Senate's duty. Whether Sir has committed terrible crimes is not for us to judge." Xu Ke understood that such men feared neither beating nor death. Neither pure coercion nor pure conciliation would make him submit. Even severe torture—bringing out the hand-cranked telephone—might not prove entirely effective. He could only employ both soft and hard approaches, planning slowly and carefully.
"Sir speaks with great righteousness." Liu Sha's words carried an edge of sarcasm. "But saving me was to extract my words, was it not?"
"Naturally. The Daoist priest told us much about Stone Elder back then. The Senate is very interested." Xu Ke continued, "Sir is a man of intelligence; I need not dissemble. This Stone Elder has been manipulating events from behind the scenes from beginning to end. Though he never threatened the overall situation, he created considerable trouble for us. This account must inevitably be settled."
"Since you wish to settle accounts, why should I elaborate? You already know that Stone Elder is Lord Wang."
"Stone Elder may indeed be Wang Yehao, but based on the Senate's understanding of Master Wang, he absolutely lacks such capability. Sir is certainly a formidable individual, able to stand alone and stir up countless waves. Yet in terms of grand strategy, you still fall somewhat short. So we wish to know: who is the person devising strategies for Stone Elder?"
The question struck at the vital point. Liu Sha drew a deep breath, his expression turning hesitant. Xu Ke recognized that whatever loyalty Liu Sha had once held for Stone Elder had largely eroded—otherwise, he would never have played his games during the kidnapping case, nor colluded with Little Eunuch Yang.
His hesitation now was nothing more than the calculation of one seeking leverage for bargaining.
Were he an ordinary man, the promise of his life would likely make him talk. But Xu Ke dared not offer such a promise. Daoist Wood-Stone was not only the mastermind behind a series of major anti-Senate cases but had also perpetrated the Witchcraft Case. No one had the authority to open that door.
Without a point of vulnerability, manipulation proved difficult. Yet Xu Ke reconsidered: Liu Sha's current state of mind was likely one of disillusionment. If treated with sincerity, it might be possible to make him speak quickly.
With this in mind, he paused for several minutes. Seeing that Liu Sha still remained silent, he decided to test him.
"Could it be 'Mr. Le'?"
Liu Sha stiffened. From the micro-expression that flickered across his face, Xu Ke knew instantly that his probe had struck true.
A successful probe meant Liu Sha's bargaining chips had diminished. It was now evident that the man had begun to waver.
In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Sha spoke: "You know him?"
"Naturally we know of him. We simply do not know his real name." Xu Ke's tone was leisurely. "In truth, we have little interest in what his surname and given name might be. We merely wish to understand him as a person."
"Mr. Le is a man of extraordinary talent," Liu Sha murmured.
"On this point, we agree." Xu Ke adopted an expression of mutual appreciation. "Though we serve different masters, the Senators of our Great Song hold the gentlemen of Stone Elder's circle in high regard. The Imperial Court's army expended millions in grain and pay, yet accomplished less than half of what you achieved."
Everyone loves flattery, particularly when it comes from a formidable opponent. Liu Sha was no exception; a faint smile crept unbidden to the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes for a long moment, then suddenly opened them.
"It would not be difficult for me to tell you. But... I have a condition."
Xu Ke thought to himself: It is done.
"Speak freely. If it lies within my authority to decide, I can agree on the spot. If it requires the Senate's decision, I will report immediately and provide you an answer within three days."
"Three days?" Liu Sha appeared momentarily surprised, then sighed. "Of course—you have the telegraph. Mr. Le said that device can transmit sound a thousand li away in an instant..."