Chapter 1037: Wise Wu Supervisor

Old Yu was the one he sent to turn the Wanqi uncle and nephew. Now, Old Yu's head has been delivered to the Lu mansion in a box, yet He Lingchuan is still alive and well. What does this signify?

Lu Qing'an covered his face and said weakly, "Didn't I tell you not to make a move on the Yangshan Archipelago during this critical period? And you agreed!"

"I thought, since we weren't doing it ourselves, what harm was there in someone else getting rid of He Lingchuan for us?" Lu Zhensheng's face was pale. "Who would have thought that the more than six hundred men of the Wanqi uncle and nephew, along with those seemingly formidable bounty hunters from Beijia, would all fail in their surprise attack on He Lingchuan during a hurricane?"

He let out a long sigh, "How utterly incompetent are they?"

"The Wanqi uncle and nephew are renowned," Lu Qing'an said, restless, "but none of us have actually seen them in action. Could it be that He Lingchuan has other forces under his command that we don't know about?"

The attendant then pulled another letter from a cloth bag. "Master, there's a letter."

The handwriting on the envelope was elegant and clear, reading: "For Lu Zhensheng's personal attention."

The attendant unfolded the letter on the table, and the father and son leaned in to read it.

The letter contained only a single, short line: "A gift for a gift; expect something in return."

"What does this mean?" Lu Zhensheng asked his eldest son, a shiver running down his spine. "What do you make of this?"

"The Lu mansion must strengthen its patrols, and our family members should have at least five guards when they go out." Lu Qing'an composed himself. "Don't worry, if that fellow He had any real power, he would have attacked by now, not sent heads to intimidate us. I will write a letter to reprimand him."

Lu Zhensheng paced back and forth several times, then started to walk out.

"Where are you going?"

Lu Zhensheng paused, hesitated, and then said, "You carry on with your work, and be careful." He then strode away without looking back.

Lu Qing'an could guess what he was going to do, and there was nothing he could do to stop him. He could only instruct his subordinates to dispose of the heads.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, a subordinate reported: "A red bird just flew out of the Master's courtyard."

Lu Qing'an couldn't help but press his forehead. His father still couldn't hold his temper and had written to his second son.

But his second son was far away on the western front; what could he possibly do?

He Lingchuan had sent seven severed heads of spies, a strong warning. Lu Qing'an originally had some plans for the Yangshan Archipelago, but now he had to put them aside for a while.

It wasn't that he was afraid of trouble, but the war with Ya State had already exhausted him. Furthermore, Bailei had been severely damaged by the hurricane, needing time to repair and recover. He simply didn't have the energy to deal with the Yangshan Archipelago.

He would wait a bit longer; there would always be another opportunity later.

He thought for a moment, and then issued a gag order, forbidding servants from privately spreading news about the brocade box and the heads in the Lu mansion.

"Anyone who disobeys will be beaten to death!"

Just then, Clerk Yang from the official residence suddenly rushed over, and upon seeing him, immediately asked where the patriarch was.

Lu Qing'an saw him panting, and couldn't help but frown: "What's the matter, why are you so flustered?"

"Mou State, the Imperial Advisor has sent a letter!"

"The Imperial Advisor of Mou State?" Lu Qing'an was startled. "Which one?"

"It's Imperial Advisor Wang!" Clerk Yang pulled out a silver envelope. "Imperial Advisor Wang sent a letter to the official residence, specifically addressed to the Lord of Bailei."

Shortly after, Vice Director Zhao of the Maritime Trade Bureau hastily knocked on his superior's office door.

Before Director Wu could ask, he blurted out:

"The Lu mansion received seven severed heads. They were suddenly placed in Lu Zhensheng's room in the middle of the night and weren't discovered until dawn. Apparently, they were all spies sent by the Lu father and son to the Yangshan Archipelago!"

Director Wu was drinking water. His hand trembled at the news. "Where did you hear this 'apparently'?"

"It's widely circulating outside," he replied, "it started spreading from Qucheng."

Director Wu was stunned for a long moment, then slowly leaned back in his chair, a look of profound disappointment on his face. "The Lu family is truly useless," he muttered.

He had originally hoped the Lu family could hollow out the Yangshan Archipelago, or come up with some good ideas to deal with He Lingchuan, thereby also avenging him in the process.

Although Bailei was generally considered the "weakest" among the surrounding states, strength and weakness were always relative, depending on who you compared them to.

Bailei's former adversaries were other states and regions, which made it appear weak. Against an individual like He Lingchuan, it should have been an easy victory, a guaranteed success.

How could Bailei have been defeated again?

Director Wu wasn't foolish. Such conclusive news must have been released by the Yangshan Archipelago itself.

Otherwise, who would know those heads belonged to Bailei's spies?

Even if Bailei was struggling, the Lu mansion still had guards and protective formations. If the Yangshan Archipelago could silently place seven heads on Lu Zhensheng's dining table, wouldn't it be just as easy to sever the old man Lu's head in the night?

This covert delivery of heads contained a threat that was all too obvious.

It also implicitly showed that the actions of the Lu father and son had truly enraged He Lingchuan.

The Lu family was truly incompetent. When dealing with someone like He Lingchuan, either go all the way and finish him off, or don't provoke him again.

Director Wu himself had chosen the latter option, and now felt profoundly wise for it.

Vice Director Zhao waited for a long time, but heard no instructions from him. He could only ask, "Do you want to send a message to...?"

"What are you thinking?" Director Wu said slowly. "Do you want to bother Consort Yu with such trivial matters?"

The last time he wrote to the capital, Consort Yu had indeed not replied.

She had finally managed to forget about that matter. Why remind her again?

Vice Director Zhao quickly said, "No, no, you're absolutely right!"

Director Wu glanced at him. "What did I say? What did I say was right?"

Vice Director Zhao gave an awkward laugh. Just as he was about to withdraw, a junior clerk from the Maritime Trade Bureau suddenly ran in and presented a letter to Director Wu with both hands.

"Sir, a letter from the capital."

"Oh?" Director Wu put down his cup, took the letter, and waved the clerk away.

Consort Yu had written again? She hadn't remembered the Azure Fish, which had been dragged down by the lurking hydra, had she?

Director Wu personally opened the letter, pulled out the gold-flecked paper inside, and read it through. His eyes widened, and his expression became very peculiar.

His changing expression made Vice Director Zhao's heart pound.

Had Consort Yu sent another reprimand? Director Wu's position was certainly not an easy one.

The letter contained only a few sentences in total, but Director Wu read it word by word several times, making sure he understood its essence, before clearing his throat:

"From now on, He Lingchuan, the Island Lord of Yangshan, is our honored guest. The Blade Harbor Maritime Trade Bureau will henceforth cooperate closely with the Yangshan Archipelago for mutual benefit and success."

This change of direction was so sudden, it left Vice Director Zhao momentarily bewildered. He asked cautiously, "Is this... is this a letter from Consort Yu?"

For Consort Yu to suddenly issue such an order was as unbelievable as Director Wu offering him a hundred *mu* of irrigated land for free.

"Imperial Advisor Wang of Mou State sent a personal letter to Consort Yu." Director Wu wasn't clear on the exact contents. "Then Consort Yu sent me this directive. Did you hear that? Since Consort Yu has made this demand, we will proceed this way from now on! We must be resolute, implement it fully, and not be perfunctory!"

This was an order. Whatever his superiors told him to do, he would do.