"Your face, what is that worth?"
Beside the Jinjiang Embankment, amid the light rain, Zhao Douan's voice was cold and harsh, with a hint of violence emerging.
He had designed three attitudes for this meeting.
One was humble; the original master was always submissive, which was neither awkward nor unexpected.
Another was neither humble nor arrogant, aiming for stability.
The third, and most aggressive, was to show the original unruly and defiant persona.
After the other party showed its initial aggression, he decided on this strategy: a small-minded person who had recently gained power should not keep silent.
This was indeed the most fitting approach to his persona.
As for whether Pei Kaizhi would be provoked and cause the negotiations to crumble?
He believed that given the other's shrewdness, he wouldn't be easily overthrown.
"Do you know what you are saying?"
Raindrops pelted the bamboo hat, and Pei Kaizhi's face suddenly became gloomy. He narrowed his eyes, exuding an aura of long-held authority.
Zhao Douan did not retreat or evade, but confronted him head-on:
"Are you too old to hear clearly? Do you want me to say it again?"
Pei Kaizhi coldly said:
"It has been many years since anyone has dared to speak to me in this manner."
Zhao Douan somberly said:
"You need to understand three things. First, at the White Horse Hall, I only follow the commands of the Saint. You can act haughty in front of others, but not with me. I dare to offend even Li Yanfu, let alone you."
"Second, today's meeting was initiated by me to talk, not to beg. Put away that condescending attitude. You should know, within ten steps a martial artist can kill faster with a fist than with a sword. If you push me too far, I'll dump you in the river."
"Third, I've been putting up with your nonsense for the sake of your beautiful daughter. Now, I will also state my demands: Lv Liang's life and the favors you promised. Only a child makes choices; I want it all!"
The rain grew heavier; bubbles emerged on the river surface, and schools of fish churned.
The fishing rod trembled slightly, but Pei Kaizhi was too preoccupied to care.
This influential figure from the Li Party, a powerful minister of the Huai River Pei family, was stunned by the threat looming so closely.
He realized he had misjudged something.
Perhaps he had been in the temples for too long, too distanced from the grassroots of Jianghu, having forgotten that not everyone is a politician skilled in the exchange of benefits.
Just like Lv Liang, wasn't he also full of proud defiance once?
This lackey of the Empress, since rising to power, hadn't faced major setbacks yet.
There were greed and vigor, and his spine was still stiff.
"Carrot and stick" wasn't a panacea; it might very well happen that the stick was struck back and the carrot snatched away.
After a long silence, Pei Kaizhi said, "Do you think I would agree to your demands?"
This response from the other party already indicated that this old rogue had lost the courage to flip the table impulsively.
"You will agree," Zhao Douan said with a smile:
"I hear that the Vice Minister dotes greatly on his children, especially the youngest, utterly indulging them like the fourth mistress back then, like Pei Wulang now."
Pei Kaizhi's heart skipped a beat, sensing danger.
He had fathered five children in his life, and Pei Wulang, born in his old age, was the most beloved.
Zhao Douan sighed softly:
"What a pity, ultimately a poor teacher, especially Wulang, virtually at the age of a grandson, the Vice Minister has no energy to discipline, and no one else dares, making him arrogant and unruly."
Pei Kaizhi kept a straight face: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Zhao Douan smiled, stood up, bent over, and seized the old Vice Minister's fishing rod.
With one arm he lifted his wrist, the expensive fishing rod bent like a bow, the fishing line taut as a whip.
The fish below struggled, stirring up waves, it must have been a big one.
"There's a private gambling house north of the city; I recently met Wulang there, birds of a feather, he was unlucky, lost his cool in a moment of bad fortune, and ended up owing me a debt..."
Zhao Douan narrated the events methodically.
Pei Kaizhi's heart also sank bit by bit.
"So, you are here today to collect a debt," Pei Kaizhi's bamboo hat moved, his gray beard trembling, "where is the IOU?"
"Heh, you think I would carry it on me?"
Zhao Douan laughed scornfully:
"If you want to verify, you can go back and question Wulang, then you will know whether what I say is true or false."
Pei Kaizhi's face was expressionless:
"Do you think you can threaten me with this minor mistake?"
"Not at all," Zhao Douan leisurely handled the fishing rod, sometimes taut, sometimes slack, as it was the only way to exhaust the fish without it coming off the hook:
"This trifling matter, how could it threaten you? At most, you would be criticized for failing to teach your son."
He paused, then laughed:
"But... Wulang won't get off so easily, the current dynasty strictly prohibits gambling, especially for officials and their children, with severe punishments.
Had the late Emperor still been in power, he might have turned a blind eye, not being overly harsh, but now with the Empress on the throne... The Vice Minister knows, the court is amidst stormy weather, everyone is self-preserving, fearing to expose their weaknesses...
What if, at this moment, I handed over this document with the fingerprint, detailing the location, time, and the items of the bet to Lord Ma.
Or perhaps directly to the Imperial Court of Supervision... belonging to the Li Party's Imperial Censor... What do you guess would happen?"
Guess? There's no need to guess!
That group of scoundrels, showing loyalty to the Empress, would relentlessly pursue Wulang.
Using the laws established by the Great Ancestor, they would find every means to severely punish him, making his life miserable, perhaps even imposing the 'hand-chopping' punishment.
And Li Yanfu certainly would not, for the sake of a mere debauchee from the Pei family, mobilize the entire "Li Party" to counter.
Pei Kaizhi's face twitched, the struggle of the fish in the water growing fiercer:
"If you make this public, your gambling issue would also be exposed."
Zhao Douan laughed exaggeratedly, unconcerned:
"Isn't it normal for a scoundrel like me? I've survived worse than losing Zhuang Xiaocheng, let alone this trivial issue?
And just a few days ago, I received a reward from Her Majesty, why would the Li Party target me?
Even if they impeach me, at worst they'll throw me in 'Daoxiao Building' to sit in a dark cell for ten days or half a month. When I come out, I'll still be a hero, but Wulang will not be so lucky."
He paused, then smiled slightly:
"Vice Minister, surely you would not want your most beloved youngest son to end up with his hands and feet chopped off, stripped of his official rank and sentenced to hard labor?"
A plume of white spray burst forth, Zhao Douan lifted his rod, a plump red-tailed black carp was dragged out of the water, flailing weakly, already unable to escape.
Pei Kaizhi, sitting in the bamboo chair, seemed drained of all his strength, slumping weakly, his earlier arrogance gone.
Zhao Douan's words, like steel nails, hit him in his softest spot.
Everyone has a weakness, Pei Kaizhi's weakness was his youngest son, unlike his earlier children whom he had personally taught and who possessed considerable talents.
From his fourth child onwards, they had been spoiled, Wulang even more so.
And the old Vice Minister could not accept the option of abandoning his youngest son, thus, he could only sacrifice his son-in-law.
He closed his eyes, then reopened them.
"First, Lv Liang must not die, at least not in the Capital. He can be demoted and sent away, his fourth daughter will divorce him, and after that, whether he lives or dies in the provinces, I will not care."
"Second, the handling of Lv Liang's case will be entrusted to the Ministry of Justice. His official robe will be stripped from him, but it will not implicate the Pei family."
"Third, forget about the tea house, forget about the elixirs, young people's appetite is too big, be careful not to choke. That is my bottom line."
Truly a plastic father-in-law and son-in-law relationship, exposed during hard times... Zhao Douan's lips curled up.
Holding the plump old carp in hand, he noted its lips covered with scars, seemingly from biting the hook many times but always escaping.
The old fish had become cunning, but alas, I have the beginner's protection period.
Zhao Douan laughed loudly:
"I also have two conditions, first, people can be arrested by the Ministry of Justice, but I want to be involved to prevent you from tricking me."
Pei Kaizhi closed his eyes: "Granted."
"Second, the two servants waiting at the tea house and drugstore, I don't like them, you go back and teach them a lesson, teach them to respect people."
Truly a vengeful petty man... Pei Kaizhi sighed:
Zhao Douan put down the fishing rod, in high spirits: "Then, I will go back and wait for the good news."
Zhao Douan turned and took a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped, smacking his lips, he said:
"There's one more thing."
Pei Kaizhi's gaze turned ice-cold: "Do not overreach."
"No need to be nervous, I just wanted to say, fishing is too slow."
He abruptly threw a punch towards the murky Hun River, a dim radiance flickering.
The river exploded into a huge wave, water droplets raining down everywhere, causing Pei Kaizhi's bamboo hat to rattle.
In mid-air, countless fish stunned by the punch fell to the shore, within moments, they were belly up.
Zhao Douan ripped apart his straw coat, opened his umbrella, and left, his gaze clear and sharp as he turned.
With this, the "knife" he had been preparing to slaughter his opponent with was half unsheathed, victory in sight.
The Jianghu is perilous, Vice Minister, please start over.