Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Like a Cage
Jiang Ran felt that the Prefect before him was anything but normal.
It was now the fourth watch of the night... In his past life, that would have been two or three in the morning.
This Prefect had, as if by magic, just dragged a large chest out from under his bed.
And with deft movements, set up a table for hotpot?
Of course, in this era, it wasn’t called hotpot, but ’antique soup.’
But the real question was, was it really a good idea to be eating this in the middle of a hot summer?
And what kind of prefect hid so much food under his bed?
’This stuff definitely wasn’t prepared just for him... Just how much did this man love to eat?’
The Prefect, however, was incredibly enthusiastic. He picked up a small dish and handed it to Jiang Ran.
"Eat. Whatever it is, we can talk while we eat.
"Nothing, no matter how important, should get in the way of a meal. Only when you’ve eaten and drunk your fill are you truly living."
Jiang Ran took the bowl and glanced at Steward Liu, who was standing not far away.
"Don’t mind him."
The Prefect noticed the small gesture.
"At his age, eating meat this late at night would be the death of him."
"Fair enough."
Jiang Ran smiled. "Wine?"
"Got anything good?"
"Bamboo Leaf Cyan from the Jade Green Building."
"Twenty-year vintage?"
"Ten-year."
"That’ll do."
The Prefect laughed heartily, placing a bowl in front of Jiang Ran.
"Fill it up."
Jiang Ran took out his wine gourd and poured him a bowl. Watching the liquor flow, he felt a pang of regret.
"You... stingy!"
The Prefect looked pained.
"Pour, pour, pour! Hey, a little more!"
"That’s enough, that’s enough, it’s about right. Your Excellency is busy with a myriad of state affairs and must take care of your health. Drinking can lead to mistakes."
Jiang Ran quickly put the wine gourd away, feeling a deep sense of regret for even bringing it up.
"Hmph... You won’t even fill my bowl. Aren’t you afraid of offending me? I could have you punished for it."
The Prefect shot Jiang Ran a sideways glance, then grabbed his bowl and took a loud slurp. Only then did he turn his gaze to Gu Mosheng in the chest.
"How did he fall into your hands?"
Jiang Ran looked at the meat in the pot and asked,
"What kind of meat is this?"
"A fat sheep."
Only then did Jiang Ran pick up a piece with his chopsticks, place it in his bowl, and dip it in some sesame paste, but he didn’t eat it yet.
Instead, he recounted the events of the evening.
The Prefect listened while plucking slices of mutton from the pot, rolling them in sesame paste, and stuffing them into his mouth. He ate with an appetite that could swallow mountains and rivers.
After hearing the whole story, he nodded.
"So, you came running to me, hoping I could find a way to keep this from the eyes and ears of Feiyun Stronghold?"
"Your Excellency is as brilliant as they say."
Jiang Ran nodded and finally took a bite of the mutton. It was indeed delicious.
The Prefect fell silent for a moment, raising his wine bowl and taking slow, deliberate sips.
After a long pause, he shook his head.
"No."
Jiang Ran wasn’t surprised. He gave a slight smile.
"What is Your Excellency afraid of?"
"What am I afraid of... You don’t know?"
The Prefect looked up at Jiang Ran. "If you didn’t know, you shouldn’t have come tonight."
"So it is as I thought..."
Jiang Ran let out a soft breath.
"Shopkeeper Wan organized this Heroic Assembly with Your Excellency’s tacit approval, correct? Or perhaps, he’s acting under your direct orders?"
The Prefect grinned and glanced at Jiang Ran.
"What have you figured out? Let’s hear it."
Jiang Ran pondered for a moment, then spoke eight words:
"Cangzhou is a cage, inviting you to step inside."
Steward Liu’s expression changed instantly. Noticing the Prefect looking right at him, he quickly shook his head.
"Your subordinate... your subordinate said nothing at all."
"HAHAHAHA!!"
The Prefect burst into laughter.
"Who’s blaming you? You’re being overly sensitive!"
But after he finished speaking, his expression darkened.
"It seems I can’t hide it from a perceptive man after all... You’ve only been in Cangzhou Prefecture for a few days, and you’ve already seen through my plan.
"Li Feiyun is no ordinary man. This game is now on a knife’s edge."
Jiang Ran silently stirred the sesame paste in his bowl.
’This Prefect before him, ever since taking office, had been known for just going through the motions.’
’Cheng Jimo had called him inactive, but that wasn’t really the case... Considering his position and the changes in Cangzhou Prefecture over the past few years...’
’His inaction was a form of protective camouflage.’
’Only by preserving his own life could he hope to achieve something great.’
’How could such a man simply turn a blind eye to Shopkeeper Wan’s Heroic Assembly charade?’
’It was more likely that he wanted to use it to pull the rug out from under them—to completely remove the thorn in his side that was Feiyun Stronghold.’
That was why Jiang Ran’s purpose in seeking him out tonight wasn’t simply to solve the problem of Gu Mosheng.
Because that problem wasn’t easy to solve.
Someone was watching the Sunset Gang. The slightest misstep would alert the enemy.
The best solution was to eradicate the Sunset Gang completely.
But this was easier said than done.
Moreover, once they made a move, they would have to crush them with the force of a thunderbolt.
Even if Li Feiyun’s men noticed something, they wouldn’t be able to figure out the truth of the matter for some time.
How... could that be an easy task?
And if Li Feiyun grew suspicious, the Cangzhou cage that had been set would likely fail to lure anyone in.
This was also why the Prefect had refused Jiang Ran’s request.
After all, if it were only Gu Mosheng and his few associates who disappeared, there could still be other explanations.
But if the entire Sunset Gang vanished... first the Qinghe Gang, and now the Sunset Gang, how could Li Feiyun not become wary?
And once he found out the Government Office was behind it...
...then the whole preceding act would have been for nothing.
But the matter of the Sunset Gang was, in fact, a minor issue.
What truly troubled the Prefect now was the possibility that Li Feiyun wasn’t some simple-minded, muscle-bound idiot.
He feared that his opponent might have seen through his scheme from the very beginning.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ran smiled faintly.
"Your Excellency... have you ever considered that Li Feiyun might not care at all whether you’re truly inactive or not?"
"Are you saying he’s brazenly confident!?"
The Prefect’s eyebrows shot up. "And what gives him that confidence?"
"Does Your Excellency recall what I said earlier?"
"You mean..."
The Prefect pulled his gaze away from Jiang Ran and let it fall on Gu Mosheng, his expression thoughtful.
"That makes sense...
"Steward Liu!"
"Your subordinate is here."
"Wipe out the Sunset Gang."
"Yes... huh?"
Steward Liu froze, then shot his head up.
"Your Excellency, what did you say?"
"If you can’t handle it, you might as well go home and retire."
The Prefect glanced at Steward Liu.
"No, that’s not..."
Steward Liu said hurriedly,
"This is no small matter. To be so... so rash... isn’t it a bit..."
"Rash?"
the Prefect said.
"Then when you make your move, dress in black and cover your faces.
"Don’t use any weapons with Government Office markings... After the killing, leave immediately.
"Just like with the Qinghe Gang, make the Sunset Gang disappear without a trace."
"But..."
Steward Liu wanted to say that wasn’t what he meant.
But after glancing at Jiang Ran, and then back at his master, he finally nodded.
"Your subordinate accepts the order."
