Chapter 188: Sorrow Kills
The stewards from the various clans eyed Lu Yun with interest, wanting to see what was so special about this newly risen youth. Seeing his pale complexion and weak aura, clearly still recovering from serious injuries, the stewards felt relieved. The latest news they had received was that the Imperial Court had decided to move the Grand Competition from next spring to this winter. With Lu Yun’s current condition, even if he recovered by then, it would be a blessing if his strength hadn’t regressed; advancing further would be impossible.
‘Perhaps he’ll do well in the Civil Examination, but he’ll surely suffer a crushing defeat in the Martial Examination…’ The stewards thought of the rare prodigies in their own clans, and this youth certainly posed no threat. After all, the young geniuses in their clans were personally taught by Heavenly Rank Grandmasters!
“We heard that our nephew was injured by that Lu Jian some days ago, and we were very worried,” the stewards said with a smile. “Seeing you now, it’s clear you’re not in any serious trouble, so we are relieved.”
Lu Yun thanked the stewards for their concern and then knelt and sat beside Lu Xin.
With his interruption, the stewards lost their aggressive demeanor. After a moment of silence, they said to Lu Xin, “Steward Lu, we know you’ve just taken office and understand your difficulties. Just give us a clear answer. As long as it’s reasonable, we’re not unreasonable people.”
“Alright, I’ll state my position.” Lu Xin nodded, his expression serious. “The reputation of our Lu Clan cannot be tarnished. If it’s our responsibility, this clan will break its pots and pans to ensure we do not default on any debt.”
“It’s a drop in the bucket,” the men said with a laugh. “Why go so far as to break pots and pans?”
“However, these IOUs you’ve presented have no record in our clan,” Lu Xin changed the subject. “Please allow us a few days. After I verify them, if it is indeed a debt owed by our Lu Clan, regardless of who incurred it in the clan’s name, we will repay it in full.”
“With Steward Lu’s attitude, we are reassured,” the stewards from various clans said, their expressions relaxing. “However, regarding the timeframe, how long do you need, Steward Lu? We cannot bear for too long.”
“I won’t keep you waiting too long. You’ll have a reply this month,” Lu Xin said softly after a moment of thought.
“What do you say?” The stewards exchanged glances and then reached a consensus. “We’ll give Steward Lu this face!” With that, they rose to leave.
The father and son also stood up. Lu Xin politely invited them to stay, “Please have some more tea, no need to rush.”
“Haha, no need to be so polite, brother. We know ourselves well enough, unwelcome guests aren’t appreciated.” Having played the bad cop, the stewards were now acting the good guy. As they walked out, they said to Lu Xin, who was escorting them, “You’ve taken on a hot potato. Lu Jian’s actions clearly show he wants to drag you down with him even in death. Don’t try to bear it all yourself; push it away if you need to. When the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up.”
“Exactly. You haven’t even settled in yet, there’s no reason for you to take the fall for Lu Jian.”
Lu Xin nodded in agreement, but sneered inwardly. I wish I could push it all away cleanly, but can you all let me?
After seeing the stewards off, the father and son returned to the room. Lu Xin asked with concern, “Yun’er, are you alright?” Yesterday, upon receiving the news and rushing back from the Chancellery, he found that Lu Yun had already been taken away by Lu Xian. He had been very worried, having inquired about Lu Yun’s condition with Lu Ying and Lu Xiang.
Lu Yun moved his arm and smiled, “With Master here, what problems could your son have?” His current situation was beyond what his family could help with, so there was no need to make them worry as well.
“That’s good, that’s good.” Seeing Lu Yun bouncing around lively after just one night, Lu Xin didn’t think of the worst. He felt relieved and said apologetically, “It’s because I’ve been too busy lately that Lu Jian had an opportunity to take advantage and cause you this ordeal.”
“It’s the trouble I stirred up, and it’s retribution for me to clean it up.” Lu Yun shook his head and shifted the topic to Lu Xin. “Father, what exactly happened? What debts were they asking you about?”
“Sigh, it’s infuriating!” Lu Xin, who had maintained his composure all along, finally showed his frustrated expression in front of Lu Yun. “Do you know what kind of mess I’ve taken over?”
“You haven’t been home much lately, and I’ve been busy with my own matters. I haven’t asked about the situation of the Finance Department yet,” Lu Yun said softly.
“The Finance Department has been hollowed out by Lu Jian,” Lu Xin said with a bitter smile. “And it’s not just empty; it’s also accumulated enormous debt. The people who came today are the Finance Stewards from the various clans. If they hadn’t come to my door, I wouldn’t have even known about these debts.”
“Even if there are no records in the Finance Department, the managers who handled these transactions should know, right?” Lu Yun frowned and asked. “Also, doesn’t borrowing money from various clans require the Clan Leader’s approval?”
“Borrowing does require the Clan Leader’s approval, but all clans have huge expenses, and everyone runs into financial difficulties at times. Therefore, inter-lending between the finance departments of various clans happens frequently. Since the amounts are usually not too large and the terms are short, frequent requests to the Clan Leader are unnecessary. The Finance Stewards of each clan can handle these matters.”
“If the amounts weren’t large, why were they in such a hurry?” Lu Yun asked, puzzled.
“I’m talking about the usual…” Lu Xin sighed helplessly. “The monthly interest rate that Lu Jian set with them this time was ten times the usual, and he only borrowed for a month. The stewards, blinded by greed, each lent him five hundred thousand guan… The Xie Clan was already financially strained, but eager for his high profits, Xie Rong personally provided two hundred thousand guan to make up the five hundred thousand guan for him.”
“Ah?” Lu Yun couldn’t help but be startled. “That’s two million guan!”
“More than that!” Lu Xin became more indignant as he spoke. “He also borrowed money from the Wei Clan, but Wei Jing didn’t come along.” He paused, then gritted his teeth. “Besides borrowing heavily from the various clans, he also forged IOUs, falsely claiming to be lending money, emptying the Finance Department’s treasury of six hundred thousand guan, and then took another four hundred thousand guan from the Storage Department.”
“Added together, that’s three and a half million guan…” Lu Yun’s scalp tingled. That was nearly a tenth of Great Xuan’s annual national treasury revenue. “What on earth was he trying to do?!”
“What else could he be doing? Preparing to flee with the money after his schemes failed!” Lu Xin said hatefully. “And to dig a pit so deep that I, his successor, couldn’t climb out of it!” He paused, his face ashen. “I’ve already inventoried the treasury these past few days. There’s less than ten thousand guan in cash. I’ve also spoken with the injured Lu Chou, and the Storage Department will not be able to fill this hole for us!”
“Have the clan members already heard this news?” Lu Yun thought about the way the clan members avoided him and whispered when he left Lu Ward, and his heart tightened. “I think they’re all talking about us.”
“It shouldn’t be. I only just found out about the external debt,” Lu Xin said in a deep voice. “They’re probably discussing something else.”
“What is it?”
“Lu Jian’s death.” Lu Xin was truly troubled, speaking with bitterness about another matter. “You don’t know yet, do you? After your Master took you away yesterday, the Clan Leader and the Elder Council arrived one after another and had a big argument here.”
Lu Yun shook his head; he really didn’t know.
“The Elder Council is using Lu Jian’s death as an article, insisting that the Clan Leader pushed Lu Jian to his death step by step in order to promote me.” Lu Xin said with a dark expression, “They also brought up the events of ten years ago, saying I had corrupt intentions and that Lu Jian lost to me because the righteous were no match for the wicked.”
Lu Yun’s face also darkened when he heard this. “They’re really spouting nonsense!”
“But the problem is that not a few clan members believe this,” Lu Xin said, rubbing his glabella in distress. “Lu Jian has had high prestige in the clan for many years, and many people are willing to believe the Elder Council’s narrative. I heard the Elder Council is organizing a memorial at his doorway on the first seven days memorial after his death!”
