Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 29 The Banner of the Scholar

Five days later, at 9:00 AM.

The convoy finally drove out of the desolate North Shandong Plain, crossed Dezhou, and entered the territory of Beizhili.

The further north you go, the denser the boats become on the canal, and the more heavily guarded the checkpoints on the official road. After all, this is the heart of the capital region, the gateway to the capital, and each checkpoint is like a bloodsucking beast with its mouth wide open, greedily watching every passerby.

Jinghai Customs.

This is the last hurdle before entering Tianjin. The tax collectors and patrol soldiers in charge here are notoriously sharp-eyed and ruthless; they'll even scrape a layer of oil off a passing mosquito.

"Stop! Everyone stop!"

Several tax collectors, carrying knives at their waists and wearing hats askew, blocked the convoy. Their eyes gleamed with greed as they looked at the twenty heavy carts, especially those wrapped tightly in tarpaulins with deep ruts.

"Where did this convoy come from? What's on them? Where are the road permits? Give them all to me!"

The leading officer, a junior officer with a pockmarked face, was carrying a fire-and-water stick covered in iron. He was shouting and cursing as he reached out to lift the tarpaulin from the first cart.

If it were an ordinary caravan, they would have already been smiling and handing over silver by now.

But Lu Yan did not move.

They didn't even get out of the car.

He sat on horseback, a thread-bound book in his hand, his expression indifferent, as if he hadn't heard the other party's shouts. Beside him, Zhao Changying stood with his hand on his sword, his murderous aura, honed by countless bloody battles, made the nearby tax collectors involuntarily shiver.

"Hey! You bookworm, are you deaf?" Pockmarked Little Flag roared, slamming his stick down on the car wheel, sending a cloud of dirt flying. "I'm asking you a question! You better not die..."

"presumptuous."

Lu Yan finally put down his book. He didn't look at the small flag, but turned to Zhao Changying beside him and said calmly, "Changying, tell him, according to the Great Ming Law, what is the punishment for obstructing a scholar's carriage and disturbing the books of the sages?"

Zhao Changying stepped forward with a cold face, her voice like the clanging of iron: "The Great Ming Law states: Students and successful candidates in the imperial examinations are the nation's reserve of talent. Without official documents, no one may arbitrarily search their belongings and books. Anyone who obstructs this will be punished with sixty strokes of the cane and dismissed from office!"

"To be recommended as a... scholar?"

Ma Zi Xiaoqi paused for a moment, looking at Lu Yan with suspicion. There were plenty of people pretending to be scholars these days, but few dared to be so assertive and bring so many armed guards.

Lu Yan took out a gold-embossed document from his sleeve, but instead of handing it over, he unfolded it in the air.

That was the official document issued by Jinan Prefecture for "successful candidates in the imperial examination of the year Yiwei". The bright red seal on it was particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

More importantly, the banner fluttering in the wind at the very front of the convoy bore not only the name "Lu Family of Ziyang," but also two large characters that terrified every minor official—

[A successful candidate in the imperial examinations]

Although Lu Yan was only a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) and did not hold an official position, such a vague title was most intimidating at this grassroots level. Anyone who was a Juren was like a celestial being, a future county magistrate, someone that clerks like them could not afford to offend.

"Ah...this..." Pockmarked Little Flag's arrogance instantly diminished. Although he was tough, he knew there were some people he couldn't afford to offend. Offending a merchant would at most mean taking less money, but offending a scholar with official rank like this could mean losing his job with a single letter to the higher authorities.

"So it's you, sir!" The pockmarked flag bearer quickly put on a fawning smile. "I was blind to your greatness! But... there are orders from above to strictly inspect prohibited materials. Your vehicle..."

"These are rare books I used to prepare for the imperial examinations in the capital, as well as writing materials to support my fellow students." Lu Yan pointed to the tightly sealed boxes, his tone carrying the arrogance and impatience typical of scholars. "What, you want to open the boxes and inspect the books? If these ancient books get windy, dusty, or even if a page is damaged by you uncouth people, you couldn't afford to pay for them even if you sold your entire customs office!"

"This..." Pockmarked Xiaoqi was somewhat embarrassed. The ruts were so deep that it definitely didn't contain books, but he didn't dare to actually rummage through the scholar's trunk.

"Furthermore..." Lu Yan sneered, his gaze sweeping over the tax collectors. Suddenly, he lowered his voice, took out the ordinary wooden waist token he had intercepted from the Weishui Gang from his pocket, and waved it in his palm.

"My trip here is on the behalf of a certain eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration, to deliver some local specialties to the capital. You may investigate if you wish, but if it delays the palace's schedule..."

Although the waist tag was merely a token for an employee working on the periphery of the Imperial Horse Administration and was not of high rank, the three characters "Imperial Horse Administration" on it carried more power than an imperial edict in this territory under the emperor's nose.

His identity as a scholar, coupled with his background as a eunuch.

This is simply a winning combination that can dominate both the legal and illegal worlds.

Ma Zi Xiaoqi's legs went weak.

Just who is this caravan? With a scholar as his patron and connections in the palace? How could a mere tax collector like him dare to mess with such a formidable lineup?

"No! No!" Pockmarked Little Flag waved his hands hastily, as if chasing away a plague god, afraid of getting even the slightest bit of bad luck. "Quick! Lift the fence! Let Master Lu through! Hurry!"

As the gates of the checkpoint swung open with a bang, Lu Yan dismissively withdrew his gaze and flicked the reins.

"Walk."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the convoy swaggered through this normally insurmountable checkpoint. They weren't subjected to any inspection, exploitation, or even a single penny of toll.

Even after the convoy had driven far away, Ma Zixiaoqi was still standing there wiping his sweat, secretly glad that he had reacted quickly.

Fan Fu followed beside the car, his hands sweating, until the customs flagpole was out of sight before he finally let out a long sigh of relief: "Boss, the way you were acting just now... you really looked like a high-ranking official from the capital. My heart was pounding in my chest. What if they really wanted to open the boxes and inspect the goods? What about Su Mu and the others down there..."

"They dare not."

Lu Yan sat on his horse, his gaze fixed straight ahead. "These are the rules of the game of power. In this game, the truth doesn't matter; what matters is the 'power' you project. As long as your power is strong enough, they will conjure up countless reasons why they dare not provoke you."

As the sun set, the convoy finally arrived at the Haihe River wharf outside the Tianjin Wei City.

This place is ten times more bustling than Luokou Wharf. Huge ocean-going ships are moored in the deep water, like mobile castles on the sea. Countless dockworkers carry goods from all over the world like ants—copper from Japan, spices from Southeast Asia, and even clocks from the West.

The air was filled with the salty, damp scent of the sea breeze, a smell that gave Lu Yan a long-lost sense of familiarity. It was the scent of openness, the scent of trade.

The convoy passed through the bustling dock area and drove straight to a huge warehouse in the east of the city that bore the banner of "Shuntian Prefecture Brokerage Firm".

This place was actually the "Grain Hall" of the Imperial Horse Administration in Tianjin, which was specifically responsible for receiving and transferring supplies from the south.

"This is Eunuch Liu's territory."

Lu Yan dismounted and gestured for Zhao Changying to knock on the door.

Soon, several well-dressed and shrewd-eyed managers came out to greet them. They had clearly received the news beforehand, and although their attitude was polite, their eyes still held a hint of scrutiny.

"Scholar Lu, you must be tired from your journey." The head steward, surnamed Zhang, cupped his hands and said, "Eunuch Liu is still inspecting the coastal defenses and won't be back until early tomorrow morning. He has instructed that the Sumu be put into storage first."

"Thank you for your help, Steward Zhang."

Lu Yan waved his hand, and his men immediately began unloading the goods.

Boxes of heavy sappanwood were carried into the warehouse. Manager Zhang checked the ledgers one by one, his smile growing wider and wider. This batch of sappanwood was of excellent quality, and the quantity was exactly as described, which was nothing short of a miracle in the corrupt officialdom.

"Scholar Lu is indeed efficient!" Steward Zhang closed the ledger, gave a thumbs up, and said, "With this batch of goods, Eunuch Liu can finally report back to the palace."

"You flatter me, Steward Zhang."

Lu Yan smiled slightly, not smug at the praise. He looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Besides Su Mu, there's another batch of 'special goods' that needs to be stored separately. This batch can't be seen in the light, much less in the shadows, so please arrange a secluded courtyard, Steward Zhang."

Steward Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then his expression changed to one of understanding: "I understand, I understand. We may not have much else here, but we have plenty of empty courtyards. The stable in the back is empty; it was originally used to park the imperial horses, and it's the quietest place around."

Thank you.

Lu Yan turned to Zhao Changying, his expression turning unusually serious: "Changying, take your most trusted brothers and drive those special vehicles to the backyard. Remember, no one is allowed near them except our own people. Not even the guys here."

"Yes!" Zhao Changying understood immediately.

Those were forty-two warhorses that had been carefully cared for and transported all the way from Jinan. After the journey, they had recovered from their illnesses, and although they had not yet fully recovered to their peak, the fierce and courageous spirit in their bones could no longer be concealed.

As the last car drove into the backyard, Lu Yan stood in the night wind and let out a long breath.

Su Mu was merely a stepping stone, used to prove his "ability to get things done"; while these horses were his real bargaining chips in negotiations with Liu Cheng and even the entire inner court.

"Fan Fu".

"exist."

"Go and get ready. When Eunuch Liu arrives tomorrow morning, we're going to put on a spectacular 'Making a Horse Come Alive' show for him."

Lu Yan gazed at the Yanshan Mountains to the north, their peaks faintly visible in the night, his eyes flashing with the madness and composure of a gambler betting everything.

"I should be able to get this ticket to Beijing tomorrow."