Money could make even ghosts turn millstones, and soon enough, the jailer had arranged everything. He cleared out the nearby cells around Lord Zhao, opened Zhao Chong’s cell door, and courteously invited the steward inside. Then, with tact, he withdrew, leaving the two men alone.
Seeing the visiting steward, Zhao Chong approached with a face full of fear, “Headman Li, why are you here?”
Though the man was dressed as a steward, Zhao Chong couldn’t help but tremble at the sight of his face. This was the pirate leader who’d captured him alive on Jiaxing’s city walls, a butcher who killed as easily as slicing vegetables. Zhao had personally witnessed him cleave several men in half. Rumor had it he enjoyed carving out hearts and livers to pair with his wine—a truly brutal and terrifying figure.
This was one of Xu Hai’s top lieutenants, surnamed Li. The pirates usually called him by his nickname, “Li the Butcher.”
There were no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. “Li the Butcher” said it all—he was a slaughterer.
How could Zhao Chong not be afraid?
“Cut the nonsense. If you hadn’t landed in jail, would I be here? I was living it up in Jiaxing, drinking and enjoying women. It’s because of you that I had to drag myself out here!” Li the Butcher snapped irritably.
“Ahem, I, I didn’t expect this either. That bastard Li Tianchong wouldn’t listen to me and threw me straight into jail!” Zhao Chong replied sheepishly.
“Useless! To clean your slate, to turn you from a ‘captive’ into a ‘hero who scaled the walls to seek aid,’ our Governor killed plenty of men to keep your secret and whitewash your name! And what happens? The moment you leave the city, you end up in jail, wasting all the Governor’s efforts. Those soldiers we killed could’ve been recruited into our ranks, turned into fine warriors for storming cities!”
Li the Butcher unleashed a torrent of scorn, sparing no mercy.
Back when Prefect Zhao was captured by Li and his crew and presented to Xu Hai, the pirate leader hadn’t skimped on rewards. Li was promoted to a senior leader, given a thousand taels of silver and three beautiful young women. His underlings, like Niu Er, were made junior leaders, each receiving three hundred taels and a woman of their own.
Afterward, Xu Hai had a brief chat with Zhao Chong and made a decision. He executed the Jiaxing officials and soldiers who’d witnessed Zhao’s capture, sparing only Zhang, a senior and discreet official, to bury the truth.
Then Xu Hai had Zhao write a letter of surrender, pledging allegiance to the pirates and cursing Emperor Jiajing, complete with a handprint. After that, they lowered him down the city wall with a rope and released him to seek reinforcements from Zhejiang’s Governor, Li Tianchong.
At the time, Ma Ye had fiercely opposed Xu Hai’s plan.
In Ma Ye’s view, they should’ve held a grand “Kill the Prefect” spectacle, rallying the city’s populace to watch as they beheaded Zhao Chong, the Jiaxing Prefect, in front of them. It would’ve made their band of pirates infamous across the land.
They’d be the only pirates to have killed a prefect!
Such a feat would’ve spread their name far and wide, drawing countless pirates to join their cause.
But Xu Hai shook his head, rejecting Ma Ye’s idea. He told him to think bigger, beyond the moment.
Taking Jiaxing City was enough to make their band famous and attract recruits.
Killing Zhao Chong would just be icing on the cake—a nice title, sure, but not essential.
Besides, this wasn’t really letting Zhao go.
With that surrender letter cursing the emperor in hand, Zhao Chong had no way back.
He’d have to serve as their mole, entirely at their mercy.
Releasing him now meant planting a senior insider in the Ming court. With the letter as leverage, he’d have no choice but to comply.
Zhao Chong had deep ties in the court and was part of Yan Song’s faction. If they could erase the stain of his surrender and spin him as a brave official who risked his life to seek aid, he’d weather this crisis and likely rise higher in the Ming ranks later.
With such a high-placed mole, they’d gain access to the court’s decrees, troop movements, and intelligence.
They’d know their enemy as well as themselves, ensuring victory in every battle.
Plus, Jiaxing was too prominent. They could seize it but not hold it—the Ming would send a massive force to reclaim it.
If Zhao Chong remained Jiaxing’s prefect, well, wouldn’t that mean they effectively controlled the city through him?
With him as their insider, they could retake Jiaxing anytime with ease.
And if Zhao couldn’t stay in Jiaxing and was assigned elsewhere, wherever he governed would be theirs for the taking. With him in their pocket, they could claim not just one city, but many.
Killing him now would only earn them the hollow fame of having slain a prefect.
Releasing him meant a senior spy in the Ming court and at least one city ripe for the picking.
Which was the better deal?
Ma Ye wasn’t dumb. Hearing Xu Hai’s reasoning, he was convinced and threw his full support behind the plan.
That said, neither Xu Hai nor Ma Ye had anticipated this: Zhao Chong was lowered from the walls to seek aid from Li Tianchong, only to be promptly arrested by the governor on charges of abandoning his city.
If Zhao were convicted and jailed, their carefully laid plans would crumble.
That was unacceptable.
So Li the Butcher had been sent.
Spittle flying from Li’s tirade, Zhao Chong didn’t dare wipe his face. Only after the rant ended did he meekly explain, “It’s all Li Tianchong’s fault! That bastard’s settling a personal score! He’s always resented us Yan faction officials, constantly making things difficult for me! I followed the Governor’s plan, scaled the walls to beg Li Tianchong for reinforcements. Who’d have thought that jerk would curse me out and throw me in jail for ‘fleeing the city’?”
“It’s because you’re useless! You swore to our Governor that if we cleared your surrender stain, you’d handle this crisis and rise high to serve him. And what happened? You got locked up the moment you stepped out! Word from the governor’s office is Li Tianchong’s already petitioned the court to impeach you for abandoning your post!”
Li the Butcher thought of the three lovely women waiting at home and cursed Zhao Chong again.
“Don’t worry, Headman. I’ve already sent trusted men to the capital with gifts for the big shots. I’ve been greasing their palms every holiday for years—they’re well-fed by me. They’ll protect me. If they don’t, their faction will feel the chill too. Morale would falter, and their group would fracture. They *have* to shield me. Our faction holds half the court—with their backing, I’ll get through this.”
Zhao Chong spoke with confidence.
“You still have money for bribes?” Li’s eyes glinted.
“Ahem, a crafty rabbit has three burrows. As Jiaxing’s prefect, I couldn’t flaunt wealth here. I’ve got stashes outside the city,” Zhao coughed, then whispered to Li, “There’s a house in the area. The deed’s behind the plaque above the second gate. In the study, under the sixth floor tile from the door, there’s a hidden room with gold, silver, and jewels. Consider it a gift for you, Headman.”
“Heh, good,” Li grinned, satisfied. Then he got to the point, “Actually, I came today because our Governor has a grand fortune for you—something to spring you from this cage and take you even higher.”
