The Eastern Depot Needs Talent Like This

Jade Green Pavilion.

Hundred-household Li was listening to a little tune and sipping a little wine, but what he had in his palm was anything but little.

A woman was holding a cup of wine to Hundred-household Li's lips when someone suddenly pushed the door open. Her hand trembled, spilling the wine all over his face.

Smack!

Hundred-household Li slapped the woman he had just been billing and cooing with to the floor. "Are you blind?!"

The woman knelt on the floor, trembling as she begged for mercy. "Lord Li, I didn't mean to! The sound of the door opening startled me."

Normally, when Lord Li drank here, not even Madam Li would disturb him. She had never encountered anything like this.

The Small Banner who entered was startled by Hundred-household Li's sorry state, but he quickly said, "My lord, Lord Lin has returned."

"Who?" Hundred-household Li froze for a moment. "You mean Lin Lang is back?"

He dared come back without finishing his mission? Without ten thousand taels, he could forget about getting my help smoothing things over. After all, asking the thousand-household for help would cost me five thousand.

If Lin Lang had shown a little sense back then and paid me a few thousand taels in tribute, wouldn't everything have been fine?

He could easily have said Liu Wu had gone to Great Song to gather intelligence, then reported his death after some time had passed. He could even have claimed a sum for funeral expenses.

"What are you panicking for just because Lin Lang is back?"

Was he, a hundred-household, supposed to go welcome a mere probationary hundred-household like Lin Lang?

The Small Banner lowered his head. "My lord, Lord Lin used the Eastern Depot's carrier pigeons. He said he was sending up the intelligence he gathered in the Great Song Jianghu."

"What?!" Hundred-household Li was shocked. These reports would be compiled and delivered to Cao Zhengchun, director of the Eastern Depot. If Lin Lang sent false information or anything of the sort, he would be implicated too.

Hundred-household Li lost all interest in drinking. He left Jade Green Pavilion at once and hurried back to the Hundred-household Office.

Meanwhile, Lin Lang was sitting in the office, drinking tea Wang Wu had brewed and eating refreshments Jia Liu had brought. All he lacked was someone to knead his shoulders and massage his legs.

"My lord, I knew you would complete the mission. Governor Cao might even remember your name. After that, you're bound to rise straight into the clouds." Wang Wu refilled Lin Lang's cup as he flattered him.

Jia Liu had scrounged some dried fruit from someone else and set it on the table. "His lordship is one of our Jinyiwei's finest. What could possibly be difficult about gathering intelligence on the Great Song Jianghu? Even investigating the Great Song Imperial Palace someday would be as easy as reaching out and grabbing it."

Lin Lang felt that if he stayed any longer, these two would praise him right up into the heavens.

He had no interest in getting blown by these two. He would wait until he went home that evening and found Xiao He.

"All right, you two have worked hard during this time too. These are osmanthus cakes I brought back from the Great Song Capital. Take them home and try them."

Lin Lang took out the osmanthus cakes he had casually bought at the county's East Street pastry shop and gave each man a packet.

Jia Liu immediately opened his and took a bite. "Mm, osmanthus cakes from the Great Song Capital really are different. Much tastier than the ones from the East Street pastry shop."

As he spoke, a Small Banner ran in. "Lord Lin, Lord Li asks you to come over."

Lin Lang picked up another packet of osmanthus cakes and headed to Hundred-household Li's office.

"Lord Li, I brought these osmanthus cakes back from the Great Song Capital especially for you. Take them home for your wife and children to try."

Hundred-household Li accepted the packet and hefted it in his hand. They really were fucking osmanthus cakes?

He tossed it aside. "Brother Lin, you spent over two months in Great Song. You must have gathered plenty of useful information?"

Lin Lang nodded. "I uncovered some important information about the Great Song Jianghu. I've already compiled it and sent it to the Eastern Depot by carrier pigeon."

Bang!

Hundred-household Li slammed the table. "Lin Lang! Who gave you permission to report directly?!"

Did Lin Lang have any regard for him as his hundred-household?

If Lin Lang had reported to him first and let him submit it, the credit would have been his. Wouldn't his transfer to the Capital City have been nailed firmly into place? He might even have been promoted to deputy thousand-household.

"Lord Li, the most important thing when conveying intelligence is timeliness. Some information might become useless if it arrives even fifteen minutes late."

"After returning, I didn't even go home. I came straight to the Hundred-household Office. But when I asked Flag Officer Sun, he said you had gone to attend to some important business and he didn't know when you would return."

"I only sent the information straight to the Eastern Depot because I was afraid of holding things up. Lord Li, did I do something wrong?"

In truth, after returning, Lin Lang had deliberately waited until Hundred-household Li went to Jade Green Pavilion before coming to the Hundred-household Office.

He had never intended to share this credit with Hundred-household Li.

Nor was he worried about Hundred-household Li using force. He could now crush the man to death with one hand!

Hundred-household Li swallowed the anger lodged in his chest. "Brother Lin, you did nothing wrong. You worked hard gathering intelligence in Great Song. Take a few days off and get some proper rest at home."

After Lin Lang left, the sound of Hundred-household Li viciously berating Flag Officer Sun came from his office.

Great Ming, the Capital City, the Eastern Depot.

A carrier pigeon landed. A young eunuch removed the bamboo tube from its leg and, without examining it, delivered it straight to the desk of the chief head on duty.

Chief Head Iron Claw Flying Eagle opened the bamboo tube, took out the note inside, and glanced at it. He was instantly stunned.

After a moment's hesitation, he took the note to Director Cao Zhengchun.

"Director, Lin Lang, the probationary hundred-household of Bailing County's Hundred-household Office, was ordered to gather intelligence on Great Song's martial world. He has brought back important information."

Cao Zhengchun waved a hand languidly. "I can't be bothered to read it. Just tell me."

He no longer held out much hope for the information submitted by these Hundred-household Offices.

Previously, Zhu Wushi had gathered intelligence on the martial world and used it to recruit quite a few martial experts, earning the emperor's deep trust.

To weaken Zhu Wushi's influence and gain more of the emperor's trust himself, Cao Zhengchun had sent men to investigate the martial worlds beyond Great Ming.

Yet despite having the Jinyiwei dispatch so many men, he had received not a single useful piece of information. It was all chicken feathers and garlic skins.

An elder of some major sect was greedy, some martial family had set up an arena to find their daughter a husband through combat, a disciple of a prestigious sect was keeping a mistress-what fucking use was any of that?!

He had spent so long having the Jinyiwei investigate the martial world without achieving a thing. Who knew how that old bastard Zhu Wushi was laughing at him?

Iron Claw Flying Eagle bowed slightly. "Director, Lin Lang reports that Qiao Feng, leader of the Southern Beggars' Gang, is Khitan, not Han Chinese. The Khitan Wolf Head Tattoo on his chest can serve as proof."

Cao Zhengchun abruptly sat upright. "What? Qiao Feng, leader of the Southern Beggars' Gang, the foremost gang in the Great Song Jianghu, is actually Khitan? In other words, a man of what is now the Liao Kingdom?"

"Hahaha! Good! At last, some useful information. Take some men and go there yourself to confirm it."

"It seems the Jinyiwei aren't all rice buckets after all. I'm most pleased. What did you say this probationary hundred-household's name was?"

"Lin Lang," Iron Claw Flying Eagle replied.

"Pass down my order. Promote Probationary Hundred-household Lin Lang to Jinyiwei hundred-household, and put him in charge of that Hundred-household Office."

"Tell him to build on his success and keep gathering more intelligence on the martial world. The Eastern Depot needs talent like this!"