The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night

"The boat is long gone, you can’t even see it anymore. Still looking?" Duan Ling, who had appeared behind Lu Zhan at some point, teased.

Lu Zhan snapped back to reality and glanced sideways at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on the big ship and saw a man from afar, standing on the shore, staring foolishly at the departing vessel. I was afraid someone was about to turn into a ’waiting-for-his-wife’ statue, so I had to come check on you." Duan Ling’s tone was full of ridicule. ’I really should let Ouyang Lei see this too,’ he thought. ’The sight of Mr. Lu, who’s supposedly immune to women, falling for one.’

Lu Zhan ignored his teasing and asked in a low voice, "Have the officials sent by the Court arrived?"

"Those bastards are dragging their feet. Haven’t seen a shadow of them." Duan Ling grew furious just talking about it.

If they weren’t so slow, he wouldn’t have to stay on the ship day after day, guarding those pirates.

Lu Zhan glanced at the sky. "They should be here soon."

"It’s still early. Want to go to the ship for a cup of tea?" Duan Ling asked.

Lu Zhan nodded and followed him toward the large ship.

Just then, a figure suddenly rushed over.

"Mr. Lu... ah!"

Whether the person was running too fast or too close to the edge, they fell into the river with a SPLASH.

"Who is she?" Duan Ling asked Lu Zhan, his curiosity piqued.

Lu Zhan shook his head. "I don’t know her."

"H-help... I-I can’t swim!" the person in the water shouted, struggling desperately.

"Should we save her?" Duan Ling asked.

Lu Zhan gave a calm order to the guard accompanying them. "Pull her out."

The guard had no choice but to jump into the water and pull the person out.

Zeng Jiayi lay on the ground, spitting up water as she looked up to search for Lu Zhan, only to see that he and Duan Ling had already boarded the ship.

Seeing this, she was both anxious and angry.

She had finally found this chance to get close to him, so how could he just leave?

She had deliberately pretended to fall into the river to win Lu Zhan’s sympathy and get him to take her onto the ship. That way, she would have a chance to ingratiate herself with him.

But in the end, he didn’t even spare her a glance.

Seeing Lu Zhan already on board, Zeng Jiayi bit her lip and shouted, "Mr. Lu, are you going to abandon me after having your way? If so, why did you even save me?"

Her voice was very loud. As soon as she said it, everyone turned to look at Lu Zhan.

The guard also stared at Zeng Jiayi in astonishment.

"Miss, don’t you dare spout nonsense and ruin my master’s reputation!"

Zeng Jiayi thought about what had recently happened to her family. She had fallen from a noble young lady to this state, and sorrow welled up inside her, making her cry her heart out.

"I’m not talking nonsense! It was your master who abandoned me, casting me aside like a worn-out shoe..."

The guard said angrily, "My master only had me save you out of kindness! I can’t believe you’d repay his kindness with malice and slander him like this. If I’d known, I would have just let you drown in the river!"

"I’m telling the truth! You’re just trying to protect your master’s reputation, so of course you won’t admit there’s anything between us! You have such a venomous heart! Did your master tell you to say that?" Zeng Jiayi demanded loudly, wiping her tears.

Soaking wet and covered in tears, she looked utterly pitiful.

Seeing this, the surrounding commoners couldn’t help but feel sympathy and began to criticize the guard.

"How can you be so vicious? If it wasn’t true, why would a perfectly fine young lady joke about her own reputation?"

"What kind of damn official is he? All they know is how to ruin good girls!"

"What nonsense are you all spouting? My master has always been upright and incorruptible. He would never get involved with women! It’s obvious this woman has ill intentions toward my master and is trying to pin herself on him!" The guard was so angry his face turned red. If not for his master’s strict rules, he would have drawn his sword and struck these people down.

"Just because you say so?" someone sneered.

Seeing that the crowd was on her side, a glint appeared in Zeng Jiayi’s eyes. She deliberately softened her tone and pleaded with the guard, "If Mr. Lu wants to abandon me, I have nothing to say. But I only came today to clear things up with him in person. Please, guard, be reasonable and let me see Mr. Lu!"

"Who knows if you’re an assassin?" the guard said impatiently. "Hurry up and leave. My master is not someone you can just meet."

After speaking, he turned to leave, but was blocked by several tall, burly dockworkers.

"The young lady doesn’t mean any harm. She just wants to clear things up with your master. Why are you so heartless?"

"Exactly! Bullying a young woman like this, you have no shame!"

The guard was about to explode with anger, his hand already on his sword hilt, when a clear voice called out, "She is the daughter of Zeng Gong. She went to such great lengths to see me for no other reason than to plead for her father.

"However, her father, Zeng Gong, is corrupt, has perverted justice, and has exploited the common people. The evidence of his crimes is irrefutable. I have already reported this to the Court, and he will be sentenced shortly.

"Miss Zeng, you truly take after your father, resorting to any means necessary to achieve your goals. You have twisted the truth, spread rumors, maliciously slandered this official, and damaged my reputation. According to the laws of the Great Chen, your actions constitute the crime of defaming an official.

"Men, seize her! Give her ten strokes of the paddle and imprison her for ten days!"

The smug look on Zeng Jiayi’s face froze.

She looked at the man standing on the large ship not far away, his hands behind his back. The distance was too great for her to see his expression clearly, but she could tell from his icy words that he was not joking.

Moreover, he had seen right through her intentions.

She had done all this just to get him to let her father off.

But he was so heartless! Not only would he not help her, he was going to have her beaten and imprisoned!

Zeng Jiayi finally felt a twinge of regret.

She couldn’t let herself be thrown in jail!

At that thought, she got up to run, but the guard, with his quick reflexes, pinned her to the ground.

"So you’re Zeng Gong’s daughter! No wonder you’re so shameless!" the guard berated.

The commoners now came to their senses and began spitting at Zeng Jiayi.

"So you’re that crooked official’s daughter! We were almost fooled by you!"

"So shameless! So despicable!"

"Seize her!"

In an instant, a shower of spit flew through the air.

Zeng Jiayi’s face turned pale with rage. This time, she truly wanted to jump into the river.

In all her life, she had never been treated this way.

She was quickly taken to the Government Office by the guard.

Not only was she given ten strokes of the paddle, she was also thrown into a jail cell.

This little interlude did not affect Lu Zhan.

Not long after he and Duan Ling boarded the ship, the officials sent by the Court arrived.

But the few officials who arrived were in a sorry state, their expressions frantic, as if they had just survived a great disaster.

"...Mr. Lu, Junior Minister Duan, we’ve finally found you."

The officials who had arrived were from the Inspectorate. Seeing Lu Zhan and Duan Ling was like seeing their own family; their eyes grew red.

"Why is it only you few? Where are the others?" Duan Ling asked anxiously.

"As we were approaching Yangzhou, we were ambushed. Those fiends slaughtered people without mercy! They... they killed all the government officers escorting us. We were lucky to escape," one of the officials said tragically.

"In your report to the Court, didn’t you say that the pirates in this area had all been eliminated? Why were we still ambushed?" one of the officials questioned, his expression displeased.

"Those pirates are currently locked up in the Lower Warehouse. Are you certain you encountered pirates?" Duan Ling frowned.

"Not pirates? Then who..." The official looked hesitantly at Lu Zhan. "Mr. Lu, what is your assessment?"

"It was pirates," Lu Zhan said in a low, firm voice.

Duan Ling was taken aback. "You mean... the mastermind behind them? They deliberately ambushed the officials sent by the Court to take over, aiming to cut off our retreat so they can break the prisoners out?"

Lu Zhan didn’t reply. Instead, he commanded in a grave voice, "Relay my orders! The entire ship on high alert!"