Starting from 1618 of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 153 No Reward for First Merit

Late summer of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign.

The news was sent back by Shen Qing from the capital, via express courier, almost three days earlier than the official gazette.

On the day Lu Yan received the news, he was processing a batch of official documents in the back hall of the yamen when a clerk came in to report that Shen Qing was requesting an audience. He let him in, and the clerk left. Shen Qing came in through a side door, sat down opposite him, and placed the letter on the table without speaking. Only after Lu Yan finished signing the document in his hand and put down his pen did he say, "It's from the capital, about Mr. Chuyang."

Lu Yan unfolded the letter, read it from beginning to end without saying a word, folded it up, checked the seal again, and then placed the letter under the inkstone, saying, "Where is the matter of the reward now?"

"It's stuck," Shen Qing said, his voice flat and as usual, without any inflection. "Regarding the rewards for the Ningyuan victory, in general, Yuan Chonghuan was the main general and the credit went to him, there's no dispute about that. But in terms of artillery battles, some people in the capital know that Mr. Sun put in a lot of effort. He was in charge of eleven cannons, from loading the explosives to calibration. Even counting the few that exploded, he was directly in charge of more than just those cannons on the city wall."

"I know, but it's not sealed," Lu Yan said, not asking, but confirming.

"Yes," Shen Qing said, "This is what our informant in Beijing said: the Donglin Party doesn't want to speak up for him because Mr. Sun is still using Xu Guangqi's name. Grand Secretary Xu is a member of the Donglin faction in court, but he's been suppressed in every way for the past six months. The Donglin faction doesn't dare to be too vocal at this time. Supporting Mr. Sun would be tantamount to drawing the attention of the eunuch faction to Grand Secretary Xu, which would be..."

It's not worth it. "Shen Qing paused, "Some people on the eunuch faction did mention Mr. Sun's name, but their intention wasn't to recommend him for credit. They wanted to bring him in, using rewards as bait to get Mr. Sun to express his opinion."

"What stance do you want to take?" Lu Yan asked.

"Which side do you stand on?" Shen Qing said. "Some people on the eunuch faction want to get involved in the artillery issue in Dengzhou and Laizhou. If Mr. Sun expresses his opinion, it will be a way forward; if he doesn't, let's turn the page on the rewards for now and bring it up again when we need it next time."

Lu Yan didn't speak. He took out the letter from under the inkstone, unfolded it again, and read it for the third time. This time he read it slowly, as if he was confirming certain details word by word. After reading it, he folded it again and put it in his sleeve this time, without pressing it back into the inkstone.

"I don't know," Shen Qing said. "His information channels are limited. He knows the reward is late, but he doesn't know why. The informant said that Mr. Sun has been focusing on artillery work lately, staying in the artillery workshop until very late every day, and asking few questions about other things."

Lu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Is he really indifferent, or is he indifferent to being seen by others?"

"The informant believes it's true," Shen Qing said. "Mr. Sun is the kind of person who, when he's doing something, tries not to think about anything else."

After listening, Lu Yan put his hands behind his back, stood up, took a few steps in the study, didn't go far, circled half a circle around the desk, stopped, and said, "This person is worth meeting."

Shen Qing did not respond immediately, waiting for him to continue.

"He personally commanded the artillery formation from the city wall," Lu Yan said, his tone flat, as if he were outlining the sequence of events. "He still managed to hold the line despite the 30% of the shots going off, which shows that he understands artillery techniques, not just theoretical ones, but has actually fought on the battlefield." He paused. "But now, neither side wants him to get the credit, because if he does, he'll have a more independent position, and the more independent he is, the harder he'll be to be manipulated by either side."

"Yes," Shen Qing said, "so it's being suppressed."

"Keep him under control," Lu Yan repeated the word, "until he can't hold on any longer, and he speaks up and seeks protection on his own."

The study was quiet for a while, but the cicadas outside the window had been chirping since afternoon until the sun was setting, and showed no sign of stopping.

"Shen Qing," Lu Yan sat down again, "have you been able to find out anything about Mr. Sun's recent whereabouts, when he goes out, where he goes, and who he meets?"

"Yes," Shen Qing said. "Our informant is in Dengzhou City. Mr. Sun travels between the artillery workshop and the governor's office every day, occasionally going to the drill ground in the north of the city. He spends most of his time in the government office and doesn't go out much."

"That makes things easy," Lu Yan said, not to Shen Qing, but to himself, in a low voice, almost to himself, "In the future, under the pretext of an inspection tour, go to Ningyuan, detour from there, and pass through Dengzhou. Have Fan Fu go and say hello, saying that the Assistant Prefect is passing by and paying a visit." He paused, "This excuse is not conspicuous. An Assistant Prefect visiting the Governor is official business, and no one can find fault with it."

Shen Qing wrote down these words, nodded, and said, "Does the master want to keep this person close?"

Lu Yan didn't answer immediately. He picked up the paperweight from the table, flipped it over in his palm, then flipped it back over, put it down, and said, "Wanting to see someone doesn't necessarily mean we have to get together," he said. "We'll talk about it when we meet. People who have parted ways may not be of any use; but it would be a pity if those who have parted ways truly parted ways."

Shen Qing understood the weight of those two sentences and didn't press further. He bowed, stepped back to the door, and said, "Master, regarding the itinerary, I'll go and speak with Fan Fu. I'll report back once everything is arranged."

"Go."

The door closed, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

Lu Yan sat back down in his chair, took out the letter from his sleeve, unfolded it for the fourth time, and laid it out on the table. He stared at the lines on the letter: "—Mr. Sun Chuyang, you have rendered meritorious service in defending Ningyuan, but your reward has been delayed. It is said that there are obstacles from both sides, and Mr. Sun himself is unaware of this. He is still presiding over the artillery workshop as usual."

He flattened the letter, pressed one corner down with a paperweight, and left it lying there, neither hiding it nor burning it.

Outside the window, the sun was setting from due west, and the low angle of the light cast a slanted glow on the study floor. The letter on the desk, illuminated by the slanted light, had clear handwriting, each word appearing as if pressed into the paper.

Lu Yan stared at the words, not thinking about the reward; that was just an outcome. He was thinking about what lay behind that outcome.

The person after—

He defended the city wall for three days and three nights, commanding the artillery and suppressing the Later Jin's attack. After the battle, he returned to his office and continued to stay in the artillery workshop, trying not to think about anything else.

People who do accounting have seen this kind of person, and people who do engineering have seen this kind of person.

Every person like this has a large group of people around them waiting to be used and discarded.

Lu Yan folded the letter again, this time without putting it in his sleeve or in a drawer. He walked to the wooden shelf by the wall, inserted the letter into the empty slot on the far right of the third shelf, and left it standing there with its back against the shelf. To an outsider, it was just an ordinary letter, filed away, and nothing could be seen.

He stepped back, glanced at the empty slot, turned around, sat down, picked up his pen again, and approved an official document.

Outside the window, the cicadas finally stopped chirping. The evening sea breeze carried away the last vestiges of summer heat from Dengzhou City. Darkness was falling; night was approaching.