Chapter Seventeen: The Revelation

At this moment, anyone could see that these two had been deeply shaken, struck by a blow that left them reeling. In the end, just as Wang Rui was about to lose his temper and roar in fury, Lin Guzhong placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, fixing Zhu Cilang and Chen Gaowen with a cold, unyielding stare. The scenes from moments before flashed through their minds, filling them with a silent, raging storm, yet gradually restoring their reason.

The earlier volumes bore Zhu Cilang’s handwriting—they had seen his script before. It was elegant, each stroke in the Yan style, full of spirit. But while the initial volumes were indeed penned by Zhu Cilang himself, what of the ones that followed?

“Damn it all, those are the originals! That’s not Qin Xia’s handwriting at all!”

“This scoundrel Qin Xia simply glanced through the originals, then scribbled ‘Reviewed and Approved’ on them. Over two hundred ledgers, and the majority are like this! Except for a scant few, he never even bothered to check the rest!”

In Lin Guzhong and Wang Rui’s hearts, a thousand wild horses thundered and trampled. But faced with the present situation, even the dullest mind would comprehend the truth.

The reason Zhu Cilang disdained the Capital Faction was that he had pledged himself to the Zhejiang Faction’s clerks! His token of allegiance was none other than this calculated mockery, an act that made them mortal enemies.

For these ledgers, most likely prepared personally by Chen Gaowen himself, Zhu Cilang had not even bothered to look at them. Risking future exposure and utter ruin, he used this as his pledge of loyalty to the Zhejiang Faction.

He was simply looking for a powerful backer. If he turned to the Capital Faction, he would be courting death, but by surrendering to the Zhejiang Faction, he might just survive, his secret never uncovered.

Zhu Cilang had seen through it all from the very beginning.

From start to finish, Lin Guzhong and Wang Rui had been played for fools. The arrogance and mockery that they had dished out now came back to them tenfold.

Yet—

What did it matter if Lin Guzhong and Wang Rui now understood?

Would they dare to speak out?

Of course not. The moment they did, it would mean open war between the Capital and Zhejiang Factions, pitting all those behind the Capital Garrison against their rivals. The mere thought of such a terrifying prospect was enough to drain even the bravest of courage from Lin Guzhong.

Their eyes bloodshot, Lin Guzhong and Wang Rui glared at Zhu Cilang as if to etch this moment into their memories forever. “You saw through everything from the start!”

Zhu Cilang only smiled in response.

Chen Gaowen clapped his hands, saying, “Indeed, all has been thoroughly reviewed. Qin Xia has executed his duties with great diligence. This is the example you should all follow. That will be all. I shall report to Supervisor Yu and see that you are all properly rewarded.”

Xie Yi’s gaze returned to its usual calm—that was it.

Chen Gaowen had known from the start that Zhu Cilang was not one of the “Big Turban” men.

If Zhu Cilang truly were their plant, Supervisor Yu would never have allowed Chen Gaowen to torment his own infiltrator in such a manner. After all, if Zhu Cilang was an infiltrator sent by the Big Turbans, his aim would be nothing more than to seize control of affairs, win over followers, and divide the hereditary clerks, so that the Big Turbans could carve out a share of the spoils for themselves.

As for exposing some colossal embezzlement of military funds, the Ministry of Revenue’s career officials were not so bold, for their ambitions rarely reached beyond lining their own pockets.

Since Zhu Cilang was not an infiltrator, and indeed was a harmless talent to the Zhejiang Faction, and had so shrewdly offered the Capital Garrison as his token of allegiance, it was only natural for Chen Gaowen to take him in.

After all, the Ministry of Revenue had work to do, and those who could work, who understood the ways of the world, and who respected the rules—why not welcome such people?

Xie Yi broke into a smile.

Even Chen Gaowen, for once, was uncommonly generous in rewarding his subordinates.

Only Lin Guzhong and Wang Rui felt their humiliation burning, their shame stinging to the marrow.

They had gone too far before. The further they had gone, the deeper their disgrace now.

Their faces burned with shame, as though flayed raw in utter defeat.

Zhu Cilang approached, and with the utmost courtesy cupped his hands to Lin Guzhong. “Brother Lin, Brother Wang, do you recall the wager you pressed upon me earlier? I’ve heard the odds at the gambling house for my victory have reached one to eight. That means the ten taels of silver I put down—Brother Lin, you must remember to repay me eighty.”

Eighty taels—rich as the Ministry of Revenue was, it would take a month of skimming and scheming to steal so much! And this time, thanks to their urging, who knows how many of their fellow clerks had lost everything?

“In your dreams!” Wang Rui, usually so hot-tempered, was now composed. He leaned in toward Zhu Cilang and said, “You think you’ve won already? You’ve only managed to make yourself a dog to Chen Gaowen. You really think that’s victory? Boy, you’re too naive, too innocent. A rootless, unknown upstart like you—no matter how far you go in this world, you’ll end as cannon fodder. You think you can gloat? Sitting on the edge of a volcano, you dare to be proud? Ha! Let me tell you this: the day the Capital Faction rises to power, the very first sacrifice to appease our wrath will be you!”

Zhu Cilang’s smile did not falter. He looked at the two of them as if they were utter fools. “True, a chess piece is a chess piece, no matter who moves it. But compared to the Capital’s heavy-handed bullies, the Zhejiang men are more subtle, shrewder, slyer, and even more sincere. The people behind you wouldn’t even deign to meet with a minor pawn like myself, wouldn’t share a cup of wine with me. Clearly, they intended from the start to use me as cannon fodder to break open the case.”

“As for your so-called ascendance... Frankly, discussing such matters with the defeated is meaningless.” With that, Zhu Cilang drifted away, leaving behind two men with faces ashen as death.

“I truly am not one of the career officials, nor did I ever intend to be their servant in the Capital Faction. But would I ever truly surrender? Heh... Ha! Never forget... I am the Crown Prince of the Great Ming!”

When Zhu Cilang returned to the office, the atmosphere had utterly changed.

Once they had recognized him as one of their own, a crowd of Zhejiang-accented officials surged over, all eager to speak with him.

“Brother Qin, you put those two scoundrels Lin and Wang in their place—what satisfaction!”

“Old Seventh is right, we should celebrate such a grand event! After office, let us brothers go out for drinks and fine company. Don’t forget, Brother Qin!”

Zhu Cilang cupped his hands to each in turn. “Brothers, you are too kind. And as it happens, I’ve won a little silver myself. Set the time, and I shall treat you all at the pleasure quarters—it’s on me!”

“Well said! Brother Qin, you’re a true friend!”

After exchanging greetings with the others, Zhu Cilang made his way to Xie Yi’s desk, where the quieter man kept his distance from the boisterous crowd.

Zhu Cilang bowed gravely, saying nothing; Xie Yi returned the gesture, equally silent.

At that moment, the short and wiry Kong Tian approached, looking Zhu Cilang up and down. “Qin Xia?”

Zhu Cilang bowed. “A pleasure, Master Kong.”

“The supervisor wants to see you.” Kong Tian’s gaze lingered on Zhu Cilang, his eyes narrowed like a weasel’s, a sly chuckle escaping him. “Qin Xia, you have a keen sense for the times. Well done. A wise bird finds a good tree to nest in. Work hard, and fortune will surely come your way.”