Chapter Twenty-One: The Attack Unleashed

“And then there’s Qin Xia! As long as we take Qin Xia’s life and recover the account books, victory will be ours!” Chen Gaowen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “That’s right. The accounts in the Left and Right Battalions of the Five Armies Camp are all properly prepared. With my abilities, even reviewing just the smallest Left Battalion would take me a month. Now, not a single person from the Ministry of Revenue will be allowed to leave. Find someone immediately—order every brokerage in the capital to shut its doors and refuse all accounting jobs for Qin Xia. Make sure all the reputable old accountants in the city know to behave themselves! And I’ll speak to the noble military officers of the Capital Garrison—if they take our money and come to us for accounting, but trouble arises, don’t expect me to take the blame for them! If we don’t strike now, no one will come out unscathed!”

“Good, get to it at once!” Fei Jizong nodded fiercely and strode out.

Qin Xia’s name suddenly spread throughout the capital.

At this moment, Zhu Cilang had already spent quite some time in the Ministry of Revenue. Having drawn enough animosity, he dared not leave in haste, fearing someone might intercept him for the account books, knock him out, and dump him in some foul gutter.

Though Fu Shuxun was the head of the Ministry, he commanded no official guards of his own. The only way to get soldiers was to formally request them from the Ministry of War. But coordinating troops from the Five Cities Constabulary to escort Zhu Cilang would take considerable time.

Gazing at the pile of account books, stacked like a small mountain, Zhu Cilang quietly awaited his adversary’s next move.

Beside him, Fu Shuxun, having steeled his resolve, was full of fighting spirit. Moments ago, a memorial was drafted and sent out in no time, and a dozen handwritten letters were being hurriedly dispatched across the capital by trusted servants.

Yet as Zhu Cilang stared at the minister’s office, his expression suddenly chilled. He looked toward the southwestern corner of the hall.

There, the courtyard of the Yunnan Office lay.

From the warehouse in the courtyard, a wisp of blue smoke rose.

“Fire! There’s a fire—the Yunnan Office’s warehouse is burning!”

“Those damn rats!” At these words, countless images flashed through Fu Shuxun’s mind. “How brazen they are!”

A fire in the warehouse was an old trick.

But it was an effective one.

A raging blaze could reduce mountains of evidence to smoke and ashes. Fortunately, the account books for the Left and Right Battalions of the Five Armies Camp were still in Zhu Cilang’s possession.

Zhu Cilang did not rush out but watched from afar as the magistrate’s officers from Shuntian Prefecture hurried over, driving firemen who, out of fear and futility, splashed water to douse the flames.

His gaze lingered with amusement on the leading officer—someone he didn’t recognize. But judging from the shouts in the chaos outside and seeing him accidentally drop his badge, Zhu Cilang could guess the rest: this was the newly promoted constable from Daxing County—a greenhorn.

“It’s no easy thing to get one of those badges… Gathering over a dozen firemen so quickly—Daxing County has been diligent of late…” Zhu Cilang’s tone was slightly distant.

Behind him, Fu Shuxun’s face was grim as he stared out, heaviness settling in his heart. These rats were even bolder than he’d imagined.

Neither spoke their thoughts aloud.

Their enemy had made a move!

This was only the first strike—and certainly not the last.

With the fire raging, the soldiers from the Central Constabulary, who had been moving at a moderate pace, now dashed over, breathless, to the Ministry of Revenue. But they had no choice but to join the firefighting efforts.

When the flames were finally extinguished, the entire office of the Yunnan Office’s assistant was reduced to ashes. After the account books for the Five Armies Camp were all consumed, the soldiers finally had a moment to escort Zhu Cilang home.

Within the ministry’s offices, several men in black robes and thick-soled boots silently watched Zhu Cilang, who was being escorted back to Chengqing Lane, each with his own thoughts.

In the setting sun, clutching the account books, Zhu Cilang was surrounded by soldiers. Behind him, smoke and clouds rose from the just-incinerated Yunnan Office warehouse.

This scene seemed a portent—

—a sign that a great battle was about to begin.

In Yanle Alley of Jinhua Ward, East City, a performance of “The Tale of Ephemeral Splendor” was in full swing.

This was a spacious establishment—a theater with a hundred or so seats on the first floor and a small stage. The hall was packed, voices rising in applause and exclamations.

Upstairs, in a private box, two middle-aged men—one stout, one thin, both immediately recognizable as men of officialdom—lounged idly, watching the play. The box was half open; with the window ajar, the bustling noise from the hall below swept in, full of the vibrance of city life.

Though noisy outside, closing the gauzy window muffled the hubbub enough for easy conversation.

At that moment, a thin, scholarly-looking man in long robes, panting hard, was being dragged out like a dead fish by several burly men.

“This fellow is bold indeed. Even after the brokers sent out warnings, he dared to go to Chengqing Lane. Did he think fifty taels of silver were so easy to earn?” Yuan Qi, just off duty from the ministry, squinted with a laugh, snapping open his bamboo fan. He scoffed, then turned to the man across from him, smiling, “Qin Ninth, you helped me capture him this time. I owe you this favor and won’t forget it.”

His companion was an even stouter man, whose ingratiating smile barely concealed his shrewdness. This was Qin Ninth, a notorious broker in the capital. Many skilled accountants worked under him. The theater in Yanle Alley was famous, and many down-and-out scholars waited there for a chance at employment.

Now, the man revered by those desperate scholars wore a fawning smile. His beady eyes gleamed as he bowed to Yuan Qi. “It’s a matter of life and death. When Lord Yuan gives an order, how dare we delay? Such a scoundrel deserves to be handed over for your judgment.”

“I understand your intentions.” Yuan Qi grinned and waved his hand. “Go keep an eye on your people. If I see another accountant at Chengqing Lane, I’ll have no choice but to tear down your theater to appease the anger of our superiors!”

“Rest assured, my lord…” With another oily smile, Qin Ninth slunk away.

Once he was gone, Yuan Qi snorted, glancing at Kong Tian, who was engrossed in the play. “Qin Ninth is a broker attached to the officials. Those accountants who know the rules should fall in line. With this move, the accountants in the capital will treat Qin Xia like a venomous viper, not daring to go near him.”

Kong Tian replied softly, “Old Xi’s lot aren’t in the brokers’ guild—they’ve always been unruly. Have you dealt with them?”

“I’ve broken a dozen legs already. That’ll be warning enough.” A flash of menace crossed Yuan Qi