Xuanqing Guard

"This is forgery! Impossible!"

When Zhou Qing saw the allocation of silver coins in the Yin Yang Account Book of Hongfa Medicine Shop, he completely lost his composure.

The Xu Family... the main family... Red-eyed Barbarians... Long-toothed Barbarians...

Just the fact that the accounts involved "the Xu Family" was enough to throw Zhou Qing’s heart into turmoil. He had never imagined that what he had gone to such lengths to protect would appear in a damned ledger like this. What made him even more frightened was that the account book also mentioned the word "Barbarians"...

"I suppose the so-called ’Red-eyed Barbarians’ refers to the Red-eyed Wolf Race among the Barbarians? The ’Long-toothed Barbarians’ should be the Long-toothed Elephant Race, correct? Judging from the records, Hongfa Medicine Shop traded with these Barbarian tribes through barter—they exchanged grain for all kinds of medicinal materials on the other side. The batches were larger, the quality better than what they obtained from the Slave Trade Association, and because of the price differential, they made even more profit than acquiring goods from the Slave Trade Association."

"But what is more interesting is, who is this Xu Family mentioned in the account? Zhou Qing, don’t you want to explain?"

"I know nothing about any Xu Family! This account book must be fake. You Xuanqing Guard are twisting facts, trying to frame the loyal and the good!"

Shen Hao smiled brightly. A person’s actions always mirror their inner state. Once their behavior changes, it means their mind has already shifted. The more drastic the change, the deeper the psychological disturbance.

Zhou Qing was a clever and stubborn man, but he’d never studied psychology, nor was he skilled in interrogation. Faced with his current predicament, he was evidently thrown into confusion by his own reactions.

He was panicking.

"Zhou Qing, perhaps you bear resentment or bias against our Xuanqing Guard. But let me tell you, when the Xuanqing Guard handles a case—especially something as serious as yours—without solid evidence, we can’t conclude the case, nor can we answer to our superiors. Therefore, neither of the two account books we’ve presented to you is fabricated."

"Whether you confess or not isn’t important—your Zhou Family has already admitted to it. Don’t tell me you think every one of them has your backbone?"

"So, are you still not going to say anything?"

In the end, he was a true man; he didn’t try to shamelessly refuse and play tricks. He simply bowed his head and ignored Shen Hao. At this moment, perhaps this was Zhou Qing’s only means of resistance. He even closed his eyes, likely realizing how much his earlier reaction had exposed his thoughts.

"Zhou Qing, you still don’t understand why I came to see you. Let me put it this way: thirty-seven people were arrested with you, ten of whom hold positions similar to yours. If not for being well-acquainted with your case, why would I come for you and not the others? Do you think keeping silent can save you?"

"You don’t want to comment on ’Xu Family’ in the ledger, do you? Fine, I’ll explain for you."

"Your Zhou Family once had a woman named Zhou Yueyu, who was, by calculation, your great-aunt. Many years ago, she married into a Xu Family in the Imperial City as the official wife. Since then, the Zhou and Xu families became relatives by marriage. Over the years, the relationship was never severed; in fact, it remained close. Even your family’s legitimate business dealings are often with the Xu Family, isn’t that right?"

"As for this Xu Family, isn’t it the family of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Xu Hong? Your great-aunt Zhou Yueyu is none other than Xu Hong’s mother, Mrs. Zhou of the Xu Family."

"Am I correct?"

Zhou Qing’s eyes stayed tightly shut, but the way his jaw was clenched made it clear he was truly unnerved.

"Moreover, your Zhou Family and the Xu Family have maintained frequent correspondence—not just between you and Xu Hong, but also your wives and concubines have exchanged letters with members of the Xu Family. Much of it is about medicinal herbs—rare types unavailable on the open market, yet your family could obtain them through Barbarian channels, and members of the Xu Family took them freely, never paying money but taking many advantages from you."

"Even in the business of Hongfa Medicine Shop, more than thirty percent of the profits were shared with the Xu Family."

"Tell me, with these two account books, isn’t putting a hat of ’collusion with foreign enemies’ on both your families justified? Besides, you and the Xu Family are already among the ’three clans’—is it too much to wipe you all out together?"

"Then why did you come to see me?"

Seeing Zhou Qing couldn’t help but speak, Shen Hao stood up from his chair, his smile unchanged. He stepped forward, looked Zhou Qing straight in the eyes, and said, "I want to make a deal with you."

"I’m a dead man—what deal can I make with you? Would you really let me go?" Zhou Qing could only resort to a fierce tone and look to mask the crushing despair inside. Indeed, with those two account books, neither the Xu nor Zhou Family could escape. He didn’t believe Shen Hao would dare let him off.

"Letting you go is impossible—you’re already on record. But your youngest son, who just turned seventeen, hasn’t been written down yet. You know, our Xuanqing Guard holds vast investigative power and doesn’t need to go through trials. If a name isn’t written in, a life can be spared. Since things have come to this, why not at least preserve a descendant for your Zhou Family?"

"You..."

"Don’t rush to refuse. Zhou Qing, you endured all the tortures of Xuanqing Guard without flinching; for that, I respect you as a man. So I’ll speak plainly."

"Xu Hong may have shown you kindness, maybe even made promises to you. But none of that matters now. You’ve kept your mouth shut out of loyalty to him—but his misfortune stems from his own family’s scoundrels and the fools in your family forming alliances and doing short-sighted and idiotic deeds. That has nothing to do with you, Zhou Qing."

"Now, it’s time to think of yourself."

"Here’s how it is: I’ll leave you alone now to think carefully. I’ll come back in half an hour. I hope you’ll let both of us find a way out."

With that, Shen Hao signaled to Chen Tianwen to leave the interrogation room with him.

"My lord, do you think it will work?" Once in the courtyard, Chen Tianwen, standing nervously to the side, asked.

"No idea. But it’s worth trying. The Zhou Qing now isn’t the inflexible man from before. The fire in his heart has gone out. As long as he didn’t reject my offer outright, it means he’s considering it seriously. When a man starts worrying about his own fate, do you think he’ll still put other people first?"

"Heh, my lord, wise as ever."

"Come now, Old Chen, you and I have known each other for years. I served under you for quite a while—don’t think I don’t know what you’re capable of? I’m sure you’d already thought of these things yourself—why the flattery?"

At these words, Chen Tianwen wasn’t the least embarrassed. Instead, he laughed, "Lord Shen, judge me fairly—this isn’t flattery. It’s just that what you’ve said is indeed more thorough than what I thought myself."

The ever-widening gap in their ranks made it impossible for Chen Tianwen not to act humbly—especially now, with that menacing aura surrounding Shen Hao. Just standing by his side sent chills down his spine; how could he even think of behaving casually as before?