The Ministry of Revenue’s patron was gone.
Pang Mingjing’s mind was in turmoil.
"Lord Pang, come with me to the Imperial Prison." Zhou Henn’s voice boomed in Pang Mingjing’s ears like a thunderclap.
The Imperial Prison was mentioned in the same breath as the Demon Sect’s Ministry of Justice Celestial Prison and the Evil Sect’s Divine Prison.
Pang Mingjing took a deep breath, composedly produced a Golden Token, and said, "Lord Zhou, I am a Senior Seventh Grade official of the Imperial Court. Without a formal writ, how can you..."
Pang Mingjing’s voice died abruptly, as if a hand had clamped around his throat.
In Zhou Henn’s hand was a scarlet ribbon, from which hung a square, Copper Official Seal.
"On which document would you like Lord Zhou’s Official Seal stamped?" Zhou Henn sat on his horse, head tilted slightly to block the sun, his shadow pressing down on Pang Mingjing like half a mountain.
Pang Mingjing swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he stared at the Seal and Ribbon, utterly speechless.
Li Qingxian smiled. "Lord Zhou, Lord Pang is actually right. He may not be the one who forged the documents; perhaps he was ordered to by the person behind him. The principle of our Night Guard is that we can neither wrong a good person nor let a bad person go. I think Pang Mingjing is a good person. The real villain is behind him."
Pang Mingjing shuddered, staring at Li Qingxian in disbelief. He couldn’t believe such words were coming from a sixteen-year-old boy.
The others also stared at Li Qingxian in astonishment.
Pang Mingjing glanced toward the Night Guard Office, sighed, and said, "I confess. I am at odds with Li Gangfeng, so I forged the official document to get revenge on Li Qingxian. This was my doing, and mine alone."
"Now that the villain has surrendered, my mind is at ease," said Li Qingxian.
"Take him away!" With a wave of his hand, Zhou Henn ordered two Night Guards to dismount and approach Pang Mingjing.
Pang Mingjing slowly lowered his head, his expression grim.
Li Qingxian shook his head and saw Zheng Hui grinning from ear to ear.
Zheng Hui had dark skin, which made his teeth look exceptionally white when he smiled.
The next moment, Li Qingxian’s expression darkened.
Zheng Hui’s clothes were tattered and torn.
"Wait a moment," Li Qingxian said.
The two Night Guards stopped, and like everyone else, turned to look at Li Qingxian.
"Lord Pang, since you’ve confessed your guilt, it’s completely inappropriate for you to wear a Night Guard’s Official Uniform. You can’t bring shame to the Night Guard! Strip him of that uniform!" Li Qingxian said in a cold voice.
The Night Guard members froze for a second before looking toward Zheng Hui, their eyes filled with unconcealed envy.
Zheng Hui laughed, delighted that Li Qingxian was still thinking of him.
"Li Qingxian, there’s a limit to everything!" Pang Mingjing snarled through clenched teeth.
"The one stripping you of your Official Uniform isn’t the me standing before you now, but the Li Qingxian whose corpse could have been rotting on Ministry of Revenue Street! You tell me, is this going too far!?" Li Qingxian demanded coldly.
Pang Mingjing was left speechless.
"Strip him!" Zhou Henn ordered.
Two guards rushed over and, in a flurry of motion, tore off Pang Mingjing’s Official Hat and Official Uniform, leaving him in nothing but his inner shirt and trousers.
Then Li Qingxian added, "Keep stripping!"
A chill ran down Pang Mingjing’s spine.
In that moment, he was finally filled with regret.
"Strip him!" Zhou Henn ordered, his face impassive.
Pang Mingjing only struggled for a moment before accepting his fate, his face burning with shame and indignation.
His shirt, boots, and socks were all stripped away, leaving only the trousers around his waist.
Li Qingxian walked over, leaned in, and whispered in Pang Mingjing’s ear.
"If you plan to kill me, you’d better be prepared for me to kill you first."
The sun, approaching its zenith, shone down on Li Qingxian, making him a dazzling sight.
Pang Mingjing’s face was ashen; the sunlight before him felt as cold as snow.
"Take them back to the Imperial Prison!" At Zhou Henn’s command, a squad of Night Guards rushed over and hauled away Pang Mingjing, along with his guards and groom.
"A hero emerges from the young," Xie Ming praised. His gaze fell upon Li Qingxian, but his expression turned to disappointment. "A pity he’s unranked. Luo Jing."
"I am here," Luo Jing said, bowing his head.
"Don’t forget the incense and tea money." With that, Xie Ming departed without a backward glance.
"As you command," Luo Jing replied, his face a mask of resignation.
"Back to the Government Office." Zhou Henn glanced at Li Qingxian, then turned his horse and began to ride away slowly.
Zheng Hui and Han Anbo rushed over. Zheng Hui grabbed Li Qingxian by the shoulders and laughed. "Atta boy! You’ve really done the Street Patrol Room proud! What a way to turn things around! Anbo told me what was happening, and I thought you were just being reckless with nothing left to lose. I never expected you to have a trick up your sleeve. Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"
"Let’s head back to the Government Office first," Han Anbo said, calming the excited Zheng Hui.
"Right, right! Let’s go, back to the Government Office together!"
"You two go on ahead," said Li Qingxian. "I’m going to see Lord Zhou with Lord Luo from the Ministry of Revenue."
Just as Zheng Hui was about to ask a question, Han Anbo grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
Li Qingxian walked forward with Luo Jing, who had come to meet him. He smiled. "Do you believe me now?"
Luo Jing snorted and held out his hand. "Two cents. One Wen for the incense, one Wen for the tea money."
Li Qingxian was bewildered. "I didn’t offer any incense, and I didn’t drink any tea. Why do I still have to give money to the Ministry of Revenue?"
"When have you ever seen anyone visit the Ministry of Revenue empty-handed? Charging you two cents is the rule. I’ll have to submit another ninety-eight Wen for you later. The minimum for incense and tea is a hundred Wen."
"But I didn’t offer any incense or drink any tea!" Li Qingxian found this incredible.
"Did Lord Xie and I come out here for nothing? I don’t want to take your money either, but rules are rules." The mole at the corner of Luo Jing’s mouth twitched.
"A trip to the Ministry of Revenue is never free?"
"More or less."
"I get it." Li Qingxian shook his head, fished out two cents from his coin purse, and pressed them into Luo Jing’s hand.
Seeing Luo Jing accept the money, Li Qingxian frowned. "I’ve never heard of this rule before. It wasn’t cooked up by Minister Jiu Huang, was it?"
The Ministry of Revenue officials behind Luo Jing suddenly began looking everywhere but at him.
Luo Jing laughed good-naturedly. "You’ve got some nerve, using our Minister’s nickname right here on Ministry of Revenue Street. Aren’t you afraid of being dragged into the South Courtyard and beaten to death? But... yes, it was a rule established by Lord Xuee."
Li Qingxian leaned in and asked curiously, "Is the story about the chives on his teeth real?"
The Ministry of Revenue officials behind them lowered their heads.
Luo Jing lowered his voice. "You might want to die, but I don’t."
Li Qingxian glanced around. "Come on, let’s take the carriage."
"I can drive," said Duan Heng, heading straight for Pang Mingjing’s carriage.
The people behind them slowed their pace, waiting for the two to board the carriage before following along.
Inside the carriage, Li Qingxian leaned back comfortably against the seat. "So, you can tell me now, right?"
Luo Jing gave Li Qingxian a strange look and nodded hesitantly. "It’s true."
"What’s the full story?"
Luo Jing thought for a moment. "Lord Xuee doesn’t actually mind the story; he thinks it’s a fine anecdote. Since he doesn’t forbid it, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. Before Lord Xuee, Xuee Ziliao, made his name, he was just a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue and an unremarkable disciple in the Evil Illumination Sect. The current leader of the Evil Illumination Sect, Sect Leader Lin Zhaokong, was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue at that time. Everyone at the Ministry knew that Lin Zhaokong loved eating yellow chives. Lord Xuee tried every trick in the book to get ahead, and he finally managed to get an audience with Sect Leader Lin. Guess what was the first thing he did?"
"Introduce himself?" Li Qingxian asked.
"No. The first thing Lord Xuee did when they met was grin foolishly. In response, Sect Leader Lin burst into laughter. Why? Because stuck to Lord Xuee’s teeth were three whole pieces of yellow chive. From that day forward, Lord Xuee had caught Sect Leader Lin’s eye."