Yan Shixiao smiled. "Li Qingxian, don’t tell me you have evidence?"
Wei Yong sneered. "Slandering a superior officer gets you stripped of your rank at the minimum. But if you’re falsely accusing a superior, the least you can expect is exile for ten thousand miles, or even death!"
Li Qingxian put on a troubled expression. He looked at Yan Shixiao, Liu Muwa, and Luo Jing and said, "How about this? The three of you should leave first. We shouldn’t air our dirty laundry in public. This is an internal Night Guard matter, we’ll resolve it ourselves."
Yan Shixiao and Liu Muwa hesitated, unable to grasp Li Qingxian’s intentions.
Luo Jing thought, ’Others might not know what Li Qingxian is like, but how could I not? He’s the Sunshine Boy who sent his own deputy captain to the Divine Prison. At a time like this, what else could he be planning besides something... sunny?’
Luo Jing cleared his throat and said, "Captain Xiaoli, we know you want to protect Lord Wei and the Night Guard. If this were before, I would’ve left without a second word. But now, we’ve all agreed to cooperate, and Lord Wei comes in to stir up trouble. This is no longer just an internal matter for the Night Guard; it also involves the Ministry of Revenue, the Inner Treasury Bureau, and the Ministry of Works. If we don’t get to the bottom of this, how can we report back to our respective lords? This matter must be handled openly and honestly, with nothing hidden."
"This..." Zhou Chunfeng looked troubled.
The moment Yan Shixiao and Liu Muwa heard this, they understood.
"This matter must be investigated until the truth comes to light!" Yan Shixiao said in a shrill voice.
Liu Muwa nodded.
Wei Yong’s expression didn’t change. He shook his head and said, "Li Qingxian, oh, Li Qingxian, you really won’t stop until you’ve hit a wall. I was going to let you off the hook, but I didn’t expect you to stir up trouble for no reason and be so aggressive. Lord Zhou, you can’t blame a colleague like me for what happens next."
Li Qingxian sighed. "Since all you lords demand a thorough investigation and Wei Yong refuses to repent, I have no choice but to speak the truth. As the Saint said, ’If you cannot sweep one room, how can you sweep the world?’ If one’s own house is not in order, how can one bring order to the world? This man, Wei Yong, not only fails to manage his subordinates, but he also can’t manage his own household, leading to a sordid affair between his wife and a subordinate. As for the details, for the sake of Lord Wei’s dignity, it’s not convenient for me to elaborate."
Wei Yong’s expression simply turned cold. He said nonchalantly, "Zhou Chunfeng, is this the kind of man you have in your Divine Capital Bureau? If you don’t give me an explanation, I’ll give you one!"
Zhou Chunfeng looked at Li Qingxian and said slowly, "Qingxian, you said Lord Wei’s wife and subordinate are having an affair. Is that true? If so, then Lord Wei will be stuck with two rather large labels: ’incapable of managing his family’ and ’unable to control his subordinates.’"
Li Qingxian froze for a second and almost laughed. ’Is he really just talking about those two labels?’
The corner of Wei Yong’s eye twitched violently. He took a deep breath, held it in, and looked at Zhou Chunfeng. Slowly, he said, "Lord Zhou, are you really willing to throw away the peace within the Night Guard?"
Zhou Chunfeng stared coldly at Wei Yong and said slowly, "You’re a mere Fifth Grade official. Where do you get the nerve to question me!"
Wei Yong could no longer maintain his composure. He turned to Li Qingxian, his eyes narrowing. "Li Qingxian, come with me to see the Guard Commander. If you can’t produce any evidence, I, Wei Yong, will go so far as to strike the Alarm Drum to see you convicted of a major crime!"
In the Chunfeng Inn on a summer day, insects chirped and birds sang outside the door, but inside, it was as cold as winter.
Li Qingxian sighed in resignation once again. He said slowly, "Since it has come to this, I suppose I will air this dirty laundry. Wei Yong’s most trusted subordinate, Tao Zhi, the Room Leader of the accountants, is at this very moment lying in Lord Wei’s own ornate bed, making waves of passion with Madam Wei."
"Vicious slander!" The veins on Wei Yong’s temples throbbed.
Everyone’s eyes, including Zhou Chunfeng’s, lit up.
"Lord Wei, is Tao Zhi at your house right now?" Li Qingxian asked.
Wei Yong froze. He scanned the pairs of eyes filled with curious desire, gritted his teeth, and said, "Today is my wife’s birthday. I was busy with important matters, so I had Tao Zhi receive the guests on my behalf."
Li Qingxian feigned a sudden realization. "No wonder Tao Zhi could get in touch with Madam Wei. It turns out Lord Wei was the one who worked so hard to make it happen."
"Don’t you spout such nonsense!" Wei Yong bellowed, no longer able to keep his composure.
"Since you deny it, do you dare let us go to your home and verify it for ourselves?"
Everyone could see the glint of a dagger’s tip emerging from Li Qingxian’s eyes.
"I am an official of the Imperial Court! Who would dare force their way into my home!"
Li Qingxian sneered. "A slippery old fox, just as I’d expect. Let me ask you, you’ve neglected Madam Wei for years. How many years has it been since you shared a bed with her? Three? Or five?"
"You... This is utterly uncivilized!" Wei Yong’s right foot shifted outward, and his gaze flickered toward the door.
Li Qingxian continued, "That subordinate of yours, Tao Zhi, is a notorious demon among the flowers. Who knows how many women he’s ruined in his life? Not only is he adept at gifting his own wives and concubines to curry favor with superiors, but he especially loves to crawl into other people’s beds. Were you aware of this, or not?"
"Li Qingxian, are you determined to drop all pretenses with me?" Wei Yong stared daggers at Li Qingxian.
Li Qingxian glanced at Wei Yong’s right foot, slowly rose from his chair, and said, "You sending people to kill me wasn’t dropping pretenses. The Divine Capital Bureau was doing good business with the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Inner Treasury Bureau, and you came to throw a wrench in the works—that wasn’t dropping pretenses. You wanting to throw me in jail and exile me for ten thousand miles wasn’t dropping pretenses. How is it that as soon as I speak a few truths, *you’re* the one who wants to drop all pretenses?"
"Lord Zhou, is this your plan?" Wei Yong looked to Zhou Chunfeng.
Li Qingxian cupped his hands toward Yan Shixiao and said, "Junior Director Yan, at this very moment, Wei Yong’s subordinate and his wife are carrying on illicitly in the Wei Family residence. Not only does he refuse to admit his fault, not only does he refuse to investigate, he instead slanders me, the kind soul who is trying to help him. I ask Junior Director Yan to see justice done, to clear my name, and to clear Uncle Zhou’s name! We can’t let a good business deal like this be utterly ruined by such an incompetent and incapable person!"
"Li Qingxian!" Wei Yong shouted. He knew there was no way out now.
Yan Shixiao turned his head to look at Zhou Chunfeng, then slowly said, "Wei Yong, do you dare to allow us to investigate?"
"Absolutely not! If you want to investigate, get a warrant from the Guard Commander!"
Zhou Chunfeng remained silent.
Li Qingxian glanced at Zhou Chunfeng and thought, ’This Uncle Zhou is still too soft-hearted.’ He then said aloud, "Actually, I think Lord Wei has been kept in the dark about this."
"Oh? And why is that?" Yan Shixiao smiled at Li Qingxian, leaning back in his chair. He was no longer the fawning admirer from the beginning, but rather looked like a high official presiding over his court.
Li Qingxian stared at Wei Yong and said, "I believe Tao Zhi is the one with the wild ambition. He covets the position of Disciplinary Officer of the Finance Department, so he plotted against Lord Wei, getting Lord Wei to sabotage the cooperation between the four bureaus so he could profit from their conflict. Otherwise, why would Lord Wei not return home for Madam Wei’s birthday banquet today, leaving an opportunity for Tao Zhi to exploit? I’m certain Tao Zhi wanted to achieve ’one bird, two stones’—not only to harm Lord Wei, but also to take the opportunity to drug and assault Madam Wei!"
Everyone was dumbfounded. What was "one bird, two stones"? How vicious!
Wei Yong stood there, stunned.
Everyone silently praised Li Qingxian for his ruthlessness. Rather than face a counterattack from Wei Yong and Tao Zhi together, it was better to divide and conquer, letting them destroy each other and cutting off one of their fingers.
This was like placing a knife in Wei Yong’s hand and telling him to choose: cut down Tao Zhi, or cut down himself.
Yan Shixiao suddenly covered his mouth in a delicate laugh, then his smile vanished and his eyes grew cold. "I originally had no desire to interfere in this matter. But if this business deal succeeds, it will bring in eight hundred thousand to a million a year, which is of great benefit to the Inner Treasury Bureau, and it will also please the Emperor. We eunuchs, in the end, work for the Emperor. But now, someone is preventing the Inner Treasury Bureau from making money. This... this is cutting off the Emperor’s source of revenue!"
A chill ran straight down Wei Yong’s spine.