Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

The next morning, Shen Qi left home early.

Halfway there, Shen Qi stopped in his tracks.

A fragrant aroma of steamed buns wafted over from a roadside bun shop.

He hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and had just finished practicing his boxing, so his stomach was empty. The more vigorous his qi and blood became, the more his appetite changed.

Steam rises from the steamer baskets in front of the steamed bun shop.

The shop owner lifted the lid of the steamer, white steam billowing into his face, and called out, "Hot buns! Little meat, thick skin, but they're filling! Two coins each, not expensive at all!"

Several men carrying loads of meat huddled around the stove to keep warm. One of them laughed and scolded, "You're quite honest, daring to shout that there's not much meat."

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes: "With the harvest like this, who has plenty of meat? I'm selling it cheaply; if I stuffed you with meat, I'd lose money even if I lost the steamer basket!"

The crowd laughed.

Shen Qi stepped forward, took out eight coins, and said, "Four steamed buns, please."

The boss worked quickly and handed over four hot buns wrapped in oil paper.

Shen Qi took it and had just taken a bite when the sound of a wooden wheel rolling over a stone slab echoed from the street corner.

Several burly men pushed a wheelbarrow from the outer city road. The wheelbarrow was covered with a thick burlap sack and weighed down with two bundles of straw rope, like ordinary cargo. The men were all wearing dark gray cotton-padded jackets with the cuffs tied tightly and thick cloth boots on their feet.

He also had a wooden plaque hanging from his waist.

The sign has four characters engraved on it.

Qifu Goods Storehouse.

Shen Qi took a bite of her steamed bun and glanced over indifferently.

Among the five people pushing the cart, two faces looked familiar to him.

A few days ago, the gangs in the outer city were swept away by the patrols, and the mortuary received many corpses of gang members. When the yamen runners were escorting people and the servants were moving corpses, he saw these two men mixed in with the crowd.

At that time, the two men were dressed in filthy clothes, with unkempt beards, and exuded a greasy and menacing aura.

Now that he's shaved his messy beard, put on a Qi family cotton-padded jacket, and hung up his waist tag, he really does look a bit like a reformed bodyguard.

The wheelbarrow turned into the backyard of a shop on the street corner.

Someone inside the back door came to meet them, urging in a low voice, "Hurry up, don't delay Second Master's time."

The burly man pushing the cart hurriedly replied, "I know, I know."

The back door closed quickly.

The steamed bun shop owner also noticed this and immediately became interested. While picking up steamed buns, he gestured with his mouth towards the people by the stove.

"See that? The Qi family has taken in another member."

The man carrying the load asked, "Why take in these hooligans? Aren't you afraid of raising a tiger?"

The boss scoffed.

"You don't know anything. There are many vagrants and idlers in the outer city now, and the government doesn't allow them to form gangs anymore. Without a gang, if no one takes care of them, they'll cause trouble sooner or later."

"Master Qi reported to the yamen that he was recruiting idle people, giving them resettlement money, and using them as guards at his warehouse and as镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) on the road. This way, he not only settled people but also protected his own business, and also gained a reputation for doing good deeds."

Another person said, "I heard they also take in refugees?"

"We'll take them." The shopkeeper picked up a bun. "But we don't take just anyone. We don't want the old and weak, the sick and disabled, or the too thin. Master Qi personally selects them; he only wants those with strong arms who can withstand the cold. The Qi family has grain and silver; who wouldn't want to go?"

Someone clicked their tongue and said, "These days, even hooligans can afford to wear padded cotton-padded jackets, while we're still stuck here eating thick-skinned buns."

The shopkeeper tossed a steamed bun into his bowl: "Stop talking nonsense, pay up."

The crowd laughed.

After finishing the last bite of the bun, Shen Qi crumpled up the oil paper and casually tossed it into the ash basket beside the bed.

Seeing that he was clean-cut and had a handsome face, the shopkeeper casually asked, "Are you also looking for work, sir? The Qi family is hiring today."

Shen Qi said, "I can't be a guard."

The shopkeeper glanced at him and chuckled, "Indeed. You do look like a scholar."

Shen Qi did not reply and turned to head towards the inner city.

The guards at the gate recognized him and, with a slight bow, respectfully let him in.

……

At the entrance of the Imperial Observatory, a clerk was already waiting.

When the clerk saw Shen Qi arrive, he hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Envoy Shen, the Qi family sent the account books early this morning, and the head of the department ordered me to wait for you here."

Shen Qi said, "Thank you for your trouble."

The two men walked through the front courtyard to the signing room.

The charcoal fire inside the house was burning brightly.

Jiang Xinyue sat behind her desk, flipping through a local gazetteer, with a large wooden box at her feet. The box was open, and inside were neatly stacked account books, each with a cover labeled with the names of various parts of the Qi family.

Grain store.

warehouse.

A pharmacy.

Expenses for the side courtyard.

The General Branch of the Government.

Jiang Xinyue raised her eyes: "You're here early."

Shen Qi cupped his hands in greeting: "With a case on my hands, this humble officer dares not neglect my duties."

Jiang Xinyue closed the local gazetteer and tilted her chin towards the wooden box.

"Qi Huaili sent it here. He said that the purchases, personnel expenses, and expenses of each room over the past month are all recorded here."

Shen Qi walked to the box, took out a book on the expenses of the side courtyard, and flipped through a few pages.

The items on the paper are clearly marked.

The number of pounds of charcoal, the number of bushels of rice, the number of bundles of paper and pens, the names of the medicinal herbs, who purchased them, and who handled the transactions—all were clearly listed. Qi Huaiyi lived alone in a secluded courtyard, his monthly expenses were meager, and there was nothing out of the ordinary in his account.

Jiang Xinyue suddenly spoke up: "If there were really problems with the accounts, the Qi family wouldn't have gone to such lengths to deliver them to you."

Shen Qi turned another page: "I have to take a look."

"Can you manage to watch all of this?"

"We can't keep an eye on everyone." Shen Qi looked up. "That's why we need to ask you to lend us a few people."

Jiang Xinyue chuckled: "You're certainly taking advantage of the situation."

He raised his hand and tapped the corner of the table.

The steward outside immediately went inside.

Jiang Xinyue said, "Please invite Registrar Lin here, and also request four more clerks who are proficient in mathematics."

The steward accepted the order and left.

Before long, Registrar Lin hurriedly entered, followed by four clerks. Each of the four carried an abacus, paper, pen, and a small seal made of cinnabar. After exchanging greetings, they stood aside.

Lin, the registrar, asked, "Chief Clerk, do you wish to examine the Qi family's accounts?"

Jiang Xinyue pointed at Shen Qi: "He's investigating. You guys help."

Registrar Lin looked at Shen Qi, his expression serious: "How does Envoy Shen intend to investigate?"

Shen Qi took out the account book of the side courtyard: "First, check the flow of supplies in the Huaiyi side courtyard for the past half month. Medicine, charcoal, paper and pen, copper stove, all items that entered the side courtyard, purchase, handled, and delivered, list them one by one."

Registrar Lin nodded: "Alright."

The side room was quickly tidied up.

Four clerks sat at two desks, the sound of abacuses ringing out crisply and quickly. Registrar Lin oversaw everything, circling down any points of doubt with his pen.

Shen Qi sat by the window, flipping through the pages one by one.

The accounts in Qi Huaiyi's side courtyard were excessively clean.

The charcoal came from the Qi family's own charcoal shop.

The medicinal herbs came from an old pharmacy in the inner city, and there are receipts available.

Paper and pens were procured centrally by the government.

The bronze censer was added two months ago; it is not a recent addition.

The messengers were all old servants from the mansion, and they only delivered the items to the courtyard gate, not inside the house. This matches what the Qi family said yesterday.

An hour later, the first batch of entries was listed.

After reviewing the documents, Registrar Lin said in a low voice, "Envoy Shen, there's nothing wrong with the side courtyard at the moment. If Qi Huaiyi was truly harmed by the Qi family, there's no evidence left in the accounts."

A young clerk also said, "The Qi family's accountants are very shrewd; they can keep track of all the money coming in and going out."

Jiang Xinyue was drinking tea in the signing room next door when her voice came through the door: "Did you hear that? The Qi family has been living a life of luxury for generations; their accountant isn't just hired for nothing."

Shen Qi closed the account book in the side courtyard.

"Then we won't investigate the outlying courtyards."

Registrar Lin was taken aback: "Not investigating the outlying courtyards?"

Shen Qi said, "Qi Huaiyi died in the side courtyard, but the person who harmed him may not have only acted in the side courtyard."

The four secretaries stopped using their abacuses.

Shen Qi raised his hand and took out the ledgers of the warehouses, grain stores, and shops one by one from the box.

"Please, everyone, separately list the personnel expenses of all the shops and warehouses of the Qi family over the past half month. The expenses for newly hired personnel, settlement allowances, guards' salaries, and bodyguards' wages should be listed in a separate summary."

Lin, the registrar, suddenly noticed something.

"Do as Envoy Shen says. Arrange by post, summarize by day, and make sure no new names are omitted."

The clerks immediately got to work.

The sound of the abacus was more frequent than before.

Account books were spread out on table after table.

The Qi family owned many businesses, including three grain shops, four warehouses, two cloth shops, one pharmacy, and a carriage and horse trading company outside the city. Their daily expenses were numerous and complicated, with monthly wages, rewards, labor fees, and carriage and horse expenses all mixed together, making it extremely difficult to discern the details without separating them.

Shen Qi did not urge him.

It would take more than a short time to go through all these ledgers.

He sat down to the side, picked up the Qi family's warehouse ledger, and examined it page by page.

Half an hour later, a clerk whispered, "The south warehouse will have six guards added on the eighth day."

Another person said, "The grain store in the West Market has added twelve temporary escorts on the ninth day."

The third person said, "The outer city carriage and horse shop pays twenty-four taels of silver on the tenth day of the month for settling down as a guard."

Lin, the registrar, picked up his notebook and began to write, his brows furrowing.

"There are quite a few people."

Shen Qi said, "Continue."

Two hours later, the candlelight in the side room was changed.

Lin, the registrar, walked up to Shen Qi with a newly copied general ledger.

"Envoy Shen, the first batch of personnel expenses has been remitted. In the past half month, the Qi family's various properties have added a total of 57 guards, porters, and bodyguards. Among them, 29 were specifically recruited from outside the city, 13 were specifically resettled as refugees, and the remaining 15 have no origin."

Jiang Xinyue was already standing at the door at some point.

He was holding a teacup, and upon hearing this, the lid of the teacup paused slightly.

Shen Qi took the master book.

He flipped through the pages from the first to the last, his finger stopping at the end of the latest month.

The twelfth day of the first lunar month.

Qi Family Storehouse received 180 taels of silver.

Item: Security deposit for nursing home.

Further down, there were more than ten other people, whose origins were all written as idlers from the outer city, refugees from the north, or unregistered porters.

Shen Qi pressed his fingertip on the five characters "security guard placement silver".

The sound of the abacus in the room gradually stopped.

Jiang Xinyue put down her teacup, took two steps closer, and glanced down at it.

Lin, the registrar, frowned slightly: "Qi Huaiyi died from the cold evil, and the Qi family is now recruiting a large number of strong and healthy people. Although this matter has not been confirmed, it is unusual."

Jiang Xinyue asked, "Does the yamen know that the Qi family is recruiting?"

Shen Qi said, "Rumors in the city say that Qi Huai'an has reported to the government that he is settling refugees and recruiting idle gang members to serve as bodyguards and bodyguards."

Jiang Xinyue chuckled softly and looked at Shen Qi: "What's next?"

Shen Qi closed the booklet.

"Check people."

"Who are you investigating?"

"First, investigate where the person went after receiving this nursing care settlement allowance."

He pushed the account book in front of Registrar Lin.

"If it's just guarding the premises, there should be someone watching the shop, patrolling at night, and escorting the goods. If someone's name is on the register but they're not there, then there's something wrong."

Jiang Xinyue raised her hand.

"No rush."

"Let's not touch the Qi family openly for now."

"Start by checking the documents filed with the government office, then check the recruitment roster for the outer city."

At this point, he looked at Registrar Lin.

"Send two unfamiliar faces to the Qi family's warehouse to buy goods."

"Check if these guards are actually here."

Registrar Lin bowed and accepted.

"Yes."