In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

As night deepened, the streets and alleys of Yanjing County were deserted.

This is the custom here: as soon as it gets dark, every household closes its doors and windows, and apart from the sound of the night watchman's clapper and the occasional stray dog ​​darting across the street corner, there is no other noise.

But tonight, the southern part of the city felt strangely tense.

The south side of the city is mostly filled with shops selling coarse cloth, sundries, and bamboo and wooden utensils. It's chaotic during the day, but at night it becomes a deathly silent shadow.

Liu's Cloth Shop was nestled in the shadows, its storefront only two rooms wide, the old wooden doors tightly shut, not even a sliver of light escaping through the cracks.

But in the narrow alley behind Liu's house, two people were clinging to the moss-covered low wall like geckos.

Chen Ye's breathing was a little heavy.

He wasn't tired, he was excited.

Ever since Pei Zhaoban kept him with the group at Guijianpo, he had been looking for an opportunity to truly show off his sword skills.

This evening, Pei Zhao called him out and only said one sentence: "Keep a close eye on Liu Ji in the south of the city. If he runs away, you will be held accountable." He knew then that his chance to establish himself had come.

"Don't breathe so loudly."

Pei Zhao's voice was extremely low, like a wisp of night wind brushing against the wall, and only Chen Ye could hear it.

Chen Ye gritted his teeth and leaned down slightly: "Brother Pei, there's been no movement from inside for ages. Are we just going to sit here doing nothing?"

"Let's wait it out." Pei Zhao's gaze was fixed on the corner gate of Liu's backyard. "Let's wait until the people inside are more anxious than you are."

"Didn't the Tian and Hu families just go in not long ago?" Chen Ye asked in a low voice, "Why don't we take advantage of them being there and just storm in and wipe them all out?"

Pei Zhao turned his head and glanced at him in the darkness, his eyes cold.

"Who were they taken down?"

"Tian Chengyi is just a manager, and Hu Rong only brought two followers. If you rush in now, they can say they're discussing business or settling old scores. What can you do against them?"

"The magistrate doesn't want these few heads," Pei Zhao turned his gaze back, "he wants a debt that can nail their master's family to the ground."

Chen Ye swallowed hard, seemingly understanding, and his hand unconsciously went to the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Although he was a scout from the Fengxiang Army, quick on his feet and bold, when it came to the skill of controlling the temperament of eagles, he was far inferior to Pei Zhao.

Inside the courtyard wall.

In the back room of Liu's Cloth Shop, a small, bead-sized auspicious lamp was lit.

The light was dim, barely illuminating a small area around the square table.

Liu Shenxing sat at the table, his face, which usually wore a kind smile and seemed to be able to smooth things over with a few nice words even if the sky were to fall, was now deathly pale.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead, layer upon layer, but he didn't even bother to wipe it away, staring intently at the two people sitting opposite him.

Tian Chengyi and Hu Rong.

The two men had come through the back alleys overnight, both wearing dark cloaks, and they didn't even disturb the dogs in the yard when they entered.

"Manager Liu, things have come to this point, let's speak frankly."

Tian Chengyi held an empty teacup, rubbing his thumb along the rim of the cup repeatedly. His voice was extremely low, yet it carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

"The princess in the inner quarters today has already mentioned your name. What does this mean? It means that those people in the county government aren't just guessing; they're after the Qing'ao Well account, and they've already gotten to your location."

Liu Shenxing's lips trembled slightly: "Manager Tian, ​​Shopkeeper Hu, you two masters, you have to save me! Over the years, I've been covering for several families, doing all the legwork; I may not have done anything meritorious, but I've certainly put in the effort. This new magistrate is a living devil; He Liu is such a slippery fellow, he was subdued on the spot this morning after I didn't exchange a single word. If he arrests me, my body can't withstand the beatings!"

Hu Rong sneered, pulled a heavy cloth bag from his sleeve, and placed it on the table with a dull thud.

"Manager Liu, we've known each other for many years, so naturally I won't let you suffer." Hu Rong pushed the cloth bag forward. "Here are two hundred taels of gold. You must leave tonight, taking your family with you, and follow the Nanhe River down to Sichuan, or to Qianzhong Road. Once you're outside Jiannan Road, never come back in this lifetime."

Looking at the bag of gold, Liu Shenxing showed no joy whatsoever; instead, the flesh at the corner of his eye twitched violently.

Two hundred taels of gold is indeed a huge sum of money that can allow one to live comfortably for the rest of their life.

But the prerequisite is that he has to be alive to spend the money.

What are white gloves most afraid of?

It wasn't the government investigating the accounts; it was the master telling you to "leave."

In Yanjing County, there is often only one way to "go," and that is a dead end.

With high winds and rough seas on the waterways, it's perfectly normal to capsize a boat or encounter a river bandit.

"Manager Hu..." Liu Shenxing swallowed hard. "If I leave, this cloth shop... these accounts..."

"The accounts, of course, cannot be kept." Tian Chengyi took over the conversation, his gaze fixed on Liu Shenxing's face. "The salt production records from Qing'ao Well over the past three months, the weighing slips from the backyard, and the private contracts for silver transfers from the brokerage. As long as these things are still there, the county government will have an excuse to follow the trail. Manager Liu, you are a smart man, you should know what to do."

Liu Shenxing's heart sank.

really.

They didn't come to deliver the plague god; they came to silence us.

Once the accounts were burned, Liu Shenxing became known in this world as a treacherous businessman who absconded with the money.

When the time comes, the government will issue a warrant for his arrest, and powerful figures will send assassins to intercept him on the way. He will truly become a homeless dog with nowhere to turn.

The real ledger that was ordered to be burned was precisely his only talisman to save his life.

As long as the real accounts are still in his hands, the Tian and Hu families will not dare to kill him on the way, because they are afraid that he will hide the accounts somewhere and that once he dies, the accounts will see the light of day again.

Liu Shenxing took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart, and forced a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Rest assured, my two masters. Since I am leaving, I will naturally not leave behind those death warrants."

He stood up, walked to a large red wooden chest in the corner of the room, took out a key, and unlocked it. He took out a thick stack of account books and laboriously carried them to the square table.

"Manager Tian, ​​Manager Hu, look," Liu Shenxing pointed to the top few books, "This is the daily turnover book of Qing'ao Well, this is the advance payment slip for the porters in the backyard, and this one is the secret account for bribing various dignitaries. It's all here."

Tian Chengyi casually flipped open the top book and glanced at it under the lamplight. It was indeed the account of Qing'ao Well, with Liu Shenxing's fingerprint and signature on it.

"Is it all here?" Hu Rong squinted.

"They're all here, not a single one missing." Liu Shenxing nodded repeatedly, then walked to the side and brought over a brazier. "Since you two masters are worried, I'll burn them clean right here in front of you."

As he spoke, he picked up the top book, lit it, and threw it into the brazier.

Flames instantly leaped up, engulfing the dry paper and emitting a pungent, burnt smell.

As Tian Chengyi and Hu Rong watched the account books gradually turn to ashes in the brazier, their tense expressions finally eased a little.