The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

On the other side, after leaving the Provincial Surveillance Commission, Ma Wencai, the prefect of Nanchang, did not go directly back to his prefectural office, but sat in his sedan chair for a long time.

The sound of rain outside the curtain gradually subsided, and his fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees, tapping and stopping, stopping and tapping again.

Duan Xi's words kept replaying in his mind.

"Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Taizu established an ironclad rule that any official appointed by the court, regardless of rank, who is murdered without cause shall be thoroughly investigated and never tolerated."

Of course he knew this ironclad rule; he had served as the prefect of Jiangxi for so many years.

I have personally witnessed people breaking the law and the consequences of doing so.

The sedan curtain was lifted by a corner by the wind, and a commotion arose from the restaurant on the street.

The sounds of several young men playing drinking games mingled with the coquettish laughter of women, creating a particularly jarring noise in the damp night.

He frowned, lowered the sedan curtain, and ordered the sedan bearers to change course and go to the Duan residence.

The side hall of the Duan residence was brightly lit with candles, and several gilded candlesticks illuminated the entire room as if it were daytime.

Eight cold dishes and two pots of warm yellow wine were placed on the mahogany round table, but no one touched them.

Duan Xi sat in the main seat, twirling a string of sandalwood prayer beads in his hand. The beads rolled one by one between his fingers, making a very soft and delicate clinking sound.

Besides Ma Wencai, those present also included Qian Bojun, Left Assistant Administrator of the Provincial Administration Commission, and Sun Zhiyuan, Vice Prefect of Nanchang Prefecture.

They were all veterans who had been navigating the political landscape of Jiangxi for over a decade, and were also Duan Xi's most core allies over the years.

These people usually run their own businesses and keep to themselves, but today they have all gathered together for the same person.

Xu Jie.

"Xu Jie called out my name directly at the executive meeting today, in front of all the officials."

Duan Xi's voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone at the table put down their wine glasses at the same time.

He recounted the conversation at the executive meeting verbatim.

When it was mentioned that "some accounts seem to be related to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office,"

Qian Bojun tilted his wine glass slightly, spilling a few drops of yellow wine onto the tablecloth, leaving a small, dark yellow stain.

"Where did he get the audacity?" Qian Bojun put down his wine cup, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed anger. "A newly promoted Vice Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, barely established in his position, dares to touch Lord Duan? Who exactly is backing him up?"

"This is precisely what I find puzzling."

Duan Xi placed the Buddhist prayer beads on the table, picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and slowly rubbed his fingers along the rim of the cup as he put it down. "Xu Jie has been in Jiangxi for many years, and I have been secretly observing him."

"This person always had a smile on his face, never talked back to his superiors, and never competed for credit with his colleagues. The impeachment memorials he submitted during his tenure as censor were all trivial and innocuous."

"An official who consistently ranks in the middle to upper range in the Ministry of Personnel's evaluations, never deliberately tries to stand out, and never makes mistakes, is either truly mediocre or hiding his true abilities."

"Now that he has been promoted to Vice Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, he has revealed his true colors on his very first day. I have never seen such a skill of forbearance in my decades of navigating the officialdom."

Ma Wencai put down his wine glass and sighed: "To be honest, the land case that Xu Jie wants to overturn was caused by my good-for-nothing brother-in-law."

"In previous years, relying on my power, he forcibly seized hundreds of acres of fertile land from several farmers in the suburbs. This was suppressed when the former deputy provincial inspector was in power."

"But on his first day in office, Xu Jie brought up this old case again and announced that he would personally oversee its handling."

He paused, then smiled wryly, "This case was my brother-in-law's absurd act, but if it's really brought up again, it won't just be my brother-in-law who's in trouble."

"The documents I exchanged for suppressing cases for him over the years, as well as the list of gifts I gave to the former Vice Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, are all in Xu Jie's hands."

Sun Zhiyuan hadn't said much, just slowly sipping his wine. Hearing this, he put down his glass and said in a low voice, "This man not only wants to target Prefect Ma, but also the people of Yangzhou."

"I just received news from Yangzhou that the newly appointed Yangzhou Assistant Magistrate, Lu Zhi, is just like Xu Jie."

"On the day he took office, he summoned Sun Nian, the prefectural magistrate of Yangzhou, and questioned him face to face about the inside story of how his predecessor, the assistant prefect of Yangzhou, was demoted to Qiongzhou."

"Sun Nian is my cousin. He served as the vice-prefect in Yangzhou for more than ten years and knew everything about the canal transport accounts."

"But now Lu Zhi is forcing him to hand over the salt and iron tax accounts within five days, and if he doesn't, he threatens to report the matter directly to the Ministry of Justice."

"Gentlemen, if these salt and iron tax accounts are truly investigated thoroughly, who among you can remain unscathed?"

He stopped talking after saying this, without specifying who was involved in the salt and iron tax accounts, but everyone present knew the truth.

Duan Xi's brother-in-law was the largest salt and iron merchant in Jiangxi.

Every year, no less than ten thousand taels of silver were embezzled from the salt and iron taxes, and Sun Nian was the person in charge of handling these matters in Yangzhou.

There was a long silence in the side hall.

The candlelight flickered slightly in the night breeze, casting the shadows of everyone on the wall, sometimes long, sometimes short.

Qian Bojun suddenly spoke up: "Lord Duan, these are turbulent times. If these old grievances are really brought up again, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Why not strike first? They're investigating us, aren't they? Let's investigate them too."

"Send a few impeachment memorials to the Censorate, saying that they have overstepped their authority and are seeking personal revenge, to muddy the waters first."

"As for the accounts in Yangzhou and Sun Nian's place, burn what needs to be burned and change what needs to be changed. We can't just sit here and wait to die."

Duan Xi nodded slightly and was about to say something when the door to the side hall was suddenly pushed open from the outside.