Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

The "mess" Li Ping mentioned was now taking shape, causing the tables in the prefectural governor's mansion to creak under its weight.

The official documents accumulated over three days were piled up layer upon layer: lists of refugees, granary records, casualty rosters, and material and work orders for bridge and well repairs, along with apology letters from various households, all mixed together with red and white envelopes.

Li Ping sat in the prefect's chair, holding a pen in his hand, not putting it down for a long time.

Gao Min came in carrying a stack of newly copied placement books and put them on the corner of the table. He had been busy since before dawn. The official documents that had piled up during the two days of printing stoppage had all been left unattended until today. The ashes from the day the books were burned probably hadn't been shaken off his sleeves yet, as there were still a few specks of black dust clinging to the cuffs.

"My lord, 2,137 people have been settled in the east of the city, and more than 600 mouths are still crammed in the south waiting for food. In the area destroyed by the battle, 27 houses collapsed, and the families of the dead cry at their doors every day. Furthermore, the Si, Yan, and Lu families have all submitted letters of apology. What do you think..."

After listening, Li Ping's pen fell to the ground.

"The Foresight of the Si Family"

Gao Min was taken aback: "Sir, the refugees can't wait. If they go hungry for even one more day, trouble will break out..."

"The refugees need grain," Li Ping circled a mark on the register, "but whose granary holds the grain?"

Gao Min remained silent. He looked down at the stack of notebooks he had copied. Every page was neat and tidy, but the granary section was completely blank. He knew better than anyone that the grain was in the hands of powerful families.

When the head of the Si family entered, he bowed much lower than he had the previous two days.

Two stewards carried in a wooden box; when the lid was opened, it was full of account books.

"Lord Li," the head of the Si family bowed, "the Si family was previously confused and misled by the Shangguan family. Today we have come to present the granary records and have prepared an additional 30,000 shi of coarse grain. We entrust it to your allocation to provide for the refugees."

Li Ping didn't rush to laugh. He casually picked up the top book and flipped through a couple of pages.

Only the rustling of paper remained in the hall.

The head of the Si family moved his fingers inside his sleeve, causing the embroidery thread at the cuff to fray.

Li Ping turned to the third page and stopped.

"Master Si, why isn't the batch of military rations sent to the northern border last autumn recorded in this ledger?"

The color drained from the face of the Si family head.

Gao Min was adding water to the inkstone when she stopped, and two drops of water splashed onto the table.

Li Ping closed the ledger and placed it on the table: "I don't like to look at old accounts, mainly because it's hard on the eyes, but since you insisted on putting the ledger on my table, then make sure there are no missing pages."

The head of the Si family swallowed hard: "Your Excellency is wise, that batch of grain... was personally dispatched by Shangguan Jue to transport it back then, the Si family merely passed through the hands of him."

I'm asking about the accounts.

The head of the Si family bowed even deeper: "The Si family... will definitely make up for it in full."

"Before sunset, the grain must be stored in the official granary," Li Ping said, looking at him. "If even one bushel is missing, I will lead men to demolish your Si family's ancestral home."

The head of the Si family repeatedly agreed, and as he led his men out, the fabric of his clothes clung to his body from behind.

Gao Min approached only after the footsteps had receded into the distance, lowering her voice: "Sir, you're truly amazing! The records of that batch of military rations weren't even kept in the prefect's office's archives. How did you figure it out?"

Li Ping picked up his pen and continued writing: "Calculated."

Gao Min's mouth was half open

Pei Xing, holding the city defense map beside him, added casually, "Last autumn, everyone was starving, but the bluestone slabs in front of the Si family's house were crushed in three places by grain carts. Mr. Gao, you were the one who kept those records."

Gao Min paused for a moment, then slapped her forehead: "Oh dear, what a lapse in judgment! I was the one who approved the repair money for those three broken stone slabs!"

"So you only keep track of the numbers when you do accounting, and don't remember them?" Li Ping said without even looking up.

Gao Min awkwardly straightened the inkstone: "The master said it was a guess, so I really believed it."

In the afternoon, half of the official documents were gone.

News came from the abandoned well outside the city that the breach had been temporarily sealed, but the black water was still seeping down. Li Ping paused for a moment after hearing this.

Fang Cheng stood outside the hall door.

His grey robe was washed clean, but he looked thinner than a few days ago, with dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for several nights. Pei Xing stood behind him, holding a scroll of city defense map in his hand.

Li Ping put down his pen: "The capital is a dangerous place; are you really not planning to get involved?"

Fang Cheng looked towards the northwest corner of the prefectural governor's mansion. He couldn't see the abandoned well through the wall, only the low-hanging dust above.

"Someone has to watch over the dirty stuff underground."

Li Ping remained silent.

Fang Cheng turned his gaze back: "I'll guard Jiangning for you."

Gao Min instinctively wanted to interject, but after glancing at Fang Cheng's expression, she swallowed her words.

"My frail body is like a sieve without a ley line," Fang Cheng said. "Staying in Jiangning will at least allow me to live a few more years."

Li Ping glanced at him and didn't try to persuade him further: "Jiangning is also short-staffed."

Fang Cheng did not refute

Pei Xing placed the city defense map on the table: "I'll handle the surface work, but as for the underworld matters, I'm not capable of that."

"One will take the broad road, the other will guard the narrow bridge," Li Ping nodded, "That's settled then."

Qin Shoushan also came.

He didn't enter the hall, but stood outside the threshold, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, his hands calloused layer upon layer, the black marks from the stove fire still lingering between his fingers, impossible to wash away.

Li Ping looked at him and asked, "Old Qin, you're not planning to move either?"

Qin Shoushan nodded

Why?

Qin Shoushan lowered his head and rubbed the calluses on his knuckles, his voice low: "I've guarded the furnace my whole life, it's time to guard the living."

After he finished speaking, no one in the lobby responded.

Gao Min looked down and tidied the booklet, only realizing after flipping through a couple of pages that the order was reversed.

Li Ping pushed a transfer order over: "The workshop in the north of the city is yours. You decide how much wood, stone, and iron is needed to repair the bridges and roads. Select craftsmen from the refugees to do the work, and make sure they are paid exactly what they are owed. If anyone dares to cheat, have Fang Cheng arrest them."

Qin Shoushan accepted the transfer order with a steady hand.

"Yes"

Ren Jun arrived before evening.

His left arm was wrapped in cloth, the edges still smelling of medicine. He had lost weight, and an old knife hung at his waist, its scabbard having struck the well wall, the crack unrepaired.

Su Wan saw him first, but didn't ask any questions; she simply opened the door.

Ren Jun entered the hall and bowed to Li Ping, saying, "My lord, I have come to report back from leave."

Li Ping glanced at his arm: "You can hold a knife now?"

"Noh"

"Can you ride a horse?"

"Slower is better"

"Can you take a beating?"

Ren Jun paused for a moment: "That depends on how hard Yunze's men go."

Gao Min, who was tidying up the travel permit stubs beside her, glanced up at Ren Jun's injured arm upon hearing this, then looked down again without saying a word.

Ren Jun took out a thin travel permit from his pocket and placed it on the table: "I've come to say goodbye."

Li Ping looked at the travel permit.

It says Yunze on it

A breeze blew in from the doorway, causing the corners of the paper to curl slightly.

"Shall we go now?" Li Ping asked.

"Um"

"The injury hasn't healed."

"This injury won't kill me, but I can't get over the emotional hurdle," Ren Jun said, raising his eyes, which were not bloodshot but filled with a resolute determination. "I have to repay the debt that the Chen family owed me back then."

Li Ping leaned back in his chair and watched him for a while.

With the name Yunze displayed, Li Ping knew he couldn't stop him.

That place holds his past.

"Did you bring any money?"

Ren Jun was taken aback

Gao Min took out a small bag of loose silver from his sleeve, stood up and stuffed it into the bag. His hands had been copying words on the book all day, and his knuckles were a little stiff, but he stuffed the silver in deftly.

"Take it," he said. "Don't skimp on yourself when you're traveling."

Su Wan took a short whistle from her waist and handed it to him: "Take this and blow it; the people of Jiangning will help you."

Ren Jun took it, his fingertip lingering on the short whistle for a moment.

"I will come back," he said.

Li Ping pushed the travel permit back to him: "Jiangning doesn't lack dead people, it lacks living brothers who can be spared and brought back alive."

Ren Jun nodded, turned around and went out.

Just as the gatekeeper was about to close the door, the sound of horses' hooves broke the silence outside. The courier, leaning against the doorframe, panted, his boots covered in mud.

"Xi Yun is here," the gatekeeper said, handing in the bamboo tube. "She said it's urgent."

Gao Min took it first; the seal was still wet, and Shi Gan's private seal was pressed on it.

Li Ping raised an eyebrow: "Shi Ganhui wrote a letter?"

"The handwriting is terrible," Gao Min said, glancing at the letter before opening it. Her lips twitched. "But I can make out the urgent letter that the master sent to Xiyun three days ago. It arrived the night before last. Shi Gan took over the shops, granaries, and patrolmen in the city. Qian Duo left the city last night, taking with him Xiyun's old accounts, silver notes, and two cartloads of medicinal herbs."

Su Wan asked, "When will we arrive in Jiangning?"

"He sent a message through the courier," Gao Min read slowly, looking at the crooked characters on the paper, "that three horses died on the way. We should be able to carry the account books into the city by the night after tomorrow. If we are late, please don't deduct my monthly pay, sir. The horses belong to the courier station, so I won't have to pay for them."

Li Ping laughed.

"If it were him..."

Gao Min folded the letter and put it into the document box: "Sir, now that this money has arrived, shouldn't I be moved from my position as steward?"

"You mind your official documents, he'll just scrimp and save," Li Ping said, pushing the grain registers on the table aside. "If you were to handle this mess of accounts in Jiangning all by yourself, I'd have to burn paper money for you next year on this day."

Gao Min looked down at her stiff, numb fingers, and didn't argue back.

As dusk fell, the long street in front of the prefectural governor's mansion was quiet, but torches lit up the direction of the granary. Grain carts belonging to the Si family drove in one after another. In the distance, people shouted out numbers and cursed at the drivers to slow down. Finally, there was a few sounds of life in Jiangning City.

Ren Jun walked across the stone steps in front of the door, his back straight, but his left arm remained close to his side.

Su Wan stood next to Li Ping

"Will he survive?"

Li Ping watched the figure disappear at the street corner.

"It depends on his fate."

He raised his hand and placed the two letters from the capital under the paperweight. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Pei Xing stride in quickly, his expression tense. He had his own battle to fight.