Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Zhao Kun picked up his wine glass, the rim of which had already chipped on the table.

The private room on the third floor of Zuixianlou was laden with dishes. The roast goose had just been sliced ​​and was steaming hot, and the wine in the celadon pot was already warmed.

But none of the three people at the table picked up their chopsticks.

Zhao Kun managed a weak upward smirk, but his fingers, resting on his knees, dug deep into his clothes, his knuckles trembling slightly from the effort.

He was locked up by his own father for three days. He was only released today under the pretext of going to the village outside the city to relax, and then he sneaked out the back door to get here.

The old servant beside Zhao Wenyuan was still waiting downstairs, assuming that his young master was meeting a friend next door.

"Brother Zhao, I suppose you haven't had enough of the cane Zhao gave you for this meal?"

Zhou Xian fanned himself with a folding fan, picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. "The food at Zuixianlou is fragrant, but if it's mixed with 'fire' (a type of spice), it's hard to swallow."

Zhou Xian was always neatly dressed, and his smile always had a touch of refinement.

He was the Empress Dowager's nephew, and his mother was her younger sister; many people in the capital were willing to give him face.

Cao Meng sat opposite Zhao Kun, his large face hunched over with fleshy muscles, the sword at his waist still drawn.

He didn't touch the food or drink, only staring at Zhao Kun.

"Spit it out."

Cao Meng said, "I still have about a hundred men in my camp undergoing training."

"Brother Cao, with the Zhenbei Marquis's nameplate hanging from your waist, who in this capital would dare to delay your military affairs?"

Zhou Xian laughed

Cao Meng glanced at him coldly: "If you mention my brother-in-law again, I'll crush your fan."

Zhou Xian closed his fan, a smile still playing on his lips: "Alright, I'll listen to Brother Cao. Let's only talk about serious matters."

Zhao Kun slammed his wine cup down on the table, splashing wine onto the tablecloth.

"The south side of the city now belongs to the Li family."

The room fell silent abruptly, save for the occasional crackling of the silver charcoal in the brazier and the heavy, uneven breathing of the three people.

Cao Meng picked up the wine jug and poured himself a cup: "A few peasants making a fuss, is it worth you looking so mournful?"

"That's tens of thousands of taels of silver flowing in every year!"

Zhao Kun stared at him. "The money your camp is siphoning off salaries for no one, and the expenses on Brother Zhou's pleasure boat—wasn't every penny taken from the south of the city?"

"Now that Li Ping has uprooted the Green Wolf Gang, even the Iron Fist Gang has become a coward. From now on, when your people go to the south of the city, they'll have to be cautious, whether they're dragons or tigers, they'll have to act according to that Li's wishes!"

Zhou Xian tapped the fan ribs twice against his palm.

He didn't often go to the south of the city, but he had several secret properties there.

No matter how meticulously the accounts are kept, the casino's commission and the trading company's markup can't escape the influence of local people.

The Jiangning Guild Hall suddenly intervened, and the figures submitted by the accountant yesterday were already shorter than expected.

"Brother Zhao lost face at the Jiangning Guild Hall, and I naturally understand your frustration," Zhou Xian said slowly. "However, you didn't call us here just to have us drink away our sorrows with you, did you?"

Zhao Kun smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"The capital is our territory, the south of the city is our meat, and we're even trying to chew up the bones of this outsider. Can you really swallow that?"

Cao Meng downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.

The cup fell back onto the table, and several fine cracks appeared on the porcelain.

"I could kill a nobody official from out of town with a single slap."

He smirked. "But my brother-in-law told me that there are many people in the army watching me, to prevent me from causing trouble for the Marquis's mansion."

Zhao Kun asked, "Brother Cao, when did you become so timid?"

Cao Meng pressed his knuckles against the rim of the glass, and with a crack, half of the glass shattered on the table.

The shards of porcelain pierced his flesh; he smeared the blood onto the tablecloth.

"On a dark and windy night, if we burn that dilapidated guild hall down, what can the Jingzhao Prefecture possibly find out?"

Zhao Kun's eyes lit up

Zhou Xian sighed, "Brother Cao, it's easy to start a fire, but hard to put it out. That guy surnamed Li can even suppress the Iron Fist Gang, do you think he's afraid of your fire? You won't burn him to death, and you'll just let him go to the emperor to file a bad complaint."

"This won't work, that won't work, what exactly do you want?"

"To kill a snake, you must cut it off at the root."

Zhou Xian leaned back in his chair and unfolded his fan again.

"Li Ping came to the capital to report on his duties, but he doesn't even hold a proper official position. If the Ministry of Personnel simply keeps his evaluation at the bottom of the cabinet and delays it for half a year, he won't even be able to enter the capital."

Zhao Kun's face twitched.

The Ministry of Personnel was his father's territory, but Zhao Wenyuan had just whipped him with a rattan cane, and the house arrest order was still hanging in the mansion.

He'd probably be unable to even get through the door if he tried to beg his father.

Zhou Xian noticed his expression and lowered his voice: "Vice Minister Zhao has a good reputation, so it's naturally not suitable for him to take the lead. However, I heard that the Assistant Director of the Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel recently received a jade Guanyin statue from Brother Zhao?"

"Does that palace maid really listen to you?"

"It's just a matter of having the nanny whisper something in the Empress Dowager's ear."

Zhou Xian rested his fan on his lap. "What's a huge challenge for us is just a casual remark for them."

Cao Meng, growing impatient, retorted, "What good is a single sentence?"

"If you can't suppress it, then suppress it a few more times."

Zhou Xian closed his fan. "He has no official position to protect him in the capital, and he has offended many people. No matter how big his business becomes, who will be willing to do business with him? No matter how high the guild hall's sign is hung, it will still have to be taken down."

Zhao Kun stared at the bloodstains on the table, and the fire in his heart finally found an outlet.

He was afraid of his father, afraid of the Censorate, and afraid of the unrevealed ledger in Li Ping's possession.

But behind Cao Meng stood the Marquis of Zhenbei, and behind Zhou Xian was the palace.

Even if Li Ping were to cause trouble, when the three of them were united, he would still only be a prefect from another region.

"it is good"

Zhao Kun picked up the intact wine cup. "Brother Cao is in charge of the area outside the guild hall. Give him a piece of your mind. Brother Zhou, go and use your connections in the Ministry of Personnel. I'll provide the money and also get information on those old acquaintances in the south of the city."

Cao Meng looked at him: "Those spineless cowards under your command, they've all run away by now, haven't they?"

"What's lost can be found again."

Zhao Kun gritted his teeth, "They collected money for me for three years. No one can escape my grasp—who lives where, what they've done with their hands."

Zhou Xian smiled and raised his glass: "Then let's toast to our immediate success."

Cao Meng took another cup and filled it with wine.

The three glasses clinked together, spilling a few drops of wine.

Zhao Kun and Zhou Xian drank first, and Cao Meng also downed his drink in one gulp, slamming his cup heavily on the table: "I'll go to the guild hall tomorrow."

"Don't rush."

Zhou Xian cautioned, "Brother Zhao just lost face there. If you go too quickly, people will say we're ganging up on an outsider."

"I'm just passing by on horseback with my men, who dares to say a word?"

How many people are you planning to bring?

"One Hundred Riders"

Zhou Xian stopped fanning himself, then smiled: "Then I was just passing by."

Cao Meng stood up, the chair legs dragging on the floor with a screeching sound.

He grabbed his sword and headed out, but turned back at the door.

"I wonder if that gate belonging to the Li family can withstand the hooves of my warhorse?"

Zhao Kun said, "Brother Cao, if you can crush it, the wine is on me."

The door to the private room closed, and Cao Meng's footsteps led him all the way to the top of the stairs.

Zhou Xian slowly picked up a piece of roast goose, tasted it, and shook his head: "The food is cold."

Zhao Kun had no appetite.

He took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table. Just as he was about to get up, he heard a soft thud of sunflower seed shells hitting the ground outside the window.

Zhou Xian frowned and pushed open the window.

There's a tea stall across the street

The stall owner was dozing off at the counter; several customers had already left. Only a thin man in an old short jacket was squatting by the bench, a plate of melon seeds in front of him.

He was still chewing when he saw Zhou Xian peek over his shoulder, and immediately put on a fawning smile.

"Young master, would you like a bowl of tea?"

Zhou Xian stared at him for a moment, didn't recognize him, and slammed the window shut.

The old cat flicked its fingertips, popped the last shriveled sunflower seed into its mouth, and cracked the shell with a snap.

He spat out the crumbs, dusted his hands, took out two greenish copper coins from his pocket, placed them on the table, and then slowly stood up.

"Shopkeeper, the tea is good."

He slipped into a side alley and scaled the wall faster than usual.

The moment the back door of the clubhouse opened, Qian Duo was knocked back two steps by his collision.

"Oh my, are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?"

Qian Duo rubbed his shoulders

"I need to see an adult, it's urgent."

Li Ping was checking accounts in the front hall, and on the table were invitations and return gifts from various shops in the south of the city.

As soon as the old cat entered, it pulled a piece of paper from the sole of its shoe. The writing was crooked and stained with tea.

"My lord, Zhao Kun, Cao Meng, and Zhou Xian are all together."

After reading the note, Li Ping first noticed Cao Meng's line about a hundred cavalrymen passing by, and then saw that Zhou Xian wanted to suppress the report.

Qian Duo leaned closer: "Sir, these three little devils together, they must be up to no good, right?"

"Alliance"

"Those are people from the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence and the palace! My lord, perhaps we should lay low for a while?"

"Just these three good-for-nothings?"

Li Ping placed the note on the lamp flame.

The flame licked the corner of the paper, turning the writing to ash.

He smiled.

"Perfect, saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one."

Li Ping brushed the paper dust off his hands and looked out into the deep night. "Da Niu, loosen those stone slabs in front of the door. Someone should be coming to plow the field first thing tomorrow morning."