Hot flashes

When Qi Luan received the secret decree, his expression changed. He wrote a letter overnight and had it sent to the Cui family.

The letter was intercepted by Zhao Ting the day after it left the city. He opened it, read it, resealed it, and sent it to the capital along with Qi Luan's original account documents.

Zhou Heng examined the accounts again. The accounts were meticulously prepared, every entry meticulously accounted for, without any flaws. Yet he knew it was a lie.

Zhou Heng put down the letter and the accounts.

He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. The night breeze blew in, carrying the chill of late autumn, causing the candlelight on the table to flicker.

He knew what Qi Luan would do. Burn the real one and keep a fake one to appease the court.

Then he took all the blame—the grain in the granary didn't match up because of his negligence; the discrepancies in the accounts were due to his subordinates' dishonesty. He admitted it, and the court punished him, demoted him, and dismissed him from his post. The matter ended there.

The Cui family remained the Cui family, and no one pursued the matter of where the 20,000 shi of grain went.

Zhou Heng closed the window.

The next day, he went to find Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue was reviewing memorials in the East Warm Pavilion. When he saw him come in, he put down his pen.

Zhou Heng walked over and stood in front of him.

"It's time to wrap things up in Xuzhou."

Xiao Jue looked at him. Zhou Heng placed Qi Luan's letter and the fake accounts on the table and recounted the events. Xiao Jue listened and smiled.

"You recommended Qi Luan for credit before, just for today?"

Zhou Heng did not deny it. "He was promoted to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the court's investigation of him is a normal performance evaluation of official conduct. If he refuses to be investigated, it means he has something to hide. If he cooperates, he has to hand over the real account books."

He paused. "But he burned the real account books. Burning them means he has something to hide. The court should investigate a prefect with something to hide even more."

Xiao Jue reached out and pulled Zhou Heng into his arms.

"Ah Heng," he said, "when did you learn this skill?"

Zhou Heng leaned against his chest. "I learned it from you."

Xiao Jue lowered his head, his lips touching the top of his head, without saying a word.

Xiao Jue did not rush to move against Qi Luan.

Qi Luan waited in Xuzhou for a month, but received neither an investigation from the imperial court nor a reply from the Cui family. He wrote several more letters, but still received no response. He began to panic.

------

崔家

Cui Yin had been operating in Jiangbei for many years, with informants throughout Xuzhou, Qingzhou, and Yanzhou. He knew as soon as Zhao Ting's men entered Xuzhou.

When Qi Luan's letter arrived, he didn't even open it; he threw it directly into the brazier.

Qi Luan cannot stay any longer.

Cui Yin did hesitate. Qi Luan was Cui's son-in-law, and he had done a lot for the Cui family over the years. A large portion of the grain in those granaries in Xuzhou had been embezzled by the Cui family. If Qi Luan were arrested, the Cui family would be finished.

When a person dies, their mouth is shut. With no one to testify, the imperial court's investigation will ultimately lead only to Qi Luan. Whether Qi Luan embezzled or misappropriated funds, he's dead, and there's no way to prove it.

Cui Yin did not personally intervene, but instead sent a message to Xuzhou: "Lord Qi has been restless lately, and there is a risk of something going wrong. We should make preparations as soon as possible."

When this message reached Xuzhou, Qi Luan was lost in thought in his study. The messenger delivered the message and then left.

Qi Luan sat there, pondering that sentence over and over for a long time.

Make plans early.

He understood the meaning of those four words.

At daybreak, the door to the study was pushed open. Entering were clerks from the Xuzhou prefectural government office.

"Lord Qi," the constable said, bowing his head and speaking in a flat voice, "the Prefect requests your presence."

Qi Luan was taken aback. A prefectural governor? There was no prefectural governor in Xuzhou. Just as he was about to ask, he suddenly noticed a sliver of fabric peeking out from the constable's sleeve. It was the color of the Imperial Guard's uniform.

Qi Luan's heart sank.

He stood up and followed the man out the door. As he reached the door, he glanced back at the study.

The light was still on, and an unfinished manuscript of poems lay open on the table, next to a cup of cold tea. He glanced at it, then turned and left.

In the main hall of the Xuzhou government office sat Zhao Ting. The Imperial Guards had already taken control of Xuzhou City. They had surrounded all of the Cui family's properties in Xuzhou, taken control of several Cui family members, and then came to the government office to arrest Qi Luan.

The Cui family's residences in Xuzhou were besieged for three days. During those three days, Zhao Ting's men ransacked the houses, finding nothing but gold and silver treasures.

Zhao Ting was somewhat annoyed. He had been quick enough, intending to uncover some evidence of the Cui family's crimes that hadn't been destroyed in time, but he hadn't expected someone to exploit a loophole.

Qi Luan was imprisoned in the backyard of the Xuzhou government office. That night, the guards heard a muffled thud coming from his room. Pushing open the door, they found Qi Luan lying by the bed, black blood trickling from his mouth, already lifeless. An empty medicine bottle lay beside him.

When the news reached the capital, Cui Yin was playing chess in his study. Shen Ji was sitting opposite him.

Shen Ji's playing style is very steady; every move is carefully considered and he plays at a leisurely pace. Cui Yin's playing style, on the other hand, is much more aggressive, launching a fierce attack from the very beginning.

Cui Yin placed a piece on the board. "Qi Luan is dead."

Shen Ji paused for a moment, then placed a piece on the board. "How did he die?"

"He took poison. He committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Shen Ji looked at the chessboard and remained silent for a while.

"My people cleared out a lot of things in Xuzhou."

Cui Yin's expression changed for a moment. Shen Ji placed his last piece, and the situation on the chessboard was settled. Cui Yin's large group of stones was cut into several pieces, unable to support itself.

Shen Ji stood up. "Master Cui, you have lost this game."

Cui Yin stared at the chessboard, remaining silent for a long time.

Shen Ji cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then turned and left.