Chapter 223: Ironclad Evidence

The next day, Duan Rong, Xiao Yu, and Huang Qing were busy once again inside the Document Repository.

After the previous day's coordination, the teamwork between the three had become much more tacit...

They were busy for an entire morning; when it came time to eat at noon, Duan Rong set a limit with them that the lunch break would only be half an hour.

After the three hurriedly finished their meal, they returned to work.

After working for another two hours in the afternoon, Xiao Yu was still holding up, but he could see that Huang Qing was struggling to keep going; Xiao Yu could tell that his calves were shaking and his gait had become unsteady. It was clear his stamina was failing.

Huang Qing leaned against a Wooden Frame and stood up, preparing to take an account book he had just finished searching for and give it to Duan Rong.

Just then, Xiao Yu snatched the account book from his hand and said, "Huang Qing, you go take a half-hour break first, then come back."

"This..." Huang Qing looked with hesitation toward Duan Rong, who was buried in his work flipping through accounts at the desk over there.

Xiao Yu said, "It's fine. I'm here. You're already at your limit, don't force it. Go rest for half an hour before coming back."

Huang Qing nodded, gave Xiao Yu a look of deep gratitude, and walked out of the Document Repository, intending to go to his seat in the Main Hall to drink some water and moisten his throat.

Just as Huang Qing sat down and before he could even pick up his teacup, he saw Wang Dean walking out in a great hurry from the entrance of the east Corridor.

Wang Dean spotted Huang Qing at a glance, paused his steps, and asked, "Why aren't you in the Document Repository?"

Huang Qing stood up immediately and said, "I came out to drink some water; I'll be back in a moment."

"Oh. Is everything alright over at the Document Repository?" Wang Dean asked casually.

"No..." Huang Qing's eyes were hesitant; he was considering whether to tell Wang Dean about Duan Rong's actions inside the Document Repository.

But in the moment he hesitated, Wang Dean had already turned and walked toward the outside of the Main Hall, his footsteps hurried.

Huang Qing watched Wang Dean's back, sighed, and sat in his chair. He picked up the teacup, only to find it was empty. He hadn't been in his seat for two days, so how could there be tea in it? "I must be muddled from all this work!?"

Wang Dean's heart was no longer on the Document Repository or the auditing; on one hand, he didn't believe Duan Rong and Xiao Yu could find any problems within their labyrinthine and rigorous accounts.

On the other hand, his mind was entirely occupied by the fact that Li Jun remained unconscious.

Today was already the second day, and even after taking medicine and sleeping for a night, Li Jun still hadn't woken up.

Li Jun's father had already invited several groups of physicians to the house, but none could make heads or tails of it. Some even asked if Li Jun had been possessed by a ghost or had encountered something unclean...

Xu Shouxian asked him about Li Jun's condition again this morning, and upon hearing that Li Jun still hadn't woken up, Xu Shouxian's expression was clearly even uglier.

Wang Dean heard from his Assistant, Xiao Wen, that there was a physician named Gu Suxiu near the West Street toward South City who was quite skilled in ancestral acupuncture techniques and had some success with difficult and miscellaneous illnesses.

Therefore, he immediately prepared to go to Suxiu Medical Hall to invite this Gu Suxiu to Li Jun's house to perform acupuncture on Li Jun and see if it might have some miraculous effect.

As Wang Dean walked, he kept muttering prayers to the gods and buddhas to let Li Jun wake up soon; his anxious and worried appearance was even more concerned than if it were his own son.

Wang Dean's panic was entirely born of his fear of Xu Shouxian.

Over here, Wang Dean invited Gu Suxiu to go to Li Jun's house for acupuncture.

Meanwhile, in the Document Repository, Duan Rong, Xiao Yu, and Huang Qing spent the entire day auditing the accounts.

When twilight fell, not only was Huang Qing at his limit, but even Duan Rong and Xiao Yu felt a trace of exhaustion.

The three dragged their tired bodies away, each going their separate ways.

The third day was the same.

After Gu Suxiu performed the acupuncture, Li Jun remained unconscious, and Wang Dean's mood grew increasingly irritable.

No one was paying attention to the Document Repository anymore, and Duan Rong, Xiao Yu, and Huang Qing hid in the Small Black Room, silently auditing the accounts.

Xu Shouxian had already handed the matter over to Wang Dean, so he naturally felt no need to ask further. Moreover, he had more confidence in the Medical Hall's accounts than Wang Dean did, because while Wang Dean was pragmatic, Xu Shouxian was somewhat arrogant and prone to overconfidence.

Wang Dean's heart was entirely with Li Jun, and he remained indifferent to the Document Repository.

In the blink of an eye, the fifth day passed, and twilight descended once more.

Inside the Document Repository, the four Wooden Frames against the south wall were almost completely emptied.

And the cramped, narrow Corridor of the Document Repository was already filled with stacks upon stacks of account books, looking quite spectacular!

By rushing and hurrying, they finally finished clearing all the accounts for the twelfth lunar month at the end of the fifth day.

Duan Rong let out a long breath, Xiao Yu's eyes revealed a heavy look of fatigue, and Huang Qing was so tired he slumped on the floor with his back against a frame, panting and swallowing saliva...

Duan Rong looked at Huang Qing and said, "Huang Qing, you've worked hard. You go back first. I'll handle the finishing work. Thank you for your hard work these five days."

Huang Qing sat there, looked up, and said, "Is it all done?"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "It's all done."

Huang Qing struggled to stand up; he felt as if his bones were about to fall apart. Huang Qing walked out of the Document Repository with a staggering gait; he only wanted to have a good sleep now...

Seeing that Huang Qing had left, Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu and said, "I have something to entrust to you. Also, leave the two keys with me."

Duan Rong whispered something to Xiao Yu, and Xiao Yu took out two keys, stuffed them into Duan Rong's hand, and then left the Document Repository as well.

When Xiao Yu left, he left the door to the Document Repository slightly ajar.

Duan Rong looked at the Document Repository illuminated by the twilight, and suddenly took a stack of paper slips from his robe, tucking them one by one into the topmost account book of each stack.

These were the detailed verification processes and the margins of discrepancy for every account item he had organized last night; with these, plus the related account books he had sorted, it could be said that every discrepancy he had verified was as solid as a mountain!

Every time Duan Rong placed a slip, he would check the account book, fearing he might put it in the wrong place.

After Duan Rong finished all this, he picked up the lamp and, stepping through the gaps between the stacks of account books, walked out of the Document Repository with unsteady steps.

At the entrance of the Document Repository, Duan Rong blew out the lamp in his hand and set it there, then locked the door of the Document Repository and walked away.

When he walked out of the Backyard Accounting Office, there were still a few Apprentice Accountants in the Main Hall who had lit lamps and were busy...

And in reality, it was already very late, and the night outside had long since deepened...

Duan Rong walked through the pitch-black night with a tranquil heart. He walked out of the Escort Agency, ate dinner by the street, and returned to Liu Lu.

Duan Rong lay on the bed, read some miscellaneous books by the lamp, and when sleepiness overcame him, he wrapped himself in a blanket and slept.

The next day, as soon as the rooster crowed, Duan Rong jumped off the bed.

He washed his face in the courtyard and hurried out. When the sky was just beginning to brighten, Duan Rong arrived in front of the Backyard Accounting Office.

The large copper lock on the door of the Backyard Accounting Office hung heavily there. Duan Rong took out the key and, with the crisp sound of a spring, opened the large copper lock.

Duan Rong carried the copper lock in one hand, pushed the door open, and placed the copper lock on a table behind the door.

At this moment, the Main Hall was pitch black; Duan Rong's eyes flickered as he moved a chair into the western Corridor, placed the chair at the entrance of the Document Repository, lit the lamp he had left by the door when he departed last night, and then crossed his legs, sitting there while holding the lamp.

(End of this chapter)