Chapter 1003

After finishing the meal, Xue Shao and the others gained a relatively clear understanding of Guangzhou Prefecture, then, with the help of their new friend, checked into a relatively safe inn.

That night, while Feng Hongde flew into a rage and ordered men to search for and chase after Xue Shao, they were visiting the home of Cao Rong, the Regional Commander of Guangzhou.

Xi Jin stayed behind at the inn to guard it, while Pan Yun and the other seven entered Cao Rong's residence from various directions.

Xue Shao rarely did such things, and this was his first time sneaking into the home of a second-rank imperial official.

As soon as he landed, he moved with extreme caution, tiptoeing like a thief.

Pan Yun, however, carried a cat on her shoulder, looking utterly relaxed, as if strolling through a garden—glancing left and right, touching things casually.

Xue Shao: …

He slowly straightened his back and whispered, "Why is there no one in this courtyard?"

"Probably because it's secluded. Come, let's take a look around."

Their casual stroll took them all the way around the Regional Commander's residence, during which they even encountered the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

They exchanged a silent glance, passed by each other, perfectly avoiding the soldiers patrolling from the intersection.

After all, this was the Regional Commander's residence—there were many patrolling soldiers; they were forced to change routes several times, creeping for a long while before fully mapping out the entire Cao residence, and eventually locating Cao Rong's bedroom and study.

When Pan Yun and Xue Shao slipped past the guards in the courtyard and quietly opened the back window to enter the study, An Chen had already searched it thoroughly.

He hid among the bookshelves, silently watching the two furtively slinking in.

After thinking it over, he stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself within their line of sight.

Xue Shao's heart skipped a beat—he nearly reacted instinctively—but Pan Yun waved at An Chen and said, "You can pretend you didn't see us. Keep searching."

Even as she spoke, she flipped through a few items, then strolled over to An Chen's side and asked, "What have you found?"

An Chen glanced at Xue Shao and said, "Isn't Lord Xue always dismissive of our Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigative methods? You think our methods are unjust and unlawful."

Xue Shao looked up at him and said, "You've mistaken me for someone else."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard hiding in another corner, flipping through books, hurried forward and whispered in his ear, "Chief, it's not this Lord Xue—it's his uncle, the one from the Court of Judicial Review."

An Chen's face lit up with sudden understanding, a sly smile playing on his lips: "So Master Xiao Xue and Lord Xue are different people? I thought you uncle and nephew were cut from the same cloth."

Pan Yun couldn't help asking, "Did you eat gunpowder?"

An Chen immediately bowed his head: "Your humble subordinate was merely curious."

Xue Shao's expression remained unchanged, unperturbed by An Chen's provocation—but Pan Yun snorted and pressed again: "What did you find?"

An Chen was not stingy with his discoveries.

So far, the study contained few illicit items—hardly enough to justify the Embroidered Uniform Guard targeting Cao Rong.

Xue Shao flipped through the items An Chen had found and frowned: "Just a few letters? That doesn't add up."

An Chen: "Perhaps in his bedroom? Lao San, who went over there?"

"Looks like Lao Er."

Pan Yun, however, paced slowly through the study, carefully examining the walls, then crouched to scrutinize the gaps between the floor tiles.

An Chen said, "We checked the entire room when we came in—found nothing unusual…"

No sooner had he finished than Pan Yun grasped a jade horse from the treasure shelf and turned it gently—the entire bookshelf, flush against the wall, clanked and slowly slid open.

An Chen and Embroidered Uniform Guard Lao San: …

Pan Yun gave them a smug glance, lifted her chin, and said, "Let's go."

Secret rooms usually held important items—and Cao Rong's was no exception.

Inside was a glittering treasure chamber, filled with gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and curios; the last time Pan Yun had seen so many treasures was in the Japanese pirates' vault.

This revealed just how wealthy Cao Rong's hidden treasury was.

This was only what was kept inside the vault—if the family were seized, the land, shops, and goods in the outer storehouses would likely amount to just as much.

Xue Shao idly picked up a string of pearls, each as large as a thumb, perfectly round, lustrous and flawless.

An Chen glanced and said, "Even the imperial palace rarely has pearls of this quality."

Pan Yun: "Good things rarely reach the Emperor's hands. They say the tea the Emperor drinks is what the Jiangnan gentry and high officials have already picked over."

Xue Shao put down the pearls and said, "Just from these, you can tell how corrupt Cao Rong is."

He fell into thought.

An Chen and Lao San had already begun inventorying the treasures—though what mattered most was finding ledgers and other incriminating documents.

Quickly, the two found two volumes on a shelf; when opened, they revealed dense, meticulous entries—some detailed, others rough.

The detailed ones recorded the exact times and sources of the receipts; the rough ones simply listed dates and the amount of gold or silver notes received.

An Chen didn't understand and handed them to Xue Shao: "Why are some entries detailed and others crude? The records are all jumbled."

Xue Shao took them, glanced briefly, and said, "These are items received and directly stored in the treasury; these few were exchanged for gold or silver notes using other assets before being deposited; these last few—out and in—involved exchanging silver notes stored here for gold."

Xue Shao said, "It seems Master Cao places greater trust in gold."

"I trust gold too," An Chen replied, snatching back the ledgers and shoving them into his robe.

Xue Shao released his grip and turned to gaze at the room full of gold and jewels.

An Chen, surprised he wasn't claiming the ledgers, frowned; seeing him stare silently at the gold, his frown deepened: "Lord Xue, you're not actually tempted by all this gold and jewels, are you?"

"Impossible," Lao San said outright. "Chief, you're underestimating Lord Xue the Censor—he wouldn't be interested in such vulgar things."

Still, he himself felt a pang of desire, his hand lingeringly brushing the gold brick—yet he only touched it.

He urged An Chen to touch too: "Touch it for good fortune—this gold is cool and smooth, very pleasant to feel."

An Chen: "Touching Cao Rong's ill-gotten wealth—aren't you afraid of ending up in the Imperial Prison?"

Lao San fell silent.

An Chen pressed Xue Shao: "Lord Xue, since you're not tempted by this gold, how do you propose we handle it? Will you reveal your identity and investigate, or shall we, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, arrest him outright and seize his estate?"

The latter was simpler and faster.

Xue Shao asked, "How many men do you have in Guangzhou Prefecture who can raid Cao Rong's estate?"

"This…" An Chen paused, then said: "I can send a message by carrier pigeon right away. The intelligence office in Jiangnan has a radio. Pigeon to Jiangnan, they transmit the report to Jingcheng, and Jingcheng can dispatch people immediately."

Xue Shao shook his head slightly.

"What do you mean by that? You don't trust our Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Xue Shao said: "If we're going to take him, it has to be fast, and not just Cao Rong alone — Feng Hongde, and all the military officers connected to them must be taken down too. Otherwise, Guangdong will easily fall into chaos."

Guangdong is already in the Lingnan region.

South of Jiangnan, the land of the Hundred Yue — the situation there is rather special.

The farther away, the weaker the central government's control over the local areas. Yunnan has the Mu family garrisoning it and still rebels from time to time — let alone Guangdong and Guangxi? (End of chapter)