Intercepted Secret Letter

Pan Little Black scampered onto Cao Jixiang's roof, gently lifted a tile, and poked its head down to look.

Cao Jixiang was not asleep.

It could be said that hardly anyone could sleep tonight.

Yang Shan was upright and incorruptible. He had refused their welcoming banquet arrangements, merely registering and handing things over according to procedure, but even so, they had been busy the entire day.

After the gifts they had brought back from Japan were inspected and found to be in order, the Maritime Trade Office would issue certificates, compile them into a register, and send them all back to the Capital City;

The Ryukyu prince and his party had to be settled. The moment they landed, they formed a new diplomatic mission and were to travel to the Capital City to kowtow and pay respects to the Emperor;

The mission had encountered Sea Pirates ambushes twice at sea. Statements had to be recorded, and the captive Sea Pirates, physical evidence, testimonies, and so on had to be handed over.

Oh, the third matter had not been completed, because the physical evidence included many things, including but not limited to cannons, muskets, and bows and crossbows.

Not only did the Prefectural Yamen and Navy government office want those things—even Cao Jixiang wanted a share.

Not to mention that the four bandit leaders locked up together seemed to have confessed to something extraordinary.

Cao Jixiang had glanced at their statements while standing beside Prefect Lu, and his heart had been pounding ever since, not stopping even now.

Those people had spoken vaguely and had not confessed in detail, but the prince, the Wang family, and some other family—just hearing those sounds made his heart feel as though someone had seized it in their fist. He had vaguely guessed something.

Cao