Fishing in Troubled Waters

Inside the Hundred Households Office's meeting hall, Black Dog and others were tidying up.

Shen Qing sat quietly in the head seat, with several plates of pastries and pots of wine placed beside him.

These were arranged by Scholar. Earlier, at the Pacification Bureau, Scholar had not only inquired about the situation in the west of the city but also gathered information on some well-known local delicacies.

However, he wasn't sure about Shen Qing's preferences, so he ended up buying a bit of everything for him.

Shen Qing casually picked up a pastry and took a bite, then looked at Fang Ming, who stood ramrod straight before him.

"Fang Ming, many martial arts sects have arrived in the west of the city recently. Have you heard any whispers?"

When Shen Qing heard this news, his heart stirred.

Fang Ming immediately understood and began to explain the situation.

"Sir, I do know a little about this matter. It's like this."

"At the end of last month, an ancient tomb was discovered on the edge of Bailu Marsh."

"It caused quite a stir. Rogue cultivators, sects, and gangs all sent people in. But the most interesting part is that despite so many factions entering, the most valuable item was snatched away by a rogue cultivator."

"This rogue cultivator was quite skilled, forcefully taking the item from the sects and then fleeing into Luoshui City."

Shen Qing let out a hum and looked at Scholar and the others standing around him. "What do you all think?"

Old Li grumbled in a deep voice, "Why don't we just go and take it? This is our territory."

Fang Ming shook his head. "That won't do. Although this is our territory, it's still a matter within the martial arts world, and it's not appropriate for us to directly interfere."

In the 168th year of Emperor Jing's reign, Emperor Jing, the previous emperor, presided over a period of intense conflict between the Great Wu Dynasty and the Zi Liang Dynasty to the north. Many martial arts sects contributed significantly to this war.

Therefore, Emperor Jing issued a decree: as long as matters within the martial arts world did not harm the court or the common people, the court would not interfere excessively.

Old Li looked puzzled. "With so many sects entering Luoshui City, haven't there been any deaths?"

Fang Ming nodded. "Although many sects have arrived and quite a few conflicts have erupted, they haven't found that rogue cultivator yet, so they've been restrained. At most, some property has been damaged; no lives have been lost yet."

Just then, Scholar let out a scoff.

"Are the Imperial Guards in Luoshui City this law-abiding? But what you said is not wrong. We still need a legitimate reason. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if the court holds us accountable later. However..."

Scholar's eyes darted around as he proposed a cunning plan.

"But they want legitimacy? Then we'll give it to them. We can just leak some rumors, saying that a sect has killed civilians. That way, we'll have a reason to intervene."

Fang Ming shook his head. "That's not ideal. What if those sects demand details?"

A hint of disdain flashed in Scholar's eyes. "Please, we are the Imperial Guards! We might lack many things, but we certainly don't lack death row inmates!"

"We can just grab a death row inmate from prison, disfigure their face, dump them on the street, and insist it was a martial arts sect that killed them."

"As for the details, there's no need to elaborate. We don't even need to name the sect. Just release the news, and let them guess the rest. From the information I've gathered, there are over a dozen named sects, and quite a few of them have grudges against each other. Once this news is out, they'll start fighting amongst themselves without us needing to fan the flames."

"For years, there have been rumors that the higher-ups are dissatisfied with the martial arts world. Based on my speculation, the court will eventually take action against these sects. With this maneuver, we can not only legitimately seize the treasure but also put these sects in their place. If the higher-ups find out, they might even commend us."

"And this treasure, it appears now of all times, just as our boss takes office, and they start causing trouble. Isn't this like they're rushing to present the treasure to our boss?"

"Heaven, earth, and humanity are all in our favor! This treasure rightfully belongs to our boss!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Li and Lin Zikai immediately applauded.

Shen Qing nodded. Scholar truly lived up to his name; his mind was sharp, and his methods were reliable.

"Good, your mind works fast. We'll proceed as Scholar suggested."

Suddenly, Shen Qing felt that the pastry he had just put in his mouth tasted good. He looked down and saw it was a light red pastry. Shen Qing reached for another one.

Scholar saw Shen Qing's action and quickly went to the side, taking out a small notebook and scribbling on it.

Fang Ming, thinking he was recording some brilliant strategy, eagerly leaned over to take a look and was stunned.

On the two pages of the notebook, one page listed what Shen Qing liked to eat, and the other listed what he disliked.

The "liked" section was further divided: wine, pastries, poultry, and so on.

More than a dozen foods were already densely written, such as "carved wine" and "Ningzhou roasted chicken."

Now, Ding Sheng Cake had been added.

Fang Ming looked at Scholar with a strange expression, with only one thought in his mind: He will definitely achieve great things.

That night, news spread through the martial arts sects: someone had killed civilians in the west of the city, and the Imperial Guards were launching a thorough investigation.

The next morning, the news had completely fermented, and the martial arts sects were in an uproar.

At the Yellow Sand Gang, a young man holding a spear had a sharp glint in his eyes.

"In my opinion, it must have been those idiots from the Black Water Gang. Has their Madman Swordsman returned this time?"

"Exactly! I think it was him who did it."

At this moment, Jin Ji, the gang leader with a white beard, who had been sitting quietly, opened his eyes. A faint glint appeared in his cloudy eyes as he spoke calmly.

"Quiet."

"There's something fishy about this. The Imperial Guards' news came too suddenly, and there are no details. It's highly likely that the Imperial Guards are using this as a smokescreen. They probably have their eyes on the treasure too and want a piece of the pie."

"Don't rush, and don't fall into the Imperial Guards' trap."

Just then, a Yellow Sand Gang disciple rushed in.

"Gang Leader! This is bad! Those scoundrels from the Black Water Gang are on the street telling everyone that we, the Yellow Sand Gang, did it!"