Inside the Hundred Households Office's council hall, Black Dog and the others were tidying up the room.
Shen Qing sat quietly in the seat of honor, with several plates of pastries and jars of wine placed beside him.
Scholar had arranged them. Earlier at the Pacification Bureau, aside from asking about the situation in the western district, Scholar had also inquired about some of its well-known delicacies.
However, he had no idea what Shen Qing liked, so he simply bought one 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 sects have recently arrived in the western district. Have you heard any news?"
The moment Shen Qing heard this, his heart had stirred.
Fang Ming immediately understood and began explaining the situation.
"My lord, I do know a little about this matter. It happened 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 inside. But the most interesting part was that, with so many sects in there, the most valuable item was snatched away by a Rogue Cultivator."
"This Rogue Cultivator had some skill. He forcibly snatched the item from the sects' hands and even fled into Luoshui City."
Shen Qing snorted and glanced at Scholar and the others around him. "What do you all think?"
Old Li spoke in a muffled voice, "Why not just go over and seize it? This is our territory."
Fang Ming shook his head. "Not good. Though this is our territory, it is ultimately a matter within the martial world. We cannot directly interfere."
In the one hundred sixty-eighth year of Emperor Jing, during the reign of Emperor Jing—the previous emperor—the Great Wu Dynasty and the northern Zi Liang Dynasty erupted into fierce conflict. The martial sects contributed greatly in that war.
Thus, Emperor Jing issued them an order: so long as matters of the martial world did not endanger the court or harm the common people, the court would not interfere excessively.
Old Li was somewhat puzzled. "With so many sects entering Luoshui City, could it be that no one has died yet?"
Fang Ming nodded. "Although many sects have arrived and quite a few conflicts have broken out, they have yet to find that Rogue Cultivator, so they have all remained restrained. At most, some property has been damaged; no lives have been harmed."
At that moment, Scholar let out a scornful chuckle.
"Are the Imperial Guards of Luoshui City always this law-abiding? Still, you do have a point. We need a legitimate pretext, or it will be troublesome if the court holds us accountable later. But..."
Scholar's eyes spun as he came up with a dirty trick.
"But if they want legitimacy, then give it to them. Spread a little rumor that a sect has murdered civilians. Then we will have a reason to enter the fray."
Fang Ming shook his head. "Inappropriate. What if those sects demand the details?"
A trace of disdain appeared in Scholar's eyes. "Please, we are Imperial Guards, aren't we? We may lack everything else, but we certainly do not lack death-row prisoners."
"Just kill a death-row prisoner from the prison, slash up his face, and toss him into the street. Then insist it was done by a martial sect."
"As for the details, there is no need to say much. No need to name any sect either. Just release the news and let them guess the rest themselves. From what I heard, there are over a dozen sects with names and reputations alone, and quite a few of them have old grudges between them. Once this news gets out, we will not even need to fan the flames—they will start quarreling on their own."
"Hasn't there always been talk these past years that those above are dissatisfied with the martial world? By my guess, the court will sooner or later make a move against these martial sects. If we do this, not only can we seize the treasure with a legitimate pretext, we can also give these sects a proper warning. Once those above learn of it, they might even reward us."
"This treasure did not appear early or late—it just had to surface after our boss took office, and now they are kicking up a fuss. Isn't that them rushing to deliver the treasure right into our boss's hands?"
"We have heaven's timing, earth's advantage, and human harmony! This treasure should belong to our boss!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Li and Lin Zikai immediately applauded.
Shen Qing nodded. Scholar truly deserved to be called Scholar; his mind turned fast, and he handled matters reliably.
"Good. Your mind works quickly enough. We will do as Scholar said."
Suddenly, Shen Qing realized that the pastry he had just stuffed into his mouth tasted rather good. Looking down, he saw it was a pale red pastry, and he reached out to put another piece into his mouth.
Seeing Shen Qing's action, Scholar hurried to one side, pulled out a small notebook, and began scribbling in it.
Fang Ming thought he was recording some brilliant scheme, so he quickly leaned over to take a look. The next moment, he froze.
On the two pages were lists: one page recorded what Shen Qing liked to eat, while the other recorded what Shen Qing did not like.
The list of things he liked was further divided into wine, pastries, poultry, and more.
More than a dozen foods had already been written down in dense rows—Carved Flower Wine, Ningzhou Roasted Chicken, and so on.
Now, Ding Sheng Cake had been added to the list.
Fang Ming looked at Scholar with an odd expression, with only one thought remaining in his heart.
He was definitely going to rise to prominence.
That night, news spread among the martial sects that someone had murdered civilians in the western part of the city, and the Imperial Guards intended to investigate the matter thoroughly.
By dawn the next day, the news had completely fermented, and the martial sects were abuzz with discussion.
At the Yellow Sand Gang, a spear-wielding young man's eyes flashed with sharpness.
"If you ask me, it must have been those idiots from the Black Water Gang. Did that Madman Swordsman of theirs return this time?"
"Exactly, exactly! If you ask me, he was the one who killed them."
At that moment, Jin Ji, the white-bearded gang leader seated quietly to the side, opened his eyes. A glint of sharpness flashed through his clouded gaze as he spoke blandly.
"Quiet."
"There is something suspicious about this. The Imperial Guards released this news too suddenly, without any details whatsoever. It is highly likely to be a smokescreen put out by the Imperial Guards. They most likely have their eyes on the treasure as well and wish to enter the fray for a share of the soup."
"Do not be hasty. Do not fall into the Imperial Guards' trap."
But just then, a Yellow Sand Gang disciple rushed in frantically.
"Gang Leader! Disaster! Those bastards from the Black Water Gang are telling everyone they meet on the streets that the Yellow Sand Gang killed the people!"
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