March 24. Just another utterly ordinary day.
As the sun sank in the west, Jiangnan City lit up in a riot of colors. Even while standing guard at Shangshu Province, one could see the brightness along the horizon. Like Chang'an, the counties outside the city walls were the true pleasure grounds, while Jiangnan City mainly served as a residence for the powerful and noble. Whenever the day ended, countless officials invited friends to seek pleasure and amuse themselves. Even Rat Monk received plenty of party invitations—either from some aristocratic minister or some young master from an influential clan who wanted to "get acquainted."
In theory, even guards stationed before a prime minister's residence like Rat Monk received such treatment, so Shang Xuanwen should have received even more courtesy. Yet after three days, not only had Yan Qing never seen him attend a single banquet, no one had even come to offer him gifts or invitations. Every official who met with him focused solely on reporting their work, without the slightest attempt at currying favor.
Yan Qing had even sighed that Liang still had good officials. Shang Xuanwen, however, shook his head. "Flattery is ingratiation, but is being practical and conscientious not also ingratiation? Still, in order to ingratiate themselves, they at least spend time reading the reports submitted by their aides. That's exactly what I want."
Night slowly deepened, and the Capital Hall lit up. Today was Shang Xuanwen's night duty. He would work until the hour of the boar, then rest in the room behind the Capital Hall. Yan Qing glanced at the sky, growing increasingly tense.
The thieves' operation would take place in the early hours of the morning.
At the thieves' meeting two days ago, after Yan Qing proposed directly stealing the Relying on Heaven Sword, they