Busy Tonight

"Remember, safety comes first in everything. We don't need to rush." The Old Butler handed the wooden box to Xu Bai and gave his instructions with an arrogant expression.

Xu Bai could not even be bothered to look back. He turned and entered the rear courtyard.

"You!" The Old Butler froze, ready to lose his temper.

When had he ever suffered such disrespect? But seeing the burly escorts all around him, and remembering that he was alone here, he thought it would be unwise to provoke them.

"Hmph! You'd better not delay this important matter."

With a cold snort, the Old Butler flicked his sleeve and left.

Several escorts saw the Old Butler to the entrance.

"Brother Xu, when are we setting out?" Liu Er hurried after him and asked.

This escort job looked quite easy, merely delivering a small item.

They had not forgotten why they had opened this escort agency: to clean the silver in their hands. Now that they had such an opportunity, naturally they would not let it slip away.

"I'll let you know when the time comes. We'll talk in a couple of days." Xu Bai entered the rear courtyard without looking back.

"Alright!" Liu Er and the others were in no hurry. They watched Xu Bai enter the room.

"Everyone, make the most of your time and keep training. Don't let anything go wrong when the time comes. Dismissed."

The escorts dispersed and returned to the front courtyard to practice their few cat-three-legged tricks.

Inside the room.

Xu Bai placed the wooden box on the table.

There was a lock on the wooden box. It looked exquisite and complicated; without a key, it would be difficult to open.

Crack!

Xu Bai drew the Ghost-Head Saber and gave it a light flick. The lock snapped cleanly in two.

Then he eagerly opened the wooden box and found a letter inside, with a thick book beneath it.

"Just as they said back then, this letter should be what clears him of the bribery charge."

The Wu Family had appeared out of nowhere, so the issue definitely lay in this letter.

Xu Bai set the Ghost-Head Saber on the table, picked up the envelope, opened it, took out the letter within, and began reading.

Before long, he had finished it.

"I knew it. He wouldn't send a letter to the Wu Family for no reason. So it was meant to deal with me."

This letter was addressed to the Wu Family in the Capital City. It was filled with the Lin Family master's grievances and pleas.

The general content was that his son had died, and it explained the cause of his death.

County Magistrate Zhang had refused to uphold justice for their family, and Lin Fu could not swallow this insult. Thus, he had sent the account book to the Wu Family in the Capital City, hoping they would help them.

As for what the Wu Family did, the letter said they were also a distinguished and influential family in the Capital City.

The reason the Lin Family had ties to the Wu Family was that the Lin Family had a small business connected to them.

The business was tiny, yet Lin Fu had still made use of it.

According to Lin Fu's letter, he was willing to trade half the Lin Family's assets for protection.

That was not the most important part. The most important part was the additional sentence at the end.

"There is also a Mysterious Person threatening me. He wears a long saber at his waist and is likely in league with County Magistrate Zhang."

The meaning of that sentence was obvious: it was aimed at Xu Bai.

After all, Xu Bai had proposed the idea. Lin Fu feared that Xu Bai held leverage over him.

"Some people really do think they're far more important than they are." Xu Bai tore the letter in his hand to shreds, tossed them into the nearby brazier to burn, then took out the account book beneath it.

In his view, Lin Fu had been driven frantic and was grasping at straws in desperation.

Would a prestigious family in the Capital City be interested in a wealthy merchant from some remote county? Impossible.

Forget half his assets—even if he offered everything, they might not lift a finger.

The reason was simple. If you had a hundred million, and someone offered you a thousand to deal with a minor county official, no one would be willing.

As for the Wu Family mentioned in the letter, Xu Bai had no interest in them either.

Because this escort job would never be delivered.

The next stage of the plan was where things truly became interesting.

What the account book recorded were the sums the Lin Family had paid to bribe County Magistrate Zhang. Every entry was documented in great detail.

In these times, everyone had to keep a backup plan for themselves.

The accounts might possibly have been forged, but once they were exposed, they would have to be investigated. If even the slightest thread or trace was uncovered, County Magistrate Zhang would be finished.

County Magistrate Zhang might cover the skies with one hand in Sheng County, but if these matters were exposed, the Emperor of the Great Chu Kingdom would not forgive him.

Even if County Magistrate Zhang possessed talents beyond measure, the Emperor would not go easy on him.

After all, this was a perfect opportunity to kill the chicken and frighten the monkeys.

Most of the entries at the front of the account book were normal income and expenses, but several pages in the middle were mixed with the sums paid to bribe County Magistrate Zhang.

Moreover, the letter had specifically emphasized that County Magistrate Zhang had forced him to do all this.

But if they truly investigated, could they determine whether he had been forced? They could not.

Once this account book reached the capital, the Lin Family would seize the initiative. Combined with the Wu Family, they might truly be able to wash away suspicion of bribery.

"You recorded it quite thoroughly. But the more thoroughly you recorded it, the faster you'll die." Xu Bai set down the account book and lightly tapped his fingers against the table.

Xiao Yue's death had involved three parties: County Magistrate Zhang, Lin Fenghua, and the Lin Residence.

Especially the Lin Residence. Xu Bai did not believe this could have happened without their involvement.

Now, a comprehensive plan had already formed in Xu Bai's mind.

"You planted the cause, so you must repay the fruit. Cause and effect, effect and cause—you will taste the bitter fruit yourselves as well."

He took several sheets of paper from the cabinet and copied onto them the entries specifically recording the bribes.

After he finished, Xu Bai tucked the copied records into his clothes.

He casually closed the account book again and hid both it and the lock somewhere concealed in the room.

After that, he wrote another letter. Then he took the sheets of paper from his clothes, inserted the copied records, and sealed the envelope.

Once everything was done, Xu Bai changed into the clothes he had worn before, covered his face, and left the room for the front courtyard.

By now, it was late, and all the escorts had gone home.

After leaving the escort agency, Xu Bai headed toward the County Office.

The County Office gates had already been shut, with no one guarding outside.

Xu Bai arrived at the corner of the County Office wall and easily vaulted over it.

The County Office's layout was quite ingenious. The front courtyard was used for all the County Office's official business, while the rear courtyard was where the county magistrate lived.

Though it was late, an oil lamp still burned in the main room. Apart from that, all the other rooms were silent.

Xu Bai silently approached the main room and lightly knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

County Magistrate Zhang's surprised voice came from inside.

"It's him, all right."

After confirming County Magistrate Zhang's identity, Xu Bai tossed the envelope in his hand onto the ground and immediately used the Four Xun Movement Technique.

Like a ghost, his figure vanished by the wall.

The door opened. County Magistrate Zhang poked his head out with a puzzled expression. He held a writing brush in his right hand, and a faint white glow shimmered on its tip.

Outside was dead silent. There was not a soul in sight.

The envelope on the ground caught his attention.

County Magistrate Zhang frowned deeply, picked up the envelope, shut the door, and returned to the room.

Before long, the sound of a teacup shattering came from inside.