"Pfft—"
The Ministry of Justice clerk hadn't expected Shen Tang to suddenly appear and attack. Caught completely off guard, he took the blow head-on, his chest feeling as though a savage beast had stomped on it. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
Shen Tang's almond-shaped eyes were cold and stern. "Take her alive!"
Two personal guards hauled up the Ministry of Justice clerk, who had nearly collapsed into a heap of flesh. Shen Tang raised a hand and conjured a narrow, long sword with a plain, unadorned aura. She pressed its edge to the clerk's throat and lifted her chin with the flat of the blade. Anger surged through her chest, crashing wildly against her ribs. "You've got some nerve, coming back here at the risk of your life!"
The go-between had been planted by the other party as a spy.
This move let them keep tabs on Shen Tang's movements while deliberately misleading her toward the supposed clues, making her suspect that the Jinli Commandery governor was behind the official loans. Once she reached that conclusion, Shen Tang would naturally avoid direct contact with the Jinli authorities out of caution.
Then they could smoothly lead her to the supposed clue about the flower boat.
As for informing the Zhechong Captain of Shen Tang's identity ahead of time, that too had been intended to mislead her. The Zhechong Captain's identity was suspect; drawing her attention to him would muddy the waters.
In this way, they had successfully bought themselves three days, from beginning to end.
Kang Shi arrived right after them and saw the scene.
The Ministry of Justice clerk had been captured. His face was pale, and the blood he had spat out smeared half of it. His breathing was unsteady; he had clearly suffered serious internal