Yan Chihuo said, "The Second Manor Lord is too modest. From then on, every project you handled followed the same pattern. For the better-quality work, you really did save three-tenths compared to others; for the ordinary-quality work, you saved five-tenths. But once you had Second Master Ping's full trust, the project expenses inevitably began to rise. So when you built Plum Blossom Hall ten years ago, you skimmed an extra tenth. After you were given full authority over construction, you still didn't dare increase your take by much at first. But as time went on, you grew bolder, until at last you were no different from the others. Am I right?"
Yan Chihuo pulled another ledger from inside his robe. "This is what I found after comparing nearly fifty years of Tiger Roar Manor's accounts. Would the Second Manor Lord like to take a look?"
Tong Huaibing's face went deathly pale. He wiped away his sweat again, but Yan Chihuo continued, "As I understand it, Hundred Flower Garden should have cost a little over 120,000 taels, but no more than 125,000. Justice Gathering Hall should have cost a little over 24,000 taels. So tell me, where did the rest of the silver go?"
With a thump, Tong Huaibing fell to his knees. "Young Master Yan, I know I was wrong. I beg you to show mercy." Then he kowtowed, and the sound of his forehead striking the floor rang out again and again. In moments, it was streaked with blood.
Yan Chihuo's brow furrowed slightly. Qu Wuxing understood his meaning and stepped forward, his hands moving like the wind as he sealed six of Tong Huaibing's acupoints in an instant. Though Tong Huaibing's martial arts were inferior to Qu Wuxing's, the gap between them was not that great. But over the past two days, he had seen Yan Chihuo strike with ruthless brutality, and terror had already shattered his nerve. That was why Qu Wuxing had subdued him with a single move.
Yan Chihuo said, "Second Manor Lord, you've been with the manor for many years. Before Second Master Ping left, he instructed that if any of his longtime followers committed an offense, he would judge them personally."
Yun Zaitian let out a long breath. "Nephew Chihuo, I'm ashamed. I never thought even someone like Old Tong would do such a thing. It seems Cloud Sun Manor needs a new lord. I'll return to Tiger Roar Manor and serve as a foot soldier under Second Brother."
"Manor Lord Yun, you're too modest. I just looked over the accounts. Last year, Cloud Sun Manor's income in the Southern Three Provinces reached 743,000 taels, reversing the steady decline of the previous three years. That's no small feat. Master will be very pleased when he hears of it. You know, we've spent a great deal cultivating ties with the authorities over the past few years."
"That was only 10,000 taels more than the year before."
"Then I must ask you, Manor Lord Yun: last year, the Southern Three Provinces suffered a drought unseen in fifty years, and many places yielded no crops at all. How did your income still increase?"
A look of pride appeared on Yun Zaitian's face. "The harvests in the Southern Three Provinces were excellent in the preceding years, so I stockpiled a great deal of grain long ago. Naturally, I made a handsome profit."
"Manor Lord Yun, you were far-sighted. I'm deeply impressed. Still, there's something I don't understand. In a drought like that, grain prices would have soared more than tenfold. We sold so much of our stockpile, so how did our income increase by only 10,000 taels?"
"Nephew Chihuo, you don't know the whole story. We made a fortune at the start of the drought, but then the authorities imposed controls. And Second Brother has always cared about maintaining a good reputation among the poor, so I sold the grain at cost, giving half away, and even provided relief to the disaster victims. Naturally, our income wasn't that high."
"Manor Lord Yun is quite right. But as I understand it, when the drought began, the local officials had to report it and wait for approval from above. At least four months must have passed. Surely the proceeds should have been more than that?"
Yun Zaitian's expression finally changed. "So you think I pocketed some of it too? The local officials may have taken time to report the situation, but the authorities weren't idiots. Of course they ordered relief right away. If they'd waited four months, the local people would have been reduced to eating their own children."
"As I understand it, people really were reduced to that at the time. What's more, the prefects of the Southern Three Provinces had close ties with Manor Lord Yun and had always turned a blind eye to Cloud Sun Manor's dealings. Though the authorities ordered disaster relief and grain-price controls, they made an exception for Cloud Sun Manor. Nearly seven months passed before you opened the granaries and distributed grain. And as for the so-called grain sold at fair prices, you sold grain that had gone moldy years earlier, mixed with plenty of sand. That's why, although your income afterward was lower, it wasn't lower by all that much."
Yun Zaitian gave a heavy snort but said nothing.
Yan Chihuo continued, "Second Master Ping often warned everyone that when you've made enough money, you should know when to stop. Otherwise, you'll earn the hatred of the poor and ruin your reputation. Manor Lord Yun, now you've not only made less money, you've thrown away your good name too. And there's the gambling business. Its income was 620,000 taels the year before last, 570,000 last year, and only 410,000 this year. How did it get worse and worse? If not for the grain profits making up the difference, who knows how much less we'd have earned this year?"
"Enough!" Yun Zaitian barked. "Yan Chihuo, I risked my life alongside Second Brother Ping back in the day. You weren't even born yet! Since when is it your place to lecture me?"
He stood up, tore off his shirt, and bared his scarred torso. "These are all wounds I bled for back then. What, you want to arrest me over a few taels of silver? Let me tell you, Second Brother Ping knew about all this. He just didn't want to interfere. You keep saying this is for Tiger Roar Manor, but isn't it really just so you young ones can climb into power?"
Qu Wuxing and Zhou Fang's expressions changed, and they both stepped forward. Yan Chihuo raised a hand. "Hold it. Manor Lord Yun is Master's trusted aide. We mustn't be too discourteous." Then he turned to Yun Zaitian. "Manor Lord Yun, I'm sorry for the trouble, but please come back to Tiger Roar Manor with me. Master will decide this matter. I wouldn't dare take it upon myself."
He raised the Black Tiger Order. "Surely Manor Lord Yun won't defy even the Black Tiger Order?"
Yun Zaitian glanced at the Black Tiger Order, dropped heavily into his seat, and said nothing.
Just then, Yan Chihuo suddenly looked outside. Qu Wuxing and Zhou Fang noticed and asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"
Yan Chihuo said nothing. A few moments later, several screams came from outside. Zhou Fang shot a glance at Yun Zaitian. Yun Zaitian immediately understood and opened his mouth to speak, but two burly men ran in from outside. "Reporting to the Manor Lord! Someone has forced their way into the manor!"
Yan Chihuo asked, "Who would dare?" Yun Zaitian was puzzled too. He had set up thirteen checkpoints at Cloud Sun Manor, making it as secure as an iron fortress. Even the greatest martial artists of the age shouldn't have been able to break in like this.
With a crash, the doors of Justice Gathering Hall burst open, and a burly man flew inside. Blood welled from his throat; he was clearly beyond saving. Yan Chihuo and the others looked over. A young man of twenty-one or twenty-two stood outside, a long sword in his hand, surrounded by seven or eight burly men.
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