Sharing the Spoils

After Chen Ye finished speaking, his gaze swept across their faces.

The excitement in Su Guang's eyes gradually faded. He took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Brother Chen, I told you before that my life belongs to you. I have no way to repay you. Helping you this time was only right and proper."

After he spoke, Zuo Dongxi was put on the spot too.

Zuo Dongxi stared at the wooden chest filled with gold and silver, then gritted his teeth and said, "Same here. You saved my life. Helping you this time was only my duty."

Chen Ye had expected this. The two men had a touch of Jianghu spirit about them; they wouldn't reach out and ask for money.

But just because they didn't ask didn't mean he could get away with not giving them any.

He had struggled to put down roots in Capital City and build up a network. How could he let them go so easily?

This division of the spoils was an opportunity to win the two men over further and make them easier to rely on in the future.

In Chen Ye's eyes, beneath heaven, people bustled about, all pursuing profit.

Benevolence, righteousness, and morality were all empty talk. Only self-interest was real.

He had already prepared what to say, and laid out his reasoning clearly. "I appreciate your intentions, brothers, but we can't look at it that way."

"If Brother Su hadn't secretly gotten the information, used his connections, and secured the Mandala Flower Poison, we wouldn't have had this opportunity at all. I wouldn't have stood a chance against those people, either."

"Without the brothers under Big Brother Zuo keeping watch day and night, we wouldn't have known what was going on, and the poisoning wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"Fine. Even if you're willing to help me for free this time, I won't split the money with you. Then, if I ask you to help me again, will you still put your whole heart into it?"

Chen Ye raised a hand to stop Su Guang from arguing, then continued, "I know you're both men of loyalty. It's not that I don't trust you. I'm doing this because I value our friendship even more. I'm sure you can understand what I mean."

At those words, warmth surged in Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang's hearts. They felt valued, and all the more certain that Chen Ye was someone worth befriending.

But when it came to deciding how to split the money, neither knew what to say.

Seeing that Chen Ye was set on sharing it, Zuo Dongxi cleared his throat and said, "Most of the credit for this silver goes to Brother Chen. We have no objections. Without your plans from the start, your direction later on, and your seeing through the Liu Family's scheme in advance, we wouldn't even have the chance to split silver here. We only did our small part."

Zuo Dongxi considered for a moment, then said, "I think a hundred taels each would be plenty for the two of us."

Su Guang nodded in agreement. "Brother Chen did most of the work, after all. Besides, you're a heaven-gifted talent. As long as we keep this friendship, will there be any shortage of silver for us to earn in the future? Why should we care about such petty gains? If the silver stays with you, we may even earn more after we finish handling the Cui Family's affairs. I only need a hundred taels too. That's enough."

Chen Ye shook his head with a smile. "You're both too modest."

"Big Brother Zuo led the men in surrounding the place and gathering intelligence. The brothers under you put in the effort too. We can't count all the hard work as yours alone." He turned to Su Guang and continued, "Brother Su was there every step of the way, and you paid for the poison out of your own pocket. You took risks too."

"A hundred taels is still too little. I can't shortchange you. How about this: I'll take six shares, Big Brother Zuo gets three, and Brother Su gets two. Any objections?"

Three shares came to four hundred and twenty taels; two shares came to two hundred and eighty.

"Of course not." Chen Ye was willing to give them more, so they accepted without further fuss.

Zuo Dongxi even generously gave twenty taels of his share to Su Guang.

So Chen Ye got eight hundred taels, Su Guang got three hundred, and Zuo Dongxi got four hundred.

They tipped the valuables out of the wooden chest with a clatter, and in the dim light, divided them into three piles as agreed.

Each man took charge of a pile, stuffed it into his cloth sack, and carried it away.

Chen Ye dusted off his hands and said, his eyes shining, "Brother Su, Big Brother Zuo, from now on, the three of us must stand united as brothers and carve out a place for ourselves in Capital City."

Excitement surged through Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi. They immediately answered in unison, "We will!"

After the money was divided, Su Guang took out the clean clothes he had prepared and handed them to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye took off his bloodstained outer robe and tossed it into the fire with the wooden chest.

The flames leapt up, lighting the three men's faces.

As they waited for everything to burn, they talked about what had happened and shared their thoughts.

"The most important thing now is still getting into the Cui Family. Big Brother Zuo, you'll have to keep a close eye on them. If nothing happens on their end, we'll have to find a way to hurry things along."

Zuo Dongxi thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Brother Chen. I can handle a little thing like that."

The flames dwindled, then finally went out.

After clearing away every trace and making sure nothing had been left behind, the three exchanged a glance and rose quietly.

"Let's go. We shouldn't linger here."

The other two had taken their money and followed his lead, keeping close behind him.

Chen Ye loosened the reins and was about to lead his horse.

Zuo Dongxi suddenly slipped an arm beneath his armpit, lifted him in one swift motion, and set him on the horse's back. He laughed loudly. "Brother Chen! How can you learn to ride if you never get on a horse? Hahaha..."

Chen Ye's view suddenly rose. Sitting on the horse felt terribly strange, and he swayed back and forth, making Zuo Dongxi laugh even harder.

Su Guang saw how awkward he felt. Without a word, he took the reins and led the way.

Outside Donghua Gate, Capital City.

It was just past noon, and the sun blazed overhead.

There were few pedestrians beneath the city gate.

Only two guards from the Inspection Bureau stood in the shade, leaning on their spears as they chatted.

Suddenly, both looked up. In the distance, dust billowed as two fast horses raced toward the city gate.

"Who goes there? No galloping beneath the city gate!" one guard bellowed, thrusting out his spear.

Before he had finished speaking, the maid dressed in women's clothes beside the rider pulled a palm-sized, gold-inlaid jade token from her robes.

A prominent "Cui" was engraved in its center.

The guards' expressions changed as they recognized it as the Cui Family's token. They immediately lowered their spears, stepped aside, and waved the crowd away from the gate.

Cui Xijun didn't look at them once. She rode straight through the city gate.

Once inside, the two horses kept galloping straight toward Cui Mansion.

The Gatekeeper was startled at the sight of the Third Miss, dusty from head to toe. He hurried forward to take her horse's reins. "Third Miss, why have you come back?"

Cui Xijun ignored him and led Hong Ling straight into the mansion. They passed through the three tiers of ceremonial gates on the east side and hurried toward the main rooms in the Back Courtyard.

Hong Ling followed behind her, her legs still trembling. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to keep up.

After passing through a black-lacquered gate, Cui Xijun found a middle-aged man in the main room.

He was about forty, with a fair, almost feminine complexion and handsome features. He sat in a chair with his eyes closed, resting.

With every breath he took, a faint white mist emerged from his nose. It curled back around and slipped into his nostrils, over and over, carrying a mysterious, almost otherworldly rhythm.

This man was the head of the Cui Family, Cui Xijun's father, Cui Zhenru.

The sound of footsteps interrupted his breathing exercise, and the white mist around Cui Zhenru's nostrils scattered with a puff.

Cui Zhenru opened his eyes and saw his daughter, covered in dust, her hair coming loose, yet with a gaze as sharp as a drawn sword.

He paused, then asked in surprise, "Weren't you going to Xiangguo Temple to meet the State Preceptor, burn incense, and pray for blessings? Why have you suddenly come back?"

Cui Xijun stepped forward, her face expressionless. "Father, someone tried to kill your daughter. Are you going to do anything about it?"