Dividing the Spoils

Chen Ye finished speaking, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the two men.

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

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

Zuo Dongxi stared at the wooden chest filled with gold and silver, then gritted his teeth and said, "Same here. You saved my life, and helping you this time is a duty I must fulfill."

Chen Ye had been prepared for this; both men carried a hint of the pugilistic world and would not proactively ask for money.

But just because others didn't want it didn't mean he could afford not to give it.

Having finally taken root in the Capital City and established his connections, how could he easily let them go?

This division of spoils was an opportunity to make them more loyal to him, making them easier to command in the future.

In Chen Ye's eyes, the world was a bustling place where everyone moved for profit.

All talk of benevolence and morality was empty; only profit was truly real.

He had already prepared his phrasing, his thoughts clear as he said, "I appreciate the sentiments of you two brothers, but things cannot be calculated that way."

"If it weren't for Brother Su secretly gathering intelligence and using his connections to obtain the Mandala Flower Poison, we wouldn't have had this outcome, and I would never have been a match for those people."

"Without the brothers under Brother Zuo watching day and night, we wouldn't have been able to track their movements, and the poisoning wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"Fine, even if you were willing to help me for free this time and I didn't split the money, would you be just as dedicated if I asked for your help again next time?"

Chen Ye raised a hand to stop Su Guang from arguing, continuing, "I know you are both men of integrity. It's not that I don't trust you, but rather that I value our friendship, which is why I'm doing this. You should be able to understand my meaning."

Hearing this, both Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang felt a warmth in their hearts, feeling valued and believing that Chen Ye was someone worth befriending deeply.

Yet, when it came to the actual division of money, the two found themselves unable to speak.

Seeing that Chen Ye was insistent on splitting it, Zuo Dongxi gave a light cough and said, "Most of this silver is due to Brother Chen's efforts; we have no objections. Without Brother Chen's prior planning, subsequent command, and seeing through the Liu Family trap in advance, we wouldn't even have had the chance to divide the silver here. We only contributed a meager effort."

Zuo Dongxi pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, one hundred taels each for the two of us is enough."

Su Guang nodded in agreement, "This matter relied mainly on Brother Chen. Besides, Brother Chen is a heaven-sent talent; as long as this friendship remains, why fear not having silver to earn in the future? We needn't care about these petty gains. If the silver stays with you, perhaps we can earn even more once the Cui Family matter is settled. I only want one hundred taels as well; that is enough."

Chen Ye shook his head and smiled, "You two are being too polite."

"In this operation, Brother Zuo led the men to flank and gathered intelligence, and your subordinates put in the effort, so it cannot be counted as your labor alone." He turned to Su Guang and continued, "Brother Su was also running errands, and you paid for the poison out of your own pocket, taking on the risk as well."

"One hundred taels is still too little; I cannot treat you unfairly. How about this: I take sixty percent, Brother Zuo takes thirty percent, and Brother Su takes twenty percent. Do you have any objections?"

Thirty percent was four hundred and twenty taels, and twenty percent was two hundred and eighty taels.

"Naturally, that is fine." Since Chen Ye was willing to give them more, they were happy to follow his lead.

Zuo Dongxi even generously gave twenty taels to Su Guang.

In the end, Chen Ye received eight hundred taels, Su Guang received three hundred, and Zuo Dongxi received four hundred.

The men dumped the contents of the wooden chest out, and by the dim light, divided them into three piles as agreed.

Each person took their share and tucked it into their pouches to carry away.

Chen Ye clapped his hands and said with bright eyes, "Brother Su, Brother Zuo, from now on, the three of us must be of one heart and mind to carve out a career in the Capital City."

Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi felt their hearts surge and immediately agreed in unison.

After dividing the wealth, Su Guang took out the clean clothes he had prepared earlier and handed them to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye took off his blood-stained outer robe and threw it into the fire along with the wooden chest.

The flames leaped up, illuminating the faces of the three men.

While waiting for the items to burn, the three chatted about what had happened and shared their perspectives.

"The most urgent matter now is entering the Cui Family. We will still need Brother Zuo to keep a close watch there. If there is no movement, we will have to find a way to urge them along."

Zuo Dongxi patted his chest and said, "Brother Chen, rest assured, I will certainly handle this small matter well."

The flames grew weaker and finally extinguished.

After cleaning up all traces and ensuring nothing was left behind, the three exchanged glances and rose quietly.

"Let's go. This is no place to linger."

The two men had taken the money and, looking to him as their leader, followed closely behind.

Chen Ye loosened the reins, about to mount his horse.

Zuo Dongxi suddenly reached out to support him under the armpits, hoisted him onto the horse's back in one go, and laughed heartily, "Brother Chen! How can you learn to ride if you don't get on the horse? Hahaha..."

Chen Ye's perspective suddenly shot upward; sitting on the horse's back, he felt very uncomfortable and swayed, causing Zuo Dongxi to laugh even harder.

Su Guang noticed his embarrassment and silently took the reins to lead the way.

Outside the Donghua Gate of the Capital City.

Just past noon, the sun was scorching.

There were few pedestrians under the city gate.

Only two guards from the Inspection Bureau leaned on their long spears, laughing and chatting in the shade.

Suddenly, both of them looked up at the same time, seeing dust billowing in the distance as two fast horses galloped straight toward the city gate.

"Who goes there! No galloping allowed beneath the city gate!" the gate guard shouted, leveling his spear.

Before the words had even faded, the woman dressed as a maid beside him pulled a palm-sized, gold-inlaid jade tablet from her robes.

Engraved in the center was a striking character: "Cui".

The gate guard's expression shifted; recognizing the Cui Family's horse, he immediately withdrew his spear, stepped aside, and waved to disperse the crowd in front of the gate.

Cui Xijun did not spare them a single glance from beginning to end, riding straight through the city gate.

Once inside the city, the two riders did not stop, heading directly for the Cui Mansion.

The gatekeeper was startled to see the Third Young Lady looking so travel-worn and hurried forward to take the reins: "Third Young Lady, why have you returned?"

Cui Xijun ignored him entirely, leading Hong Ling straight into the mansion, passing through the three-layered ceremonial gates on the east side, and heading straight for the main chambers in the back courtyard.

Hong Ling followed behind, her legs still weak, gritting her teeth as she desperately tried to keep up.

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

This middle-aged man was about forty years old, with a complexion as fair as a woman's and handsome features, sitting in a chair with his eyes closed to rest.

With every breath he took, he exhaled a faint white mist, which then swirled back and returned into his nostrils, repeating in a cycle that exuded a certain profound and mysterious aura.

This man was none other than the current head of the Cui Family, Cui Xijun's father, Cui Zhenru.

His breathing exercise was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and the white mist around Cui Zhenru's nose dissipated with a soft pop.

Cui Zhenru opened his eyes to see a daughter covered in dust, her hair slightly disheveled, yet her eyes as sharp as a keen sword.

He was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "Are you not supposed to be at Xiangguo Temple to meet the State Preceptor and offer incense for blessings? Why have you returned so suddenly?"

Cui Xijun stepped forward, saying expressionlessly, "Father, someone is trying to kill your daughter. Are you going to do something about it or not?"