One Bird, Two Stones

Yan Shixiao laughed and said, "Li Qingxian, do you perhaps have evidence?"

Wei Yong sneered, "Slandering an official will at least result in being stripped of your post, but falsely accusing an official will at least result in being exiled thousands of miles away, or even being executed!"

Li Qingxian looked troubled, glanced at Yan Shixiao, Liu Muwa, and Luo Jing, and said, "How about this, the three of you leave first. Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. Let the Night Guard handle their own internal affairs."

Yan Shixiao and Liu Muwa hesitated, unable to discern Li Qingxian's intentions.

Luo Jing thought to himself, "Others may not know what Li Qingxian is like, but do you think I don't? The Sunshine Boy who sent the deputy captain to the Divine Prison, what else could he be doing right now but want to do something positive?"

Luo Jing coughed lightly and said, "Captain Li, we know you want to protect Daren Wei and the Night Guard. If it were before, I would have left without a word. But now, we've agreed to cooperate, and Daren Wei has come to disrupt things. This is no longer just an internal matter of the Night Guard; it also involves the Ministry of Revenue, the Inner Treasury Office, and the Ministry of Works. How can we go back and explain to our Daren if we don't get to the bottom of this? This matter must be handled openly and honestly; there can be no concealment."

"This..." Zhou Chunfeng looked troubled.

Upon hearing this, Yan Shixiao and Liu Muwa immediately realized what was going on.

"This matter must be thoroughly investigated!" Yan Shixiao shouted.

Liu Muwa nodded.

Wei Yong remained unfazed, shaking his head and saying, "Li Qingxian, you really won't turn back until you've seen Great River consequences. I originally intended to let you off the hook, but I didn't expect you to cause trouble for no reason and be so aggressive. Daren, please don't blame your colleague."

Li Qingxian sighed and said, "Since you Daren demand a thorough investigation, and Wei Yong remains unrepentant, I have no choice but to tell the truth. As the sage said, 'If you can't sweep one's own room, how can you sweep the world? If one's own room is not peaceful, how can one bring peace to the world?' This Wei Yong not only fails to manage his subordinates, but also fails to manage his own household, leading to disorder between his subordinates and his own household. As for the details, for the sake of Daren Wei's reputation, I cannot go into them."

Wei Yong's expression merely turned cold, and he said casually, "Zhou Chunfeng, so this is one of your Divine Capital Office's men? If you don't give me an explanation, I'll give you one!"

Zhou Chunfeng looked at Li Qingxian and said slowly, "Qingxian, you said that Daren Wei's private quarters are immoral with his subordinates. Is that true? If so, then Daren Wei will be branded with two serious accusations: lax household management and incompetent subordinate control."

Li Qingxian was taken aback, almost bursting out laughing. Was this referring to the two hats?

Wei Yong's eyes twitched suddenly. He took a deep breath, pressed it to his chest, looked at Zhou Chunfeng, and slowly said, "Daren Zhou, are you abandoning the harmony of the Night Guard?"

Zhou Chunfeng coldly looked at Wei Yong and slowly said, "You, a mere Fifth Rank, where do you get the audacity to question this official!"

Wei Yong could no longer remain calm. He turned to look at Li Qingxian, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Li Qingxian, come with me to the Chief Guard. If you can't produce any evidence, I, Wei Yong, will punish you severely, even if it means beating the Sage-Shocking Drum!"

In the spring Chunfeng Residence, insects chirped and birds sang outside the door, but inside it was as cold as winter.

Li Qingxian sighed helplessly once again and slowly said, "Since that's the case, then I'll expose our family scandal. Tao Zhi, the head Accounting Office whom Wei Yong trusts most, is currently lying on Daren Wei's brocade bed, making love with Madam Wei."

"You're spouting nonsense!" Wei Yong's temples throbbed.

Everyone, including Zhou Chunfeng, had their eyes shining.

"Daren Wei, is Tao Zhi at your house right now?" Li Qingxian asked.

Wei Yong froze, looking around at the pairs of curious eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "Today is my wife's birthday, and I have important matters to attend to, so I asked Tao Zhi to receive the guests on my behalf."

Li Qingxian suddenly realized, "No wonder Tao Zhi was able to make contact with Madam Wei; it turns out it was Lord Wei Daren strongly encouraged it!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Wei Yong shouted, unable to remain calm any longer.

"Since you deny it, dare you let us go to your house to verify!"

Everyone saw a gleaming dagger tip emerge from Li Qingxian's eyes.

"I am an official appointed by the imperial court; who dares to trespass on my property!"

Li Qingxian sneered, "As expected of an old fox. Let me ask you, you've neglected Madam Wei for many years. How many years has it been since you shared a bed with her? Three years or five?"

"You... you've lost all decorum!" Wei Yong shifted his right foot outwards, glancing at the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

Li Qingxian continued, "Your subordinate Tao Zhi is a notorious womanizer who has ruined countless women in his life. He is not only good at sending wives and concubines to win over his superiors, but he also likes to sneak into other people's beds. Do you know that?"

"Li Qingxian, are you trying to break ties with me?" Wei Yong stared intently at Li Qingxian.

Li Qingxian glanced at Wei Yong's right foot, slowly rose from his chair, and said, "Sending someone to kill me doesn't count as breaking ties. The Divine Capital Office, the Ministry of Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Inner Treasury Office are doing business peacefully, and you interfered, which doesn't count as breaking ties. Wanting to imprison me and exile me thousands of miles away doesn't count as breaking ties. Why do you want to break ties just because I spoke some truths?"

"Daren Zhou, is this your plan?" Wei Yong looked at Zhou Chunfeng.

Li Qingxian bowed to Yan Shixiao and said, "Grand Inspector Yan, at this very moment, Wei Yong's subordinate and his wife are having an affair in the Wei Family. Not only does he refuse to admit his mistake and refuse to investigate, but he also slanders me, the kind person who helped him. I beg you Grand Inspector Yan, to uphold justice and clear my name, and clear Uncle Zhou's name. We cannot let this perfectly good business deal be ruined by such an incompetent person!"

"Li Qingxian!" Wei Yong shouted loudly, knowing that there was no turning back now.

Yan Shixiao turned to look at Zhou Chunfeng and slowly said, "Wei Yong, do you dare to allow us to investigate?"

"Absolutely impossible! If you want to investigate, get the order from the Commander of the Guards!"

Zhou Chunfeng remained silent.

Li Qingxian glanced at Zhou Chunfeng, thinking to himself that Uncle Zhou was still too soft-hearted, and said, "Actually, I think Daren Wei was kept in the dark about this matter."

"Oh, how so?" Yan Shixiao smiled at Li Qingxian, leaning back in his chair, completely unlike the little fanboy he had been at the beginning, but rather like a high-ranking official sitting in court.

Li Qingxian stared at Wei Yong and said, "I believe that Tao Zhi is a wolf in sheep's clothing, coveting the position of Director of the Finance Office. He then plotted against Daren, making him sabotage the cooperation between the four prefectures so that he could profit from the conflict between the two. Otherwise, why wouldn't Daren Wei have returned to his wife's birthday banquet today, allowing Tao Zhi of the situation? I believe that Tao Zhi must be trying to kill two birds with one stone, not only harming Daren Wei but also taking the opportunity to bewitch and harm Lady Wei!"

Everyone was dumbfounded. What did "killing two birds with one stone" mean? How despicable!

Wei Yong stood there, stunned.

Everyone secretly praised Li Qingxian for his ruthlessness. Rather than facing a counterattack from Wei Yong and Tao Zhi, it was better to win them over and divide them, letting them fight each other and cut off one of their fingers.

This is like handing a knife to Wei Yong: either kill Tao Zhi or kill himself. The choice is his.

Yan Shixiao suddenly covered her mouth and giggled, then her smile faded, her eyes turning cold as she said, "I originally didn't want to get involved in this matter. But if this deal goes well, the annual income of one or two hundred thousand will greatly benefit the Inner Treasury Office, and the Emperor will be pleased. We eunuchs are ultimately working for the Emperor, but now, someone is hindering the Inner Treasury Office from making money. This is cutting off the Emperor's source of revenue!"

A chill ran down Wei Yong's spine.