"Exactly. They snatched away our Drill Ground in the city.
They requisitioned it in the imperial court's name. What could we do? We spent over a decade painstakingly building that Drill Ground, and they took it away with a single word.
And Kang Qingfeng said establishing the Branch Helm would require a lot of silver.
He pestered Lord Zhang all day, demanding this and that. They've already taken tens of thousands of taels.
They've practically turned the Commandery Governor's office into their own bank. They're pushing us too far," Yang Yun said.
"That man is utterly despicable!" Zhang Hongjiang cursed, his face sour.
"But he's like sticky oxhide candy. You can't peel him off," Yang Yun said, shaking his head helplessly.
Back at the Thousand-Leaf Workshop, Tang Wen called Gu Hanyan and Luo Yiwu over. "Hanyan, I know you care about Qiao Xiao, so you've been keeping a secret watch on Kang Qingfeng. Have you discovered anything lately?"
"There's a secret chamber beneath Kang Qingfeng's residence. I don't know what's inside," Gu Hanyan said.
"Find a way inside and take a look," Tang Wen said.
"I can't get in. There are several layers of enormous stone blocks on every side. He'd discover me long before I dug through them. And the iron door is thick and heavy too. It won't open without a key." Gu Hanyan shook her head.
"If it's sealed that tightly, there has to be a vent. Otherwise, wouldn't he suffocate?" Tang Wen said.
"There is. There's a vent, and it's not small." Gu Hanyan nodded.
"How big?" Tang Wen grew interested.
"As wide as a bucket, about a foot across. But a person couldn't crawl through it. The passage twists and turns. Even if you could squeeze inside, you couldn't make the turns," Gu Hanyan said.