Chapter 41: Zhang Qian's Troubles?
Jing Residence.
Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Chen Hanying, rushed into Jing Heng’s room, his voice urgent: “My lord, something terrible has happened!”
Jing Heng was fiddling with a cricket, impatiently replying, “What’s so terrible? Why are you making such a fuss?”
He carefully put away the cricket cage, his expression sour.
Chen Hanying explained, “My lord, Long Cheng’en has managed to clear up all the accounts in the Ministry of Revenue!”
Jing Heng sat up with a start, shocked: “Didn’t you say the accounts were a mess and couldn’t be sorted?”
Chen Hanying replied helplessly, “Normally, yes, but this Long Cheng’en devised some double-entry bookkeeping system and managed to organize everything.”
“And not only that—I hear His Majesty has sent people to Cazhou…”
Jing Heng’s face changed instantly.
The deficit in the Ministry of Revenue could be blamed on poor management, but the disaster relief in Cazhou was far more serious. It wasn’t just about embezzlement; tens of thousands had starved to death.
“Long Cheng’en! That damned eunuch—ruined everything for me!”
Jing Heng gnashed his teeth, wishing he could tear Long Chen limb from limb.
“Hurry up and send someone to deal with Zhao Min…”
Jing Heng made a throat-slitting gesture.
Chen Hanying was frightened, stammering, “My lord, Zhao Min is a prefect, an official of the fourth rank, this…”
Jing Heng cursed, “Fourth rank means nothing! If Zhao Min doesn’t die, you will. Choose for yourself!”
Chen Hanying understood. He was responsible for the accounts; if the investigation went ahead, Jing Heng would certainly avoid blame and he would be the scapegoat.
“I’ll take care of it at once!” Chen Hanying quickly arranged for Zhao Min’s assassination.
The General’s residence had no shortage of skilled hands; Jing Heng using them as assassins was nothing unusual.
After Chen Hanying left, Jing Heng lay back on his couch. His body was obese, standing was exhausting, sitting hurt his backside, so he always preferred to lie down.
“Blackfish!”
A short man dressed in black emerged from behind the screen.
“Master!”
This man, called Blackfish, was a bodyguard left by the great general Jing Tianlie to protect Jing Heng, always operating from the shadows.
“Can you kill Long Cheng’en?”
Jing Heng’s tone was icy, laced with venomous hatred.
“Easily.”
Blackfish wore a black mask and cloak, wrapped tightly even in the heat of summer. Jing Heng had never seen his face.
A sinister smile crept onto Jing Heng’s face. “Good, kill him!”
Blackfish didn’t leave immediately, but said coldly, “Killing is easy. What about the aftermath?”
His duty was to protect Jing Heng; he wasn’t keen on assassinating court officials.
“That’s not your concern. He’s just a eunuch—what does it matter if he dies?”
Jing Heng held Long Chen in contempt.
To him, Long Chen was nothing more than a dead eunuch, nothing else.
Blackfish turned and disappeared behind the screen.
“Kill Zhao Min and Long Cheng’en—let’s see how they investigate me!”
Jing Heng lay sprawled on the couch, calling out, “Menghuan, Yihuan!”
Before long, two dancing girls entered the room.
Jing Heng cared little for the deficit and corruption in the Ministry of Revenue. He believed the Empress wouldn’t do anything to him, since Jing Tianlie and Jing Feng shielded him. He simply found Long Chen irritating.
…
A hundred miles outside Daughter City lay Peach Forest Pass.
Cliffs towered on either side, and peach trees grew at the foot of the mountains, giving the pass its name.
It was an important gateway in Eastern Zhou, guarded by troops.
Shadow Phoenix escorted the prefect of Cazhou, Zhao Min, toward Peach Forest Pass. In the prison carriage, Zhao Min’s hands and feet were shackled, his hair disheveled, dressed only in an undergarment—his official robes stripped away.
Shadow Phoenix rode beside the carriage, glanced coldly at Zhao Min, and tossed a waterskin inside.
Zhao Min looked at the waterskin, slowly reached for it, uncorked it, and took a sip.
The scorching sun had baked him all day, leaving him parched, but he had little desire to drink.
A man doomed to die cares for nothing.
He had embezzled the province’s disaster relief grain, leading to the starvation of over ten thousand. A painless death would be fortunate.
Shadow Phoenix ignored Zhao Min. With the sun sinking westward, she aimed to reach Peach Forest Pass quickly and rest inside overnight, returning to Daughter City tomorrow.
The evening mountain breeze carried a hint of coolness. Shadow Phoenix tapped her mount with her whip to hasten the pace.
Whizz!
She heard the whine of an arrow, instantly drew her sword, and cleaved a shadow aside—the arrow was deflected.
“Enemy attack!” Shadow Phoenix shouted.
She had anticipated someone might silence Zhao Min along the way and had been quietly vigilant.
Whizz, whizz, whizz…
A volley of arrows rained down, several escorting soldiers were killed. Shadow Phoenix pointed at the prison carriage, barking, “Guard the prisoner!”
Several skilled female soldiers instantly surrounded the carriage.
Shadow Phoenix grabbed the crossbow from her saddle and fired back toward the source of the arrows.
A few bolts flew, knocking several black-clad figures from the trees.
Suddenly, dozens of black-clad men charged from both sides of the cliffs—some surrounded Shadow Phoenix, others targeted the prison carriage.
Shadow Phoenix drew a soft sword from her waist and met the assassins head-on.
The assassins wielded broadswords, swinging down with fierce force at her head.
As the broadsword descended, Shadow Phoenix’s soft sword twisted like a venomous snake, slipping past the blade and piercing the assassin’s throat.
Blood spurted from the carotid artery; the assassin died instantly.
In moments, Shadow Phoenix had slain those attacking her and rushed to aid the prison carriage.
These female soldiers were no weaklings; the assassins failed to kill Zhao Min in time and lost several of their own.
With Shadow Phoenix joining, the assassins realized they couldn’t win and retreated onto the cliffs.
“Don’t pursue!” Shadow Phoenix barked as the assassins fled.
Her task was to deliver Zhao Min, not to hunt assassins.
The fallen soldiers were placed on horseback. Shadow Phoenix approached the carriage and sneered, “Prefect Zhao, it seems someone doesn’t want you to survive and face His Majesty.”
Zhao Min gave a bitter smile: “Dead either way—I don’t care anymore.”
Shadow Phoenix snorted coldly, mounted her horse, and entered Peach Forest Pass.
She had planned to rest in the pass overnight, but now changed her mind.
Ambushed outside, yet the soldiers inside the pass showed no reaction.
As Shadow Phoenix escorted Zhao Min back to the capital, Long Chen was at the Ministry of Works.
In the main hall, Long Chen worked late into the night by candlelight, reviewing documents.
Zhang Qian sat behind him, sipping tea.
Once, Zhang Qian would always sit upright or stand attentively nearby, but now they were so familiar that she relaxed completely.
“Do you think I need to lose weight? I can’t even see my toes anymore.”
Zhang Qian stood up, stretched, and glanced down at her excessively large but still perky chest, her view completely obstructed.
“No! You’re perfect as you are. If you lose weight, you won’t look as good.”
Slimming without losing her chest—that was most important.
Zhang Qian actually complained about being too big and wanted to reduce her bust; Long Chen would never allow it.
“Sigh, it’s so annoying. I was born this way, no matter what I do I can’t shrink them.”
She fiddled with her chest in front of Long Chen, lively and animated, leaving him dazzled.
“Aren’t you afraid someone will hit you?”
Long Chen teased.
So many women went to great lengths to get bigger, ate countless papayas, but still ended up flat-chested.
Yet Zhang Qian disliked being too large—truly, famine here, flood there.
“Actually, being too big isn’t good. There are a lot of troubles that you wouldn’t understand.”
She sighed, and Long Chen was left speechless.
Whoosh...
A cold wind swept through, and Zhang Qian stepped in front of Long Chen, a dagger suddenly appearing in her hand.