Chapter 34
The night was deep and quiet, but the person being discussed in the women's quarters was not at home.
The night watchman struck his gong repeatedly, drawing out the last syllable of his chant, "Dry weather—be careful with fire—"
The cold moon hung in the sky, its pale light spilling like a thin mist onto the gray tiles. On the hidden rooftop, two people lay prone, their eyes fixed on the night watchman on the road until they watched him walk away.
Anyang Prefecture did not impose a curfew, and people could move freely within the wards and markets. In the quiet streets and alleys late at night, there was no one to be seen from afar.
Two figures wearing black masks flickered in the moonlight and vanished into the darkness in an instant.
Not long after, inside the Anyang Prefecture government office, a guard, yawning incessantly, was holding the hilt of his sword with one hand and covering his mouth with the other.
I'm so sleepy.
He skillfully found an excuse, nudged the arm of the person next to him with his elbow, and said, "I'm going to take a dump. You can stay here and watch over things for a while, okay?"
The other guard nodded slightly, then turned around and stood there silently like a statue.
Cao San cursed silently. To make someone as senior as him stand guard with a newcomer, it was clear that the superior didn't value him. How many years had he been in the government office? Even if he hadn't made any great contributions, he must have worked hard, right? Tch.
Cao San sighed, and vaguely followed the path he remembered to urinate, humming a little tune as he went.
Unbeknownst to him, a dark shadow flashed past, and Pei Lingjun silently flipped off the roof, landing quietly on the ground without making a sound.
Only the forearm-length weeds on the ground swayed gently, as if blown by the night breeze.
Cao San didn't notice anything unusual from beginning to end. He twisted his body, yawned, and went back.
Suddenly, a head popped out from the rooftop in the darkness, its dark, gleaming eyes shining eerily.
Pei Lingjun gestured upwards, and Cui Pei flipped over and jumped down.
"Did you see it clearly?"
The two hid in the narrow passageway between the two houses, standing close to the wall.
Cui Pei nodded, his hands covered in black half-finger gloves. He pointed forward and spoke in the same soft, breathy voice, "You can see it clearly. The entire government office is outwardly relaxed but inwardly tightly controlled. Those two people on duty outside are practically just for show."
“Besides the south we just passed, there are people in the east, west, and north,” Cui Pei pointed to the three directions and whispered, “Boss, should we go together or split up?”
The government office was built in a square shape, and the official residences inside were roughly symmetrical.
Pei Lingjun pondered for a moment, his dark eyes darting around before he instructed, "The northeast belongs to me, the west to you. The shift will change after two incense sticks. During this time, regardless of whether you find anything or not, you must return by the same route."
Cui Pei nodded emphatically, "Understood."
Two dark figures vanished like ghosts. With a rustling of grass, the wooden door creaked softly. Pei Lingjun slipped inside and began searching, relying solely on the moonlight streaming in from outside.
The source of that silver was unclear. Even if Anyang Prefecture was rolling in money, that money couldn't have come out of thin air. Those 'reasonable' procedures and ledgers were evidence that officials had misappropriated public funds or levied additional taxes without authorization.
In the spacious hall, three tables were placed in the center and on both sides, and behind the partition was a whole wall of bookshelves.
Pei Lingjun took out a tinderbox, bit open the tinderbox tube with his teeth, and a tiny flame suddenly lit up. He looked at the flame from all angles.
No findings were found.
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