“My lord.”

Associate Justice Zheng Shunshun of the Grand Court of Revision looked at the four seemingly luminous silver ingots in Gui Yuanshu’s hands and leaned in closer. “What are we eating tonight?”

Gui Yuanshu gave him a sidelong glance. “Every man for himself.”

Zheng Shunshun said, “My lord… that’s not right. How many times has it been now — you say that the moment you have money, you’ll make good on your promise, and now you have money… Let’s not even talk about what we eat. Let’s just talk about the reward you owe us…”

Gui Yuanshu said with a perfectly straight face, “You call this having money?”

He pressed his thumb against his little finger and said, “A mere few dozen taels of silver — how little must you have seen of the world to think this counts as money!”

Another Associate Justice, Zhao Shanying, said, “My lord, with respect — our Grand Court of Revision’s books haven’t seen forty taels of spare silver in how many years… Our salary comes less than once in half a year, and after it does, not a single coin is left on the books. Forty taels of silver, and you call it not money.”

Gui Yuanshu said, with absolute sincerity, “Of course it’s not money. This is my life — my very life. Whoever dares lay a finger on these forty taels, don’t blame me for being unpleasant. I am not going to give up being Chief Justice just to fight you lot over it. You want this money? You’ll have to pry it from my dead hands.”

Zheng Shunshun said, looking deeply aggrieved, “My lord, when you first came to the Grand Court of Revision, you already owed us a thousand taels in prize money. I’ve still got the promissory note.”

Another Associate Justice, Ding Man, said, “My lord, that was over two years ago. How many times have we already knocked down the amount you owe us?”

Associate Justice Zhang Youdong said, “Exactly. My lord, you’re a man of your word — you have to take responsibility for your own reputation.”

Gui Yuanshu laughed coldly. “I have a reputation?”

Zheng Shunshun said, “My lord, when you had no silver, we never once hounded you. But now you do have silver.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “I owe you a thousand taels, and you’re eyeing my forty taels. Does that make any sense?”

Zheng Shunshun quickly said, “No no, there’s absolutely no thousand taels anymore. Over these past two years we’ve been reducing it for you constantly. First we said eight hundred, and my lord said no. Then five hundred, still no. Then three hundred, still no. And then…”

Zheng Shunshun turned to Ding Man. “What did we knock it down to last time?”

Ding Man said, “Twenty taels.”

Zhang Youdong said, “My dearest lord, we brought it all the way down from a thousand to twenty taels for you, and you’re still not going to pay us? You’re a man who now has forty taels of silver in hand.”

Gui Yuanshu said solemnly, “I can choose not to be a man.”

Zhang Youdong said, “My lord, this is inappropriate — we still have to work together going forward.”

Gui Yuanshu thought for a moment, then suddenly seemed to recall something. “Wait, something’s off. You’re tricking me… As I remember it, last time we got down to twenty taels, I said I didn’t have it, and you said the absolute minimum was eighteen taels, not a coin less.”

Zhang Youdong blinked. “Did I say that?”

Ding Man considered. “Fine, let’s not argue. Eighteen taels it is.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “You’re all so petty. I’m your superior — I’m the Chief Justice. I can’t be as petty as you. I can’t afford to lose face over odd coppers and scattered coins. I won’t have it. Today I’ll settle this in full, so you stop ambushing me. Here’s what we’ll do — forget this eighteen taels business. I’ll give you a round number.”

Ding Man immediately held out both hands. “Many thanks, my lord, for the generous gift of twenty taels!”

Gui Yuanshu looked at him. “Promissory note first. Hand it over.”

Zheng Shunshun immediately cried, “I have it here, I have it right here!”

He rummaged in the deerskin pouch at his side and produced the note — the paper had yellowed with age, clearly unfolded and refolded so many times that the creases had nearly torn through.

Gui Yuanshu said, “Unfold it so I can inspect it. I need to verify its authenticity.”

Zheng Shunshun immediately unfolded the note. The paper was covered in crossed-out lines of black ink…

He said, “My lord, forging a document like this wouldn’t even be easy…”

From the original thousand taels down to the final eighteen, every crossed-out figure was a line of heartache and unshed tears.

Gui Yuanshu said, “Tear up the note. Tear it into small pieces. Then I’ll pay you right now.”

Zheng Shunshun immediately tore the note to shreds — practically grain-of-rice sized.

So Gui Yuanshu placed ten taels of silver into Ding Man’s outstretched hands. “As agreed — a round number. After this, we’re square.”

“That won’t do, my lord.”

Ding Man looked like he might actually cry.

He stared at Gui Yuanshu. “My lord, wasn’t it agreed to be twenty taels?”

Gui Yuanshu replied, “That was what you said. My round number is ten taels…”

The four Associate Justices stared at Gui Yuanshu, eight eyes fixed on him, watery and forlorn.

Even Gui Yuanshu, who had thick enough skin for most things, found himself unable to bear the weight of those eight staring eyes — his face went faintly red, and he heaved a heavy sigh…

“Fine.”

He produced another ten taels of silver and placed it in Ding Man’s hands. “But — I said eighteen, you said I gave you twenty, and you two owe me two taels. I’m your superior, I’m above such pettiness — I won’t chase you for two taels. Tonight you’re buying me a proper meal. We’ll call the two taels settled.”

The four men looked at one another, and in each other’s eyes they each saw the other’s anguish.

A quarter of an hour later, inside a shop.

Gui Yuanshu looked at the pulled noodles set before him, and said with a note of resignation, “Twenty taels of silver, and this is what you treat me to?”

Zheng Shunshun said, “My lord, isn’t pulled noodles with shredded pork acceptable?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “I ask you — is it?”

Ding Man said, “My lord, when did you last eat pulled noodles with shredded pork? When has our… our Grand Court of Revision’s kitchen last seen a single shred of meat?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Don’t say things like that out loud. If people hear, they’ll think we’re destitute.”

Just then, the shop proprietor came over carrying two small side dishes and set them on the table. “These are on me for the gentlemen.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “That won’t do — accounts must be settled properly. Tell me what these two dishes cost, and I’ll pay.”

The proprietor shook his head. “It’s fine, really. I know these gentlemen are from the Grand Court of Revision…”

His tone seemed to be saying: you’re from the Grand Court of Revision — why are you still keeping up appearances?

Ding Man didn’t like the sound of that, and rose to say, “What of it! The Grand Court of Revision… the Grand Court of Revision is… yes, it’s the Grand Court of Revision.”

He sat back down in chagrin.

Gui Yuanshu, while pulling up a mouthful of noodles, said, “Don’t take it that way. Think of it like this — across all the yamen in Dachu, which one apart from our Grand Court of Revision has people going out to eat, and the proprietor sends over complimentary side dishes?”

The proprietor heard this and couldn’t help letting out a long sigh.

“Eat up, gentlemen. If it’s not enough, the noodles can all be refilled.”

Zheng Shunshun turned around. “Now you’ve gone too far, proprietor.”

The five of them sat there, and it felt as though a chill wind had drifted through — bleak and desolate.

Gui Yuanshu said, “At the very least, our Grand Court of Revision is clean.”

The proprietor nodded. “That we commoners all know. The Grand Court is clean — and their pockets are too…”

The Grand Court of Revision’s kitchen staff was known for secretly going to the market to gather leftover vegetable scraps — the commoners had seen this more than once.

At the adjacent table, two men who had been eating there exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison, then sighed in unison.

When the two of them finished eating, they silently rose and quietly paid Gui Yuanshu’s group’s bill as well before slipping out without a word.

After walking some distance, one of them sighed, “Same profession after all — their lives are really hard.”

The speaker was the Tingwei Corps’ Thousand Handler Zao Yunjian.

The other was the Tingwei Corps’ Thousand Handler Shang Qingzhu. He gave a sound of agreement and said, “I almost wanted to throw in an extra serving of meat for them…”

Zao Yunjian’s footsteps paused, then he gave a firm, emphatic nod.

In his mind’s eye appeared a scene: Li Chi, walking while glancing at those people, muttering under his breath — *They all took my silver, I’ve got every single one of them memorized.*

Inside the noodle shop.

Gui Yuanshu glanced outside and said, in a low voice, “Those two have something off about them. Once they’ve turned the corner, Zheng Shunshun, you and Ding Man follow them.”

Zheng Shunshun and Ding Man immediately nodded. “Understood, my lord.”

Zhang Youdong asked, “How could my lord tell?”

Gui Yuanshu let out a quiet breath. “Didn’t you feel it? When those two were sitting behind me, it was like a blade at the back of my neck.”

Zheng Shunshun said, “Didn’t notice that at all.”

Gui Yuanshu stared at him. “Why don’t you have even this much vigilance?”

Zheng Shunshun said, “My lord, because they were sitting behind *you*…”

Gui Yuanshu said, “If I had anyone else competent to use, I certainly wouldn’t be stuck with you four idiots.”

Ding Man said, “My lord, you can’t say it quite like that. We four are the result of your own rigorous selection process from within the Grand Court of Revision — we’re the best four.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “One who came first in the fighting contest, one who came first at flagpole climbing, one who came first in underwater swimming, and the last one — what was yours again?”

Zhao Shanying raised his hand, saying weakly, “There’s me too, my lord… I came first in disguise and cross-dressing.”

Gui Yuanshu covered his face with both hands, elbows propped on the table, muttering to himself: “Was it my mistake… I thought selecting by these criteria would at least produce people of genuine utility…”

Just then, Ding Man and Zhang Youdong stood up. The two of them glanced at their unfinished bowls of noodles, visibly reluctant to leave.

After all, a bowl of noodles with shredded pork like this was genuinely hard to come by.

The court’s coffers were perpetually dry, and the officials in the Ministry of Finance who managed the money had no reason to spare a thought for a superfluous yamen like the Grand Court of Revision.

The Grand Court of Revision had once had its days of glory…

But in a time of chaos, the Grand Court of Revision had become a mere ornament.

The two of them turned and left, heading in the direction Zao Yunjian and Shang Qingzhu had gone.

These two were genuinely among the best the Grand Court of Revision had, and their abilities were far from the hapless impression they projected.

People said that Chief Justice Gui Yuanshu had been idle and good-for-nothing since taking office, that he merely wore his Third Rank purple robes on the strength of Prince Wu’s patronage.

But in truth, if not for Gui Yuanshu’s arrival, this entire dispirited lot would have been truly finished.

Gui Yuanshu pulled both unfinished bowls of noodles in front of himself and smiled with satisfaction. “Can’t waste it, can’t waste it.”

The remaining two stared at him with longing eyes.

Gui Yuanshu said, “What are you looking at? I’m the Chief Justice, I outrank you — you’re not seriously going to compete with me over a few noodles, are you?”

Across the street, on the second floor of a teahouse.

Li Chi sat at the window, holding his spyglass, peering through a hole he had carved out of the window screen at the noodle shop across the way.

As he watched, he smiled.

“The Grand Court of Revision…”

Li Chi said, “Go and look into the backgrounds of those Grand Court of Revision people. They look like they have real ability — don’t let them get in the way of what matters.”

Yu Jiuling answered with great seriousness, “Boss, don’t worry. Whatever happens, the important things won’t be compromised.”

Li Chi narrowed his eyes slightly, because he felt Yu Jiuling was being slippery.

He looked at Yu Jiuling. “I’m talking about serious matters. Important ones.”

Yu Jiuling raised a hand and scratched his hair, muttering to himself, “What did we come to Daxing for again? There are serious matters?”

Li Chi sighed. “Dantai — go ahead and do it. Head over there, hand Yu Jiuling over to them. We might even get a reward for it.”

Dantai Yajing sighed as well. “Are you sure… those fellows would be willing to spend money for this one?”

—