Shadows loomed in the abandoned residence, with the bean-sized flame barely illuminating the dilapidated room.

Among the seven or eight people in the room, the leading man gestured to someone sitting in the corner: “Old Ninth, come here.”

The man called “Old Ninth” walked over: “What are your orders, Big Brother?”

“I remember one of your men has a poisonous sore under his armpit, and the doctor said he only has two or three months to live? What was his name again?”

“Called Iron Bull. He didn’t come with us this time—he’s using his remaining time to accompany his old mother, wife, and children.”

“Go find him.”

“Right away, Big Brother. Please wait.”

Late into the night, Old Ninth brought in a tall, thin man.

Upon seeing the leading man, the thin man hurried to pay his respects.

“Iron Bull, how have you been getting along these days?”

“Pretty well.” Iron Bull lowered his head.

“Still putting on airs with us brothers?” Old Ninth lightly punched Iron Bull and spilled everything he’d seen: “I saw it all—your family can barely make ends meet. Four or five little ones sleeping huddled together, and the youngest was crying from hunger late into the night.”

Iron Bull’s eyes gradually reddened.

What could he do? Though he’d mixed in the jianghu, he was just a flag-waver and cheerleader. The money saved for his illness had already been mostly spent, but at home, he had his old mother, wife, and five children to support.

He didn’t dare imagine how his family would survive after he closed his eyes in two or three months.

“Old Sixth.” The leading man gave the dark-faced man beside him a meaningful look.

The dark-faced man pushed a small case in front of Iron Bull and opened it directly.

The case was full of banknotes.

Iron Bull’s eyes immediately went wide.

So much silver—could it be over a thousand taels!

Then the leading man spoke: “Iron Bull, since you’ve followed me around, I’ll speak plainly. Use this money to buy your life—will you do it?”

Iron Bull was stunned and couldn’t help but look up at the leading man. Seeing his expression wasn’t false, he nodded almost without hesitation: “I’ll do it!”

His worthless life wouldn’t last much longer anyway. What difference did it make to die early or late? If dying now could earn so much money for his family, he’d be a fool not to do it.

“Don’t worry, we’ll look after your family from now on.”

“Big Brother, just give me your orders.” Iron Bull knelt with a thud.

The leading man beckoned Iron Bull closer and gave him quiet instructions.

Shao Zhi and his men left the abandoned residence and immediately returned to the civilian house.

The three bound men were struggling and making muffled sounds, but immediately fell silent when they saw the three enter.

Shao Zhi gestured for his subordinates to remove the gags from the three men and said to them, “I can let you go back.”

The three men looked completely disbelieving.

Shao Zhi chuckled softly: “Keeping you here won’t put food on the table, but you should know how your Master Lan will punish you for losing the money and failing to complete the task, right?”

The three men’s faces immediately turned ashen.

“Don’t think about redeeming yourselves through merit either. You don’t even know who we are—what merit could you achieve?” This statement nearly brought the three men to tears.

After letting the three digest this for a while, Shao Zhi continued: “Even if we hadn’t interfered and you had completed the task, do you think you would have been rewarded? Silencing you or sending you far away would more likely be your Master Lan’s style.”

Hearing this, the three men truly couldn’t stand anymore, each pale-faced and trembling like sieves.

One of them forced himself to say: “Our boss said that if we succeeded, he’d give each of us a sum of money and arrange for us to leave the capital overnight.”

“That’s perfect then.” Shao Zhi smiled and placed a stack of banknotes in front of the three men: “Divide these banknotes among yourselves, go back and report that the task was completed, then you can take two sums of money and flee far away. By the time your Master Lan realizes something’s wrong, you’ll already be far from the capital. With the world so vast, where couldn’t you go?”

The three men couldn’t help but exchange glances.

Shao Zhi then placed a dagger in front of the three men, his voice turning cold: “We’re all kind-hearted and don’t wish to be stained with blood. Of course, if you insist on seeking death, I’m still willing to fulfill your wish.”

“We’ll go back!” One of them immediately grabbed the banknotes and stuffed them into his clothes.

After the three men stumbled away into the night, Shao Zhi smiled: “Let’s go, take the banknotes back to Madam.”

The lights in Lan Songquan’s study had never gone out. Only after his trusted aide reported back did Lan Songquan contentedly embrace his concubine and go to sleep.

Early in the morning, Qiao Zhao heard from Binglu that Chen Guang was requesting an audience. After getting ready, she met him in the front hall.

“Is there news from the General?”

“Ah, the General will reach the capital soon.”

Hearing this, Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but smile: “The carriages and everything are prepared. When the General approaches the capital outskirts, I’ll go to meet him.”

“Don’t worry, Madam, everything is arranged. This subordinate came at this time because I have something to give you.”

“What are you giving me?”

Chen Guang handed over a case of banknotes, his face beaming as he recounted the previous night’s events.

Qiao Zhao pushed the case back, smiling: “You all divide it among yourselves. You’ve all worked hard these days.”

Chen Guang looked completely stunned: “All, all for us?”

“Yes, didn’t you say you’re old enough to marry? This can serve as your bride’s money.”

The banknotes in the case were worth at least ten thousand taels, but Qiao Zhao had never cared much about money. Since this money was obtained by the guards’ trickery, naturally, she wouldn’t feel bad about letting them divide it.

“Thank you, Madam!” Chen Guang’s legs went weak as he carried the case outside, and his forehead banged into the door frame with a loud sound.

Hearing Binglu’s soft laughter behind him, Chen Guang rubbed his forehead and walked out, pretending nothing had happened.

Now that he had bride money, could a wife be far behind?

Following Madam meant having meat to eat.

The twenty-seventh year of Emperor Mingkang’s reign was destined to be a year of flying gossip, thrilling the spectators so much that even sunflower seeds in the capital quietly rose in price.

The son of the current Chief Minister, Lan Shan, had been reported by bandit heroes!

The reason was even more shocking—these people had led the attack on Prince Rui by refugees on his way back to the capital.

“I don’t know who ordered it, but anyway, the people who hired us were from the Lan residence. After we completed the task, they wouldn’t pay us. There’s no such way of breaking faith under heaven!”

“What, this is walking into a trap? So what? Since we didn’t get the money, our boss won’t spare me anyway. Either way, it’s death, but even in death, I can’t let those who renege on debts live in peace!”

Yang Yunzhi, Right Vice Minister of Justice and Prefect of Shuntian, was about to lose all his hair encountering such a bizarre case. Because it involved Chief Minister Lan Shan’s son, he hurriedly reported it up the chain.

And precisely because this matter was so bizarre, it spread throughout the capital’s streets and alleys within half a day.

At that moment, Lan Songquan was lying contentedly on his couch, with several concubines wearing only silk undergarments and pants, massaging his shoulders, beating his legs, bringing water and feeding him, serving him very comfortably.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and the concubines screamed and scattered to hide.

Lan Shan walked in trembling, raised his hand, and slapped Lan Songquan: “You bastard! The sky is falling outside, and you’re still here living in drunken dreams!”