Chapter Forty-Five: Compilation of Records

“To gain the upper hand and issue orders in advance… what arrangements might they make? Wait… the Right Battalion of the Five Armies Camp is stationed right in Jiaozhong Ward at the Wude Guards’ barracks. And the Imperial Academy lies just north of East Direct Gate Avenue in Chongjiao Ward!”

“Such traitors, their plans laid bare, now seek to silence us—murder and obliterate all traces!”

“Destroy the records, erase all evidence…”

Sure enough, just as this thought flashed through Fu Shuxun’s mind, a glow of fire slowly rose in the north of the city.

“Run! The soldiers have mutinied!”

“The Wude Guards’ barracks are in flames—the whole lot of them has gone mad!”

“Help! Help! They’re looting the people’s property!”

“Ah—stay away, ah…”

…

Panic reigned within Jiaozhong Ward. As the barracks of the Wude Guards were engulfed in flames, everyone knew that the matter had spiraled beyond control—beyond anyone’s ability to contain.

At the same time, the over two thousand men of the Right Battalion of the Five Armies Camp, still in their encampment under the command of Qiao Bosheng, were thrown into utter turmoil. Some slipped away into the night, vanishing without a trace; some broke ranks, weapons in hand, and charged into civilian homes to plunder; others seized torches and set fires wherever they pleased.

Yet the largest number still followed Qiao San’er northward, marching toward the main gate of the Imperial Academy.

Meanwhile, Fu Rugui, accompanied by more than twenty household guards, urged his horses on with all speed along the streets inside Chongwen Gate. Seeing the thick smoke and towering flames rising from Jiaozhong Ward, each man felt a heaviness settle in his heart.

“Make way! We’re here to quell the disturbance!” Fu Rugui called out urgently to the crowds ahead.

Hearing this, the head guard, Fu Zhen, guided his horse around the throng and shouted, “We’re here to restore order in Jiaozhong Ward—civilians, clear the way at once!”

“All good citizens, return home and shut your doors!”

…

“The soldiers have mutinied! Run!”

“Let them through—they’re here to restore order!”

“Go home, lock your doors tightly! Await the restoration of peace!”

Indeed, as Fu Rugui, Fu Zhen, and their guards shouted, the people on the avenue parted with a great clamor, clearing a path.

Seeing this, Fu Rugui was finally able to lead his team forward at greater speed.

Before long, they passed Chaoyang Gate Avenue, went beyond Juxian Ward, and at last glimpsed the outskirts of Jiaozhong Ward. “We’re almost there—take care not to exhaust the horses. We’ll need them for the return journey!”

Suddenly, as Fu Rugui’s riders charged onto East Direct Gate Avenue, a guard swallowed hard and said, “I fear… we won’t have the chance.”

At that moment, a troop emerged from Jiaozhong Ward, raising high a great banner: “Hungry Soldiers Seeking Survival!”

“Demanding Justice!”

“Swearing to Punish Corrupt Officials!”

“Young master… should we still charge in?” Fu Zhen looked at the unruly soldiers now surrounding the main gate of the Imperial Academy and swallowed. “These men march with banners and order—they aren’t mere rabble. Clearly, there’s someone commanding them. Against such a force… we stand no chance. Even if we try, we’ll be cut down.”

In that instant, Fu Rugui’s heart was struck as if by lightning; all his doubts fell away, and the truth became painfully clear.

This was the enemy’s final and most devastating move.

If these mutinous soldiers broke in, seized Zhu Cilang—who was defenseless—and destroyed the account books, not even ten more Fu Shuxuns could salvage the court’s cause.

At this moment, atop the wall of the Imperial Academy, a man raised a small red flag—it was Zhu Cilang’s servant, Zhang Zhen! Seeing Fu Rugui glance his way, Zhang Zhen hurriedly waved the flag toward the side gate.

Seeing this, Fu Rugui gritted his teeth and shouted, “The main gate is blocked, but the side gate remains! Quick—enter through the side gate!”

Fu Zhen, without further hesitation, turned his horse and, before the mutineers could block the side entrance, led his party into the Imperial Academy at a gallop.

As the troop stormed into the grounds, a man in a brand-new but ill-fitting soldier’s coat beside Qiao Bosheng barked, “Seal all exits! Charge in! Don’t let a single person or document escape from the Academy!”

Upon seeing this, Qiao Bosheng immediately split his men into two groups of over three hundred each, sending them to block all four gates. Then Qiao San’er exchanged a glance with Old Seventeen.

Old Seventeen nodded, leading a dozen men to tie ten horses together with a thick rope, securing it to the main gate of the Imperial Academy.

Then—

“Whip them!”

A flurry of whips and a chorus of neighs—the ten horses, stung by pain, charged southward.

Suddenly, the once-slack rope snapped taut, and with a thunderous crash, the main gate of the Imperial Academy collapsed.

“Charge! Do not harm anyone yet—just seize those inside, and the court will have to answer to us!” Qiao Bosheng shouted, leading the assault.

The rest of the soldiers, fierce as wolves and tigers, stormed into the Academy.

Caught up in the chaos was Ma Shaoyu, a Senior Clerk from the Ministry of War’s Bureau of Military Affairs. His body trembled with mingled rage and terror. “Such a mutiny—scholarship and civility trampled underfoot… all is lost…”

The empire’s highest seat of learning, overrun by a horde of illiterate, lawless mutineers!

At their head strode Qiao San’er, his gaze cold and unflinching. To his left was the man in the ill-fitting new uniform; to his right, Old Seventeen, now clad in armor, walked with heavy steps.

Old Seventeen seized a trembling senior student and barked, “Speak! Where is Qin Xia?”

“Spare me, good sir… that Qin… Qin Xia is in Yilun Hall!”

With a toss, Old Seventeen advanced, while another soldier seized a senior student. “Where is Qin Xia?”

“Mercy, sir… to answer your question, he’s… he’s in Yilun Hall!”

“Where is Yilun Hall? Lead the way!”

“Yes, yes… thank you for sparing me…”

Inside Yilun Hall.

Zhang Zhen spoke awkwardly, “Young master, I am useless… I failed to prepare a fine sword for you.”

Zhu Cilang fastened his belt with a wave, then turned to receive from Chang Zhilang’s hands a thick, ink-scented tome. It was a compilation of account book summaries, its cover blank, its pages filled with hurried yet clear notes detailing every key point uncovered in deciphering the ledgers.

A volume distilled from the tireless efforts of twenty-four men over two and a half days.

As Zhu Cilang held the book, the students and Xie Yi, left behind in Yilun Hall, gazed at him with undisguised admiration.

Zhu Cilang had kept his promise—wherever there was hardship, he would be found there.

Not only did he lead from the front in unraveling the accounts, but his knowledge ran deep and his mathematical skill was extraordinary. All present were young men, yet even among the twenty-two scholars of the Imperial Academy, Chang Zhilang—a student of mathematics by trade—often found himself turning to Zhu Cilang for solutions to the most challenging problems, and always received perfect answers.

Chang Zhilang’s struggles could be explained by lack of experience, but Xie Yi was a seasoned professional from the Yunnan office, trusted and recruited solely for his talent. Yet even he could not help but revere Zhu Cilang’s abilities. It was thanks to Zhu Cilang’s keen insight that one thread after another was drawn from the tangled ledgers, leading to the discovery of records and key evidence exposing collusion between the Ministry of Revenue’s clerks and the Jingying officers.

Faced with Zhu Cilang, how could anyone not be wholly convinced?

Yet…

As everyone saw Fu Rugui and his guards rush in, a deep sense of foreboding settled heavily over their hearts.