Chapter 86 – It means I have value!

Lord Wei and Lord Pang barely dared to breathe. The moment they remembered that just a few days ago they had secretly met with the trusted aide of Prince Sheng, their hearts began to pound wildly, their minds spinning with panic.

Had the Commander already discovered everything?

That shouldn’t be possible, right?

Lord Kan Chaoyan hadn’t even seen Prince Sheng’s aide that day; how could the Commander possibly know they had met him?

Or had he learned about it through the mountain bandits?

Or worse, had he found out that they had privately released some prisoners?

For money, they had done far too many things that deceived their superiors and violated the law. If any of it came to light, it would be their heads on the chopping block.

The more they thought about it, the more terrified they became, trembling uncontrollably.

Even the guards who knew of their misdeeds were uneasy and fidgeting.

And yet, amid this heavy, suffocating silence, someone was calmly eating pastries.

Mu Nanjin noticed that Lord Wei and Lord Pang had their heads slightly bowed, while Captain Liu and the others stood rigidly at attention, eyes fixed forward. Taking advantage of the tension, she quickly grabbed a piece of pastry and bit into it.

Annoyingly, the pastries were so small that she finished one in just three bites.

Glancing at the table full of snacks, then at the Commander sitting with an icy expression in the front chair, she thought for a moment and said, “Commander, let me pour you some tea.”

While pouring, she stealthily slipped a few more pastries into her sleeve.

Her hands were lightning-fast; no one saw a thing.

No one reported her either, and since it seemed no one had noticed, Mu Nanjin grew bolder and began eating openly.

Lord Wei and the others exchanged glances, wondering just what kind of person could behave so brazenly before the Commander himself.

Captain Liu cast her a sharp sideways glare.

Caught off guard, Mu Nanjin hastily stuffed the last bite into her mouth. She ate too fast, and it got stuck in her throat.

【Damn it, I’m choking!】

She patted her chest a few times, but the lump wouldn’t go down.

Looking at the tea on the table, she said hoarsely,

“Commander, I’ll test if the tea’s too hot for you.”

Before he could respond, she picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp.

【Ah, finally! Relief!】

She set the empty cup back on the table.

“Commander, the tea’s not too hot. You can drink it now.”

Everyone: “…”

You drank it all. What’s he supposed to drink now?

The Commander’s eyes flicked from the empty cup to her face, then to the trembling officials, and he said in a cool, flat tone,

“Quite bold, daring to steal food behind my back.”

Though it sounded like he was referring to Mu Nanjin, everyone present could tell he had a double meaning.

Lord Wei and Lord Pang bowed their heads even lower.

The Commander’s voice dropped coldly: “Will you confess on your own, or shall I name everything myself?”

Lord Wei and Lord Pang exchanged a terrified glance.

So he really did know? Should they admit it, or would that only make it worse if this was a trap?

Unable to endure the pressure of that glacial stare, Lord Wei took a trembling step forward.

Before he could speak, Mu Nanjin blurted out earnestly, “I ate six pastries in total.”

Everyone: “…”

That wasn’t even about you, but sure, full confession, why not.

【Is the Commander going to punish me?】

【Oh, that’d be great! Hurry and demote me, strip me of my ninth-rank title!】

【I’m rich now anyway. Who cares about two taels of pay?】

The Commander frowned, glancing at her.

“You’re that hungry?”

Mu Nanjin nodded eagerly. “Yes, I still want more.”

【Come on, punish me already, hehe.】

Everyone: “…”

“Kan Chaoyan. Captain Liu. Take her down to breakfast.”

“Yes, Commander.”

【Huh? Wait, what?】

【Why am I not being punished? Why are you pampering me again?】

【Is it because I help wash your undergarments sometimes?】

【Commander, if you keep spoiling me like this, I might not be able to leave you one day.】

The Commander: “…”

The Jinyiwei: “…”

Captain Liu cleared his throat. “Mu Nanjin, are you coming or not?”

Mu Nanjin stepped out from behind the Commander, and before leaving, she reminded him seriously,

“Commander, make sure you interrogate them properly.”

【Lord Wei and Lord Pang have done plenty of awful things for silver.】

【They’ve even colluded with bandits and human traffickers, and secretly released prisoners.】

The Commander said nothing, but his gaze toward Lord Wei turned deathly cold.

After she left, Lord Wei forced himself to ask, “Commander, is today’s visit for inspection?”

The Commander said icily, “After meeting Prince Sheng’s aide, your courage has grown. You think you can keep secrets from me now?”

The color drained from both men’s faces. With a thud, they dropped to their knees.

“Commander, it’s true we met him once, but we didn’t even have time to talk before Lord Kan arrived! We didn’t agree to anything, I swear. Please, investigate clearly!”

“Then why hide it that day?”

“We feared Lord Kan would misunderstand, so we told them to stay inside!”

They had heard rumors that Prince Sheng was planning rebellion. Of course, they didn’t want anyone to know they had met his man. No matter how innocent, it would invite suspicion.

The Commander asked quietly, “What else?”

“What else?” they stammered. “We haven’t seen him again, we swear!”

The Commander looked toward Captain Ji.

Captain Ji immediately stepped forward.

“You’ve conspired with mountain bandits, released prisoners, allowed traffickers to kidnap women and children, and…”

“Commander, we’re innocent!” they cried before he could finish. “We didn’t do any of that!”

Captain Ji tossed two ledgers onto the floor.

They froze when they saw the familiar account books of Pleasure Residence.

Captain Ji said coolly, “These ledgers record the annual profits of Pleasure Residence. The two biggest investors happen to be your distant relatives. On paper, it seems unrelated, but every festival, they send you your share of the earnings.”

Lord Wei opened his mouth to deny it, but Captain Ji cut him off.

“Don’t bother. We arrived last night and already arrested those ‘relatives’ of yours. They confessed everything. You two are the real owners. Tell me, with your meager salaries, how could you afford even one room there, let alone own the whole establishment?

“Then there are your payments from the bandits, your secret messages to them, and your men’s confessions. It’s all there.

“Lord Wei, Lord Pang, shall I continue?”

Their legs gave out, and they collapsed to the floor.

Knowing death was near, they crawled forward, knocking their heads against the floor in terror.

“Commander, we were wrong! Please, spare us! We truly repent!”

Captain Ji sneered, “If you’d only taken bribes for minor favors, the court might have turned a blind eye. But what you’ve done is unforgivable.

“Men, remove their robes and hats. Send them to prison for interrogation.”

Two captains stepped forward.

Lord Wei, desperate, shoved one aside and bolted for the door.

The Commander lazily lifted his eyes, picked up the teacup, and flung it.

A sharp crack echoed. Lord Wei froze mid-step, then crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

Lord Pang went white with terror and didn’t dare move as they stripped him of his uniform and dragged him off along with Lord Wei’s body.

The Commander turned to the rest.

“Remember their fate. Don’t repeat their mistakes.”

“Yes, Commander!”

He rose and walked out.

A trembling cook hurried up. “Commander, breakfast is ready.”

“Serve it.”

He crossed to the opposite hall, frowning when he saw no sign of Mu Nanjin.

“Where are Kan Chaoyan and the others?”

“Lord Kan took them into the city, sir.”

Captain Fang frowned. “Why would he take them out?”

“Lord Kan promised Miss Mu to treat her to every local delicacy of Jiangnan, and she insisted he make good on it today.”

Captain Fang looked uncertainly at the Commander.

He said coolly, “Let them be.”

“Not afraid something might happen?” Captain Fang asked in a low voice.

“What could possibly happen?”

Captain Fang thought about it. Kan Chaoyan had the Commander’s authority behind him, and they wore the flying-fish robes of the Jinyiwei. No one would dare cause trouble.

Unbeknownst to them, Captain Liu and the others had actually changed into plain clothes to avoid alarming civilians before heading out.

“Mu girl,” Kan Chaoyan warned, “we’ll try all the food in this city, then go straight back to the post house.”

Captain Liu frowned. “That’ll take all day! Don’t we need to return to the capital soon?”

“The Commander will need at least three days to finish interrogating Lord Wei and the rest.”

“Good. Then we’ll buy some gifts for our families too. Mu Nanjin, anything that can be taken home, buy it. The rest, taste it here. Oh, and the items you bought earlier, we’ve already sent ahead.”

Mu Nanjin nodded, cheerfully buying and sampling everything she could find.

It couldn’t compare to modern food, of course, but these ancient recipes had their own charm: authentic, delicate, and satisfying.

【Content.】

Kan Chaoyan and Captain Liu smiled, picking gifts from a nearby stall.

Then Captain Liu whispered, “Someone’s following us.”

Kan Chaoyan tilted his head slightly and saw two men peeking from a nearby alley.

“Yes, they’re tailing us.”

“You recognize them?”

He shook his head. “Let’s see what they’re after.”

They pretended to browse.

Suddenly, a horse galloped past.

The rider leaned down, grabbed Mu Nanjin by the waist, hauled her onto the saddle, and sped off.

The vendor cried out, “Your young lady’s been taken!”

Kan Chaoyan and Captain Liu spun around just in time to see the horse disappear down the street.

Captain Liu groaned. “Why does she keep getting kidnapped?”

“Pretty girls attract trouble,” Kan Chaoyan sighed, then noticed Mu Nanjin on the horse, calmly nibbling on something. “Judging by her face, she’s enjoying it again.”

Captain Liu sighed heavily. “We’d better follow, or she’ll accuse us of neglect.”

“Fate is cruel,” Kan Chaoyan muttered, resigning himself and darting forward with light steps. Captain Liu followed close behind.

【Yes! The traffickers finally noticed me!】

【You know what that means? It means I have value!】

Kan Chaoyan nearly tripped. “Why does she like getting kidnapped so much?”

Captain Liu said, “If she’s not calling for help, she must have another plan.”

“She said traffickers, didn’t she? Maybe she’s trying to find their den.”

Kan Chaoyan’s expression darkened.

He had just learned last night that the local trafficking network was controlled by a gang called Haixing Sect, with over four thousand members, nearly matching the city’s guard.

He said, “I’ll keep following. You return and get the Commander.”

“Yes, Lord Kan. Be careful.”

Captain Liu sprinted off in another direction.

Kan Chaoyan continued the chase, but when he reached a crowded street, both the horse and Mu Nanjin were gone. Horses filled the road, identical and impossible to tell apart.

He sighed, oddly relieved that Mu Nanjin wasn’t an ordinary woman.

In that case, the unlucky ones would be the traffickers.

As he pondered his next move, a shifty-eyed man sidled up to him, grinning.

“Hey, sir, you from out of town?”

Kan Chaoyan ignored him and turned to leave.

The man hurried after him.

“Don’t go! I just wanted to ask if you’re looking to buy… merchandise.”

“Merchandise?” Kan Chaoyan raised a brow.

The man leaned closer, whispering,

“We’ve got plenty of pretty young girls. Interested?”

“Girls?” Kan Chaoyan’s expression chilled. So, a trafficker indeed.

Seeing his lack of interest, the man added quickly,

“If young girls aren’t your taste, we’ve got beautiful married women too.”

Kan Chaoyan smirked. “How beautiful?”

“Prettier than any courtesan in the brothels. Don’t believe me? Come see for yourself. I promise you’ll be satisfied.”

He beckoned with a sly smile. “This way, sir.”

Kan Chaoyan pretended to hesitate, then followed, and saw that many others nearby were doing the same, luring customers in hushed tones. They all targeted the wealthy, selling “merchandise.”

It was no wonder they were so brazen. The traffickers had protection from corrupt officials guards.

They just didn’t yet know that Lord Wei and Lord Pang were already in prison.

The man led Kan Chaoyan through a pharmacy and into another world hidden behind it.