Do Not Offend the Reborn Wicked Wife

The other remaining living witness also failed to escape. The first arrow had just arrived when the second followed, piercing through another man’s ear and killing him on the spot.

This sudden silencing caught Qi Jingyu completely off guard. He hurriedly checked the surroundings, followed the direction from which the feathered arrows came, but found nothing at all, not even a shadow of a person.

It seemed someone had been watching this ship from the dark. Once they realized he had broken in, they immediately reacted and silenced these two. This showed the other side had a vast network and numerous eyes and ears, and among them there was definitely a Divine Archer.

The nearest houses on the shore were more than a hundred meters from the river’s central channel. To kill a man with one shot from such a distance, and with perfect accuracy every time, was no easy feat. Qi Jingyu asked himself and knew he could not do this.

He let out a helpless sigh, dropped the anchor into the river, and, to prevent the thieves from destroying the evidence, stood at the bow, drew out a signal arrow, and shot it toward the window of the inn where he was staying.

The so‑called signal arrow was not a real arrow, but a signaling device. It could shoot out a red fireball trailing a long white plume of smoke, especially striking in broad daylight.

In the inn, Li Qingmu and Fang Shijie noticed the anomaly outside the window at the same time. They immediately leaned on the windowsill to look out and soon spotted Qi Jingyu standing on an official ship, waving at them.

They jumped out of the window at once and rushed toward the riverbank. Li Qingmu shouted loudly, "Have you found anything?"

"Imperial Uncle, I found an official ship smuggling refined iron ore! There’s a huge amount of fine iron powder on board!" Qi Jingyu explained to the two of them how he had discovered this ship, then took them into the cabin to look at the physical evidence.

Although they did not yet know on whose orders these men were acting, there was definitely a problem inside the Ministry of Industry, and the rank involved was not low. Otherwise, they could not possibly have had the authority to spirit out so much fine iron powder without anyone knowing.

Fang Shijie was dumbstruck and muttered, "These parasites really have some nerve. They even dare to sell off vital state supplies of the court. Aren’t they afraid of having their entire clans executed?"

Qi Jingyu gave a self‑mocking smile. "They’re not afraid at all, because the Emperor has been blinded and deafened by them. He only learns of the world’s affairs through the memorials they submit. Whatever they don’t want the Emperor to know, the Emperor remains entirely in the dark about."

Fang Shijie angrily pounded the mast and sighed, "These treacherous officials who form cliques for private gain truly deserve death; nothing short of killing them can appease the people’s anger!"

Li Qingmu smiled and consoled the two of them. "Isn’t this precisely the purpose of our outing this time? Discovering it now is not too late. As long as we uproot them completely, the foundations of Dazhou will not be shaken."

Hearing this, Fang Shijie again asked, "Who exactly are you two? Why do I feel something is off when I listen to you?"

"It’s better if you don’t know. I’m afraid you’d be scared if you did." Li Qingmu said with a mischievous grin.

Qi Jingyu also smiled and shook his head, reassuring him, "I can’t tell you for the time being, but we’re not bad people. When the time is ripe, you’ll naturally learn our true identities."

He cared about state affairs and was highly skilled. In Fang Shijie’s estimation, these two before him were definitely people of the court, and their status was far from low.

Yet even if he racked his brains, he could never guess that one of the men before him was the reigning Emperor himself, and the other the fearsome Regent King!

After returning to the inn, Li Qingmu used a special method to contact the Hidden Guard assigned to protect Qi Jingyu and ordered them to safeguard the evidence on that official ship. He then headed straight to the Cao Yun Government Office with Qi Jingyu!

The Left Commander of canal transport in Yunzhou City was named Liang Kang, a man in his forties. When the three of them arrived at the government office, he was drinking tea and amusing himself with a bird—a lark kept in a cage.

Upon receiving a report from his subordinate that the Regent King had arrived, this Left Commander of canal transport was so frightened he nearly fell on his backside. He hurriedly led everyone in the office out to greet him.

Li Qingmu walked into the government office with his hands clasped behind his back, sizing up this Left Commander whose leisurely elegance was anything but ordinary, and asked, "Left Governor Liang, you really have quite the refined taste. Do you know that your government office’s official ships are smuggling fine iron powder?"

"Ah? There’s actually such a thing?" Liang Kang broke out in a cold sweat on the spot and hastily explained, "Impossible, Prince. Every one of our official ships is registered upon departure and return. No official ship has gone out recently."

At this moment, his subordinate reported to him, "My lord, a ship did go out this morning to carry out a transport assignment, but it wasn’t registered. It was on Vice Governor Shi’s orders."

"What? How could you keep something this big from me?" Left Governor Liang slapped that subordinate across the face in fury and immediately shouted, "Go find Vice Governor Shi for me!"

He then changed into a fawning smile and said to Li Qingmu, "Prince, please wait a moment. I truly was unaware of this matter. Smuggling fine iron powder is a capital crime. No matter how bold I might be, I wouldn’t dare touch something like that!"

"Heh, and with a single ’I didn’t know’ you think you can shrug off responsibility? How exactly are you serving as Left Commander? If all it takes to be Left Commander is to show up for roll call every day, drink tea, and play with birds, I might as well tether a dog here and it would do a better job than you!"

Li Qingmu’s words made Liang Kang flush with shame. He immediately knelt to beg for mercy. "Spare me, Prince, please spare me. It truly was negligence on my part. But the key is that Vice Governor Shi and I don’t see eye to eye. Although my rank is half a step above his, I can’t even command him."

"What a joke. Does he dare run wild under your command? Then you’d best stop being Left Commander altogether—retire early and go home to farm!"

Li Qingmu snorted coldly. It was precisely because the court was filled with such dead‑weight officials that deceit and concealment flourished. Their courage had grown so great that they even dared steal and sell vital supplies of the court!

He wondered whether the officials in charge of the National Treasury had grown bold enough to pilfer the Silver in the vaults to line their own pockets!

He would have to investigate that thoroughly later!

Qi Jingyu was not in a position to reveal his identity directly, but after hearing Liang Kang’s report, he was furious as well. An official who ate the Emperor’s grain yet did nothing had no one to blame if he was dragged to the Meridian Gate and beheaded, to let the world know that holding office was not something to be taken lightly!

As for Fang Shijie, Li Qingmu had long since sent him back to the inn to protect Yue’er and Miss Liu Ran’er.

First, Li Qingmu did not want him to know his true identity. Second, he felt uneasy leaving the inn without someone guarding it.

Before long, a government officer came to report, dropping to his knees and saying, "Lord Left Commander, Vice Governor Shi has been found dead in his room."

"What?!" Liang Kang had just taken a sip of tea and spat it all over this subordinate’s face. Enraged, he slammed his teacup down and roared, "Take me there at once!"

Li Qingmu followed with a frown. He and the Emperor had only just arrived at the Cao Yun Government Office, and the prime suspect, Vice Governor Shi, had already been killed? Those people moved fast enough—this was clearly another silencing, leaving him no trail or evidence at all.