The room held only a single dim oil lamp, its flame the size of a bean, guttering and flaring in the airless space beneath the eaves. There was a smell that clung to the Jieshuo wherever they went, one that others rarely noticed, but Liu Chengfeng could never help frowning at it. Even after these particular Jieshuo had spent years living under assumed identities in the heartland, the scent still reached him whenever he stood close to them. Perhaps it came from the poisons they favored, or the copper tang of blood, or simply the killing intent they could never quite mask. This hideout had been prepared years in advance. The neighboring houses stood well apart, nothing could be heard from outside, and the place was thoroughly secluded. Liu Chengfeng had wanted to leave the city the moment they had Cui Lin in hand, but Wuyan, the younger brother of the Jieshuo king Wuluo, refused to listen. The last time Liu Chengfeng had led the Divine Archers into the heartland, they had come within a ...
The Minister of Revenue had been handed the Empress Dowager's mess, and it had kept him up all night, breaking out in mouth sores from the stress. He had to send provisions to the three armies, fund a mausoleum for the Empress Dowager, and somehow conjure money out of the treasury to appease that mad emperor, all without raising taxes. The minister felt his good days were numbered. He was venting at his subordinates inside his residence, unaware that just outside his back gate, two newly appointed junior officials were having a quiet argument of their own. "Since it was my idea," Li Yunxi said angrily, "I should be the one to present it." Er Lan, still dressed as a man, kept his composure. "And how does Brother Li plan to present it? Stand on your scholar's principles and give him a proper scolding?" Li Yunxi glanced coldly at the elegant gift box in his hands. "And how does Brother Er plan to win the minister over? Dress up a bribe as a...