Chapter 9: The Iron Ingot Case Unearths Secrets of the Past

Wang Su passed the imperial examinations two years ago and had since become well-versed in the sophisticated rhetoric of the capital’s civil officials. Yet, he found himself utterly helpless against his own cousin, a man bred in the military, whose stubbornness left him at a complete loss.

Exchanging a weary look with his wife, who was equally at a loss, Wang Su finally issued an ultimatum. "How about this: if you can resolve all the concerns we have raised before mother’s birthday next month, and if A-Nian herself is willing, we would naturally be happy to facilitate this match. But if you cannot, then put this matter to rest and return to Hanzhou, will you?"

It was a delaying tactic, one that the elder brother wielded with practiced ease.

Pei Zisu’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. To attempt military strategy before him? His cousin was still too green. He readily agreed. "Fine. But during this time, you are not to obstruct me if I wish to see cousin A-Nian."

Having gained no advantage in the exchange, his wife, Madam Xiang, sighed and conceded, thinking that A-Nian would not be staying at the Marquis’s estate for long; once she returned to the Jiang family, it would not be so easy for the two to meet. Seeing Pei Zisu’s undeterred, resolute expression, she knew it was futile to press the matter further.

Once the couple left, the gloom on Pei Zisu’s face deepened, though only for a fleeting moment before his expression returned to icy calm. He glanced at the darkening sky—night was falling.

At the third watch, in a common dwelling in the eastern district of Xijing.

A man lay on the floor, his body a shredded, bloody mess. With his last breath, he glared at the man looming over him and rasped, "Who are you? Why kill me?"

"Hmph. How did Prince Yi end up with such a fool under his command? You’ve been tracked all the way to your den, and you’re still asking questions? You have a death wish."

The man was stunned. He had been hiding in Xijing for years, and even the imperial spies had failed to uncover his true identity. How could this man know it so easily?

Seeing the man’s shock, Pei Zisu’s disdain was palpable. With a flick of his wrist, he carved another hole into the man, who cried out in agony but, due to his secret status, forced himself to stifle his screams. Pei Zisu looked down at him with a murderous gaze.

"I will ask only once: where have you hidden the batch of iron ingots from the Luzhou Prefectural Office?"

Iron ingots again!

Someone had already been probing him about this previously. He had become cautious, moving the stash periodically, but he never expected that less than half a month later, someone would hunt him down for their location. His eyes widened, and with a desperate defiance, he shouted, "Kill me if you want! You’ll never find those ingots in your dreams!"

"You have a stubborn tongue. I wonder if your beautiful mistress and three-year-old child hiding in Qintai Alley are worth this silence?"

Pei Zisu tossed a silver locket engraved with a longevity blessing before the man. It carried a faint fragrance, a scent the man knew all too well. His resolve crumbled instantly.

"What do you want! The debt has a head and the crime has an owner—they know nothing! How could you target them?" The man, previously on the verge of death, now glared with eyes that seemed to burn with hatred. "Attacking women and children—you have no shame!"

"You hoarded those iron ingots, causing the Ministry of Works to repeatedly delay the levee repairs. When the Huai River floods and drowns the villages downstream, more than just one woman and child will die. You dare speak to me of shame?"

Pei Zisu brought his blade down, severing two of the man’s fingers. As the digits twitched on the floor, sweat poured from the man's forehead like beads. His terror reached its peak.

"A person only has ten fingers. If treated in time, you won't die. But if they are broken and healed repeatedly, few can endure it. Shall I start with your mistress, or the child?"

The short blade grazed the man’s cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. As the tip pointed toward his left eye, Pei Zisu’s expression grew bloodthirsty, his gaze dark and malevolent.

"I... I’ll tell you... I’ll tell you..."

"Spineless wretch."

Pei Zisu’s mockery brought a flush of shame to the man’s face, but for the safety of his family and his own life, he spat out an address. It was not far—only about three streets away.

"I’ve given you the address! Can you let us go?" the man pleaded. His earlier bravado had been fleeting; faced with the total destruction of his family, he retreated into cowardice.

Pei Zisu struck. A jagged wound opened across the man’s throat.

The man struggled desperately, trying to stem the flow of blood, but it only surged faster. His eyes held nothing but fury and despair. Pei Zisu looked down at him with utter contempt. "A traitor who betrays his master for glory—I’ve lost count of how many of your kind I’ve killed. Prince Yi is blind, but I don’t mind cleaning house for him."

He watched as the man’s violent struggles faded into exhaustion, his eyes glazing over as his breath ceased. Pei Zisu slipped away into the night, moving as silently as he had arrived.

On the streets, the night watchman continued his rounds, and patrol guards occasionally passed by. Yet, a figure as agile as a cat darted beneath the eaves, leaving not even a shadow behind.

Guanzi Alley.

When Pei Zisu slipped into the house mentioned by the dying man, the moonlight hung heavy and bright, yet it barely illuminated the interior. He struck a flint to light his tinder, revealing the room’s contents.

He counted carefully: eighty-nine crates. It was the exact number of iron ingots reported by the Luzhou Prefectural Office to Hanzhou. This was the true purpose of his journey north.

He pried open one crate to inspect it. The ingots were stacked neatly inside. He exhaled a breath he had been holding, but as he brought the light closer and picked one up to weigh it, his composed expression turned grave.

He picked up several more; they were all the same weight.

Pei Zisu slammed his fist into the ingot. It cracked, then shattered into pieces. The iron ingots intended for the levee were hollow!

The Luzhou Prefectural Office—this was nothing short of cold-blooded murder.