When Pang Yu rushed into the duty room of the Water Route Hall, the wind lantern outside the door was knocked into a violent sway.
Inside the room, only Xu Wuyou was present.
Xu Wuyou's brush paused on the ledger, the ink dot pressing down on a character and slowly spreading out.
Holding onto the doorframe, Pang Yu first glanced back into the courtyard.
No one had followed him.
Only then did he lower his voice and speak.
"Hall Master, something terrible has happened."
Xu Wuyou looked up.
"Speak."
Pang Yu's throat felt dry.
"A boat has been detained at the East Bay berth. Hanging on its bow is... the flag of the Xu family."
Xu Wuyou placed the brush in his hand back onto the brush rest.
"The Xu family's flag?"
Pang Yu nodded, his voice dropping even lower.
"I didn't dare shout it outside. The boat owner couldn't produce the Xu manor's transport permit. He only said someone gave him a water tally, telling him to follow the river into the capital and not to stop along the way."
Gunpowder materials.
The Xu family's flag.
The capital's waterways.
These three things coming together, without anyone needing to cause a panic, could drag the Water Route Hall into a massive case all on their own.
Xu Wuyou stood up.
"Which berth is the boat parked at?"
"East Bay Number Seven, near the old salt warehouse, half a mile from the main river mouth."
"Who discovered it first?"
"Little Monkey, one of Old Oarsman's men. While checking the night navigation water tallies, he smelled sulfur and saw that flag. He didn't dare make a fuss and called me over first."
Xu Wuyou asked quickly.
"How many people has the news reached?"
Sweat beaded on Pang Yu's forehead.
"Seven people have seen the cargo."
"Four helpers from the Water Route Hall, two dock porters, and three on the boat."
"Two other helpers ran off, saying they were going to the Water Transport Yamen to claim a reward. I've already sent people after them, but I'm not sure if they were stopped."
Xu Wuyou didn't scold him.
The more critical the situation, the more important it was not to panic.
"Write a letter back to the manor, to my father."
Pang Yu hurriedly asked.
"Write what?"
Xu Wuyou tossed the fake flag onto the table.
"Just write: The gunpowder boat has arrived. Here at the Water Route Hall, blood has already been drawn."
He pushed open the door of the duty room.
The helpers on night watch in the courtyard, hearing the commotion, gathered around. The accountant, Lao Zhou, clutching an abacus, and Old Oarsman, with river mud on the soles of his shoes, also hurried in from outside.
Pang Yu kept his mouth shut tight, not mentioning the words "Xu family" again.
Lao Zhou spoke first.
"Hall Master, is there really dangerous cargo over at East Bay?"
Pang Yu glanced at Xu Wuyou and said vaguely, "There's saltpeter and sulfur, and the boat's bow is flying the flag of a noble family from the capital."
The courtyard instantly descended into chaos.
Liu Er, a porter, shrank his neck.
"Gunpowder materials entering the capital region is no small matter. If the authorities investigate, our Water Route Hall will be skinned alive."
Old Oarsman tucked his pipe into his waistband.
"Even if we hand it over to the authorities, we must investigate clearly first."
"Just because a flag is hung on the bow doesn't mean it's that family's boat! If someone is really planting evidence and we don't even verify the boat tally, sending it over is just handing a knife to someone else."
Lao Zhou frowned.
"The authorities will come sooner or later."
Xu Wuyou slammed his hand on the table.
"Close the doors."
Pang Yu immediately turned and roared.
"Close the doors! Bolt both the front and back doors! Bring the night watch roster!"
The courtyard doors slammed shut.
The helpers looked at each other, and no one dared to move around anymore.
Xu Wuyou stood in front of the hall.
"Tonight, anyone who has seen the boat, smelled the cargo, or touched the water tally is to stay in the courtyard according to their name."
"Before this is investigated clearly, anyone who dares to pass word outside will be dealt with according to the rules for leaking Water Route secrets: drowned with their tally and expelled from the hall."
In the corner, a tall, thin helper stepped forward.
It was Ma Liu.
He pressed the water tally at his waist under his hem.
"Hall Master, this is a major case of gunpowder entering the capital region."
"If you seal the doors and investigate first, and the authorities say we are suppressing a case, who will take the blame?"
Pang Yu turned his head and cursed.
"Ma Liu, stop looking for an excuse for yourself. Are you afraid of taking responsibility, or are you rushing to claim a reward?"
Ma Liu stiffened his neck.
"Am I wrong? The Water Route Hall eats the rice of water transport; it's not a place to wipe the asses of the nobles in the capital. If we really want to be clear of suspicion, we should open the doors and report to the authorities!"
As soon as these words were spoken, many people in the courtyard shifted their feet.
Lao Zhou also said in a low voice, "Hall Master, Ma Liu's words are harsh, but the authorities truly cannot be avoided."
Xu Wuyou didn't rush to get angry; he only looked at Pang Yu.
"Rule number three of the gang, read it."
Pang Yu pulled the gang rule book from the wooden box on the wall, turned to the third page, and read loudly.
"Anyone who enters the Water Route Hall shall not privately leak water routes, sailing schedules, secret signals, berths, or cargo tallies."
"Violators will be drowned with their tally and expelled; serious offenders will be sent to the main hall for punishment."
Xu Wuyou pointed at the water tally at Ma Liu's waist.
"If you want to report to the authorities, I won't stop you."
"Hand over the water tally, take off the clothes of the Water Route Hall, and you can walk out the front door to report."
"But if you wear the tally of the Water Route Hall and take the hall's berth information to exchange for a reward, that is called selling out the hall."
Ma Liu's face turned pale, and he pressed his hand down even harder.
"I won't hand it over!"
Xu Wuyou took two steps forward.
Pang Yu led people to surround him, and two helpers pinned Ma Liu's arms.
Ma Liu tried to struggle but was tripped to the ground by Pang Yu.
The water tally was torn off, the copper piece falling onto the table with a piercing ring.
Xu Wuyou picked up the water tally and tossed it to Lao Zhou.
"Write it down. After we investigate the boat, we'll settle his account."
Lao Zhou picked up his brush, his wrist pausing for a moment.
"Hall Master, are we really going to investigate first?"
"Investigate."
Xu Wuyou spread open the water tally ledger.
"Bring the wooden plaque from the bow, the mast markings, and the berth ticket stub."
"Hanging a flag doesn't equal a real boat. If someone wants to pin a crime on us, they must leave fingerprints."
The water tally ledger was quickly brought to the table.
Lao Zhou turned to East Bay Number Seven, his fingertip stopping.
"The boat number is Qinghe Twenty-Seven; the boat tally is real."
"It changed holds at the South Dock three days ago. The registered cargo names are pine resin, raw lacquer, and hemp rope. There are also two holds of trial materials for military supply from the Ministry of Revenue. The escort permit says it's the Northern Border military supply route."
Old Oarsman handed over a wooden plaque.
"The bow plaque is correct, the mast mark is right, the boat is registered with the Water Transport Gang."
Pang Yu added in a low voice.
"The flag is wrong."
Xu Wuyou looked at him.
Pang Yu took the flag out of his robe and spread it on the table.
"I used to follow the Xu manor's convoys and have seen the real flag. The real flag has double-needle stitching on the edges. This one is single-needle, and the fabric is new. It frays as soon as the river wind blows; it's a rushed job."
No one in the courtyard spoke.
Pang Yu's words were clever.
He only said he had followed the convoy, nothing else.
Xu Wuyou pressed his finger along the edge of the flag. The stitching was messy, and there were unclipped loose threads at the corners.
"Real boat tally, fake flag, borrowing a military supply seal to enter the capital's waterways."
Lao Zhou stopped his brush.
"Then the saltpeter and sulfur on the boat..."
Xu Wuyou folded the flag.
"Go to East Bay."
...
The East Bay berth was not far from the Water Route Hall.
The river surface at night was heavy with dampness. Two wind lanterns hung next to the old salt warehouse, their shadows shattering on the water.
Qinghe Twenty-Seven was docked at berth number seven.
A middle-aged man knelt at the bow, his clothes soaked with sweat. Two boatmen knelt behind him, not even daring to lift their heads.
As soon as Xu Wuyou arrived, the boat owner kowtowed.
"Hall Master, I am wronged!"
"I only received the cargo; I didn't dare touch a single bag privately. The water tally is real, and the seal is real. How would I dare transport dangerous materials into the capital!"
Xu Wuyou didn't tell him to rise.
"Open the holds."
Old Oarsman led people onto the boat and first lifted the upper layer.
Barrels of pine resin, pots of raw lacquer, and bundles of hemp rope were all arranged according to commercial cargo, with South Dock cargo tags stuck on the outside.
When the middle layer was opened, the smell of sulfur wafted out.
Pang Yu covered his nose and cursed.
"Good heavens, that's strong."
Bags of saltpeter and sulfur were stacked on both sides. The wax seals on the bags were intact, and the small seal for military supply from the Ministry of Revenue was stamped on top.
The seal strip read: Northern Border Military Supply Trial Materials.
Old Oarsman took a small knife and scraped the wax opening.
"The seals aren't broken. If they had been opened and resealed, the wax edges would have old marks. This batch doesn't."
Xu Wuyou looked toward the bottom cabin.
"Open the lower deck."
The boat boss's face grew even paler.
"Hall Master, the goods down there weren't accepted by me."
"That batch of charcoal was stuffed in during the cabin transfer at the South Pier. The people from the Guangyi Merchant Firm said the cabin still had space, forced their way to borrow a stretch of the waterway, and even charged me two taels of silver for pilotage fees."
Hearing this, Pang Yu's temper flared.
"Guangyi again? This guy surnamed Lu was sentenced during the day, and he dares to backstab us at night. He really knows how to work overtime."
The wooden boards of the bottom cabin were pried open, and the black ash rubbed all over the gang members' hands.
Bags of charcoal were piled on the lowest level.
There were no military supply seals.
The mouths of the bags were only tied with hemp rope, and the bodies of the bags were branded with the warehouse mark "Guang".
Lao Zhou stood by the cabin, his face tight.
"The saltpeter and sulfur have seals, but the charcoal has none."
"The three items are placed in separate layers. If they are discovered after entering the capital region, with the boat flying our flag, the middle layer bearing military supply seals, and the bottom cabin hiding Guangyi's charcoal..."
"If someone beats us to writing the confession for this case, both the Waterway Hall and the people behind that flag will find it hard to escape implication."
Xu Wuyou looked at the boat boss.
"During the cabin transfer at the South Pier, who stuffed the charcoal in?"
The boat boss hastily replied.
"Ah Gui, who works under Manager Lu, along with two Guangyi workers."
"They said Manager Lu gave the word that the new Hall Master of the Waterway Hall just took office, so the rules at the South Pier need to change. They insisted on borrowing the boat for a few bags of charcoal first, and whoever dared to refuse wouldn't get a shipping schedule in the future."
Xu Wuyou patted the side of the boat.
"Verify the seals, make rubbings, and write down the confession."
The Old Oarsman led his men to verify the wax on each bag.
Lao Zhou spread out the paper and ground the ink.
The boat boss knelt on the gangplank and reported everything, the time of the cabin transfer at the South Pier, the names of the workers, the two taels of pilotage fees, and the number of charcoal bags, all of it.
The "Guang" warehouse mark on the charcoal bags was rubbed down, the ink pressed firmly.
The cabin transfer stub from the South Pier was also dug out and pressed into the evidence box.
Lao Zhou blew the confession dry, placed it into the Waterway Hall's wooden box, and sealed it with wax.
"Hall Master, the evidence is sealed."
Xu Wuyou nodded.
"The boat is not allowed to move, the goods are not to be unloaded, and the people are not to disperse."
"The saltpeter and sulfur will be guarded in separate cabins, and the charcoal will be sealed separately."
"If the authorities want to investigate, we will let them inspect it bag by bag."
Just as he finished speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out on the shore.
Pang Yu had just turned his head when his foot slipped, almost stepping off the gangplank.
"Hall Master, Ma Liu is missing!"
Xu Wuyou turned around.
From behind the old salt warehouse, a gang member dragged Ma Liu out.
Ma Liu was still cursing, and a crumpled ball of paper fell from his sleeve.
Pang Yu rushed over to pick it up, unfolded it, and gritted his teeth.
"East Bay Number Seven secretly hoarding gunpowder boat, report to Inspector Tao immediately."
No one on the pier spoke.
Ma Liu was still struggling.
"Am I wrong to report to the authorities? You're all crazy! The gunpowder case is pressing down on the Waterway Hall, tomorrow morning everyone will be in deep trouble!"
Xu Wuyou walked over and took the paper from Pang Yu's hand.
After reading it, he handed it to Lao Zhou.
"Cross out his name."
Lao Zhou looked up.
"Hall Master?"
"Ma Liu, strike him from the Waterway Hall's night duty roster."
"Sink his tally into the archives."
"From now on, at the thirty-six piers along the capital's waterways, he is not to be scheduled for any boats."
Ma Liu's cursing abruptly stopped.
For those who worked the waterways, losing their tally meant their livelihood was shattered.
Pang Yu personally took a brush and crossed Ma Liu's name off the night duty roster.
As the ink line was drawn across the paper, Ma Liu sat on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
Xu Wuyou put away that piece of paper.
"You wanted to report to Inspector Tao, what a coincidence."
"I'm waiting for him too."
Pang Yu was taken aback.
"Hall Master, we are waiting for the authorities?"
"Wait."
Xu Wuyou pointed at the sealed wooden box.
"Someone invited the authorities over to put on a play, so we will set up the stage, lay out the accounts, and place the witnesses and physical evidence right under the light."
"Let him sing."
Right at this moment, the sound of a brass gong rang out from outside the East Bay Pier.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The boat families on both sides of the night river were startled and poked their heads out.
The torches of the patrolmen pressed in from the alleyway, boots stepping on the stone slabs, the noise growing closer and closer.
A middle-aged official in a green robe walked at the front, a Water Transport Inspector's plaque hanging at his waist.
Behind him, over a dozen patrolmen walked with their hands on their sabers.
Manager Lu followed beside him, the wretchedness from the day hadn't been completely wiped clean, but right now he shouted so loudly that the entire pier could hear him.
"Inspector Tao! It's this boat!"
"Xu Wuyou is secretly hoarding a gunpowder boat, the man and the loot are both here!"
