Dark clouds hung low over the Tongzhou river, pressing down so heavily that a fierce storm seemed imminent.
The autumn wind, carrying the earthy scent of the river, squeezed through the half-open window and straight into the inner hall of the Water Route Hall.
Xu Wuyou lounged half-reclining in a carved rosewood armchair, his legs casually propped against the edge of a crimson sandalwood desk.
In his left hand, he idly rotated a pair of walnuts that had developed a lustrous patina, while his right hand occasionally flicked the beads of an abacus resting on the table.
Right in the middle of the desk lay a thick ledger of southbound shipping schedules.
With a faint creak, the old accountant Lao Zhou slipped quietly inside.
He stepped lightly up to the desk, produced a folded note from his wide sleeve, and slid it across the surface to Xu Wuyou.
Lowering his voice, Lao Zhou said, "Hall Master, this is a message from the trusted informant in the silver accounts office."
Xu Wuyou stopped his abacus, pinched the note between his fingers, and shook it open.
On the paper were just a few lines of small text, the ink still not fully dry.
He glanced at it and let out a cold snort.
"Three nights in a row, after midnight, the side gate of the silver accounts office courtyard was opened twelve times."
Xu Wuyou slapped the note down on the shipping ledger and tapped a few entries with his finger.
"Each time, a mule cart draped in black cloth. The wheel ruts were so deep they could swallow half a wheel hub. Lao Zhou, what do you reckon was in that cart?"
Lao Zhou bowed and said, "Reporting to the Hall Master, ruts that deep—it had to be either stones or silver ingots. At a guess, it must have been over a hundred thousand taels."
Xu Wuyou laid the note flat beside the shipping ledger, his finger tracing along the inked lines until it stopped on one particular row.
"An empty boat that rides low in the water, heading south against the current—unusual." Xu Wuyou said casually.
"The Tongji Canal Guild's ships Zhenhai and Polang suddenly claimed they were repairing their hulls and emptied all the grain from their holds. But at night, their draft got three feet deeper. Lu Wenzhao is in a hurry to move his belongings."
Beside them, Pang Yu was scratching his head in frustration.
He was a straightforward man who hated such hidden schemes. "Hall Master, this bastard Lu has already loaded his silver and is ready to bolt. Why are we still pondering? Give the word, and I'll take a few dozen brothers to sneak onto those ships, seize both the men and the silver! Catch the thief red-handed!"
In Pang Yu's crude mind, since the truth was uncovered, it was time to get bloody with knives. If they succeeded, he could maybe wrangle a steward position in the Earl of Chengyi's mansion—definitely worth following the Hall Master on this venture.
Xu Wuyou stopped rolling his walnuts, gave the rough man a sidelong glare, and dismissed his foolish speculation. He shifted his gaze out the window to the churning river.
"Seize the ships? That's a river bandit's cheap trick. The Water Route Hall bears the imperial court's canal authority on its shoulders. We must act according to the rules." Xu Wuyou lifted the cooled teacup by his hand, skimmed off the floating leaves, and said, "Come, let's go outside and take in the view."
The wind on the river grew sharper.
Xu Wuyou stood up, smoothed the wrinkles on his embroidered robe, and stepped outside.
Lao Zhou, with good timing, unfurled an oilpaper umbrella and followed behind.
They trod the damp flagstone path all the way to Tongjin Lock.
Tongjin Lock was the strategic throat of the capital's southern water route, a massive iron gate weighing a thousand catties suspended in midair.
Xu Wuyou stood on the gate tower, the autumn wind whipping the hem of his robe. He gazed down at the canal boats that, lacking a pass token, had been forced to anchor, rocking violently in the muddy waves.
Lu Wenzhao's two large ships were now trapped among the other vessels, unable to move forward or back.
"Lao Zhou," Xu Wuyou suddenly spoke.
"I am here, Hall Master."
"Tell me," Xu Wuyou said without turning around, his gaze piercing through the heavy rain toward the capital. "If this Tongjin Lock were dropped, whose lifeline would be cut?"
Lao Zhou mused for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "It would cut off Lu Wenzhao's lifeline, and also weaken the Shang faction's foundation."
Xu Wuyou chuckled lightly. He didn't touch the rusted winch, only looked up at the gloomy sky.
From his sleeve, he produced a bronze plaque engraved with the words "Water Route Hall" and tossed it to the lockkeeper standing guard.
"The wind and waves are too fierce, and it looks like a heavy rain is coming," Xu Wuyou ordered casually, but his tone carried an air of unyielding authority. "For the safety of the canal boats, Tongjin Lock is now closed to shelter from the wind, as per river regulations."
"Without my Water Route Hall's seal, not even a single wooden plank gets through."
The lockkeeper caught the plaque, nodded repeatedly, and hurried to call four sturdy lock operators to the winch.
The mechanism was released.
With a thunderous clang!
The massive iron gate, freed from its restraint, crashed straight into the surging river water!
Muddy waves churned, spray flew several feet high, and the black silt accumulated at the lock's bottom for years churned up into the water.
Startled birds resting under the gate tower took flight, cawing wildly under the gloomy sky.
Xu Wuyou stood at the edge of the gate tower, his hands clasped behind his back, eyeing the iron barrier in the river.
This gate drop was perfectly legal—it wasn't just to block Lu Wenzhao.
What if it hadn't been done lawfully?
Then it would be insurrection! The entire Xu family would be executed!
Pang Yu stood behind, watching the iron gate crash into the water, and swallowed hard.
Only then did he understand what the Hall Master meant by "rules."
Using the rules as cover!
You openly block them on the river, and they can't even utter a word of complaint.
Xu Wuyou thought of his younger sister Xu Qinghuan, far north at the town defense pass of the frontier.
That girl, who only wanted to be a quiet, wealthy country squire, was now thrust into the storm's eye.
He also thought of his father Xu Youde back in the capital court, that man who feigned madness but dared to flip tables in the Golden Throne Hall.
That shrewd old man had just taken on a military pledge and was now under the cold stares of the entire court.
Three situations, three chessboards.
In Tongzhou, this game Xu Wuyou not only had to win but to win decisively.
With the Shang family fallen, the Tongji Canal Guild seat would change hands.
The rain poured down in torrents, hammering the blue bricks of the gate tower. He turned and descended, returning to the Water Route Hall.
As soon as he entered, Lao Zhou retrieved a worn, old ledger from a hidden compartment.
"Hall Master, this is the base ledger of Huidao Bank from three years ago," Lao Zhou said carefully, placing the ledger on the sandalwood desk.
Xu Wuyou pulled over a dry cloth, wiped the water from his hands, and opened the ledger.
He scanned the dense lines of small text until his eyes stopped on a few inconspicuous lines on the last page.
"Guangyi Trading Company's old seal... Shang residence annual tribute stored and exchanged..." Xu Wuyou tapped the page lightly with his finger and laughed.
"This is Lu Wenzhao's death warrant."
He closed the ledger and pushed it back to Lao Zhou.
"Seal this ledger, affix the Water Route Hall's seal. Keep it for a formal reckoning in court later."
"Yes, sir." Lao Zhou swiftly took the ledger and put it away.
No sooner had he spoken than hurried footsteps came from outside the door, cutting through the sound of the rain.
Pang Yu burst through the entrance, his head soaked, gasping for breath.
"Hall Master! Hall Master! Something bad has happened!" Pang Yu slapped his thigh in panic.
Xu Wuyou lifted his teacup and blew on the steam. "Has the sky fallen?"
"No! It's that Lu guy!" Pang Yu wiped the rainwater from his face, hopping in agitation.
