Evening!
Xia Chen returned home. Originally, Xia Chen was supposed to patrol for the curfew tonight, but upon asking, he learned that the curfew tasks assigned to the two battalions under his command had already been completed two days prior.
So, naturally, he had nothing to do tonight, and he couldn't go to the pleasure houses to listen to music, so he simply returned home.
"Young Master!"
Not long after Xia Chen entered his room, Xia Qian’s voice sounded from outside the room.
"Come in!"
"Young Master, the information you requested about the Great Qing secret agents has arrived!"
Xia Qian walked in with a stack of documents. This information was internal Yulin Guard data, and as a Captain, Xia Chen now had the authority to access it.
In the past month, the situation in the capital had been somewhat turbulent. It was said that the matter had reached the Emperor's ears, causing him great anger.
The Lantern Bearers were dispatched and had already arrested many people in the capital, causing widespread panic among the common people.
"The Northwest military defense map stolen?"
Xia Chen opened the file and only then understood what had happened.
The Northwest border of Great Wu adjoined Great Qing and Great Feng. Twenty thousand border troops were stationed there, but now, the military defense map had been stolen. This was a serious matter, no wonder the Emperor was enraged, directly dispatching the Lantern Bearers to arrest people en masse in the capital.
"Such an important military defense map was taken directly from the Ministry of War without alerting anyone. It seems there's an internal spy in the Ministry of War!"
Xia Chen murmured to himself as he looked at the file. For decades, Great Wu, Great Qing, and Great Feng had been in constant conflict, but apart from the Huaiyang Battle with Great Feng 36 years ago, there had been no large-scale wars, only minor border skirmishes.
Now that the Northwest military defense map had been stolen, this could clearly lead to major turmoil.
Thirty-six years had passed since the Huaiyang Battle, and Great Feng must have recovered its Origin Qi. Since the Huaiyang Battle, Great Qing and Great Feng had grown closer, showing a tendency to form an alliance against Wu Country!
Xia Chen thought of this and continued reading.
The file stated that the military defense map was stolen by a minor official from the Ministry of War, who then handed it over to a blacksmith in the west of the capital. When the Lantern Bearers received this information and went to the homes of the official and the blacksmith, they found that both had already committed suicide.
The trail ended there.
"Six or seven days have passed. The military defense map must have already been sent out. It seems the situation in the Northwest will undergo major changes!"
Xia Chen pondered thoughtfully. Regardless of whether the Great Qing secret agent could be caught, that military defense map was definitely lost.
It might have even been sent back to the capital of Qing Country.
"Between that minor official and the blacksmith, there must have been at least one middleman, but this middleman is not mentioned in the file. Was it an oversight, or was someone deliberately hiding it?"
Xia Chen quickly discovered a clue in the file. That minor official, who could enter and exit the Ministry of War and even steal the military defense map from its core, certainly couldn't have accomplished all this alone.
Moreover, Xia Chen noticed that the minor official from the Ministry of War lived in the inner part of the North City, while the blacksmith lived in the outer edge of the West City.
The direct distance between the two was more than 20 li, so it was absolutely impossible for the minor official to have personally handed the military defense map to the blacksmith.
"At night, both the inner and outer cities are under curfew. Unless one has a special pass, no one can move around, and the military defense map was lost at night…"
Xia Chen lay on his bed, thinking about these things. Only the Imperial Guard and the Lantern Bearers could move freely at night, which meant that both the Imperial Guard and the Lantern Bearers were suspicious, and even, seriously, both sides had been infiltrated.
Xia Chen meticulously analyzed the situation and thought of many things, but the information he had was too limited. He could only deduce this much from the case files, and he suspected that this file was incomplete.
The Lantern Bearers must have more information. They were professional in both handling cases and investigations.
"It's a pity I don't have the authority to retrieve case files from the Lantern Bearers. Even if I went to ask, the Yulin Guard, though supposedly assisting, is probably seen by them as mere muscle."
It was a known fact that the Yulin Guard was not good at handling cases, and they usually didn't concern themselves with it. If any party had a need, at most, they would wait for the important figures to investigate the matter thoroughly, then lead them to arrest people, raid homes, and so on.
Therefore, neither the Lantern Bearers nor the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review would tell the Yulin Guard too much about many matters.
Xia Chen thought about these things and slowly fell asleep.
...
The next day!
Xia Chen still arrived early at the Yulin Guard Barracks.
"Boss, morning!"
As soon as he stepped into the backyard Military Camp, Xia Chen saw Li Xi, who had led him in yesterday.
Li Xi's face was beaming with a warm smile, and he scurried over, holding up the bag in his hand.
"Boss, want a bun? I specially bought these from the Goubuli Baozi shop. Their buns are the best in the entire capital, try one..."
Xia Chen looked at Li Xi, whose face was full of wrinkles from smiling, clearly only in his twenties but looking like he was in his forties, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Yesterday, this kid had led him straight to the military tent camp. It was still unknown whether he wanted to trick him or just watch the show.
"Boss, they're truly delicious, the taste is superb! These Goubuli buns are hard to get; you have to order them in advance!"
Li Xi seemed oblivious to Xia Chen's change in mood and continued to smile.
The bun in his hand was almost being forced into Xia Chen's hand.
He was as enthusiastic as a loyal dog.
Xia Chen glanced at him, then at the bun in his hand. It indeed smelled fragrant.
"Why is such a good bun called 'Goubuli' (Dogs Don't Care)? The name is a bit unpleasant. Dogs are our loyal friends and would never betray their master. If they really did betray their master, they might end up as dog meat buns!"
Xia Chen held the bun in his hand and looked at it. Hmm, it was indeed meaty and thin-skinned, with a good taste. No wonder some high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital liked to eat buns from this shop. He ate while speaking casually.
Li Xi, who was beside him, heard Xia Chen's words, and his eyes subtly changed. He knew that his trick from yesterday had been seen through by this Captain.
This Captain had beaten Marquis Jinwu's son so badly as soon as he arrived yesterday, clearly not someone with a good temper or easy to get along with. If he were to be given a hard time in the future, how would he live?
"The buns are good. Bring me a portion every day from now on!"
Just as Li Xi was feeling uneasy, Xia Chen's voice reached his ears. He looked up and saw that Xia Chen had already walked away. Li Xi reacted, and his face immediately lit up with joy, a sigh of relief escaping his chest.
"Alright, Boss, I'll bring you breakfast every day from now on!"
Li Xi shouted excitedly.
Xia Chen, who was about to step into the military tent, suddenly stopped, his face looking strange.
What 'bring breakfast every day'? Someone who didn't know might think he was trying to pursue him!
Xia Chen looked at the bun he was happily eating in his hand. Damn, the name Goubuli Baozi really was a bit unpleasant!