Chapter 160: Spies Infiltrating the Ministry of Works, He Nu Turns Over Old Ledgers by Night

Ministry of Works.

Junior Vice Minister He Nu looked at Tang Yi before him with a dark expression.

"Isn't your Six Fan School reaching a bit too far? Are the construction ledgers something you are permitted to examine?" He Nu said coldly.

Tang Yi said in a deep voice, "The Taiping Army has already infiltrated the city. Should any major mishap occur, I will report your words word-for-word to His Majesty."

He Nu's face sank. "You—you! Fine, go ahead and investigate. Let's see if you can uncover anything worthwhile."

Moments later, officials from the Ministry of Works delivered the construction ledgers.

Looking at the piles of ledgers stacked like mountains, Tang Yi immediately felt a headache coming on. He said in a deep voice, "Remove all records of projects outside the capital of Jian'an, as well as those that do not require ironware."

Soon, the small mountains became slightly smaller, but there were still many left. After all, the Ministry of Works managed construction projects across the entire Great Zhou dynasty, so the volume was naturally vast.

Tang Yi flipped through the ledgers, searching for any traces left behind by the remnants of the Taiping Army.

"This, this is..." Tang Yi suddenly exclaimed, pointing in astonishment at a certain entry in the ledger.

"What is it?" He Nu walked over and asked.

"These people were all killed outside the city. Their identities showed nothing suspicious, yet they essentially killed themselves—their throats had been slit by a single blade with no other wounds on their necks. Furthermore, the time of their death roughly coincided with when the city patrol discovered abnormalities. If their time of death is consistent, there is only one explanation."

"What explanation?" He Nu asked with a frown.

Tang Yi sneered and said, "They were all accomplices of the Taiping Army who were silenced."

He Nu's eyes flickered. He was already aware of this matter. These individuals were the earliest scouts of the Taiping Army, dormant secret sentries planted in the capital, only discovered within the last few years. He had paid close attention to them, but he was also well aware that the Taiping Army had far too many operatives; capturing these scouts was by no means easy. Moreover, the fact that Taiping Army agents had infiltrated the Ministry of Works was a capital offense. Failing to handle it properly would cost him his head, so the Ministry had chosen to sweep the matter under the rug.

"Did you know what these Taiping Army scouts' objective was when they came to Jian'an?" Tang Yi asked solemnly.

"I don't know!"

"Their purpose in coming to Jian'an was to gather intelligence, but now they have been killed." As Tang Yi spoke, he pointed to several bloody holes on another sheet within the ledger.

He Nu's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly lowered his head to inspect them closely.

"These blood-stained holes should belong to Taiping Army soldiers, and they appear to have died from a kill with a single blow," Tang Yi continued.

"A kill with a single blow? Those Taiping Army soldiers are all martial arts experts. What makes you so certain these men were murdered?" He Nu questioned, even though the manner of their deaths was indeed peculiar. He still harbored intentions of concealment.

"They were seasoned veterans of the Taiping Army, whose combat prowess slightly surpasses that of ordinary veterans, possessing a certain level of tactical discipline. That is why I deduce this was a fatal strike delivered instantly," Tang Yi said.

"A kill with a single blow..." He Nu muttered, repeating Tang Yi's words, then shook his head. "That is absurd. On what grounds do you claim these men were superior to other veterans? Their abilities were only marginally better than ordinary Taiping Army soldiers; they cannot be compared to true elite veterans. Moreover, their time of death is practically identical to that of other Taiping Army soldiers, so your conjecture holds no water."

"Whether it holds water or not, we will know tomorrow."

Tang Yi smiled faintly. She had already identified several blood-stained holes in the ledger as evidence proving those veteran soldiers had been assassinated.

"Tell me, over all these years, what exactly have they obtained from the Ministry of Works?" Tang Yi demanded with a cold snort.

Realizing he could no longer conceal the truth, He Nu decided to confess.

With a timid voice, he said, "They had been lurking for far too long. By the time we discovered them, we found that the Ministry of Works was missing blueprints from various past projects. However, those documents were supposed to be destroyed anyway, so it was of little consequence."

Tang Yi frowned and said, "Of little consequence? Your Ministry of Works has committed a monstrous crime. The Ministry of Works is finished."

Upon hearing this, He Nu turned as pale as a sheet and almost dropped to his knees before Tang Yi.

"Lord Tang, I beg of you, please do not let word of this spread," He Nu pleaded.

Tang Yi pondered for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "The only way out now is to recover the missing project blueprints to atone for your sins, but time is running short."

He Nu nodded repeatedly. "Give me one day, and I will surely satisfy your lordship."

Tang Yi thought to herself that this matter truly needed to be expedited; otherwise, even if she didn't execute him, disaster would undoubtedly befall him soon enough.

"Very well! You may return first. Remember, you must thoroughly erase any trace of this leak, or else you know the consequences."

"This subordinate understands. Not a single word will be leaked."

"Hmm." Tang Yi waved her hand.

After He Nu departed, Tang Yi searched the official ledgers once more for useful evidence. However, there was nothing. These Taiping Army scouts left their work impeccably clean.

Seeing that nothing further could be gained from the Ministry of Works, Tang Yi strode out.

...

In the grand hall of the Ministry of Works, He Nu was roaring at his subordinates.

"Search! Find every single one of the engineering blueprints stolen by those Taiping Army scouts back then!"

He Nu's face was as dark as charcoal.

"My lord, I'm afraid that won't be so easy?" a subordinate asked, shrinking his neck.

"What, do you want to see me lose my official cap? If I lose my official cap, I will make sure all of you lose your heads with me!" He Nu cursed with a laugh born of extreme anger.

His subordinates fell into a terrified silence, not daring to meet He Nu's gaze.

"What are you standing around for? Go and search!" He Nu berated again.

Thus, the officials of the Ministry of Works began rummaging through dust-covered old construction ledgers.

The group searched every corner of the Ministry of Works, yet they found not the slightest clue.

In frustration, He Nu slammed a stack of old ledgers onto the ground.

Chief Clerk Liu of the Ministry of Works hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him. "My lord, please calm your anger, please calm your anger. Three months have already passed, and the artisans in the Ministry have long since memorized all the techniques by heart. If you truly need them to produce the blueprints, they could easily redraw them in just a few hours."

"You bunch of idiots! What I am looking for are the original blueprints stolen from the Ministry by those bastards of the Taiping Army," He Nu scolded, berating their lack of competence while inwardly blaming himself for employing such a pack of fools.

"Rest assured, my lord, all blueprints in the Ministry of Works have backups recorded in the ledgers. As long as we find the construction ledgers from that year, we will know which blueprints the Taiping Army stole," Clerk Liu added.

Hearing Liu's words, He Nu gradually calmed down. He let out a long sigh and muttered, "Fine, fine. I might as well return to my residence. Perhaps the moment I step back inside, those artisans will have already brought the blueprints back to me."

With that, He Nu turned and headed toward the exit.

Just as He Nu finished speaking, a flurry of footsteps echoed as a group of artisans rushed in.

"Greetings, My lord." The artisans knelt in unison.

"Rise."

"Thank you, My lord!"

The artisans stood up. One of them stepped forward and said, "Reporting to My lord, this subordinate found a blueprint in the workshop. Please inspect it!"

At these words, He Nu's eyes lit up, and he demanded eagerly, "Bring it forward at once!"

The artisan handed an engineering blueprint into He Nu's hands.

He Nu took the blueprint and examined it carefully. His expression suddenly turned extremely ugly.

"So that was the target of these scoundrels!"

After hesitating for a long time, He Nu said in a deep voice, "Someone, saddle the carriage! We are heading to the Six Fan School!"