I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

The old magistrate's eyes lit up when he saw the jade pendant, but he quickly regained his composure: "What kind of jade? How much is it worth?"

"A white jade dragon carving, an heirloom. Worth... three thousand taels," Chen Yuan said.

This is a code.

The secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would provide assistance if they gave the correct code.

The old clerk stood up: "Please come inside to talk, sir."

The inner room was dark, with only a small window letting in light.

The old magistrate closed the door, turned around, and knelt down: "This subordinate, No. 3, A-class undercover agent in Tianjin, greets you, sir!"

"Get up and talk," Chen Yuan helped him up. "I need to investigate something."

"Please give your orders, sir."

"How much do you know about the firearms smuggling incident at Tianjin Port two weeks ago?"

The old magistrate's expression changed: "This matter... I know a little about it. But it involves too much, so I dare not say more."

"Speak." Chen Yuan stared at him. "I am Chen Mingyuan, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, acting on the Empress Dowager's secret orders. If you won't speak, I can make you."

Upon hearing the "Empress Dowager's secret decree," the old strategist finally confessed: "That batch of firearms... came from the Ministry of War's Armory Department and was transported by sea through the Tianjin Garrison Commander's connections. The buyer... is said to be a prominent merchant from Jiangnan, surnamed Wang."

"Wang Zhi?"

"You know, sir?" the old clerk asked in surprise.

Chen Yuan's heart sank.

Wang Zhi was a leader of Japanese pirates and also a "business partner" of Xu Xianzong, the son of the Duke of Wei.

Now Zhu Zhanqi is involved too...

"Anything else?"

"Also... that batch of firearms wasn't the first. In the past three years, there have been at least five batches, all shipped from Tianjin Port. I suspect... everyone in Tianjin has been bribed."

Chen Yuan thought of the men at the dock.

Firearms smuggling requires manpower to carry them, ships to transport them, and officials to bribe... It's a complete chain.

"Is it possible to find out who specifically handled this?"

"Yes, but it will take time," the old magistrate said. "The commander of Tianjin Garrison was named Ma Wensheng, Cao Jixiang's godson. After Cao Jixiang fell from power, he appeared to be well-behaved, but secretly..."

"Continue the investigation." Chen Yuan took out a silver note from his pocket. "This is the funding. Report back to me as soon as you find any evidence."

"yes!"

It was already late when Chen Yuan left the pawnshop. Instead of returning to the dock, he found an inn to stay at—he wanted to see what was happening in Tianjin that night.

Sure enough, at three-quarters past midnight, there was movement.

Chen Yuan stayed on the second floor of the inn, with his window facing the street.

He heard the sound of horses' hooves outside, faint but frequent.

Pulling back a corner of the curtain, I saw a group of men in black riding by, about twenty in total, all masked and with long knives at their waists.

The group was heading straight for the dock.

"Chen Jin!" Chen Yuan called out in a low voice.

Chen Jin from the next room immediately came over: "Brother Yuan?"

"Wake the brothers up and get to the dock. Something's happened."

The group quietly left the inn and took a shortcut to the dock.

When they arrived near the dock, they saw that the group of men in black had dismounted and were surrounding a large ship—not their passenger ship, but a cargo ship next to it.

"Are they going to hijack the ship?" Chen Jin asked in a low voice.

Chen Yuan shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. Look, there are people coming down from the cargo ship to meet us."

Sure enough, a few people disembarked from the cargo ship, exchanged a few words with the man in black in hushed tones, and then began unloading things onto the ship.

By the moonlight, you could see that they were wooden crates, very heavy, and it would be difficult for two people to lift one crate.

"It's firearms," ​​Chen Yuan deduced. "That cargo ship is the one that's picking up the 'distinguished guests' tomorrow. They're loading cargo in advance."

"Then we..."

"Wait," Chen Yuan said, "and see who the 'distinguished guest' is."

The men in black left after they finished moving the goods.

The people on the cargo ship checked everything and then went back to their cabins to rest.

The dock returned to silence, with only the sound of the river lapping against the shore.

Chen Yuan led his men back to the inn.

He knew that a tough battle was ahead tomorrow.

The next morning, the dock was even more bustling than usual.

Many officers and soldiers from Tianjin came, cleared out an open space, and laid out a red carpet.

Judging from the looks of it, that "distinguished guest" certainly had a grand entourage.

At 3:45 AM, the three large ships slowly approached the shore.

The ship was magnificent, with carved beams and painted rafters, and adorned with colorful silks.

There was a person standing at the bow of the middle ship.

Chen Yuan watched from a distance, and when he saw the person's face clearly, he was shocked.

The man was in his forties, with a lean face, three long wisps of beard, and dressed like a scholar.

But Chen Yuan recognized him—he had seen him in the court's portrait.

Yang Shiqi.

Yang Rong's son, son of a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

How did he end up here? And how did he become a "distinguished guest"?

As Yang Shiqi disembarked, officials from Tianjin rushed forward to greet him, exchanging pleasantries and pleasantries.

Then the group boarded the carriage and headed into the city.

Chen Yuan made a quick decision: "Uncle Zhao, you take some men and keep an eye on the cargo ships to see where they unload the goods. Chen Jin, you come with me to the city."

The two changed their clothes and followed the convoy at a distance.

The convoy wound its way through the city before finally stopping in front of a large mansion.

A plaque hangs above the gate of the house, reading "Yang Mansion".

This is the Yang family's villa in Tianjin.

Yang Shiqi got out of the car and went into the house.

Chen Yuan found a seat in the teahouse across the street, ordered a pot of tea, and slowly sipped it.

"Brother Yuan, what do we do now?" Chen Jin asked.

"Wait," Chen Yuan said. "Yang Shiqi's arrival in Tianjin must be for something. And... it's related to that batch of firearms."

After waiting for about an hour, several people came out of the Yang residence and rode horses towards the dock.

Chen Yuan told Chen Jin to keep an eye on things, and then he followed.

The group returned to the dock and boarded the cargo ship.

After a while, he came down again, carrying a small wooden box, and hurried back to the city.

Chen Yuan followed them all the way to the Yang residence and saw them go inside.

He went around to the back wall of the house, found a secluded spot, and climbed over the wall to enter.

The house was large, but the security was lax.

Chen Yuan moved through the courtyard like a shadow and soon found the study—the light was on and people were talking inside.

He leaned against the window, listening intently.

"...Is everything ready?" It was Yang Shiqi's voice.

"Reporting to you, young master, everything is ready," another voice said. "Fifty muskets, five hundred catties of gunpowder, and one thousand bullets. Load them onto the ship tonight and depart tomorrow morning."

"On the buyer's side..."

"Wang Zhi's men are already waiting at sea. After this transaction, they agreed to increase the price by another 30%."

"Okay." Yang Shiqi paused. "Does Father... know?"

"Master doesn't know. Young master, rest assured, this matter will be handled by just the few of us."

"That's good," Yang Shiqi said. "Father is too cautious, always saying we have to wait. But what are we waiting for? For Zhu Zhanqi to succeed? By then, all the credit will belong to others. If we invest now, we can get a share of the profits in the future."

Outside the window, Chen Yuan felt a chill in his heart.

Yang Shiqi indeed colluded with Zhu Zhanqi, smuggling firearms to Japanese pirates and funding Zhu Zhanqi's rebellion. As for Yang Rong... he may have been unaware of this, or he may have known but pretended not to.

"Young master, there's one more thing," the man said. "It seems like someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard is watching us. Yesterday, a passenger ship arrived at the dock, and the people on board... don't seem like ordinary merchants."

Yang Shiqi sneered: "It's Chen Yuan, isn't it? That dog of the Empress Dowager. Don't be afraid, he won't find anything. Even if he does... Tianjin is our territory, we'll make sure he doesn't leave alive."

"Should we...?"

"Don't move yet," Yang Shiqi said. "Let's wait until this shipment leaves the sea. Make arrangements to increase security tonight. Once the goods are out to sea, he won't be able to do anything."

"Yes."

Chen Yuan quietly slipped away, climbed over the wall, left the mansion, and returned to the teahouse.

"How is it?" Chen Jin asked.

"We'll make our move tonight," Chen Yuan said briefly. "That batch of firearms cannot go to sea."

"But there are so many of them..."

"There are plenty of ways to go around." A cold glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. "Go and inform Uncle Zhao to have the men prepare. See you at the dock at midnight tonight."

Chen Jin accepted the order and left.

Chen Yuan sat alone in the teahouse, looking at the Yang residence across the street.

As the sun set, it cast long shadows of the house.

He knew tonight would be a tough battle.

But he has to fight.

Because if those firearms fell into the hands of the Japanese pirates, the coastal people would suffer again.

He picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

The tea has gone cold, but my heart is even colder.