Water Mirrored Moon - 水鏡月

Part IV - The Western Emerald: 59. Doesn't Count

Thunk!

Ah, how many days has this been now? Should I sleep?

Zhao Ling Xian rubbed a finger over his eyebrow and frowned as another pile of books thudded onto the reading table in front of him. The young army clerk who had deposited the account books scurried away, not daring to look the boss in the face, as he hastily escaped to the next room.

Though they had scrubbed the floors, the commandeered main hall of the Gao manor still smelt faintly of blood and the younger clerks scuttling back and forth looked pale though they tried not to show it in front of the prince.

"Have you found anything?" he asked, reaching for the book on the top of the pile and flipping it open.

Murong Yan shook his head, tossing the account book he'd been reading onto the floor in a steadily growing pile.

"A'Bo? How are things on your side?" the prince asked, as the young man casually sauntered in through the open door. However, at the prince's tone, he straightened and gave a proper bow. He pointed at the account books being brought in by soldiers pushing a hand cart. They dumped the records unceremoniously in a pile in the centre of the floor.

"Reporting to your Highness, the records of the businesses were seized, and they are now going through the Gao City Lord's personal study at the main government office. They still haven't found the most important item..."

"Search! Continue searching! Even if we have to scrape it out from the ground, we'll scrape it out," the prince snapped.

"Got it," Murong Bo nodded and trotted back out.

Sighing, the prince blinked down at the paper and slowly ran his finger down an inky column.

Looking up at the sound, Murong Yan stood.

"Your Highness, please mind your health. You should rest a bit. Let the others continue looking for now."

"Haaaaah. Very well. Half a shichen will do. Come wake me then, A'Yan," he said, pushing away from the table and standing.

"Uh...Uh! Ah!! A'Shou come verify this!" exclaimed a clerk to his companion, stuttering in his excitement.

The prince walked off the dais and clasped his hands behind his back, waiting expectantly; however, the two clerks were so engrossed they didn't notice him as they flapped open other records and muttered to each other.

Murong Yan, coughed a bit to try to get their attention, but then the prince shook his head at him, smiling slightly.

Still seeming to be oblivious of the prince, the older clerk frowned, pulling a book in front of him to stare fixedly at where the other was pointing.

"Here...here...and here. See? And this character..." the younger clerk said, pointing to three entries in three separate books. The older clerk paused and then he pulled two other books from his discarded pile, flapped the pages open, and compared the entries.