CHAPTER 556: CHAPTER 13: STRIKE FIRST

Three days later, when all the members of the Eagle Department reappeared in the unnamed grove, Yue Jinghua took out ten booklets, which clearly recorded each person’s information, as well as their activities and living conditions over the past few days.

"I can also clearly point out the true identities of every one of you, how many people you have in your families, the noble age of your parents and children this year, and whether you have kept a concubine outside. If you see any misinformation, feel free to point it out," Yue Jinghua said with a meaningful glance at the crowd.

She believed that not a single person would speak up to deny it.

In an instant, the faces under the Eagle Pattern Dog Pattern Robes changed simultaneously. For the people of the Eagle Department, they did not fear life or death, nor the humiliation of hiding their names year after year, what they feared the most was the exposure of their real identities.

Although the more than ten people present would meet up every time they gathered, they never knew each other’s real identities.

Although they did not know the background of their new leader, the fact that this person was able to grasp everyone’s whereabouts and identities in just three days meant that she was even more formidable than Old Kuru from years ago.

Could it be that this person really had skillfully concealed her abilities, or possibly possessed some miraculous Tracking Technique that even the Eagle Department could not grasp?

Naturally, they did not realize that Yue Jinghua commanded a vast army of eavesdropping and spying Dark Beasts.

The Parrot Snail with superb eavesdropping abilities and the Giant Winged Mosquito King that could silently blend into the night, with the help of a staggering number of Dark Beasts, she had penetrated the layered Prohibitions and obtained the most firsthand information on these Eagle Department officials.

After this incident, Yue Jinghua immediately received the full support of all the members and became the new leader of the Eagle Department.

After Yue Jinghua took over the Eagle Department, she immediately brought in a large amount of information, with the data on several major forces in the Imperial City—National Guardian General Residence, the two major commerce associations Yunhu and Yanyue, the Ji Family, and the Ministry of Revenue—being the most detailed.

After organizing all the information overnight, Yue Jinghua closed the Eagle Department’s archives with satisfaction.

The distribution of powers in the Imperial City was now clearly outlined in her mind.

After returning from Xuan Beast Ridge, Niu Er, the Tax Officer, who had been through fear and hardship as well as exhausting journeys, fell seriously ill as soon as he returned to the Imperial City.

Even in illness, he didn’t forget to curse Yue Jinghua, who had caused him to suffer huge losses this time.

Niu Er, the Tax Officer, was also a narrow-minded person. He had planned to make a fortune in Fengdan County and Five Saints Town, but to his surprise, Yue Jinghua decisively blocked his way to wealth.

In Fengdan County, he had agreed to Yue Jinghua’s demand to exempt the county’s taxes out of necessity; yet now back in the Imperial City and bolstered by the support from the Ministry of Revenue, he immediately showed his true colors.

"Once I have recovered, I will immediately go to the Ministry of Revenue to make a report, ensuring that both you and Fengdan County regret this," Niu Er, the Tax Officer, thought to himself.

That day, Niu Er, the Tax Officer, had just gotten out of bed when he immediately dressed in his tax officer’s uniform, planning to go to the Ministry of Revenue early in the morning, only to find an extra letter on his bed.

Niu Er, the Tax Officer, squinted his eyes, opened the letter, and after seeing the content, his rather imposing corpulent body began to tremble like a sifted bran.

The letter in his hand fell to the ground.

The letter laid bare all his "glorious deeds" of swindling and deceiving, threatening and enticing people, during his years as a tax officer.

At the end of the letter, a sentence was written: "If an officer does not serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes. Niu Er, the Tax Officer, I’ve already purchased a sweet potato field for you. My advice to you is to go back to farming sooner rather than later, otherwise what I send you next will be a coffin."

At the end of the letter, the signature read "Eagle Department."

Eagle Department, the most terrifying intelligence agency within the Dragon War Empire, had now set its eyes on Niu Er, Tax Officer.

Niu Er, Tax Officer, felt his whole body go limp, almost fainting then and there.

Without daring to pause for even a moment, Niu Er, Tax Officer, packed up his bedding that very day and, without even writing a letter of resignation, fled the Imperial City.

This completely disrupted the plans of Ji Yun, who had intended to frame Yue Jinghua. He still refused to give up and tried to persuade his father Ji Jie to use his influence to teach the Duke Mansion a lesson.

Little did he know that he would be furiously scolded by his father Ji Jie, "You still dare to speak? Look at the nonsense you’ve done over these years."

With that, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Ji Jie threw out a letter that had been found pasted on the Ji Family’s front gate that morning. It detailed a series of vile actions Ji Jie had committed that year, including indulgence in pleasure, using his power to bully others, and involvement in several cases of manslaughter.

Looking at the very end of the letter, it read "Eagle Department."

The letter had mysteriously appeared on Ji Jie’s desk.

Following the words "Eagle Department," Ji Jie’s seasoned face, usually unchanging in the political arena, couldn’t help but twitch, his eyes filled with a hint of terror.

"It’s tolerable for you to stir trouble on normal days, but specifically during this period, you must absolutely refrain from causing any mishaps. Before the Dragon Pulling Test, you are not allowed to stir up any trouble," Ji Jie had risen from a simple civilian to his current position as Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, his intellect and schemes unmatched by ordinary people.

Having a son late in life, he doted greatly on his only child Ji Yun, which resulted in his son’s spoiled temperament.

He knew his son pined for Long Rui, and his enmity with the Yue Residence was not just because of Yue Jinghua, but more deeply grounded in the presence of Young Master Long Zhan, the heir to the Duke Mansion.

His son’s high-profile pursuit of Long Rui was well known throughout the city.

But as the saying goes, the prince has willing intents, but the Goddess not. Long Rui’s heart was set on Yue Minzhi, determined to marry no one else but him, a fact acknowledged secretly among the Empire’s upper echelons.

It was because of Long Rui’s insistence that the National Guardian General Residence had yet to propose calling off the engagement, even after the fall of the Blood Cherry Duke Mansion.

Which parents would willingly have their children be ridiculed?

Ji Jie was well aware that if his precious son wanted to earn the respect of the National Guardian General Residence, he needed to demonstrate his worth, and the Dragon Pulling Test became his best opportunity to make a name for himself.

"Father, are we really scared of the Duke Mansion? And what is this Eagle Department? Why are they so well-informed about my affairs?"

"The Eagle Department was an intelligence organization under the former Military Department, which specializes in collecting information for the Empire. It was said that their informants are even sharper than the Emperor," Ji Jie, being extremely astute, quickly connected Niu Er, Tax Officer’s unexpected flight and the letter exposing Ji Yun’s misdeeds.

As an adjunct to the Military Department, the Eagle Department disappeared from the public eye after their leader went missing over a decade ago, and now their sudden resurgence in activity did not bode well in his opinion.

The Dragon War Empire was a martial nation and also one governed by strict laws. Nobles who committed wanton murder would still face prison.

To protect his son’s safety, Ji Jie reluctantly had to compromise for the time being.

In the following days, after dispatching officials to confirm the identities of the people from the Yue Residence, the Ministry of Revenue did not trouble the Duke Mansion or Yue Jinghua any further.