To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

After speaking, Luo Li stepped aside to lead the way, gesturing for the guest to leave.

The front hall was quiet for a moment, with only the whistling sound of cold wind blowing in through the gaps in the curtains.

Zong Yu stood there, his face turning pale and then flushed.

He held the position of Junior Steward in the court, in charge of the royal treasury and taxes from mountains, seas, ponds, and lakes. Every official in the court addressed him respectfully as "Lord Zong."

Today, he personally braved the snow to visit, even fabricating the absurd excuse of "moon gazing," but Zhang Fan refused to even see him and directly ordered his maid to expel him!

This was a complete rebuff.

"well."

Zong Yu gritted his teeth and forced out an ugly smile. "Since Your Excellency is tired, I will visit you another day."

He turned around, wrapped his fox fur coat tighter around himself, and walked out of the front hall step by step.

Two servants from the Imperial Household Department, carrying lanterns, hurriedly came forward and helped him step out of the gate of the Institute of Natural History.

Zong Yu stood on the stone steps in front of the Institute of Natural History, and a shiver ran through his body.

"My lord, the carriage is ready. Shall we return to the manor?" the personal attendant advised in a low voice. "The wind is too strong here; your health cannot withstand it."

Zong Yu did not move.

He stood in the wind and snow, turning his head to stare intently at the towering blue brick walls of the Gewu Academy.

Not right.

This is all very unusual.

Zhang Fan was usually very shrewd. Just yesterday, the Lieutenant's Office had announced the arrest of local gangs, and that very night, the silver transport carriage of the Imperial Treasury was robbed.

When a high-ranking official like himself came to visit late at night, Zhang Fan didn't even ask a single question and simply refused to see him.

Could it be that Zhang Fan wasn't asleep at all, but deliberately avoiding us, and was currently in the cellar or side hall of the backyard, interrogating Liu Kui with the Shaofu's account books?

The thought that Liu Kui might have already confessed, revealing the various crimes committed by Wangyue Manor in reselling government grain and the Black Dog Gang in selling smuggled salt and people, sent a chill down Zong Yu's spine.

If Zhang Fan had these things in his hands, he could have submitted a memorial to the emperor at the morning court tomorrow, and even his entire clan wouldn't have been enough for the First Emperor to execute!

"no……"

Zong Yu muttered to himself, his teeth chattering from the cold, "I cannot leave. I must see this."

"My lord? What did you say?" The servant was stunned.

Zong Yu suddenly turned around, pointed to the alley on the east side of the Gewu Academy, and said in a low voice, "You two, put out the lanterns, and have the carriages and horses wait at the street corner. Don't make a fuss."

The servant was startled and stammered, "M-Sir, why are you turning off the lights? It's the middle of the night..."

"Just kill him when I tell you to! Stop talking nonsense!" Zong Yu glared at him, his eyes fierce.

The servant dared not say anything more and quickly blew out the candle in the lantern.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped the surroundings.

Zong Yu trudged through the muddy snow and turned into the alleyway on the east side of the Gewu Academy.

This narrow alley is rarely used; on one side is the back wall of the Gewu Academy, and on the other side is an abandoned granary.

The wall was built of blue bricks, about twelve feet high, and covered with black tiles, making it extremely well-defended.

Zong Yu walked along the base of the wall, the wind and snow making it hard for him to open his eyes.

As he walked, he looked up at the wall.

The backyard was pitch black, with the shadows of the trees swaying in the wind.

But with such a high wall separating them, he couldn't see whether the houses in the courtyard had lights on or not.

Zong Yu stopped, panting heavily.

He was the Grand Master of the Imperial Household of the Great Qin Dynasty, ranking among the Nine Ministers. He usually traveled in a high carriage drawn by four horses and was worshipped by thousands of people.

Nowadays, in order to find out the truth, we have to resort to climbing over walls to spy on others?

If someone sees this, how will I save face?

But what does this little bit of face matter compared to losing one's head, having one's family property confiscated and being exterminated?

Zong Yu gritted his teeth and used both his hands and feet to step onto the bluestone slabs.

After regaining his balance, he reached out and grabbed the half-section of the wooden ladder leaning against the wall.

The wooden ladder was somewhat rotten, and it creaked when stepped on.

Zong Yu was so frightened that he held his breath and stood frozen in the wind and snow for a few breaths. Seeing that there was no movement around him, he mustered up his courage and continued to climb.

Three steps, two steps, one step.

Zong Yu finally poked his head out over the wall.

He lay on the cold, icy tiles, craning his neck and straining his eyes to peer into the back courtyard of the Gewu Academy.

The back courtyard was very quiet.

The master bedroom window was tightly closed, and the room was completely dark, without a single ray of light.

The entire backyard was quiet; apart from the sound of the wind blowing and the snow falling, there wasn't a soul in sight.

"No lights on?"

Zong Yu leaned against the wall, his brow furrowed, his mind a jumbled mess. "Could they really be asleep? They didn't interrogate Liu Kui? Where is Liu Kui? And where's the money?"

The cold wind blew straight in through his collar, and Zong Yu shivered from the cold, his nose running.

He was leaning over the wall, about to get a closer look, when suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the other end of the alley.

Zong Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he froze on the wall.

A patrol of soldiers from the Lieutenant's Office, carrying torches, was turning down the alleyway!

The firelight illuminated the snow, turning it a deep red.

The leader, a lieutenant and squad leader, walked with his hand on his sword hilt, his steps extremely steady.

As he walked, he suddenly stopped and his sharp gaze swept towards the high wall of the Gewu Academy.

"Who's up there?"

The squad leader shouted sharply, drew his long sword from his waist, and shone his torch forward.

The firelight shone directly onto Zong Yu's terrified face.

The squad leader and the four armored soldiers behind him were all stunned.

In the dead of night, amidst wind and snow, a man in his fifties was found hanging on the high wall of the Gewu Institute!

The old man was wrapped in an expensive fox fur coat, with the hem of his coat tucked into his waistband. He was clinging to the wall with both hands, his buttocks sticking out as he leaned over the wooden ladder in an extremely awkward posture.

"Thief!"

The sergeant, regaining his senses, flew into a rage: "How dare they climb the wall of the Marquis of Huguo's mansion at night! Shoot them down!"

Four armored soldiers drew their swords and crossbows and charged forward.

Zong Yu was terrified and let out a pig-like scream: "Don't shoot! Don't do it! I'm not a thief!"

"If you're not a thief, what are you doing perched on the wall? What respectable official would be admiring the snow on a wall in the middle of the night? Catch him alive!"

The sergeant ignored him completely, rushed forward in three strides, raised his combat boot, and kicked the bottom of the wooden ladder hard!

"Snap!"

The already rotten wooden ladder broke on the spot.

Zong Yu's body swayed, his hands slipped off the wall, and he fell heavily from mid-air, landing solidly in the snow and mud, letting out a dull groan of pain.

"Ouch! My back... my back!"

Zong Yu was thrown around so hard he was dizzy and covered in mud and snow, rolling on the ground in pain.

The sergeant and his armored soldiers rushed forward and immediately tried to put a rope around his neck.

Just then, the two young servants of the young master, who were hiding at the street corner, saw that the situation was bad and, without thinking, rushed into the alleyway, crying and scrambling:

"Sir, stop! Show mercy!"

"Don't tie him up! Don't tie him up! This is Lord Lingzong, the Junior Chamberlain!"