On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Zhao Shuyu let out a breath, pulled her feet back, and leaned back onto the pillow.

"Heh, what are Lin Yi's conditions?"

Liu Jing did not answer immediately, and pretended not to have seen what had just happened.

She hesitated for a moment.

What exactly did Lin Yi mean by saying, "Return the plaque to Zhao Shuyu and say that I ordered you to return it"?

Did Lin Yi know that Zhao Shuyu had given her the waist token? Or did Lin Yi already know that she would go to Zhao Shuyu to borrow the token?

Or perhaps Lin Yi knew from the beginning that Zhao Shuyu had asked him to deliver that letter?

She dared not think too deeply about it.

"Liu Jing." Zhao Shuyu's voice pulled her back to reality. "I'm asking you a question."

Liu Jing looked up: "Lin Yi wants a list."

"What list?"

"A list of corrupt officials, details about those corrupt officials that my father knew, and all the remaining assets of our Liu family."

Zhao Shuyu stared at Liu Jing for several seconds, her eyes narrowing.

"That's all?"

Liu Jing nodded: "That's all."

Zhao Shuyu leaned back, folded her hands over her stomach, and looked up at the roof beams of Kunning Palace.

It was painted with colorful patterns of golden phoenixes facing the sun, but the colors had faded somewhat.

Liu Jing had no idea what she was thinking.

After a long while, Zhao Shuyu finally spoke: "Lin Yi is short of money, isn't he?"

Liu Jing did not respond.

Zhao Shuyu continued, "He built roads, set up factories, raised soldiers, paid the Long Live Army, and even started some kind of workshop. I don't know how much money he's poured into it. It's not surprising that he's now eyeing the ill-gotten gains of those corrupt officials."

After she finished speaking, she seemed to think that the explanation was enough, so she stopped asking about the list.

Liu Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Shuyu did not notice anything amiss.

Or rather, she simply didn't care whether the Liu family handed over that list or not.

To her, the Liu family was nothing more than a pawn that could be discarded at any time.

At this moment, Liu Jing mustered up her courage and said, "There's one more thing."

"explain."

"Regarding the bronze medal," Liu Jing pointed to the bronze medal on the small table, "His Highness has instructed me to return it to you."

Zhao Shuyu's expression changed for a moment.

It happened very quickly, so quickly that Liu Jing could barely see it.

But she did see it.

"Did he know that the bronze medal was given to you by me?"

"He guessed it right away."

The hall fell silent.

Zhao Shuyu didn't say a word, she just sat there, her expression slowly changing from calm to something very subtle.

It seemed like he was powerless.

"What else did he say?"

"Lin Yi said... From today onwards, I no longer need to send gifts when leaving the palace."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuyu closed her eyes.

Oh no, we've been exposed.

Sigh, Lin Yi is too smart; he's not easy to fool.

She waved her hand at Liu Jing: "Alright, you can go now."

Liu Jing bowed and turned to leave.

As they reached the palace gate, Zhao Shuyu said something behind them.

"Liu Jing".

"Your Majesty?"

"You should come to Kunning Palace less often in the future."

Liu Jing paused for a moment, nodded, opened the door, and went out.

As she stepped out of the Kunning Palace gate, a cold wind rushed towards her. Standing on the steps, she glanced back at the red-lacquered gate.

The inside of the door was brightly lit and warm.

Zhao Shuyu told her to come less often in the future. What does that mean?

Is it because they think she's useless, or are they afraid that her continued presence will cause trouble?

Liu Jing couldn't understand it, and she was too lazy to think about it. She wrapped her coat tighter, lowered her head, and walked along the palace path toward the side hall where she lived.

Lin Yi knew that the bronze medal was given by Zhao Shuyu, which meant that he knew he had been in contact with Zhao Shuyu, but he did not ask about the letter.

Is he genuinely unaware, or is he pretending not to know?

Liu Jing bit her lip and walked faster and faster.

I thought to myself, whatever.

Whether Lin Yi knew it or not, there was only one thing I had to do: give Lin Yi what he wanted and give my brother a way out.

As for Zhao Shuyu, we really shouldn't involve her anymore.

That woman is too dangerous.

There were no lanterns at the entrance of the side hall.

Liu Jing walked to the door in the dark, pushed open the broken wooden door that wasn't even oiled, and saw a tinderbox on the table in the corner of the room.

She reached over and lit the oil lamp.

When the lights came on, it became clear that there was more than one person in the room.

Liu Wentao sat in the chair under the window, in the same posture as usual, his back against the wall and his hands on his knees.

But today there was another person opposite him.

Guo Ao.

We are both in the same boat, suffering the same fate.

Guo Ao also fled to the palace after Lin Yi confiscated his property, but his life only got worse day by day.

He sat on another low stool, holding a cup of tea in his hands, and was blowing on it to cool it down.

Liu Jing was taken aback: "Uncle Guo?"

Guo Ao looked up and nodded at her: "You're back?"

"Um."

Liu Wentao glanced at her and said, "When did you get back? Why did you take all day?"

"I took care of some business outside the palace." Liu Jing closed the door, walked to the table, and sat down. "Father, have you eaten?"

Liu Wentao shook his head.

Liu Jing sighed, remembering the bowl of cold dumpling soup from before. It seemed that even after it was heated up and brought back, her father only ate two bites.

"Why is Uncle Guo here?"

Guo Ao put his teacup on the table and said, "If you're feeling bored, come and chat with your father."

to chat with?

Each person had a cup of tea, and no one spoke; they just sat there silently.

Is this what you call chatting?

However, she couldn't say much.

The Guo family was in a similar situation to the Liu family; both had their homes confiscated by Lin Yi and were trapped in the palace, unable to leave.

Previously in the imperial court, Guo Ao was the Minister of Justice, and her father was the Prime Minister.

Although the two were not from the same faction, they were both high-ranking officials, so their meetings still maintained a certain level of decorum.

Now look at them, each one more down on their luck than the last.

Liu Jing sat down, took a deep breath, and, feeling she couldn't delay any longer, said, "Father."

Liu Wentao turned to look at her.

I saw Lin Yi today.

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

Guo Ao paused slightly in his teacup, his eyes turning to her.

Liu Wentao asked, "Did he see you?"

"Yes, I saw him in the flower hall of the Prince's mansion."

Liu Wentao was silent for a few moments, then asked, "What did he say?"

Liu Jing decided to cut to the chase and get straight to the point.

He said the Liu family must be buried in the dust and never be able to rise again.

Liu Wentao's lips moved slightly, but he didn't speak.

Guo Ao frowned beside him.

Liu Jing continued, "But he also said that he doesn't dislike his younger brother because his brother has never done anything. He said he could give his brother a chance to enter politics."

Liu Wentao looked up: "When?"

"Twenty years later."

"What?"

Liu Wentao lowered his head and slowly clasped his hands together on his knees.

He's fifty-two this year. It's uncertain whether he'll still be alive twenty years from now.

It's rare for a person to live to seventy.

"Anything else?"

Liu Jing said, "He said that even if his younger brother were given a chance, he could never become a leader."

Guo Ao couldn't sit still any longer and slammed his cup on the table: "What kind of bullshit conditions are these? Making people wait twenty years and still not be able to become a principal official? Does the Liu family, descendants of a prime minister, mean we'll only be able to serve as deputies in the future?"

Liu Wentao ignored him, just kept his head down, rubbing the fabric on his knees, without saying a word.

The room fell silent again.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered in the wind seeping through the crack in the door, casting a swaying shadow on the wall.

Guo Ao looked at Liu Wentao, then at Liu Jing, and asked, "What are his conditions?"

Liu Jing knew this question would have to come up sooner or later, so she clenched her fingers and said, "He wants a list."

"What list?"

"The list of corrupt officials, the details my father knows about those corrupt officials, who embezzled how much, where they hid their money, and how they embezzled it. Hand it all over."

Guo Ao's mouth dropped open.

Liu Jing didn't stop, and continued, "We also need to hand over all the remaining assets of our Liu family."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Ao stood up.

"No!" He walked up to Liu Wentao, squatted down to look him in the eye, and said, "Your Excellency, listen to me, do you know what handing this over means?"

Liu Wentao didn't look up.

Guo Ao continued, "How many people are on that list? Those in the capital, those sent to other provinces, those from the Six Ministries and Nine Temples, those in local areas. You've been Prime Minister for twenty years; you've handled countless matters. If you hand these things over to Lin Yi, those people's lives will be in his hands. He'll check your list one by one, copying everything. What will the world think of you, Liu Wentao?"

Liu Wentao remained silent.

Guo Ao panicked: "Prime Minister! They'll say you're a traitor! They'll say you sold everyone out! How will you ever face anyone again? You were despised while you were alive, and after you die, not even a single person will come to pay their respects at your grave!"

Liu Jing stood to the side, her lips tightly pursed.

Guo Ao was telling the truth.

That's how things are in the imperial court.

You can be greedy, corrupt, or hold a position without doing anything, but you cannot betray your colleagues.

This is the biggest taboo in officialdom, even more terrifying than corruption itself.

Anyone who becomes an informer is a scoundrel condemned by everyone.

Even if you were forced into it, others will not forgive you.