In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

The second shopkeeper cried and shouted, wailing and yelling, tears streaming down his face, trying to say something, but it was all unclear.

Gu Zhao moved aside, squatted down, and reached out to turn his blood-stained face towards him:

"When? Where? What kind of account book? Tell the truth. If you utter even half a lie, or dare to make wild accusations, I will send you on your way right now."

After being tortured for a day and a night without sleep, food, or water, the second manager was suffering from hunger and thirst, and was in excruciating pain. Seeing that there was even a sliver of hope for survival, he was unwilling to let it slip away.

Now that Lord Gu had personally come to inquire about the accounts, the second manager knew he was at a critical juncture, and dared not conceal a single word. He desperately tried to recall, and shouted loudly:

"Two years ago, in the master's study, I went to hand in the account book and accidentally saw the master writing something. I found it strange, so I secretly found it and looked at it again. It was an account book about Zhao Shiyuan's collusion with Hu Xiaofeng."

Zhao Shiyuan was the salt commissioner of Yangzhou before him. Zhao Shiyuan's case came to light because someone anonymously reported a fake account book.

That fake ledger is now on Gu Zhao's bookshelf.

The Emperor personally presided over this case. He felt that the false account book had fooled him and damaged the Emperor's authority. The Emperor still held a grudge to this day. Gu Zhao was ordered to come to Yangzhou to investigate Lei Dawu and to investigate the false account book.

If the false account book in Zhao Shiyuan's case was indeed written by Zhang Jingyan, then it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. All male members of the family would be executed immediately, and the female members would be enslaved. No one in the Zhang family would escape punishment.

Government slaves.

These two words weighed heavily on Gu Zhao's heart. If the Zhang family really fell into such a state, and if she really became a government slave with no power to protect herself, who else could she rely on besides him to save her from the dust?

Gu Zhao tossed aside the second manager, his heart churning with turmoil, but his outward appearance remained calm as he began his interrogation:

What grudge does Zhang Jingyan have against Zhao Shiyuan?

The second manager had been tortured for a day and was so terrified that he dared not say anything. He cried out:

"I really don't know that, sir. Before Zhao Shiyuan fell from power, the Zhang family and Lord Zhao not only had no grudges, but their relationship was also very good. During festivals, the Zhang family was the most diligent in sending gifts to Zhao Shiyuan. I have never heard of any grudges between them."

Seeing the executioner behind Lord Gu raise his whip again, the second shopkeeper was so frightened that he half-prostrated and half-knelt, kowtowing repeatedly.

"I wouldn't dare lie to you, sir. I truly didn't know, sir, I really didn't know!"

Gu Zhao stood up and gave the instructions:

"Give him paper and pen, and have him write down the account book from memory."

The second manager was utterly exasperated. He wasn't some reincarnated god of literature; how could he possibly remember the account books he'd seen two years ago, let alone write them down from memory? Even killing him wouldn't have been enough. So he continued kowtowing repeatedly.

"My lord, spare me! I really can't remember all of that. I only glanced at the account book in a panic, and I really can't write it down."

Gu Zhao smiled:

"I'll give you one day. If you really can't write it down, then I'll take you to your coffin and see if you can remember it when you get to the underworld."

Ignoring the second shopkeeper's wailing and screaming behind him, as if he wanted to smash his head to pieces, Gu Zhao stepped out of the cell.

With the second shopkeeper's blood still on his right hand, Gu Zhao took out a handkerchief from his pocket with his left hand to wipe it. When he saw that it was the light blue plain handkerchief, he hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he couldn't bear to let the handkerchief get dirty, so he put it back as it was.

Enduring the discomfort of blood on her hands, Gu Zhao waited until she returned to her study. Her attendant brought water, and only then did Gu Zhao wash the dried blood off her hands.

I washed my hands three times with scented soap until they were completely clean, and then I wiped them thoroughly with a towel to remove the last trace of dirt.

Gu Zhao took a locked box from the shelf in the study, opened it with his key, and found four account books inside.

The four account books were laid out on the desk in order: one was evidence from the Zhao Shiyuan case two years ago, one was evidence from the Yan Qizhong case last year, one was presented by Yan Pan, and one was presented by Lord Liu.

Yan Pan's book and the one presented by Lord Liu are exactly the same.

The second shopkeeper also confessed that he had written a book for Lord Liu last year, but for some reason there had been no progress. Some time ago, Lord Liu asked him to write another book. Since he was going to write one or two books anyway, the second shopkeeper compiled another one.

Even the latter two books, both written by the second manager, only resembled each other by about 70%, each riddled with its own flaws. Therefore, Gu Zhao did not expect the second manager to actually possess such worldly talent and be able to memorize an account book he had seen two years ago.

To determine whether someone is telling the truth or lying, the key is to look at the details. The outline can be fabricated, but the details cannot be made up without actually seeing them. As long as the details the second shopkeeper recites match up, then what he says is most likely true.

Gu Zhao sat down at the table and took out the light blue handkerchief again.

A beautiful woman suffers misfortune, like a brocade handkerchief covered in dust.

Once the handkerchief is stained with blood, no matter how much effort is put into it, it will be difficult to wash it clean.

Similarly, if she were to become a government slave, he could openly and legitimately possess her and grant her any request, but for her, the status of a slave would accompany her for the rest of her life.

Gu Zhao held the plain white silk scarf in his palm, looked at it for a long time, and finally put it back into his pocket to keep as a treasure.

......

Following Gu Zhao's instructions, Zhang Shen went to the government office to see Lord Gu the next day. Because of his good answers, Gu Zhao assigned him a new job, requiring him to report to the government office every day.

Zhu Qingyu was very curious about his daily routine of leaving early and returning late, so she asked him during dinner that evening:

"What task did Lord Gu assign you that kept you so busy?"

Zhang Shen had been busy these past few days. The lunches at the government office were poor, and he couldn't eat much. Every day he returned home exhausted and hungry, looking weary as he replied:

"Lord Gu assigned me to help with the bookkeeping. Although he didn't say it explicitly, I suspect that Lord Gu is about to take action against Lei Dawu, hence the need to manage the grain supplies."

In the height of summer, many soldiers suddenly appeared both inside and outside Yangzhou city.

As a result, not only Zhang Shen, who was in the government office every day, made this speculation, but rumors also began to circulate in the streets that Lord Gu was going to fight the salt smuggler Lei Dawu, and that was why he had been mobilizing troops in various places.

It has become a topic of conversation for many people during their leisure time.

However, most of the people felt that it wouldn't be easy to catch Lei Dawu. Didn't they see that the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Lord Gao, had been trying to catch him for two years without success?

In Zhu Qingyu's opinion, judging from Lord Gu's usual calm and composed demeanor, if he was going to take action, he must have made thorough preparations, and he would definitely be able to catch him. As for how Gu Zhao would catch Lei Dawu, she was not so concerned.

On the contrary, Zhang Shen had to go to the government office every day to do his duties. Because he couldn't eat lunch, he became thinner and thinner, which became a major concern for Zhu Qingyu.

Unlike her, who lived a more rough life, Zhang Shen was a pampered young master who had grown up in luxury. He had high standards for daily life and was quite delicate. He wanted meat to be slaughtered on the same day, vegetables to be fresh on the same day, and rice to be the newest rice of the year.

Gu Zhao could taste the bitterness of the official salt in the communal meals at the government office, and Zhang Shen naturally could too.

This isn't something that happened overnight; how can one endure hunger every single day? Zhu Qingyu then offered Zhang Shen a suggestion:

"Or, shall I have the head butler bring you lunch?"

Zhang Shen was both amused and exasperated.

"That's a government office, with so many officials, big and small. Even Lord Gu eats like this. And I, a commoner who isn't even an official, am being served meals by a servant? Qingyu, is that appropriate?"

That's a bit inappropriate.

Zhu Qingyu then offered a suggestion:

"Servants won't do, but a husband and wife will be fine, right? I'll deliver it to you; no one can say anything then, can they?"