Great Zhou: Emperor Wu, I need to check your taxes.

Lai Junchen sat in a large armchair, holding a copy of the Analects in his hands.

If this weren't the Magistrate's Office, he would look like a learned schoolteacher.

"Reporting to...Reporting to Lord Inspector Ma." Lieutenant Ma's teeth chattered.

"That Lin Yun is a madman! He said if we don't withdraw, he'll read the whole book aloud in front of everyone."

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate really dares not let him continue reading!"

"Yes, you did the right thing."

To Lieutenant Ma's surprise, Lai Junchen did not get angry; instead, he nodded gently.

He even got up himself, walked down, and patted him on the shoulder.

"If this thing gets out, His Majesty will be furious, and our Judicial Office will be the first to suffer the consequences."

"You're thinking about the bigger picture and know how to weigh the pros and cons; you're a promising talent."

Lieutenant Ma suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with tears of gratitude for surviving the ordeal.

Everyone says that the adults treat their brothers well, and today I've truly witnessed it for myself!

"Thank you, sir! Thank you for sparing my life! I will immediately muster the troops, and tomorrow I will surely capture that Lin Yun..."

"No need."

Lai Junchen waved his hand, turned around and walked back behind the desk, his tone still gentle.

"Everyone is tired tonight, go back and rest. Leave this book here, I will handle it myself."

"Yes! I'll take my leave!" Lieutenant Ma thanked him profusely and backed out of the study.

But, the moment the door closed.

The warm smile on Lai Junchen's face vanished instantly.

Instead, a chilling indifference prevailed.

"Zhou Xing".

From the shadows, a ghostly figure emerged.

"exist."

"Go see Lieutenant Ma off."

Lai Junchen picked up the forbidden book on the table and held it between two fingers with disgust, as if it were a filthy rag.

"The brothers who came with me also saw them off."

"The fewer people who have seen the contents of this book, the better."

"Understood, sir." Zhou Xing nodded and stepped forward, extending his hands.

"Then this book..."

"Seal the book and deliver it to that person tonight." Lai Junchen tossed the book to Zhou Xing.

"Just say it was found by the Imperial Guards at the Chang Le gambling den. Let that person decide what to do with it."

"Understood!" Zhou Xing immediately bowed.

"In this way, he will not only owe us a favor, but he will also hold Lin Yun and the Imperial Guards accountable!"

"Okay, go ahead, and make sure it's clean."

Once Zhou Xing's figure disappeared into the night, the room returned to deathly silence.

Lai Junchen's indifference finally crumbled.

"call……"

He let out a long sigh, grabbed the teapot on the table, and gulped down a mouthful of cold tea.

Then, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Suddenly, a large amount of sticky sweat seeped out from his originally dry and fair skin.

The sweat wasn't transparent; it had a faint, fishy smell and was even a bit yellowish. It flowed down his neck and into his collar, instantly soaking his heavy clothes.

This amount of sweating is something a normal person cannot produce.

Lai Junchen gripped the corner of the table tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, as if he was enduring some kind of molten heat within his body.

"Thirty-six, still not pure enough..."

He gritted his teeth, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"The Imperial Guard... Shangguan Wan'er..."

Lai Junchen took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes sinister.

"You've been getting increasingly unruly lately. If you ruin my grand plan, even if you're His Majesty's man, I'll kill you without hesitation!"

Finally, his gaze fell on the file with the name Lin Yun written on it.

"And this brat named Lin Yun... I originally thought he was just a tool for accounting, but I never expected this..."

"That's interesting!"

……

At the third quarter of the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), the darkness before dawn is at its deepest.

The Imperial Guard's Training Ground.

Lin Yun was dozing between two boxes full of silver ingots, clutching the account book he hadn't finished reading yet.

"Lin Yun, wake up."

A fragrant breeze wafted by, accompanied by a somewhat hurried shoving.

Lin Yun opened his eyes groggily and saw Li Hong'er looking at him with a complicated expression.

"What's wrong, Sister Hong'er? The magistrate's office is back?"

Lin Yun wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and subconsciously touched the green silk in his arms.

"Not the Court of Judicial Review." Li Hong'er lowered her voice and pointed towards the backyard.

"It's the Grand Commander. She wants you to go to her room now."

"Now?" Lin Yun glanced at the pitch-black sky.

"Has the President emerged from seclusion?"

"Hmm. Looks like... you're not in a good mood." Li Hong'er shook her head with some concern.

"You'd better pray for yourself."

Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat.

Although I had expected her to be angry, judging from Li Hong'er's expression, the trouble was probably bigger than I had anticipated.

After passing through the quiet corridor, Lin Yun arrived at the secluded courtyard.

Before even entering the door, I could feel a humid, hot vapor seeping out from the cracks in the door.

"Come in."

Shangguan Wan'er's voice came from inside the room.

Although I couldn't tell if she was happy or angry, based on my understanding of her, the more she acted this way, the worse things were.

Lin Yun pushed the door open and entered, then quickly closed it behind him.

The room was dimly lit, with only two palace lanterns emitting a hazy glow.

The air was filled with a thick mist, mixed with the pleasant scent of plum blossoms and a faint medicinal smell.

Clearly, the president had just finished taking a bath.

Or perhaps they have just finished some kind of training that requires the aid of a medicinal bath.

The enormous boudoir bed was shrouded in layers of gauze curtains, through which a graceful figure could be vaguely seen reclining on the bed, her curves fully revealed.

Lin Yun felt very uncomfortable and subconsciously lowered his head, focusing his attention on his nose and his mind.

"I heard you raided the Chang Le Casino tonight?"

From behind the gauze curtain, Shangguan Wan'er's voice drifted softly.

"And they even used banned books to force the magistrate's office to retreat in public?"

"Lin Yun, you're getting bolder and bolder."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency."

Lin Yun forced himself to bow and said.

"I was forced into this situation. Qian Si was too arrogant, and I found out that Chang Le Gambling House, like the previous Qun Yu Courtyard, was a channel for supplying materials to the Imperial Guards of the Northern and Southern Garrisons."

"Oh?" The figure behind the gauze curtain moved slightly.

"What did they find out?"

"It's completely rotten."

When serious matters were mentioned, Lin Yun's eyes cleared up and his tone became serious.

"They laundered money through gambling dens and then used the Qunyu Academy to win over and corrupt military leaders. Large amounts of ghost salaries and substandard weapons flowed out through these two channels."

"Moreover, I suspect that not only is the Court of Judicial Review involved, but it may even involve... a certain member of the royal family."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the room.

"Well analyzed, very reasonable."

Shangguan Wan'er's tone suddenly changed, revealing a chilling aura.

"But Lin Yun, I remember reminding you more than once that the people behind Chang Le Gambling House cannot be easily touched. More importantly..."

"These past few days, every night you've been using your Imperial Guard badge to leave the city."

"Hong'er just reported that you went to the gambling den last night after returning from outside the city."

"Lin Yun, who exactly are you working for?"

"Or is it that you're no longer looking at just the Imperial Guards' accounts?"