I control the AI ​​empire thanks to the geniuses in my group.

What did I do to deserve this?

I actually waited with genuine anticipation for a few seconds.

Su Zhou remained silent.

Harold didn't even notice Su Zhou's utterly lifeless face.

He cleared his throat and said, "Three days ago, I received an anonymous tip-off letter."

Harold lowered his voice, his eyes darting around: "The letter claims that Gibbons' death was not an accident at all."

"The person who killed him was a French spy."

Su Zhou's eyelid twitched.

"This man's name is Jean Pierre."

"According to the whistleblower, this Jean-Pierre has deep ties to the French mint and has been secretly gathering intelligence on British minting technology in London for a long time. Gibbons accidentally discovered Jean-Pierre's whereabouts, so..."

Harold made a throat-slitting gesture.

"To silence them."

"I think this clue is extremely valuable. Counterfeit money is rampant right now, and the mint is still tracing the source, but Gibbons died at this time. So there's only one truth: it must have been the French who did it!"

There's only one truth: why are you cosplaying as Conan?

How did Harold manage to arrive at the wrong conclusion even though his reasoning process was correct?

Su Zhou sighed.

Harold was completely immune to their silence, and instead became more and more excited as he spoke: "Gentlemen, think about it! England just finished a nine-year war with France. What good intentions could that old Louis XIV possibly have behind the scenes when he outwardly sought peace?"

"Smuggling counterfeit money into Britain, disrupting the economy, and spying on minting techniques—a triple win! If this gets taken to Parliament, it'll be a major case!"

His eyes grew brighter as he spoke, as if he could already see his bright future of being promoted and ennobled for cracking the French spy case.

Newton finally spoke.

"Mr. Harold."

"exist!"

"You really think... it was the French who did it?"

Harold puffed out his chest: "Of course! Years of experience in handling cases have taught me..."

Newton was stunned.

"Years of experience in handling cases?"

Newton suddenly stood up, his chair sliding backward and crashing into the wall.

"You've used your years of experience to tell me that you're going to classify a case based solely on a charred corpse, without even properly examining it, just because of a tip-off from an unknown source?"

Harold's mouth dropped open.

Newton walked around the table, stood in front of Harold, and looked down at him.

"Do you know how many counterfeit shillings enter the British market every month? Do you know how many counterfeit currency complaints the mint has to handle every day? Do you know how much the national treasury has already lost due to Gresham's Law (bad money drives out good)?"

"You're telling me the French did this?"

"Do they have that ability?"

Harold was completely intimidated by Newton's imposing manner and dared not utter a single word in rebuttal.

Newton turned and walked back to his seat, sat down again, picked up the documents on the table, as if nothing had happened.

Harold's lips trembled, and he turned to Su Zhou pitifully, "Was...was Mr. Newton just insulting me?"

Su Zhou answered with absolute certainty: "Of course not."

He walked over and, mimicking his father, patted Harold on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

"Mr. Newton was cursing those counterfeiters. Just think about it, the rampant counterfeiting has depleted the national treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer is pressing him every day. How much pressure must Mr. Newton be under? When he heard that you had brought such an important clue, and when he thought about how those counterfeiters were still at large, he couldn't hold back and got carried away with his emotions."

"So it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

Harold looked at Newton with some skepticism.

Su Zhou pressed his advantage, continuing, "Mr. Harold, to be honest, the clue you brought is crucial."

Harold's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"If this is verified, a French spy infiltrating London to spy on minting technology and murder mint employees would be a major case that could go to Parliament. How many sheriffs in London combined would have access to intelligence of this caliber?"

Su Zhou held up one finger.

"It's just you."

Harold straightened his back unconsciously.

"Our mint has limited manpower and is busy minting new coins, so we simply don't have the energy to investigate the French spy trail."

"But this line is extremely important and cannot be broken, Mr. Harold. If I may laugh at you, I can't think of anyone more suitable than you in all of London."

Su Zhou was telling the truth, because he didn't know another sheriff.

Harold's face turned even redder, this time from excitement.

"Mr. Su, I like you!"

"You're an expert! Why don't you come and investigate with me? If we team up, we're guaranteed to find that Jean-Pierre guy!"

He waved his hand with great flair, displaying an air of heroic spirit.

"If the case is solved, the credit will be split 50/50!"

Su Zhou quickly waved his hand, his attitude extremely humble.

"Mr. Harold, I'm just a newcomer here. Following you would only be a hindrance. Investigating spies requires a seasoned veteran like you who's been through the mill in London. Professional matters must be left to professionals."

That last sentence struck Harold hard.

He stood up, gripped Su Zhou's hand tightly, and shook it vigorously three times.

"I will definitely live up to your expectations. Wait for my good news!"

Harold grabbed his hat and put it on his head, then strode out of the office with a lighter step than when he came in, as if he could already see the king personally awarding him the medal.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

After the door closed, Newton put down the documents in his hand, slowly raised his head, and stared directly at Su Zhou with his gray-blue eyes.

"You really believe his nonsense?"

Su Zhou sat back down opposite Newton and crossed his legs.

"Mr. Newton, if I believed that, what difference would there be between me and Harold?"

Newton frowned: "Then what did you just do...?"

"Jean-Pierre, a French spy, an anonymous whistleblower."

"Don't you think this lead comes at too much of a coincidence? Gibbons just died, and then someone wrote to the sheriff claiming the killer was a French spy? Is this anonymous whistleblower reporting a Frenchman, or covering for the real killer?"

Su Zhou continued, "No matter who released this news, the purpose is the same: to draw the mint's attention to the French. Everyone is dissatisfied with the French now. As long as they are labeled, everyone from parliament to the streets will follow suit. Then the real mastermind can continue to make his counterfeit money in peace."

"So it's actually the best arrangement for Harold to seriously investigate this false lead."

Newton's brow relaxed slightly: "Were you just fooling him, using him as a target?"

Su Zhou smiled and said, "Pretty much. Harold is openly and publicly investigating French spies. The bigger the commotion, the better. The people behind the scenes will think that their smokescreen has worked and that the mint has been misled, so they will lower their guard."

"And all we need to do is stay here and do big data analysis to find clues."

Just as Su Zhou was about to continue speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

dong dong dong.

Tom's voice came from outside the door, brimming with barely suppressed excitement:

"Sir! People have arrived in Whitehall!"

The door opened.

The messenger who entered was dressed in a Treasury uniform, carrying a leather box sealed with sealing wax, which was pressed with the royal lion emblem.

The messenger walked to the table, respectfully placed the leather box down, and opened it.

Inside was a roll of parchment with William III's signature on it.

Royal warrant.

Su Zhou was officially appointed as the supervisor of the Royal Mint.

The messenger straightened up and said in a businesslike manner, "According to procedure, Mr. Su Zhou needs to complete his oath of office in the presence of all the officials of the mint."

Newton took the authorization order, glanced at it, and nodded: "I will make the arrangements."

"Mr. Newton..." the messenger hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What else?"

The messenger cleared his throat.

"His Excellency Chancellor of the Exchequer Montagu said he will attend the inauguration ceremony in person."

"In addition, His Excellency Montagu will be accompanied by a guest."

"Who?"

"Mr. William Charoner."

Newton frowned, but then he saw Su Zhou actually laugh.

P.S. Please give me your monthly votes and recommendations! I'm currently on the recommendation list, so I can't update too much. I'll make it up to everyone by updating 10,000 words a day after the book is officially released. Please don't let the book sit unread!