My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

After Su Huai'an was demoted to Lingnan, the position of Junior Supervisor of the Water Conservancy Bureau remained vacant for less than half a month before a new official took office.

Zhao Wenyuan.

This man was in his early forties, with a fair complexion and a light beard. He spoke slowly and deliberately, and always greeted people with a smile. When he smiled, fine lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, making him look kind and approachable, like a benevolent elder.

On his first day in office, he went to Li Ju's duty room.

"I have long admired you, Attendant Li," Zhao Wenyuan said with a smile, bowing. "I have heard of a young talent in the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

Li Ju rose and returned the greeting: "You flatter me, Vice Director Zhao. I am of limited talent and knowledge, and do not deserve such praise."

"Oh, you're too modest." Zhao Wenyuan patted his shoulder, his tone as warm as if he were talking to his own nephew. "I've heard about your work in Liyang and the canal transport. It's rare to see someone so young achieve so much. From now on, if you need anything while we work together, just let me know."

Li Ju appeared respectful, but his heart sank slightly.

That smile was too full.

After Zhao Wenyuan left, Du Chen came in from next door and closed the door.

"Your Excellency, this person is not to be trusted."

Li Ju looked at him: "You noticed too?"

"His smile is barely contained," Du Chen said. "He's one of Li Zixiong's men."

Li Ju nodded and said nothing more.

The next day, a message came from Wei Kuangbo's men. It contained only a few words: "Beware of Zhao Wenyuan."

Li Ju burned the note, sat behind his desk, and remained silent for a long time.

After Zhao Wenyuan took office, he appeared to be amicable on the surface, but secretly he was placing his people in various places.

First came the granary official. A clerk surnamed Liu was transferred here, supposedly to "assist Attendant Li with auditing the accounts."

This person is meticulous and makes no mistakes, but he has to check every single account repeatedly, which slows down the whole process.

Next was the dock. Zhao Wenyuan, citing the need to "strengthen management," appointed a supervisor surnamed Zhou to be stationed at the Luoyang dock.

After taking office, this man spent his days wandering around the docks, always smiling at everyone he met. But Wang Yu said that his men were questioned several times: "What does Attendant Li usually have you do? Who manages the accounts of the canal escort team?"

Next was the river embankment camp. Zhao Wenyuan, under the pretext of "rotational transfers," sent five minor officials to the river embankment camp, dispersing them to various sections.

Zhang Yi said that these people did not work hard, but they were quick-witted and would often say to the laborers things like, "Your Attendant Li is withholding your rations."

The canal escort team was not spared either. Zhao Wenyuan transferred twenty new recruits under the pretext of "replenishing troops." Wang Yu checked and found that these people had all served in other battalions before, and one of them had even been given a demerit for fighting.

Li Ju listened to everything, his expression unchanged.

"Don't move for now," he said. "Keep a close eye on them and wait for them to go too far."

Wang Yu was seething with anger, and he slammed his fist on the table in the duty room.

"Your Excellency, this Zhao Wenyuan is all smiles on the surface, but he stabs you in the back. I could tell at a glance that he's no good."

Zhang Yi was also there, munching on a pancake, and mumbled, "That's right. Those guys from the riverbank camp don't work hard and they go around badmouthing the envoy. My men were so angry when they heard it they wanted to beat them up."

Du Chen didn't even look up: "If you beat them up, you'll fall into their trap."

Wang Yu glared at him: "I didn't say I'd beat him up. I just said this guy is insidious, even more troublesome than Su Huai'an. At least Su Huai'an is open about it, but this smiling tiger, you can't even properly curse him."

Zhang Yi nodded: "Yes, it's not easy to scold him. The last time I talked to him, he was all smiles, and I felt too embarrassed to get angry."

Li Ju picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"We'll handle this strictly according to the law." He put down his teacup. "If they cause trouble, we'll deal with them according to the law. If they slack off, they'll be given a demerit. If they spread rumors, we'll catch them in the act. If they go too far, we'll bring them to justice immediately, without any leniency."

Wang Yu's eyes lit up: "Your Excellency, you mean—"

"What I'm saying is, act according to the law." Li Ju looked at him. "The rules of the Water Conservancy Bureau are not just for show."

Wang Yu chuckled, understanding.

Within ten days, the people Zhao Wenyuan had placed began to act out of line.

At the dock, Zhou Jiancheng, under the pretext of "inspection," detained three boats belonging to the escort team, claiming that "the boats are old and unsuitable for navigation."

Wang Yu immediately produced the ship inspection records—all three ships had undergone major repairs three months prior and were in perfect condition. Supervisor Zhou hesitated, but ultimately allowed them to proceed.

On the riverbank, a minor official planted by Zhao Wenyuan spread rumors among the laborers, saying that Li Ju was withholding rations and embezzling funds for his own benefit.

Zhang Yi and his men seized him on the spot and found a written "letter of denunciation" in his pocket, which had not yet been sent out. Zhang Yi tied the man up and brought him before Li Ju.

Li Ju read the letter and asked the minor official, "Did you write this?"

The clerk retorted, "I wrote it. I'm telling the truth."

"The truth?" Li Ju placed the letter on the table. "Tell me, which month's rations did I withhold? How much did I withhold? Who handled it?"

The minor official was speechless.

Li Ju did not conduct a further trial, but instead had him handed over to the magistrate of Luoyang for "spreading rumors, causing trouble, and disrupting the morale of the army."

Of the twenty new recruits Zhao Wenyuan had placed, two got into a fight within the grain transport team, injuring three veteran soldiers. Wang Yu apprehended the two, gave each twenty lashes according to military law, and expelled them from the grain transport team.

Each and every matter was handled cleanly and efficiently, leaving no room for error.

Zhao Wenyuan could no longer sit still.

That day, he summoned Li Ju to his duty room, still with that same smiling expression.

"Li, please sit." He personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to him. "There have been some rumors circulating outside lately. Have you heard about them?"

Li Ju took the tea but didn't drink it: "Please speak, Junior Supervisor Zhao."

"Some say you are incompetent in managing your troops and mistreat your soldiers. The river embankment camp and the canal transport team are filled with complaints from soldiers and civilians." Zhao Wenyuan sighed. "I don't believe it. Do I not know what kind of person you are? But it won't sound good if word gets out."

Li Ju remained unmoved: "Junior Supervisor Zhao, you are wise. Every person I have dealt with is documented. The matter of Supervisor Zhou detaining the boat is evidenced by the ship inspection records. The rumors spread by the minor official of the river embankment camp are evidenced by his own handwritten letter. The fight between the two members of the canal escort team is based on military law. Each and every case has been handled according to the law, without any excessive or outrageous actions."

He took out a stack of documents from his sleeve and placed them on Zhao Wenyuan's desk.

"This is a copy of all the disciplinary records. Please review them, Junior Supervisor Zhao."

Zhao Wenyuan picked up the stack of documents and turned the pages one by one. The more he turned, the fainter his smile became.

After finishing reading, he put down the document, put on a smile again, and nodded.

"Li, the Imperial Envoy, is indeed meticulous in his work. I am now at ease."

"If Zhao Shaojian has no further instructions, I will take my leave."

"Go."

Li Ju left the duty room, walked through the corridor, and returned to his own room.

Wang Yu was waiting for him: "My lord, how did it go?"

"Nothing much," Li Ju said, sitting down. "He can't find anything wrong with it."

"So, this matter is over?"

Li Ju shook his head.

"It won't be that simple."

Sure enough, within three days, the impeachment memorial was delivered to the emperor.

The first to impeach was Censor Zhang Zhiyuan, who accused Li Ju of "mistreating soldiers, causing unrest among the troops and widespread resentment among the soldiers and civilians," and requested that Li Ju be dismissed to appease the army.