The tyrannical father was so intimidated when his own daughter was found during the raid.

The night breeze was slightly cool.

Undercurrents were swirling within the royal palace of the Great Abyss Kingdom.

Su Zhen walked quickly back to the Imperial Study from outside Zhaoyang Palace.

He didn't even sit in the imperial carriage; he walked out in a gust of wind carrying sparks.

The eunuchs following behind were jogging along, panting and bewildered.

When His Majesty went to Zhaoyang Palace, he was still full of murderous intent, as if he wanted to devour Consort Jing alive.

Why is he back now? Although he has a stern face, he walks with a light step, like a happy child weighing several hundred pounds.

With a loud bang, Su Zhen kicked open the heavy, carved wooden door of the Imperial Study.

"Get out of here! No one is to approach the Imperial Study without my decree!"

The eunuchs, as if granted a pardon, scrambled out of the room.

Su Zhen was the only one left in the Imperial Study.

He could no longer contain his elation and paced back and forth in the spacious imperial study.

Three hundred thousand taels!

That's a whopping 300,000 taels of silver!

The Great Yuan Kingdom has been spending money everywhere these past few years, and its treasury is so poor that even a mouse that goes in would have to come out with tears in its eyes.

The soldiers' rations and pay at the border, the disaster relief funds in various places—none of these require money.

Even if he, as the emperor, wanted to build a garden, he would be criticized by those censors for wasting money and manpower.

The results of it?

He was constantly berated by the Left Censor-in-Chief, who was known as the most honest official in Dayuan.

He hid a huge sum of 300,000 taels of silver at the bottom of a dry well in his own backyard!

"You old fool! No wonder you never lose weight even though you drink plain porridge every day; turns out you're eating all that oil and fat!"

Su Zhen slammed his hand on the rosewood desk, his eyes gleaming with the light of a hungry wolf.

He took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions and shouted in a deep voice, "Where is the Shadow!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the shadows of the corner of the imperial study distorted.

A leader of the secret guards, shrouded entirely in black, knelt on one knee before Su Zhen like a ghost.

"Your subordinate is here!"

The shadow's voice was cold and hard as iron.

As the most mysterious and deadly royal bodyguard in the Great Abyss Kingdom, Shadow obeys only the emperor.

His Majesty will only use them when investigating major cases of treason or assassinating important officials of enemy states.

Shadow was prepared to massacre the entire family of the powerful minister tonight.

"Immediately summon your most elite top-ranking secret guards and have them leave the palace for me."

Su Zhen lowered his voice, his tone ruthless.

Shadow's spirits lifted, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. "Your Majesty, please instruct me: which mansion shall be slaughtered tonight?"

"Don't slaughter the entire family, go and keep watch on them for me."

Su Zhen walked up to An Ying and ordered, word by word, "Go to the residence of the Left Censor-in-Chief."

"Surround that abandoned, dry well in his backyard, covered with bluestone slabs, completely and securely!"

Shadow froze, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes beneath the mask.

Staring at... a dry well?

Why send out the most elite assassins to keep an eye on an old man's dry well in his backyard?

"Your Majesty, is there some kind of weapon of rebellion or assassin hidden in that well?" Shadow couldn't help but ask.

"More important than weapons!"

Su Zhen sneered, "My national treasury is hidden inside!"

Shadow was greatly shocked.

Although I couldn't understand the riddle, I dared not ask any more questions.

"Issue my death order!" Su Zhen's eyes turned incredibly cold, like an abyss.

"From this moment until the end of tomorrow's morning court session, not even a fly is allowed to fly out of that dry well!"

"If even a single brick is missing from the dry well, or if anyone approaches it, I will exterminate your entire family!"

Shadow trembled and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your subordinate obeys! We swear to defend the dry well to the death!"

The night wind blew by, and the shadowy figure disappeared.

Su Zhen rested his hands on the desk, looking at the night outside the window, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

Tomorrow's morning court session is sure to be a spectacular show.

-

The residence of the Left Censor-in-Chief is located in the eastern part of the capital.

From the outside, the walls of this house are peeling, and the red paint on the front door is chipped and mottled.

It was even more shabby than the mansions of those down-on-their-luck merchants in the capital.

This is precisely what the Left Censor-in-Chief is most proud of, and it is also the living signboard he uses to flaunt his integrity and incorruptibility.

Every time a colleague visits and sees this dilapidated house, he is moved to tears.

However, in the secret study deep within the mansion, a completely different scene unfolds.

The Left Censor-in-Chief was sitting upright at a fine rosewood desk.

A priceless East Sea mermaid candle burned on the table, emitting a faint fragrance and illuminating the entire study as bright as day.

He was wearing his signature court robe, which had three patches.

However, the lining of the court robes was made of Jiangnan flowing cloud brocade, which cost a fortune and was warm in winter and cool in summer.

The Left Censor-in-Chief picked up the purple clay teapot and took a leisurely sip of the Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao tea that had been delivered by express courier.

He put down the teapot, picked up the white jade wolf-hair brush, and began to write furiously on the memorial in front of him.

His expression shifted between deep sorrow and righteous indignation.

His writing was eloquent and fluent, full of literary flair, as if he were the only clear-headed and loyal minister in the world.

The contents of the memorial were piercingly incisive.

They impeached the current emperor for being bewitched by a sorceress, bringing back a bastard child from the black market to the palace, and even making her the crown princess.

The fact that the emperor unjustly and severely punished Consort Jing, who was in charge of managing the six palaces, for the sake of this bastard child is the act of a foolish ruler.

"A wicked woman is disrupting the government; the nation will cease to exist! If Your Majesty remains obstinate, this old minister has no choice but to die to atone for your sins!"

After writing the last sentence, the Left Censor-in-Chief slammed his pen down heavily, tapping it on the inkstone.

He looked at this impeachment memorial, a masterpiece that would be remembered for all time, and stroked his gray beard with satisfaction.

He could already picture the spectacular scene at tomorrow's morning court session.

In front of the entire court, he righteously denounced the tyrant and the crown princess of dubious origin.

When the tyrant got angry, he pretended to smash his head against the dragon pillar in the Golden Palace as a desperate act of remonstrance.

Of course, it was just a pretense.

He practiced the angle several times at home beforehand, and at most, he only got a few scrapes.

But with this one collision, his title as the most upright official in Dayuan will be recorded in history.

Scholars throughout the land would worship him as a god, and tyrants, forced by public opinion, would have no choice but to obediently compromise with him.

As for the more than 100,000 taels of silver that the spendthrift son lost at the underground casino during the day...

The Left Censor-in-Chief sneered, a look of disdain and greed flashing in his eyes.

As long as the reputation and power remain, the money can be recouped many times over sooner or later.

He carefully tucked the memorial into his sleeve.

At this moment, he was immersed in the dream of being remembered in history and wielding immense power.

As night faded, the east began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

As dawn broke, it was another morning.

Inside the Panlong Hall of the Imperial Palace of the Great Yuan Kingdom.

As is customary, at this hour, the emperor is still fast asleep, and no one dares to provoke the tyrant's terrible morning grumpiness.

But today, the situation is very different.

For the first time ever, Su Zhen got up a full hour earlier than usual.

The eunuchs and palace maids serving outside the palace, carrying copper basins and warm water for washing, were so frightened that their legs trembled.

Your Majesty, why are you up so early? Did you not sleep well last night and are you holding back your anger, ready to unleash a massacre?

The newly appointed chief eunuch cautiously pushed open the door.

Su Zhen was already dressed and stood in front of the huge bronze mirror, looking energetic and with shining eyes.

There's not a trace of morning grumpiness.

I'm so excited, it's like I'm going to a grand celebration!

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for!"

Su Zhen looked at the eunuch who was still standing there in a daze and urged him impatiently.

"If you delay my morning court session or my important business, I will chop off your heads!"

The eunuchs were so frightened that they rushed forward to help the emperor adjust his jade belt and ornaments.

Su Zhen touched the jade-inlaid sword at his waist, a hopeful smile playing on his lips.

His fingers tapped lightly on the hilt of the sword, producing a chilling sound.

"You old fool, I'm taking your 300,000 taels today."

Su Zhen muttered to himself, sending chills down one's spine.

"Thump."

"Thump."

The Jingyang Bell suddenly rang out in the sky above the imperial city.

The deep, resonant tolling of the bell pierced through the cool morning mist, announcing the start of a new day.

Outside the Meridian Gate, civil and military officials, dressed in neat court robes, filed in, their feet glistening with morning dew.

Their expressions varied.

The Left Censor-in-Chief stood tall and proud, looking ready to make a big splash.

Outside the Golden Palace, the atmosphere was solemn and dignified.

Su Zhen stood behind the gilded screen at the back of the main hall, listening to the sounds of officials paying homage outside.

He turned his head and looked at the chief eunuch who was bowing and waiting beside him.

A wicked glint flashed in the tyrant's eyes.

He addressed the chief eunuch, "Go, bring the Crown Princess to me. I want to bring her to the morning court session today!"