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

Su Zhen slammed his fist on the dragon-patterned desk with such force that even the pure gold paperweight bounced half a foot high before rolling back onto the white jade steps.

The civil and military officials who had been feigning weeping and wailing in the hall were so frightened by the sudden loud noise that they trembled and their crying sounds got stuck in their throats.

The eunuchs guarding the emperor were terrified.

They thought an assassin had startled the emperor, and hurriedly spread their arms to shield him.

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Su Zhen roared angrily, like a tiger howling.

Without any hesitation, he shoved aside the eunuchs and guards blocking his way, his tall and imposing figure carrying a sharp gust of wind as he rushed down the white jade steps.

He leaped three steps in one stride, his dark gold dragon robe tumbling in mid-air, exuding a terrifying aura.

In the very center of the main hall.

The Left Censor-in-Chief, with his eyes closed, strode forward like a mad old water buffalo, launching a death charge toward the thickest dragon-carved pillar.

He excitedly calculated the distance in his mind.

Three more steps!

Two steps!

They're about to collide!

As long as he lightly scratches his forehead, breaking a layer of oily skin and squeezing out a few drops of blood, his eternal reputation as the most upright official in Dayuan will be recorded in history!

The left censor couldn't help but smile.

Just as his forehead was only an inch away from the solid dragon pillar, an overwhelming force suddenly came from the back of his neck.

The Left Censor-in-Chief felt a tightness in his neck and his breath caught in his throat.

The running body was suddenly stopped in mid-air, as if gripped by an invisible giant claw.

"Ouch!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief let out a strange cry and his feet flew into the air.

Su Zhen grabbed the back of his patched court robe with one hand, lifting him up in mid-air like a skinny old rooster.

The Left Censor-in-Chief opened his eyes in fright, his limbs kicking futilely in mid-air.

What came into view was Su Zhen's handsome face, magnified countless times, right up close.

To everyone's surprise, Su Zhen's face did not show overwhelming anger or murderous intent.

On the contrary, a strange light, almost a mixture of love and deep sorrow, flickered in the tyrant's eyes.

"My dear minister! My Left Censor-in-Chief!"

Su Zhen raised his voice, his tone filled with deep concern and affection.

This shout stunned all the civil and military officials.

Even Su Yaoyao, who was sitting on the small golden throne gnawing on a lamb leg, couldn't help but stop chewing and widen her watery peach blossom eyes.

"Your Excellency has lived a life of poverty, serving the country and its people; you are truly a model for all officials of our Great Yuan Kingdom!"

Su Zhen carried the Left Censor-in-Chief in one hand, and with the other hand, he stroked the large patch on his court robe with extreme heartache.

"Look, look!"

"A high-ranking official of the first rank can't even afford a decent court robe. These patches are so worn, it pains me to see them!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief was so choked that his eyes rolled back and he couldn't breathe.

He had no idea what madness the tyrant was going through again, so he could only frantically wave his hands, trying to pry open Su Zhen's iron-like fingers.

"Therefore, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch a loyal minister like you die by running into a pillar!"

Su Zhen released his grip.

With a "splat," the Left Censor-in-Chief landed on the gold bricks like a lump of mud, completely disoriented.

Before he could even get up to express his gratitude, Su Zhen turned around, his imposing gaze sweeping over the Imperial Guards outside the palace.

"Someone come here!"

A troop of heavily armored imperial guards strode into the hall and knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate is here!"

"The Left Censor-in-Chief was honest and upright throughout his life, and he couldn't even afford to hire a servant to guard his house."

Su Zhen's lips curled into a devilish sneer, his voice booming throughout the Golden Palace.

"I am truly worried about the safety of his ancestral graves!"

"Immediately gather five hundred elite troops and send them out of the city to dig up your ancestral graves..."

All the officials in the room gasped, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Digging up ancestral graves?!

"Alas, I was in a moment of heartache and misspoke."

Su Zhen changed his tune insincerely, his eyes as cold as knives.

"It's to protect! To properly protect your ancestral graves!"

"If even a single tael of silver is missing from your ancestral graves, I will hold you accountable!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief, who was lying on the ground, felt a loud "boom" in his mind when he heard the words "ancestral graves" and "silver".

His blood froze, and his face turned as pale as paper.

How could a tyrant know about the ancestral graves?!

Su Zhen's series of powerful moves continued.

Looking down at the trembling Left Censor-in-Chief, his tone became increasingly concerned.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"I have heard that your only son has recently picked up some bad habits and stays out all night."

"You can also visit the Bliss Casino in the underground part of the city while you're at it."

"Politely invite your precious son, who's currently dominating the mahjong table, back to me!"

"While you're at it, let's tally up exactly how much real money he lost last night!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief's last line of psychological defense completely collapsed.

As if struck by lightning from the heavens, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud.

It’s over.

It's all over.

The tyrant found out about the 500,000 taels in the ancestral graves and the 300,000 taels at the bottom of the dry well!

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! Your Majesty, have mercy!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief no longer cared about the integrity of the upright officials and scrambled towards Su Zhen.

His face was covered in tears and snot as he desperately kowtowed on the gold bricks, making muffled thuds.

"I am innocent! I have lived a life of poverty; where would I have the money to gamble?"

"This is all a frame-up by villains! It's a witch bewitching the emperor!"

At this point, he still wanted to bite back, attempting a desperate struggle.

Several officials who usually followed the Left Censor-in-Chief also mustered their courage and knelt down.

"Your Majesty is wise! The integrity of the Left Censor-in-Chief is known throughout the land!"

"How could he possibly hide money in his ancestral grave? That's utter nonsense!"

Su Zhen looked at this group of stubborn old men, his mockery deepening.

"Incorruptible? Nonsense!"

Su Zhen sneered.

The laughter seemed to come from the deepest hell, sending chills down one's spine.

He was too lazy to waste any more words with these hypocrites, so he took a step back and shouted sternly:

"Where are the guards with swords?!"

Two burly, cold-faced guards with swords strode forward.

"Skin him alive!"

"Let all the officials in the court have a good look at just how poor our number one honest official in Dayuan really is!"

Two guards obeyed the order and rushed towards the Left Censor-in-Chief.

One person held down one of his arms as he struggled wildly.

"Let me go! What are you doing! This is an insult to civility! An insult to civility!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief screamed pitifully, like an old dog driven to the brink of despair.

But the guard's grip was so strong that he could not resist.

One of the guards grabbed the faded patch on the chest of his court robe.

With a burst of force!

"Sizzle!"

The sound of tearing silk rang out.

The worn-out court robe, which he claimed to have worn for ten years and patched countless times, was roughly torn from the collar all the way to the waist.

The rising sun outside the main hall shone obliquely through the carved window lattice.

Sunlight shone on the torn lining of the Left Censor-in-Chief's clothes.

A dazzling, blinding golden light flashed.

He burst forth from beneath his tattered outer robe!

The entire audience gasped in unison.

The inside of the coarse cloth court robe was actually lined with the most expensive and softest Jiangnan brocade in the world.

Beneath the patch, densely packed and crisscrossing, are all pure gold threads!

Gold threads intertwine to form intricate and ornate patterns that shimmer in the sunlight, exuding unparalleled luxury.

Ragged clothes?

It's clearly a rare, limited-edition golden armor disguised in tattered rags!

Inside the Golden Palace, there was a deathly silence.

The officials who had just pleaded for him were like ducks with their mouths clenched, unable to utter a sound.

They stared wide-eyed at the blinding golden light; the world seemed to collapse.

Is this the moral exemplar they revere as a god?

Is this the leader who teaches them every day to be pure of heart and have few desires, and to be concerned about the country and its people?

The cost of one piece of underwear is equivalent to ten years' salary for these ordinary officials!

The Left Censor-in-Chief slumped to the ground, staring at his gold-threaded lining exposed to the air, and stopped struggling.

His eyes were lifeless, his lips were blue, and he aged ten years in an instant, leaving only an empty shell devoid of a soul.

"What a life of poverty, what a life of simple porridge and side dishes for every meal!"

Su Zhen's voice was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

"That deceitful, corrupt, and lawless old scoundrel!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief collapsed to the ground like a limp rag, panting like a dead dog.

The main hall fell into a suffocating silence once again.

No one dared to speak, and they even deliberately suppressed their breathing, for fear of offending the tyrant.

Time passed, second by second.

Su Zhen did not announce the end of the court session, but simply sat quietly on the dragon throne, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Half an hour later.

A series of heavy, hurried footsteps broke the silence.

The commander of the Imperial Guards strode in from outside the palace, his brow beaded with sweat and his armor askew.

Behind him followed dozens of heavily armored imperial guards, all equally panting.

Each Imperial Guard carried a heavy, mud-covered, large red wooden box on their shoulders, in pairs.

More than a dozen large wooden crates were neatly stacked at the foot of the white jade steps of the Golden Palace.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The heavy thud struck the hearts of every civil and military official.

"Your Majesty!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards knelt on one knee, his voice trembling with excitement.

"This humble general was ordered to search the residence of the Left Censor-in-Chief, and discovered a huge secret chamber beneath a dry well in the backyard!"

"A large amount of untouched cash was also unearthed from their ancestral graves!"

"A total of 800,000 taels of silver was seized! This includes treasury silver from the floods in Jiangnan three years ago!"

Upon hearing this, the entire court of officials was struck dumb, and they all collapsed to the ground.

Su Zhen stood up, quickly walked down the steps, and came to the boxes covered in mud.

He raised his foot, clad in dragon boots, and aimed it at the large wooden crate at the front.

He kicked it hard!

With a "bang," the lid of the box shattered.

In an instant, the room was filled with dazzling golden light.

The neatly arranged snowflake-patterned silver, mixed with dazzling gold bars, dazzled the eyes of all the officials.

The poorest treasury in the Great Abyss Kingdom has suddenly become incredibly wealthy.

Silence fell as everyone was awestruck by the gold and silver.

On the small golden throne next to the dragon throne.

Su Yaoyao threw away the lamb leg bone that she had gnawed clean.

She casually wiped her oily little hands with a silk handkerchief and pulled out a pure gold abacus from her pink quilt.

"Crackling... crackling..."

The crisp, clear, and exciting clinking of abacus beads echoed joyfully within the glittering golden hall.