Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Today was a day off, and Gu Yannian changed into a very ordinary dark blue robe and sat in an open-air teahouse on the main street outside Xuanwu Lane.

In front of him was a pot of old tea made from broken silver coins and a dish of spiced melon seeds.

They were listening with great interest to the blind storyteller on stage recounting the old story of "The Prince of Yan's Sweep of the North" with great enthusiasm.

He could clearly hear the hushed conversations of several tea drinkers around him.

"Have you heard? Yesterday, Censor Li from the Censorate was beaten in the street by the Embroidered Uniform Guards just for glancing at Ji Gang's sedan chair. He was beaten until he was a bloody mess!"

"Shh! Are you out of your mind? Keep your voice down! In this capital city these days, it's better to offend the King of Hell than Commander Ji. Even his dogs eat better than us common folk."

Gu Yannian cracked open a melon seed, put the kernel in his mouth, and remained calm.

Ji Gang's arrogance is well-known in historical records.

The knife that Zhu Di used to kill people has gradually developed the ambition to turn against its master.

But according to the trajectory of history, this knife is only one or two years away from being broken.

Whom God would destroy, He first makes mad.

Just as I was pondering this, a loud, forceful gong suddenly rang out from the other end of the long street.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is on duty! All other personnel, please stand aside!"

Dozens of imperial guards, dressed in flying fish robes and with embroidered spring knives at their waists, rode tall horses.

It swept in like a whirlwind.

Pedestrians and vendors on the road were so frightened that they scrambled to the sides of the road, and several vegetable stalls that couldn't get out of the way were trampled to pieces by the horses' hooves.

Rotten vegetable leaves were scattered all over the ground, but the vendor didn't dare to utter a sound.

In the center of the procession was a large and luxurious sedan chair carried by eight men.

A dozen or so martial arts masters with sinister eyes surrounded the sedan chair.

It's obvious without even guessing that Ji Gang himself is sitting inside.

The customers in the teahouse immediately fell silent, lowering their heads in fear of incurring bad luck.

The blind storyteller stopped striking the crow's crow and huddled trembling in the corner.

Just then, the tea shop owner's three-year-old grandson, who was carrying a bowl of cold water and running towards the inner room, was startled by the sound of horses' hooves outside.

He tripped and fell straight down the steps of the teahouse, landing right in front of the Imperial Guards.

"Wah!!" The child burst into tears in fright.

Upon seeing this, the leading Jinyiwei commander not only did not rein in his horse, but a hint of violence flashed in his eyes.

Instead of slowing down, he cracked his whip, and the warhorse neighed, raised its front hooves, and was about to stomp down heavily on the three-year-old child.

The tea shop owner let out a desperate scream, but there was no time to rush over and help.

Gu Yannian, sitting in the corner, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He remained seated on the bench, his posture unchanged, except that his right hand, hanging by his side, subtly rubbed his thumb and middle finger together.

A tiny grain of sand picked up casually from the ground transformed into an invisible burst of energy, faster than lightning, and shot out with a "whoosh".

The energy strike hit the warhorse's shinbone with perfect accuracy.

Without a deafening sound, the warhorse that was exerting its strength suddenly let out a mournful wail, and its foreleg bones shattered instantly.

The massive horse lost its balance and crashed forward, sliding several feet across the bluestone slab.

It stopped just half a foot away from the child.

The centurion on horseback was caught off guard and was flung away like a tattered sack.

He crashed headfirst into a hitching post by the roadside, immediately losing consciousness and his head was covered in blood.

This sudden turn of events threw the entire Imperial Guard into chaos.

The guards drew their embroidered spring knives and surrounded Ji Gang's sedan chair as if facing a formidable enemy, searching everywhere for the so-called "assassin".

But no matter how they looked around, all they saw were ordinary people, pale with fright, kneeling on the ground trembling. There was no sign of any hidden weapons or skilled fighters.

Gu Yannian mingled in the crowd, holding a teacup in his hand, and also put on a look of fear and timidity.

Who would have thought that the thunderous blow just now came from the hand of this seemingly weak scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken?

The sand turned to dust upon hitting the horse's bones, leaving no trace.

The sedan curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a gloomy and vicious face.

Ji Gang glanced coldly at the dead warhorse and the unconscious subordinate, his heart filled with surprise and uncertainty.

But he was absolutely unwilling to linger in such a bustling, unrefined place.

"What a bunch of useless trash. Drag him away and take him back to the manor."

Ji Gang snorted coldly and lowered the sedan curtain.

The group left in a hurry, leaving behind a mess in the streets.

The tea shop owner scrambled out to grab his grandson, bursting into tears and repeatedly calling out to God for protection.

Gu Yannian finished the last sip of tea in his cup, stood up, and placed a few copper coins on the table.

He dusted off non-existent dust from the corner of his clothes and walked toward the snack shop on the street corner.

"The autumn wind in the capital is indeed a bit dry. Ji Gang's fire has almost burned out."

He sighed inwardly, casually bought a bag of osmanthus cakes that Shen Wan loved, and leisurely began his journey home.

Don't provoke trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble either.

To be a hidden observer in the city is the proper cultivation for an immortal.

Winter of the twelfth year of the Yongle reign.

The harsh winters in Beiping are always accompanied by howling north winds and swirling snow.

Construction of the Forbidden City was temporarily halted due to the severe cold weather.

But the government's affairs never stopped for a moment.

The Ministry of Revenue, in particular, was extremely busy.

The emperor had just returned from his northern expedition, and the rewards and compensation for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers amounted to an astronomical sum.

The funds and supplies for the Forbidden City's reopening next spring will need to be allocated in advance.

Not to mention that the autumn grain from the southern provinces has just arrived in Tongzhou and needs to be accounted for and stored.

Inside the side hall of Wenhua Hall, the underground heating was burning very brightly, making it as warm as spring.

Gu Yannian was sitting upright at his desk, completing his daily homework.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

"Add to physical constitution."

With the injection of some attribute, Gu Yannian felt his bones and muscles becoming more and more solid.

It seemed to contain endless vitality.

In an era without central heating, his almost superhuman physique allowed him to sleep soundly even while standing in the snow wearing only a single layer of clothing.

Just as he picked up a newly delivered ledger of the Tongzhou granary to check it, a loud but resentful roar came from the direction of the main hall.

"Your Highness! Even if you dismantle this old man's bones and sell them for money, the Ministry of Revenue still can't squeeze out 500,000 taels of silver! The border needs money, construction needs money, and the officials' salaries are still 20% in arrears. This old Minister of Revenue might as well go beg for food outside the Great Wall!"

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, only Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, who was known as the "God of Wealth of the Ming Dynasty," dared to roar like that in front of the Crown Prince.

This was an honest and thrifty old minister who lived a life of integrity.

He was so worried about the finances of the Ming Dynasty that he went to great lengths and his hair turned white with worry.

The faint sound of Zhu Gaochi's earnest and comforting words could be heard.

Clearly, there was nothing they could do about this stubborn God of Wealth.