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

Ten days later, news of the great victory at Wanghaiguo reached the capital.

The entire Shuntian Prefecture was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and the crackling of firecrackers.

People flooded the streets to celebrate this resounding victory.

Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) held a grand banquet for his officials in the Fengtian Hall, rewarded the soldiers of Liaodong, and promoted Liu Jiang to the title of Earl of Guangning.

At a time of national celebration, Gu Yannian was alone in the library of the Bureau of Classics.

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

"Add to strength."

With his attributes further enhanced, he casually picked up a hard Shoushan stone paperweight from the table.

With just a slight exertion of two fingers, the edge of the paperweight silently turned into fine stone powder.

It fell softly.

He clapped his hands and swept away the stone dust.

Outside the window, the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace were hanging up large red lanterns to celebrate the victory.

Gu Yannian picked up a tattered copy of the Book of Han and immersed himself in the text from two thousand years ago.

The clamor outside belongs to the heroes.

The quiet corners belong to the immortals.

In this turbulent Yongle reign, Gu Yannian will continue to observe the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty with a mediocre attitude and indifference.

Until the inevitable evening bell tolls.

……

Spring of the eighteenth year of the Yongle reign.

The magnificent Forbidden City finally unveiled its grandeur in this year.

Under the warm spring sun of Shuntian Prefecture, the glazed golden tiles of the three main halls reflected an extremely dazzling light.

It was as if it were proclaiming to the whole world the prosperity and majesty of the Ming Empire.

Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) officially issued an edict establishing Beijing as the capital.

From then on, the heart of the Ming Dynasty completed its northward migration, spanning thousands of miles.

However, beneath this magnificent scene of national jubilation, a suffocating dark cloud has quietly descended.

Just as preparations were underway for the relocation of the capital, Zhu Di forcefully established a brand-new government office in order to strengthen his surveillance and control over the officials.

Dongji Factory.

This was a secret service agency controlled by a trusted eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Once established, it was like a vicious dog released from its cage, dominating the Three Judicial Offices and even the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The agents of the Eastern Depot roamed the streets and alleys of the capital like ghosts.

At the slightest sign of trouble, they would arrest and imprison people.

For a time, the entire court was filled with unease and fear.

Whether they were high-ranking officials or lowly seventh-rank officials, everyone was trembling with fear.

They were terrified that if they said the wrong thing, they would fall into the dark and sunless dungeon of the Eastern Depot.

The political landscape of the Ming Dynasty underwent a profound and dramatic transformation in that year.

Inside the library of the Bureau of Scriptures, there remained a serene tranquility, untouched by the mundane world.

Gu Yannian, dressed in the blue official robes of a fifth-rank official, sat upright at the rosewood desk by the window on the second floor.

The magnolias outside the window are in full bloom, their snow-white petals emitting a delicate fragrance.

The pungent, bloody stench of the imperial court was kept outside the heavy vermilion gates.

He meditated in his heart.

"Checking in".

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

"Add to physical constitution."

With the injection of a little attribute.

Gu Yannian felt a long and rich vitality surging through his limbs and bones.

Sixteen years of changing seasons, more than five thousand days and nights of checking in.

This brought his current total attributes close to the 1,600 mark.

Beneath this seemingly gentle and refined scholar's exterior lies a terrifying power capable of tearing apart city gates with bare hands and outrunning galloping horses.

But his aura was perfectly concealed, and his breathing was as calm as a deep-sea current.

Even if a highly skilled master of internal martial arts were present, he would only be perceived as an ordinary civil official with slightly more vigorous blood and energy.

"With the establishment of the Eastern Depot, the political climate in the capital is becoming increasingly unpredictable."

Gu Yannian picked up the Ding kiln white porcelain teacup on the table and took a small sip of this year's new tea.

My gaze drifted through the window to the slightly gloomy sky above the imperial city in the distance.

He knew full well what the emergence of the Eastern Depot meant.

These eunuchs were physically disabled and psychologically twisted.

Once they seize power over life and death, in order to curry favor with the emperor, they will inevitably fabricate charges and implicate court officials.

Historically, the Eastern Depot (Dongchang) fabricated countless wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice.

But Gu Yannian was not alarmed.

He was just a lowly librarian.

Do not form cliques or engage in private activities.

He owned only a dilapidated little courtyard, so poor that even mice wouldn't bother to visit it.

No matter how ruthless the agents of the Eastern Depot were, they wouldn't bother biting at this dry and hard rock.

Life is often unpredictable.

Trouble always comes when you least expect it.

Around noon, the tightly closed door of the library suddenly made a piercing loud noise as it was violently kicked open from the outside.

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden door slammed against the walls on both sides, causing dust to fall from the roof beams.

Old Manager Wang, who was sorting through old books on the first floor, trembled with fright.

The feather duster in his hand fell to the ground.

The mute servants were so frightened that they trembled and huddled in the corner of the bookshelf, not daring to make a sound.

Accompanied by a series of arrogant footsteps, seven or eight men wearing brown crew-neck shirts and pointed caps swaggered in.

The leader was a young eunuch with a fair complexion and slightly upturned eyes.

Holding an embroidered silk handkerchief in her hand, her every move exuded a nauseating effeminacy and arrogance.

This group of people were the newly recruited agents and supervisors of the Eastern Depot.

"Oh dear, is this the Crown Prince's Bureau of Scriptures? Why does it smell so musty? It's giving me a headache."

The young eunuch pinched his nose and looked around at the forest of bookshelves with disdain.

Old Manager Wang braced himself and stepped forward, bowing tremblingly.

"Esteemed Eunuchs, this is the Crown Prince's most important library. May I ask what brings you here?"

"You old fool, you're blind! I am Li Jin, the newly appointed foreman of the Eastern Depot!"

The young eunuch suddenly flung the silk handkerchief in his hand, the sound sharp and piercing.

"Yesterday, an urgent military report arrived from Shandong: the sorceress Tang Sai'er has instigated a rebellion in Yidu, using the banner of the White Lotus Sect, and dares to defy the imperial army! The Emperor is furious and has ordered a thorough investigation into whether there are any accomplices of the White Lotus sect or any heretical books hidden in the capital!"

"I have been ordered by the Grand Eunuch to search this library to see if any treasonous or forbidden books have been smuggled in!"

Upon hearing this, Old Manager Wang turned ashen-faced with shock.

The Tang Sai'er Uprising is a serious civil uprising that began this spring.

Tang Sai'er claimed to be the Buddha Mother and knew some tricks of deception.

He incited tens of thousands of starving people to rebel, and they killed several high-ranking generals of the imperial court. The momentum was extremely strong.

Zhu Di was shocked and furious, and the Eastern Depot took this opportunity to launch a large-scale search and arrest operation to establish its authority.

But this is the Bureau of Scriptures of the Crown Prince's Palace!

The place where His Highness the Crown Prince keeps his books!

These eunuchs actually dared to use the pretext of investigating demonic books to conduct a search.

The sinister intentions behind it are self-evident.

Clearly, someone wanted to use the Eastern Depot to smear the Crown Prince.

"Chief Li... Chief Li, the books here are all masterpieces by great Confucian scholars throughout history. There are no heretical books here! Moreover, this Bureau of Classics is His Highness the Crown Prince's private treasury. To search without His Highness's permission is..."

Old Master Wang tried to stop it.

"Get out of my way! Obstructing the Eastern Depot's investigation? I'll throw you, you old wretch, into the imperial prison to feed the dogs!"

Li Jin arrogantly kicked Old Manager Wang to the ground and gave a shrill order.

"Have the scoundrels search! Turn the pages carefully, don't miss a single word!"