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

Just as the dagger was less than three inches from Gu Yannian, Gu Yannian casually swung his right hand.

He was still holding the long bamboo chopsticks he used to blanch vegetables.

"Snapped!"

A crisp popping sound.

Those seemingly fragile bamboo chopsticks, empowered by Gu Yannian's terrifying strength, became like an indestructible steel whip, striking Night Owl's wrist with pinpoint accuracy.

"Snap!"

The sound of bones cracking was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Night Owl let out a suppressed groan, feeling as if his wrist had been struck by a charging rhinoceros and shattered completely.

The poisoned dagger slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clatter.

The immense force, carried by the bamboo chopsticks, swept directly into the night owl's chest.

The owl's pride in his light-footed skills became a joke at this moment.

He was thrown backward like a tattered sack caught in a gust of wind, crashing heavily into a row of heavy bookshelves.

The bookshelf wobbled slightly, and several heavy copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia fell down, coincidentally hitting him on the head.

Night Owl rolled his eyes and immediately passed out, swiftly and cleanly.

Gu Yannian put down his chopsticks, stood up, walked to the unconscious thief, and kicked him with his toe with some disdain.

"With such meager skills, they dare to steal things from this imperial palace? They're truly courting death."

He was too lazy to question who the thief's master was.

In any case, it's all just a power struggle in the imperial court.

Gu Yannian walked to a corner and found a thick hemp rope that he usually used to tie up books.

He skillfully tied the owl up like a dumpling, then easily lifted him and walked to the second-floor window.

He tied one end of the rope securely to the crossbeam of the window frame, and left the other end with the thief hanging upside down, dangling casually in mid-air outside the window.

As the night wind blew, the thief swayed back and forth in the wind like a giant piece of cured meat.

After finishing all this, Gu Yannian clapped his hands and sat back down in front of the small stove.

The chicken soup in the casserole was still bubbling.

He contentedly ladled out a bowl, and with the broth, comfortably finished the entire bowl of hand-pulled noodles.

After eating and drinking his fill, Gu Yannian blew out the oil lamp, lay down on a bamboo couch next to his desk, and closed his eyes to rest.

The next morning.

When the first rays of sunlight shone on the windows of the library.

The guards of the Eastern Palace finally discovered the man in black hanging upside down outside the window, swaying in the wind.

For a moment, the entire Eastern Palace was on high alert.

A large number of guards quickly surrounded the library.

Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi and his grandson Zhu Zhanji rushed over upon hearing the news, both with solemn expressions.

An assassin has managed to infiltrate the heavily guarded Eastern Palace! This is outrageous!

The guards rescued the thief, whose face was already blue from the cold and who was still unconscious.

The tools used in the crime and the hidden Zhao Prince's Mansion token found on him instantly turned Zhu Gaochi's eyes cold.

"Third brother... does he really think that my butcher's knife is afraid to draw blood?"

Zhu Gaochi gritted his teeth.

Zhu Zhanji then keenly looked at Gu Yannian, who was yawning as he pushed open the door of the library.

"Gu Xima, did you subdue this thief?"

Zhu Zhanji strode forward, his gaze scrutinizing Gu Yannian. He had a feeling that this fifth-rank civil official was hiding a great secret.

Gu Yannian straightened his official robes, bowed respectfully, and showed a look of surprise and lingering fear on his face.

"Your Highness, you flatter me. How could a mere scholar, weak as a chicken, possibly subdue such a notorious bandit?"

Gu Yannian told the lie smoothly.

"Last night, I was organizing old files in the cabinet and went to bed very late. This morning at dawn, I got up to prepare for roll call and opened the window to let in some fresh air. I was horrified to find this thief hanging upside down outside the window."

"Judging from the ropes wrapped around his body, it seemed he was trying to sneak into the pavilion, but he accidentally slipped and got tangled in the ropes he brought with him. He ended up getting stuck on the crossbeam of the windowsill and was knocked unconscious."

"Your Majesty, I was also terrified and was just about to call the guards."

Zhu Zhanji frowned slightly.

Looking at Gu Yannian's sincere face, and then at the complex mortise and tenon structure outside the window.

Although he felt that the thief was incredibly unlucky.

But apart from that, there seems to be no more reasonable explanation.

After all, expecting a civil official to defeat a thief is even more absurd than the thief himself being unlucky enough to trip and fall.

"Is that really true?"

Zhu Gaochi also came over, his expression strange.

"It is absolutely true. If Your Highness does not believe it, you can wait for the thief to wake up and interrogate him yourself. This library is Your Highness's blessed place, protected by heaven and earth and the gods. A mere petty thief will naturally walk into the trap."

Gu Yannian smoothly offered a compliment.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi's gloomy mood improved slightly.

He sneered, "No matter how he hung it up, now that I've caught him red-handed, I'll make the Third Prince pay the price! Guards, take this assassin to the Eastern Palace's secret prison and interrogate him thoroughly!"

The guards escorted the thief away.

In the corner, Yu Qian, who had also gotten up early to copy books, looked at Gu Yannian's calm back and a deep thought flashed in his eyes.

He is a smart man.

He didn't believe any of that nonsense about a thief accidentally stepping into a hole.

He slept in the side room on the other side last night.

But he clearly remembered that the hemp rope used to bind the thief was the one he had personally placed in the corner of the third floor a few days ago when he was helping Gu Yannian organize the library!

How could a thief who accidentally stumbles into a hole possibly use the ropes inside the library to precisely tie himself up like a sturdy rice dumpling?

Yu Qian looked at Gu Yannian with awe.

This Master Xima is not only incredibly knowledgeable, but his martial arts skills are probably also at a level of perfection.

The ancients were right: true hermits often live in seclusion.

Yu Qian firmly told himself that he had to keep the secret about Lord Gu to himself.

After the commotion subsided, Gu Yannian returned to his desk and poured himself a cup of warm tea.

He looked out at the clear blue sky and leisurely stretched his limbs.

This occasional stretching of my limbs is just a pastime during the long years.

As long as the world doesn't descend into chaos, he can continue to live a peaceful and comfortable life in the Bureau of Justice.