The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

She took a few pieces of silver from the money box and pushed them in front of Shen Yu: "Starting tomorrow, you will wear ordinary clothes and stop coming to the study. I'm giving you a holiday, but you'll still get your wages."

"Sister Jiang?" Shen Yu asked, puzzled.

"Your task is to go have fun." Jiang Zhenxue's eyes gleamed. "Go to the biggest teahouse in Puxian, the busiest tavern, the place where merchants from the north and south and local idlers love to gather. Every day, order a pot of the cheapest tea and a plate of peanuts, and sit there all day."

Kang Mingyan was completely confused, but Shen Yu vaguely understood something.

"You don't need to do anything, you don't need to ask anything. Just sit in the corner and listen carefully." Jiang Zhenxue lowered her voice and said, word by word, "Listen to them talk about strange and unusual things, gossip about this family and that family, especially anything they talk about about the government and about this Magistrate Lin. Even if it's just a few words of complaint, even if it's just a seemingly unintentional mention, you must remember it all and come back and tell me."

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

If an official is truly corrupt, clues will inevitably circulate among the common people. What cannot be found in official records may actually be the most authentic clues hidden in the idle chatter of these people from all walks of life.

This was her first step in dealing with Lin Ruyu—to undermine her resolve.

"I understand." A flame ignited in Shen Yu's eyes. He solemnly put away the few pieces of silver, as if accepting a military order. "Don't worry, Sister Jiang, I will definitely do it well."

"Go ahead." Jiang Zhenxue waved her hand. "Remember, safety first. Never expose yourself."

Watching Shen Yu's departing figure, Jiang Zhenxue's gaze returned to the window. As night deepened, streetlights lit up one by one, outlining the peaceful contours of Puxian County.

But beneath this tranquility, how much filth and corruption is brewing?

She knew all too well that this step she had taken was extremely dangerous. She had come to this place only to settle down, earn enough money, and escape the shadow of that man. But trouble always seemed to come uninvited.

The original owner of this body might have chosen to swallow her anger and compromise. But she is not the original owner.

The word "forget it" never appeared in her motto.

Lin Ruyu thought she was a weak woman who could be bullied at will, so she would show him, and everyone else who wanted to take advantage of her, that even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Besides, she had never been a docile rabbit.

She would never allow this person to affect her, and her desire for revenge was no less than anyone else's. This guy who acted recklessly because of his father's power gave her a handle to use against him.

She dared to do what others wouldn't.

Since he's so eager to ruin her reputation, then she'll let him taste what it's like to fall from grace.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, already planning her next move. Although the novel didn't feature a lowly supporting character like Lin Ruyu, the greed and folly of human nature are the same everywhere.

Every human being has weaknesses.

What she had to do was find that weakness, and then, ruthlessly, deliver a fatal blow.

Lin Ruyu was furious in his mansion and smashed his most treasured set of tea utensils from the previous dynasty's official kiln to pieces.

"Witch! Bitch!"

His handsome face was contorted with extreme anger, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had lost all his usual elegant demeanor.

The weasel-faced lackey knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to lift his head.

"Young Master Lin, please calm down... We never expected that those poor, pedantic scholars would turn against us for a woman..."

"Go against me?" Lin Ruyu kicked over a low stool next to her with a jarring sound. "They don't even deserve to!"

He had thought that with a little effort, he could make that arrogant woman beg for mercy. Unexpectedly, instead of begging, she turned the tables on him in the most drastic way.

Now the whole of Pu County is talking about how Lin Ruyu bullied people by abusing his power, forcing a weak woman to commit suicide with a sword. He has become the target of all scholars' condemnation, and his reputation is utterly ruined.

"She wants to play games, doesn't she?" A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Ruyu's eyes. "I'll play along to the end! If force doesn't work, I'll resort to underhanded tactics. Go, investigate! Investigate the property deeds to that run-down shop, investigate her daily income, investigate the origin of everything she uses! I refuse to believe that an outsider like her can operate flawlessly without leaving a single trace!"

"Yes, yes! I'll take care of it right away!" The henchman, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, scrambled out of the room.

Lin Ruyu stared out the window, her eyes filled with a terrifyingly dark and sinister gaze. "Jiang Zhenxue, you wait! I'll not only ruin your reputation, I'll make sure you lose everything!"

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous corner of the busiest "Yuelai Teahouse" in Puxian County, sat a young man dressed in coarse cloth shorts.

The boy looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate features, but his skin was tanned dark. In front of him was only a pot of the cheapest coarse tea and a dish of salted peanuts.

This young man was none other than Shen Yu.

He has been sitting here for three whole days.

On the first day, he listened to stories of romance and anecdotes about merchants.

The next day, he listened to gossip about the Zhang and Li families, and neighborhood disputes.

On the afternoon of the third day, the fish he was waiting for finally took the bait.

Two traveling merchants, clearly well-traveled, sat at the next table. One of them lowered his voice and sighed to the other, "Brother, have you heard? Things haven't been peaceful in Lizhou Prefecture lately."

"How so?"

"Take the Wang family of Yunyang County, for example. They've been in the silk business for generations, and their wealth and power are immense. But somehow, overnight, they ran into cash flow problems, and their vast fortune was bought up by a mysterious owner for 30% of the market price!"

"Hiss—that's ruthless? This is taking advantage of someone's misfortune! Didn't the Wang family report it to the authorities?"

"Sue? How?" The merchant sneered. "I've heard that behind that mysterious owner stands the Prefectural Magistrate of Lizhou Prefecture. The Wang family's goods were seized by the government on the grounds of 'contraband,' which cut off their cash flow. Tell me, how do you think you can win this case?"

"My God... officials have two mouths, they're really not to be trifled with, not to be trifled with."

Shen Yu's hand holding the teacup was as steady as a rock, but his lowered eyelids concealed the glint of light that flashed in his eyes.

He listened silently until the two merchants paid their bill and left. Only then did he finish his last sip of tea, toss down a few coins, and quietly blend into the flow of people on the street.

In the stillness of the night, in the backyard of the study room where the names of those who passed the imperial examinations were displayed.

Shen Yu repeated to Jiang Zhenxue exactly what he had heard during the day.

"The Wang family of Yunyang, in the silk business, had their goods seized by the government and were bought up at low prices..." Jiang Zhenxue's fingertips tapped rhythmically on the table, and the invisible net in her mind gradually became clearer.

She looked up at Shen Yu: "Xiao Yu, what do you think?"