If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

Zhou Gui's private residence was brightly lit, and everyone in the room had ashen faces.

"What did you say? She...slipped?"

The messenger, his forehead pressed against the brickwork, reported: "Sir, Shen Lu has been imprisoned. News from the governor's office says she hasn't even had a chance to meet the governor."

"Impossible." Sima's voice changed. "That aphrodisiac penetrates the skin instantly; even a saint would turn into a beast. How could he possibly..."

Zhou Gui sat in the main seat, his fingers resting on the armrest, tapping slowly, one tap at a time.

"He was under the influence of incense. But he didn't touch Shen Lu, and he was even able to deal with her soberly."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present.

"We underestimated him."

"So what do we do now? Continue the investigation..."

Zhou Gui interrupted, "I've sent people to keep an eye on his study. Several letters have already been sent towards Jiankang."

These words were like a knife stabbing into everyone's chest.

Jiankang.

The Langya Wang clan's roots were in Jiankang.

Wang Jue obtained all the evidence four days after the Shen Lu incident.

Chen Ting brought back the original household register from Xunyang. When compared with the state government's accounts, all the shady dealings were exposed.

Concealed land taxes, falsely reported military rations, and fraudulently obtained relief funds.

Every stroke has a destination, and every destination points to a name.

He put down his pen and called out towards the door, "Someone come in. Court is about to begin."

In the courtroom, sunlight streamed in through the high windows, making the blue bricks on the floor gleam with a cold light.

Wang Jue sat in the main seat, with several account books spread out on the long table in front of him.

His expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. Standing on either side were his personal guards whom he had brought from Jiankang, long swords at their waists, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Zhou Gui, Zhao Heng, Sun Wenli, and others entered one after another, each with their own thoughts, but all remained relatively calm on the surface.

"Please be seated, gentlemen," Wang Jue gestured with his hand.

Everyone took their seats. Zhou Gui sat at the head of the table, his smile remaining impeccable: "What important matter has Your Excellency summoned me for today?"

Wang Jue opened the first account book and read out a number.

"In the third year of Yonghe, Jiangzhou submitted a household register to the imperial court, which listed 32,000 households. In the same year, the prefectural tax collection register showed that the actual number of households subject to taxation was 28,400. There were 3,600 fewer households than listed."

His gaze fell on Qian Youyu, the Registrar of Households: "Qian, you've been in charge of the Registrar of Households for three years. Where have these runaway farmers gone? Why have we never seen any reports of their capture?"

Qian Youyu's face turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth, "Reporting to...Reporting to the magistrate, those farmers were mostly plundered by barbarians. The mountains are high and the roads are long, making it difficult to recover them..."

"Not easy?" Wang Jue turned to another page. "From the third to the fifth year of Yonghe, Jiangzhou used a total of 15,000 bolts of silk and 9,000 shi of rice for pacification of the barbarians. If the farmers were plundered by the barbarians, then who were these pacification funds intended to appease?"

Qian Youyu was speechless. His gaze involuntarily drifted towards Zhou Gui.

Wang Jue didn't look at him, and opened the second account book.

"Zhao Sima. There are two thousand troops stationed south of Jiangzhou City. In the past three years, the total amount of military rations they have received has reached 12,000 shi. If calculated per person, each person receives two shi per year, and the total amount for three years should be 12,000 shi. On paper, it is exactly as stated. However, after checking the roster of the garrison, I found that in the past three years, the Jiangzhou garrison has never been at full strength. The actual average number of people in the camp is only 1,200."

He slammed the ledger shut with a loud "snap".

"The extra grain is enough to feed three thousand people. Zhao Sima, tell me, who are those three thousand people? Where are they hidden?"

Zhao Heng's lips moved a few times, but he didn't utter a single word.

"Sun Zhizhong. The annual pacification allowance for the barbarians is five thousand bolts of silk and three thousand shi of rice. However, in the past three years, the barbarians have not come to the prefecture to pay tribute at all, and there are no records of any barbarian disturbances in the border reports. Jiangzhou has no barbarian troubles, yet the pacification allowance is allocated every year. Sun Zhizhong, whose warehouse has all this silk and rice gone?"

The courtroom was eerily quiet.

Wang Jue closed all the account books and stood up.

"Jiangzhou's taxes, military rations, and appeasement funds—each of these three major components has been tampered with. Concealing household registrations, embezzling military rations, and misappropriating public funds are all capital offenses."

He stepped down the stairs, stood before the crowd, hands clasped behind his back, and said, "I'm giving you one last chance. Confess your crimes now and reveal your accomplices, and you may spare your lives."

Zhou Gui was at the very front, never turning back to look at his colleagues, nor uttering a single word.

Wang Jue waited a moment, then nodded.

"it is good."

He turned back to the desk, picked up the already written list, and threw it on the ground.

"Qian Youyu, Li Mancang, and Wu Dayong, take them away and confiscate their property. Zhao Heng and Sun Wenli, dismiss them from their posts, arrest them for questioning, and seal their property. Zhou Gui—"

He paused, his gaze falling on the old man whose expression had never changed.

"Stay here temporarily and await further instructions."

The guards pounced on them like wolves and tigers, and in the blink of an eye, they pinned several of the officers to the ground.

Qian Youyu collapsed, his pants soaked when he was dragged out; Li Mancang cried out, "Zhou Gong, save me!" but was slapped back.

Zhou Gui stood up, straightened his clothes, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Wang Jue, and said in a hoarse but calm voice, "Your Excellency has impressive skills. I have learned a great deal."

After he finished speaking, he was carried away by two guards.

The courtroom was empty.

Wang Jue stood behind the desk, looking at the list that had been thrown to the ground.

Chen Ting entered through the side door and said in a low voice, "My lord, not much was found in Zhou Gui's study. He seems to have been prepared."

Wang Jue did not turn around.

"No rush," he said calmly. "A fox's tail won't be hidden in just one place."

Outside the governor's mansion, several groups of people set off separately, heading straight for the residences in the east and west of the city.

The commotion from the raids alerted half the city.

The people stood by the roadside, watching as boxes of silk, bags of grain, and ingots of silver were carried out of the officials' residences, whispering and discussing among themselves.

Someone whispered, "I heard the new governor's audit uncovered some big problems."

Another person chimed in, "They should have investigated long ago. Those people's houses reek of money even in broad daylight."

A cough came from behind them, and the two immediately shut up, lowered their heads, and walked away.

In the distance, on the courtyard wall of the governor's mansion, a wisteria vine was shedding its blossoms.

Xi Lingxian stood under the eaves, listening to the commotion in the front yard, clutching the handkerchief she had lost and found, her brows slightly furrowed.

Xi Song rushed in from the courtyard gate, panting, "Sister! Second Brother Wang arrested a lot of people! He even ransacked their homes! I saw them take Zhou Biejia away!"

Xi Lingxian lowered her eyes, looking at the pale ink-colored orchid in Pajiao, and unconsciously stroked it with her fingertips.

"You haven't been with us these past few days?"

"I'm not capable enough to take my hands to court, but these officials are truly despicable; they won't let any money slip by!"

Xi Lingxian's fingers tightened slightly, clenching the handkerchief into a ball, then slowly loosened. "I have a bad feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"Sister?" Xi Song tilted her head to look at her. "When did you start becoming so sentimental?"

"If I remember correctly, Yu Liang and the Wang family fought back and forth for a long time over control of Jiangzhou. And Jiangzhou was indeed in Yu Liang's hands before, but the Wang family only took it back in the last two years. In other words, most of the people Wang Jue is purging now are definitely Yu Liang's cronies. It is estimated that seven or eight tenths of the money that was embezzled went into the pockets of the Yu family in Jiankang."

Xi Song's mouth dropped open. "Yu Liang is so wicked, he definitely won't give up easily. Will Brother Wang be in danger?"

"Not only might he be in danger, but I have a feeling that our family might also be in trouble."

"That's right, Yu Liang is Xi Hui and Xi Yao's uncle."

Xi Lingxian's scalp tightened. "...Are Xi Hui and Xi Yao really still in the ancestral temple?"

Xi Song was taken aback, and his eyes widened involuntarily.

Jiankang.

Yu Liang sat in the duty room, holding the secret report in his hand, and placed it on the table. He remained silent for a long time.

Yu Liang served as the Director of the Imperial Secretariat for eight years, and his students and former officials were spread throughout the court and the country.

He was the one who built the Jiangzhou empire. Zhou Gui was his former subordinate, and Zhao Heng was his protégé. Every year, 30% of the hidden households, fictitious grain, and fraudulently claimed relief funds flowed into his private residence in Jiankang.

Now, the plate has been smashed.

"That brat Wang," he muttered, his tone unreadable.

There was a gentle knock on the door of the duty room, and an aide poked half his body in: "Sir, the Xi family's men have arrived."

Yu Liang opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips, like the cold glint of a blade.

"please."

The following day, a horrifying story began to circulate in the teahouses and taverns of Jiankang City:

Xi Jian poisoned his first wife, was unfair in managing the household, and neglected the children born to his second wife, driving them to a desolate mountain temple, which was tantamount to exile.

His wife, Yu, was bedridden and emaciated, a result of Xi Jian poisoning her medicine daily.

The story was quite detailed, and memorials from the Censorate poured into the Taiji Hall like snowflakes.

Yu Liang's cronies submitted memorials one after another, with similar wording:

"Xi Jian, a high-ranking official in the court, stationed in Jingkou and wielding considerable military power, is morally corrupt. He poisoned his wife and mistreated his stepson. How can such an unrighteous and immoral person hold such a high position? Your Majesty, please investigate!"

The emperor, clinging to his last breath, sat on the dragon throne.

"This matter involves important officials and cannot be handled hastily," he said slowly. "The relevant authorities should investigate and then discuss it further."

Of the officials in charge of the three judicial departments—the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate—two were Yu Liang's men.

It goes without saying what this "verification" will turn out to be.

Jingkou Daying.

Xi Jian received the news from Jiankang and was watching the soldiers drill on the training ground.

He was sturdy and stood on the platform with his back straight, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.

Xi Rui stood beside him, half a head taller, with a resolute face.

The messenger relayed the news from Jiankang in detail.

Not far away, soldiers shouted commands, their spears gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"Father," Xi Rui spoke first, his voice low, "Yu Liang is using this as an excuse to make trouble. His target isn't you, it's that person in Jiangzhou."

Xi Jian stood with his hands behind his back, the wind blowing his robes, making them flutter.

"I know." He finally spoke, his voice steady and devoid of emotion. "Yu Liang's ambition is no less than Wang Zhang's back then."

"Regarding the stepmother..." Xi Rui hesitated for a moment, "Should we clarify?"

"Clarify what?" Xi Jian turned his head and glanced at his son. "The facts are the facts. I did add something to her medicine."

"But if you say I murdered my wife, I can't admit it. What kind of wife was she?"

Xi Rui opened his mouth, then closed it again.

My father's actions were not honorable, but he wasn't wrong either.

But "yes" and "can be explained clearly" are two different things.

Yu Liang exposed this matter to make it a scandal, to ruin his father's reputation, and to deprive the Xi family of their right to speak in the court.