Lyu Fang stood outside the door for a moment, the eternally respectful and meek expression on his face unchanging.
He then gestured to several eunuchs waiting under the corridor, signaling them to go in and serve carefully.
He straightened his cuffs and walked swiftly back in the direction he had come.
Before long, Lyu Fang returned to the door and pushed it open.
The scene inside the hall was almost exactly the same as when he had left.
Gu Chengyin was still sitting in the same armchair, his position unchanged, and even his posture barely altered.
He held a cup of tea in his hand; the color of the tea was pale, clearly having been brewed several times, yet he was still sipping it slowly and methodically.
Hearing the door open, Gu Chengyin turned his head. Seeing Lyu Fang return, he set down his teacup and stood up, ready to speak.
"Marquis Gu."
Lyu Fang beat him to it, raising a hand in a pressing motion to cut off his words.
The usual gentle smile on his face faded somewhat, replaced by an urgency and seriousness.
"Time is of the essence, let us dispense with pleasantries. I will take you somewhere, please follow me."
His words were concise and clear. Gu Chengyin asked no questions, simply nodding and saying, "I will trouble the Eunuch to lead the way."
The two exited the side hall one after the other. They did not return along the palace path they had come from, but instead turned toward a deeper area.
Passing through several festooned gates and bypassing a pine and cypress garden, a sizable hall suddenly appeared before them.
Suspended above the hall doors was a plaque with gold lettering on a black background, bearing three vigorous characters: Inner School.
The place was brightly lit. The faint sounds of rustling paper, clinking abacuses, and whispered discussions drifted from inside. Though not noisy, it exuded a busy atmosphere of high efficiency.
Lyu Fang paused briefly before the doors, glancing back at Gu Chengyin with a profound look in his eyes before pushing the doors open.
The moment the doors opened, a wave of heat mixed with the scent of ink, paper, and faint lamp oil rushed over them.
The scene inside the hall moved even Gu Chengyin's calm eyes.
This was an extremely spacious side hall, virtually transformed into a massive workspace.
Dozens of large desks were neatly arranged in the hall, and behind each desk sat one or more people dressed in various eunuch uniforms.
Some were burying their heads in rapid writing, their brushes moving like dragons and snakes; others were facing open ledgers and tables, their fingers flying over abacuses like butterflies, producing crisp, continuous clacking sounds.
Some gathered in twos or threes, discussing the documents in their hands in low voices and at a rapid pace.
Still other eunuchs held thick files, shuttling quickly between different desks and several tall filing cabinets in the hall, their steps hurried yet orderly.
In the four corners of the hall and at key passageways stood slightly older eunuchs, their eyes scanning the room like falcons to ensure everything ran without a hitch.
There were no maids here, no guards, only eunuchs.
The entire hall was permeated with a highly professional and disciplined atmosphere, like a massive, precisely interlocked machine operating at full speed.
Lyu Fang did not introduce the place immediately. Instead, he led Gu Chengyin slowly along a passageway on one side of the hall, allowing him to take in the entire scene.
It was not until they reached a spot overlooking the entire room that Lyu Fang stopped, turned around, and faced both the busy scene in the hall and Gu Chengyin.
"Please look, Marquis Gu."
Lyu Fang raised a hand, gently sweeping it across the silently busy scene before them.
"This is the Inner School, dedicated to assisting His Majesty in processing confidential documents, auditing the inner treasury, and archiving secret files."
"Thanks to His Majesty's heavenly grace and trust, the Internal Affairs Department has, over the years, accumulated some insignificant foundation."
He paused, his tone becoming meaningful. "I have heard that His Highness acted swiftly and decisively, moving the core ledgers of the Ministry of Revenue from the past ten years, especially the last five years, all at once back to the Crown Prince's Palace."
"His Highness cares deeply about state affairs and wishes to root out long-standing abuses. His ambition is commendable, and his actions are admirable."
"However, the Ministry of Revenue's accumulated documents are as vast as the sea, involving complex and tedious data. I fear it will be difficult to make sense of them and obtain conclusive evidence in the short term."
Lyu Fang's gaze swept over the eunuchs working diligently in the hall. "Coincidentally, things in the palace have been smooth lately, and with the eunuchs performing their respective duties, we actually have some spare hands."
"These people have been immersed in figures for money and grain, and official documents all year round. In matters of accounting, verification, and archiving, while I dare not say they have reached perfection, they are certainly useful."
At this point, his intentions were abundantly clear.
Gu Chengyin listened quietly. He did not show any joy or gratitude on his face; instead, he frowned slightly and raised a very practical and sensitive question:
"I accept Eunuch Lyu's intentions on behalf of His Highness, it is just..."
"The ledgers His Highness wishes to audit are of great consequence. If a large number of people are dispatched from the Inner School, should word get out, I fear..."
Hearing this, Lyu Fang's face showed no displeasure. Instead, a look of validation crossed his face as he said in a low voice:
"Rest assured, Marquis Gu. From top to bottom among the eunuchs, regardless of rank or age, the only one we are loyal to in our hearts, the only one we see in our eyes, is His Majesty."
"The rumors and gossip in the court and on the streets are nothing more than echoing others. They cannot be taken seriously, should not be listened to, and certainly will not affect what must be done."
Gu Chengyin's brow relaxed, and he asked again:
"But the Crown Prince's Palace is not an ordinary place after all. Who knows how many eyes are watching His Highness."
Lyu Fang seemed to have been waiting for him to ask this question and immediately replied, "How could I not know Marquis Gu's concerns?"
"It is just that after generations of management by the Internal Affairs Department, we do have some conveniences for extraordinary needs."
He paused slightly, ensuring Gu Chengyin heard every word clearly: "Inside the palace, there are secret passages."
Gu Chengyin's pupils contracted slightly.
Lyu Fang continued, "These secret passages extend in all directions. Some lead to places in the Divine Capital in case of emergencies, while others connect various critical locations... naturally, this includes the Crown Prince's Palace."
So that was it!
"The Eunuch's calculations leave nothing out; this junior is full of admiration."
Gu Chengyin cupped his hands solemnly and said, "I will return to the palace immediately and report this to His Highness in detail."
Lyu Fang nodded in satisfaction, the smile on his face finally becoming a bit more genuine.
"You are too polite, Marquis Gu. This is merely my duty."
He changed the subject, his tone carrying a bit of expectation for their future relationship: "Marquis Gu is young and promising, your future is limitless."
"I am simply a few years older and have spent a bit more time in this palace. In the future, we should grow closer and share what we have with one another."
Gu Chengyin naturally understood Lyu Fang's hint. He bowed slightly, his attitude humble: "I will engrave the Eunuch's guidance in my heart. Should I encounter any difficulties in the future, I will inevitably have to trouble the Eunuch for advice."
"Of course, of course," Lyu Fang agreed with a smile, then raised his voice and called out, "Li'er."
As his voice fell, a young eunuch trotted over from behind a nearby desk.
Lyu Fang pointed at Gu Chengyin and instructed the young eunuch, "From today onward, you will follow Marquis Gu and serve him. Marquis Gu's words are my words, do you understand?"
Li'er turned to Gu Chengyin and bowed deeply, his voice crisp and respectful: "This young slave, Li'er, is at Marquis Gu's disposal from now on."
"Mm." Gu Chengyin nodded at Li'er in acknowledgment.
After making the proper arrangements, Lyu Fang said to Gu Chengyin, "Marquis Gu, I have some urgent official documents that require my immediate attention, so I shall not see you out."
"I will have Li'er guide you out of the palace so you can return and report back. His Highness must be growing anxious from the wait."
"Thank you, Eunuch." Gu Chengyin cupped his hands in respect once more.
"This junior takes his leave."
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
