Gu Chengyin immediately turned to another page of the account book in his hands. In the same year, after the autumn taxes of Lanling Commandery were collected in September, there was a reported item for a subsidy regarding the newly established mechanisms of the Weaving Bureau. The account book records an approved disbursement of fifteen thousand taels of silver. Who was the final approver for this fund, and were there any additional conditions?
Gu Xiaoli's gaze remained unfocused, staring calmly into the empty space ahead, yet she answered fluently once again. In September of the five hundred and sixty-third year of Luoli, the Weaving Bureau of Lanling Commandery submitted a memorial requesting the allocation of subsidies for newly established mechanisms.
The initial application was for twenty thousand taels of silver. After the Inner Secretariat verified the weaving tax revenue and budget surplus of that prefecture for the year, a reduction was recommended.
Ultimately, Lord Cui Tingyu, the then Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who concurrently managed weaving affairs, approved it on September 28th, setting the amount at fifteen thousand taels.
The additional conditions were that the funds must be used exclusively for their designated purpose, strictly limited to purchasing new-style looms and training artisans, and must not be diverted to other uses. Furthermore, a detailed account of the expenditures and an effectiveness report had to be submitted to the Ministry of Revenue and the Inner Secretariat for the record before June of the following year.
Another perfect answer.
Gu Chengyin was no longer limited to the book in his hand. He quickly pulled out two more account books from different years concerning different matters, flipping them open at random.
His speaking speed grew faster and faster, and the questions became increasingly tricky, even involving cross-year data comparisons and tracing related parties.
In the five hundred and sixty-fourth year of Luoli, the procurement funds for winter cotton clothes in Youzhou City showed an expenditure of eighty thousand taels. Who was the supplier?
In the five hundred and sixty-fifth year of Luoli, the special funds for the Luoshui River dredging project were disbursed in three installments. What were the respective amounts, and how long were the intervals between the previous two?
In the five hundred and sixty-second and five hundred and sixty-fifth years of Luoli, what were the recorded grain procurement prices of Qingwang Grain Store in Qinghe Commandery, respectively? Were there any abnormal fluctuations?
...
Gu Xiaoli stood there the entire time, her posture straight, her expression still maintaining that world-weary calmness.
Facing Gu Chengyin's rapid-fire questions, she did not panic in the slightest. Every time, at the very instant a question was asked or within a remarkably short time, she could provide a precise and flawless answer.
It did not seem like she was recalling memories; rather, it was as if she was directly retrieving clear files from her mind.
Gu Chengyin asked quickly, and she answered quickly.
Between the questions and answers, it was like a duel between masters, or like a precise human-machine interactive system operating at peak efficiency.
When Gu Chengyin finally stopped, he gently placed the account books back on the desk.
He looked at Luo Zhao. Their eyes met, and without needing words, both understood what the other was thinking.
The upcoming auditing work would enter a completely new stage because of Gu Xiaoli's presence.
Those deliberately destroyed or hidden accounts would be resurrected from her memory, becoming the most powerful evidence to nail down those corrupt parasites.
Gu Xiaoli.
Gu Chengyin spoke slowly, his voice solemn. Next, we will have to trouble you.
Gu Xiaoli knew what this meant. Without even needing an order, she took the initiative to walk towards Shangguan Yunying.
With Luo Zhao's permission, Shangguan Yunying led Gu Xiaoli downward.
Luo Zhao's gaze followed their departing figures until they blended into the area below, only then withdrawing her sight.
Sunlight poured down from the skylight, enveloping the two of them in a bright pillar of light. Even the dancing motes of dust in the air seemed to slow down.
Luo Zhao suddenly spoke, breaking the silence between them.
Gu Chengyin, let me ask you.
If Lyu Fang had not sent Gu Xiaoli, did you... have another way?
Hearing this, Gu Chengyin glanced at Luo Zhao, nodded calmly, and let out a clear, single syllable from his nose.
Mm.
Affirmative, crisp, without the slightest hesitation or false modesty.
Hearing this answer, the corners of Luo Zhao's lips curled up very quickly.
She immediately lowered her head, pretending to organize the scattered papers on the desk to conceal that fleeting smile.
She absolutely could not let Gu Chengyin see her looking so... easily pleased.
After tidying up a bit, when she raised her head again, her face had returned to its usual coldness.
She casually picked up one of the incomplete account books from the pile in front of her.
Luo Zhao gently rubbed the rough edges of the paper with her fingers, her voice carrying an icy edge.
Since these parasites are so insidious and despicable that they even resorted to such underhanded tricks.
If we don't take this opportunity to make good use of it, it would be a total waste of their painstaking efforts.
Saying this, she gently handed the problematic account book in her hand toward Gu Chengyin.
The gesture was casual, but the intent could not be more obvious.
Gu Chengyin's gaze fell on the handed-over account book, then quickly lifted to meet Luo Zhao's eyes, which were chillingly cold yet held a hidden expectation.
In that instant, he completely understood Luo Zhao's unspoken subtext.
Make a scene! Blow this matter up! Make it known to everyone!
Make a fuss until the streets and alleys, teahouses, and taverns of the Divine Capital all know that the Crown Princess's Palace is auditing the Ministry of Revenue's accounts.
But the audit is going very poorly, because the crucial accounts have coincidentally all been destroyed!
Her Highness was indeed not a character who only knew how to endure or act recklessly.
When it was time to be ruthless, her sharp tactics and meticulous mind were in no way inferior to those old foxes in the imperial court.
Gu Chengyin reached out and steadily took the account book.
Feeling the rough texture of the paper with his fingertips, it was as if he could touch the filth and arrogance hidden behind it.
I understand Your Highness's intentions.
He pondered for a moment, seemingly thinking of a certain link. It is just that... doing so might wrong Lord Shangguan.
Gu Chengyin looked at Luo Zhao with a hint of consultation. I hope Lord Shangguan can appreciate Your Highness's good intentions and not harbor any resentment because of this.
Hearing this, Luo Zhao gently shook her head.
It does not matter. With Shangguan Yuan's experience, not only will he not be angry, but he will also cooperate with you quite tacitly.
No one knows better than him how deep and muddy these waters are.
Over these years, whether he was acting against his will, intentionally turning a blind eye, or secretly collecting something, only he himself knows.
But one thing is certain: he is absolutely unwilling to be a scapegoat for the insatiable greed of certain people, much less have his reputation ruined because of it.
Your going there this time is actually giving him an opportunity. He will only go with the flow and will never resist stubbornly. In fact, he might have been waiting for someone to cause this scene all along.
As for Yunying... A trace of softness flashed in Luo Zhao's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by firmness. I will personally comfort her. You just go all out and do it without any scruples. The bigger the commotion, the better.
She spoke the last sentence with absolute decisiveness.
Gu Chengyin nodded in agreement, took the problematic account book, and got up to walk toward the door.
Going downstairs, he passed through the female officials who were still immersed in their work.
Gu Chengyin did not look at anyone. His steps were extremely fast, and the expression on his face was already completely different.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
