Backflip

"As the years go by, paper becomes fragile. Damage from insects, rats, dampness, and mold leading to minor missing parts is perfectly normal! Is there a need to blow things out of proportion and falsely accuse the Ministry of Revenue of obstructing an audit?!"

The more Shangguan Yuan spoke, the more righteous he felt. He straightened his back, his voice thick with the indignation of the wronged:

"Even if this matter is brought before His Majesty! I dare say I have a clear conscience!"

"I, Shangguan Yuan, have overseen the Ministry of Revenue for over a decade. I won't claim to be completely without error, but regarding the major affairs of funds and grain accounts, I have always been cautious and devoted!"

"How can an ignorant brat like you, relying on a bit of His Highness's favor, arbitrarily frame and slander me?!"

Finally, he pointed at Gu Chengyin's nose and said sternly, "Gu Chengyin! I warn you, do not be too arrogant! Do you really think there is no one in this court who can discipline you?!"

Gu Chengyin had been waiting exactly for this line about bringing it before His Majesty.

"What a clear conscience! What a threat to go before His Majesty!" Gu Chengyin laughed in extreme anger, cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Shangguan Yuan, you said this yourself! We will go seek an audience with the Emperor right now! Let His Majesty and the civil and military officials judge."

"Let them see whether these severely incomplete account books are the result of natural wear and tear, or if there is a hidden agenda! Let His Majesty see just how much confidence lies behind your 'clear conscience'!"

Having said that, Gu Chengyin took a step forward, making a gesture to grab Shangguan Yuan's arm.

Shangguan Yuan was startled by this posture and instinctively tried to step back and dodge.

However, at the exact moment Gu Chengyin's hand was about to touch his sleeve, a sly, fox-like smile flashed deep within Shangguan Yuan's eyes.

Gu Chengyin sharply caught this hint of a smile, and alarm bells instantly rang in his heart.

This old fox's look was not right!

In a flash of lightning, Gu Chengyin's grabbing motion instinctively slowed by half a beat. He rapidly adjusted the true qi in his body, entering a state of high alert.

Just as expected!

In the split second when Gu Chengyin's hand was almost touching him and revealed a tiny opening, the sly smile in the eyes of Shangguan Yuan, who previously seemed to be retreating in panic, suddenly turned fierce!

His body suddenly lunged forward, and at the same time, a tightly clenched aged fist, carrying a gust of forceful wind, smashed straight toward Gu Chengyin's face!

A sneak attack?!

Fortunately, Gu Chengyin was prepared. His reaction was extremely fast; his upper body jerked backward while his feet nimbly slid half a step to the side and rear.

His movements were as smooth as flowing water, perfectly avoiding the sneak punch. The wind from the fist brushed past the tip of his nose, lifting a few strands of his hair.

"Shangguan Yuan, you old geezer! Unable to win with reason, you actually resort to a sneak attack! Do you really think I am a pushover?!"

Gu Chengyin immediately cursed out loud, his voice full of vigor, ensuring that the people outside could hear clearly.

Then, without hesitation, he also assumed a fighting stance, violently rolling up his sleeves in a display of wanting an eye for an eye.

But as he rolled up his sleeves, he completely retracted the true qi circulating within his body, without leaking a single trace. This was to ensure that his subsequent counterattack would not actually harm Shangguan Yuan.

Catching the moment when Shangguan Yuan's stance became unstable due to his missed punch, Gu Chengyin exerted force in his legs and took a quick stride forward.

Gathering momentum in his right fist, he struck toward the outer side of Shangguan Yuan's left arm.

Although the punch was fast, he only used ten percent of his strength. It looked ferocious, but its landing point was precise and the damage was extremely low.

Gu Chengyin had calculated perfectly: Shangguan Yuan would either block or dodge, and this punch would at most graze him.

But in the next second, something completely beyond his expectations occurred, causing everyone watching outside the courtyard to widen their eyes.

Facing Gu Chengyin's seemingly fierce but actually restrained punch, Shangguan Yuan neither blocked nor dodged.

Instead, his foot slipped, and his entire body actively leaned right into Gu Chengyin's fist.

And coincidentally, the angle and timing of this slip were executed to perfection!

So much so that the fist, which was supposed to hit his arm, landed squarely on his right eye socket.

"Thud!"

The moment the fist made contact, Shangguan Yuan let out an incredibly exaggerated and utterly mournful wail:

"Ah!!!"

The sound was so tragic, it sounded as if he hadn't been punched, but slashed by a knife.

Immediately after, under the dumbfounded gazes of everyone present, Shangguan Yuan's body, like a sack blown over by a gale, followed the direction of Gu Chengyin's fist.

With a near three-hundred-and-sixty-degree backflip, he violently crashed backward.

Then, with a heavy, muffled bang, his entire person slammed solidly onto the bluestone-paved ground.

Due to momentum, he even rolled half a circle on the ground before coming to a stop.

Finally, Shangguan Yuan lay motionless on the ground, as if knocked completely unconscious by the punch.

The entire courtyard fell dead silent.

Even the birds in the trees forgot to chirp.

The Ministry of Revenue officials watching outside the courtyard were all dumbfounded.

What had they just seen?

Marquis Side-by-Side... sent the Minister flying with a single punch?!

And... and even knocked him into a backflip?! This... this...

A few breaths later, the 'unconscious' Shangguan Yuan on the ground finally showed signs of movement.

First, with extreme difficulty, he raised his right hand and tightly covered his right eye.

Then, he shakily raised his left hand, pointing his index finger at Gu Chengyin, who was still maintaining his punching posture with a look of utter astonishment and speechlessness.

His finger trembled like a fallen leaf in the wind, and in a voice filled with grief, indignation, pain, and disbelief, he roared with surprising vigor:

"Good, very good! How dare you, Gu Chengyin!!"

"You... you actually! Actually, in broad daylight, in the vital grounds of the Ministry of Revenue office! Publicly assaulted a high-ranking court official! Assaulted the reigning Minister of Revenue!!"

"Arrogant and domineering! Abusing your favor! Are there no laws left in this Great Luo!"

"Men! Someone come quickly!! Apprehend this thug at once!!"

"I am going to the Censorate! To the Grand Secretariat! I will report you before His Majesty! Lawless! Truly lawless!!"

His mournful cries echoed to the heavens, carrying endless grievance and accusation.

Gu Chengyin stood rooted to the spot, looking at Shangguan Yuan on the ground, whose acting skills were exploding.

He looked at his own fist, then at the petrified crowd outside the courtyard, whose expressions were a spectacular sight.

Suddenly, he felt that compared to this veteran actor, he still had a lot to learn.

This old fox's fake injury routine was way too professional, wasn't it?!

To blow things out of proportion, he didn't even care about his own old face and eye.

The expression on Gu Chengyin's face quickly withdrew, returning to a mask of ice.

He retracted his fist, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked down condescendingly at the groaning Shangguan Yuan on the ground, coldly snorting:

"Shangguan Yuan! Stop putting on an act and making false accusations here."

"It was clearly you who launched a sneak attack first; I was merely acting in self-defense! So many people present can testify for me!"

"No matter where you go, I will accompany you to the end! Let everyone see, right under the Emperor's nose, who exactly is the one acting lawlessly!"