Cai Yu was greedy and as timid as a mouse.
But he was not stupid.
At this moment, one glance told him that the Xuantian Bureau had come prepared. There was no point in arguing anymore!
Knowing that the Empress’s close attendant’s cultivation had already reached the Heavenly Human Realm, resistance was even more absurd!
Even now, he still could not understand why the Empress would suddenly move against him.
Why his usually flawless embezzlement had drawn the Empress’s suspicion.
Liu Yexi said nothing, only looking down at him coldly. “Marquis Cai, you hold a noble title, unlike those two. I can give you a chance to leave your last words.”
“I am willing to hand over all my property! Please, Your Majesty, spare my life!”
At that, Liu Yexi gave a sneer and ignored him.
That money had originally belonged to the court. Trying to trade it for his life was far too naive!
Seeing that it would not work, Cai Yu broke out in a sweat.
Suddenly!
It seemed he had thought of something, and he hurriedly said, “Lady Liu, I-I have an account book that records corrupt officials just like me. I am willing to expose them!”
So there really was something like that… Liu Yexi thought with a faint laugh.
Corrupt officials feared death, so they usually kept records in account books, leaving themselves a back door in case they could claim credit for reporting others.
She had plenty of experience. That account book was exactly what she had been waiting for!
“Where is it?”
“My Lord, promise not to kill me first.”
“Fine.”
“It’s in the woodshed, under the second floor tile.”
“Mm.”
Liu Yexi gave a reply, and Cai Yu instantly felt as if he had been reborn.
But immediately after, the stabbing pain in his chest dragged him back to reality!
Liu Yexi’s soft sword had still pierced through him!
“You… you!”
Cai Yu could not believe it, his face full of terror.
Expressionless, Liu Yexi calmly drew her sword, sheathed it, stood up, and left without giving him even a single word of explanation.
In her view, someone who sucked the marrow from the people and bled them dry was not worthy of her keeping a promise.
The Xuantian Bureau’s special envoys were all stunned.
So this was the Empress’s close attendant’s method. She really was swift and decisive!
Liu Yexi was already valiant and heroic, and her power was overwhelming besides. Among the special envoys, many young men now showed admiration on their faces.
“Clean this place up, then return directly to the capital’s Xuantian Bureau.”
Liu Yexi left the marquis’s estate, mounted the chestnut horse in one stride, and headed straight back to Langzhou to report.
“We obey!”
The special envoys behind her bowed and watched her leave.
…
Three days later, the Xuantian Bureau brought Cai Yu’s corpse back to the capital.
The court and the realm were shaken!
Of course, the death of a marquis alone was not enough to alarm all the officials so much.
What they truly feared was the account book that had already fallen into the Empress’s hands!
In these times, even among so-called capable ministers, how many truly had clean hands?
Let alone the corrupt officials!
For a time, everyone felt endangered.
The great clans of the capital were thrown into turmoil, and overnight they began reorganizing their family businesses, doing their best to make up for the embezzled proceeds and return them to the court!
After all, if they did not proactively correct things, once the Empress came to settle accounts… then it would no longer be a matter of money.
…
In Langzhou City, amid the crackling of firecrackers, everything was peaceful and joyous.
As every household hung up lanterns and decorations, Liu Yexi finally rushed back and delivered the account book to the Empress’s desk.
“Your Majesty, the situation in the Southern Frontier was exactly as Young Master Gu said. The disaster-relief grain from before was far from enough, and 80 percent of it had been withheld by local nobles and powerholders…”
Liu Yexi reported everything from this trip in full detail, including who she had killed, who she had investigated, and what the court officials were doing now…
Mu Yuyan nodded. At this moment, her gaze was gentle and her expression serene. Her red lips were lightly pressed together as she listened quietly to the end.
“Your Majesty, your complexion looks much better.”
After finishing her report, Liu Yexi looked up at that face, beautiful enough to shame all the women in the world, and could not help saying so.
“Is that so?” Mu Yuyan chuckled softly. “If the Southern Frontier’s disaster relief can be properly resolved, then of course I am no longer worried… It is all thanks to dear husband’s information.”
Liu Yexi nodded in agreement.
Although she was the head of the special envoys, this time she had only been running errands. The true hero was still the scholar husband that the Empress had been thinking about day and night!
“Little Xi, there is no rush to deal with the officials in the account book. First see how sincerely they admit their mistakes. In these troubled times, simply killing them all will not do.”
Perhaps influenced by Gu Lan’s scholarly upbringing, Mu Yuyan did not go on a killing spree this time. Instead, she chose a steady approach that combined firmness with leniency.
This truly maximized the benefits!
With this account book, it was enough to intimidate them for a long time so they would not dare act recklessly… The corners of the Empress’s lips curled up slightly, joy lighting up her brows.
“Also, for dear husband’s spring imperial examinations this year… remember to remind those old fellows at the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Academy not to ruin my good plans.”
She was going to pull strings for the Young Master… Liu Yexi understood immediately and cupped her fists with a smile. “This humble officer understands. I will go and warn them right away.”
“Go.”
…
In the blink of an eye, spring had begun.
Gu Lan always felt that his wife’s mood had been especially good these past few days.
In the past, when he studied, Mu Yuyan would obediently sit beside him, watching or helping grind ink, elegant yet measured, with the bearing of a refined young lady.
But now she often nestled in his arms, and whenever she had time, she wanted to hear him tell her stories.
Mu Yuyan had no idea how tempting she was to a hot-blooded young man!
When an elegant mature wife turned into a clingy little temptress… Gu Lan had to say, there was no way he could keep reading!
Taking advantage of a break to rest his eyes, he left the residence to get some fresh air.
At that moment, a group of merchants was gathered in front of the gate, resting and chatting.
Gu Lan squatted on the threshold and could not help overhearing what they were discussing.
“Have you heard? Something happened over in the Southern Frontier!”
Had the drought broken out there, and had the nobles started withholding grain?
Gu Lan’s heart tightened. In two days, the refugees from the Southern Frontier would probably arrive in Langzhou. He would have to tell Old Yang to open a porridge stall at the teahouse and hand out some food…
However, right after that, he heard the merchants’ excited voices!
“Exactly! That dog of a marquis with the surname Cai was killed by the Empress’s imperial envoy a few days ago. They say the prefect and the county magistrate there died along with him too!”
“I heard they found 100,000 taels of silver in the prefect’s and county magistrate’s homes. The Marquis Anguo Estate was even more ridiculous… it was practically overflowing with wealth!”
“Serves him right! Truly satisfying, truly satisfying!”
“Eh? Didn’t they say the Empress cultivates the Dao every day and ignores state affairs? Why has she started dealing with corrupt officials?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down… I heard that Her Majesty the Empress’s Dao cultivation is just a front. In truth, she has been secretly watching over the court. Otherwise… why would the people from the Xuantian Bureau be the ones to act?”
“Understood! Many thanks, brother. With the dog officials of the Southern Frontier dead, we can do business there in the future, haha…”
“…”
???
Hearing this, Gu Lan was completely stunned.
Holy crap, this… wasn’t the novel’s plot supposed to go like that?
The villain who was supposed to provide resources for the protagonist and get stepped on for a face-slapping moment… how had the Empress intercepted him instead?
Gu Lan returned home with a face full of confusion, and even by lunchtime, he still had not figured it out.
Fortunately, this had nothing to do with a supporting character like him!
The Empress… he did not want to have any connection with her in this lifetime.
He deliberately avoided both the protagonist and the villain, so he definitely would not run into them!
You all can fight. I just need to keep things steady… Gu Lan thought calmly. This year’s autumn imperial examinations? He would just casually fill in an answer sheet and get it over with.
As long as he did not even become a provincial graduate and kept lying low in Langzhou City, he would be absolutely safe.