Zhao Yishi laughed coldly.

“One hundred eight thousand taels of silver, ten thousand taels of gold.”

Xie Zhifei quickly calculated in his mind and looked at Pei Xiao with surprise. “That much?”

“When you say that, could you not look at me?”

Pei Xiao was startled by his gaze. “It’s as if I’m the one who embezzled it, but not a single tael entered my pocket.”

Xie Zhifei slowly turned his head, his gaze heavy as he looked at Zhao Yishi.

Zhao Yishi understood the deep meaning in his eyes.

Ji Lingchuan had obtained this lucrative position through the Zhang family. If he could embezzle this much, then what went to the Zhang family would be even more.

The Prince of Han had seized precisely upon this point, which was why he had gone to such lengths, even persuading that old censor Lu Shi to come out of retirement.

Lu Shi was a man whose official career was marked by incorruptibility and integrity. Though a third-rank official, he still lived in a modest three-courtyard residence with only three to five loyal servants.

He had never married or had children his entire life, making himself a solitary existence, all to uphold his principles and be a righteous censor who set things right.

It was precisely because of his unbending character that the Emperor valued him so highly. Anyone he impeached was almost certainly doomed.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yishi slammed his fist on the table.

“I had no idea they dared to be so bold as to embezzle that much!”

Xie Zhifei was quick-eyed and deft-handed, steadying a teacup that was about to fall.

“Things are already as they are. Settling old scores now is meaningless—we need to think about what to do next.”

“Right, that’s what really matters,” Pei Xiao chimed in.

After a long silence, Zhao Yishi said, “Right now, everyone is detained in the Northern Bureau. The Emperor has ordered the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review to conduct a joint trial. The chief examiners are Lu Shi and Jinyiwei Commander Feng Changxiu.”

Pei Xiao smiled bitterly. “Lu Shi is a tough nut—don’t think of making him budge. As for Feng Changxiu, there’s even less hope—his heart and eyes only have room for the Emperor. It would be better to think about how to make them suffer less.”

The Northern Bureau was the Jinyiwei Northern Judicial Office, which specialized in handling imperial prison cases. Its chief was Cai Si, who had some connection with Xie Zhifei.

An idea stirred in Xie Zhifei’s mind. “I’ll try to pull some strings with Cai Si…”

“Fifty.”

Zhao Yishi interrupted him. “I’ve already had people make arrangements at the Northern Bureau. They won’t suffer greatly inside, though minor hardships are unavoidable.”

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao exchanged glances: His hands moved this quickly?

“As soon as Ji Lingchuan was dismissed, I had a bad feeling, so I had people make arrangements just in case.”

Zhao Yishi lowered his eyelids. “My father’s character is known throughout the world. No matter who it is, even if it’s the Zhang family, he won’t lift a hand to save them.”

“The corruption is already confirmed—what more is there to try?” Pei Xiao asked.

Zhao Yishi laughed coldly. “When Xiang Zhuang performed his sword dance, his intent was aimed at Duke Pei. Who they really want to move against is the Ministry of Revenue—it’s my father.”

Though Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao had guessed as much, they were still shocked.

The struggle between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han was something everyone in the Great Hua Kingdom’s official circles knew about.

The two were born of the same mother, yet their appearances and personalities were poles apart—completely unlike biological brothers.

The Crown Prince resembled his mother in looks and was corpulent in build.

The Prince of Han resembled his father and was exceptionally handsome.

The Crown Prince preferred scholarly pursuits and got headaches at the sight of swords and blades.

The Prince of Han was fond of martial arts, never without his bow and arrows, and excelled at horseback combat.

The Crown Prince was mild-mannered and benevolent, conducting affairs neither hastily nor slowly, always reasonable and well-founded.

The Prince of Han was competitive and aggressive, acting decisively and swiftly, without a shred of feminine mercy.

By all rights, as the eldest legitimate son, the Crown Prince should be, according to the rules and laws of every dynasty, the unquestionable heir to the throne.

But the Crown Prince had one fatal weakness—a leg ailment.

In other words, the Crown Prince walked with a limp.

To put it more severely, he was a cripple.

The fact that the Great Hua Kingdom’s future heir was disabled created the first seed of doubt in the Emperor’s heart.

The second doubt arose because the Emperor himself came from a military background, having spent half his life in military campaigns, achieving distinguished military merit.

As the saying goes, heroes recognize heroes.

When the Emperor saw the Prince of Han in full military attire, looking almost identical to himself, it was like seeing his younger self—so handsome and extraordinary, so imposing and majestic.

How could he not be pleased?

How could he not show favoritism?

Imperial favoritism was not the same as an ordinary father’s preference for a son—it bred the ambitions and desires of countless people.

Therefore—

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao’s simultaneous shock was not about the struggle between the two princes, because ten years ago, the situation between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han had already been a fight to the death.

The Prince of Han had even once gained the upper hand, sending most of the Crown Prince’s faction to prison.

If not for several old ministers risking their lives to protect him, if not for the Emperor showing mercy, the Crown Prince would have long since become yesterday’s flowers.

What shocked them was that after finally settling down for these many years, the Prince of Han was making a comeback…

And surely coming with overwhelming force!

The Prince of Han’s overwhelming force made Xie Zhifei realize something—

Even though he was reluctant to speak about Yan Sanhe’s matter, at this moment he had no choice but to mention it.

And as it happened, Zhao Yishi set down his teacup. “Fifty, what exactly is the relationship between those two young ladies and your Xie manor?”

Xie Zhifei was refreshingly direct, without even a pause.

“The good-looking one is called Yan Sanhe, the one who knows martial arts is called Li Buyan. They’re in a master-servant relationship, and they truly just arrived in the capital from Yunnan Prefecture a few days ago, and they truly don’t understand the rules very well.”

“I can vouch for that!” Pei Xiao rubbed his hands together.

Zhao Yishi stretched out his long arm and hooked it around Pei Xiao’s neck. “Then you tell us—what are they doing in the capital? Did they come because Qingming Festival is approaching, to pay respects at your maternal grandmother’s grave?”

Damn it!

He’d investigated that far?

Pei Xiao twitched his eyes at Xie Zhifei, then revealed a mouthful of white teeth. “Well… it’s a long story!”

“That’s fine, we have all night.”

Pei Xiao quickly hugged himself. “Master Pei sells his art but not his body—Imperial Grand Heir, don’t try anything.”

“What about Fifty? Does he also sell art but not body?” Zhao Yishi casually turned his head.

Xie Zhifei gritted his back teeth. “Third Master sells both art and body.”

“He sells his body, let him speak.”

Pei Xiao let out a long sigh of relief, then sighed heavily again. “Huairen, it’s not that I don’t want to sell—I’m really not articulate enough to explain it clearly.”

“Still talking about articulation—do you think you’re a pig?” Zhao Yishi knocked his head.

“Don’t hit me—I’m already stupid enough.”

Pei Xiao thought to himself, compared to Yan Sanhe, I am a pig.

The joking banter was meant to keep the atmosphere in the cabin from becoming too heavy.

Third Master Xie furrowed his brow and straightened his face. “Huairen, this matter is indeed a long story, and it has to start with my father…”

A deep, low voice rose, carried by the night wind of the Yongding River.

Gradually, Zhao Yishi’s elongated eyes became dark as night, with various emotions churning within…

When the final word fell, the candle flame suddenly leaped, emitting a soft crackling sound.

Zhao Yishi felt a chill rising from his feet.

“So that means…”

His voice trembled slightly. “As long as we can resolve the inner demon of the Ji family’s old matriarch, the Ji family can still be saved?”

Xie Zhifei nodded. He firmly believed this point.

“Wait!” Pei Xiao suddenly spoke up.

Xie Zhifei looked up sharply. “What? Is that not right?”