Jian Zhang nearly burst into tears with excitement.
Nan Nan, Daddy's precious daughter, you're finally here!
He looked around but saw no sign of Jian Ruonan.
Nan Nan wasn't here?
Could Nannan's inner voice now travel a thousand miles?
No, that wasn't right. He hadn't heard a single word at court today.
Turning his head, he spotted Jian Ruonan and Teng hiding in the nearby bushes.
That little brat! Why had he dragged Nannan into the bushes?!
Noticing his father's gaze, Teng shrank behind Jian Ruonan in fright. Getting caught crawling into the bushes meant punishment.
Jian Zhang gave the siblings a casual sidelong glance. Never mind them-he would search inside first and settle accounts with the little rascal afterward.
Jian Zhang exchanged a look with Commissioner Zhang, who understood and kept the others occupied.
While no one was watching, Jian Zhang charged into the Ancestral Hall and headed straight for the offering table.
The moment he stepped on the floor there, Jian Zhang knew he had struck gold. The stone tiles beneath the offering table sounded hollow. He pried them up to reveal a neatly stacked pile of gold bars.
By the time Censor Cao and Madam Song recovered their senses and rushed into the Ancestral Hall, Jian Zhang already held a gold bar in his hand.
"I hear Censor Cao has nothing but clean breezes in his sleeves, restraining himself and serving the public faithfully. Then may I ask where these gold bars came from?!"
"Never mind eating meat only once every three days-even if your household went without meat for a lifetime, you couldn't save up this many gold bars!"
Jian Zhang glanced at Jian Ruonan hiding in the bushes and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Nannan had come. His official's hat was safe. Cracking such a major case might even earn him a promotion.
Jian Zhang instantly felt refreshed and invigorated.
Censor Cao's eyes widened like bronze bells.
He had hidden them so carefully. How had Jian Zhang found them?!
[Hahahaha! Didn't see that coming, did you? That's what you get for impeaching my dad! Take a good look at who my dad is-is he someone you can impeach?! You stinking toad!]
Jian Zhang puffed out his chest. Nan Nan was right.
None of this would have happened if he hadn't impeached him. Censor Cao, why did you have to go looking for trouble?!
Madam Song had been chattering away about their innocence, but the instant she saw the gold bar, her eyes turned green. "Th-this isn't ours. You planted it to frame us..."
Jian Zhang kicked the offering table aside, exposing the neatly stacked pile of gold bars beneath it. "With this much gold, who could afford to frame you?!"
Madam Song looked at Censor Cao, who wilted on the spot.
Her heart lurched. It was over.
[Hahaha! It's over, it's over! You're toast~~]
[Oh, wait, we're not done yet! Censor Cao really buried his secrets deep. Besides this stash, there's more in his concubine's room!]
Jian Zhang's eyes lit up. There was more than he had expected. He made a show of examining the area around the offering table, then pondered for a moment. "There's more in the concubine's room."
Commissioner Zhang gave Jian Zhang a puzzled look. How had Vice Minister Jian figured that out?
The group stormed into the concubine's courtyard and found a large quantity of jewelry, jade ornaments, and banknotes in her room.
Censor Cao certainly looked poor. There was not even a maid in the concubine's courtyard, and she was sitting outside doing embroidery to supplement the household income. Who could have imagined that an enormous fortune was hidden in her room?
[This man lives off his wife's family, yet he has money to take a concubine? Sure enough, men are all big pig's trotters!]
Jian Zhang: "..."
He finally understood what "big pig's trotters" meant.
These pig's trotters were not those pig's trotters.
Argh! Why was he a big pig's trotter in Nannan's eyes too?!
No, he had to change Nannan's impression of him.
Lying in the bushes, Teng could not see how Censor Cao resembled a big pig's trotter at all.
Censor Cao was tall and thin. If anything, he looked like a long bamboo pole.
[Ooh, ooh, ooh! Who knew there was another juicy melon here? A huge juicy melon!!]
Jian Zhang and Teng pricked up their ears at the same time.
Spill it!!!
[This concubine is Censor Cao's childhood sweetheart. He's stingy with Madam Song, but he treats his concubine really well. Don't be fooled by her plain room-he's bought her plenty of properties elsewhere. Her whole family feasts on the finest food and drink, living it up without a care.]
[Censor Cao also keeps a mistress, and Madam Qin lives even more lavishly. She's given him two big, plump boys, and those sons are fed until they're as round and glossy as pearls. His mistress's house is right next door in Kitten Alley. It even has four courtyards, and it's much prettier than this three-courtyard residence.]
[The only one dragged down by all this is Madam Song. Whenever the household runs short of money, she stays up late doing needlework until her eyesight blurs. She also keeps going back to her family to borrow money. The Song Family's servants look at her like she's some distant relative who's come begging for handouts.]
[Censor Cao has taken so many bribes, yet Madam Song hasn't spent a single coin of them, and she still has to suffer alongside him. "Miserable" doesn't begin to cover it!]
[Huh, no, wait. Madam Song was the one who told Censor Cao to impeach my dad. If he hadn't impeached my dad, their house wouldn't be getting raided today. All I can say is, they're a couple who dig pits for each other! A perfect match-lock them together forever!!]
After hearing all that gossip, Jian Zhang gave Madam Song a complicated look. "Arrest the concubine's brothers too. Some of the bribes are in their hands. They've used the money to buy quite a few properties!"
"There's a four-courtyard residence in neighboring Kitten Alley, occupied by a woman surnamed Qin. She's Censor Cao's mistress. A large quantity of banknotes is hidden there, and the residence itself was bought with bribe money."
Censor Cao: "..."
What was wrong with this man? How did he know secrets hidden so deeply?!
It was over, over-everything was over.
Censor Cao covered his face in anguish and sank dejectedly to the ground.
After hearing Jian Zhang's words, Madam Song's face went from green to purple, then from red to white.
Suddenly, she lunged at Censor Cao and raked his face with scratches, exploding in fury. "You penniless bastard Cao! You played poor in front of me, then gave everything you earned to your concubine!!! And you kept a mistress behind my back!!! I'll fight you to the death!!!"
Madam Song and Censor Cao immediately began wrestling and fighting.
Jian Zhang frowned and was about to order his men to separate them when Jian Ruonan's inner voice suddenly reached him.
[Are we fighting?]
[If you're going to fight, go all out!!]
[Yank those hair ornaments!!! Tear into each other!!! Just don't let up!!!]
Jian Zhang: "..."
Nan Nan really never minded fanning the flames when there was a spectacle to watch.
He waved his men aside, and the group surrounded Madam Song and Censor Cao to watch them fight.
Suddenly, the Junior Banner Officer stationed at the entrance came to report that Prince Rui, Dantai Mo, had arrived.
Dantai Mo had received word as soon as the Embroidered Uniform Guard commissioner charged into Censor Cao's residence with Jian Zhang.
According to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's report, Jian Zhang not only knew exactly where the gold bars were hidden, but also knew about the jewelry in the concubine's room and Censor Cao's mistress. He even knew the mistress's surname with absolute certainty.
Dantai Mo was utterly astounded.
It seemed the intelligence-gathering function of the system bound to the Fifth Miss was exceptionally powerful.
Dantai Mo wondered whether he could invite the Fifth Miss to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters for tea more often. With her there, they would never have another unjust verdict or wrongful conviction.
Jian Zhang had the same idea. He even wanted to teach Nannan Great Xia law himself, guiding her every step of the way.
Jian Ruonan knew nothing of this. She was happily watching Madam Song and her husband fight and tear into each other.
Long malnourished, Madam Song was clearly no match for Censor Cao. In just a few blows, he knocked her to the ground.
Jian Ruonan was itching to jump in and help.
The moment Dantai Mo entered the courtyard, her inner voice reached him-
[Poke his eyes!!]
[Kick his balls!!]
[Pull his hair!!!]
Dantai Mo: "..."
Before you continue