Only three months have passed, and once again, the capital is in turmoil. After the household of Li Rusu, the Chief of the Imperial Academy, was confiscated, the scandal in Yangzhou erupted, creating a huge uproar. Now, three months ter, it's the turn of Chief Censor Wang Ying's household. At the entrance of Yonghe Alley in the west city, where the Wang residence is located, imperial guards armed with embroidered spring swords are going in and out. Many citizens have gathered to watch the spectacle, stretching their necks and pointing as they watch once-affluent young dies and masters being herded out like livestock.

  Fang Xiaoru spotted his daughter, Fang Linglong, among the crowd and closed his eyes, unable to bear it. He ordered the sedan bearers to move faster—what's one daughter, after all? He couldn't risk the entire Fang family to save a married daughter.

  When he returned home, Lady Fang had already heard the news that something had befallen the Wang family. She was so distraught that she seemed unsteady on her feet. She rushed to Fang Xiaoru, pleading with him to save their daughter. "Why did the Wang family suddenly get raided by the imperial guards?! Our daughter is still in there..."

  Still unsettled by the earlier shock, Fang Xiaoru impatiently pushed her away, pointing at her and shouting sternly, "Quiet! Wang Ying committed a grave offense during court today—he sndered a court official and colluded with the northwest governor in embezzlement. He's already been sent to the Ministry of Justice's prison. Be smart about this and stay away from anything reted to the Wang family!"

  Lady Fang was stunned, clutching her robe as she looked at Fang Xiaoru in disbelief. She had countless things she wanted to yell, but when she thought of their unmarried son, she had to hold back.

  Yes, she couldn't—she couldn't expose her family, even if she knew that Wang Ying had worked with her husband on this matter. Could she tell anyone about it? She couldn't risk her family to save her daughter... she couldn't.

  That evening, after he had gathered his scattered thoughts, Fang Xiaoru hurried to Lord Chen's residence.

  The Chen residence was already tightly shut, and the gatekeepers on night duty stood straight and attentive, a stark change from their usual x demeanor. Fang Xiaoru entered the house quietly through the side door and went straight to Lord Chen's study, blurting out as soon as he arrived, "Teacher, what happened?!"

  "What happened?!" Lord Chen's eyes were dark as he gred at Fang Xiaoru, shouting irritably, "What happened?! You tell me! Didn't you swear that Wang Ying personally transcribed Cui Shaoting's memorial recommending border trade? How did the memorial end up as an accusation against Zhang Tianhe?!"

  Cui Shaoting's move was truly ruthless, nding a punch that left even this old fox, Lord Chen, completely stunned. He was still in shock, unable to understand how a pn that had seemed foolproof could have gone wrong. There had been no sign of trouble from the northwest, and Cui Shaoting had a spy by his side as well as Yang Xuan, but neither had reported anything unusual.

  And yet, just when everyone thought Cui Shaoting was doomed, he had somehow changed the content of the memorial... No, no, this matter was certainly not that simple.

  This meant that Cui Shaoting had been wary of the woman sent by the Yangzhou magistrate all along, and perhaps even doubted Yang Xuan, who he had personally promoted and regarded as a confidant. But in the midst of border harassment from the Tatars, while stretched thin, how had he managed to discern all this? There hadn't been any message sent to the northwest from the capital...

  And how had he managed to send this critical memorial back to the capital? The memorial they intercepted in the northwest clearly contained Cui Shaoting's suggestion for border trade, identical to the one Wang Ying transcribed ter...

  And who had helped him pull off such a feat, switching the memorial meant to seal Cui Shaoting's fate with one aimed at condemning Wang Ying instead?

  Now he could only curse himself for choosing self-preservation, for acting indifferent at the critical moment and not reviewing the memorial one more time before it was submitted.

  But it was too te for regrets; everything was too te. The only option now was to destroy all correspondence with Zhang Tianhe, obliterate anything reted to him, and withdraw entirely from this mess.

  Fang Xiaoru was rendered speechless by the questioning. After a long pause, he stammered out his response, "I personally reviewed the memorial Wang Ying copied, even made a copy for you, Teacher. It was indeed identical to what came out of the northwest. But as to who switched it, or where the incriminating memorial recommending border trade ended up, I don't know..."

  After speaking, he gathered his courage to ask, "Teacher, what should we do now?"

  Cui Shaoting has mercilessly pulled Zhang Tianhe into this. Now, with the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate jointly investigating, they'll undoubtedly dig deeper into Zhang Tianhe. He held so many of their correspondences and ledgers. Even part of the military funds Zhang Tianhe embezzled this time had been distributed among them...

  The more Fang Xiaoru thought about it, the more terrified he became, and he looked at Lord Chen, trembling, "If Meng Jiming and the others uncover this..."

  "Spineless fool!" Lord Chen shot him a scornful look. "Now's not the time to dwell on that. Instead of wasting time worrying, you'd be better off making a few more visits to Meng Jiming's residence!"

  He was deeply troubled himself, but reason told him this was no time to lose control.

  Looking at Fang Xiaoru's wide, panicked eyes, Lord Chen reminded him word by word, "If you don't want to end up like Wang Ying, you'd better think carefully about how to handle your father-in-w."

  Fang Xiaoru shivered. Wang Ying was his daughter's father-in-w, his grandchild's grandfather, and his friend of many years. But he also understood the harsh reality of Lord Chen's words: Wang Ying was beyond saving. To prevent him from revealing any incriminating details under the torture of the imperial guards or the Ministry of Justice, Wang Ying's existence could no longer be tolerated.

  After all, those already entangled in this were doomed, while those who had yet to be implicated had to keep on living. Compared to the life of a dear friend or even a daughter, weighed against the fate of his entire family and his own future, the choice was clear—even with his eyes closed.