The night was as dark as ink. In an inconspicuous courtyard in the south of the city, Zhou Yun'an leaned back in a grand chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest.

Only one oil lamp was lit in the room, and its dim light shrouded half of his face in shadow, making the other half appear as sharp as if it had been carved by a knife.

"So, a dozen of you couldn't even do anything to a woman and a child?" His voice was soft, but it made the man in black kneeling on the ground tremble.

"Young Master, please forgive me! That woman is truly cunning, she..."

"What's wrong with her now?" Zhou Yun'an suddenly sat up straight.

"Our subordinates had already separated the prince from the guards, but who knew that the concubine would take the opportunity to lead people in through the back door of the teahouse..."

Zhou Yun'an raised his hand to interrupt him, a playful smile playing on his lips.

He stood up, his dark robes gleaming dimly in the lamplight, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, a crescent moon hung coldly on the eaves.

"Interesting," he murmured. "A woman confined to her chambers, yet possessing such talent."

Xiao Cheng emerged from the shadows, frowning. "Young Master, this operation has failed. The Jing Prince's Mansion will definitely strengthen its defenses. Should I..."

"No rush." ​​Zhou Yun'an turned around, his eyes gleaming with the light of a hunter discovering new prey. "Investigate this Wang Xiuxiu first. I have a feeling she wouldn't be so content staying in the Prince Jing's harem."

——-

Wang Xiuxiu stood under the plum tree in the backyard of Prince Jing's mansion, her fingertips lightly touching the buds that were about to open. The chill of the north seemed to still linger in her bones.

Three months ago, she secretly returned from her mission to the northern and southern borders, opening up trade routes for the imperial court.

Now that she has returned, no one in the court knows that this perilous journey was orchestrated by her, a mere woman.

"Your Highness, the Prince requests your presence in his study," the maidservant whispered.

Wang Xiuxiu withdrew her hand and adjusted her silver fox fur-trimmed cloak.

Lu Jingze's study was in the most secluded part of the mansion. The window frames were covered with specially made cloud-patterned paper, so that the inside could not be seen from the outside, but light could pass through.

When she pushed open the door, Lu Jingze was playing chess with a man dressed in indigo casual clothes.

"Your Majesty." Wang Xiuxiu curtsied, her eyes glancing at the chessboard out of the corner of her eye.

The black pieces have formed an encirclement, while the white pieces are trapped in a corner.

Emperor Lu Nancheng gently placed a white jade chess piece on the edge of the chessboard. "No need for formalities. You've had a hard time on this trip."

Lu Jingze personally got up and took Wang Xiuxiu's cloak, pressing his finger lightly on her shoulder.

This was their secret code—the emperor was in a relatively good mood.

"It is my duty," Wang Xiuxiu said, sitting down on the other side of the chessboard. She took out a roll of sheepskin map from her sleeve. "The trade routes to the south are open. This is the list of the generals guarding the sixteen passes along the route; all have been verified."

The emperor unfurled the map, his gaze sweeping over the vermilion markers. "The Ministry of Revenue reports that this year, tax revenue from the northern border alone is 30% higher than in previous years."

"This is just the beginning," Wang Xiuxiu said softly, yet each word was clear. "If Your Majesty grants my request, I would like to resign from my business dealings in both locations."

The chess piece landed on the chessboard with a "thud".

Lu Jingze frowned slightly, clearly indicating that this was not within the scope of their prior discussion.

The emperor looked up at her. "Why?"

Wang Xiuxiu took out an account book from her bosom. "The trade between the two places involves too many officials' interests. It is difficult for me to manage it all by myself. It would be better to establish a treasury to manage the inflow and outflow of money, directly under His Majesty's command."

The candlelight flickered in the study, casting long shadows of the three people onto the cloud-patterned window paper.

Wang Xiuxiu lightly tapped the shocking number on the ledger with her fingertip; the vermilion mark was as glaring as blood under the candlelight.

"The northern border reported a trade of 8,000 catties of medicinal herbs, but in reality, there were eleven caravans crossing the border, each carrying no less than 1,000 catties of goods."

Her voice was soft, yet it left the emperor's hand, holding the chess piece, suspended in mid-air. "These figures are only from after the Ming family army withdrew from the escort team."

The emperor's white jade chess piece landed with a "click" on the sandalwood chessboard. Lu Jingze saw that His Majesty's knuckles turned white, a sign of impending rage.

"What a fine garrison commander of Yunzhou," Lu Nancheng sneered. "I remember just last year I gave him a two-rank raise."

Wang Xiuxiu pulled out another ledger from her sleeve and slowly unrolled it: "Not only Yunzhou, but Qingxia Pass also collects 800 taels of silver from caravans every month as 'passage fees,' and Yanmen Pass deducts 30% of the goods under the pretext of 'inspecting the goods.' All this money ultimately flows into..."

She suddenly stopped talking.

"Whose pockets did it go into?" The emperor's voice suddenly became sharp.

Wang Xiuxiu lowered her eyes and remained silent, only gently pushing the account book toward the emperor.

When Lu Jingze saw the name at the top, his pupils suddenly contracted—it was Zhou Mian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Empress Dowager's nephew.

The emperor slowly turned the pages of the account book, then suddenly stopped at a certain point. "This amount..."

"After a year of investigation in the Southern Pearl Trade Zone, the amount of embezzlement and losses uncovered was..."

Wang Xiuxiu's eyes were like water.

"If we proceed with the open impeachment... Vice Minister Zhou is connected to the Empress Dowager, the garrison commander of Yunzhou is a protégé of the Minister of War, and the one at Qingxia Pass is even a relative by marriage to Minister Zhao."

She raised her clear eyes. "A single hair can affect the whole situation."

The emperor suddenly swept the entire chessboard upside down, and the black and white chess pieces tumbled and rolled all over the ground.

Lu Jingze held his breath, but Wang Xiuxiu remained upright, like a green bamboo that would not break in the wind and snow.

"What good plan do you have, my dear minister?"

"With trade routes open, and profits at stake, it's natural for people's hearts to waver." Wang Xiuxiu took out a bronze key from her bosom and gently placed it on the account book. "How about using a key to control a lock—establish an Inspectorate to specifically investigate commercial tax accounts. Any anomalies should be reported directly to His Majesty."

Lu Jingze noticed that the key had a special pattern: a Pixiu was engraved on the front, while the back had a bluebird pattern.

When the emperor picked up the key, his gaze lingered on the bluebird pattern for a moment.

"Secretly investigating?"

"Openly repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass," Wang Xiuxiu's voice was like a clear spring striking stone. "The Censorate can be set up inside the treasury, appearing outwardly as clerks checking accounts, but whoever holds the key can knock on the palace gates at night."

The emperor suddenly smiled. "My dear minister, do you intend to personally take control of this key?"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to guard this lock for you." As she bowed, the pearl pendant at her ear remained perfectly still. "However, there must be two keys—Your Majesty holds the Pixiu, and I hold the Bluebird."

Lu Jingze suddenly understood her intention.

Taking a step back to advance—what she wanted was not short-term gains, but a power structure that could operate effectively for a long time.

What she wanted was not to expose a few corrupt officials, but to use this bronze key to pry open the entire rotten financial system.

The emperor closed the account book, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. "What position do you desire?"

"Chief of the Censorate." Wang Xiuxiu lowered her eyes. "Your Majesty, I only wish for the power to audit accounts; I do not desire official rank or salary."

——-

Three days later, an imperial edict was issued: the Inner Treasury was established to manage the proceeds from border trade and to be directly under the emperor; a separate Supervisory Commission was also established to audit the accounts.

The court and the public were in an uproar, but no one knew who was actually in control of these two new government offices.

Only the Minister of Revenue stopped Lu Jingze after the court assembly, saying, "Your Highness, who is this Director of the Censorate? I was unaware that such a capable person existed in the court."

Lu Jingze smiled calmly, "Why is my lord in such a hurry? Since His Majesty personally set this up, there must be a reason for it."

Meanwhile, Wang Xiuxiu was standing in the side room of the backyard of the treasury, with twelve young accountants kneeling in front of her, all of whom were her trusted confidants whom she had secretly recruited from various places.

"Remember, you must make two copies of every single account you calculate."

She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips. "The open accounts are for the officials in the court to see, the secret accounts are to be presented directly to the Emperor."

As spring rain began to fall outside the window, Wang Xiuxiu looked towards the direction of the palace.

She knew she was playing a much bigger game—on the surface, she was a leisurely concubine of Prince Jing, but in reality, she was the shadow minister who controlled the nation's commercial affairs.

And all of this is just the beginning.