Chapter 1 King of Scrolls

"Su Xiaoyu! You lazy brat, you're slacking off again!"

Su Xiaoyu had just transmigrated into the book a second ago, and the next second she was dragged out from under the stove by her mother by the ear and given a long lecture.

Su Xiaoyu, who was secretly eating steamed cheese, was startled and almost dropped the plate on her face.

Su Xiaoyu?

Isn't this the foodie maid from the novel "The World's Power" that she stayed up all night reading last night?

Because her father was the chief guard of the Marquis's mansion and her mother was the head maidservant of the lady of the house, the original owner of this body lived a very successful life in the Marquis's mansion.

My biggest daily worry is what to eat.

In less than a second, Su Xiaoyu figured out her current situation.

Hmm, being reborn as a servant with parents protecting him, a stable job, and no worries about food and drink is practically the golden ticket in the transmigration world!

She lived a life of constant struggle in modern times, her grueling work schedule escalating from the 996 to the 007, and the memory of finally collapsing at her workstation is still vivid.

In this lifetime, I will make sure she completely lets go of this taut string, and no one will let her fight again!

As long as I can survive until the future Crown Prince's wife enters the family, and cling tightly to her powerful backer, I'll never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of my life.

Su Xiaoyu was overjoyed!

"What are you grinning about!" Zhao Yueru poked her forehead in annoyance. "There are important guests in Madam's room. The young master just returned from Dali Temple and they're talking right now. Hurry up and take the cheese over there. Don't embarrass yourself in front of your master!"

"Your Highness?"

That "Scroll King" Xiao Jingheng?

The male protagonist in the original book?

As Su Xiaoyu picked up the tray, she was internally ranting and raving.

The original novel describes him as aloof and self-disciplined, wielding immense power in the court and eventually becoming a powerful minister.

To put it bluntly, he's a workaholic!

What a pity!

The book says he always has a stern face and is extremely intolerant of outsiders.

Relying on the original owner's memories, Su Xiaoyu quickly arrived at the Yilan Garden of Lady Liu, the wife of the Marquis. She humbly placed the cheese on the small table next to the young master and his wife, and then skillfully retreated behind her mother, serving as a background figure.

[Perfect! Delivery completed! Now all I have to do is hold out until I get off work... Hehe, Aunt Wang even saved me half a roast goose! Slurp!]

Inside the hall, the air was filled with the gentle fragrance of incense.

Lady Hou was talking to her son, who was sitting below her, about her worries: "Jingheng, your father is also worried about this matter. The case of the Vice Minister of Revenue embezzling funds has run its course with Li Mang, the leader of the grain transport gang. That man is slippery and difficult to find evidence..."

Xiao Jingheng held his teacup, his slender fingers touching the cup, and pondered, "Mother, rest assured, I have already increased manpower to secretly keep an eye on Minister Zhou, but this Li Mang..."

Before the words were even finished, a clear and slightly excited voice unexpectedly entered Xiao Jingheng's mind—

[Li Mang? Isn't that the henpecked husband from the book? He even secretly kept a mistress in the south of the city, treating her like a precious gem. He must have hidden all his account books there! In the original story, the prince had to investigate for half a month. Such efficiency!]

Xiao Jingheng paused in his tea-drinking motion!

Who is speaking?

He suddenly looked up, his sharp eyes sweeping across the hall like a hawk's.

Besides the mother sitting at the head of the table, and Zhao Mama standing beside her, there was only the little maid who had just put down the snacks.

Xiao Jingheng looked over and saw that the little maid's eyes were still glued to the cheese in front of him, her face full of longing.

Su Xiaoyu

Xiao Jingheng was certain that the voice he had just heard was not spoken by anyone present.

Is it an auditory hallucination?

He calmly withdrew his gaze, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and decided to try again.

He looked at his mother and calmly continued what he had just said: "It's just that Li Mang is cautious in his actions, and the place where he hid the evidence is probably extremely well hidden."

[What's so hidden about it! It's in the very back of Guihua Lane in the south of the city, there's a hidden compartment under the bed in the bedroom, how could you not find it? Your Highness, your efficiency is lacking!]

That voice rang out again! It even carried a hint of smugness, as if saying, "Everyone else is drunk, but I am the only one who is sober."

They even complained that he was too slow in handling cases?

This time, Xiao Jingheng heard it clearly!

The source of the sound was none other than Su Xiaoyu, who looked simple-minded and whose mind was only on eating and being lazy!

He could hear her heart!

This realization made Xiao Jingheng's heart skip a beat.

He looked at Su Xiaoyu again, his eyes becoming very deep.

It was as if they wanted to see through that well-behaved exterior to see what kind of soul was hidden inside.

Su Xiaoyu stared at the untouched plate of cheese, feeling regretful:

What a waste! You should have given it to me instead...

Suddenly! She felt a very strong gaze fall on her.

Su Xiaoyu subconsciously looked up and met Xiao Jingheng's unfathomable phoenix eyes.

Su Xiaoyu: ……

Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face? Or have you found out I stole some cheese?

That shouldn't be the case.

Su Xiaoyu felt a pang of panic, but forced an even more docile and harmless smile onto her face.

Xiao Jingheng looked at her almost frozen fake smile, and then listened to her audacious words of insubordination in her heart, and the corners of his lips curled up into an almost imperceptible arc.

Lady Hou noticed her son staring intently at a young maid and asked with some confusion, "Jingheng?"

Xiao Jingheng withdrew his gaze, regaining his usual aloofness, and said to his mother, "It's nothing. I just suddenly thought of a clue that hasn't been verified yet. I need to arrange for someone to investigate it immediately. I'll take my leave now."

He was always decisive and efficient, and Madam Liu was already used to it. She only gave him a few words of advice:

"Go on, official business is important!"

Xiao Jingheng bowed and withdrew. As he passed by Su Xiaoyu, he did not pause at all, as if that meaningful glance from before was just her illusion.

[That scared me to death... I thought I'd been caught cheating on my food.]

Su Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. [But the young master's efficiency is truly impressive. So dedicated; no wonder he's a future powerful minister, a worthy candidate to be the head of the Dali Temple.]

Xiao Jingheng, who had already reached the door, paused almost imperceptibly, then strode away even faster.

...

The following day, Xiao Jingheng once again stepped into Liu's courtyard to pay his respects.

As usual, Su Xiaoyu followed her mother and served her.

When Lady Liu, the wife of the Marquis, saw her eldest son arrive, she hurriedly asked, "Jingheng, did you have any results from yesterday's investigation in the south of the city?"

Xiao Jingheng glanced discreetly in a certain direction and replied:

"We have successfully completed our mission and found Li Mang's mistress in Guihua Lane in the south of the city. We seized his embezzled public funds ledger on the spot. With witnesses and physical evidence, the case is now solved."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu's face lit up with joy: "Amitabha, it's truly a blessing from heaven! This clue has come at just the right time."

[Holy crap! No wonder he's the male lead of this book! He even managed to find this out? This speed, this efficiency, is simply amazing!]

Looks like my secure job at the Marquis's mansion is back in the bag, hehe!

Su Xiaoyu was overjoyed; her little tail was practically wagging in the air.

Hearing this unashamed sentiment, a faint smile flickered in Xiao Jingheng's eyes.

He glanced discreetly towards the door, and his personal servant, Changfeng, immediately entered carrying a sandalwood tray.

“Mother, the Emperor has rewarded us for solving this case and has given us some gifts. I have no use for these things, so I have brought them here for you to keep for me. You may decide whether to give them as a reward or put them in the treasury.”

Xiao Jingheng spoke in a calm tone, as if the tray contained not a gift from the emperor, but an ordinary object.

Liu looked over curiously and saw two gleaming gold ingots of official minting on the tray, next to which was a piece of sky-blue brocade, which was shimmering and clearly of great value.

Su Xiaoyu also craned her neck to look over, and was immediately attracted by a mahogany carved food box at the very front.

Changfeng opened the lid, and inside were six exquisitely crafted pastries, shaped like blooming lotus flowers, with distinct layers of petals, a bright white color, and tiny gold leaf adorning the top.

"This is a new type of golden lotus seed paste cake made by the Imperial Kitchen. His Majesty specially bestowed it upon the young master so that he could try it out," Changfeng explained at the opportune moment.

[From the Imperial Kitchen? Golden Lotus Seed Paste Cake! I heard they only make twelve boxes a day, even the ladies of the palace might not get to eat one!]

[It looks so delicious... If I could just taste it in this lifetime, I'd die happy!]

"Gurgle!"

Su Xiaoyu heard herself swallow. Her eyes were glued to the box of pastries, as if drawn by a magnet, and saliva almost dripped from the corner of her mouth.

Xiao Jingheng took in her greedy look but pretended not to notice. He then turned to Liu and said, "Although Li Mang's case is closed, there is another unsolved case in the capital that is troubling my son. Zhang Bing, a silk merchant in the West Market, has been missing for half a month. He has neither been seen alive nor dead. His family cries every day, and the Jingzhao Prefecture is helpless."

As he spoke, he kept an eye on Su Xiaoyu's movements, waiting to hear her 'all-knowing' inner thoughts ring out again.

However, this time, after waiting for quite a while, all I could hear was my mother's worried questions.

Xiao Jingheng frowned slightly and glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.

Su Xiaoyu remained standing, but her eyes were glued to the plate of pastries, clearly not having heard a word!