Chapter 103: Censor Qian's Encounter with a Ghost

"The Ministry of Revenue's accounts from last month are crystal clear, even down to the penny! The riverbank built by the Ministry of Works is as solid as a rock, not even a scrap of tofu can be found! Do these people want to make me unemployed?!"

Standing before him were his distant nephew Qian Lin and clerk Zhang San, both of whom hunched their necks and dared not breathe.

Seeing that he was very angry, Qian Lin quickly stepped forward and said cautiously, "Uncle, calm down... All officials are honest, the country is peaceful and the people are safe. This... isn't this a good thing..."

"Good thing? Bullshit!" Qian Bingzhong glared. "It's good for the people of the world, but it's a terrible thing for my career! Last month, the number of memorials I submitted was the lowest among all the six ministries and nine officials! The lowest! Where can I put my dignity?"

Zhang San's eyes rolled, and he immediately found a new topic: "My Lord, I think there's something fishy about this matter! Especially... His Royal Highness the Regent and the Imperial Preceptor!"

"Oh?" Qian Bingzhong's ears pricked up. "What happened to them?"

"They're too quiet!" Zhang San said firmly. "Think about it, Your Majesty, the Regent Prince. Our Lord is so brave and decisive. Even if he wasn't fighting in the past, he would go to the military camp every few days for training, making those generals scream in pain. But lately, he's been running to the Imperial Master's Mansion every day!"

"That's right!" Qian Lin quickly added, "And the Imperial Master! He used to always like to hold prayer ceremonies, stargazing and offering sacrifices to the heavens, and the whole city knew about it. Lately, he's been staying indoors! The observatory is under martial law! I heard that the two of them often stay in there for the entire day!"

Qian Bingzhong stopped, narrowed his shrewd little eyes, and his gray beard trembled slightly.

He was afraid of the Regent, that was true.

When Xiao Yu glanced at him, he had nightmares for three days in a row, dreaming that he was hung on the city wall to dry.

but!

No matter how afraid you are, you must not lose your professional ethics!

A killer prince and a charlatan state teacher, two people who have nothing in common, suddenly became inseparable, and even made things mysterious...

There is definitely something fishy here!

Countless possibilities flashed through Qian Bingzhong's mind in an instant.

"Could it be... they are fighting crickets in the Imperial Master's Mansion?"

"Or... secretly using public funds for food and drinks, maybe even a barbecue party?"

"Or... is it that the Imperial Master is encouraging the Prince to cultivate immortality and refine elixirs, ignoring state affairs and indulging in pleasure?!"

The more I think about it, the more possible it seems! Each one of them is a huge handle!

As long as he could catch one, Qian Bingzhong could write an impeachment memorial that was so eloquent and elegant that it would go down in history!

Thinking of this, Qian Bingzhong trembled with excitement.

"Let's go! Grab your weapons!"

Qian Lin and Zhang San were both confused. "Ah? Sir, what are you copying?"

"Put on your night clothes! Follow me to visit the Imperial Master's residence at night!" Qian Bingzhong lowered his voice. "I want to see what shameful things they are doing behind the backs of the Emperor and the entire court! Remember, our goal isn't treason, but catching them in the act! See if they're neglecting their duties!"

Qian Lin and Zhang San looked at each other and their faces turned green.

Oh my goodness, a nighttime visit to the Imperial Master's Mansion? There's a Regent in there! How's that any different from sticking your head into a tiger's mouth?

But looking at Censor Qian's fanatical look of "dedicating himself to the cause of impeachment", the two knew that it was useless to persuade him.

Forget it, forget it. I'll sacrifice my life for you! I hope the prince will be gentler...

…

At midnight, at the back wall of the Imperial Master's Mansion.

Three dark shadows were moving along the wall like thieves.

"Uncle... sir, this wall is too high. Let's... let's use a slingshot to throw a stone in and see the reaction?" Qian Lin suggested timidly.

"You're useless!" Qian Bingzhong scolded in a low voice, even though his own old legs were shaking. "I'm performing my duties as an Imperial Censor, observing openly and honestly...secretly! How could you do such a sneaky thing?"

Zhang San was in tears, thinking that the way we are now, aren't we no longer sneaky?

At this moment, Qian Bingzhong stepped on a loose stone slab with a "click".

The three of them shuddered with fear and almost cried out.

Qian Bingzhong looked down and his eyes lit up instantly!

"A tunnel! It's a secret tunnel!" His voice crackled with excitement. "I knew it! They must have dug a tunnel to facilitate their secret meeting! Quick, move it!"

Qian Lin and Zhang San looked at the stone slab that looked like a sewer inspection hole, smelled the indescribable and intoxicating odor wafting out from the cracks, and fell into deep self-doubt.

The prince and the imperial preceptor... do they have such strong tastes?

At the urging of Censor Qian, the three of them worked together to lift the stone slab away.

A strong smell, a mixture of decay, mud and fishy smell, gushed out like a bomb.

"Ugh..." Qian Lin almost vomited on the spot.

He covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and pointed at the pitch-black cave entrance. "This is a tactic that only makes things worse! Using the stench to hide the existence of the tunnel, brilliant! Truly brilliant! Come on, follow me down, and catch the criminal red-handed!"

After saying that, he picked up a small lantern, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and climbed down first.

Qian Lin and Zhang San, with tears in their eyes, had no choice but to jump into this "fragrant" secret tunnel.

The tunnel was filled with sewage and it was pitch dark.

The three of them walked with one foot deep and one foot shallow, and soon they completely lost their way.

"Sir... this tunnel... why is it like a maze?" Zhang San's voice was filled with tears. "And... it stinks... Are the prince and his men really fighting crickets in a place like this?"

"Shut up! Don't question my judgment!" Qian Bingzhong said stubbornly, but he also had doubts in his heart.

In this environment, let alone fighting crickets, the crickets would be suffocated to death if they came in, right?

Just when he was about to give up, a faint red light appeared from the corner in front of him, accompanied by an incomprehensible, buzzing sound of chanting.

"There is light! There are people!" Qian Bingzhong was cheered up.

Found it!

He immediately made a "crouching" gesture, and the three of them tiptoed over.

Hide in the corner and take a look.

On the stone wall in front of me, I saw a twisted and strange rune drawn with a dark red liquid that emitted a fishy smell.

Two people wearing black robes and hoods covering their faces were kneeling in front of the runes and muttering something.

Qian Bingzhong had never seen such a scene before!

He read the books of sages and believed in the noble spirit. The scene before him was clearly the scene of a cultist performing some vicious sacrifice as described in a storybook!

He immediately put the blame on the Imperial Master Chu Xuanyi!

Chu Xuanyi, you're such a jerk! I thought you were just a playboy, but I never thought you'd dare to practice such evil magic in the capital!

At this moment, a man in a black robe slowly turned around.

Under the candlelight, it was a pale, swollen, lifeless face, with a pair of gray and turbid eyes, like a dead fish.

This...this is not a human being!

This is clearly an evil ghost crawling out from the underworld to take your life!

Qian Bingzhong felt a chill running from his tailbone to the top of his head, and all the blood in his body froze.

All thoughts of impeachment, achievements, and cricket fighting were instantly cleared from his mind.

The courage accumulated for half a lifetime suddenly burst forth at this moment, transforming into a scream that echoed through the sewer, shaking the heavens and earth, and making the ghosts weep.

“There’s a ghost—!!!”