In the Ming Dynasty, I became invincible simply by extracting memories!

The silence in the cell lasted for a long time.

Zhou Kui stared at Shen Lian for a good dozen breaths, his gaze shifting from initial shock to scrutiny, and then to a deep sense of vigilance.

He served as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for twenty years, rising from a junior officer to a centurion. He had seen all kinds of prisoners. Some cried, some made a scene, some wet their pants in fear, and some were tough as nails who didn't utter a sound.

But this is the first time someone in the imperial prison has claimed to be a spy for the Northern Garrison Command.

"Close the door," Zhou Kui said in a deep voice.

The two captains withdrew, and the iron gate closed from the outside.

Only Zhou Kui and Shen Lian remained in the cell. Fang Xuejian huddled in the corner, barely daring to breathe.

Zhou Kui squatted down to be at eye level with Shen Lian.

"Do you know what the crime is for impersonating a spy for the Northern Garrison?"

"I know." Shen Lian said without changing his expression, "To overstep one's bounds and deceive the emperor is punishable by death by a thousand cuts, plus the extermination of three generations of one's family."

"You're already guilty of the crime of being slowly sliced ​​to death, aren't you afraid of adding another layer of punishment?"

"Every word I've said can be verified," Shen Lian said calmly. "Yan Shifan's accounts, Zhao Wenhua's routes, the secret passages Luo Longwen used for transporting goods after taking over—you can check any one of these things to see if they're true or false."

Zhou Kui's mind was racing.

He had only heard the name Liu Sanqiu from Commander Zhao Yan three days ago. The occasion of that secret meeting was extremely private; no more than three people in the entire imperial prison knew about it.

How could a scholar from Shexian County, locked up in a cell waiting to die, possibly know this?

Zhou Kui stood up and paced back and forth in the cramped cell.

"You say you're an undercover agent, but whose orders are you taking?"

"I can't tell you that," Shen Lian said.

Zhou Kui stopped and looked at him coldly.

"The command chain for the mole is a single-line communication; I'm only responsible to my superior," Shen Lian said. "You're a centurion; according to the rules, you don't have the authority to know who my superior is. All you can do is one thing—report this to your superiors and let someone with the authority handle it."

These words were perfectly watertight.

Shen Lian was able to recite the rules of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's undercover agents with perfect accuracy because of the information he had just extracted from Zhou Kui's memories. In Zhou Kui's memory, he had received basic training in the undercover agent system when he joined the organization, and he was very clear about every rule, including single-line communication, reporting at each level, and secret verification.

Shen Lian essentially used what was in Zhou Kui's own mind to shut Zhou Kui up.

Zhou Kui's expression grew increasingly serious.

He was quickly calculating in his mind.

If what this person said is true, then he almost had the emperor's spy executed by slow slicing, a responsibility he cannot bear. Even if the execution order was signed by the higher authorities, he would be the one carrying it out, and if anything went wrong, he would be the one to take the blame.

If what he said is false, impersonating an undercover agent, his crime is compounded, and he'll be dead anyway.

But the question is—what if?

The cost of this "what if" is too high.

"You wait."

Zhou Kui turned and left, the iron gate slamming shut behind him.

After the footsteps faded into the distance, the cell was plunged back into darkness.

Shen Lian let out a long breath and leaned against the wall. His back was covered in cold sweat, and his prison clothes were soaked through.

"Holy crap!"

Fang Xuejian moved over from the corner, his face displaying a complex mix of shock, admiration, confusion, and doubt.

"Are you really a spy?"

"What do you think?" Shen Lian asked with his eyes closed.

Fang Xuejian thought for a moment: "If you were really an undercover agent, you wouldn't have kept me locked in the same account for three days without revealing your identity, only to tell me tomorrow when you're about to be executed by slow slicing."

This person may seem unreliable, but he's actually quite intelligent.

Shen Lian opened his eyes and glanced at him, neither denying nor admitting it.

"It's none of your business whether I live or die. You just need to know one thing—if I die, you won't live either. If I can hold on, you'll have one more day to live."

Fang Xuejian remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, then tell me what to do, and I'll cooperate."

"You don't need to do anything. Just shut up."

Fang Xuejian made a zipping gesture and retreated to his corner.

Shen Lian closed his eyes again, but his mind never stopped.

He knew that Zhou Kui would definitely report it after returning. Given the efficiency of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a higher-ranking person would arrive to interrogate him within two hours at most.

The questioning you face then will be more professional and more difficult.

But now he has a cheat code.

He can access the other person's memories as long as there is skin-to-skin contact, even for a moment. The problem is that the contact must be natural and not arouse suspicion.

He needs to find an opportunity to meet the person during the second round of interrogation.

At the same time, he also needs to refine his identity.

From Zhou Kui's memory, he had already grasped a considerable amount of information about the internal operations of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but some core secrets—such as the specific location of the roster of informants and the currently valid secret codes—were unknown even to a centurion like Zhou Kui. Only officers of the rank of chiliarch or higher could access these things.

Therefore, the person who arrives next must be of a higher rank than Zhou Kui. His memories must contain more of what Shen Lian needs.

Time passed little by little.

Fang Xuejian had fallen asleep at some point, curled up in the haystack and snoring.

Shen Lian did not sleep.

He repeatedly sorted through the information he had gleaned from Zhou Kui's memories and his own historical knowledge from his previous life.

In the 40th year of the Jiajing reign, the biggest undercurrent in the imperial court was the impending downfall of Yan Song.

Yan Song fell from power in the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, which is about a year ago. The vanguard in impeaching Yan Song was the censor Zou Yinglong, but the real driving force behind it was Xu Jie.

The role of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in this power struggle was very delicate. The current commander, Zhu Xixiao, was rather cautious, neither clearly siding with Yan Song nor Xu Jie, and generally depending on the emperor's direction.

If Shen Lian can present himself as a pawn to deal with Yan Song, then under the current political landscape, the risk of killing him is far greater than the risk of keeping him alive.

Because no one dared to gamble—what if this piece really was placed by the emperor?

The most prominent characteristics of the Jiajing Emperor were his extreme suspicion and controlling nature. He neglected court affairs, focusing instead on Taoist alchemy, yet he held sway over all matters, large and small. He was capable of secretly planting spies to monitor officials.

About an hour later, footsteps came from the end of the corridor again.

There were more people this time, at least five or six.

Shen Lian opened his eyes and straightened his back.

Fang Xuejian was also awakened by the noise. He sat up groggily and saw the bright lights outside the cell, which immediately snapped him out of his daze.

The iron gate opened.

Zhou Kui was the first to enter, but his attitude was clearly different from before. He stepped aside and bowed his head respectfully.

A person walked in from behind.

The man was about fifty years old, thin, and dressed in dark casual clothes. He wasn't wearing a flying fish robe or carrying a sword, and looked like an ordinary middle-aged scholar. But Zhou Kui's demeanor in front of him said it all—this man's rank was far above that of a centurion.

The newcomer stopped in front of Shen Lian and looked him up and down.

"So you're the scholar from Shexian who claims to be an undercover agent?"

The voice wasn't loud, and the tone was very calm, but Shen Lian could sense the oppressive feeling that only someone who had long held a high position could detect in it.

"yes."

The visitor did not introduce himself, and Shen Lian did not ask.

"I've heard everything you said before." The man sat down on the stool Zhou Kui had brought. "You explained things very thoroughly and accurately. But now I have a few questions for you. Think carefully before you answer."

Shen Lian nodded.

The person who came was sitting three steps away, so there was no possibility of physical contact between them and Shen Lian.

Shen Lian's cheat ability is temporarily unusable.

He could only rely on the information he already had to tough it out.

"The first question." The visitor's gaze locked onto Shen Lian. "The secret roster of the Shexian County Hundred-Household Office is changed every six months. What was the secret code for the first half of this year?"

Shen Lian's heart sank.

He couldn't possibly know that. He learned of the existence and replacement cycle of the secret code from Zhou Kui's memories, but the specific details were classified information accessible only to those with more than a thousand households.

However, he had already planned his response.

"The secret code was changed three months ago," Shen Lian said unhurriedly. "I knew before it was changed, but I didn't know afterward because I lost contact with them. After being imprisoned, my one-way communication with my superiors was severed."

The visitor's expression remained unchanged.

"Second question. Since you were an undercover agent, why didn't you use internal channels to contact people during those three months in the Imperial Prison? There were Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) members in the prison; you should have known how to pass messages."

"Because I'm not sure if the people in the imperial prison are reliable," Shen Lian said. "The White Lotus Sect case involves a wide range of people, and I suspect someone deliberately put me in here to cut off this connection. If I contact them rashly, it might expose even more people."

The visitor remained silent for a while.

"The third question."

The person who came leaned forward slightly.

"Yan Shifan's private treasury in his hometown of Fenyi, where did the money ultimately go? Specifically, where was it located?"

Shen Lian's mind raced. He had mentioned this problem in his previous life's thesis, but only cited a vague record in a local chronicle.

"Fifteen li east of Fenyi County, behind the ancestral home of the Yan family in Jieqiao Village," Shen Lian said. "Locals call it 'Yinjiao Ridge,' while the official name is the eastern foot of Phoenix Mountain."

The visitor tapped his knee twice with his fingers.

Then he stood up, walked up to Shen Lian, and looked down at him.

"One last question."

The person squatted down, reached out and pinched Shen Lian's chin, forcing him to look up and meet his eyes.

Skin contact.

A torrent of information exploded in Shen Lian's mind.

This man—Wei Liangbi—was a direct advisor to the Commander of the Northern Garrison, effectively responsible for the daily management of the secret agent network. While he held no official rank, his actual power within the Northern Garrison was second only to the Commander himself.

The amount of information that flowed from his memory far exceeded that of Zhou Kui.

The list of secret agents was stored in the underground secret room of the Northern Garrison Command, in the third compartment of an iron cabinet. The key was held by the Garrison Commander and Wei Liangbi, respectively.

The real secret code used by the Shexian County Hundred Household Office in the first half of this year was "Green Mountain". Three months ago, it was changed to "White Crane".

The current attitude of the Embroidered Uniform Guard towards the Yan Song case is as follows: Commander Zhu Xixiao has received a secret decree from the palace and has begun to secretly collect evidence of the crimes of Yan Song and his son, but he cannot take any action openly.

There was another point—Wei Liangbi's biggest concern at the moment: Shen Lian was indeed not on the list of informants in Shexian County's Hundred-Household Office. However, the list was changed every six months, and if there were temporary informants, they would follow a different filing process and might not appear on the official list.

In other words, the fact that Shen Lian was not on the list does not prove that he was lying.

Shen Lian processed this information in less than three seconds.

Wei Liangbi's hand was still pinching his chin.

"Your gaze is very steady," Wei Liangbi said. "You don't look like someone who's about to die."

Meeting his gaze, Shen Lian made a bold decision.

"Secret code," Shen Lian said.

Wei Liangbi was slightly taken aback.

"Didn't you want to verify my identity?" Shen Lian said. "My code before I went missing was 'Qingshan'. I don't know the new code after the change of code, but I do know that the standard cycle for changing codes is six months, and the Shexian County Hundred Household Office changes codes every March and September."

Wei Liangbi's pupils contracted sharply.

He released his grip and took a step back.

The old code "Qingshan" is correct. The code change cycle and time are also correct. Even within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, only those directly responsible for managing the secret agents would know this information.

Wei Liangbi's fingers clenched unconsciously.

He is now facing an extremely difficult situation.

This person wasn't on the roster, but the depth of information he possessed far exceeded the comprehension of an ordinary scholar. Secret codes, the cycle of changing warrants, the single-line communication system, the specific accounts of the Yan Song case—each item pointed to someone who had been lurking in the intelligence system for a long time.

If he were killed, and it turned out to be someone from above, Wei Liangbi himself would be buried with him.

If we release him, and he turns out to be a fraudster, then he'll have been tricked by a prisoner in the imperial prison, and it would be too embarrassing for him to bear if word got out.

The safest approach is to leave it hanging for now and investigate gradually.

"The execution is postponed," Wei Liangbi said to Zhou Kui. "These two men will be kept in solitary confinement, and no one is allowed to approach them. Their food and sustenance will be increased by one level."

"Two people?" Zhou Kui glanced at Fang Xuejian in the corner.

"He shares the same alias as this person, so he's considered an insider and should be kept under surveillance as well."

After speaking, Wei Liangbi turned and left. He paused at the door but did not look back.

"I will investigate everything you've mentioned, one by one. If it's true, you live. If it's problematic—"

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was already very clear.

The iron gate closed.

The cell went dark again.

Shen Lian could hear his own heartbeat, heavy and rhythmic.

He won the first bet.

And the win was bigger than expected.

Wei Liangbi's memories provided him with a complete set of internal operational details of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's secret agent system, enough for him to make his "secret agent" identity increasingly believable. More importantly, he saw a crucial piece of information in Wei Liangbi's memories—Zhu Xixiao had received a secret decree from the palace and had begun to secretly investigate Yan Song.

This means the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard system is in a sensitive period, and any clues related to the Yan Song case will be highly valued. He claimed to be a mole within the White Lotus Sect gathering intelligence on Yan Song, and he happened to arrive at this critical juncture.

Who would dare to kill an intelligence source who might be connected to the Yan Song case at this time?

Fang Xuejian waited until the footsteps outside had completely disappeared before lowering his voice and saying, "How the hell did you know all that stuff? Secret codes, hidden agents, you're a historian..."

He suddenly stopped midway through his sentence.

"What did you say?" Shen Lian turned to look at him.

Fang Xuejian opened his mouth, his eyes widening.

He almost said the words "history major" just now.

As a time traveler, he was naturally aware of the existence of modern history. And the knowledge Shen Lian had just displayed, if not from a hidden agent, then the only explanation was—

"You too?" Fang Xuejian's voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

Shen Lian remained silent for two seconds.

He had already seen all of this person's details in Fang Xuejian's memories. A time traveler, a chemical engineering major, with a quirky personality but not inherently bad, and who hadn't betrayed anyone during his three months in prison.

"We'll talk about it another day," Shen Lian said. "Let's just get through tonight first."

Fang Xuejian's gaze towards him changed, transforming from previous confusion into a tacit understanding.

Neither of them spoke again.

It was completely dark outside the cell, and the light from the vent had completely disappeared.

Shen Lian leaned against the wall, sorting out his next plan in the darkness.

The execution was postponed, but only temporarily. Wei Liangbi would investigate every piece of information he mentioned, most of which could be verified—Yan Song's accounts, Liu Sanqiu's identity, the transshipment route at Zhangjiawan Wharf—these were historically accurate.

However, he was not on the secret roster of the Shexian County Hundred Household Office.

This is his biggest weakness.

Wei Liangbi said that the roster was changed every six months, and temporary informants developed in between followed a different procedure. This rule did indeed exist; he had confirmed it from Wei Liangbi's memory. As long as there was any ambiguity in Shexian's response, he could continue to maintain this story.

But he can't keep procrastinating.

He needs a bigger bargaining chip.

Yan Song's corrupt accounts were merely a stepping stone.

He still held a real trump card—the political earthquake that was about to occur in the forty-first year of the Jiajing reign, which would change the entire political landscape.

If he could "predict" this event that has not yet happened, his value in the eyes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would increase exponentially.

By then, regardless of whether he was a mole or not, no one would be willing to kill him.