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

Shen Lian raised his head, the fear on his face completely gone, replaced by a faint smile.

"Sir, as for the silver... I do have some. But it's not mine, it's yours."

Magistrate Zhou was taken aback: "What did you say?"

Shen Lian said unhurriedly, "Sir, you must have hidden seven or eight thousand taels of silver in the dry well three miles outside the North Gate, right?"

Magistrate Zhou's expression changed instantly.

"And what about that Miss Yang in Yangjia Lane in the south of the city? It's been a while since you last visited her, hasn't it? You've really managed to keep it a secret from Madam Ma."

Magistrate Zhou's face turned from white to green, then to purple, and finally to an almost deathly ashen color. He abruptly took a step back, his finger trembling as he pointed at Shen Lian, his lips quivering, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

The bailiffs in the courtroom and the onlookers were all stunned, not understanding why the county magistrate, who had been so arrogant just moments before, had suddenly changed his demeanor like this. Only a few bailiffs who were standing nearby vaguely heard what Shen Lian had just said, and their expressions immediately became incredibly interesting. They wanted to laugh but dared not, and could only desperately purse their lips, while their shoulders couldn't help but shrug.

"You...you...you're talking nonsense!" Magistrate Zhou finally found his voice, turned around abruptly, rushed back to the judge's desk, grabbed the gavel, and slammed it down hard. "You audacious scoundrel! How dare you slander me in court! Guards! Beat him! Beat him to death!"

The constables exchanged glances, their steps faltering. They had heard what Shen Lian had said, and although they didn't know if it was true or not, the magistrate's reaction made it seem as if someone had touched a nerve.

"What are you all standing there for! Beat them!" Magistrate Zhou roared hoarsely, veins bulging on his forehead.

Just as the constables hesitated to step forward, a series of steady, powerful footsteps suddenly came from outside the courthouse. Immediately afterwards, two figures strode in.

Therefore, it is winter and summer.

"Magistrate Zhou, how dare you! You actually slapped an official of the Imperial Guard in public! Everyone present saw that slap!" Yi Dong walked ahead, holding up a token high in his hand.

The token was about the size of a palm, made of gilded bronze, and engraved with an eagle about to take flight, surrounded by a ring of fine cloud patterns. The back of the token was engraved with the seal characters "Jinyiwei" (Imperial Guard), and it gleamed with a heavy metallic luster under the candlelight.

"How dare you, Magistrate Zhou!" Yi Dong shouted sternly, his voice clear and sharp, echoing in the courtroom. "How dare you detain and harm an official without authorization! You knowingly break the law, you are corrupt and pervert the course of justice, what is your punishment?!"

When Magistrate Zhou saw the token, he was struck dumb, his legs went weak, and he collapsed behind his desk. His eyes widened, his fat face trembled violently, and his lips opened and closed, but no sound came out.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard. That's their token.

Although he was only a minor seventh-rank county magistrate, he understood better than anyone what the name "Jinyiwei" meant. It was the emperor's personal guard, capable of reaching the emperor directly, a force that even a fourth-rank prefect had to treat with respect, and a secret service agency that could execute first and report later in the local area.

Now, he has tied up the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) and almost subjected them to severe torture.

Magistrate Zhou trembled all over, large beads of sweat rolling down his face and dripping onto the case files on his desk, leaving dark stains. His previous arrogant and domineering demeanor had vanished completely, and he slumped in his chair like a deflated balloon, unable to move.

Yi Dong put away the token, walked to Shen Lian's side, and a dagger appeared in her hand without her noticing. In a few swift movements, she cut the ropes binding Shen Lian. As she cut, she muttered a complaint, "Couldn't you have done less? Did you have to get tied up like this? And that slap?"

Shen Lian moved his wrists, which were numb from being tied up, and laughed, "How can Lord Zhou reveal all his secrets if he doesn't get tied up like this?" Yi Dong ignored his smirking appearance, only giving him a sidelong glance. She knew in her heart that since this person was someone Lord Zhu valued highly, he must have some skills that ordinary people couldn't match, so she didn't bother to argue with him anymore.

Xia also came up, coldly glanced at Magistrate Zhou, then looked at the pair of leg clamps on the ground that hadn't been used yet, and said indifferently, "These leg clamps are new."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Zhou shuddered again and almost slipped off his chair.

Just as the courtroom fell into a deathly silence, an even more clamorous sound suddenly erupted from outside the yamen. The sound grew louder as it approached, like a whirlwind accompanied by a torrential downpour, thundering towards the courtroom. Then, the gatekeeper cried out in panic, "Madam...Madam, you can't go in! The magistrate is presiding over a case—"

Before he could finish speaking, the back door of the courtroom was kicked open.

A tall, robust middle-aged woman stormed in. She wore a bright red brocade jacket with gold embroidery, and several gold hairpins adorned her hair, making a jingling sound as she walked. Her face was broad, with high cheekbones, and her triangular eyes were now burning with rage. She was also carrying a rolling pin in her hand—clearly, she had stormed all the way from her house.

It was Madam Ma, the wife of Magistrate Zhou.

"Zhou Changshun! You damned dog!" Madam Ma stormed into the courtroom and headed straight for Magistrate Zhou, her voice so loud it made dust fall from the roof. "You've been keeping a concubine? You've even hidden money in a dry well? I've served you for so many years, taking care of the household chores and serving your parents, and what do you do? You've been keeping a vixen behind my back!"

Magistrate Zhou collapsed completely, sliding off his chair like a lump of mud onto the floor, kneeling there trembling uncontrollably. His lips quivered as he tried to explain, but despite opening his mouth several times, he couldn't utter a single complete word.

Madam Ma grabbed Magistrate Zhou by the ear and lifted him off the ground. Magistrate Zhou grimaced in pain, but dared not utter a sound. He could only tilt his head and let his wife do as she pleased, looking like a fat cat being pinched by the scruff of its neck.

"Tell me! Where does that vixen live? How much silver have you hidden from our family all these years? Tell me the truth!" Madam Ma cursed as she swung a rolling pin and slammed it hard on Magistrate Zhou's back several times, making a dull "thump-thump" sound.

Madam Ma got more and more worked up as she cursed, completely forgetting the occasion. She was so angry that she lost her composure. In a fit of rage, she grabbed Magistrate Zhou by the ear and lifted him off the ground, making him stand on tiptoe. With her other hand, she swung a rolling pin and gave him a good whack on his round buttocks.

Her words came out like a machine gun, both offensive and cathartic: "You old codger! Take a piss and look at yourself! From afar you look like a steamed bun that's come to life, up close you look like a winter's dead body. What was I thinking, taking a liking to you? I've been feeding you with lard and rice since I married into your family, and all you've done is use the few skills you've acquired to feed those wild foxes outside? With that old face of yours, even a dog would be embarrassed to go out at night. And you dare to try and be a romantic scholar, keeping a mistress in a golden cage? Do you even have a key? How many keys do you have?!"

With that, she struck him twice more with her cane, making Magistrate Zhou's spine go numb. "Today, in front of all the elders and villagers, if you don't explain the matter of that girl from Yangjia Lane clearly, I'll turn your fat into oil and burn you like a lantern right here and now!"

Inside the courtroom, the previously tense atmosphere had completely dissipated. The two rows of bailiffs trembled violently, their faces flushed red. Some, unable to contain themselves any longer, clutched their fire sticks under their armpits and coughed silently. Outside, the crowd was packed in layers, their cheers, applause, and shouts nearly lifting the roof off. Someone yelled at the top of their lungs, "Madam Zhou is mighty! Give him a couple more resounding blows!"

"Good! Well done!"

"Even the most ruthless person has met his end!"

"This lady is truly a heroine!"

Shen Lian stood to the side, arms crossed, quietly watching the scene unfold. In the courtroom, the plaque proclaiming "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" still hung upright on the wall, but the farce playing out beneath it formed a perfect irony against the words "A Clear Mirror Hangs High."

"This play is even more exciting than I imagined," he muttered to himself.

The farce in the courtroom continued. Madam Ma's rolling pin rained down on Magistrate Zhou, sending him scrambling for cover and crawling under the desk. The usually imposing square table had become his only refuge. Madam Ma wasn't about to give up; she bent down to grab his official robes, but several bailiffs quickly stepped in to stop her, finally managing to persuade her to stay.

Seeing the chaotic scene, Yi Dong leaned close to Shen Lian's ear and whispered, "Young Master Shen, isn't that enough? If this continues, will the case even be tried?"

Shen Lian nodded slightly, stepped forward, and said loudly, "Lord Zhou."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it inexplicably carried a calm and unwavering strength that was impossible to ignore. The chaotic sounds in the courtroom fell silent, and even Madam Ma stopped rolling out the dough and turned to look at him.

Magistrate Zhou peeked half his head out from under his desk, a clear red mark from a rolling pin on his forehead. His official hat was askew, and one of the brims was broken off. He looked utterly disheveled. He looked at Shen Lian with eyes full of fear and pleading, like a rat cornered against a wall.

"Lord Zhou," Shen Lian said calmly, "this courtroom is not the place to settle family matters. In my opinion, why don't we go to the inner hall and talk things out calmly?"

Magistrate Zhou was overjoyed at being granted a pardon. He scrambled out from under his desk, nodding vigorously, "Yes, yes, yes! Lord Shen... Lord Shen is right! Let's talk in the inner hall!" As he spoke, he cast a pleading look at Madam Ma. Madam Ma snorted coldly, picked up her rolling pin, and stood aside, which meant she had temporarily let him off the hook.

Shen Lian gave Yi Dong and Yi Xia a wink, and the three of them followed Magistrate Zhou through a small door on the side of the courtroom into a rather elegantly furnished inner room. Several landscape paintings and calligraphy hung on the walls, a blue-and-white porcelain tea set sat on the table, fine Xuan paper was pasted on the window frames, and a rosewood display shelf held several pieces of porcelain and jade, all appearing to be quite valuable. As soon as Magistrate Zhou entered the inner room, he knelt down before Shen Lian with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, his forehead pounding against the blue brick floor.

"Lord Shen! Lord Shen! I was blind to your greatness, my mind clouded by greed, and I have offended you! I beg you, sir, to have mercy on me this time!" he said, raising his head with a fawning smile that, combined with the red mark on his forehead and his crooked official hat, made him appear even more comical. "I have served as an official in Shexian County for three years. Although I have not achieved any great merit, I have not made any major mistakes either. This time, I was truly... truly misled by that scoundrel's false accusation and acted in a moment of confusion..."

"A moment of confusion?" Shen Lian raised an eyebrow, sat down in the armchair, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a slow sip. "Just now in court, Lord Zhou had me tied up and was about to be tortured without even asking me a few questions. If it was just a moment of confusion, wouldn't you have beaten him to death if you were sober?"

Magistrate Zhou trembled and quickly kowtowed several more times: "This humble official knows his crime! This humble official knows his crime! I beg Lord Shen for mercy!"

Shen Lian put down his teacup, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. He remained silent for a long while, leaving Magistrate Zhou standing there, his knees aching and his heart pounding with fear. The inner hall was so quiet that only Magistrate Zhou's heavy breathing and the occasional chirping of birds from outside the window could be heard.

After a long silence, Shen Lian finally spoke slowly: "Lord Zhou, as you know, I am on official business in the southeast on the orders of the imperial court. The war against the Japanese pirates is critical, and the court is in dire need of manpower. If I were to expose your petty matter, it might cost you your official position or even your head, but it would not benefit the court or the overall situation of the war against the Japanese pirates."

Upon hearing the words "lost his head," Magistrate Zhou's face paled even further, and he repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "Yes, yes, yes! Lord Shen is truly understanding! I am deeply grateful!"

"So," Shen Lian's tone shifted sharply, "I can spare your life for now, and I can also cover up some things for you. But there's one condition."

"Please speak, Your Excellency! As long as it is within my power, I will certainly do it!" Magistrate Zhou replied hastily.

"Hand over all the silver you've embezzled over the past three years."

Magistrate Zhou's face stiffened slightly, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes. That was the culmination of three years of hard work, seven or eight thousand taels of silver, along with countless gold and silver jewelry, valuable antiques... If he handed it all over, wouldn't he have worked for nothing for three years?

Shen Lian seemed to see through his thoughts and sneered, "What, you're reluctant? Lord Zhou, do you want to keep the silver or your head?"

Magistrate Zhou shuddered, finally giving up completely, and replied dejectedly, "This humble official...this humble official will immediately order someone to fetch it."

He summoned a trusted family member and whispered a few instructions. The family member's expression changed, he glanced at Shen Lian furtively, and then hurriedly left.

About half an hour later, the family returned with several porters. The porters carefully placed two heavy wooden chests on the floor of the inner hall. Magistrate Zhou personally opened the chests, revealing neatly stacked ingots of gleaming white silver, which shimmered warmly in the candlelight. Beside them was a smaller mahogany box; opening it revealed it filled with gold and silver jewelry, jade bracelets, pearl necklaces, and several exquisitely crafted antique porcelain pieces—essentially worth at least a thousand taels of silver.

Shen Lian glanced at it and silently estimated in his mind. Seven or eight thousand taels of silver, plus these jewelry and antiques, amounted to nearly ten thousand taels. Combined with the ten thousand taels of silver notes he had obtained from Qian Dehou, this amount was enough for him to do many things in the Southeast.

"Very good." Shen Lian nodded, then turned to Yi Dong and Yi Xia, "Yi Dong, go and get some paper and pen."

Yi Dong understood immediately and quickly retrieved writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the study next door. Shen Lian picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote swiftly on the paper, quickly drafting a document.

"Lord Zhou, please take a look at this document."

Magistrate Zhou took the document and read it carefully. The document stated that Magistrate Zhou Changshun of Shexian County voluntarily donated all his savings, totaling 7,800 taels of silver, along with a quantity of gold and silver jewelry, to be used for local development in Shexian County and to support the imperial court's anti-Japanese war efforts. The document was worded grandly, portraying Magistrate Zhou as a righteous and public-spirited official.

After reading the document, Magistrate Zhou felt a mix of emotions. On the surface, the document concealed his embezzlement and packaged him as an honest official who had "voluntarily donated." He gritted his teeth, signed the document, and pressed his fingerprint on it.

Yi Dong took the document, a slight smile playing on her lips. She subtly winked at Shen Lian, implying, "The other one is also ready." Shen Lian understood and nodded imperceptibly.