Li Ze's gaze never left Cui Wangzhi. That unfamiliar sense of threat had long embedded itself deep within him, like a taut string ready to snap at any moment. He wasn't swayed by the lure of power, yet he understood—there was no way back.
"I know what you're thinking," Cui Wangzhi said with the same easy smile. "You're not afraid of me—you're afraid that, with one careless step, you'll sink into an even deeper mire. But since you've come this close, retreat is no longer an option."
Li Ze said nothing.
The guise of an "ordinary scholar" could not conceal the alertness and unease beneath his composure. Cui Wangzhi's overture was no gesture of friendship; he merely valued Li Ze's mind and potential. For a poor-born student like him, it was unthinkable to be dragged into a struggle for power so easily—but that choice had already been taken from him.
After that day's conversation with Cui Wangzhi, Li Ze grew more cautious. He began to observe every detail of the academy deliberately—the adjustments to course offerings, the supply of teaching materials, the awarding of stipends, even the subtle shortage of food in the dining hall. Gradually, he sensed that behind these daily affairs lay a series of hidden dealings.
One day, while sorting archives in the academy's library pavilion, Li Ze accidentally came across an old ledger. It contained a detailed record of a certain professor's "private" purchases—items that overlapped suspiciously with goods funded by the "Disaster Relief for the Poor" project. This coincidence made Li Ze deeply uneasy. He knew such a transaction could not be accidental.
As he pondered the implications, the quiet figure of Liu Ruolan appeared before him.
"There you are," she said evenly, as though she had expected to find him here.
"You often visit the library pavilion as well?" Li Ze asked, trying to keep his tone calm.
"There are many things here the academy deliberately keeps hidden," Liu Ruolan replied softly. "My father once told me—'In the library pavilion, you will find not only knowledge, but the truth.'"
Her gaze flicked to the ledger in Li Ze's hands, and a faint gleam passed through her eyes.
"Is this your discovery?" she asked.
Li Ze nodded. "Something feels wrong. The academy's supplies seem to overlap with certain professors' personal accounts, and the flow of funds is… murky."
Liu Ruolan lowered her eyes in thought, then looked back at him, her expression complex. "If you intend to investigate, remember—things are not as simple as you imagine. Uncover one layer, and more layers of darkness will follow."
Seeing her grave demeanor, Li Ze felt an unexpected surge of resolve. "Do you want to help me?"
"Help?" Liu Ruolan gave a faint smile. "I'm not helping you—I'm helping myself. I can't stand by and watch the academy sink deeper into corruption."
Her voice was quiet but firm. "But first, you must trust me."
Li Ze met her deep, steady gaze, remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. We investigate together."
In the days that followed, Li Ze and Liu Ruolan began working in secret. They gathered a growing pile of evidence and gradually realized that the rot in the academy ran far deeper than a few greedy professors—it reached into collusion between academy funds and outside forces.
One day, during a supply distribution, Li Ze noticed a young student whose eyes flashed with anger and bitterness, as though something long suppressed had found its moment to break free. Li Ze followed him to a secluded corner.
"What's wrong?" Li Ze asked.
The young man hesitated, then spoke in a low voice. "My father… was destroyed by these thieves. I was the heir to a pharmacy in the capital. They oppressed us, crushed us, until we went bankrupt. I was driven out of my home. Even here in the academy, I have to endure their oppression in silence."
Rage burned in Li Ze's chest, but he knew—behind this lay powers more complex than any one man's grievance.
Li Ze and Liu Ruolan's careful probing eventually brought them to the edge of a hidden truth. But they had yet to uncover the mastermind—a deeply concealed professor who not only controlled the academy's corruption but also maintained intricate ties to black market merchants outside the school.
In one crucial pursuit of the ledgers, they finally found decisive evidence: a record detailing the division of profits between the professor and the merchants.
What made Li Ze's blood run cold was the signature at the bottom.
It read—Cui Wangzhi.