The Bureau of Strategy is the heart of Moonlit City.
Beneath its tranquil surface, undercurrents surge. Officials clash in veiled rivalry—discussing governance in daylight, yet clawing for power and profit behind closed doors.
I was assigned to the Census Division, overseeing taxes and household records. The most laborious, error-prone department. A "cold office"—where newcomers without connections are inevitably dumped.
And I was precisely such a pawn.
On my first day, I found the ledgers in chaos—unregistered relocations, taxes collected from vanished households, and suspicious "ghost entries" that seemed to exist only on paper.
"This isn’t your concern. Just follow the procedure and fill the forms." The former director tossed the words coldly before leaving me stranded.
I noted everything in silence, quietly combing through old records. Nights bled into days as I cross-checked tax rolls against population registers—until I uncovered the truth: someone had exploited delays in migration records to double-register households, embezzling vast sums.
And those fabricated names? They traced back to a powerful official—Inspector Luo.
Exposing this would shake the city. But staying silent meant letting the rot fester.
I gritted my teeth and drafted an impeachment memorial, bypassing superiors to place it directly before the City Lord.
When word spread, the Bureau erupted. Some mocked my audacity; others quietly ordered "slow the audit" to bury the truth.
Yet Zhu Yuanzhang remarked with cryptic approval: "That move of yours—well played."
Three days later, the City Lord ordered a full investigation. Inspector Luo fell, along with several officials, exiled to the borderlands.
And I—an overlooked "newcomer"—became the city’s overnight obsession.
They began whispering my title: "That young eunuch who just arrived."
None knew I was a woman. None guessed this first step was merely to amplify the voices buried in shadows.
That night, Li Jun waited at my door, grinning. "Did you stir the heavens? The whole city’s talking."
I shed my official robes and replied softly:
"I only did what was right."
But I knew—there was no turning back.
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