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The Moon Empress
Chapter 003: The Price of Information
Translator : JBG
This translation made by Moonlight Teatime.
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Three days into her marriage, Lihua had already mapped every corridor in the east wing, identified six potential escape routes, memorized the guard rotation schedule, and made exactly one ally.
His name was Liu Shen. He was the emperor's personal secretary and, based on her observations, the only person in the entire palace who was systematically stealing from the imperial treasury.
"You noticed," he said, when she cornered him in the archive room with the evidence neatly organized on the table between them.
"I notice everything," she said. "Sit down."
He sat. He was not afraid — interesting. Most people, when cornered, showed fear. He showed calculation. She respected that.
"I don't want your money," she said. "I want information."
"About what?"
"Everything." She folded her hands. "Who hates the emperor. Who fears him. Who he trusts. What he eats for breakfast. Whether he sleeps."
Liu Shen studied her for a long moment. "You're planning something."
"I'm always planning something. The question is whether you're useful to me." She paused. "The answer, currently, is yes. The emperor's accounts show a discrepancy of exactly forty-three thousand silver taels over the past two years. I have the documentation. I also have the ability to make it disappear."
He was quiet for a very long time.
"He doesn't sleep," Liu Shen said finally. "Not more than two hours a night. And he takes his meals alone, always."
Lihua nodded slowly. "Good. That's a start."
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