“Quite cunning, aren't we!”
After retrieving the book, even Han Mo couldn't help but praise her.
The book she chose wasn't a Confucian classic, but a very common, widely available one.
*The Great Song Criminal Law*!
This book was rather interesting. It was highly likely that all official residences and those of noble families would possess a copy.
However, it was probably only the people-oriented officials, judicial inspectors, and scholars preparing for the Mingfa exams who would occasionally flip through it. For the most part, no one would touch such a thing.
Especially not in Han Jiayan's study, as neither Han Jiayan nor Han Mo would ever go near it.
If Han Mo hadn't come specifically looking for it today, who knew when it might have been discovered?
After opening the cover, Han Mo quickly found what was hidden inside.
It was exactly as he had expected: a thin ledger!
Should he read it?
After hesitating for a moment, Han Mo opened the first page of the ledger.
At first, everything seemed normal. But as he continued reading, Han Mo's expression grew tense.
This was truly a case of human greed being insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant!
He never imagined that the Cai father and son were not just ordinary money-grabbers!
Moreover, they truly dared to take any money!
When he had read about Cai Jing and his son in history books, they were simply described with two words: corrupt officials.
History's evaluation of the Northern Song Dynasty during Emperor Huizong's reign was a simple statement of official corruption and a decadent court.
However, after reading the entire ledger, Han Mo finally understood the true meaning behind the words "official corruption."
During Emperor Shenzong's reign, the Song Dynasty's total annual revenue did not exceed seventy-seven million *guan*.
Based on a rough estimation from the figures in this ledger, the amount recorded in this single book alone reached fifteen million *guan*!
Furthermore, this ledger was marked with the number twenty-five!
This meant that there were at least twenty-five other ledgers preceding this one!
If one were to claim Heshen was the greatest corrupt official of all time, it was likely that if Cai Jing's family fortune were to be tallied, Heshen would pale in comparison...
“Hiss—”
After seeing the sheer magnitude of this, Han Mo felt a throbbing headache.
Should he make a backup?
Han Mo was starting to feel tempted!
This wasn't just a death warrant; it seemed like it could also become a trump card!
The woman's purpose in stealing this item was clearly not pure. It seemed like a good idea for him to keep a backup.
However, looking at the dense handwriting in the ledger, Han Mo felt another headache coming on.
There were no cameras in this era, so his only option for a backup was to copy it.
Moreover, he obviously couldn't find anyone else to do this; he could only copy it himself, stroke by stroke...
While the book wasn't excessively thick, it would at least take a day or two to completely copy it.
After pondering for a while, Han Mo decided to return the item to its original place and make plans after daybreak.
After all, him being here copying something in the dead of night could seem rather strange if he were discovered.
Although this was Han Jiayan's residence, he wasn't entirely sure if there were any spies from the Imperial Guard lurking about.
You can know a person's face but not their heart. Especially when it came to matters that could cost him his head, he dared not make any mistakes.
After arranging everything back in place, Han Mo tidied up his belongings, erased all traces, and re-locked the study door.
To avoid attracting attention, he deliberately took a copy of *Taiping Guangji* as a cover.
Returning to his own room, Han Mo looked again at the woman who was bound tightly.
“Alright, stop pretending! Let's talk?”
When Han Mo entered, the woman’s face still held an expression that seemed to convey her desire to fight him immediately.
“Mmm— mmm— mmm—” The book, she couldn't speak.
“If you can speak properly, I'll untie you! But if you keep yelling, I'll have to keep stuffing your mouth. If you agree, nod. If you disagree, shake your head!”
Taking off his outer jacket, Han Mo casually asked while tidying up.
Indeed, after a moment of silence, the woman chose to nod.
“I like smart people!”
Han Mo smiled. It seemed he had succeeded halfway.
“You scoundrel, what do you want?”
As soon as Han Mo removed the gag from her mouth, the woman immediately cursed.
“What do I want? That's an interesting question. I say, let's be clear about grudges and favors. Your life was saved by me, and I didn't even touch your fingers. How did I become a scoundrel?”
“You!”
“What about me? You wanted to kill me, and I saved your life, yet you treat me like this now! I'd like to ask you, who is your master? Is this disregard for right and wrong and biting the hand that feeds you something you should be doing?”
After only two sentences, the woman was completely refuted by Han Mo. Two unnatural blushes appeared on her previously pale face.
“As expected, women and petty men are difficult to deal with; the ancients did not deceive me!”
Seeing the woman fall silent, Han Mo couldn't resist adding another jab.
“What do you want?”
The woman finally couldn't stand it anymore and said through gritted teeth.
“What do I want? I just want to know who sent you. Don't tell me you just dislike Cai Jing and want to act on behalf of heaven...”
Han Mo spoke while carefully observing the expression on the woman's face.
“Why should I tell you? Also, aren't you afraid that if you know too much, you'll die an unexplained death?”
Upon hearing Han Mo’s words, the woman showed no panic on her face, which made Han Mo even more certain of his previous thoughts.
Everything about this woman was likely planned, and she might have even anticipated falling into his hands.
Interesting!
This was truly too interesting!
“What you say is not wrong. I won't ask anymore. You can go, before it gets light!”
Since he couldn’t get what he wanted through normal means, Han Mo decided to play along with the situation.
“You're going to let me go?”