The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Cen Jiexiao sat at her desk, her posture erect, yet her fatigue evident. Clearly, she had expended considerable energy reviewing these account books. Yu Lan and Xiao Zhi flanked her, their expressions grave, their gaze fixed on the mountain of account books on the desk. These books, recovered from a secret room in the Li Mansion's dungeon, were densely packed with evidence of Li Yusheng's crimes over the years, including corruption, collusion with foreign enemies, and attempts at rebellion.

Lu Qingyun, Wen Kuan, and Wu Cheng stood quietly across from Cen Jiexiao's desk, their expressions unusually solemn, each one feeling as if a huge rock had weighed down their hearts, weighing them down and making it hard to breathe. They all knew that behind these account books lay a massive conspiracy, one that could overthrow the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, and they were about to be caught up in this storm.

"These accounts are a complete mess!" Yu Lan, known for her composure, couldn't help but curse. Her slender fingers slashed across the account book, her tone filled with undisguised anger. "These corrupt officials are so bold! They embezzled military funds and did it so brazenly!"

"That's right! Every single payment is recorded vaguely, and the purpose is unclear. It's clearly intentional!" Xiaozhi echoed angrily, her delicate face twisted with anger. "I think Li Yusheng is simply trying to empty the entire Great Zhou treasury!"

Cen Jiexiao remained silent, her brow furrowed as she scanned the account book, trying to discern some pattern from the chaotic figures. Her eyes, usually gleaming with wisdom, were now clouded. Clearly, Li Yusheng's actions had exceeded her expectations, leaving her feeling incredibly daunted.

Her slender fingers tapped lightly on the table, once, twice, three times... The crisp sound echoed in the silent study, as if knocking on everyone's heart, and also knocking on this precarious dynasty.

"Teacher, did you notice anything?" Lu Qingyun keenly noticed Cen Jiexiao's abnormality and asked in a low voice.

Cen Jiexiao didn't answer immediately. She gently set down the teacup in her hand. The bottom of the cup made a slight sound when it hit the table, but like a stone dropped into a calm lake, it stirred ripples in everyone's hearts. She pondered for a moment, sorting through the scattered account books before her, pulling out a few and placing them side by side. Then, her slender fingers gently slid across the yellowed paper, finally pausing on several amounts recorded in cinnabar. She spoke calmly, "Look, although these payments are recorded in different account books, with different dates, purposes, and handlers, the amounts are exactly the same, and they were all paid in silver."

Cen Jiexiao's words were like lightning streaking across the sky in the darkness, illuminating the fog of doubt in everyone's hearts. They all cast their eyes on the account books, carefully comparing the pointed-out figures. As Cen Jiexiao had said, these seemingly unrelated records were surprisingly consistent.

"What does this mean?" Wen Kuan asked in a muffled voice, his rough face full of confusion. Normally, wielding swords and guns was his forte, but faced with these cumbersome accounts, he felt overwhelmed.

"This means these accounts have likely been tampered with," Cen Jiexiao said with a hint of certainty. Her slender fingers tapped the tabletop, creating a crisp sound. Once, twice, three times... as if tapping on everyone's heart, and also on this precarious dynasty. "These identical amounts may represent some special meaning, such as... a codeword."

"Code words?" Yu Lan and Xiao Zhi exclaimed in unison. They had never heard of code words hidden in account books. For a moment, curiosity, surprise, confusion, all kinds of emotions intertwined on their pretty faces.

"Yes, codewords," Cen Jiexiao nodded, confirming their guess. Her gaze swept across the crowd, finally stopping on Lu Qingyun. "If my guess is correct, these codewords should record the true details of Li Yusheng's collusion with the Liaodan Kingdom."

"Then how do we crack these codes?" Wu Cheng asked in a low voice with a frown on his face. He was proficient in mathematics and was particularly sensitive to these numbers and symbols. He also realized the complexity of the matter at this moment.

Cen Jiexiao pondered for a moment, a special encryption method she had seen in ancient books coming to mind. She slowly said, "I remember seeing a special encryption method in ancient books before, called the 'digit shift method'. It involves shifting specific numbers according to certain rules to convert them into corresponding text or symbols."

"You mean, Li Yusheng might have also used this method?" Lu Qingyun stared at Cen Jiexiao with burning eyes and asked, with a hint of anxiety in his tone that was hard to conceal.

"That possibility can't be ruled out," Cen Jiexiao nodded, a hint of uncertainty in her tone. "However, the key to this encryption method lies in finding the correct shifting rules. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of meaningless numbers."

Seeing that Cen Jiexiao was lost in thought, Xiaozhi felt extremely anxious and couldn't help asking, "What should we do now? We can't just sit and wait, can we?" Her big watery eyes were full of worry, and her hands were restlessly stirring the corners of her clothes.

"Of course not," Cen Jiexiao snapped out of her reverie, a glint in her eyes. "We need to split up and attack from multiple angles." She glanced around, her gaze finally landing on Wu Cheng. "Wu Cheng, you're proficient in mathematics and have a keen eye for numbers. I remember there are quite a few students in the academy who are also proficient in math and arithmetic. Gather them together and study these ledgers to see if we can find any patterns between the numbers and decipher the code."

"Okay, I'll try!" Wu Cheng agreed without hesitation. He knew that the matter was of great importance and dared not slack off in the slightest. He immediately stood up, picked up several account books on the table, and hurried out the door.

"Qingyun, you and Wen Kuan will take several elite members of the Qiming Group and secretly head to the border." Cen Jiexiao turned to look at Lu Qingyun and Wen Kuan and instructed them in a serious tone, "Your main task is to secretly investigate Generals Wang Dan, Li Ruzhe, Zhao Quanzong, and the truth behind the 'border trade' at Heifengkou. Make sure to uncover evidence of their collusion with Li Yusheng. Remember, be cautious and don't alert the enemy. Safety comes first."

"Don't worry, we understand!" Lu Qingyun and Wen Kuan accepted the order. They looked at each other and saw the determination in each other's eyes. They stood up, bowed, and turned to leave the room.

"Yu Lan, Xiao Zhi, please stay and help me sort out these account books to see if you can find more useful clues." Cen Jiexiao said to Xiao Zhi and Yu Lan in a much gentler tone.

"Okay, I understand." Xiaozhi agreed obediently, and the anxious look on her face faded a lot. She walked to Cen Jiexiao and began to look through the account books carefully.

"Okay, Dean." Yu Lan answered calmly. She walked to the table, picked up a brush, and began to carefully copy the contents of the account book, hoping to find some clues from it.

After arranging everything, Cen Jiexiao and the others began their long journey of decryption.