SBCEJM -Chapter 10 The Pervert Levels Up! To Fuel His Roleplay Addiction, He Embezzled Massive River Dike Funds!

Standing in the middle of the grand hall, Zhou Huaili felt like he was being roasted alive over an open fire.

No—worse than that.

It felt as though he had been stripped naked and thrown into the busiest marketplace in the capital for ten thousand people to spit on.

The gazes of the officials—shocked, contemptuous, mocking—pierced him like countless arrows, leaving him riddled with wounds and dripping blood.

He continued reciting his memorial mechanically, but his voice grew weaker and weaker, fainter and fainter.

His breathing became ragged. Cold sweat soaked through his official robes. His legs had gone limp like noodles, almost giving out beneath him on the spot.

His head buzzed as though ten thousand flies had been stuffed inside it.

Only one thought screamed wildly in his mind:

Stop talking already!

Please, Scholar Feng!

At least leave me some dignity! No—at least leave me a whole corpse!

I’ll kowtow to you! My ancestors for eighteen generations will kowtow to you!

He wished he could faint immediately, or that the ground would split open so he could crawl inside and never see daylight again.

Yet Feng Zexuan’s gossip-loving soul was still burning brightly.

She was completely immersed in the supreme joy brought by this SSS-rank scandal, utterly oblivious to the fact that Zhou Huaili was moments away from combusting on the spot.

【Eh, but I still have one question.】

Feng Zexuan rubbed her chin, transforming into a master detective.

【Did his wife really have absolutely no clue?】

【That’s the person sleeping beside her every night! Even if she can’t see, shouldn’t she recognize things like smell, touch, breathing rhythm?】

【Could it be… that she actually figured it out long ago but chose not to expose him?】

【Maybe she’s enjoying it too? A husband-and-wife roleplay partnership? Mutual masters testing each other?】

The ears of everyone in court instantly perked up like rabbits’.

Right!

Could Madam Zhou really be that stupid? It didn’t make sense!

The system immediately explained:

【No no no! Host, you’re overestimating Madam Zhou’s intelligence and underestimating Lord Zhou’s professional skills! She’s completely unaware!】

【Lord Zhou’s ventriloquism skills have already reached perfection. Combined with his movie-emperor-level acting, every roleplay is done with full commitment and complete immersion!】

【And here comes the key point! He even burns different incense beforehand to completely alter his body scent according to the character setting!】

【When playing a poor scholar, he uses elegant ink fragrance;】

【When playing a wandering martial hero, he smells of rough liquor and sweat;】

【And when playing a Western Region merchant, he uses overpowering exotic spices and… cumin?】

Feng Zexuan: 【…That’s dedication.】

The system continued gleefully spilling secrets:

【Madam Zhou has always believed her charm is absolutely heaven-defying. Even though she’s blind, countless men are still captivated by her!】

【She firmly believes that every night, a different peerless handsome man risks his life sneaking into her chambers just to spend one passionate night with her!】

Feng Zexuan felt her scalp go numb listening to this.

【…Damn. Her imagination is on another level too. Even Qiong Yao would call her a professional.】

The system said:

【She now lives every day trapped in a contradictory mix of terror and excitement.】

【On one hand, she’s terrified her husband will discover her “infidelity,” and she’s consumed by guilt.】

【On the other hand, she’s addicted to the feeling of being adored by countless admirers and can’t pull herself away.】

【Deep down, she truly believes she’s some peerless femme fatale capable of toppling nations!】

【Her greatest daily worry is deciding whether tonight she’ll choose the gentle scholar or the domineering swordsman…】

Feng Zexuan: “…”

【Respect. Best wishes.】

【These two are truly a match made in heaven. Lock them together forever—I’m swallowing the key.】

At this moment, the worldview of every official in court shattered completely and scattered with the wind.

So… this wasn’t just one-sided perversion.

This was mutually shared insanity?!

Madam Zhou was a talent too!

“…This minister… has finished… reporting.”

At last, Zhou Huaili completed his memorial in a mosquito-like voice.

Like a puddle of mud, he dragged himself back into the ranks, his head practically buried in his chest.

Social death.

Complete and utter, legendary-level social death.

He knew that from this day onward, Zhou Huaili would become the greatest joke in the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

That is… if he even survived long enough to walk out of this hall alive.

On the dragon throne, Xiao Juechen forcibly suppressed the stampede of alpacas racing through his heart and cleared his throat.

“Minister Zhou… I understand what you’ve reported. As for the Ministry of Works…”

He paused, truly unable to look directly at Zhou Huaili’s hypocritical face any longer.

“Regarding the Yongding River dike matter, it is of great importance. We shall discuss it later.”

The Emperor intended to let the matter pass for now. Court still had to continue.

Feng Zexuan smacked her lips, still unsatisfied.

【Tsk. Although this gossip is definitely perverted and bizarre enough, it still seems like just a personal morality issue.】

【As long as he doesn’t neglect the Ministry of Works, he can roleplay whatever he wants.】

【I don’t discriminate against personal fetishes. As long as people keep it behind closed doors and don’t hurt others, it’s their business.】

Hearing this, a flicker of hope suddenly ignited in Zhou Huaili’s dead-gray eyes!

Yes, yes, yes!

This is my private life! My bedroom hobby!

I’m just playing behind closed doors—it’s not against the law!

The officials also nodded slightly. Though the man was outrageously deranged, he truly hadn’t violated Great Xia law. At worst, he’d lose his position; his life should remain safe.

However, the system suddenly let out a sinister chuckle.

【Hehehe, Host, you’re too naïve.】

【If someone lacks personal virtue, how good can their official integrity really be?】

Feng Zexuan froze.

【Oh? You mean there’s more gossip? Quick! Strike while the iron’s hot! Serve it up already!】

The breath Zhou Huaili had just managed to release instantly lodged back in his throat!

His heart pounded wildly, nearly bursting from his chest!

No!

His legs began trembling uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured from his forehead like a waterfall, soaking a patch of the golden floor tiles.

So… it was finally going to come out after all…

The system declared:

【That cuckold scandal was only the appetizer! The real feast is coming!】

【This master ventriloquist plays even more tricks when it comes to repairing river dikes than he does with his marital roleplay… far more exciting ones!】

Whoosh!

Xiao Juechen’s eyes instantly sharpened like blades!

An icy killing intent began spreading through the air.

The officials also immediately lost their mocking expressions. The atmosphere plunged straight to freezing point.

Personal morality was laughable.

Official corruption, however, could cost lives.

Feng Zexuan also became serious.

【What? He’s playing tricks with river repairs too? He’s a Vice Minister of Works—don’t tell me he dared cut corners? Take bribes? Embezzle funds?】

The system replied:

【Host, you guessed correctly! Recently, his spending has skyrocketed to satisfy his perverted hobbies!】

【Do you know how much he spent just to play that Western Region merchant character?】

【Handmade Persian carpets, gold-and-jade embroidered robes, plus dragon saliva incense imported from the Western Regions that costs more than gold… just that single outfit set cost nearly five thousand taels of silver!】

【How could his official salary possibly support that kind of lifestyle?】

Alarm bells instantly rang in Feng Zexuan’s head.

【Wait… five thousand taels?!】

【Don’t tell me… he dipped his hands into public funds?】

【Wasn’t he recently overseeing repairs for the Yongding River dikes?! Those are disaster-relief funds!】

The system answered triumphantly:

【Bingo! Correct answer!】

【He embezzled a full fifty thousand taels of silver from the Yongding River repair funds!】

【He used it to buy that Western Region merchant cosplay outfit and even purchased several private residences for his roleplaying activities!】

【To cover up the crime, he ordered his subordinates to forge accounts, inflate material prices, and even substitute inferior stones in place of premium granite, pocketing the difference for himself!】