Zhongli heard Ryou say that, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his back.
Sure, he did have some dealings with Childe. He also knew Childe had stayed in Liyue Harbor for the Gnosis. But Ryou was clearly using that as leverage to threaten him.
For a moment, the look Zhongli gave Ryou grew… complicated.
Hu Tao couldn't sit still anymore.
"Ryou-san, you can't talk like that," she blurted. "My consultant does interact with Childe, but selling Liyue's intelligence? That's impossible. He's not that kind of person."
"And besides," she added quickly, "the kind of intel you're talking about—my consultant wouldn't even have access to it!"
"Not quite," Ryou said flatly. "Zhongli may not be an official, but from what I know, he's gone to the Ministry of Civil Affairs plenty of times for Director Hu Tao. He also frequents Yujing Terrace."
He leaned forward a fraction.
"Those are sensitive areas in Liyue Harbor. I can't guarantee he hasn't picked up something he shouldn't. I have every reason to suspect Zhongli."
Ryou's eyes cut to Hu Tao.
"Director, don't get in my way. Otherwise I'll arrest you too."
Ryou's face hardened, and the effect was immediate—anyone watching would take his words as completely serious. He sounded like he meant every word, so he had all the confidence in the world.
"My consultant went to the Ministry to get me out," Hu Tao shot back. "Half of Liyue Harbor knows that. As for Yujing Terrace… that was just a walk."
She rushed to explain, fast and tight.
Zhongli stayed silent beside her, watching Ryou instead.
Something about this was off.
It was too neat, too deliberate—less like an accusation and more like a tactic. He couldn't agree lightly. He was only two or three days away from retirement. If he missed it now, he'd have to wait another year or more.
And joining the Ministry of Civil Affairs? That would be busy to the point of misery.
He'd seen how Keqing worked herself to the bone.
"Director Hu Tao," Ryou said, voice going colder, "the way you're defending Zhongli makes me seriously suspect you too."
"I—I'm not!" Hu Tao pointed at him, furious. "This is framing! Is this because my consultant turned you down, so you're trying to smear him now?"
She jabbed her finger harder.
"Ryou—so that's the kind of person you are!"
"I'm framing you?" Ryou gave her a look. "Fine. Then let's talk."
He spoke slowly, almost leisurely.
"You said Zhongli went to the Ministry to protect you. Can you be sure he was under your watch the entire time? Can you guarantee he didn't pull any small tricks while you weren't looking?"
"This…" Hu Tao hesitated.
She honestly couldn't say.
Back then, everything was chaotic. She barely remembered the details anymore—and most of it had been arranged by Zhongli from start to finish.
"See?" Ryou tapped the table. "You can't answer."
He didn't let her breathe.
"And Yujing Terrace—do you know Ningguang and Ganyu, along with a whole group of secretaries, work there? That place is the heart of Liyue Harbor. Every official matter and every confidential document passes through it before it goes anywhere else."
Ryou's palm hit the stone table with a sharp crack.
"Yujing Terrace matters more than the Ministry does. And you're telling me Zhongli goes there every day… for a walk?"
Ryou sucked in a breath, his emotions rising on cue.
"Tell me—what normal person takes daily strolls at Yujing Terrace? Even the seventy- and eighty-year-old grandpas and grandmas don't go walking there."
His stare pinned Zhongli.
"And you're saying he's a young, healthy guy who runs there every day to 'take a walk'?"
Ryou stood.
"Enough. Both of you are coming to the Ministry of Civil Affairs with me. I'll have people sent over in a moment."
He let the threat hang.
"Unless you'd rather be escorted there by force."
"Y-you…" Hu Tao's finger still hovered in the air, but she couldn't find a rebuttal.
Ryou's logic hung together. Too well—tight enough to make her want to scream.
Almost without thinking, Hu Tao turned to Zhongli.
"Consultant… think of something," she pleaded. "Are we really just going to wait here and get arrested?"
Zhongli let out a long sigh.
"This is a misunderstanding," he said at last. "It has nothing to do with the director."
"Good," Ryou said immediately. "So you're admitting you're the mastermind."
He flicked Zhongli a glance, all seriousness.
"Then come with me. Director, we'll be lenient with you. But you? Get ready to rot at the bottom of a cell. With your situation… I'd say a thousand years should do it."
Zhongli: "…"
Can a normal person even live a thousand years?
At that point, just let me die in there.
"Ryou…" Zhongli hesitated, then spoke carefully. "You don't have to do this. Taking a job at the Ministry of Civil Affairs… it's not like I can't."
"Hmph." Ryou didn't even blink. "Before, I spoke that way because you're talented. I was giving you a chance to make up for it."
His voice stayed cold.
"You refused. And now you want to join the Ministry?"
Ryou stepped forward.
"Too late. Let's go. You can explain yourself in a Ministry cell."
[End of chapter]
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