The sun ushered in a new day in Gongmen's City accompanied by a mighty gong that shook heaven and earth. Tigress would wake up, discovering that she was alone lying on her bed. Still half dazed, she managed to stand up, covering her body with the huge sheets that she was dragging on the floor, and quickly put on clothes that were a little more adapted for the cold. Then she sat on a stool and began to brush her ruffled fur. And it wasn't until she finished getting ready that she noticed a small, folded piece of paper on the dresser.

------

真   我   我

是   在   有

個   主   地

美   街   道

妙   許   的

的   氏   情

夜   兄   報

晚   弟

       酒

       館

       後

       面

       等

       你

------

[The letter in Chinese was made with great affection XD. I hope you don't mind and if someone who knows Chinese tells me it's nonsense, I'll gladly change it. XD]

"It was a wonderful night. I'll wait for you behind the Xu Brothers' Tavern on the main street. I have information on the tunnels."

The letter said inside.

The letter aroused Tigress's curiosity, as well as giving her a nice boost to start the day. She hadn't noticed it before, but Tai Lung had a calligraphy worthy of the best scribes of the time. The teacher kept the piece of paper jealously in one of her pockets and hurried to her office to advance all the overdue documents from the previous day. Coming out of her room, she surprised the four servants who had assumed she would continue to sleep late and were sitting on the wooden planks talking about nonsense.

The servants stood up immediately, even so, Tigress was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice her carelessness in the slightest. In fact, looking at her face it was hard to define if she was sad or happy. Her mouth was drawn in a slight Mona Lisa-style smile, but her eyes were drooping, with black spots on her lower lids like those of someone tired or who had cried for a long time. For those who were unaware of the nocturnal "adventure", the Tigress teacher was doing her best to hide her sorrow for the death of master Crocodile, which was partly not without truth.

Fang Yin: - Master Tigress. Could you get some sleep? - They both ran into each other in the corridors of the palace.

Tigress: - Good morning, Fang Yin. Yes. I was able to sleep a bit. -

Fang Yin: - I'm going to the kitchen. Do you mind if we have breakfast together? -

Tigress: - I would love to. But I must go to my office. There are many overdue documents that require my attention. If possible, ask one of the servants to bring something to my office. -

Fang Yin: - With pleasure, little one. - Said with sweet voice. - But remember to rest from time to time. Stress is not good for your fur. - She said referring to her soft wool.

Tigress: - I'll keep it in mind. Now I am retired. -

Tigress and Fang Yin went their separate ways, until finally, Tigress came to a fork inside the palace where a sudden thought came to her mind. If she took the path to the right, she would reach her office in less than thirty seconds, but if she took the corridor to the left, she would reach Fang Yin's luxurious office.

In less than a split second, Tigress came up with a crazy idea. It was possible that the writings or maps of the old mines were "accidentally" in the office of the opulent goat. Still, she knew trespassing was going to be a violation with consequences. However, following her strong instinct, Tigress took the path to the left.

Seeing that no one was looking, the teacher entered Fang Yin's office and began to rummage through the drawers of the ostentatious fine wood bureau and the bookshelves on the sides. But to her surprise, she found nothing useful. Most of the drawers were empty and the few that had something interesting ended up being records of purchases of luxury items with no more than decorative value. Something that bothered Tigress a lot, as it revealed how the goat was spending the palace's money on its own greed.

Trying to ignore her own anger and frustration, the teacher continued searching until she opened a drawer on the bookshelves in which there was a series of documents rolled up like scrolls. Quickly, she took one of them but its content left her shocked. It was a record of public expenditures that she had personally made, but what astonished her was the fact that the numbers of the values ​​had been subtly modified. It was so well done that only someone very meticulous could distinguish the small, modified characters.

The more she read, the more shocked she was, especially when she read the data on public works in the slums. Not only had the works never been carried out, but also, the money required from the city's coffers was much higher. But then the question was: Where had all that money gone? Tigress kept checking until she felt a few small footsteps on the outskirts of the room. It was surely Fang Yin, who had returned from breakfast time.

Fang Yin entered the room and got a strange surprise: her favorite solid gold ornament was in one of the corners of her nightstand, and not right in the middle where she liked it. Besides, the window of his office was open, letting in the cold winter air. She hurried to seal the room until he noticed that the drawer with the documents was half open, but no sign of Tigress.

Fang Yin: - This thing broke again. I'm going to have to call the carpenter one more time. - She said as she closed the drawer with force.

The goat closed the window and sat calmly on her chair, ignoring the presence of Tigress, who had jumped out of the window at the last second and was clinging tightly to the wooden eaves above Fang Yin's office. But once she saw that she hadn't been discovered, she hurried to her office, hiding her steps in the snowdrifts on the palace roofs.

The teacher arrived at her destination and was locked inside the room to think without interruptions about what she had just discovered. Took a dumpling from a fine plate that a servant had left on her desk earlier, and she sat on her chair to try and find out the truth. While enjoying the snag, she kept her gaze fixed on the office window, watching the snowfall gently, thinking about the possible answer to her question. "Why did Fang Yin have doctored documents?"

"That goat has it all. A luxurious and carefree life. Hundreds of servants at her disposal. Unmatched riches and luxuries. What would she gain by embezzling a few extra funds? Was it just greed, or was there something more? Was she planning to leave the country? No. That wouldn't make sense. Or did she want the money to pay for something different? Something new in the city. No. That wouldn't make sense either. The city hasn't experienced any change in its economy since I arrived. The area The North continued at its usual rate of expansion, and taxes have not been reduced. Basically, everything was unchanged. The only new thing was the gua..."

At that moment, a spark lit in Tigress's mind. She jumped up, and devoured half of the dumpling that was still left in one bite, almost choking on it. Quickly, she opened one of his drawers and began to review a series of documents. One after another, the scrolls flew across the room once the teacher quickly read them. Finally, Tigress came to a conclusion.

"The new corps of the Jade Guard to guard the slums does not appear in any of the records. Although it was possible that no one had included them out of laziness, at the very least, their salaries had to appear in the monthly financial statement. However, the Jade Guard office had not reported any increase in their regular expenses. This is all too strange. But if I am to gamble on an option, that is where I will find the lost funds." Tigress thought.

Tigress spent the day without showing any trace of concern. She maintained her training routine, and even went to the dining room to have lunch with the rest of the palace staff, something that in the eyes of many, was something unique. But Tigress had her reasons for doing it.

First of all, she wanted to see the faces of everyone present. If someone felt "uncomfortable" with her presence, surely a slight grimace would appear on their face. But no one was bothered by her presence. A little nervous at first, since a Council Member had never spent time in the dining rooms, but eventually they relaxed when they saw that Tigress was pleasant. This wouldn't mean that Tigress began to trust the servants openly, but it did eliminate the possibility that someone around her was implicated in the embezzlement issue.

On the other hand, she emphasized the fact that she had a lot of papers to review and that she would surely spend the whole night closed in her office. All so that no curious person went to check. Some even volunteered to help, but Tigress turned them down, arguing that they were documents that should be reviewed by her personally. Of course, it was all alibi to be able to leave the palace without arousing suspicion.

Once night had come, Tigress left the palace as usual. As Tai Lung's letter said, she went to the Xu Brothers' Tavern. A small establishment, but well known in the city. As expected, the place was closed and no one was walking around the area, only Tigress was wandering in the back alley waiting for:

????: - Buh. -

Tai Lung tried to catch her off guard by hugging her from behind, but Tigress was ready for such a joke. Quicker than the snow leopard could perceive, Tigress turned around and grabbed his finger, her hand forming the shape of the Wuxi Finger Hold.

Tai Lung went blank. His eyes looked at Tigress's hand with concern, knowing the consequences if the teacher dropped her little finger. But before he could think about it too much, Tigress shifted her grip, taking him by the palm and pulling him to her. The leopard was corpulent, but Tigress was strong enough to be able to pull him closer to her, to then give him a kiss that Tai Lung was slow to return, scared by the imminent danger in which his life had been for just a few seconds.

Tai Lung: - This time you really scared me. -

Tigress: - That's how I feel every time you scare me from behind my back. - She said with a mischievous face.

Tai Lung: - Okay. I'm sorry. I promise not to do it... That often. Ha ha. -

They both laughed a little. At that, Tai Lung rushes over to take out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

Tai Lung: - Here it is. I asked some old people, and they gave me... - Tigress interrupted him by putting her finger on the leopard's mouth.

Tigress: - Before you say anything... There is something I want to give you. -