Chapter 210

In a duty room at the end of the commandery prison corridor, four disheveled men in black robes sat around, eating a dog meat hotpot. The thick soup in the pot was boiling and rolling, and amidst the swirling white steam, the four men's faces became increasingly blurred. The intense aroma of meat mixed with the smell of wine permeated the small room.

Although even prison officials in this commandery prison dared not drink openly while on duty, the four men didn't care at all, eating and drinking noisily, and they hadn't even closed the door properly.

When Liu Yin entered the room, the four men stood up quickly, cupping their hands and bowing: "Chief Clerk!"

Liu Yin said: "Xiao Qi, stay. The rest of you, get out."

The three bowed to Liu Yin, exited the room, and closed the door.

Liu Yin sat down and beckoned to Xiao Qi: "Sit."

Xiao Qi took a bowl and poured wine for Liu Yin: "Sir, is there a job?"

"There is a person from whom we need to get a confession."

Xiao Qi wiped his greasy mouth, smiled ingratiatingly, and asked: "The old rules?"

Liu Yin lowered his eyes and fiddled with the wine bowl: "Yes. But this time it's the Langya Wang clan."

Xiao Qi's smile froze.

Liu Yin looked up at Xiao Qi: "Scared?"

Xiao Qi swallowed, opened his mouth, but couldn't speak. After a few moments of silence, he knelt and said: "Xiao Qi was originally a death-row prisoner. My life was given by you, sir. Living a few more years is already a gain. Don't worry, sir, leave this matter to me."

"This time the procedure must be complete, so it cannot be just you alone; there is another person with you."

"It's fine, I will send him away."

"You only have the time of one incense stick. Within one incense stick, get the confession, and the person must stop breathing."

"Understood."

Liu Yin paused and added: "Both people must stop breathing."

Xiao Qi's mouth twitched slightly, and he said hoarsely: "Understood."

Liu Yin patted Xiao Qi on the shoulder: "Go ahead, don't worry about your father's affairs, I am here."

Xiao Qi trembled and kowtowed to Liu Yin three times.

Le Zhan and Zong Rui's expressions changed: "A desperate gamble? What does that mean?"

"Before, he had a way out. As long as he released the people first, then found subordinates to take the blame, and then apologized, although he would still be punished, it wouldn't be too heavy. Now that the subordinates who were to take the blame have been caught, and Jingzhou is in such chaos, it's no longer a matter of him just pushing the responsibility away..." Wang Yang's gaze fixed as he said this, a sneer appearing on his lips: "Since he has been forced to the end, he naturally has to make a desperate gamble."

Le Zhan asked hesitantly: "Being forced to the end, shouldn't that mean suicide by the Wujiang River?"

"King Xiang was surrounded and first chose to break through with cavalry; only when that failed did he commit suicide. Although Liu Yin is not as good as King Xiang, this is his home turf after all, so how could he have no cavalry to use?"

Zong Rui asked anxiously: "Then what should we do?"

Just then, a loud bang was heard!

The door to the interrogation room was kicked open!

A group of jailers rushed in with swords! Their faces were full of ferocity!

Le Zhan's four guards reacted quickly, drawing their swords and blocking in front of the group.

Zong Rui slapped the table and scolded: "How bold! Who allowed you to come in?!"

The jailers cleared a path, and Liu Yin walked in.

Le Zhan's face sank: "Chief Clerk Liu, what are you doing?"

Liu Yin said coldly: "Clear out everyone unrelated to this case! Anyone who refuses, no matter who they are, arrest them immediately!"

"Who dares to move!" Le Zhan stood up abruptly: "I am the Bieja of Jingzhou! I now order all jailers to withdraw immediately! Liu Yin is violating the law and causing chaos; his official position will not be preserved. Anyone who takes action is an accomplice!"

Liu Yin stood with his hand on his sword and shouted loudly: "Whose orders does the Nanjun commandery prison follow!"

The jailers' voices were loud: "We follow the Chief Clerk's orders!"

Le Zhan lost his color.

Liu Yin pointed: "Arrest them."

At this moment, the sound of rapid and heavy armor footsteps came from outside the door, and a loud shout pierced the tense air: "Stop everything! The Prince of Badong's order has arrived!"

Liu Yin's expression froze, and the jailers didn't dare to move.

A team of armored soldiers filed in, lining up on both sides of the prison corridor. The cold light of their armor flashed, and an aura of slaughter rushed toward them. The jailers at the door hurriedly stepped aside. Kong Zhangyu walked in with large strides, holding the Jingzhou Inspector's token, followed by Jiao Shirong, the General of the Wang Fu's Defense Pavilion.

"By the order of the Prince of Badong: Jingzhou Chief Clerk Liu Yin has perverted the law and abused his power, causing the scholars and commoners to boil with resentment and chaos to arise everywhere. He is now temporarily stripped of his duties, his seal and ribbon are suspended, and he is to be detained in the Chief Clerk's residence, awaiting the authorities' impeachment!"

The officials and soldiers were in an uproar. The young legal official looked as if his parents had died, leaning against the wall; Xiao Qi hid in the crowd, pursing his lips tightly, his heart pounding.

Liu Yin felt the world spinning and tried to support himself: "I have the Dianqian's warrant, bypassing the Inspector's residence..."

Kong Zhangyu interrupted: "Dianqian Wu has already submitted a letter of confession and is waiting for impeachment at home. The Chief Clerk is a high-ranking official in Jingzhou, and the Prince will not dispose of him arbitrarily; he must wait for the court's decision. Men, send Chief Clerk Liu back to his residence!"

Two armored soldiers walked over and stood on Liu Yin's left and right.

Jiao Shirong said coldly: "Chief Clerk Liu, please."

Liu Yin walked a few steps in a daze, then suddenly turned back and ran to Wang Yang's table, pressing his hands on it and knocking over the wine cup, which rolled on the table. The armored soldiers hurriedly stepped forward and pressed him onto the table. Liu Yin turned his head, staring fixedly at Wang Yang, gritting his teeth, his voice hoarse and broken:

"You did this on purpose! You deliberately didn't put all the pieces on the board! You deliberately didn't finish the game! You deliberately blocked while leaving room, just to lure me into a counterattack! To let me sink deeper and deeper! Hehe, good calculation, truly good calculation!"

Liu Yin's laughter was full of desolation and bitterness, making everyone present tremble.

Wang Yang leaned forward, looked at Liu Yin calmly, and said in a low voice:

"Good chess players plan for the situation, poor chess players plan for the pieces. You have always been planning for the pieces, while I have been planning for the situation. Now that the situation is in my hands, how can you not be defeated?"

Hearing these words from Wang Yang, Liu Yin felt his whole body go cold, as if falling into an icy abyss.

Kong Zhangyu ordered: "Take him away!"

Wang Yang said: "Wait a moment, I have one more thing to say to him."

He leaned close to Liu Yin's ear and whispered: "Do you know why I wore black today? Because after being thrown into prison, it's not easy to get dirty..."

Liu Yin was struck as if by lightning! His whole body suddenly lost its strength, and he was dragged away by the armored soldiers like mud.

At this moment, the wine cup that Liu Yin had knocked over rolled in front of Wang Yang. Wang Yang flicked his finger, hitting the wine cup, his gaze like water, and he said coldly: "Kill the general."

The evening clouds drifted away, and the phoenix curtains were sparse.

Xiao Baoyue was draped in a thin, crimson gauze dress, barefoot, lazily leaning on a soft couch piled with brocade. Her ink-black hair cascaded down, and her skin was cold as snow.

Xinyi sat on the edge of a high cabinet, singing. Her two slender calves hung in the air, swaying gently with the ethereal singing:

"May I ask—playing the flute/towards the purple smoke, hey—yi—, once—learned to dance/passing the fragrant years. If we can become/a pair of mandarin fish—why fear death—, I wish to be/a pair of mandarin ducks—not/envy/immortals."

At this moment, a woman in black walked into the room, stood outside the gauze curtain, and bowed with cupped hands: "Young Master."

Xiao Baoyue signaled with her hand. Xinyi was singing with great enthusiasm and didn't see her at all, continuing to stretch her voice: "Not—envy—sigh—"

Xiao Baoyue frowned slightly and raised her arm to wave!

Xinyi hit the high note: "—immortals—!!!!"

Xiao Baoyue picked an ice grape from a plate and threw it at Xinyi.

Xiao Baoyue didn't throw it accurately, and she didn't have enough strength. The grape followed a parabolic arc and fell just as it reached the edge of the cabinet.

Xinyi leaned sideways and reached down, her body swaying like a willow branch, tilting and suspended in the air. She accurately caught the grape with two fingers, then sat up straight and threw the grape into her mouth. Her teeth bit down lightly, and the sweet and sour juice overflowed. The room became quiet.

Xiao Baoyue rolled her eyes at Xinyi and said to the outside of the curtain: "How did it go?"

The female subordinate outside the curtain said: "He's out, he should be home by now."

Xiao Baoyue's lips curled into a smile: "Less than two hours, coming and going as he pleases, the commandery prison became a mere decoration. Truly a good method..."

"Then should the book continue—"

"Continue to release it, his ordeal isn't over yet."

"Yes."

"Did the Xie family's carriage go again?" Xiao Baoyue asked.

"Yes, although they changed the carriage, it was still the one the Fourth Young Lady often uses."

Xiao Baoyue's eyes darkened, and she said with hatred for the girl's lack of ambition: "Stupid girl! You don't even know the person's background and you... That person's mind is so deep, how could you possibly control him?"

Xinyi said: "Young Master has worries, Xinyi will solve them!"

Xiao Baoyue glanced at her: "You? You are easier to deceive than Xie Xinghan. He could deceive you thirty times over."

Xinyi pouted: "Xinyi won't listen to him talk, Xinyi will kill him directly!"

Xiao Baoyue sneered: "Do you think he is that easy to kill? Even a provincial Chief Clerk couldn't kill him."

Xinyi discovered that her killing skills were being questioned and immediately sat up straight: "How many guards does he have? Is his kung fu very good? It's fine, leave it to Xinyi! I will complete the mission within three days!"

Xiao Baoyue smiled disdainfully, closed her eyes, tapped the embroidered couch lightly with her fingers, and said softly: "Killing a person is easy, killing a situation is hard... Moreover—"

Xiao Baoyue suddenly thought of something, her fingertips paused, her eyes opened suddenly, and she murmured thoughtfully: "Killing a person may not be easy either..."