Chapter 198: I, Ming Shaoxia, Am a Loyal Servant of the Great Yan Murong Clan!

"Inspector, have you been well!"

The "watcher" who had been lurking beside Ming Shaoxia stepped forward from the crowd in response.

Now that we've reached this point, there's no need to keep hiding any longer…

He immediately bowed his hands in salute toward Ming Shaoxia.

Ming Shaoxia stared at the unmistakably familiar face and called out his name in one breath: "Xiao Lin?"

"How could it be you?!"

The man was his mediocre, lazy, pleasure‑seeking, money‑loving deputy, the Chief Historian of Jingzhou, Xiao Lin.

When Chen Yan had just mentioned 'Shangguan', Ming Shaoxia had thought of many people, but had never considered it could be him…

"It is indeed me!"

Xiao Lin straightened up and laughed, "Is the Inspector surprised?"

A person you wouldn't even try to win over has been watching all your moves from start to finish…

Even now, Xiao Lin's eyes still bore the deep sockets of a man addicted to wine and women.

But in those eyes a sharp light flickered, a calm restraint completely opposite to his former image.

"Hahaha!"

Ming Shaoxia stared at Xiao Lin, couldn't help but grin, raised his hand and pointed, coldly saying, "Well, Xiao Lin, I truly underestimated you; all these years I've been blind!"

He acted so convincingly that he fooled my own eyes, leading me to misjudge him as a useless fool, never trying to recruit him and often ignoring him…

"You're wrong, my name isn't Xiao Lin either…" Xiao Lin said, shaking his head with a smile.

He paused, then continued, "It's Si Tu Hui!"

Having reached this point, there was no need to hide any longer, so he laid his cards on the table.

"What did you say?!" Ming Shaoxia snapped, stunned and bewildered.

His mind buzzed, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

"What?!"

"Xiao the Chief Historian isn't Xiao the Chief Historian, but Si Tu Hui?!"

The shock wasn't limited to Ming Shaoxia; Wang Xiong, Dou Luling and others were also stunned.

"Then where is the real Xiao the Chief Historian?" Zu Ting came to his senses and raised the crucial question.

Xiao Lin isn't Xiao Lin, but Si Tu Hui…

So where is the real Xiao Lin?

And who exactly is Si Tu Hui?

While Yuwen Ze was bewildered, his peripheral vision caught Chen Yan beside him, calm as ever, "A Xiong's expression is unchanged, not a hint of surprise…"

Could it be that he already knew about this?

A bold thought floated into Yuwen Ze's mind.

But when did his A Xiong learn of it?

"Xiao Lin died long ago!"

"He died on the road to his appointment…"

Si Tu Hui's eyes flashed with coldness, his fist clenched, and he sneered, "I've been by your side all along, a surviving member of the Jinghong Society you supported, the bereaved who slaughtered every kin and friend in the town!"

Even after all those years, just recalling that scene still makes Si Tu Hui's heart ache faintly…

Parents, wife, relatives, friends, neighbors—all perished in that bandit disaster!

The only survivors were himself and his daughter who had been sent to learn martial arts.

Thus, after witnessing the town wiped out, Si Tu Hui swore vengeance…

Later he uncovered the tangled connections between the Jinghong Society and Ming Shaoxia.

He arranged for Hongye to kill the corrupt official Xiao Lin on his way to appointment, then impersonated him, getting close to the source of all calamities—Ming Shaoxia!

"So that's it… so that's it…"

Hearing this, Ming Shaoxia couldn't help but sigh, "I really did underestimate you!"

He never imagined that right beside him a venomous snake of such ruthlessness had been hidden all along…

How laughable that he was so self‑confident in his flawless plan!

What a huge irony!

"Inspector, you've missed even more…"

Si Tu Hui's follow‑up jab continued, "Guess who brought Lord Chen Yan here?"

"Why did you have to fake your death?"

Saying that, he raised his hand and pointed at Chen Yan, whose corner of the mouth bore a faint smile.

"It's you!" Ming Shaoxia said without hesitation, glaring at Si Tu Hui.

"Exactly!"

Si Tu Hui affirmed resolutely.

He paused, then continued, "It was I who fabricated the rumors and false evidence that you, under the name of the Grand Tomb Governor, extorted, seized lands, and exploited the common folk…"

"And spread them to Chang'an, to the Tian Guan Fu!"

Si Tu Hui knew that confronting the deeply entrenched, high‑ranking Ming Shaoxia in Jingzhou was impossible single‑handed…

He had to enlist a stronger force.

And the Grand Tomb Governor, who alone decides court policy, was the obvious choice!

Moreover, after this incident, with the Qinzhou rebellion looming, it was highly likely that Lord Chen Yan would be sent.

"So it's you, you wretched brat, ruining my grand scheme!" Ming Shaoxia's face flushed with alternating blue and purple, his emotions no longer restrained, and he shouted in anger.

He looked utterly defenseless.

Ming Shaoxia had previously been puzzled why Yuwen Hu that fellow would, without any sign, suddenly send people to Jingzhou to suppress bandits, forcing his own plan to be advanced…

It turned out the problem lay with the murderous hand before me!

"Not only that…"

Situ Hui's smile grew deeper and more playful, and he continued, cutting to the heart: "I even had my little daughter Hongye present Lord Chen Yan with your evidence of guilt!"

Obviously, Situ Hui feared that Chen Yan wouldn't find it, so he blatantly pointed it there…

Whether this Grand Tomb Steward's favorite minister believes it or not, a seed of doubt about Ming Shaoxia must be left with him!

In the end, Lord Chen Yan's skill far exceeded his estimate, and with uncanny technique he struck directly at the Jinghong Society's old lair…

"Damned thing!" Ming Shaoxia cursed.

At that moment, he truly wanted to skin him to relieve his hatred!

"Inspector Ming, don't rush to scold; I, Chen, have a question I'd like you to answer…" Chen Yan, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke, cutting off Ming Shaoxia.

He paused, then continued: "You just said inside that the rebels are the Yuwen Clan; I'm curious, who exactly do you serve?"

He said this while raising his hand, pointing at the imprisoned Liu Mu Zhi.

Chen Yan had previously wondered why Ming Shaoxia, abandoning his respectable post as inspector, would engage in such a high‑risk rebellion…

When he heard that, all his confusion cleared.

The reason for the extra question was that Chen Yan wanted to hear him say it himself…

"Could it be that he swears allegiance to…?!"

Wang Xiong, Dou Luling and others exchanged glances, a thought simultaneously arising in their minds.

"Isn't that obvious enough?"

Ming Shaoxia lifted his head, straightened his chest, and retorted.

He paused again, then each word came with a pause: "I, Ming Shaoxia, am a loyalist of the Great Yan Murong clan!"

"My ancestors all served Great Yan, receiving imperial favor for generations; how could we not seek to repay it?"

Their three generations, the entire Ming clan, have been beneficiaries of the Former Yan's magnanimous ruler, truly an imperial faction, and cannot stand by while the Yuwen Clan usurps the throne!

In any case, we must support Murong!

"What a loyalist of the Great Yan Murong clan!"

Chen Yan clicked his tongue, half‑smiling, then, with a hint of amusement, said: "It's just a pity…"

"Pity what?" Ming Shaoxia pressed.

"Your delay, waiting for the Jinghong Society's main force, likely means they won't arrive…" Chen Yan met his gaze, meaningfully.

"What do you mean?" A bad premonition flickered in Ming Shaoxia's mind as he asked.

Wang Xiong lifted his head, eyes full of mockery, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, and asked: "Inspector Ming, do you think Lord Chen Yan would only leave Kuo Cang Peak as an empty nest for them to chase, then return empty‑handed?"

Ming Shaoxia stared blankly, then suddenly realized something, his eyes wide as he looked at Chen Yan, demanding: "Did you set a trap?"

"More than that!"

Chen Yan smiled calmly, lightly wiggling his fingers, "They have already perished in the flames, reduced to ash!"

"You… Chen Yan!"

Hearing this, Ming Shaoxia's legs went weak, he staggered back several steps, clutching his chest, feeling he couldn't draw a breath, and hysterically shouted: "I've plotted for years, exhausted my mind, sleepless day and night, only to be defeated by a boy not yet twenty!"

His voice was filled with resentment and fury.

The last sliver of hope was completely shattered…

Chen Yan smiled calmly, raised two fingers, and said: "The Grand Tomb Steward Faction sent me here for only two tasks…"

"Investigate you, Ming Shaoxia, and suppress the bandits!"

"If I don't eradicate the bandit threat completely, how can I return to Chang'an to report?"

Even the Grand Tomb Steward's father was granted such authority; the matters he entrusted must be fulfilled to the letter.

"Hahaha!"

Ming Shaoxia, hair disheveled, both hands on the ground, eyes blood‑red, laughed maniacally: "My plan failed because it was destiny!"

He paused, then shifted tone, glaring ferociously at everyone, and continued: "Chen Yan, with that attitude, do you truly think you've already won?"

"And I have utterly lost?"

In that instant, it was unclear whether he went mad from the shock.

Or perhaps he still had a hidden move, capable of turning the tide from the brink…