Chapter 578: No One Understands Fishing Enforcement Better Than Chen…

Morning.

The hour of the Dragon is near.

A faint fish‑belly white spreads across the eastern horizon, and the morning light pierces the thin mist, scattering sparsely through the streets and alleys of Chang'an.

The air still carries a hint of late‑spring's cool dampness.

Deep within the Bright Mirror Department.

Inside the execution chamber there is not a trace of warmth; a chilling aura pervades every corner.

The stone walls are mottled, the floor glistens with dampness, and the execution rack, chains and other implements are neatly arranged, exuding a stark cold that sends shivers down the spine.

On the rack, Xu You is bound tightly by heavy iron chains; his arms are spread, wrists and ankles shackled, leaving him unable to move.

He remains unconscious, his head drooping limply onto his chest, hair disheveled, clothes smeared with dirt, a pitiful sight.

His face still bears lingering ferocity and terror, lips pale, breath weak.

Not far from the execution chamber a wooden chair stands; Chen Yan sits lazily on it, legs slightly raised, posture casual.

He still wears that dark‑colored Brothel, his fingertips idly tapping the chair arm, his gaze calmly fixed on Xu You on the rack.

His eyes are still, revealing no emotion.

A moment later, an embroidered envoy carries a food tray and walks slowly into the chamber; on the tray sits a bowl of richly scented meat porridge and two plump white buns.

The rising steam disperses some of the chamber's chill.

The embroidered envoy approaches Chen Yan, bows, and says respectfully, "Pillar of State, the porridge and buns you requested are ready."

Having said so, he carefully places the tray on the wooden table beside Chen Yan.

Chen Yan nods slightly, says nothing, and lifts the meat porridge from the table.

The porcelain bowl is warm in his hand, the porridge fragrant and rich, its scent sliding down his nose into his belly, dispelling the morning chill.

He leisurely takes a sip; the warm porridge slides down his throat, spreading warmth, then he sets the bowl down, picks up a bun, bites gently—the bun is soft and tasty, with a faint wheat aroma.

After two bites, Chen Yan looks up at the still‑unconscious Xu You on the rack, a faint smile curling his lips, and says casually, his voice low yet clear throughout the chamber, "Come on!"

While speaking, he points at Xu You with the bun in his hand and commands loudly, "Wake this fellow up!"

Hou Mo Chen Xiao, standing beside Chen Yan, hears the order, immediately bows and replies crisply, "As you command!"

Having spoken, he turns his head toward the two embroidered envoys waiting by the rack and signals with his gaze.

The two instantly understand, turn and stride to the corner, each hoisting a wooden bucket filled with cold water.

They then rush back to the rack and raise their arms.

"Splash!" a sound, as the two buckets of icy water pour over Xu You's head, streaming down his hair and clothes, splashing everywhere.

The frigid water instantly soaks Xu You's garments, bone‑chilling cold seeping through his skin, stimulating his nerves.

Xu You shivers violently, a vague "uh!" escaping his throat.

His consciousness gradually clears from the haze.

He slowly lifts his heavy eyelids, his gaze still somewhat dazed, his head foggy, his whole body sore and weak.

Especially the spots pierced by silver needles, a lingering numb pain remains, and the cold water's sting makes it unbearably painful.

Xu You blinks bewilderedly, slowly turns his head, surveying the strange, chilling surroundings…

Stone walls, execution implements, and the air thick with the scent of blood and dampness…

A strong unease wells up in his heart.

He instinctively tries to move, only to find his limbs locked by iron chains, unable to budge, and he lets out a painful whine, "Hiss! Where am I?"

At that moment, a familiar, steady voice comes from not far away, casually saying, "Bright Mirror Department!"

Hearing that voice and the words "Bright Mirror Department," Xu You's body jerks, his consciousness snaps awake, the confusion and haze vanishing.

He whirls his head toward the source, and upon seeing the familiar face, his pupils contract sharply, his expression filled with shock and terror, lips trembling as he gasps, "Chen… Chen Yan?!"

Before the words finish, a crisp "Slap!" rings out suddenly.

It echoes through the silent execution chamber.

The embroidered envoy who had just carried the water bucket raises his hand and delivers a hard slap to Xu You's face, full of force.

Caught off guard, Xu You's head is knocked to one side, blood instantly spilling from his mouth corner.

Half of his cheek swells visibly, burning with pain.

He grimaces in pain, letting out a mournful scream, "Ah!"

The embroidered envoy withdraws his hand, eyes cold as he glares at Xu You, rebuking sharply, "How dare you!"

"Who gave you the nerve to address the Pillar of State by name!"

"You have no sense of life or death!"

The words are laced with anger.

Chen Yan sits in the chair, taking the whole scene in, his face showing not a hint of displeasure but a calm smile; he waves his hand and says casually, "Hey, it's early morning, no need to get so heated…"

As he speaks, he picks up the remaining bun on the table, tosses it toward the embroidered envoy, and laughs, "Have a bun to calm you down!"

Though he says that, he shows no intention of stopping.

Clearly he approves the envoy's action, merely pretending to be offended.

The embroidered envoy, seeing this, quickly reaches to catch the flying bun, his face instantly brightening, and he bows to Chen Yan, replying respectfully, "Thank you, Pillar of State, for the gift!"

Xu You's cheek swells in pain, blood from his mouth corner drips down his chin onto the cold ground, leaving dark spots.

His eyes brim with humiliation and anger, yet he dares not act, clenching his teeth and suppressing the fury and fear within.

A moment later, as if recalling something, a hint of doubt flashes in his eyes; he looks up at Chen Yan, his voice hoarse, and asks, "Wait, wasn't I just at the Imperial Academy?"

"How could I have fainted for no reason?"

Chen Yan cradles the porridge bowl, sips slowly, and upon hearing this, looks at Xu You, a playful smile on his face, and says lightly, "Because I, the Duke, had them coat the darts aimed at you with Dizzy Drug!"

Having said so, he sets the bowl down, a hint of jest in his gaze, and continues, "After all, this saves a lot of trouble…"

"Moreover, the Imperial Academy is a pure place for studying and nurturing people; blood should not be shed there!"

Xu You heard that, his pupils suddenly contracted, his heart full of shock and resentment.

He gritted his teeth hard, his teeth chattering, his Dark Hawk‑like gaze fixed on Chen Yan, just about to open his mouth to scold.

But he suddenly recalled the loud slap just now, and the words at his mouth were swallowed back, fearing another slap.

After a moment of hesitation, Xu You forced down his inner fury and humiliation, his tone tinged with gritted teeth, yet he had to change his words, saying: "Chen Zhuguo, you really are clever!"

Both inside and outside the words were full of displeasure and sarcasm, but he dared not be too reckless, so he could only hide all his hatred deep inside.

Chen Yan heard that, shrugged his shoulders indifferently, his tone casual and a bit nonchalant, saying without much thought: "Just so‑so!"

"Nothing more than that!"

As the words fell, he lifted the meat porridge on the table and leisurely took a sip; the warm porridge slid down his throat, the rich meat aroma spreading in his mouth, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Then, looking up at the embroidered messenger beside him, he said with a hint of praise: "This porridge is well‑cooked, soft, fragrant, the heat just right; later reward the kitchen staff with some silver!"

The embroidered messenger, hearing that, quickly bowed and replied: "Yes, Shuyi has noted it, will go give orders shortly."

Xu You on the execution platform watched Chen Yan's carefree demeanor, his inner fury and resentment growing stronger, yet he was helpless.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on Chen Yan not far away, his eyes full of Dark Hawk intensity and probing; after a moment of silence, he spoke in a deep voice: "Chen Zhuguo, I have a curious question, I hope you can answer....."

"Why were you able to arrive so timely at the Imperial Academy today?"

"It just happened that after I acted, I could precisely intercept the arrow aimed at Lu Yuan; isn't that a bit too coincidental!"

Xu You truly couldn't understand; his plan was extremely secret, never leaked a bit, so why could Chen Yan appear just then and ruin his scheme?

There must be something fishy in this!

Hearing that, Chen Yan set down his porridge bowl, picked up a nearby mantou to wipe his mouth corner, smiled lightly, and replied: "Because this Duke knows you intend to assassinate Lu Yuan!"

Having said so, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, a half‑smile as he looked at Xu You, continuing: "Isn't that just catching the culprit and the loot!"

No one understands better than Chen what "fishing law enforcement" means.....

"What?!"

Xu You heard that, his pupils suddenly contracted, his face full of shock and bewilderment, he asked in a startled voice: "Since you already knew I was going to assassinate Dr. Lu, why didn't you stop me beforehand?!"

He truly could not comprehend Chen Yan's approach.....

If he had stopped him early, it would both avoid trouble and capture him; why wait until the act, putting Lu Yuan's life in danger.

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, and said meaningfully: "If you hadn't shot those arrows at Lu Yuan in front of so many students at the Imperial Academy, without so many eyes as witnesses, without the crossbow you personally used and the short arrows as evidence, wouldn't it be hard to make a solid case?"

A simple sentence, yet like a thunderclap, it raised a storm of turmoil in Xu You's heart.

He widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, silently exclaiming in his heart: "A solid case?! What does Chen Yan intend?!"

At that thought, a cold sweat broke out on Xu You's back, his fear intensifying, he stared fixedly at Chen Yan, his lips trembling, his hoarse voice asking: "How… how did you know precisely that I would kill Lu Yuan today!"

Chen Yan took in Xu You's shock and panic, a faint smile on his face, and said casually: "This Duke naturally has his own ways!"

Having said that, he raised his hand and pointed at the surroundings of the execution chamber, his eyes with a hint of amusement, saying: "Did you think my Mingjing Department was just for show?"

Xu You naturally knew the capabilities of the Mingjing Department, but hadn't expected that the meticulously planned assassination had already been detected by it.....

And he himself was clueless, like a hopping clown, stepping step by step into the trap Chen Yan had long set.

He gritted his teeth hard, his teeth chattering, his Dark Hawk gaze fixed on Chen Yan, saying through clenched teeth: "Chen Zhuguo, you truly are formidable!"

As the words fell, Xu You suddenly jerked his head up, a feral, manic grin on his face, his laugh shrill and arrogant, echoing in the cold execution chamber: "But don't get ahead of yourself!"

"Even if you catch me, even if you make the so‑called solid case, you'll never find out who ordered me to assassinate Lu Yuan!"

"I won't say, don't even think of extracting a single word from my mouth!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Chen Yan sat in his chair, watching Xu You's manic look, his face showing no ripple, instead smiling nonchalantly, and said casually: "Isn't it Gao Changjing!"

A simple sentence, like a bolt from a clear sky, struck Xu You instantly.

The manic grin on his face froze instantly, his whole body stiffened, eyes wide, his face full of incredulous shock.

His mouth opened wide, unable to speak for a long moment, only staring dumbly at Chen Yan.

After a long while, his voice trembling, he exclaimed in a lost voice: "You… you actually know?!"

Beside them, Hou Mo Chen Xiao could no longer hold back, feeling a headache, his "tired of stupidity" syndrome flared instantly.

He rolled his eyes wide, his gaze full of contempt, looking at Xu You on the scaffold, cursing: "Idiot!"

Then, with a tone thick with mockery, he sneered: "Lord Chen Zhuguo just said it, didn't he?"

Xu You's complexion turned bluish then white from the scolding, yet he was too lazy to keep up the pretense, so he shattered the pot, a ruthless grin on his face, shouting at Chen Yan without restraint: "So what if you know?"

Having said that, he jerked his head up, shouting hoarsely: "Using my death to exchange for the future prosperity of my Xu family, this deal is worth it!"

Chen Yan heard that, set down his porridge bowl, clicked his tongue, a playful smile on his face, his tone tinged with sarcasm, he said leisurely: "You really are self‑sacrificing for others!"

The words fell, then his tone shifted, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes, he said meaningfully: "But who told you that your father and his men could leave Chang'an?"

Xu You's bad premonition surged wildly, his pupils suddenly contracted, the ruthlessness on his face instantly replaced by extreme terror, he shouted hoarsely: "Bad!"

At that moment, he instantly understood.....

If Chen Yan knows everything, he could never have set a trap only for himself!

Just as Xu You was panicking, the execution chamber door was pushed open again.

Yin Shizhi, holding several documents, hurried in.

He walked to Chen Yan's side, bowed, and respectfully reported: "Lord Chen Zhuguo, the four Confessions have been prepared....."

"Please review!"

Having said so, he handed the documents with both hands to Chen Yan.

Chen Yan lifted his hand, took the documents, flipped them casually, his eyes quickly scanning the characters, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, saying casually: "Gao Changjing does have a bit of brains....."

"... and also assassinates other doctors to confuse the public!"

Yin Shizhi blinked, his gaze full of admiration, his tone respectful yet slightly flattering, saying: "And if they have more brains, what then?"

"Wouldn't they still be toyed with by you, Lord Chen Zhuguo?"

Chen Yan heard that, gave a faint smile, did not reply, but raised his hand and pointed at the already pallid Xu You on the execution rack, then turned to Hou Mo Chen Xiao beside him and instructed, "Since he's already here, we can't let him go empty‑handed; let's subject him to each of our Mingjing Office's tortures one by one!"

"Finally, make him 'commit suicide out of guilt'!"

Hou Mo Chen Xiao heard that, immediately bowed to receive the order, a harsh glint flashing in his eyes, and replied in a deep voice, "Shuyi understands!"

Xu You, listening clearly from beside, felt his hair stand on end, as if all the blood in his body had frozen; his face was filled with unparalleled terror, his body trembled involuntarily, and his voice, choked with sobs, quivered as he begged, "No… don't…!"

But Chen Yan didn't glance at him at all, slowly rose to his feet, flexed his wrist, the bones emitting a faint creak, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation and nonchalance, and he smiled, "It's been ages since I've raided a house; this hand, oh, it's itching…"

"Go!"