[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m":3,"chapter-simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-chapter-4":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Simultaneously Transmigrated: My Cheat Skill Is Myself",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2315259,4528,"Chapter 4: This Great Official Ximen Is Clearly Overpowered, Yet Unnecessarily Cautious","simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-chapter-4",4,"\u003Cp>While Zhang Jie was still striving hard, trying to sharpen his skills at the last minute,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a conversation about him also arose within the five-hall mansion of the Great Official Ximen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seated at the head of the room was Ximen Qing, dressed in luxurious silk robes, his face handsome and bearing an air of distinction,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>though his eyes occasionally flickered with a lustful gleam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him stood Dai’an, his personal servant who regularly delivered messages and ran errands for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, Ximen Qing set down his tea cup and slowly asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dai’an, has that man been arranged for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dai’an bowed slightly and replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, all is arranged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He will not utter a single word linking him to you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, that’s best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Ximen Qing nodded in satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was also accustomed to Dai’an calling him “Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Ximen household, as the supreme authority,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his wives, concubines, maids, and servants all respectfully addressed him as “Father” to show deference and obedience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, in certain intimate or specific situations—such as during intimacy—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his wives and concubines would use even more affectionate terms like “Dada” to address him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard that brat has been showing up frequently lately, calming people’s nerves?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of his current predicament, Ximen Qing let out a cold snort,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his face occasionally clouded with worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ximen Qing’s personal servant, Dai’an naturally knew who “that brat” was and what he was worried about:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, our earlier actions have already cut off the supply of old ginseng from Mount Zhangbai that Zhang Jie regularly consumes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over these years, Zhang Jie has been barely clinging to life thanks entirely to these tonic herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he’s deprived of this vital ginseng, he won’t last much longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Father need not worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Dai’an’s words, the worry on Ximen Qing’s face lessened slightly, and he silently bolstered himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That Zhang Jie is just another Hua Zixu—nothing to fear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had previously used delay tactics to slowly kill Hua Zixu,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>seizing both his wealth and his wife, Li Pinger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he was merely repeating the same trick with Zhang Jie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alas!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never imagined Zhang Jie was a genuine examination prodigy,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>passing the imperial exam in one attempt to earn his scholar title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had I known, I shouldn’t have acted so rashly before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ximen Qing’s voice carried unmistakable regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had assumed Zhang the Elder had been dead three years, his lingering influence long faded,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and that his only son, Zhang Jie, was a frail, sickly tubercular who might die any day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he had schemed to seize the Zhang family’s wealth to increase his own fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he never expected Zhang Jie to be an examination genius, passing the scholar exam on his first try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by his effortless demeanor, he’d likely pass the provincial exam with ease in future attempts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the prestigious jinshi degree might one day be within Zhang Jie’s reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, he’d truly become a dragon leaping from the river, soaring beyond all bounds!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time Ximen Qing thought of this, he was filled with regret:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouldn’t have, out of greed for the Zhang family’s wealth, deliberately leaked the route of their caravan to bandits outside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The task he had just ordered Dai’an to perform was to “dispose” of the messenger boy,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>to prevent this news from reaching Zhang Jie and sparking conflict between the Zhang and Ximen families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, “dispose” here did not mean physical elimination,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but rather paying a sum to send the servant to a remote place where Zhang Jie could never find him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, although the Great Song had servants, the law forbade masters from arbitrarily killing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A master who murdered a servant without cause would face severe criminal punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a master killed a servant who had committed an offense, the punishment was one degree harsher than for killing a lowly bonded servant—potentially death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a master killed an innocent servant without cause, the punishment was reduced by one degree from that of killing a commoner—exile three thousand li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the servant had been hired for less than five years, the killer would be punished as if he had killed a commoner—execution by strangulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The authorities would also inspect the servant’s death to prevent masters from secretly murdering them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a master was found to have murdered a servant, he would be held criminally liable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, although Ximen the Great Official ruled Yanggu County with impunity,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>killing a servant wasn’t impossible to handle—but it was troublesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he couldn’t casually kill servants; Dai’an, Laiwang, Laibao, and others were all his servants,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and if he killed them at will, he’d incite outrage among the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, this servant was one of his absolute confidants, painstakingly cultivated over time,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>otherwise he wouldn’t have dared involve him in such matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once this storm passed, he planned to recall the servant,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>for such useful servants were rare in his possession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, the prefectural exam is held in the county seat, so Zhang Jie need not leave the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the provincial exam must be held in Jinan, the provincial capital—Zhang Jie must leave the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, we only need to inform Wang Chuang and others; I’m sure Wang Chuang won’t mind doing another job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Zhang Jie doesn’t die at Wang Chuang’s hands, with his frail body,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a little fright alone might kill him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding Ximen Qing’s thoughts, Dai’an devised a poisonous scheme of using another’s hand to kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Chuang was the leader of the bandits who had previously raided the Zhang family’s caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Ximen Qing said: “This plan is excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Zhang Jie survives Wang Chuang’s attack and barely clings to life,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he certainly won’t be able to take the provincial exam—otherwise he’ll surely die in the examination hall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The provincial exam included poetry, classical exegesis, essays, and policy proposals, lasting three full days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even strong, healthy candidates often left the exam exhausted and ill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Zhang Jie’s weak body, after being terrified,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and then entering the examination hall, he’d likely die right there!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if Zhang Jie survives, if we just delay him a few more years,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>even if he becomes a juren or even a jinshi, I won’t fear him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of Laibao, the servant he had sent to Bianjing to bribe Minister Cai, Ximen Qing felt great confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could establish ties with the all-powerful Minister Cai, even a petty Zhang Jie was nothing—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>even County Magistrate Wen Bin of Yanggu would have to bow to Ximen the Great Official!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Minister Cai, what were juren or jinshi?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were less valuable than a green-haired turtle in the Jinshui River (a river within Bianjing, used for urban water supply and drainage).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dai’an, order Lu Hua and Zhang Sheng to use their skills as Grass Snake and Street Rat to keep constant watch on Zhang Jie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the flight of a single fly must be recorded and reported to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hua, the Grass Snake, and Zhang Sheng, the Street Rat, were thugs he routinely funded,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>who had previously framed Jiang Zhushan, beating him bloody and then extorting silver from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were also his eyes and ears in the marketplace,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and every whisper and movement in Yanggu County reached Ximen the Great Official’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Father!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dai’an replied firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though a servant, his bond with Ximen Qing was so deep that their fortunes were inseparable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter was too grave to be handled lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dismissing Dai’an, Ximen Qing, realizing that relying solely on Laibao to curry favor with Minister Cai was risky, summoned another servant, Laiwang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Laiwang, go to the brickyard and invite Lord Liu and Lord Xue to dinner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing Dai'an off, Ximen Qing, realizing that relying solely on Lai Bao to curry favor with Master Cai was unreliable, summoned another servant, Lai Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lai Wang, go to the brick factory and invite Lord Liu and Lord Xue to the banquet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he did not know why Master Ximen had suddenly decided to host a banquet,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lai Wang, who had always obeyed Master Ximen without question, bowed and left at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, is the three-pronged preparation sufficient?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Lai Wang’s retreating back, Ximen Qing’s gaze grew increasingly deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Liu Eunuch and Xue Eunuch were merely eunuchs assigned to the Linqing brickworks,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>their rank was far below Cai Jing’s first-rank post of Grand Tutor,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the second-rank Left Vice-Premier, and the first-rank Minister of the Door,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>yet both had been specially dispatched by the Emperor himself to oversee the firing of imperial bricks,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and were figures of equal stature to Cai Jing, able to speak directly to the Son of Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was precisely because of the hidden protection of these two eunuchs that Ximen Qing could act with impunity in Yanggu County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about the opinion of County Magistrate Wen Bin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only was Wen Bin’s seventh-rank status inferior to that of Liu and Xue,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but the very fact that eunuchs were the Emperor’s personal servants made Magistrate Wen dare not act rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a seventh-rank official dares not defy a minister’s door—how much less the servants of the most exalted man in the land?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it not said that eunuchs hold three ranks above any official?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuch: “Inside the palace, you may call me ‘eunuch’ or ‘Eunuch’—I won’t hold it against you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once you step beyond these palace gates, what must you call me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Court official: “Father!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just inviting Liu Eunuch and Xue Eunuch isn’t enough—I need a few lively companions to enliven the atmosphere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ximen Qing realized that merely inviting Liu and Xue would not be lively enough,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>nor would it demonstrate his sincerity or grandeur, so he summoned another servant:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ping’an, go invite Ying Bojue and Xie Xida to my Ximen residence tonight for the banquet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bojue was Ximen Qing’s foremost hanger-on—eloquent, flatteringly subservient,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>always accompanying him in drinking, feasting, and amusement, lavishing him with praise in every aspect of daily life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Xida was the hereditary son of a thousand-man commander from Qinghe County,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>idle and dissolute, skilled at playing cuju, and addicted to gambling,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>spending his days with no occupation, merely feasting on the pleasures of courtesans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these two masters of wine, women, music, and vice as companions, Liu and Xue would surely depart thoroughly satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood, Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ping’an, who handled miscellaneous duties for the Ximen household, bowed and departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something still seems missing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After assigning his servants, Ximen Qing stroked his chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, remembering his recent nightly indulgences with Li Pinger, he realized:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need a few courtesans to warm up the scene!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Liu and Xue had lost certain male parts,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>their desires had not diminished one bit,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>or rather, precisely because they lacked those organs, their cravings had grown fiercer, more twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did they maintain concubines and wives in their private residences outside the palace,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but every banquet required the presence of courtesans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ximen Qing immediately sent yet another servant\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>to the brothels and entertainment quarters within the city to fetch several bold, skilled courtesans…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhang Jie knew that Master Ximen had devised so many elaborate schemes just to deal with him, he would surely sigh:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Ximen is clearly immensely powerful, yet he’s overly cautious.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1888,"2026-06-20T14:22:35.989Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 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