[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling":3,"chapter-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-43":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Top Scholar of Da Ling",{"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},2288878,4475,"Chapter 43: Hidden Depths?","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>Seeing soldiers surround him, Jiang Mingyu remained unperturbed: “How dare you! I am a special envoy personally appointed by His Majesty—who dares act rashly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi sneered: “You still have the nerve to mention His Majesty? If His Majesty knew you consorted with bandits, he’d be furious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes’ amusement turned to mockery: “How laughable—you, for personal gain, have allied yourself with thieves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You truly believe the heavens are high and the emperor far away, that no one can control you? Such madness deserves death ten times over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mouth ‘His Majesty’ at every turn—I want to know: where exactly do you place His Majesty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those who understand the times kneel and submit. If you utter one word of defiance, I’ll take your head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma De seized the moment to flatter: “Your Highness fulfills your duty with unwavering devotion—you are a model for us all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi smiled faintly: “To protect the realm and secure the people is only right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu sneered at his shameless demeanor: “Prince Qi, you speak well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But when you stuffed the military pay into your own pockets, were you equally righteous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi’s face darkened: “Jiang Mingyu, don’t change the subject. Your crime is fact—do you dare claim innocence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu shook his head: “Your Highness’s words are baseless. You accuse me of conspiring with bandits—what proof? What evidence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because I happened to appear here, you claim I conspire with bandits?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s so, then since Your Highness is here too—may I accuse you of conspiring with bandits?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi never expected Jiang Mingyu to turn the tables: “Nonsense! I have never conspired with bandits!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu sneered back: “If Your Highness isn’t a conspirator, then I am? How absurd and ridiculous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you accuse me of conspiring with bandits, produce evidence. Don’t make empty accusations—do you truly think I’m easy to bully?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If today you give me no clear reason, I will not drop this matter—even if I must take it to the Ministry of Personnel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi smiled coldly: “You won’t get the chance to go to the Ministry of Personnel. Tonight is your last.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu showed no fear: “Go ahead—murdering a special envoy? How thrilling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you’d better handle these men properly—kill them all. If this gets out, it’s enough to have your family exterminated and your estate confiscated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he spoke, Prince Qi sensed every face change; his words ended, and all around him, suspicion and wariness became unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi spoke coldly: “You came down from the mountain—that alone is the best proof.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qinglong Zhai  twists and turns—how could you know the path unless you conspired with bandits? And with bandits rampant, how could you escape unharmed unless you were one of them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With this alone, I can send you to the Three Judicial Offices for trial.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t tell me you didn’t conspire—you came to suppress them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu nodded: “Correct. I came here specifically to suppress bandits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I learned the mountain path from the bandits I captured—they’re now held in the county jail, ready for confrontation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi sneered: “For years no one captured these mountain bandits—you arrive and immediately catch them? Who’d believe that? Three men wiping out bandits? Do you take me for a fool?” Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly: “Now that all the bandits are dead, the fact that no one caught them for years only proves Your Highness’s incompetence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi’s face darkened: “Jiang Mingyu, do you think I’ve been too lenient with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You truly think highly of yourself? You’ve been given a sliver of authority and now think you can climb higher?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Suppress bandits, suppress bandits—who are you to play this role? Do you really believe you’re someone important?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough talk. Bring him down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soldiers closed in again, Tu Kexiluo frowned, drew his sword, and roared: “Who dares step forward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi seized the moment: “Attack! Anyone who resists—kill on the spot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu signaled Tu Kexiluo not to act rashly, then spoke: “If Your Highness doesn’t believe me, why not go up the mountain and see for yourself?” Prince Qi scoffed: “Such delaying tactics are foolish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu’s lips curled slightly: “How about a wager? If I’m lying, I’ll submit to your judgment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi paused, then said: “Fine. Let me see your so-called exploits. Shall we go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu didn’t move: “Wait. If you lose, what then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi didn’t hesitate: “If I lose, I’ll not only release you all—I’ll kneel and apologize to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu chuckled: “Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi snorted: “No jesting in the army. My word is law—everyone here hears it. You needn’t worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma De opened his mouth but held back: “Your Highness, this matter…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi sneered: “You think they wiped out hardened bandits? Dream on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Mingyu, if it’s not as you claim, don’t blame me for being merciless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi wasn’t afraid of Jiang Mingyu’s smooth talk—he held Jiang Mingyu in his grasp; how dare he play tricks?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once his guilt was proven, he could be lawfully exterminated—how perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu bowed his hand: “After you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After climbing the mountain, Prince Qi’s blood boiled—he’d capture Jiang Mingyu first, and good fortune would follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he dreamed, soldiers who stormed the stronghold emerged carrying corpses: “Your Highness, twenty bodies total. No survivors besides our men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi’s face turned grim: “This… how is this possible? Impossible—they couldn’t have such strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could three men really wipe out all the bandits? Was that something ordinary people could do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the smiling Jiang Mingyu, in truth, a hidden master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Qi was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly: “Your Highness, the truth is clear. Please fulfill your promise—kneel and apologize.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Prince Qi hesitate, Jiang Mingyu said coldly: “What? Will the man who swears by his word break it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under everyone’s eyes, once the shit is out, can you swallow it back? Won’t that damage your prestige?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped closer two paces, voice dripping with mockery: “First you embezzled military pay, now you break your word. The troops’ trust will shatter—how can you command them in the future? Your Highness must weigh priorities carefully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True enough, when Prince Qi looked up, the soldiers stared at him without blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of fear of Jiang Mingyu—the “master”—he involuntarily stepped back two paces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he broke his word now, morale would collapse; soldiers might refuse to obey him in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if Jiang Mingyu, in a fit of rage, exposed the embezzlement, these seasoned imperial guards would never let him live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, Prince Qi closed his eyes, face dark, and knelt: “Special Envoy, I apologize for my disrespect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu merely chuckled, pulled out the imperial token bestowed by the Emperor, and said: “Your Highness, you’re bowing to His Majesty—please rise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since there’s no truth to this, I take my leave. Come visit the county office someday—I’ll serve you a cup of tea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the two depart, Prince Qi gritted his teeth: “Jiang Mingyu, wait and see—this isn’t over!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way back to the city, Cloud of the Murong secretly rejoiced but felt unease: “Today we’ve made a bitter enemy—we must be cautious going forward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu dismissed it: “What can he do to us? We have greater matters ahead—hurry home!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1208,"2026-06-20T03:28:17.113Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","79f40202ffadd84dc99770029aea82d9163e23d6f1050b75eff0185b2bd4dcb4","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-44","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-42",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]