Canglang muttered under his breath, and Yuejian’s face darkened with a fierce expression. “What did you say?”
Caught off guard by her glare, Canglang quickly put on a fawning smile. “I said you’re as beautiful as a flower, loved by all…”
Bang!
“Why’d you hit me?!” Canglang yelped, clutching his arm where Yuejian had slapped him, his face contorted in pain. “I was complimenting you, and you still hit me?”
Yuejian retracted her hand. “Your face just annoys me.”
Canglang: “???”
With his good looks, how could he possibly be annoying?!
He was about to argue with Yuejian and make her take a good look at his handsome face when Xiao Yan’s voice echoed from inside Helitang.
“Canglang.”
Canglang, suppressing his pain, raised his voice. “Lord Supervisor, your subordinate is here.”
“Come in.”
Seeing Xiao Yan summon him, Canglang shot Yuejian a glare before storming off toward the hall. Yuejian rolled her eyes in exasperation, muttering “childish” under her breath. She then placed the items from the stove onto a tray and followed Canglang inside.
Xiao Yan had changed into fresh clothes, the bloodstains now concealed. Dressed in a loose white robe, he reclined lazily on a couch, his expression as relaxed as ever. Beside him, Tangning was wrapped in his cloak.
Yuejian stepped forward. “My lady, this is the soup sent by Madam Ru.”
Tangning was surprised. “Aru was here? When?”
Yuejian: “Just a moment ago.”
Tangning opened her mouth. Just a moment ago? How had she not noticed? Then again, just a moment ago, she and her brother were… Her mind flashed to her earlier boldness, and she stole a quick glance at Xiao Yan, her face flushing as she coughed lightly.
Xiao Yan, noticing her embarrassed expression, let out a low chuckle.
The pigeon soup was perfectly simmered. After Yuejian set it on the table, Tangning ladled a bowl and handed it to Xiao Yan. Noticing Canglang’s longing gaze, she served another bowl and placed it across from them, pushing a plate of pastries forward as well. “Commander Cang, you’ve been busy all night. Would you like to join us?”
Canglang’s eyes darted eagerly toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan raised his eyelids slightly. “If you want to eat, eat. Why are you looking at me?”
“Hey, thank you, Lord Supervisor! Thank you, my lady!”
Canglang practically wagged his tail as he scurried over, not forgetting to shoot a smug glance at Yuejian as he sat down.
Yuejian rolled her eyes again, utterly unimpressed. *What a petty victory!*
Ignoring Canglang, she bowed to Xiao Yan. “Lord Supervisor, some unsavory people infiltrated the residence tonight. This servant will assist Tianqing in handling them.”
Xiao Yan nodded. “Go.”
Once Yuejian left, Canglang continued to hum and grumble. Xiao Yan lightly kicked his leg. “What’s with the whining? Eat.”
Canglang pouted after the kick, angrily gulping down a large mouthful of pigeon soup. When he set the bowl down stiffly, he met Xiao Yan’s expressionless gaze and Tangning’s barely suppressed laughter.
Forcing himself to swallow the scalding soup, his eyes reddened as he squeezed out a smile. “This soup… is really delicious.”
*Ugh, it’s burning me alive!*
Xiao Yan: “…”
*Let him die of stupidity.*
Tangning, stifling her laughter, poured Canglang a cup of cool tea. After he soothed the burning in his throat, she asked, “What’s the situation outside?”
Canglang’s playful demeanor faded as he turned to business. “My lady, rest assured, the Dragon Court Guards have fully withdrawn from the city and are stationed in the western suburbs for now. Marquis Wenxin and Yu Yanfeng have also calmed the citizens in the capital, apprehending all those who stirred trouble during the chaos.”
“As for the four camps in the suburbs, General Di has captured the two lieutenants. One resisted fiercely and lost his life, while the other has been bound and sent to the Judicial Office.”
Xiao Yan, holding a spoon, asked, “What about Xi Weifang?”
Canglang frowned. “That old fox admitted to taking bribes from the Lu family and agreeing to send their people to quell rebellions in Shezhou and other places. But he’s clamming up about the collusion between officials and bandits in the south, the use of civilians to pose as bandits for military merits, and the reassignment of southern officials. He insists he was only a vice-minister back then, with no control over the Ministry of War, and pins all the blame on the former minister. He also keeps implicating the noble families, claiming the Lu family couldn’t have acted alone in their treachery. He suggests powerful figures and families must have conspired to keep him in the dark.”
Xiao Yan stirred his pigeon soup with the spoon. “He’s trying to drag Emperor An and the noble families down with him, forcing us to back off.”
After the palace banquet dispersed, the smarter ones likely realized Xiao Yan had no intention of deposing Emperor An or completely breaking with the noble families. Otherwise, neither the emperor nor those families would have left the Purple Hall unscathed.
Xi Weifang must have seen through this. With the Ministry of War’s access to military intelligence and his knowledge of Xiao Yan’s hesitations, he’s refusing to confess, betting that implicating Emperor An and the noble families will protect him. He believes that unless Xiao Yan and the Crown Prince are willing to slaughter the court and destabilize Great Wei’s foundations, they won’t pursue the matter further.
Canglang continued, “Xi Weifang is stubborn and won’t talk. The rest of the Xi family knows nothing about it. While the people in the south could confirm the truth from back then, clearing the He family’s name and investigating their grievances requires Xi Weifang’s testimony.”
He glanced at Xiao Yan. “Why not let Ke Qing handle the interrogation?”
Ke Qing, another of Xiao Yan’s subordinates, had crawled out of piles of corpses in the Xiao Guard. Though not skilled in martial arts, he excelled at interrogation. As long as a prisoner had a breath left, Ke Qing could extract every secret.
Though Tangning hadn’t heard of Ke Qing, she could guess what kind of person Canglang was suggesting. Hesitating, she said, “Xi Weifang is the Minister of War. If we’re to uncover the truth from years ago and bring County Magistrate Rong’s blood letter to light through him, his confession must hold up in the Judicial Office and withstand scrutiny in the Three Courts. It needs to be legitimate, beyond reproach.”
“Using torture is a last resort. If we do, some will question whether my brother coerced a confession. If Xi Weifang retracts his statement in court, it’ll harm both my brother and the He family.”
Xiao Yan turned to her. “Do you have an idea?”
Tangning spoke softly. “Since Xi Weifang wants to drag the noble families down with him, why not let them deal with him?”
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. “You mean Liang Guangyi?”
Tangning nodded. “I recall during the palace banquet, someone mentioned the Xi and Liang families were closely tied. Back then, Xi Weifang, as a mere vice-minister, managed to outmaneuver the minister and control the Ministry of War largely because of the Liang family’s support, particularly Liang Guangyi.”
“From what I observed tonight, Liang Guangyi likely knows something about the events twenty years ago, though not in detail. He probably didn’t know Xi Weifang was colluding with the Lu family either. He already resents Xi Weifang’s betrayal, and if he learns Xi wants to drag the Liang family down with him, Liang Guangyi won’t let him off.”
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. “Liang Guangyi is cunning but lacks Lu Chongyuan’s decisiveness. Unless the noble families are pushed to the brink, he won’t risk everything or sacrifice his family’s century-long legacy for a desperate fight.”
“Using him against Xi Weifang… it’s not a bad plan.”
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You can read ahead to chapterr 770 (100+ extra chapters) here
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