Seeing how useless Gao Bao was, Gao Shao couldn’t help feeling contempt. He, along with Tian Cheng, Yang Qin and others, all admired men of backbone like Feng Xuan and Xi Cheng more. He said to Han Qian, “What’s the point of keeping this useless piece of trash Gao Bao alive? Better to keep Xi Cheng instead.”

“Can Xi Cheng be used by me?” Han Qian glared at Gao Shao and rebuked him to step back and speak less if he had nothing useful to say. He sat back in the high-backed chair by the desk, picked up the celadon covered bowl, lifted the lid, gently blew away the tea foam, took a sip, and said unhurriedly to Gao Bao, “By the time I finish this cup of tea, if you still can’t make up your mind to stab Xi Cheng to death, I’ll consider you completely useless. Those useless to me all deserve death. Don’t blame me then for not giving you a chance!”

“…” With the wooden bead stuffed in his mouth, Xi Cheng had no way to shout loudly and could only make intermittent whimpering and hissing sounds.

“Does he have something to say? Does he want to confess first?” Han Qian looked around and asked, “Should we give him a chance? After all, we only need one alive for questioning anyway.”

Hearing Han Qian say this, Gao Bao finally steeled his heart and gripped the blade, viciously stabbing it into Xi Cheng’s abdomen. Savagely grasping the knife pressed against Xi Cheng’s belly, he twisted it fiercely until blood flowed backward along the handle, staining his right hand completely. Only then did he release the handle in terror and retreat to the side, gasping heavily.

“You two help Gao Bao to a side room to calm down. Later, work with him to trick all of Feng Xuan’s trackers into the city.” Han Qian completely ignored Feng Xuan, who was bound tight and had just been kicked into the corner by him. He directly instructed Gao Shao and Tian Cheng.

“The Young Master won’t question him personally?” Gao Shao asked, slightly startled.

“What could he know that’s worth my asking?” Han Qian waved his hand, not believing he could extract any critical information from Gao Bao at all, and gestured for Gao Shao and Tian Cheng to help him out first.

Gao Shao and Tian Cheng were slightly startled before realizing that Han Qian had never intended to extract anything from Gao Bao and Xi Cheng’s mouths. Forcing them to kill each other was simply to have one person who could be used by them.

With Feng Xuan and the others detained here, only with Gao Bao accompanying them could they trick the remaining trackers under Feng Xuan into the city. But what use would tricking these trackers into the city serve?

They could now see that Feng Xuan wasn’t deeply involved in this affair.

Han Qian glanced at Feng Xuan, squatted before him and smiled, “You originally had a chance to survive. After Gao Bao tricks all your subordinate trackers into the city, I’ll arrange for people to spread word that you betrayed Xi Cheng and Gao Bao, even killing Xi Cheng as proof of allegiance. Tell me, after Feng Changyu and Feng Jin hear about this, will they spare your wife and children? Should I give you a chance—after I trick all your subordinate trackers into the city, let you send a few people back to quietly bring out your wife and children first?”

Only now were Gao Shao and Tian Cheng supporting Gao Bao out of the hall. Hearing Han Qian’s words from the corridor, they still felt a chill run down their spines and could sense Gao Bao trembling, struggling to twist his head back and say, “I beg the Young Master to save my wife and children.”

“After you help us trick Feng Xuan’s subordinates into the city, I’ll arrange for someone to beat you severely later. You needn’t worry that anyone here will leak that you’re working for me.” Han Qian waved his hand, having Gao Shao and Tian Cheng take Gao Bao out.

Only now did Feng Xuan feel a trace of fear in his heart, not imagining there could be such a cunningly ruthless person in this world.

Having seen how Han Qian just forced Gao Bao to kill Xi Cheng with his own hands, Feng Xuan had no doubt Han Qian would spread false information to induce Feng Jin to kill his wife and children. He also knew clearly what kind of person Feng Jin was. But if he sent people to bring his wife and children out from the village, he would truly become like mud falling in one’s pants—whether it’s shit or not, it’s shit.

“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. I need to go out for a while now. Consider my suggestion carefully.” Han Qian patted his robe and stood up, then led Fan Xicheng, Zhao Kuo, Yang Qin, and Zhao Wuji toward the west courtyard, leaving the bound Feng Xuan and the already deceased Xi Cheng in the east courtyard hall.

Watching this tough man Feng Xuan clenching his teeth until his cheeks twitched, Fan Xicheng, Zhao Kuo, and Yang Qin all felt somewhat sympathetic. But they now knew that Han Qian was a man of even stronger will and determination—those who couldn’t be used by him would receive no mercy, with no room for pleading even before His Excellency Han Daoxun.

Han Qian led Fan Xicheng, Zhao Kuo, Yang Qin, and Zhao Wuji on a complete circuit inside and outside Lotus Garden, familiarizing himself with the internal layout and considering how to reasonably deploy the mere forty elite fighters he had in the compound.

“Should we call everyone in?” Fan Xicheng asked worriedly when they reached the front of the west courtyard.

With the four clans evacuating their dependents from the city, it indicated they were planning something major. With only forty men in the compound, it seemed nowhere near enough.

Apart from the ten household guards and thirteen household guard descendants who had accompanied Han Daoxun’s relocation to Xuzhou, Fan Xicheng had learned en route that Han Qian had additionally deployed fifty Left Bureau scouts to accompany them.

Currently, only Zhao Wuji, Gao Shao, Tian Cheng, Guo Nu’er, Lin Jingzong and a dozen others among the Left Bureau scouts had entered the compound with Han Qian. Fan Xicheng believed the remaining forces should mostly be in and around Xuzhou’s Qianyang City at this time.

Additionally, Yang Qin had only brought ten subordinates to enter the city with them, with another twenty men from Yang Tan’s river stronghold scattered and hidden outside the city, ready to be called in at any moment.

“We haven’t determined their deployment at all—we shouldn’t alert them.” Han Qian didn’t agree to gather all available forces at Lotus Garden now. If he assembled everyone now, it would either force the opposition to commit more resources against them or frighten them from making a move—neither of which was what he wanted to see.

At this moment, Han Daoxun emerged from the west courtyard and asked, “Have you discovered any clues?”

“I’m having Guo Nu’er and the others intensify their investigation, and having someone draw out Qianyang City’s layout plan right now. Can’t confirm what’s wrong yet.” Han Qian glanced at the dozen officials still waiting in the west courtyard and asked his father, “Father, have you noticed anything suspicious among these officials like Xue Ruogu? When they leave, I’ll arrange for people to monitor their movements.”

The four clans—Feng, Xi, Xiang, and Yang—couldn’t possibly evacuate all their trusted followers from the city. They must have left people in the city to monitor every move here. And naturally, the most suitable people to monitor this side would be officials remaining in the provincial capital.

The officials who had come to Lotus Garden for an audience were mostly appointed through the Ministry of Personnel’s selection process. Over these years, they had all been suppressed by the four clans’ influence until they could barely breathe, all acting according to the four clans’ wishes. Even if Zhou Yourui’s words were true, it was very difficult to distinguish which of them had problems.

“I’m not very clear who definitely has problems, but I can tell that Xue Ruogu and several others don’t have problems,” Han Daoxun said. “After you’ve thoroughly investigated the situation on your end, I’ll call these few out separately to see their choices!”

Han Qian nodded and looked toward Yang Qin, saying, “I promised you that as long as you safely escorted my father to Qianyang, I would restore your wife and children’s freedom. If you wish, you can leave with your men right now.”

Yang Qin cursed Han Qian inwardly as a bastard, thinking: You damn well tortured those two barbarians Feng Xuan and Gao Bao like that right in front of me. If I say I want to leave now and you suddenly turn on me, won’t I be the one hanging there?

“With the crisis unresolved and Your Excellency and the Young Master in danger, how dare Yang Qin speak of leaving?” Yang Qin declared righteously.

“Excellent!” Han Daoxun appreciatively patted Yang Qin’s shoulder, then returned to the west courtyard to socialize with subordinate officials like Xue Ruogu.

…

…

As dusk was falling, Zhou Yourui arrived leading over a dozen musicians and entertainers from the Music Bureau.

In official circles, Music Bureau courtesans had the duty to entertain. Han Qian had no mood at the moment to sit and listen to ditties, so he had Fan Xicheng arrange for them to go to the west courtyard.

Zhou Yourui didn’t know what had happened to make the Prefect act as if facing a great enemy upon first arrival in Qianyang. Seeing two of Young Master Han Qian’s subordinates inviting those twenty-some robust tracker men into the east courtyard, while twenty to thirty elite warriors lay in ambush there, she felt puzzled and wanted to peer in for a closer look, but at that moment the courtyard gate was closed from inside.

“Miss Zhou, please…” Fan Xicheng beckoned Zhou Yourui toward the west courtyard.

Among Feng Xuan’s subordinate trackers, six had already been detained earlier. The remaining twenty-six, thinking the Prefect’s residence was hosting a reward banquet, were tricked inside by Gao Bao. Unarmed and facing over twenty ferocious soldiers like wolves and tigers, they dared not resist and obediently submitted to capture, all bound hands and feet from behind and confined in the two upper rooms of the east wing.

Gao Bao was also bound and confined together with Feng Xuan’s subordinate trackers.

Han Qian now had Feng Xuan brought out and asked, “Who will you choose to send to quietly bring your wife and children into the city? Or you could make the trip yourself—that’s not impossible. But you must understand clearly in your heart: if you dare play any tricks, with Gao Bao’s testimony, my father won’t hesitate to drag all these subordinate trackers of yours to the execution ground for beheading!”

“We absolutely had no intent to harm His Excellency the Prefect.” Feng Xuan argued stubbornly, still unwilling to easily jump into Han Qian’s trap.

“Hmph,” Han Qian snorted coldly. “The four clans—Feng, Xi, Xiang, and Yang—poisoned the previous Prefect Wang Yu. Seeing their actions exposed and evidence captured by my father, they now plot to harm my father. Think about it: if my father truly doesn’t survive tonight, in a month’s time, how many armies will the court dispatch to slaughter Xuzhou until not a single piece of armor remains? You, as a Shanyue man, don’t consider loyalty to the court—that’s one thing. But do you truly hope to see the Wu River dyed crimson red with your Shanyue clansmen’s blood? Do you know what ants are? You Shanyue people are not only exploited by the four clans—Feng, Xi, Xiang, and Yang—until you can’t fill your bellies or clothe your bodies properly, but at this moment have already become sacrificial pawns in the four clans’ conspiracy to resist the court, yet remain unaware. You’re truly worse than ants!”

Standing behind Han Qian, Yang Qin and the others thought to themselves: Where do they have even half a shred of evidence that Wang Yu was poisoned?

Han Qian turned to Gao Shao and Tian Cheng with a face full of disappointment, saying, “Since Feng Xuan is unwilling to comply, I won’t force him. Bind him and send him to the east room. If anyone really attacks Lotus Garden tonight, don’t leave a single person alive here—someone must accompany my father and me in death. In these damn times, don’t talk about innocent or not innocent!”

“His Excellency Wang Yu was truly poisoned?” Feng Xuan asked in shock.

Han Qian glanced back at Feng Xuan and gestured for Tian Cheng and Gao Shao to quickly bind him.

“Feng Xuan absolutely has no intention of harming Your Excellency. But even if I had the heart to protect Your Excellency, with only thirty rough men at hand who are timid and fearful, only able to make a living pulling trackers in normal times, I have the will but lack the power.” Feng Xuan said.

Everyone seeing how easily Feng Xuan bit the hook Han Qian had cast, all felt great pity in their hearts.