The Arrogant Official

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Upon hearing this, Xia Yunhe’s expression faltered, and she instinctively glanced at Sanniang, who lowered her head, avoiding her gaze. Understanding dawned on her—she blamed herself for being too trusting—and she pondered silently what kind of trick Chen Haizhou was playing. Raising her eyes to meet Chen Haizhou’s gaze, she steadied her nerves and asked, “What do you mean, Lord Chen?”

The hawk-eyed man stroked his chin with a faint, ambiguous smile. “Everyone says Xia Yizhi is outstanding and elegant, yet they wonder why Lord Xia remains unmarried. It seems there’s more beneath the surface.” Seeing Xia Yunhe’s face shift several times, Chen Haizhou stood and picked up a golden jade wine vessel, pouring her some wine.

“Lord Xia… no, how should I address you?” He leaned in deliberately, tapping the table lightly. “A scholar disguised as a man—if His Majesty were to learn—”

Xia Yunhe clenched her fists, her body hairs standing on end.

“Do not be nervous, Lord Xia.” Chen Haizhou sat back down on the round stool, his face full of a confident smile, as if he already had the upper hand. “I only wish to ask why Lord Xia sought Xu Zihuai for calligraphy imitation? And why speak of factional strife? Pray tell, for whom do you act? The Seventh Prince?”

Xia Yunhe picked up the bamboo chopsticks on the table, aligned them neatly, grabbed some fish delicacy, and chewed slowly while looking at Sanniang, whose head bowed even lower.

“Speaking frankly, Lord Xia’s disguise is so convincing it’s hard to distinguish your true gender,” Chen Haizhou mocked. “Why must such a beauty meddle in court affairs? Perhaps you’ve read too many stories and wish to stir up trouble?”

With a sharp clap, Xia Yunhe slammed down the chopsticks, the aroma of the fish lingering on her lips, her gaze piercing. “Lord Chen, since you know my identity, why not report directly to His Majesty and add to your own merits instead of babbling here?”

She turned to Sanniang with resentment in her heart. “You once swore you would never reveal my secret.”

Tears blurred Sanniang’s eyes as she timidly looked up, lips trembling, wanting to explain but then lowering her head again, quietly wiping her tears.

Xia Yunhe glanced again and saw Chen Haizhou’s ambiguous smile as he looked at the two of them, his demeanor arrogant, lightly tapping a porcelain bowl.

He smiled and pointed at Xia Yunhe. “Clear up my previous doubts, and I shall keep your cross-dressing secret from His Majesty.”

“Otherwise,” Chen Haizhou’s face darkened, eyes cold as ice, “the Zhaoyu Interrogation Station awaits your arrival for a chat.”

He grabbed Sanniang’s shoulder and neck; the woman let out a piercing scream that sent shivers down one’s spine.

A servant from the Five Flavor Inn came hurrying over, knocking to inquire what had happened. Chen Haizhou casually approached the door, opened it to offer the servant a gold coin, and instructed him not to disturb further. The servant nodded repeatedly, glanced inside, bowed, and retreated.

Sanniang collapsed onto the table, gasping harshly, large tears falling onto the white porcelain plate, fresh blood staining her back.

Xia Yunhe’s eyes were like swords as she said coldly, “You dare use torture? Aren’t you afraid?”

Chen Haizhou closed the door, snorted coldly, standing with his hands behind his back. “Afraid? What is there to fear? The one who should be afraid is Lord Xia. Like on the first day of the month in the palace, when you got lost and saw something in the pavilion.”

Suddenly, Xia Yunhe understood. The person behind Chen Haizhou was Consort Wan. That day, she had left hastily, and the three footprints at the same pavilion surely alerted them. The slippery Fourth Prince would undoubtedly blame everything on her. Realizing this, she deliberately asked, “Lord Chen, I don’t quite understand what you mean?”

“Hmph, Lord Xia has never been to Zhaoyu, so you don’t know our methods,” Chen Haizhou nodded slightly toward Sanniang. “These are just flesh wounds, they heal in a few days. Only inside the Interrogation Station do you learn the true meaning of ‘methods’.”

The Interrogation Station—where corpses were raised and coffins prepared.

Xia Yunhe clenched her fists tightly. She knew that place all too well, a place that terrified everyone. One entered standing upright; one exited lying down.

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In her previous life, the Crown Prince sent the Zhaoyu agents to treat her hands. After she left, someone covered her face with a black cloth and dragged her there to be skinned and flayed.

“Scholar, don’t blame us. After death, debts must be settled; it was the Duke’s orders, and we had no choice.”

“Why?!”

“There’s no why… sigh, we want you to die understandingly. The Duke said your writing was graceful and he greatly admired it. Rest assured, our Lord Chen is skilled; it will be over quickly.”

Because her handwriting was exquisite, they peeled the skin and flesh from her hands.

The pain of torn flesh was inescapable; there was nowhere to run. The more she struggled, the tighter they held her. Iron chains pierced through her bones. Fearing she might bite her tongue to commit suicide, they stuffed wood into her mouth. A sharp blade scraped the bone with a harsh rasping sound. The pain was excruciating, layer by layer peeled off like a venomous snake’s bite. She fainted, was doused with ice water to wake, then continued. Fainted again, doused again.

Until only stark white bones remained in her hands.

Chen Haizhou’s voice broke through, “Ha, a woman is still a woman—why are Lord Xia’s eyes red?”

Memories and reality intertwined. Xia Yunhe lowered her head, wiped away tears, her eyes burning like fire. She bit down on her silver teeth and swallowed hard. Her fist clenched blue beneath her sleeve as she forced herself to calm. Raising her eyes, she stared at Chen Haizhou—the man who had personally flayed the flesh from her hands.

Chen Haizhou asked, “Are you afraid, Lord Xia?”

Seeing her press her lips together in silence, he continued, “If you explain why you sought Xu Zihuai, I will keep your secret.”

Explain? Trapped in a game of chess, each a piece. The Fourth Prince had schemed to have her discover the secret talks between Wan and Chen. Consort Wan then sent Chen Haizhou to pressure her. What merit did she have to warrant all this? But if they truly thought her inexperienced, they underestimated her.

Xia Yunhe lifted her eyelids to scrutinize him, suppressing her anger, forcing a faint smile. “Lord Chen, are you truly loyal to Xu Zihuai, or do you serve Consort Wan? That bump on your head must have hurt.”

Not giving Chen Haizhou a chance to speak, Xia Yunhe raised her voice. “His Majesty detests ministers who form cliques; yet Lord Chen, you consort with the consort.”

The last words were pure fabrication by Xia Yunhe, yet Chen Haizhou became agitated. “You!”

Seeing him about to retort, she quickly said, “If you want to cause a scene, do it before His Majesty. If you try to send me to the Interrogation Station, I’ll risk my life to peel the skin off you. When His Majesty investigates thoroughly, none of us will have a good outcome.”

At this, Chen Haizhou’s expression changed. He slowly walked to the table, sat back down, and with his hawk eyes glaring at Xia Yunhe, took some food and bit into it, then suddenly clapped his hands and laughed loudly.

“I was only joking. Why would Lord Xia take it seriously?”

He stood to pour her wine. Xia Yunhe guarded the cup with her hand, standing stiffly for a moment before pushing the cup away.

Chen Haizhou was momentarily stunned, then laughed as he poured wine. “This wine is clear and potent, much like Lord Xia’s character—appearing delicate, but in truth…”

He smiled and said, “I only want to befriend Lord Xia. If I sought office, why host a banquet here? His Majesty’s rewards far exceed those from Consort Wan. I am a rough man, above factional disputes, loyal only to His Majesty…”

Before he finished, Xia Yunhe interrupted, “Though you claim loyalty to His Majesty, Lord Chen, you are entangled with Consort Wan. Can His Majesty not suspect?”

Chen Haizhou’s gaze darkened and menacingly, he brandished a short dagger.

“Lord Xia, to make someone die, there’s no method more effective than framing them for treason. Deny the charges, and the accusations grow. Without evidence, fabricate it. The punished suffer; the punisher escapes.”

Xia Yunhe’s heart bled. Clenching her fists, her mind raced. She sneered coldly in return, “Lord Chen, aren’t the Nightless Ones of the Xia family all under your control?”

Chen Haizhou was stunned, sat back down in silence, twirling the bamboo chopsticks in his hand, pondering whether Xia Yunhe’s search for Xu Zihuai’s calligraphy had to do with his control over the Nightless Ones.

What Xia Yunhe truly desired might be the command over the Nightless Ones. He asked, “Lord Xia, do you wish to return?”

Lowering her eyes, she agreed to discuss the Nightless Ones for now, calculating carefully. The Nightless Ones had once been under the Xia family’s command along the border outposts, extending influence throughout the realm, but had since been reduced drastically. Time rushed by like a fleeting moment. If she could understand the military system of the Nightless Ones, it might greatly aid her.

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“His Majesty ordered me to comfort the surviving Nightless Ones soldiers. I need a roster of the Nightless Ones border troops’ military system.”

Chen Haizhou sat up straight. “What does Lord Xia intend to do?”

“I only want a roster of the Nightless Ones border troops’ military system.”

Chen Haizhou frowned deeply. “There is no war within the realm. Why do you need this? Does His Majesty know?”

“I am merely curious. The Nightless Ones once belonged to the Xia family, now under Lord Chen. I do not wish to contend with you, only to borrow it for a look, to study history’s rises and falls, to reminisce occasionally, and to muse on spring flowers and autumn moons as seasons change. Whether to report this to His Majesty is your decision.”

Chen Haizhou finished his cup of Autumn Dew White wine without changing expression. “Hmph, Lord Xia’s mind is deep, speaking few truths. But for this favor, I will oblige. I only want to befriend Lord Xia.”

He looked at Sanniang, lifted his head, and drew his short dagger. “This woman has heard too much and must be killed.”

Sanniang’s face went pale. She staggered to Xia Yunhe’s side, clutching her sleeve and pleading, “Lord Xia, I did not mean to leak secrets. Please save me.” She kowtowed repeatedly. Seeing Chen Haizhou brandish the dagger and pace back and forth, she screamed in fear and crawled under the table. Blood smeared Xia Yunhe’s hand.

Chen Haizhou said, “Betrayal, hesitation, fence-sitting… such people must be executed.”

Sanniang wept bitterly. Xia Yunhe covered her mouth with her left hand, coughed twice, then wrapped her fox fur around Sanniang. “Lord Chen’s methods—how many can endure them? Flowers have thousands of forms, people a hundred manners. There’s no need for swords and knives.”

…

Sanniang wrapped in the fox fur, supported by Xia Yunhe, slowly left the inn. Curious onlookers stared, but Xia Yunhe ignored them, worried about how to return. Then Zhenniang jumped down from a nearby blue cloth carriage and greeted her.

“Sir, are you all right?” She looked at Sanniang, who hid behind Xia Yunhe.

Xia Yunhe said, “Take her back.”

Zhenniang nodded and helped Sanniang into the carriage. Then she grabbed Xia Yunhe’s arm, pulling her aside to whisper, “Sir, is she really that girl? I can smell blood.”

Xia Yunhe motioned for silence and whispered a few words in her ear. Zhenniang’s frown deepened, then relaxed, nodding repeatedly.

Leaving Sanniang outside was too risky. Better to keep her close and watch over her.

With Chen Haizhou dealing with matters inside the inn, no one dared to cause trouble.

She rubbed her hands to warm them, covering her cheeks. “Why were you waiting here?”

“I was worried about you, Sir.” Zhenniang glanced at the carriage, then patted her chest. “Had I known, I would’ve brought an extra garment.”

During their conversation, a dried fruit suddenly hit Xia Yunhe. Zhenniang picked it up and said, “It’s a chinaberry.”

Looking around, another fruit was thrown. Zhenniang reached out to catch it and pointed to a window on the second floor of the Five Flavor Inn.

Following her gesture, Xia Yunhe saw the Fourth Prince leaning by the window, smiling kindly at her.