[Capital · West City · Abandoned Safehouse · 11 PM - 1 AM]
Official Wang sat bound to a chair, trembling uncontrollably.
This abandoned house served as one of Yin Wuwang's secret outposts in the capital. Guards surrounded the perimeter in layers, ensuring not a whisper would escape these walls. Dim candlelight flickered in the night breeze, stretching the shadows on the walls into grotesque shapes that seemed to writhe with malevolent life.
Yin Wuwang stood before Official Wang with his hands clasped behind his back, studying the man like one might study an insect pinned to a board.
I've seen too many of this type. He sneered internally. Greedy, cowardly, convinced of their own cleverness—these petty officials are the easiest to handle, and the most useful. In the demon realm, we'd simply crush them and move on. But here, in this world of mortal politics, even insects can be made to serve.
Xie Qingyan stood in the corner, arms folded, watching coldly. He said nothing, but his presence alone added weight to the room—like a second blade hanging over Official Wang's head.
"Official Wang," Yin Wuwang began, his voice low but carrying a suffocating pressure, "this Duke is asking you questions. I suggest you think carefully before answering."
"Y-yes, yes yes!" Cold sweat poured down Official Wang's fleshy face, dripping onto his once-fine brocade robes. "This lowly official will tell you everything!"
"The Prime Minister ordered you to purchase old currency. For what purpose?"
"That..." Official Wang's eyes darted briefly to the left. "Reporting to the General, it was Minister Liu who assigned me this task. Minister Liu said the Regent plans to implement currency reform, so the old coins will definitely surge in value. He had us stockpile them first..."
Yin Wuwang's lips curved slightly.
Interesting. His gaze sharpened. His eyes flickered left when he mentioned "Minister Liu"—and his speech quickened, words tumbling over each other in his eagerness. But when he said "Prime Minister," he deliberately slowed down, choosing each word with care.
He's trying to push Minister Liu out as the scapegoat while protecting the Prime Minister. A calculated sacrifice—offer up the lesser fish to save the bigger one.
And his left thumb keeps rubbing that jade ring. A nervous tell. The same motion, over and over, like a prayer bead. He's lying, and his body knows it even if his mouth won't admit it.
Seven parts truth, three parts fiction. Clever, but not clever enough.
Ding!
Little Deer Assistant 9527 chimed in his mind: "Suggestion: Use torture. Break three fingers. Guaranteed confession within fifteen minutes."
Yin Wuwang ignored it. This broken system thinks like a thug. Any fool can beat a confession out of someone. The real art is making them confess without knowing they've confessed—and then sending them back as your unwitting spy.
"What else?"
"Also... Minister Liu said once we control all the old currency, the Regent will have to beg 'us' if he wants his reform to succeed..."
"Beg 'us'?" Yin Wuwang seized on that word, his voice sharpening. "And who is 'us'? Can Minister Liu alone swallow that much old currency?"
Official Wang's face flickered with alarm: "This lowly official misspoke. I meant Minister Liu..."
"Official Wang." Yin Wuwang cut him off, stepping forward.
His tall frame cast a shadow that swallowed the smaller man whole. Those narrow purple eyes gleamed in the candlelight like a demon crawled straight from the Nine Hells—which, in a sense, he was. Three thousand years as the Demon Sovereign had taught him exactly how to wield fear as a weapon.
"This Duke despises liars above all else." His voice was soft, almost gentle, yet it made Official Wang's entire body shudder as if struck by winter wind.
"When you mentioned 'Minister Liu,' your eyes drifted left three times. When you mentioned 'the Prime Minister,' your fingers unconsciously rubbed your ring." Yin Wuwang enunciated each word with deliberate precision. "Are you even aware of these little tells?"
Official Wang's face went deathly pale. The jade ring on his thumb suddenly felt like a brand.
How... how does he know? Panic flooded the official's eyes. I was so careful!
"Did you think pushing Minister Liu forward would protect the Prime Minister?" Yin Wuwang's smile turned cold. "This Duke will give you one more chance—the Prime Minister's plan is to use this old currency to extort the Regent, isn't it?"
Official Wang trembled violently but clamped his jaw shut, refusing to speak. Sweat rolled down his temples. His fingers had gone white where they gripped the chair's armrests.
Yin Wuwang straightened and turned to Xie Qingyan, lifting his chin slightly.
The gesture was subtle—an outsider would never have noticed. But Xie Qingyan understood immediately.
He wants me to play the good cop. A flicker of something—approval, perhaps—crossed his thoughts. Not bad. He knows when to hand off the interrogation. Most brutes would just keep pressing until the subject broke or died.
He stepped forward unhurriedly, his tone mild: "Duke Yin, please calm yourself. Official Wang is merely a minor official. He may not be privy to the matters above his station."
Yin Wuwang gave a cold snort and obligingly retreated half a step, folding his arms with an expression of barely-contained violence.
Perfect. Xie Qingyan thought. He plays the role well.
Official Wang clutched at this lifeline like a drowning man: "Yes, yes, exactly! The Regent sees clearly! This lowly official was merely following orders!"
"This King understands." Xie Qingyan's voice softened slightly, becoming almost sympathetic. "If Official Wang cooperates, this King naturally won't make things difficult for you. However—is Prince Huai involved in this?"
Official Wang started: "Prince Huai?"
In that instant, his pupils contracted minutely. His Adam's apple bobbed once, twice.
Yin Wuwang caught every detail. There it is. The tells were even more pronounced than before—the man's whole body had stiffened at the prince's name. He knows something about Prince Huai. Something significant. But he's more afraid of the prince than he is of us.
That's useful information in itself.
"This lowly official doesn't know..." Official Wang shook his head, a touch too vigorously. "The Prime Minister and Prince Huai have always been close, but regarding this matter... This lowly official was only following Minister Liu's orders..."
Xie Qingyan glanced at Yin Wuwang. Their eyes met. Nothing was said, yet everything was understood.
He knows more than he's telling. The Prince Huai thread—he won't touch it. Not yet.
Little Deer Assistant 9528 chimed in Xie Qingyan's mind: "Suggestion: Believe this official's words. Prince Huai is likely not involved. No need to pursue further questioning."
His expression didn't flicker. He ignored the useless spirit entirely. This broken assistant can't even tell when someone is lying, and it dares suggest I believe him? The man's pulse is visible in his throat—racing like a rabbit's. His pupils dilated three times in two seconds. A child could see through this performance.
"Official Wang," Xie Qingyan said mildly, "this King will tentatively accept your account."
Official Wang exhaled in relief, shoulders sagging. He thought he'd passed the test. He thought his gambit had worked—give up the Prime Minister, protect Prince Huai, leave himself room to maneuver.
Yin Wuwang watched from the side, a cold smile playing at his lips. This fool thinks he's so clever. Confessing about Minister Liu and the Prime Minister while shielding Prince Huai, trying to please both sides, leaving himself a back door.
Idiot. The ones who think themselves cleverest always die fastest.
Still... this type is more useful alive than dead. A frightened spy is better than a silent corpse.
"Release him," Yin Wuwang said abruptly.
Xie Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly—a questioning look, though his face remained impassive. Official Wang was equally stunned: "R-release me?"
"Yes, release him." Yin Wuwang's tone was flat, almost bored. "Official Wang, tonight never happened. You remain a junior official in the Ministry of Revenue, still running errands for Minister Liu. However, this Duke will have people watching you. Your every move—this Duke will know."
He leaned down until his face was inches from Official Wang's, his voice dropping to a whisper: "What you confessed tonight, this Duke can pretend he never heard. But if you dare breathe a word of this to anyone—this Duke will show you what it means to wish for death."
The words were almost gentle. That made them infinitely more terrifying.
Official Wang kowtowed frantically, forehead striking the floor: "This lowly official wouldn't dare! Absolutely wouldn't dare!"
Yin Wuwang signaled to his guards with a flick of his fingers. They stepped forward, untied the ropes, and escorted the trembling official out into the night.
Only the two of them remained in the room.
The candles guttered in a draft, sending shadows dancing across the walls. Somewhere outside, a night bird called once and fell silent.
Xie Qingyan studied Yin Wuwang: "Casting a long line for the big fish?"
"Petty officials like this are most useful when they're terrified out of their wits." Yin Wuwang stood with hands behind his back, a satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Right now his head is full of nothing but survival—he absolutely won't dare inform. Moreover, he thinks he's protected the Prince Huai connection, so he'll definitely keep digging for information when he goes back, trying to secure more escape routes for himself."
His smile turned cold: "Whatever he digs up, this Duke will know."
Xie Qingyan was silent for a moment, considering. Then he nodded: "You see through people's hearts quite clearly."
Yin Wuwang's heart skipped a beat. Was that... a compliment? From Fuguang?
"Naturally." He lifted his chin, forcing his voice into its usual arrogance. "This sover—this Duke has seen more people than you've eaten grains of salt."
Dammit, nearly slipped again! He cursed himself. "This sovereign"—that's not something a mortal duke would say!
Xie Qingyan glanced at him, not responding to the near-slip. But Yin Wuwang clearly saw it—in those amber eyes, a flash of genuine amusement.
Was Fuguang... laughing? At me? Or... with me?
Don't overthink it!
"Regarding Prince Huai," Xie Qingyan spoke, his tone returning to business, "Official Wang definitely knows something, but he doesn't dare say it."
"Mm. When he mentioned Prince Huai, his pupils contracted and his throat moved—far more pronounced than when he mentioned the Prime Minister." Yin Wuwang mused, tapping one finger against his arm. "Prince Huai has feigned illness for ten years, biding his time in the shadows. For the Prime Minister to hoard old currency so brazenly, Prince Huai is almost certainly backing him from behind the scenes."
Xie Qingyan inclined his head slightly: "Your thoughts align with mine."
Yin Wuwang's heart jolted again. "Align with mine"—he said our thoughts align!
Don't read too much into it! He warned himself sternly. Fuguang is just stating facts! He'd say the same thing to any competent ally!
...But he said it to me.
"It's getting late," Xie Qingyan said, glancing toward the window where the first hints of gray touched the horizon. "Return to your residence first. Tomorrow's court session will require more acting."
Yin Wuwang nodded but didn't immediately leave. He stood there, looking at Xie Qingyan's cold, elegant profile in the dying candlelight, and found himself reluctant to go.
"Don't stay up too late," he said suddenly.
Then he turned and strode out without looking back, cursing himself with every step.
Is that something you should be saying?! He raged internally. Makes it sound like I actually care about him!
...I do care about him. But he can't know that!
[Regent's Residence · Study · 1-3 AM]
Xie Qingyan returned to his residence and sat alone in his study, organizing the night's findings by the light of a single candle.
Official Wang's testimony, the seized currency, the collusion between the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Revenue... This evidence was enough to bring down Minister Liu, but taking down the Prime Minister would require more fuel for the fire. As for Prince Huai—that would need an entirely different approach.
He picked up his brush and began writing notes for the next phase of his strategy.
Halfway through, he suddenly paused.
"Don't stay up too late."
The words surfaced unbidden. Said so casually, tossed over a shoulder without even a backward glance. As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He pushed the thought aside and returned to his notes. But another thought intruded.
Yin Wuwang's performance tonight had genuinely surprised him. That man's observations of Official Wang—the eye movements, the finger twitches, the pupil contractions, the throat movements—had been meticulous, almost instinctive. This was a skill that could only be honed after seeing through countless human hearts over countless years.
He said "this sovereign has seen more people than you've eaten grains of salt"... Xie Qingyan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, the ghost of a smile. Not entirely bluster, it seems.
The thought caught him off guard, and he immediately suppressed it, his expression returning to its usual coolness.
Beyond the window, the night was fading. Dawn touched the eastern sky with fingers of rose and gold. He set down his brush and wrote four characters on fresh paper: "Tomorrow. Close the net."
The morning light crept across his desk, illuminating the stack of evidence they had gathered.
Tomorrow, the real game would begin.
[End of Chapter 9]
Next Chapter Preview:
The court becomes a battlefield. The Regent makes his first move. But the Prime Minister has prepared a counter-gambit—and the game is about to grow far more dangerous.
Chapter 10: When Both Sides Think They're Winning, Someone's About to Lose Badly