[Regent's Residence · Study · Noon]
"How many were arrested?"
Xie Qingyan sat behind his desk, leafing through a list delivered by his shadow guards.
"Reporting to Your Highness, three were arrested." The shadow guard bowed. "All three were among the loudest agitators at the palace gates this morning. Investigation revealed that all three have connections to Scholar Chen at the Imperial Academy. One of them even accepted silver from Scholar Chen directly."
"Good." Xie Qingyan closed the list. "Take them to the Ministry of Justice. This King will conduct the interrogation personally."
"Your Highness will interrogate them personally?" The shadow guard seemed surprised.
"The Prime Minister's people incited the scholars to riot. This King needs confessions to shut his mouth." Xie Qingyan's tone was mild. "Also, send someone to the Duke of Zhenguo's residence. Invite the Duke to join me at the Ministry of Justice."
The shadow guard acknowledged the order and departed.
[Ministry of Justice Prison · 3-5 PM]
The three arrested scholars huddled in their cells at the Ministry of Justice, trembling with fear.
The blue-robed scholar Liu Siyuan, who had led the protest, had already been released. After all, he had merely been manipulated—he wasn't a mastermind. But these three were different. They had accepted money specifically to cause trouble.
"Wh-what do we do?" One scholar's face was ashen. "The Regent is going to interrogate us personally. Are we going to be beheaded?"
"D-don't talk nonsense!" Another scholar forced himself to appear calm. "We only went to petition. We didn't break any laws..."
"Didn't break any laws?" The third scholar laughed bitterly. "How much silver did you take from Scholar Chen? I know exactly how much. If this comes out, at best we lose our scholarly status. At worst..." He trailed off, unable to finish.
The three men's faces grew increasingly grim.
Just then, the prison door swung open, and two figures entered.
The first wore a dark brocade robe. His face was handsome as carved jade, his gaze cold as ice—it was Regent Xie Qingyan.
Following behind him was a tall, powerfully built man with a stern countenance—the Duke of Zhenguo, Yin Wuwang.
The three scholars scrambled to kneel, terror-stricken: "This commoner greets the Regent! Greets the Duke of Zhenguo!"
Xie Qingyan didn't spare them a glance. He walked directly to the seat of honor and sat down. Yin Wuwang stood to the side, arms crossed, fixing the three men with a cold stare.
The atmosphere in the dungeon dropped several degrees. The flickering torchlight cast dancing shadows on the stone walls, making the two visitors appear even more imposing—like judges descended from the underworld to weigh the fates of sinners.
Yin Wuwang studied the three trembling mortals with detached interest. In the cultivation world, interrogation typically involved soul-searching techniques or truth-compelling arrays. This mortal method of intimidation and persuasion was... quaint. But watching Fuguang work was always educational.
"This King will ask you several questions," Xie Qingyan began, his voice calm. "Answer honestly, and perhaps you may keep your lives. If you dare to lie..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but those ice-cold eyes conveyed everything.
The three scholars shook uncontrollably, kowtowing repeatedly: "This commoner will tell everything we know!"
"Today's disturbance at the palace gates—who ordered you to do it?"
The three exchanged glances, but none dared speak.
Xie Qingyan waited a moment. Seeing no response, he frowned slightly.
At that moment, Yin Wuwang suddenly stepped forward. He seized one scholar by the collar and barked: "Talk! Was it the Prime Minister who ordered this?"
The scholar's soul nearly fled his body: "N-no! This commoner knows nothing about any Prime Minister..."
"Still lying?" Yin Wuwang's palm cracked across his face. "This Duke has investigated! You received twenty taels of silver from Scholar Chen at the Imperial Academy! Do you not know whose man Scholar Chen is?"
"I-I truly don't know..." The scholar clutched his face, tears welling in his eyes.
"Duke of Zhenguo." Xie Qingyan spoke mildly, his gaze cutting coldly toward him. "No need for violence. Mind your own business."
Yin Wuwang rolled his eyes internally. What's with the attitude?! It's just acting. Do you have to be so serious about it?
But outwardly he betrayed nothing. He gave a cold snort, released the scholar, and stepped back.
Xie Qingyan rose and walked slowly toward the three men. His voice softened: "This King knows you were merely used by others. What did those who manipulated you promise? Silver? Official positions? Something else?"
The three kept their heads bowed, not daring to speak.
"This King will tell you something," Xie Qingyan continued. "Whatever those people promised, they cannot deliver. Even when the examination results are announced, they have no power to place your names on the list. You are nothing but pawns in their hands—to be used and discarded."
One of the scholars trembled slightly.
Xie Qingyan noticed. His gaze settled on that one: "What is your name?"
"Th-this commoner is Wang Ming..."
"Wang Ming." Xie Qingyan nodded. "This King has read your essays. You have some genuine talent. Unfortunately, you've been used."
Wang Ming's face flushed red. He lowered his head, unable to meet the Regent's eyes.
"I'll give you one chance." Xie Qingyan's tone was measured. "Tell this King everything you know. If it proves useful, this King will pardon your past offenses and allow you to sit for this session's examinations."
Wang Ming's head snapped up, hope flashing in his eyes: "R-really?"
"This King's word is his bond."
Wang Ming struggled internally for a moment, then finally spoke: "It was... it was Scholar Chen who approached this commoner. He said the Regent was planning to reform the examinations, and that scholars from humble backgrounds like us would have even less chance of advancement. He told this commoner to go petition at the palace gates. If we succeeded, he would give this commoner fifty taels of silver, and said he would find a way to get this commoner's name on the examination list..."
"Was Scholar Chen acting on his own initiative, or was he ordered by someone else?"
"This commoner doesn't know..." Wang Ming shook his head. "But this commoner heard Scholar Chen mention that his backing came from a high-ranking minister at court. He told this commoner to make trouble without fear..."
"A high-ranking minister?" Yin Wuwang snorted coldly. "Other than the Prime Minister, who else could it be?"
Xie Qingyan waved a hand, signaling him not to interrupt.
"What else?" He continued questioning Wang Ming. "What else did Scholar Chen say?"
Wang Ming thought for a moment: "He also said... if the Regent came out to suppress us, that would be even better—it would confirm the accusation of 'persecuting scholars.' Then scholars across the realm would rise up against the Regent, and even if the Regent didn't die, he would be severely wounded..."
Xie Qingyan's eyes darkened slightly.
The strategy was indeed vicious. Had he actually suppressed the rioting scholars, he would have earned the reputation of "persecuting literati." Public opinion would have turned against him, and his position as Chief Examiner would have become untenable.
The Prime Minister, that old fox, certainly knows how to play his cards. He sneered internally. Too bad I didn't follow his script.
The original novel had probably intended for this confrontation to damage the Regent. But Xie Qingyan wasn't the low-IQ villain the author had written. He was a three-thousand-year-old Sword Deity who had navigated far more complex political situations than this.
Patch the plot holes, one lazy trope at a time.
"There's one more thing." Wang Ming continued. "Scholar Chen said that if this attempt failed, there was a backup plan. He said the Prime Minister..."
He suddenly stopped, fear crossing his face.
"Continue." Xie Qingyan's gaze cut like a blade.
"This commoner... this commoner dares not say..."
"This King guarantees your safety. Speak."
Wang Ming gritted his teeth: "Scholar Chen said that the Prime Minister has already arranged for people to infiltrate the Regent's residence. If the examination matter doesn't go smoothly, they will... they will move against the Regent directly..."
Xie Qingyan's eyes flickered coldly.
Yin Wuwang's expression changed dramatically: "What?!"
He whipped his head toward Xie Qingyan, his eyes filled with concern.
Move against Fuguang? Those bastards dare plot against Fuguang?!
His hand instinctively moved toward where his sword would be—except in this mortal body, he carried only a ceremonial saber. The urge to storm the Prime Minister's residence and tear the old fox apart limb from limb nearly overwhelmed his reason.
For a moment, the Demon Sovereign's killing intent leaked through. The temperature in the dungeon seemed to drop. The three scholars shrank back, sensing something terrifying emanating from the Duke—something that had nothing to do with mortal authority.
Yin Wuwang caught himself and suppressed the aura. But his eyes remained fixed on Xie Qingyan, searching for any sign of worry or fear.
There was none. Fuguang's face was as calm as still water.
How can he be so composed? Someone is plotting to kill him!
Xie Qingyan's expression remained unchanged. "Noted. What else do you know?"
Wang Ming shook his head: "This commoner only knows this much..."
"Very well." Xie Qingyan nodded. "This King has recorded what you've said. Men, remove his bindings and arrange a clean room for him to stay in. As for those two..."
His gaze shifted to the other two scholars, turning cold: "Strip them of their scholarly status, thirty strokes of the cane, and exile them from the capital."
The two collapsed to the ground in terror but didn't dare beg for mercy.
Xie Qingyan paid them no further attention. He turned and left. Yin Wuwang followed close behind.
[Outside the Ministry of Justice Prison]
Once outside the prison, Yin Wuwang grabbed Xie Qingyan's sleeve: "Xie Lan, that scholar said the Prime Minister is planning to move against you. How can you act like it's nothing?"
"And what should I do about it?" Xie Qingyan replied mildly. "I've known for some time that the Prime Minister's people have infiltrated the residence."
"You already knew?" Yin Wuwang was stunned. "Then why haven't you cleaned them out?"
"Keeping them around lets me feed false information to the Prime Minister." The corner of Xie Qingyan's mouth curved slightly. "If I cleaned them out, the Prime Minister would simply send new people. Better to turn his own strategy against him—let him believe everything is under his control."
Yin Wuwang stared for a long moment, then laughed helplessly: "You... your belly is full of schemes."
"Likewise." Xie Qingyan glanced at him. "Your red-face act during the interrogation was quite good."
Yin Wuwang blinked, then it dawned on him—Fuguang had deliberately cast him as the "bad cop" while playing the "good cop" himself. One intimidated, the other soothed. That was how they'd gotten the scholar to talk.
It was such a simple technique, yet so effective. And Fuguang had orchestrated it without a single word of explanation beforehand, trusting that Yin Wuwang would play his part perfectly.
He trusted me to understand. He trusted me to follow his lead.
The realization sent an unexpected warmth through his chest.
"You planned this from the start?"
"Why else would I invite you?" Xie Qingyan said mildly.
Yin Wuwang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Xie Lan, did this sovereign just get used as a tool?"
"Not a tool." Xie Qingyan paused. "We work well together."
Yin Wuwang's heart skipped a beat. He nearly let a foolish grin spread across his face.
Work well together... Fuguang said we work well together...
Three thousand years. Three thousand years of watching from afar, and now he says we work well together.
He wanted to say something—anything—but his throat felt suddenly tight.
"Let's go." Xie Qingyan turned and walked ahead. "There may be trouble tonight. Be careful."
Yin Wuwang hurried to catch up: "What kind of trouble?"
"The Prime Minister knows his plan has been exposed. He will certainly try to silence witnesses." Xie Qingyan's tone was level. "Those arrested scholars may not survive the night peacefully."
Yin Wuwang's expression turned grim: "This sovereign will go set up defenses immediately."
"Mm." Xie Qingyan nodded. "Be careful."
"You be careful too." The words slipped out before Yin Wuwang could stop them. He coughed awkwardly. "I mean—there are assassins after you. Don't let your guard down just because you know about the moles."
"This King has survived three thousand years of court intrigue," Xie Qingyan said dryly. Then he paused, as if realizing what he'd said. "...In this role, I mean."
Yin Wuwang's lips twitched. "Right. The role."
The two walked side by side, their figures disappearing into the gathering dusk.
Behind them, the Ministry of Justice loomed dark and foreboding. Somewhere in the Prime Minister's residence, orders were already being dispatched.
The night would not be peaceful.
[End of Chapter 17]
Next Chapter Preview:
Assassins in the night. Blood in the cells. And a Demon Sovereign who has had quite enough of watching from the sidelines.
When Fuguang's life is threatened, all bets are off.
Chapter 18: NPCs Must Die? Have You Asked My Blade for Permission?