Xuanqing Guard

"Sir, everything went smoothly. That woman called Li Qing reacted just as you predicted—she frantically ran off toward the main Qin house, but we caught her off guard. She was so furious she nearly acted on the spot, though unfortunately she managed to restrain herself, so the masters we had lurking didn’t get a chance to intervene."

Wang Yiming found his way once again to Shen Hao’s temporary hiding place, his tone rather invigorated. Not long before, he had not only captured Qin Xiangyu, but also rounded up every member of the Qin family’s third branch residing in the Imperial City.

Especially slapping the Ministry of Justice Major Case Department so hard—it made him feel refreshed from head to toe.

The only pity was that the Major Case Department’s people remained calm throughout; they never lost their minds simply because they’d been outmaneuvered. That flawless scene Wang Yiming had hoped for didn’t materialize. Unable to force them to "bleed" in a counterattack—that was the one blemish in an otherwise perfect operation.

"Pity? It’s already a pretty decent harvest. Such crude tricks as ’luring the tiger from its mountain’ are good only for catching the other side off guard once; in a different setting, or against someone else, they might not work. Did you want to slice off Li Qing’s head? That’s unrealistic."

"Sir, your insight is sound. I must admit I was greedy. But Xue Gui reacted quickly too. Thankfully you had the foresight to ask Lord Jiang to send Personal Guards to help, otherwise we might’ve ended up trapped at the door by Xue Gui’s people."

Wang Yiming was flattering Shen Hao, but also truly admired him. The strategies Shen Hao had whispered—a ’lure the tiger from its mountain’ and ’tit-for-tat’—had all proven both feasible and necessary.

"Never underestimate Xue Gui. We managed to trick them twice; it’s unlikely we’ll get a third chance. From now on, interrogation for this case will have to be straightforward. The initiative has shifted from the Ministry of Justice to us; as long as we don’t err, there shouldn’t be any major problems."

"Have the detainees undergone initial review yet?"

"Reporting to you, Sir, it’s already underway. Our men from Fengri City are handling it, with assistance from the Jingxi Governor’s people. As you instructed, it’s best if our colleagues here get some credit too."

"Mm, you’ve thought it through. Just mind your limits and don’t let them take too much advantage."

"Absolutely, Sir, I understand. But what about Qin Xiangyu?" Wang Yiming didn’t come here just to report merit; he’d captured almost all the Qin family’s third branch, others from out of town were still being tracked down, but Qin Xiangyu’s identity made treating her the same difficult.

Shen Hao chuckled: "You really want to torture her according to regulations? Though she hasn’t entered the household yet, she is nonetheless formally betrothed to Prince Shou. She may be a Qin, but her status can’t be lumped with the others."

"So, Sir, what do you want to do?"

"Lock her up in a clean, airy, relatively comfortable room. Then send a notice to Prince Shou, ask if he’d like to take her away—give him some face."

"Ah? No interrogation?"

"You think the Qin family would really have shared their secrets with a daughter destined for marriage? She probably doesn’t even know how many shops the Qin family owns. Detaining her is merely for appearances; she’s not of much use. And even if we give Prince Shou face, he almost certainly won’t accept her."

Shen Hao’s explanation made Wang Yiming instantly grasp the situation.

Qin Xiangyu now was nothing more than a ’flower in a vase’—pretty, but how long will she stay pretty? No need to care for her; just leave her in the vase, and soon enough she’ll wilt, her final destination the trash heap.

Prince Shou’s consort? She was before, but now that’s doubtful. Once the Qin family’s affairs are meticulously purged by Xuanqing Guard, no one will remember there was once a woman almost ushered into the Prince Mansion.

Wang Yiming’s trip here was troublesome; Shen Hao invited him to stay for lunch before departing. Noon brought blood curd and tripe—Shen Hao prepared to whip up a ’Mao Xue Wang’ dish and invited Wang Yiming to try it, but Wang had no time to linger and politely declined. Zhang Liao, arriving right after, was luckier.

Like Wang Jian, Zhang Liao’s tastes now closely matched Shen Hao’s. If Lord Shen liked something, so did they. Didn’t like it? Eat it a few more times and you’ll learn to. That process often opened a whole new world for the taste buds.

Take spicy food, for example. Zhang Liao used to dislike heavily spicy flavors, but now he relished them, couldn’t eat a meal without spice. He even secretly learned a few impressive dishes from chefs.

"Sir, are we eating?" Zhang Liao strolled into the kitchen, saw Shen Hao busy, and quickly rolled up his sleeves to help. These days, his respect for Shen Hao only deepened, though his manner became more relaxed, far more familiar and at ease than before.

"Mm, have you heard of Mao Xue Wang? It’s absolutely delicious! Clean up this tripe for me, I’ll blanch the blood curd to tighten it up..."

In his previous world, cooking had been part of Shen Hao’s everyday life; now it was a rare leisure activity.

He cooked while chatting idly with Zhang Liao.

Like Wang Jian, Zhang Liao was now Shen Hao’s trusted aide. The Impermanence Department among the Four Divisions was vitally important—both a powerful closing force and internal deterrent to the Black Water Plan. Even Wang Jian didn’t oversee it directly; Zhang Liao reported straight to Shen Hao.

"Sir, Chen Youwen’s background is indeed suspicious. We’ve discovered that nine years ago he went out to learn candy-making for two years, and returned seven years ago. With no connections, he nevertheless landed a master’s position at Jin Fengyuan, a large confectionery. And the place he apprenticed was a town near Baideng Mountain, renowned for its sugar industry."

"Bai Dang Mountain? You mean the Wen Family?"

"Yes, Sir. At the time, the Wen Family presided over Baideng Mountain; all trades for a hundred miles around were tied to them—including the candy shops. I checked old records about the Wen Family, and before their extermination they owned more than sixty percent of the area’s candy shops. So for Chen Youwen to study candy-making at a town near Bai Dang Mountain, it was almost certainly on the Wen Family’s path."

Shen Hao placed rice in the steamer, then set up the pot. For Mao Xue Wang, rice cooked in a steamer is a must.

"So, you’re saying Chen Youwen and Qin Yurou have prior connections?"

"Yes, Sir. The member of the Qin family who stayed at Bai Dang Mountain longest was Qin Yurou, and the timeline matches. Very likely, Chen Youwen met Qin Yurou during his two years at Bai Dang Mountain, and a relationship formed. After returning to the Imperial City, it’s highly probable he entered Jin Fengyuan with Qin Yurou’s guidance as a sugar master."

"Subsequently, for some reason, Chen Youwen, under Qin Yurou’s direction, began studying how to coat a Poison Pill with a seamless layer of fragrant candy. That way, even candy connoisseurs wouldn’t notice anything wrong unless they cut it open. Once consumed, as the candy layer dissolved, the remaining Poison Pill would be revealed and could kill."