Xuanqing Guard

Zhang Liao’s description gave Shen Hao a sense of "sugar-coated artillery shells." On the outside, it’s fragrant candy, but inside, it’s a deadly poison pill.

Following this logic, the next step would be for Qin Yurou, once she got the poison pill, to find a chance when Qin Xiuyuan wasn’t paying attention, or make up some excuse, to pour out or destroy all the normal fragrant candies in his Purple Jade Bottle, leaving only the disguised poison pill inside.

The timing had to be just right. It should be completed shortly before Qin Xiuyuan’s accident, so he wouldn’t have time to refill new fragrant candies, and when he left the Qin Mansion for Prince Shou’s Mansion, he’d take one as usual—and die.

This not only silenced him, but also successfully dragged Prince Shou into the mess. Two birds with one stone.

Afterwards, if Qin Yurou’s plan succeeded and Qin Xiuyuan was poisoned to death, everything about her would have sunk to the bottom of the sea, never to see the light of day again. But fate is fickle: Prince Shou’s advisors, aiming to probe further, urged the already-suspicious Qin Xiuyuan to write a crucial letter. That changed everything.

Of course, this is all "progress," not yet ironclad proof: it just pushes the case forward. Next, just send people to ask in towns around Bai Dang Mountain, and you’ll find out what Chen Youwen was up to there years ago. If there really was a connection, that alone could be the evidence to drag Qin Yurou into the case.

"Our people are already on their way; we should have word within three days. And we’ll get results from Jin Fengyuan tonight. Then we’ll know how Chen Youwen managed to become ’Master’ right after he arrived." Zhang Liao spoke as he deftly cleaned the tripe and tore off a strip.

Meanwhile, Shen Hao finished his own preparations. The two chatted idly, waiting for the rice in the steamer to finish before firing up the stove—if you start too early, there’s no rice to go with the dishes, and the essence would be lacking.

They weren’t in a hurry. Shen Hao brought out some wine, and he and Zhang Liao each took a jar to sip slowly.

"Lord, if we find solid evidence that Qin Yurou masterminded these moves targeting our Xuanqing Guard, we shouldn’t punish the whole Qin Family. Should we slap a different label on them?"

Label them?

Shen Hao glanced sidelong at the over-eager Zhang Liao and chuckled, "You’re not the brightest, but your hands are skilled. So you should play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. Don’t offer opinions when it’s not your area. It won’t win you any face, just make you look silly. Got it?"

Zhang Liao froze, at a loss for how to reply.

Shen Hao understood Zhang Liao’s character: he’s a fool who tries to pick up others’ strengths, ignoring the "every inch has its use" principle. He sees Wang Jian coming up with crafty ideas and thinks he can do it too? Slapping labels? This guy’s probably done shady things like that before.

"Remember this: the worst thing to do on the job is deception. You can choose not to expose the truth, but don’t cover it up or hide it further. That’s not our business. If you must, let higher-ups force your hand. If you act on your own, you’ll die young—believe me." Shen Hao was speechless at Zhang Liao’s careless words; this fool’s loose tongue will land him in trouble someday.

"I was foolish and spoke out of turn. Please punish me, Lord." Zhang Liao quickly set down the wine jar and stood up anxiously to admit his fault. He was slow, not stupid, and Shen Hao’s words made him realize his mistake.

"You’re not stupid, just arrogant—and not fully aware of your ability. At your age, you should know your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t try to imitate others’ talents; many things depend on talent and temperament—not everything can be learned."

The Qin Family’s fate is sealed unless something drastic happens. I’m not afraid to tell you: Lord Commander wants this case nailed shut. Every single member of the Qin Family is a goner. You weren’t wrong about that.

But your method misses the key point."

Zhang Liao breathed a sigh of relief and sat down again, realizing Shen Hao wasn’t actually angry, and was teaching him instead.

"Please instruct me, Lord."

Shen Hao raised his wine jar and clinked it with Zhang Liao’s, taking a big gulp before saying, "We investigate step by step. As long as we nail Qin Yurou for her crimes, do you think she’ll get off clean? At that point, who do you think will be the angriest?"

"...I can’t figure it out, sir."

"The Empress."

"Sir... I still don’t understand." Zhang Liao realized why Shen Hao said he "wasn’t stupid, just didn’t understand himself"—an incredibly tactful remark.

Shen Hao laughed, "Think about it: when the Wen Family was purged, Qin Yurou ran back to her mother’s house for years. Why wasn’t she arrested by Xuanqing Guard? She was the Wen Family matriarch, fully eligible for execution by waist slash. But she’s alive and well—do you think Qin Wenhe alone could protect her from a crime as big as the Three Barbarian Races? No, it’s because Qin Yurou knows how to play the game; she found her way to the Empress. With the Empress backing her, even the Xuanqing Guard must show respect."

"But is the Empress, as rumors have it, really so kind-hearted as to shield someone so criminal against Xuanqing Guard law? It’s just womanly sympathy—she thinks Qin Yurou was innocently dragged down by the Wen Family, happens to like her, and helped out. But once Qin Yurou’s real nature is exposed, her pitiful exterior masking rotten insides, what do you think the Empress will feel?"

"She’ll feel used, like a fool, and get angry?"

No wonder Zhang Liao failed to advance in the past—his blunt mouth is a liability. The fact he’s survived this long without being killed is a miracle.

Shen Hao raised his hand and smacked Zhang Liao on the back of the head, hard enough to send him staggering.

"If you can’t talk properly, shut up! Who’s a fool? If you’re not a fool, how could the Empress be? Hoodwinked—she’ll just feel that she was misled by Qin Yurou’s facade and, naturally, be furious. She won’t say it outright, but she’d love to see Qin Yurou severely punished."

Without the Empress’s backing, Qin Yurou’s crimes will be tallied, slowly but surely. As for the Qin Family, could we slap the label ’harboring and enabling a wanted criminal’ on them?"

Zhang Liao’s eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! That fits perfectly!"

"Now that we’ve got this charge, if our Xuanqing Guard really pursues it, who in the Qin Family survives?"

"Harboring a criminal means the same punishment—none of them survive!" Zhang Liao conceded, admitting he didn’t have the talent for scheming—and resolving to keep his head down and just follow orders from now on, speaking less and doing more.