CHAPTER 1076: CHAPTER 593: ARREST THEM! OF COURSE I BULLY THE FEW WITH THE MANY

"This... this..." Count Yanshan, upon hearing Zhao Douan’s question, visibly panicked.

In the courtyard, the rest of the household was also tense and nervous. How could they not recognize the terrifying and fierce reputation of the Imperial Court Yama?

Moreover, today, the leader bringing the team was the mysterious figure known only as the White-faced Arresting Officer representing Zhao Douan. Zhao Douan’s seemingly light questions weighed heavily like mountains on everyone present.

"Why did only the Master himself come?" Count Yanshan braced himself and pressed on.

Zhao Douan merely smiled, offering no response, and instead, took a direct step into the main hall, casually sitting down in the chair vacated by Xu Wenyan. He checked the temperature of the teacup with his finger and softly said, "Did the princely heir of Hejian visit earlier? What did he discuss with the Earl?"

The Count Yanshan didn’t dare sit and stood obediently, hastily explaining, "He didn’t discuss much, just chatted about family matters, reminiscing some old stories about how I met his father back in the day."

Though this wasn’t an interrogation room, Count Yanshan spilled every word of the conversation without omitting any details.

"Hmm," Zhao Douan nodded, smiling, "Old stories, that means collusion."

Count Yanshan turned pale with shock, his face losing all color, lips turning blue, and legs trembling, nearly kneeling on the spot. Behind him, his family looked just as if they had been choked, their expressions filled with despair.

"No, it’s not... there was nothing..." At this moment, Count Yanshan appeared as timid as a child.

"Haha, just joking," Zhao Douan laughed aloud in the near-silent atmosphere, standing up and dusting off his robe, speaking with unusual gentleness, "Earl, there’s no need for panic. Although the princely heir of Hejian is the son of a rebel, he came this time for peace talks, as a guest of honor. We are just here following Your Majesty’s orders to understand the situation. Since nothing of consequence was discussed, we shall take our leave now. Sorry for the disturbance."

Having said these words, Zhao Douan took one last glance at the ceremonial gift boxes in the room before turning decisively toward the exit with a wave of his hand, "Let’s go."

The Jinyi of Lihua Hall followed on cue, leaving as swiftly as they had come.

Once they had vanished from sight, Count Yanshan’s legs went weak, and he plopped into the chair with a thud, while his terrified family members hastily gathered around, "Master..."

Count Yanshan stared blankly, feeling the dampness at his back, as just those few minutes of conversation had soaked his clothes with sweat.

Coming to his senses, he looked again at the precious gift boxes in the room, now seeing them as hot potatoes. Without hesitation, he ordered, "Quickly send these gifts to the Imperial Court! Then feign illness and close the doors. Refuse any visitors until the envoy leaves! And do not leak a single word of what happened today to anyone! Understood?!"

...

Leaving the Earl’s Mansion, Zhao Douan got back into the carriage, leisurely continuing to follow Xu Wenyan’s route.

This time, they arrived at the residence of Marquis Qinghe.

Once again, waiting for Xu Wenyan and his group to leave, Zhao Douan appeared from the shadows, barging into the Marquis Mansion with domineering force.

Marquis Qinghe was a middle-aged man, still strong and well-maintained.

Seeing the group of Living Yamas enter, he didn’t panic as Count Yanshan did, though his subtle facial expressions and body movements revealed his inner turmoil beneath the calm exterior.

"It is my loss for not welcoming White-faced Arresting Officer properly, may I inquire what brings you here?" Marquis Qinghe invited Zhao Douan to sit, taking the initiative to speak.

Zhao Douan rubbed the pure white mask on his face, smiling brightly, "I understand the princely heir of Hejian visited your residence earlier this morning. I am here under orders to track the envoy’s movements."

Marquis Qinghe calmly replied, "Though Prince Hejian plotted rebellion, by rights I shouldn’t meet his son. However, as we are in the negotiation stage, and since the princely heir approached with courtesy, I prioritized the bigger picture and only had a formal chat with him. These were just pleasantries, so there is nothing here to disappoint the Master."

Zhao Douan smiled, "I understand, I understand. I expect no less from a marquis favored by Your Majesty; I am certain you won’t interfere with the peace talks, and Your Majesty won’t misconstrue."

This time, the two exchanged a lot of trivial words without any anger, until Zhao Douan finally stood up, patted his behind, and left.

The well-kept Marquis Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, finding it hard to maintain his confident demeanor as his palms were already sweaty within his sleeves.

He sighed with anxiety, glancing at the precious gifts from the Western Regions on the luxurious carpet, and called for a servant, "Take all these to the Imperial Court."

...

Most of the capital’s nobility gathered in the North City, and at this moment, after leaving the Marquis’s Mansion, Xu Wenyan’s convoy headed towards the Duke Chen Mansion.

However, they did not rush to enter, instead stopping on a quiet street near the Duke Mansion.

Inside the carriage, Xu Wenyan and Mr. Feng waited for a while. Outside, soldiers from Prince Hejian’s estate finally came, reporting through the curtain, "Reporting to the princely heir, someone has indeed been following us, their identity unknown. But wherever you leave first, they enter shortly after, and are now at Marquis Qinghe’s residence."

Mr. Feng looked at the Fat Prince, furrowing his brows, "I’m afraid these are also hounds of the Imperial Court, probably the same ones who were watching the Commandery Princess of Yanshan yesterday."

Xu Wenyan didn’t show any surprise; rather, his eyes were clear, "In someone else’s territory, every move is bound to be watched. We didn’t expect to hide today’s actions from anyone. However, the other party’s decisive actions, not even bothering to hide, instead warning whoever we visit, states their impatience."