Including Lord Liu, everyone was also poured a full cup of water.

Moreover, to put everyone at ease, Lord Liu was the first to lift his bowl of water.

After gesturing to the others, he began to speak:

"The time has been far too rushed, and I haven't been able to properly host you. I hope you won't mind.

To express my apologies, I shall drink first as a sign of respect."

After speaking, he swiftly raised his hand and chugged the entire bowl of clear water.

The ten soldiers exchanged glances, and after seeing this, they hesitated no more.

They raised their cups towards Lord Liu in a gesture and then tilted their heads back to drink the entire bowl of water.

Having eaten hastily, drinking a bowl of water now was refreshing.

"Lord Liu is truly too gracious. I am more than thankful to have this meal.

But with imperial orders upon us, it's not too late to celebrate after we complete our mission.

So, tonight we still must thank Lord Liu for his hospitality, but we brothers shall take our leave."

After speaking, the leading soldier placed his bowl back on the table.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly felt dizzy, and his vision started to blur.

Moments later, everyone collapsed to the ground.

Of course, those who collapsed were the ten soldiers, with none from the government falling.

Even Lord Liu was smiling deviously while watching the soldiers fall, a sinister curve on his lips as he muttered to himself:

"Hehe, you're still too green. If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself.

You intend to bypass me? Hehe, what wishful thinking.

Who truly has authority here?

Even if the Emperor himself came, it's still me who holds power here.

If anyone dares to interfere, I'll cut off that interfering foot."

Saying this, he waved to his subordinate behind him, who had arranged all this earlier, and quickly ran over to the leading soldier, squatting down to search his body.

Indeed, the reason for their collapse was that this man had put a large amount of sleeping pills in the water earlier.

In today's society, it would be called Mongolian sweat medicine.

As for why Lord Liu was unharmed despite drinking the water?

Of course, it was because he had already drunk a small cup of wine with an antidote in advance.

Since these people were unwilling to reveal any information, he decided to knock them out and investigate personally.

He was confident this wouldn't cause him any trouble.

If what they spoke of had nothing to do with him, he'd have them sent back to their lodging.

All their belongings would be put back intact, with the explanation that they had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion yesterday.

There's no way they could pin anything on him, even if they knew he was the culprit.

If they posed a threat to his interests, he wouldn't just knock them out; he'd send them away permanently.

Indeed, he must be ruthless, because in today's society, being ruthless is essential to maintain control.

Though he's only the prefect of this city, such cruelty is indispensable.

Royal orders mean nothing here—it's a mere illusion.

The royal mandate comes here only for me to see.

Others wishing to know? Hehe, a pipe dream.

Anything beneficial will be issued under my name, so the people remember my benevolence and virtue.

What does the Emperor have to do with it? Haha, nothing at all.

The Emperor does nothing but raise taxes and push the people to desperation.

I am the only one who truly considers the welfare of the people.

The steward squatted down and quickly extracted a bamboo tube from the leading soldier's bosom.

Then, without hesitation, he offered the bamboo tube to Lord Liu.

Upon seeing it, Lord Liu cracked open the wax seal and retrieved the contents without hesitation.

"Hmm? What is this? It feels so soft.

There's writing on it? It's neither silk nor fur, nor bamboo; what is this?"

The paper caught Lord Liu's eye immediately.

Curiously, he scrutinized the item, having never seen anything like it before.

Could it be something newly researched by the court?

Is it meant for writing?

He thought this because he saw black writing through the paper.

While not knowing the content, the fact it bore writing was undeniable.

Hence, he pondered if this was a new medium devised by the court for writing.

Curious, he unfolded the item, revealing densely packed fine print instantly.

This surprised him more; such light material carried such compact writing—truly fascinating.

The paper's quality amazed him.

He marveled at its ingenuity.

This slightly yellowed sheet held text equivalent to many bamboo slips.

Writing on it was clearer than on bamboo slips.

Compared to costly silk, the writing on it didn't bleed at all.

Remarkable.

He began examining the paper's material rather than its contents.

Even ignoring what it might say initially.

[To be continued...]