Seeing Elder Master Xiao erupt in anger, not only did Huang Zhuo’s face turn ashen, but Liu Si’s and Fang Hongxiu’s expressions also changed slightly.

Even Xiao Wang, who was sitting calmly to the side, was a little surprised.

He had thought Elder Master Xiao would let the matter pass nonchalantly, as he had before.

He never expected Elder Master Xiao to have such a strong reaction.

Huang Zhuo wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a trembling voice, "Marquis, please calm your anger. I... I failed to investigate this matter clearly. It is my dereliction of duty. I beg your forgiveness."

Hearing this, Elder Master Xiao continued to stare at him and asked, "I ask you, who exactly gave you the nerve?"

"Did the Jing State Liu Family send you?"

"Or was it the Shu State Governor’s Office?"

Huang Zhuo hurriedly knelt, his expression changing drastically.

"Marquis, please forgive me! No one ordered me to do this. It was all my dereliction of duty. I implore the Marquis to see the truth."

"You think you can settle this with a simple ’dereliction of duty’? Do you really think I’ve gotten old? That I can no longer lift my blade?"

"No..."

At this sight, Xiao Wang frowned as he looked down at the hall. The corner of his eye glanced at Elder Master Xiao; he clearly hadn’t expected this scene.

’What is my elder brother trying to do?’

’Is he really going to have this Thousand Households of the Imprisonment Department put to death?’

Seeing Huang Zhuo single-mindedly kowtowing and admitting his fault, Liu Si, who was at the side, thought for a moment and tried to speak:

"Marquis, please calm your anger. It was indeed wrong of Thousand Households Huang to jump to conclusions without a thorough investigation..."

Elder Master Xiao shot him a glance and interrupted in a cold tone, "Did Prefect Liu not know about the progress of the Imprisonment Department’s investigation before this?"

Sweat immediately beaded on Liu Si’s face. In his heart, he was already cursing Huang Zhuo to high heaven.

Elder Master Xiao’s question seemed simple, but in reality, there was no right way for him to answer.

He was the Prefect of Shu State, responsible for public order and various affairs, so the Imprisonment Department naturally fell under his jurisdiction.

If he said he didn’t know, it would make him, the Prefect, seem incompetent and suspect for dereliction of duty.

But if he said he did know...

Choosing the lesser of two evils, Liu Si could only brace himself and say:

"My apologies, Marquis. Thousand Households Huang did not, in fact, inform me beforehand."

"You didn’t know?"

"The Lord Prefect manages countless affairs every day. It’s only right that he wouldn’t know."

Hearing this, Liu Si quickly knelt beside Huang Zhuo, bowing his head to admit his fault. "Marquis, please forgive me."

Seeing her two superiors kneeling, Fang Hongxiu also knelt behind them.

Seeing this, Elder Master Xiao snorted. "A Prefect and a Thousand Households of the Imprisonment Department, and you can’t even figure out such a small matter. If word of this got out, it’d be a laughingstock."

"Fortunately for you, you’re not soldiers of the Dingyuan Army. Otherwise, this old man would have beheaded you today."

Hearing this, not only did Liu Si and Huang Zhuo not feel relieved, they grew even more terrified.

Or rather, Liu Si was the one who was terrified.

Not being soldiers of the Dingyuan Army meant they were not considered one of the Old Marquis’s own people.

"Marquis, you speak too gravely. I am based in Shu State and will certainly not forget my roots!"

Huang Zhuo’s face was ashen. He pressed his forehead to the floor, not daring to utter a single word.

’I must have been a complete idiot, believing someone else’s words and daring to run my mouth in front of the Old Marquis.’

Fang Hongxiu, however, seemed oblivious, clearly not catching the underlying meaning.

At this moment, Xiao Wang glanced around and suddenly spoke up, "Elder Brother, in my opinion, why don’t we let the Prefect go back and investigate this clearly first?"

Elder Master Xiao shot him a look. "What? Did you really think this old man was going to punish them?"

"I..."

Before he could speak again, Elder Master Xiao had already turned to Liu Si and the others, waving his hand.

"Get out of here and come back when you’ve investigated this properly."

"If it truly was one of my Xiao Family who did this, even if it were my own brother, I would strike him down myself!"

Xiao Wang froze for a moment, then his expression darkened, and he said no more.

He naturally understood the thinly veiled jab.

But more than that, he was concerned about Elder Master Xiao’s words and actions today.

’Something feels off.’

As for Liu Si and the other two, they hastily bowed and took their leave without a moment’s delay.

After everyone had left, Xiao Wang also rose, preparing to depart.

Just then, Elder Master Xiao spoke up and asked:

"Second Brother, tell me, if this old man were to kick the bucket one day, who could support this great Xiao Family?"

Xiao Wang’s steps faltered. He turned his head to look at him, and seeing his direct gaze, a chill ran through his heart.

"Who do you think, Elder Brother?"

"You."

"Me..."

But just as he was about to speak, he saw Elder Master Xiao shake his head. "You can’t do it."

"Second Brother, don’t blame me for being harsh."

"Although your Martial Arts are so-so, leading an army is not a one-man fight. Commanding thousands of troops is not comparable to leading the men of the Punishment Hall in their little affairs."

Xiao Wang’s expression immediately darkened. "I have no such intentions."

"The Xiao Family has one and only one heir, and that is Wuge!"

After saying this, he strode directly out of Qingjing Residence.

Elder Master Xiao watched him walk away, a desolate look on his face, and he let out a deep sigh.

’If I say you can’t, you really can’t.’

’Even if I tied Dongchen and Qiuyun to you, you still couldn’t hold up the sky for the Xiao Family.’

"If not for Wuge’s youth, why would this old man..."

...

「Outside the Marquis’s Mansion.」

Liu Si’s expression was extremely ugly as he looked at Huang Zhuo and said in a low voice:

"If I didn’t know you were always a blockhead, I might have thought you were acting on someone’s orders today."

Huang Zhuo’s lips moved, but he said nothing. He gripped the hilt of his blade, looking like he was furious but didn’t dare to speak.

"My apologies, Lord Prefect. I will definitely uncover the truth shortly and give you an explanation!"

"To me? You’d better think about how to appease the Marquis’s anger."

Just as he was about to say more, a carriage flying the red flag of the Xiao Family pulled up beside them, and the group quickly made way.

After the carriage entered the Xiao Mansion, Liu Si gave Huang Zhuo a few more instructions, then boarded his own carriage to leave.

Just then, an Imprisonment Officer ran over with an excited expression:

"Lord Prefect, Lord Thousand Households, Lord Hundred Households, we’ve found the murderer!"

The three of them froze. "What murderer?"

"The murderer who killed Liu Jing has been found."

Huang Zhuo was overjoyed. "Quick, tell us! Who was so bold?"

"It was a guard from Huilin Hall. He was acting suspiciously outside Hui Xian Building today. When we questioned him, he tried to flee. Luckily, there were many of us, and we joined forces to capture him."

"Under questioning, we learned that he was the one responsible for what happened that night."

After hearing his report, Liu Si asked thoughtfully:

"That Huilin Hall is one of the Wan Family’s businesses, right?"

Huang Zhuo nodded and said with a smile, "It is indeed the Wan Family. I never thought..."

Before he could finish, the smile on his face vanished.

If the Wan Family did it, then the things he had just said in the Marquis’s Mansion were truly utter nonsense.

Liu Si nodded, got into his carriage, and commanded in an inscrutable tone, "Interrogate him thoroughly. We’ll hold court tomorrow."

Huang Zhuo bowed in acknowledgement, then hurriedly boarded his carriage and left.

After the carriages had departed, Fang Hongxiu, who had been standing to the side, felt that there was something strange about this matter.

"How does the Wan Family’s strength compare to the Xiao and Liu Families?"

The Imprisonment Officer who brought the news thought for a moment and said, "They’re not even in the same league."

"Then is it possible he did this to frame the Xiao Family?"

"Lord Hundred Households, we’re..."

Seeing the Imprisonment Officer point to the Xiao Mansion’s plaque not far away, Fang Hongxiu nodded. "We’ll talk back at the office."

’There must be a hidden story behind all this, anyway.’

Once it was quiet outside the gates, Chen Yi, who had been lingering inside the Marquis’s Mansion for a good while, finally stepped out of his carriage.

He glanced at the spirit screen outside the gate, his expression unchanging, and turned to walk toward the rear courtyard.

’The murderer was found? Someone from the Wan family?’

’Another one of Shu State’s Noble Families?’

After a moment of thought, Chen Yi’s gaze shifted toward Qingjing Residence, and he began to understand.

This was Elder Master Xiao’s handiwork—he was eighty to ninety percent sure.

[Opportunity +2]

[Arrived, but missed the scene. Xiao Yuan was furious; the Imprisonment Department captures the true culprit.]

Chen Yi glanced at the contents of the light screen and became even more certain that this was Elder Master Xiao’s arrangement.

’The Hidden Guard’s attempt to frame someone failed, but Elder Master Xiao managed to pull it off.’

’What do you call this? A counter-frame?’

’A shame. I hurried as fast as I could, but still didn’t make it in time. I wonder how exactly Elder Master Xiao showed his fury.’

Chen Yi muttered a few things to himself, but he understood Elder Master Xiao’s intentions.

He was likely giving the Xiao and Liu Families a way to gracefully back down.

Of course, it could also be considered the Xiao Mansion taking the first step back.

’A concession?’

’It seems Elder Master Xiao still hopes to turn a big issue into a small one, and a small one into nothing.’

’If the Liu Family can accept this outcome, both sides taking a step back would be a happy ending for everyone.’

As Chen Yi thought about this, he felt much more relaxed.

Elder Master Xiao’s mind was as clear as a mirror; he probably didn’t need his live-in son-in-law to "add to the chaos."

’This counts as one of the few pieces of good news recently.’

Before long, Chen Yi returned to Spring Lotus Garden.

He saw Xiao Wan’er sitting in a pavilion, laughing and talking with several older women.

Only Xiaodie and Cui’er were in attendance, serving them like it was a tea party—pouring tea and bringing out snacks.

Seeing him return, Xiao Wan’er smiled, stood up, gave him a subtle wink, and said, "Brother-in-law, these ladies came to visit the mansion at noon. They said they wanted to meet the academy instructor who is so accomplished in the Calligraphy Dao."

"This must be Mr. Qingzhou, right?"

"He’s certainly a fine, talented man! No wonder my boy came home at noon telling everyone he met that a Mr. Qingzhou had arrived at the academy, and that his skill in the Calligraphy Dao is incredible."

Chen Yi: "..."

’Damn it, word travels that fast?’