Chang'an Hall.

The songstresses had long been dismissed, and no one dared to touch the cold leftovers on the tables. Everyone sat upright in their seats, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Xiao Zhuo sat at the highest seat, the usual gentle smile on his face finally gone, replaced by a hint of anger.

His fingers, clutching a wine cup, slowly tightened. Suddenly, he threw it forward forcefully, his reprimand following the sound of shattering glass: "This is a palace banquet, and something like this happened right under my nose!"

Chu Jin, draped in a large cloak, sat in his own seat. Hearing Xiao Zhuo's furious rebuke, he didn't even lift an eyelid, his gaze seemingly glued to the cup of warming ginger tea in his hand.

After a soak in the lake during the twelfth lunar month's harsh winter, an ordinary person would have likely lost half their life. He wasn't much better off; his hands and feet were still numb, and his face was as pale as a ghost's.

What was worse, the Blood Coral Bracelet he had bought for Shen Mengzhi had fallen out during the chaos, and he had no idea which corner of the lakebed it had sunk into.

Chu Jin did his best to suppress the restless anxiety in his heart and rallied his spirit to analyze the situation from just now.

First, an assassin was sent to attract everyone's attention. Then, when their guard was down, a distant archer would be ordered to shoot the target, a single, surefire strike.

But was this aimed at him, or was it an arrangement targeting Shen Ke?

From the moment that assassin appeared, he had felt unsettled, as if something unexpected was about to happen.

He loathed this feeling of things being out of his control.

Chu Jin took a deep breath and looked at Shen Ke opposite him. To save him, Shen Ke had been grazed by an arrow and had fallen into the lake with him. The wound on his arm was now bandaged, and his expression remained cold. Even after such an incident, he showed no trace of anger.

Qi Jue sat beside him. The Grand Censor's face was no longer smiling; his eyes were downcast, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

After throwing the cup, Xiao Zhuo asked again, "Have you caught them?!"

Someone below hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, we've captured several. They are being interrogated."

"Hurry up!" Xiao Zhuo urged impatiently. "Give me the results within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

The man, having received his orders, scurried away, afraid that even a second's delay would get him caught in the crossfire. Chang'an Hall fell silent again, with only the crackling sound of the brazier's fire.

Chu Jin's eyelids felt incredibly heavy. Lake water had entered his ears and throat, causing a burning pain now, and he didn't want to say a single word. But someone just had to prevent him from getting his wish.

"Heir, only you and Grand Marshal Shen were present at the time. Do you remember any details?"

Chu Jin raised his eyelids and saw clearly who was speaking.

He said expressionlessly, "What details does Lord Lou wish to hear?"

Lou Ya still had that detestable, pale face, as if he were the one who had fallen into the lake. His expression was solemn: "An assassin appeared in the palace. How did this assassin sneak in? How did they get close? Who was their target? These are all matters of great importance. I hope the Heir will recall carefully."

Chu Jin's ears ached from listening. He replied perfunctorily, "I don't know. It was too dark, I didn't see anything clearly."

Lou Ya didn't give up. "In that case, you left the banquet midway. Was it for some urgent matter?"

It was unclear what had gotten into this Lord Lou, latching onto someone and not letting go. Chu Jin answered calmly, "It was nothing. I was a little drunk and went out for some fresh air."

To prevent any breach of etiquette before the hall due to drunkenness, this was an entirely reasonable action, and Lou Ya could say nothing more. He gave Chu Jin a deep look, then turned to Shen Ke. "Grand Marshal Shen... were you also going out to sober up?"

Shen Ke finally granted him a glance. He was tall, and he occupied a high seat, so when he looked at people, it was often a downward gaze. Under such a cold and dignified stare, those with a guilty conscience would have nowhere to hide.

Lou Ya's smile stiffened for a second.

"Someone came to pass a message," Shen Ke stared at him and said slowly, "saying Lord Zhang had invited me to meet at the Jade Dew Pavilion."

As soon as these words were spoken, the aforementioned Lord Zhang was so frightened he could barely sit still. He stood up trembling and, under the gazes of the crowd, braced himself and said, "Your Majesty, this servant has never invited Lord Shen to a meeting! This servant knows nothing about this matter!"

His confusion did not seem feigned. Xiao Zhuo's gaze shifted between the two men before he waved his hand casually. "Lord Zhang, sit down. I am not blaming you."

"It's just..." His eyes flickered a few times as he said hesitantly, "If it wasn't Lord Zhang, then who could have passed on the message?"

Lou Ya said in a low voice, "I'm afraid it was the assassins who designed to lure Grand Marshal Shen to the Jade Dew Pavilion, and then the men lying in ambush there..."

He stopped there, but his words had already stirred up a storm in everyone's heart. Xiao Zhuo suddenly looked up, his expression turning cold.

His face still showed lingering anger, but his eyes were exceptionally calm. He said, word by word, "Lord Lou means to say that someone is targeting Minister Shen?"

"Someone dares to scheme against Yanling's esteemed Grand Marshal?"

The monarch was enraged, and the court officials fell silent. No one dared to speak.

Chu Jin's eyelid suddenly twitched. He frowned and rubbed the spot between his eyebrows, trying to suppress the growing sense of unease.

However, in the next second—

"Your Majesty! We've questioned them!"

The official who came to report hurried into the hall and knelt. "Those men have confessed. They gave up a mastermind, who has been apprehended by the Imperial Guard Department. It's just... it's just that this person..."

Hearing the news, Xiao Zhuo's expression softened slightly. He frowned and said, "Just what?"

The man hesitantly turned his gaze towards the crowd. Everyone followed his line of sight and saw the Heir of Old Qin, sitting among the guests, wrapped in a black fox-fur cloak, his brow tightly furrowed.

At the same time, the man finally stuttered out the rest of his sentence—

"That mastermind... was an attendant who came with the envoy from Old Qin."

As the last word fell, Chu Jin's previously agitated thoughts finally calmed down.

As if a clear thread had finally been untangled, his mood became much more peaceful, and the faint ache in his head subsided. Chu Jin closed his eyes, feeling a slight urge to laugh. His gaze fell, sinking into a bowl of bright yellow ginger tea. The swirling steam veiled most of his face, concealing the mocking curve at the corner of his eye.

As expected, after all the twists and turns, this was still a game of chess aimed at him.

Who the player was no longer mattered. What mattered was how he was going to make a clean escape from this game.

Xiao Zhuo's voice came from above: "Bring him in."

Following his command, two guards escorted a man who was walking with great difficulty into the hall. The man's leg was injured, and he was in a sorry state. His once-meticulous hairstyle was now a mess. Forced by the guards behind him, he fell heavily to his knees.

Perhaps the movement pulled at his wound, as his body swayed for a moment, but only for an instant. Then, his bent back straightened up again.

The guard on duty grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to lift his head.

The moment everyone's eyes turned to this person, Xiao Zhuo's gaze swept over Chu Jin, seemingly inadvertently.

This Heir of Old Qin was enveloped in a dark black fox-fur cloak, which made his water-soaked face appear even more chillingly pale. The stark contrast between black and white was exquisitely beautiful.

Rumor had it that he was all looks, a mediocre talent who knew nothing of civil or military strategy, only poetry, wine, and pleasure. The princes and ministers of Old Qin all looked down on him.

But rumors would not dispel Xiao Zhuo's doubts. He was suspicious by nature and had always trusted only his own eyes.

He saw that Chu Jin's gaze was also on the man kneeling in the hall. He was frowning, looking at his captured attendant with a perfectly feigned look of bewilderment, as if trying his best to recall who this person was. In a moment, his expression shifted slightly, first with disbelief, then with the dawning anger of someone who has been deceived.

"Xu Zhan!" Chu Jin seemed to have been blinded by rage, even forgetting that Xiao Zhuo was still sitting up high. He abruptly stood up. "You dare to deceive me?!"

His agitated question instantly shifted everyone's attention. After a moment of silence, the sound of whispers gradually grew louder.

Xiao Zhuo narrowed his eyes slightly.

Seeing that the captured mastermind of the assassins was his own man, the first thing this Heir did was not to distance himself, nor to plead for mercy, but to angrily demand an explanation.

Even though Xiao Zhuo had imagined many possibilities, he was now, for a rare moment, somewhat uncertain.

Mainly because Chu Jin's expression just now had been too natural. Even with his deliberate observation, he hadn't detected the slightest flaw. If it wasn't that he was such a good actor that even he was fooled, then it must be as the rumors said: this Heir was truly an unthinking, useless oaf.

He tilted his head and gave Lou Ya a look. The latter, upon receiving it, asked with a somewhat unnatural expression, "Heir, what do you mean by this?"

Chu Jin was still immersed in the anger of being deceived. He sneered, "This fellow dared to hide this from me and secretly do such a thing. Isn't this a deliberate attempt to sow discord between our two states, and place me, and Old Qin, in a position of perfidy!"

Lou Ya's eyes flickered. "So the Heir admits that this man is your attendant?"

"Yes." Chu Jin did not hide his disgust. "He must have been a random person foisted on me before the diplomatic mission. I don't know how a madman like this managed to get in."

There was nothing wrong with his words or actions. Lou Ya hesitated for a moment, secretly met Xiao Zhuo's gaze, and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Xiao Zhuo observed with an unreadable expression for a long time before finally smiling faintly. "Heir, no matter what, this is a serious matter. The target of these assassins was my court's Grand Marshal, and it absolutely cannot be taken lightly."

He paused, then asked slowly, "So, the Heir... truly knew nothing about this?"

"Your Majesty."

Qi Jue, who had been observing silently all this time, suddenly looked over and said with a faint smile, "During this assassination attempt, the Heir himself was nearly a target. If he truly knew about it, why would he knowingly stay in the Jade Dew Pavilion with Grand Marshal Shen, despite the danger?"

The Grand Censor's tone was calm and his reasoning clear. The crowd's thoughts were easily guided by him to notice this abnormality.

Before everyone could fully think it through, Shen Ke, who had shown no reaction to the assassination from beginning to end, said coolly, "During the assassination at the Jade Dew Pavilion, the Heir saved me once."

With these words, the entire hall fell into a dead silence.

No one questioned the credibility of Shen Ke's words, nor did they think that this cold and ruthless Grand Marshal would favor the Heir of another state whom he had only just met. Xiao Zhuo concealed the gloom in his eyes, supported his forehead, and chuckled. "So that's how it is. I was overthinking things. Heir, please don't mind it."

Chu Jin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his complexion improving significantly. He replied, "Your Majesty jests. When it comes down to it, this matter is still my fault."

He gave Xiao Zhuo a slight bow. "I ask for Your Majesty's permission to let me interrogate this man, to prevent any further friction between our two states."

Xiao Zhuo sized him up for a moment, then said, "Very well."

Only then did Chu Jin straighten up and turn his head. He walked past the seats, the hem of his robe brushing against the edge of the tables, his steps steady and composed.

When he reached Xu Zhan, the latter's stiff eyeballs rolled and finally moved to Chu Jin's face.

This was a face that had once made him feel contempt, disdain, and also fear. Now, it was high above, looking down on him, while he was the one who was wretched, despised, and trampled upon.

As if talking to himself, Xu Zhan murmured, "Heir..."

Chu Jin's expression was filled with disgust, but his eyes were exceptionally calm. With his back to the monarch and ministers of Yanling, he lowered his eyelids and met the gaze of the once-renowned Commander of the Hidden Guards. "Shut up, you no longer have the right to call me that."

"Xu Zhan," he narrowed his eyes slightly, "why did you deliberately try to assassinate Grand Marshal Shen? If you answer truthfully, perhaps I can grant you a quick death."

Xu Zhan grinned, as if he had heard a joke. The guard behind him kicked him sharply, causing him to double over, but he quickly straightened up again, as if bowing and scraping were a matter of extreme humiliation.

Chu Jin asked again, "Who instigated you? And who sent you to accompany me on this mission to Yanling?"

"Why is a useless Heir like you interrogating me?" Xu Zhan said mockingly. "What about Yanling? Can't they even find a single decent person?"

His laughter grew more arrogant, grating on everyone's ears. Before anyone could react, Chu Jin suddenly kicked him to the ground, then squatted down and brutally grabbed him by the hair, pulling him up to his eye level.

Chu Jin's voice, suppressing his anger, reached everyone's ears: "Still running your mouth when you're about to die!"

He seemed to have been stung by that deeply contemptuous remark. However, only Xu Zhan, who was face to face with him, knew that this person's eyes had been calm all along.

Chu Jin's gaze shifted slightly, falling on the swords at the waists of the guards on either side. Xu Zhan followed his gaze and also saw the sword that was within reach.

In the next second, Chu Jin suddenly let go and stood up, looking utterly annoyed. He said coldly, "I'll ask you one more time, why did you want to assassinate Grand Marshal Shen?"

Xu Zhan stared at him for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed more and more frantically, more and more desolately, as if laughing at his current predicament, or perhaps at his own past pride and arrogance, which were now worthless.

Chu Jin frowned and stepped back, covering his ears as if the noise was too much.

The guards on duty strode over menacingly, about to repeat their actions and force him to shut up. However, no matter how much pressure they applied, Xu Zhan did not stop.

Blood began to seep from between his teeth as he said intermittently, "Chu Jin! Didn't you ask why I wanted to kill Shen Ke? A pity, what a pity, that Shen Ke didn't die..."

Chu Jin watched him in silence.

Xu Zhan spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, in the instant before anyone could react, he suddenly shot up and drew the sword from the waist of the guard beside him!

The bright blade stabbed towards Chu Jin.

"But—killing you will do just fine!"

Pfft.

The sound of a blade entering flesh rang out.

In the deathly silence, Xu Zhan's body swayed and then collapsed to the ground.

Chu Jin looked at the person who had blocked the attack in front of him, putting on an expression of lingering fear, but his eyes held no emotion. "Many thanks to Grand Marshal Shen for saving my life."

Shen Ke returned the guard's sword he had casually drawn. Hearing this, he gave him a cool glance, said nothing, and slowly walked back to his seat.

A commotion instantly erupted in the hall as everyone came to their senses. Xiao Zhuo's voice rose from behind, seemingly scolding someone, but Chu Jin was in no mood to listen.

His gaze fell on Xu Zhan's body, which had not yet grown cold.

No one noticed that on that ruined, ashen face, there was a faint, relieved smile.

The author has something to say:

Here's a joke: Chuchu is a mediocre good-for-nothing.