Forr Vice Minister Yu looked left and right but didn't see anything amiss.
'It must be my imagination.'
He turned to Xu Yanmiao, ready to speak with a confident smile, but in the next instant, his smile froze.
Why did it feel like... Xu Lang's gaze had suddenly turned much colder?
Xu Yanmiao was truly disgusted by how Forr Vice Minister Yu was using this matter as gossip.
[What kind of person is this?! The teacher has already been so diligent and responsible, yet instead of being grateful, this guy is spreading rumors everywhere.]
[And what's this about sweets? The teacher just likes-wait, huh? He doesn't like sweets?]
Xu Yanmiao's eyes flickered slightly.
The virtual hand in his mind itched to drag the progress bar forward.
[I'm just taking a quick look!]
[Hahahahahaha—]
[Hahahahahahahahaha—]
Laughter erupted explosively. The ministers and officials of Daxia started to let their imaginations run wild.
'He doesn't like sweets but still buys them? Could it be... he was using them to court a certain female elder of Yu Shilang's family, like his own mother? Does that an Yu should actually be calling the teacher father now?!'
'Or maybe the teacher was collecting sweets to please soone else, soone Yu Shilang also wanted to impress, but he was a step too late and has been regretting it ever since, without even knowing who got there first?'
'No, no, no, I think it's...'
[The teacher bought sweets as rewards for his students. anwhile, your class was always causing trouble in lessons, goofing off after class, and tossing aside the carefully analyzed provincial exam questions like trash. Seeing you lot was enough to give him a headache-of course, you never got any sweet rewards!]
[But other classes? They got to enjoy the teacher's pastries and candied treats every day!]
[As for you, Yu Shilang's class-]
[You were, without a doubt, the worst batch of students he ever taught!]
"Pfft-"
Lian Hang lowered his head, biting his lips hard to keep from bursting into laughter.
His shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Sorry, sorry, he didn't an to laugh, but when a story of grudges and vengeance suddenly turned into a petty tale of giving candy to favorite students, the contrast was just too much to handle.
Did Yu Shilang even know that the teacher couldn't stand him? Hahahahaha-
Yu Shilang did not know.
But he did know that a strong hand had just landed on his shoulder.
He turned his head and saw the Deputy Commander of the Central Army grinning nacingly. "I just heard you say that n who eat sweets are rabbits?"
[Oh ho!]
[Instant karma!]
Yu Shilang stared in horror at the Deputy Commander, trying to explain, "I was just—”
Then, he suddenly felt his feet leave the ground.
His pupils constricted in shock. "You! What are you trying to do?!"
The Deputy Commander didn't say a word. He simply used his towering strength to lift Yu Shilang up and carry him away.
Yu Shilang struggled desperately, his outer robe slipping down and dragging along the ground, looking like a comically long rat's tail.
As he passed by different officials in the capital, each one silently covered their eyes.
-Especially Those Who Love Sweets.
"So tragic!"
The Minister of War sighed as he adjusted his sitting posture.
Now he had a perfect view out the window. Watching the military officers land solid punches was quite a stress reliever.
What's wrong with liking sweets?!
Hmph!
Not long after Forr Vice Minister Yu was dragged away, the true host of the evening, Pri Minister Dou, finally made his appearance.
By now, night had fallen, and outside, pine-oil torches were being lit one by one, illuminating the garden as if it were broad daylight.
The eighty-year-old elder lifted his bowl, smiling as he ate, all the while greeting his guests. He could still call out the nas of many of his retired colleagues
"Su Ziguang, have you still been keeping up with your swimming? Feeling too lazy? That won't do! Aren't you afraid that old cold leg of yours will act up and torture you?"
"Soone, move the lamp closer so our dear Fifth Scholar can see the dishes clearly-Look at you, Fifth Iron Donkey, why are you insisting on serving yourself? Just let the servants do it for you!"
"Lu Huangque, why are you so quiet at this feast? Hahaha, getting old, huh? Well, well... But that chicken tongue soup you ntioned is truly delicious. I drink a bowl every morning now. It's just a pity that I'm too old-my teeth can't chew the at anymore, so I have to throw it away."
[Huh? Did I?]
Pri Minister Dou calmly sliced into the soft, braised at in his bowl, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
-The Emperor had been rciful and had yet to strip him of his title and official seal. He would remain in office until his eightieth birthday was properly celebrated.
Everyone whom Pri Minister Dou called upon responded with composed courtesy, so even engaging in friendly banter. The atmosphere grew lively.
anwhile, a few strong n entered the hall, clearing a space in the center and setting up various items.
-Clearly, this had been prearranged.
By the ti Pri Minister Dou had finished calling nas, everything was set up. A sheep was led into the hall, its three legs bound. Then, a brawny man entered, holding a knife, and respectfully saluted the gathered officials.
No one realized anything was amiss yet. They were still laughing as soone asked, "Pri Minister, what is this? Could it be that there's another performance
The last word cracked into a shriek.
Because, with a single stroke, the warrior slit the sheep's throat. Then, with another precise cut, he sliced open the unbound hind leg. As the leg twitched and struggled, blood gushed onto the floor, filling the air with the stench of raw flesh.
The sheep died as its blood drained away. Next, a wooden tube was inserted into the incision. The man grabbed the sheep's leg, put his mouth to the opening, and blew hard.
In an instant, the lifeless sheep inflated, its four stiff legs pointing skyward.
Several officials instinctively took two steps back in horror.
What-what was happening?!
Even Xu Yanmiao reflexively turned his head away, his face showing visible discomfort.
Only Pri Minister Dou continued eating his at paste, smiling as he remarked, "Why did you clear a space so hastily? No rush the sheep is only just being skinned. The at still needs so ti before it can be served on your plates.”
As Pri Minister Dou spoke, the warrior reversed his sharp knife, gripping it in a downward hold. With a forceful flick, he sliced open a half-foot-long gash below the sheep's chest. Then, he set the knife aside and grabbed the animal's front legs with both hands.
Starting from the front legs, he worked up to the neck and shoulders.
Then the hind legs, the rump, and finally the tail.
With a single, crisp squeak-, the entire fleece peeled away like a garnt. The entire process took less than a quarter of an hour-efficient, seamless, and
precise.
Many guests turned visibly pale, and so even bolted to the corners of the room, clutching spittoons as they vomited.
Fifth Scholar, whom Pri Minister Dou had teasingly called "Fifth Iron Donkey," suddenly shot to his feet, eyes locked on the scene. "Dou Shanbai, have you
lost your mind?!"
Pri Minister Dou threw his head back in laughter. "Fifth Iron Donkey, you don't like this? I thought you and quite a few others here would be delighted to see such skill."
Had Fifth Scholar been able to hear Xu Yanmiao's thoughts, he would have surely borrowed a phrase from him at this mont—
"Are you insane?!"
Just then, with a heavy clang, the main doors slamd shut.
Many people's hearts jumped along with the sound.
Fifth Scholar looked as if he wanted to climb onto the windowsill, towering over Pri Minister Dou, examining him from head to toe-desperate to confirm whether the man before them was truly real.
Even without doing so, his face was a spectacle of emotions. "Dou Shanbai, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Ignoring him, Pri Minister Dou turned to Lu Huangque with a smile. "That chicken tongue soup was it good?"
Lu Huangque clutched his stomach, his face deathly pale. He had no strength left to express his anger at Pri Minister Dou-he was the very person who had vomited the mont the skinning began.
His insides felt like they were turning inside out, clawing their way up his throat. Where would he find the energy to answer?
Pri Minister Dou continued on his own. "It is quite delicious, isn't it? A single bowl of soup doesn't just contain one chicken tongue-you'd have to kill over
a dozen chickens. Yet your family can't possibly eat that much. Lu Huangque, you wouldn't share that at with the common folk, would you? No, in your household, even if the food were tossed into the gutter and covered with dirt, outsiders wouldn't get a single scrap."
He sighed. "One bowl a day. How many chickens do you slaughter in a month? That stinking ditch in your backyard must be piling up into a small mountain by
now."
Lu Huangque, already drained from retching, now found his palms drenched in cold sweat, sticking clammy against his clothes.
He stared at Pri Minister Dou, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock. "You did all this—just to disgust with a skinning demonstration?!"
He nearly shouted, "Dou Shanbai! Are you crazy?!"
Pri Minister Dou now turned back to Fifth Scholar. "Iron Donkey, why are you so angry? You've got poor eyesight-you can't even see the blood."
Fifth Scholar let out a stunned laugh. "My eyesight might be bad, but my nose isn't! If anything, my sense of sll has only gotten sharper since my vision weakened. I was this close to passing out just now!"
Pri Minister Dou chuckled. "And yet, why didn't you?"
Fifth Scholar froze. "...What?" He thought for a mont before hesitantly asking, "Pri Minister, since when did we beco enemies?"
Pri Minister Dou seed to glance at him, then spoke unhurriedly, "Your eyesight is poor, yet you still ride horses. Not long after your retirent, you rode
recklessly and trampled over soone's farmland.”
Fifth Scholar: "?"
"All this trouble just over such a trivial matter? You deliberately disgusted for this?"
"Dou Shanbai! Are you insane?!"
-Wait, where had he heard that before?
Seeing that Pri Minister Dou was about to turn his gaze on him next, Su Ziguang quickly cut in, stopping him from speaking. "Pri Minister, for the sake of
our past friendship, just tell what exactly are you trying to do?"
The dead sheep still lay there, limbs stiffly pointed upwards, its swollen body filling the air with the stench of blood. The torches cast flickering shadows on the papered windows. Pri Minister Dou did not bother to hide anything. "Naturally, I plan to report your actions to His Majesty."
The retired officials: "???"
"You've truly lost your mind?!"
And then what? Reporting this-what difference would it make?
Lu Huangque sneered. "Dou Shanbai, don't tell you think you're so righteous avenger? What exactly do you plan to punish us for? A flogging? I eat a
dozen chicken tongues a day-what law have I violated?"
Pri Minister Dou replied calmly, "Indeed, that alone is not illegal. But this is certainly not the only thing you've done. While I may not know what you've
been up to in your local territories, soone does."
At these words, many retired officials were stunned.
What did he an by soone knows?
anwhile, the current officials in the room exchanged glances, subtly looking toward one particular person.
Pri Minister Dou was looking at him too.
That person... appeared to be spacing out.
Pri Minister Dou knew that he wasn't actually spacing out. He was activating a divine artifact.
"Xu Yanmiao..."
Pri Minister Dou murmured the na, feeling his blood rush through his veins.
Before Xu Yanmiao's arrival, he had never considered doing sothing like this. Sure, most retired officials turned into local tyrants after stepping down, but
what did that have to do with him? It wasn't as if he was exempt from retirent either.
Why had no one ever reported this to the emperor?
Because the emperor never retired, but officials did! If they inford the emperor about how extravagantly retired officials lived and he ca up with
asures to prevent it-what would happen to those still in office?
They had only a few years left to enjoy life after retirent-what was the harm in indulging a little?
But now, things were different.
Baize could be watching at any mont. And if soone in their family committed an act that warranted the execution of nine generations... heh.
Rather than risk that, why not take the initiative?
Send his "old friends" a parting gift—a direct ticket to prison.
And then? The remaining officials—particularly those from the Dou family-would naturally think twice before acting like lawless tyrants after their retirent.
The more he thought about it, the more a smile crept onto Pri Minister Dou's lips.
For the past two months, he had deliberately indulged in extravagance. He had written letters to retired officials, boasting of his luxurious lifestyle. Then ca his grand eightieth birthday celebration-an opulent affair, widely publicized, with deliberate rumors that he had not invited the emperor.
-And why not? Of course, he would say, because I wanted to revel in unchecked rrint!
Then, he personally invited those sa retired officials to his banquet, sending them an extravagant nu in advance. When they saw a soon-to-be-retired pri minister serving delicacies from every corner of the empire-from the northernmost sea cucumbers to the southernmost dried scallops, from the rarest shark tendons to the most exotic phoenix embryos, from three hundred grilled lamb and deer tongues to entire deboned roasted geese—
Not to ntion the seven-treasure tableware made of gold, silver, glass, crystal, jade, red pearls, and amber...
Who wouldn't assu that Minister Dou was one of their own?
Who could have guessed that it was all an elaborate trap?
They ca, dressed in their lavish robes, riding in extravagant carriages with gilded saddles-drawing the attention of the divine beast.
Step by step. Piece by piece.
Every link in the chain, every move ticulously planned.
Pri Minister Dou stroked his beard, quite pleased with himself.
Well? Still think I've lost my edge?
[Holy sh*t?!]
[These people seized the emperor's specially allocated public farmland ant for landless peasants?!]
[Each of them took over a thousand qing?!]
[And after taking it, they imposed sky-high rents on the poor?!]
Pri Minister Dou's hand trembled, yanking his beard in shock, causing him to hiss in pain.
He had initially assud they were rely stealing a bit of land and evading taxes in secret-but they even dared to seize public farmland-
"Knock that guy out, NOW!!!"
One official shrieked, his voice cracking in hysteria.
Pri Minister, why the hell are you ssing with divine artifacts?!
This was going to blow the roof off!!!
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