Liaodong, Misty Rain Tower.
Jia Huan brewed a cup of tea and said with a smile:
"Hundred-Household Commander Cheng, arrange a meeting with Deputy Thousand-Household Commander Zheng."
Hundred-Household Commander Cheng hesitated slightly before asking respectfully:
"Lord Jia, if I may be so bold, what is this about?"
Deputy Thousand-Household Commander Zheng was, after all, his immediate superior.
Jia Huan stared at him for a long while, then said bluntly:
"That man Zheng colluded with treacherous villains to persecute the state's loyal servants! He bowed and scraped before the powerful, sent our frontier soldiers to their deaths, and left the countryside strewn with the bodies of starving commoners!"
Hundred-Household Commander Cheng looked horrified, unable to believe it.
"That scoundrel is disgracing the Flying Fish Uniform he wears!" Jia Huan's voice grew heavier as he said coldly:
"If you cooperate, you'll be helping the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office root out a menace."
"If you tip him off, you'll be treated as an accomplice. Helping a tyrant commit atrocities is an unforgivable crime!"
Twin Whips added from beside him:
"Lord Jia wants to arrest this scoundrel in the simplest, most direct way, without causing an uproar. But regardless, he must face judgment at the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office!"
Hundred-Household Commander Cheng gave a bitter smile and said honestly:
"No matter how many crimes Lord Zheng has committed, I can't stab him in the back."
Just then.
The steward of Misty Rain Tower hesitated a moment, then said quietly:
"Every evening, Deputy Thousand-Household Commander Zheng drinks tea at Mingyuan Teahouse."
Twin Whips looked at Hundred-Household Commander Cheng.
The latter remained silent, then nodded helplessly.
Mingyuan Teahouse.
A middle-aged man wearing an Azure Flying Fish Uniform stepped onto the third floor and entered his private room as usual.
Only to find three people sitting