33: Chess pieces are meant to be sacrificed.

“Oh ho, Imperial Son-in-Law...”

“Old Lu, if you dare talk nonsense, I'll stab you today.”

Just as he entered the Yamen, Lu Qianyuan walked over with a punchable expression. Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yingqi retorted. Lu Qianyuan didn't get angry; he just smiled wickedly: “Alright, you’ve moved into the Princesss Residence, and the 'Smiling Yaksha' who is never late usually, is only showing up now when it’s almost lunchtime?”

“Something delayed me. Commander Qianhu didn't pursue it, right?” Mo Yingqi felt a little guilty hearing this, as he almost couldn't make it to the Yamen today. “Are there any cases?”

“No, anyone who marries a princess like you would be thinking about glory and wealth, yet you're still worried about cases.” Lu Qianyuan truly had no way to deal with this person. “There really is a case, and... Pfft hahahahaha, I can't, let me laugh for a bit first!”

“Are you serious?” Mo Yingqi was bewildered by Lu Qianyuan, who was suddenly clutching his belly and laughing heartily. “What case makes you laugh like it's New Year's?”

“What else could it be? That Temple Official Zhou, he... something happened to him!” Lu Qianyuan knew it was unkind, but he couldn't stop laughing. “This gentleman must have offended someone. Last night, he was ambushed and clubbed on his way home, and then this morning he was dumped in the busiest spot in the Vegetable Market Entrance, his pants were stripped, he was covered in blood, and, and... he was castrated!”

“What the hell?” Mo Yingqi could barely believe his ears. “No, is this news accurate?”

“Nonsense, how could it be inaccurate? I led the men there!”

The Pacification Bureau not only supervises officials but is also responsible for protection and tracking down murderers when officials are harmed. Lu Qianyuan was somewhat surprised; although the people in the Pacification Bureau looked down on Zhou Jinan, he was still Grand Chancellor Zhou's nephew and held a post in the Dali Temple.

“I borrowed capital from you; you know he's quite good at this sort of thing.” Lu Qianyuan pondered for a moment, then continued. “Right now, capital has been transferred to the Dali Temple to review the cases Zhou Jinan handled, to see if there were any miscarriages of justice or if he offended someone who sought revenge.”

“I'm afraid it's not that simple, is it?” Mo Yingqi frowned slightly. “Our side has always been at odds with the Dali Temple, and Zhou Jinan has caused us trouble several times. I fear Grand Chancellor Zhou will seize this opportunity to make an issue out of us, and it might even implicate Commander Qianhu.”

“Although we Flying Fish Guards sometimes resort to unscrupulous means, nothing like this has happened since the Founding Emperor established the Pacification Bureau, right?” Lu Qianyuan stopped laughing upon hearing this, his expression turning serious. “Grand Chancellor Zhou can't just make baseless accusations and drag us into it arbitrarily. Besides, if he really wanted to get rid of him, he would have done it already, why wait until today?”

“It's hard to say. Now that The Emperor and the Grand Chancellor have begun their political maneuvering, and suddenly this incident occurs...” Mo Yingqi felt that something was fundamentally wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint it immediately. “Let's wait until capital returns. With Zhou Jinan suffering such humiliation, has Grand Chancellor Zhou made any moves?”

“No. According to news from The Palace, this morning's court session was still discussing the damn rogue from the Marquis of Anding's family.” Lu Qianyuan shook his head, puzzled. “Logically, he must know about this, yet he didn't mention it in front of The Emperor. That's not right, is it?”

It wasn't surprising that Lu Qianyuan thought this way. Grand Chancellor Zhou's Disciples were everywhere, and similar situations had happened to them before, and he had always spoken up or submitted memorials on their behalf.

Setting aside the time when the Previous Emperor was on the throne, not long ago, one of his dispatched Disciples fell ill after accidentally falling into the water while managing a flood, and he even petitioned The Emperor for reassurance. Yet, regarding his own nephew, who was openly and maliciously retaliated against right under the Son of Heaven's nose, he didn't say a single word?

“I don't know. That man's thoughts are inherently hard to fathom.” Mo Yingqi was also completely clueless. “Remind the brothers under us, especially those who followed you and me and had conflicts with Zhou Jinan, to be careful lately. Keep your mouths shut, don't speak carelessly even in the Yamen, and certainly don't mention this incident.”

“Don't worry, I already instructed them. But looking at this situation, I'm afraid the Grand Chancellor might use this as an excuse to make trouble. Not mentioning it now might mean he's plotting something sinister!” Lu Qianyuan looked around and then lowered his voice. “Pacification Commissioner hasn't returned since the morning court session. There are rumors that he entered Grand Chancellor Zhou's residence.”

“We don't need to worry about that side. Commander Qianhu will be the one fighting that battle with him.” Mo Yingqi smiled and shook his head. “Just keep an eye on Zhou Jinan's case for now, just enough to put on a show for Pacification Commissioner and the outsiders.”

“That doesn't sound like something you would say?”

“We are now The Emperor's people, and he is Grand Chancellor Zhou's man, so naturally, we don't need to worry about him.” Mo Yingqi said with a cold laugh. “Moreover, I have a feeling that his matter won't require our attention sooner or later. That Grand Chancellor dared to push his own son out to die to protect himself, let alone a castrated nephew?”

“Send Jinan out of the residence. He is useless now.”

As if to verify Mo Yingqi's words, in the Study, Zhou Chutian, Grand Chancellor Zhou, the most powerful official in the entire Daxing Dynasty, was currently having a Maid help him change into casual clothes, while instructing the Servant behind him: “Find a Physician to examine him, give him some money monthly, and don't let him die. If he causes trouble, let him cause trouble; ignore it.”

“Yes, Master.”

The Servant nodded and withdrew as if devoid of emotion. Beside him, the Pacification Commissioner of the Pacification Bureau, Zhao Liguang, one of Grand Chancellor Zhou's most favored Disciples, sighed softly: “Esteemed Teacher, that child Jinan has always been arrogant, I'm afraid this...”

“What a pity. I painstakingly cultivated him, hoping to promote him later and have him work for me at the Dali Temple, but who knew.” Zhou Chutian looked regretful and heartbroken. “Jinan is a good child. When I learned he admired the Eldest Princess, I earnestly petitioned for him. Although his official rank wasn't high, he was still my nephew. Who would have thought the Eldest Princess would rather marry Mo Yingqi than become my Zhou Family's daughter-in-law.”

“Alas, people are all the same, men and women.” Zhao Liguang smiled reassuringly. “You know Mo Yingqi; he is truly handsome. Even though his nickname 'Smiling Yaksha' is famous throughout Jingcheng, many daughters of high officials are still secretly inquiring about him.”

“I never really expected Jinan to succeed with the Eldest Princess. Even without Mo Yingqi, I doubt she would have favored Jinan.” Zhou Chutian slowly sat down in his chair. “That child Jinan, the Pacification Bureau was personally established by the Founding Emperor with the goal of monitoring civil and military officials for The Emperor. Did he think it was so easily abolished?”

“Esteemed Teacher, I told you back then that we should have advised him, but why did you...” Zhao Liguang was extremely confused about this matter. “Although I—your Student—am not currently valued by The Emperor, ultimately, I still call the shots in the Pacification Bureau...”

“Liguang, you went too far.” Zhou Chutian's tone suddenly turned cold. “It is never you who calls the shots, but The Emperor!”

“Yes, I—your Student—was presumptuous.” Zhao Liguang quickly stood up and bowed. “Your Student is just worried about Jinan. Since the Pacification Bureau was established and granted special permission by The Emperor, Jinan truly shouldn't have acted that way!”

“That child, he always believed his father's case was a wrongful one.” Zhou Chutian's words held a hint of amusement. “From a young age, I told him that the Pacification Bureau supervises officials—it's called supervision, but it's actually surveillance, helping The Emperor... remove thorns in his side.”

Zhao Liguang lowered his head. Zhou Chutian couldn't see his expression, but at that moment, his pupils were dilated, and he couldn't believe his ears.

“Surprised? Ha, he thought that way himself; I merely went along with his idea.” Zhou Chutian waved his hand. “Some pawns can be bought with money, some with official positions, and pawns like Jinan... they don't need money or power. As long as he knew I supported him, everything else fell into place naturally.”

“It's just a pity that he's ruined. Although I'm here, how could the Dali Temple allow a eunuch to continue serving?”

“Originally, this pawn was quite useful to me, but now I can only abandon him. Pawns can be cultivated again. If he's unusable, then discard him.”