Defeat
Dou Yanxun glanced sideways at the lampstand beside him, which was being blown about by the wind.
The candlelight cast an extremely long shadow of the gray-haired man in front of them, almost obscuring most of the chessboard.
Zheng Fancang is nearly sixty years old. He usually claims to be ill and has been staying at home in recent years, rarely showing his face. But now he sits calmly on the chessboard, and his every move shows no signs of aging.
Since he was in his own home, he was simply wearing a dark blue round-necked, straight-cut robe. However, the fabric was not the usual gauze or silk, but rather a very fine, finely woven silk. The pattern on it resembled a water ripple, and only when the light shone at an angle could one vaguely see faint circles of coiled dragon patterns attached to it.
He looked at Dou Yanxun, a mocking smile playing on his lips, his eyes sharp and piercing, like an old fox eyeing a piece of meat laid out before him, ready to be slaughtered.
Zheng Fancang's laughter echoed in the quiet room, but his body remained completely still.
"Lord Dou is, after all, a newcomer to the field, yet he has served as the magistrate of Laining County for a few days. Now I think it's time for him to... settle down and be content with his lot and retire."
Dou Yanxun did not respond.
He simply sat quietly, observing the chessboard in front of him.
The black and white pieces were locked in a stalemate, their pieces intertwined and intertwined. Several white pieces were placed diagonally across the key path, blocking his few remaining escape routes one by one.
Zheng Fancang passed the imperial examination at a young age and was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He also ran several bookstores in Laining and was always respected by the people for his profound knowledge and refined elegance. He was especially skilled at chess; his white pieces moved leisurely, pushing the line forward step by step—
Just like the old hunter who had a firm grip on Hei Zi's lifeline, Dou Yanxun was gradually cornered.
Seeing that Dou Yanxun remained silent, Zheng Fancang stroked his knees, exchanged a glance with Wang, the advisor standing in the corner, shook his head, and looked at him with disdain.
Wang's advisor had been working in the Laining County government for many years. Every new county magistrate who came to the county was eager to make his mark, but his advisor would always secretly leak his private political discussions or actions.
Laining is full of powerful clans and gentry. The two Zheng families, who are praised by the people for their wisdom, are actually each pursuing their own interests in private. They do not meet with each other and each has carved out their own sphere of influence.
Over the years, they have come to hate each other to the point of grinding their teeth.
Dou Yanxun wanted to thoroughly investigate the local corruption, and Zheng Fancang, who had been living in seclusion for many years, quickly devised a plan. He ordered Wang's advisors to add fuel to the fire, using mountain bandits as bait, which forced the already impatient Zheng Jiangran to jump up and step forward.
In this way, Zheng Fancang could reap the benefits from the situation at home.
The day before yesterday, Dou Yanxun and Magistrate Sun went to inspect the riverbank. It was Wang's advisors who secretly sabotaged the procession. They managed to capture Zheng Jiangran alive amidst the crowd of onlookers, who had made the road completely congested, and then brought Dou Yanxun here.
Wang's advisor bowed to Dou Yanxun, his attitude remaining respectful and humble.
"Why should you resist so stubbornly, sir? It's just a mere official hat. Losing it is better than losing your life and returning home in vain."
Wang Jin was usually taciturn in the county government office. Although he was in his thirties, he already had white hair. Outsiders said he was steady and honest, and he was the most inconspicuous among Dou Yanxun's group of advisors.
Now he stood beside Zheng Fancang, his words carrying a hint of pity:
"...Laining is a place of auspicious geomancy. Although your wife's opinion that day was that of a woman, it was actually true. For many years, countless dragons capable of stirring up storms have lurked beneath the waters of Laining. You alone cannot defy the powerful, and how could you possibly manage the whole situation..."
Dou Yanxun, however, did not look at him. She slowly raised her eyelids and glanced at Zheng Fancang opposite her.
"Over the years, Old Master Zheng has been running a winemaking business in Laining, as well as building roads, providing disaster relief, and establishing academies and charitable institutions to help poor scholars and orphans. He has earned a great reputation for virtue. But who knows how many bloody roads, built with countless bones and government silver, lie behind all this praise?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fancang laughed heartily again.
"What, Lord Dou, are you really going to play the role of an incorruptible official? Do you really think that with just the title of a county magistrate, you can turn the world upside down and do whatever you want?"
Zheng Fancang narrowed his eagle eyes, a ruthless glint flashing in his smile:
"Lord Dou is new here and must not be very familiar with the rules of Laining. Very well, today I will explain to you the principle that those who obey me, Zheng Fancang, will prosper and those who oppose me will perish in Laining over the years. I just wonder, sir, which of your previous magistrates would you like to hear this from?"
Dou Yanxun's expression remained unchanged. He leaned forward half an inch, leisurely placed a piece on the edge of the chessboard, and smiled, raising his eyebrows.
"Then I, Dou, would like to hear the details."
.
"Boom!"
A muffled clap of thunder, accompanied by several streaks of lightning, ripped through the sky shrouded in layers of dark clouds.
The horses' hooves clattered, and the coachman kept cracking his whip, urging the horses to run faster. The carriage shafts splashed up the water on the road, making a low creaking sound.
Lin Xu sat in the carriage with a pale face, leaning against a soft embroidered pillow and covered with a soft velvet blanket. Even so, she still felt cold all over.
As soon as she closed her eyes, the hoarse sobs of Old Madam Wen filled her mind, lingering there endlessly:
"...That year, under the east corridor of Jingde Palace, I went back to retrieve my lost earrings, only to witness her being taken away—she was so beautiful that one glance was enough to leave an unforgettable impression...I remember her flawless moon-white embroidered long gown, the golden hairpin in her hair still swaying, yet she was dragged away by two eunuchs..."
A hot tear fell from Madam Wen's sunken eyes, and her withered hand tightly gripped Lin Xu's sleeve.
Her strength was extraordinary, her fingertips trembled and tightened, and her sobs carried a regret that had been suppressed for nearly ten years:
“I was too cowardly… I was in the palace and dared not cause any trouble, so I could only watch helplessly as she was taken away… After that, she never came out again. Everyone said that she died suddenly that night from illness…”
Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat. Her mind went blank, and her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Looking at the elderly Mrs. Wen, who was weeping uncontrollably, she rushed forward and grasped her hands in return.
"Who was it? Who took my mother away—who was it!"
Startled, Madam Wen and the young maid were speechless with fright at the sight before them, but they hurriedly grabbed Lin Xu.
Large amounts of rain fell from above, hitting her eyes, and everything was shrouded in a hazy, powerless rain stain.
She watched helplessly as the old lady Wen in front of her shrank back a few feet.
The old lady was terrified by her appearance, and hurriedly shook her head, waving her hands repeatedly while silently weeping:
“It was my fault. She turned to look at me then, but I hid behind the wall and didn’t dare to make a sound… I’m just a woman. How could I possibly offend those servants of Changchun Palace…”
…………
Lin Xu closed her eyes in anguish, unwilling to recall anything she had heard from Madam Wen. She clenched her hands so tightly that her fingertips were bloodless from the force.
She looked out the window at the torrential rain, her voice icy cold, and snapped at the coachman:
"Go faster!"
Seeing Lin Xu's closed eyes and distraught appearance, Zhu Ling felt a pang of fear. She carefully stepped forward and supported Lin Xu's shoulders, but after a short while, Lin Xu's frail body began to tremble slightly.
Changchun Palace...
What a familiar place.
Every word Madam Wen uttered was like a stone thrown into a lake, creating ripples and sending chills down her spine, making her heart tremble.
The central hall of the emperor's harem was a place with vermilion railings and jade steps, and an atmosphere of grandeur and solemnity.
That summer, in order to get closer to the Dou family, I willingly lowered myself and knelt before that palace with its golden tiles, red walls, and golden hooks and gauze curtains.
As the sunlight slanted down, her forehead pressed tightly against the cold stone steps, she bowed and kowtowed repeatedly until her knees trembled, only then did that gentle and benevolent voice softly echo in the hall, only then did she receive the favor of the most noble woman in the world.
She actually knelt before her mother's killer, just to obtain an imperial edict.
Even the slightest pity the Empress showed her at that time was of paramount importance to her. She did everything in her power to beg that person to let her marry the most unrestrained and infamous man in the entire capital at that time.
Lin Xu never knew that he was so ridiculous.
She knelt on the wrong platform, fell in love with the wrong enemy, and even felt grateful for the Empress's words of "granting her favor"...
How could such an absurd and laughable thing exist in this world?
Lin Xu slowly lowered her eyelashes, staring blankly at her palms, which were scratched by her fingernails from exerting too much force.
Bright red streaks of blood quickly spread out, but she suddenly raised the corners of her lips and laughed self-deprecatingly.
The way the Empress looked at her then was so gentle and calm.
Yet it was that same person who took her mother away with his own eyes, who then murdered her, leaving her a child without a mother forever…
She wished she could rush into the palace right now, rush to that beautifully dressed, gentle-looking woman, and demand to know why she had done this! Demand to know why she had killed her own mother!
At that time, what was the Empress thinking when she looked into her eyes, which were almost identical to her mother's?
Is it also a mockery of one's own stupidity, naivety, and ignorance?
Lin Xu could no longer restrain herself. Leaning on Zhu Ling's shoulder, her low sobs blended with the sound of rain outside the car, leaving her with absolutely no strength left.
She just wanted to fall into a deep sleep like this forever and never wake up again.
.
The candlelight inside flickered, changing with the wind and rain outside.
The sandalwood rose slowly in the slanting lamplight. Zheng Jiangran, lying on the ground, was already stiff, his wounds had dried, and it seemed that all the blood had been drained.
That lingering fragrance is just like a lonely wisp of soul lingering in the night, unwilling to dissipate.
The game has finally come to its last move.
Dou Yanxun gently embedded the black piece in a corner of the chessboard, falling as calmly as touching water.
However, this also completely blocked all paths behind them.
There is no way to turn things around now.
Seeing this, Zheng Fancang casually tossed the white pieces back into the chess basket and slowly exhaled.
He looked at the upright young magistrate opposite him, a mocking smile appearing in his eyes, mixed with a hint of pity.
"You've managed to get away with this peacefully. I, Zheng Fancang, rarely admire others, but I must admit that Lord Dou still has some pride. Even when he loses a game, he doesn't lose his dignity."
Before he finished speaking, he gently raised his hand and clapped his hands three times with a soft "snap".
The candlelight flickered, and the originally dark corners of the room suddenly stirred.
It was a shadow that flashed out from behind the screen, like a ripple on a calm lake, brushing across the desolate night.
The next instant, three people emerged silently from behind the screen. Dressed in black, masked, and concealing knives, their footsteps were completely silent, yet they were already standing behind Dou Yanxun. A murderous intent even shone in each of their eyes.
Dou Yanxun shook his head, remaining seated before the chessboard, his upright posture unmoved. His eyes were fixed on the chessboard, seemingly still pondering his recent defeat.
He was completely unaware of the sudden, chilling killing intent emanating from those around him.
Or perhaps, they don't care at all.
Zheng Fancang stood up, hands clasped behind his back, outside the chessboard. His back was long and slender, and the silver hair at his temples shone in the candlelight. His voice was gentle, almost compassionate.
"Lord Dou is a sensible man, so I will not make things difficult for you. Zheng Jiangran is a greedy man, so his life is not worth cherishing. However, I respect Lord Dou's integrity, so you may choose your own method of death—"
Zheng Fancang glanced at the pot of wine already prepared by the window, and the three dark figures behind Dou Yanxun, and chuckled softly:
"I wonder, Lord Dou, are you planning to choose my Zheng family's aged autumn wine, or these assassins' sharp knives that can remove bones without leaving a trace..."
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