His tone remained casual, and he still had a smile on his face, but it gave people a strange chill, and the previously noisy environment instantly quieted down.
Lord Wang looked up in astonishment, meeting Chi Yan's ambiguous gaze, and a chill ran down his spine!
The other person's eyes seemed to hold countless profound meanings. He suddenly recalled the fate of Minister Gong, who had been beheaded, his head rolling on the ground, blood flowing everywhere, his eyes wide open in death.
The culprit was the smiling young man in front of him. At first, no one paid him any attention, not even Minister Gong, nor did he himself.
Lord Wang shuddered, a chill running up his spine. Under the other man's gaze, he gritted his teeth, stood up, raised his wine cup to him, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Lord Chi is right, it was my oversight! I should punish myself with three cups of wine!"
Under the incredulous gazes of the crowd, he raised his glass and drank it all, one glass after another.
After three cups, his face was flushed, but Chi Yan remained silent. He quietly lowered his eyelids, his posture extremely relaxed, neither saying yes nor no.
Lord Wang's hand holding the wine cup trembled slightly as he continued to pour more wine into it. The strong liquor burned his throat and poured into his stomach, making him want to vomit but he forced himself to hold it in. The veins on his neck bulged, but he dared not show the slightest resentment.
Those around stared in disbelief at the scene, unsure of what to think.
Flattery is common in officialdom; it all depends on whether one is willing to lose face. There are even those who fawn over powerful officials by shining their shoes in the street.
But never before has a scene like this been so terrifying.
Chi Yan hadn't done anything, but many people's gazes towards him had already changed.
"Lord Wang is indeed very sincere."
Chi Yan calmly stopped Lord Wang from pouring wine. The man collapsed to the ground as if granted a pardon, his face turning a deep purplish-red, and his eyes becoming somewhat vacant.
Someone, unable to stand it any longer, said indignantly, "Chi Yan, you've gone too far! Lord Wang has already apologized to you, don't push your luck!"
The powerful ministers secretly rejoiced: "Indeed! Chi Yan has only been promoted and he's already so arrogant and domineering, openly bullying his colleagues. Isn't this just handing him a handle to use against him? If we report this to His Majesty, he'll surely suffer the consequences!"
"Did I say anything?" Chi Yan looked calmly at the person who spoke, leaving the other speechless.
Indeed, he never pressured Lord Wang in any way; it was the other party who was cowardly and was frightened by his words.
"Then you just watched him drink so much and did nothing, weren't you deliberately messing with him?" the man continued relentlessly.
Chi Yan raised an eyebrow, looked at Lord Wang on the ground, and said with a smile, "Lord Wang, I wasn't careful and let you drink so much wine. I'm really sorry."
Lord Wang's eyes cleared a bit, and he quickly shook his head: "It was my own choice to drink it, it has nothing to do with the commander!"
His pathetic appearance is truly astonishing.
A look of disdain flashed in everyone's eyes; this was truly too cowardly and afraid of trouble!
If the aggrieved party has no objections, what can others say?
The crowd had no choice but to back down. For the rest of the time, a subtle atmosphere permeated the area, and none of those who had planned to cause trouble for Chi Yan dared to utter a sound.
Who would have thought that a dog that bites doesn't bark?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
