The Empress's No.1 Lackey

"They all say Master Zhao fears neither heaven nor earth, so why does he seem to fear this 'little girl's' three or five Flying Knives?" Haitang spoke with mocking tones and a smile on her face.

Zhao Douan sighed softly:

"I once heard a senior say, there are three types of people you should never provoke in Jianghu: women, children, and monks."

Haitang raised an eyebrow: "That's quite an interesting statement; may I ask which 'senior' in cultivation said this?"

It seemed like Gu Long, but I'm not sure... Zhao Douan muttered to himself in his heart, chose not to respond, and looked around before asking:

"Miss Haitang said you've been waiting quite a while for me, could it be that you knew I was coming today to catch a rebel?"

Haitang set her wine cup, held between two fingers, down, her lips parting with a smile:

"Master Zhao, there's no need to play act. If I'm not mistaken, the 'rebel' you claimed you were going to catch today doesn't exist. Your real purpose is to deceive us, the eight Hall Masters, right?"

As she spoke, Zhao Douan's expression remained unchanged, but those from Lihua Hall dressed in Jinyi were initially stunned, then perplexed.

They had not anticipated that their own intentions would be seen through so early by the other party.

Seeing their reaction, Zhao Douan also eventually let out a helpless sigh and said:

"Miss Haitang, that statement was also a ploy to bait me, right? Alright, it's true."

After the others in Jinyi had shown their astonished reactions, his continuing to perform would have been meaningless.

Zhao Douan could guarantee his own acting was stable, but not his numerous subordinates.

He asked out of curiosity: "How did you find out?"

Now that Haitang had received confirmation, the arc of her smile grew higher, and excitement for having her speculation confirmed, as well as a sense of triumphant one-upmanship over Zhao Gou, could be seen in her eyes:

"Thinking."

She pointed to her head and said:

"Yesterday, I received word that today would necessitate house confinement for everyone except for Lihua Hall; upon returning home, I've been contemplating Lord's intentions behind this action.

After much thought, the most likely explanation was keeping us out of the way."

"The existence of an insider at the Imperial Court is known by you, known by Lord, and equally by us.

Lord's overt and covert investigations into the government office have happened more than once; this was not hard to guess.

But if it was merely to avoid suspicion and prevent any of us from leaking information, then why specifically confine us eight to our homes?

Wouldn't it be more secure to gather us in the government office, or even together in one room, to watch each other?"

With a sly smile, Haitang said:

"After realizing this contradiction, I began to suspect that today's affair might have another layer of mystery.

Are you, Master Zhao, assigned by His Majesty himself, here just for political gain? And why would Lord open doors wide for you?"

"So, I made a bold guess that perhaps your real goal from the very beginning was to catch the ghost.

And everything before, the arrangements made, were all for the purpose of isolating us eight today, making us anxious...

I have consulted the head jailer of the Imperial Prison about interrogation methods before, and he mentioned one similar to this approach.

But I still wasn't sure until just now when I saw the change in your subordinates' faces, which confirmed it."

Zhao Douan listened calmly as she finished, without interrupting her.

Only after the female detective had concluded her explanation, did he start to clap slowly:

"Clap..." "Clap..." "Clap..."

"Very sharp insights, a brilliant deduction."

Zhao Douan spoke with undisguised admiration:

"I had wondered how you managed to lead Water Fairy Hall, an average power, to the top three, challenging Zhang Han; but now I'm convinced, you have what it takes."

Among the three, Zhang Han was both scholarly and martially adept, the best all-rounder.

Iron Ruler Pass governed with military law, outstanding in force.

Haitang, on the other hand, had the upper hand in wisdom.

She was able to spot the loopholes in Zhao Douan's scheme amidst the chaotic situation in a short time.

Posing hypotheses, making tests.

Seemingly simple, but in reality, few could do it.

"However," he changed the subject, asking:

"Since Miss Haitang has already guessed my purpose, shouldn't you have pretended to be unaware? By speaking out this way, you seem to be flaunting your intellect, but you have actually made it difficult to dispel your own suspicions."

Haitang snorted, her tone dismissive:

"I'm not one for playacting, and with someone as scheming as you, failing to appear genuine would make me more suspicious."

A woman who was very aware of her own strengths and weaknesses...

After a pause, she went on:

"Besides, can suspicion really be cleared? Who can guarantee that those who are clean today won't betray us tomorrow?"

Zhao Douan began to appreciate her, especially in contrast with his own "secretary."

Hmmm, but having a woman too clever by half at one's side is troublesome, whereas someone like Xiao Qian is more reassuring to use.

Seeing he remained silent, Haitang asked curiously:

"What about the others? You must have found them out by now."

Zhao Douan smiled and said:

"You ought to know that's something I cannot tell."

Haitang pinched her wine cup, humming:

"I could guess without you saying it, huh, your subordinates came in obviously not tense enough, that's the kind of relaxation that comes after a successful 'capture,' I'm all too familiar with it.

And those who qualify to be ahead of me: Zhang Han, that deadpan face, is a blockhead, as the literati would say, a gullible gentleman who would just stupidly allow himself to be captured, all with a loyalist's display. It must be Iron Ruler Pass then."

Zhao Douan stated, "You don't seem surprised."

Haitang replied:

"Because he was the one I suspected the most, but without evidence.

Heh, don't look at me with that expression, as a Master, capturing rebels is my duty. I want to surpass Zhang Han to become the first of Nine Halls; naturally, I pay extra attention to the insider. Unfortunately, you snatched that merit from me."

After a pause, the spirited female detective spoke as if realizing something: