I Am The Villain In The Novel

Chapter 30: He’s Too Steady!

Within the inner city, inside the Great Peace Palace.

Wei Xianzhi walked briskly on the immaculate blue brick road. The patrolling guards not only didn’t stop him but also respectfully greeted him with a “Lord Wei” when they saw him.

There were only a few high-ranking officials who could freely enter and exit the palace, and they naturally recognized him.

However, it was usually only Wei Xianzhi who entered the palace at midnight.

Most of the time, it was because the emperor summoned him. If not, then something major was about to happen.

The moonlight was cold, and the night wind was sharp.

“Looks like another big shot is going to lose his head!”

An older guard muttered quietly.

Meanwhile, Wei Xianzhi hurried to the Imperial Study.

The golden plaque with the three characters “Stone Canal Pavilion” written on it was right in front of him. However, he slowed down his pace and eventually stopped altogether.

Hiding in the shadows, he inked for a moment before suddenly turning his head to look at the night sky behind him.

In the vast night sky, there seemed to be a fleeting flicker of light.

Ordinary people wouldn’t notice this anomaly, but as a third-ranking expert, Wei Xianzhi could clearly discern the shape of that light.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on his face, and he quickened his steps again, arriving at the door of the Imperial Study in the blink of an eye.

“Lord Wei?”

The old eunuch guarding the door was somewhat surprised, and he asked in a sharp voice, “Are you here to see the emperor in the middle of the night?”

“Yes, I have urgent matters to report!”

Wei Xianzhi said “anxiously,” “It’s a matter of great importance. I ask Eunuch Li to quickly go in and announce it!”

“Lord Wei, please don’t be hasty. This old man will go now.”

The old eunuch didn’t dawdle either. After leaving these words, he entered the Imperial Study and soon returned.

“Lord Wei, the emperor asks you to come in.”

“Good!”

Wei Xianzhi bowed and stepped over the threshold.

Behind the screen bookshelves and other luxurious furnishings, there sat a man in a loose white robe, the current emperor of Great Peace—Ning Yongnian.

“Lord Wei, for you to come here so late. I’m afraid it’s not good news.”

Ning Yongnian looked over with a smile, and said in a relaxed tone, “Go ahead, I’m in a good mood today.”

“Your Majesty, Zhang Hongwen is keeping a demon in his mansion!”

Wei Xianzhi didn’t waste any words and went straight to the point: “The spies say that the creature is extremely vicious, and the consequences would be unimaginable if it escapes.”

“But please rest assured, Your Majesty. As soon as I learned of this matter, I immediately dispatched people to the Zhang Mansion. We will not let this demon cause chaos in the capital!”

“Zhang Hongwen? Keeping a demon?”

Ning Yongnian was taken aback and asked, “When did this happen?”

“We are not sure yet, Your Majesty. We need to interrogate Lord Zhang to find out.”

“I asked when did you learn about this matter?”

“Oh, Your Majesty, I only found out about it an hour ago.”

Wei Xianzhi remained composed. “I immediately arranged for the capture of the demon and then rushed here to report to Your Majesty, without wasting a moment.”

“You… Is it worth doing something like this?” Ning Yongnian chuckled and asked, “Are you afraid I won’t allow you to deal with Zhang Hongwen?”

“Your Majesty, I have no such intention.”

Wei Xianzhi still maintained a righteous expression.

Of course, he knew that Ning Yongnian was aware of his act of taking matters into his own hands without prior approval, and he also knew that Ning Yongnian was aware that he knew he acted without permission.

But some things couldn’t be said outright.

When mingling by the emperor’s side, even if there was some manipulation, as long as one knew in their heart, it was enough.

“Enough, Tell me in detail about him keeping the demon…”

As expected, Ning Yongnian didn’t insist on making Wei Xianzhi admit anything and redirected the conversation back to Zhang Hongwen.

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

While Wei Xianzhi was explaining to Ning Yongnian how terrifying the demon was, the members of the Mirror Division at the Zhang Mansion were still unaware of the purpose of their visit.

Some of them had previously executed tasks with exceptionally high levels of confidentiality, but at least they would be informed of the specific situation when they arrived.

But now, the situation was different. Nearly a hundred people from the Zhang Mansion had been completely controlled in the courtyard, yet the “highest commander,” Wei Changtian, still hadn’t revealed what crime the Zhang family had committed.

This left everyone feeling a bit bewildered.

“Young master Wei…”

Huang Qianhu looked at the men, women, and children kneeling in the courtyard and whispered to Wei Changtian, “What about the Zhang family…”

Wei Changtian interrupted directly: “Has the Zhang Mansion been thoroughly searched?”

“Well… there are still a few brothers who haven’t returned.”

“Then wait for them to come back.”

“…Okay.”

Huang Qianhu nodded helplessly.

Forget it, they had already waited for half a day, waiting a little longer wouldn’t make much difference.

However, while he could wait, Zhang Hongwen couldn’t.

“Is this how the Mirror Division operates?!”

His face was livid, and his eyes were full of anger as he demanded, “Breaking into my mansion without cause, forcing my family to kneel without any reason, how is this behavior any different from bandits and outlaws?!”

“Let me go! I want to see the emperor!”

“I don’t believe the Mirror Division can cover up the sky in Great Peace…”

To be honest, although Zhang Hongwen’s health wasn’t great, he was quite eloquent. In just a few words, he branded the Mirror Division with a huge label.

“Annoying.”

Wei Changtian glanced at him and turned to another person beside him.

It was Xu Qingwan, whom he had appointed as his “personal guard.”

Pointing at Zhang Hongwen, Wei Changtian ordered, “Miss Xu, go make him shut up and kneel down. I’ll take responsibility if something happens…”

“Swish!”

Before Wei Changtian could finish his sentence, Xu Qingwan’s graceful figure flashed out, and in the blink of an eye, she was behind Zhang Hongwen.

It must be said that Xu Qingwan’s sense of obedience was indeed very strong.

Ignoring the fact that the person in front of her was a Supreme Court Minister, she lifted her foot and kicked Zhang Hongwen’s knee.

“Splunk!”

Zhang Hongwen immediately fell to his knees, before he could even cry out, his sleeve was cut off, and the next moment, the severed piece appeared in his mouth.

Kicking, cutting cloth, gagging… Xu Qingwan executed these actions seamlessly, almost earning a commendation from Wei Changtian for her efficiency.

Meanwhile, Huang Qianhu beside him was quite frightened.

Damn it!

If it turned out later that Zhang Hongwen was innocent, Wei Changtian wouldn’t be the only one in trouble. Everyone present today would be implicated.

He regretted deeply why he had gotten involved in this case. Nearby, the last few guards who had been searching the Zhang Mansion returned empty-handed.

He quickly reported, “Young Master, we’ve thoroughly searched the Zhang Mansion. All the people, including the servants and maids, are here. There’s indeed no one hidden!”

“Good.”

Wei Changtian heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that it was finally time to reveal the truth.

The reason he had been so cautious was entirely to avoid giving Zhang Hongwen any opportunity to cause trouble.

A demon wasn’t like gold or jewels. Although it was currently imprisoned, it could still move.

If any of the Zhang family members were hiding in the shadows, they might release the demon if they sensed something was wrong. That would only add more trouble later on.

Moreover, the teachings of Wei Xianzhi and Qin Caizhen about “eradicating weeds at the roots” were still fresh in his mind.

If he had immediately gone after the demon, how could the people of the Zhang Mansion have surrendered so easily without harboring any illusions?

Since he was playing the role of a villain without the boost of luck, it was better to be cautious in everything.

Tsk tsk tsk, I’m really too stable!

He praised himself inwardly, and finally, Wei Changtian looked at Zhang Hongwen and sternly shouted:

“Lord Zhang!”

“Do you know your crime?!”