Outside Linbei City, the wounded soldiers’ camp.
The strong smell of medicine and the faint scent of blood intertwined in the air.
Xiao Yuan walked steadily at the front. The soldiers and medical officers on both sides respectfully stepped aside and saluted as soon as they saw Prince Su personally arriving.
And the figure wearing a white gauze veil hat walking beside Xiao Yuan instantly became the focus of everyone’s secret attention.
Everyone knew that this was the newly promoted “Su Staff Officer,” rumored to possess miraculous medical skills, yet never revealing his true face or real name.
Through the white gauze, Su Muchen’s sharp gaze quickly swept over the arrangement of the wounded soldiers’ camp.
Severe and minor injuries were not separated, ventilation was poor, and the bandages were being reused…
He knew that the sterile gauze they had brought would be consumed too quickly and would not be enough, so the military doctors would still have to use strips of cloth.
Aside from that, there were countless other problems that needed to be resolved.
The occupational habit of a modern doctor made him frown tightly as he silently recorded, one by one, all the problems that needed to be reorganized.
Two steps behind Su Muchen followed a young medicine boy with an utterly ordinary appearance, the kind of person who could be thrown into a crowd and immediately become impossible to find.
It was Mu Li after his disguise.
Su Muchen noticed that Mu Li had even modified his posture. As he walked, he deliberately kept his body slightly hunched, looking like a humble and introverted little medicine boy.
Mu Li carried a heavy medicine chest on his back, his head slightly lowered, appearing obedient and submissive. In reality, however, his eyes were sharply capturing every single movement Su Muchen made.
The movement of his shoulders as he walked.
His left foot landing half a fraction more lightly than his right.
The angle at which he leaned slightly forward when examining an injured patient.
When thinking, his right index finger would lightly tap the cuff of his sleeve.
The habit of slightly tilting his head when listening to someone respond.
How many steps he kept between himself and Prince Su during inspections.
“Your Highness, this subject pays his respects. Greetings, Su Staff Officer.”
The camp’s chief medical officer, sweating profusely, hurried over to greet them.
Xiao Yuan did not look at the medical officer. Instead, he slightly turned his head and said in a deep voice to Su Muchen beside him,
“Su Staff Officer, from today onward, the logistics and distribution of military medicines in this wounded soldiers’ camp will be placed under your control. How do you think this place should be reorganized?”
Xiao Yuan did not deliberately lower his voice. His deep and authoritative voice instantly carried throughout the surrounding area.
Su Muchen understood his intention.
He did not show the slightest hesitation. Through the white gauze fluttering gently in the wind, his voice was clear and steady, carrying an unquestionable authority.
“Issue the first military order.”
He pointed toward one side of the camp.
“Starting today, all wounded soldiers are to first be divided according to the severity of their injuries. All patients with fever, suppuration, or suspected infection are then to be separately marked. Anyone with persistent high fever, pus in their wounds, or obvious signs of infection is to be isolated immediately. No medical officer is permitted to transfer patients between camp areas without authorization. In addition, all reused bandages must first be thoroughly boiled in water and then dried before they may be used again.”
“Anyone who violates the order will be dealt with according to military law.”
As Su Muchen issued his orders in an orderly manner, the veteran medical officers who had initially held a trace of contempt for this “parachuted-in Staff Officer” all put away their disdain and respectfully lowered their heads to listen.
And unnoticed in the rear, Mu Li deeply engraved into his mind the unique bearing Su Muchen displayed when giving orders—the combination of compassion and an authority that brooked no resistance.
◆◇◆◇◆
As the Su Staff Officer’s swift and decisive military orders were issued, the originally lifeless wounded soldiers’ camp began spinning into action at high speed, like a spinning top that had just been struck by a whip.
The medical officers busily began separating the severely wounded, while several large pots were set up and water and strips of cloth were boiled inside them.
Xiao Yuan did not interfere. He simply stood with his hands behind his back in front of the main tent, speaking quietly with several commanders and leaving the entire stage of reorganizing the camp to the newly appointed “Su Staff Officer.”
However, Su Muchen did not leave after issuing his orders like an ordinary official conducting an inspection.
He walked directly toward the most severely affected area.
The place was filled with the strong smell of blood and a suffocating stench of decay. Countless soldiers with missing limbs or severed legs lay on straw mats, letting out painful moans.
Su Muchen stopped in front of a straw mat and crouched down to examine a soldier suffering from a leg wound caused by an arrow and a persistent high fever.
His brows knitted tightly.
At a glance, he saw the problem: although the arrowhead had been removed, the wound had not been cleaned properly at all. The hastily applied bandage had already adhered to the pus-filled flesh, causing a severe infection.
If they delayed for another two days, not only would the leg be beyond saving—the man himself would die.
“Bring the medicine chest over,” Su Muchen called in a deep voice.
Mu Li, disguised as an ordinary medicine boy, immediately stepped forward. He efficiently opened the medicine chest and arranged the scissors, alcohol, povidone-iodine, and sterile gauze in a neat row.
Su Muchen held the scissors and was about to cut through the bandage stuck to the soldier’s leg, but the hanging white gauze kept swaying forward with his movements, seriously obstructing his vision.
When treating an external wound, even a one-inch blind spot could result in cutting the wrong blood vessel.
Su Muchen simply raised his hand, lifted the small section of white gauze blocking his face, and hooked it onto the edge of the veil hat.
The movement was completely natural, yet it inadvertently exposed half of his profile to the air.
Seeing the movement, one of the accompanying guards immediately lifted a basin of water, while another picked up the medicine chest, blocking part of the view.
The wounded soldier lying on the straw mat was trembling all over from the pain. Half-conscious, he slightly opened his eyes and happened to catch sight of the mysterious Su Staff Officer whose appearance had been the subject of so many rumors.
It was a handsome yet unfamiliar face.
What was easiest to remember was not his brows or eyes, but the light-brown tear mole beneath the outer corner of his right eye.
“This piece of dead tissue has to be cut away. It might hurt a little. I’ll give you some anesthetic. You’ll feel a little prickling and numbness, so don’t be afraid.”
Su Muchen’s voice was gentle, yet carried a reassuring power.
The wounded soldier stared blankly at him, and the fear in his eyes miraculously dissipated by more than half.
Beside Su Muchen, Mu Li silently handed him the alcohol and gauze in perfect coordination while discreetly taking everything in.
Su Muchen swiftly took a local anesthetic from the medicine chest. After drawing the appropriate dosage into a syringe, he administered local anesthesia around the wound.
Mu Li silently memorized the way Su Muchen handled the injection and held the knife, the slightly lowered tone he used when comforting the wounded soldier, and even that unique temperament combining calmness with compassion.
He was secretly astonished.
This Su Staff Officer clearly looked scholarly and delicate, yet within this battlefield of blood and mangled flesh, he was as steady as a mountain, as though he had been born to command this domain.
He had originally thought that although this mission would be difficult, he should be able to handle it.
Yet on the very first day, he already felt the pressure.
This Su Staff Officer was not a person of Dasheng, and Mu Li had disguised himself as people from foreign lands before.
However, the qualities and temperament of this person were unlike anything he had ever encountered. Even his choice of words and phrasing was different, and occasionally he would casually use words Mu Li had never even heard before.
He considered himself to have spent three years in the military medical camp and to have a certain understanding of medicine.
But only after witnessing Su Staff Officer’s medical skills firsthand did he realize that they were completely different from the medicine practiced here.
For the first time, Mu Li truly realized that what he would have to play seven days later was probably not a “person.”
It was an entire set of habits, complete to the point of being almost exacting.
More troublesome still, Su Muchen’s medical skills were not a collection of techniques that could simply be memorized by rote.
They were judgments built upon a vast body of overseas medical knowledge.
He could imitate how Su Muchen held a knife, how he spoke, and how he frowned.
But it was impossible for him to become the real Su Staff Officer within seven days.
Therefore, what he truly needed to learn was—
How would Su Staff Officer think when he did not know the answer?
Just then, the alertness of Mu Li, trained into him as a covert guard, suddenly jumped.
He did not raise his head. He merely used the motion of handing over medicine to sweep the area behind him from the corner of his eye, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
Among the gaps between several tents only a dozen or so steps away from the severely wounded area, two or three soldiers wearing the armor of the Western Camp were pretending to transport provisions.
In reality, their footsteps were unusually slow.
They thought they were well hidden, but those sharp and greedy gazes were fixed on the profile of Su Muchen’s face exposed after he had slightly lifted his veil hat.
Mu Li caught it with extraordinary sensitivity.
One of the Western Camp soldiers’ eyes paused when it landed on the tear mole beneath Su Muchen’s right eye. Then, almost imperceptibly, he gave his companion a signal with his eyes.
Mu Li calmly withdrew his gaze, and a cold glint flashed beneath his lowered eyes.
Those spies hidden among the Western Camp believed they had caught sight of the true face and identifying features of the “Su Staff Officer.”
Little did they know that everything they had gone to such lengths to memorize was actually Mu Li’s face.
Once this information was sent back to the capital or the enemy camp, the assassins who came after him later would be hunting the person wearing this face.
He gave the personal guard a slight glance.
The guard behind Su Muchen happened to turn sideways, blocking half of their line of sight.
“Povidone-iodine.”
Su Muchen’s voice interrupted Mu Li’s thoughts.
“Yes.”
Mu Li immediately handed it over respectfully, his movements flawless.
Half an hour later, Su Muchen finally finished treating several of the most critically injured patients.
He let out a long breath, raised his hand, and lowered the half of the white gauze he had lifted earlier, once again hiding himself within the hazy veil hat.
He stood up and was just about to take the basin of water Mu Li was handing him to wash his hands when a tall, upright figure dressed in black had already silently arrived behind him.
Xiao Yuan had somehow already finished his conversation with the commanders.
He took the cloth beside the basin and naturally handed it to Su Muchen.
His deep voice sounded especially clear amid the noisy camp.
“Su Staff Officer, you’ve worked hard. Now that the rules of this camp have been established, leave the rest to the people below.”
Su Muchen accepted the cloth and wiped his hands, nodding through the white gauze.
“Your Highness is right. I will return to the Administrative Office with Your Highness.”
The two walked side by side toward the camp entrance.
Mu Li carried the medicine chest and followed closely behind.
As he passed beside Xiao Yuan, Mu Li’s footsteps paused by an almost imperceptible half-inch, and he exchanged an extremely brief glance with Xiao Yuan.
In that one-millionth of a second of eye contact, a cold killing intent flashed through Xiao Yuan’s deep eyes.
Then he gave an almost imperceptible response with his eyes.
Mu Li immediately understood.
Prince Su knew about this matter, and had deliberately allowed those people to see it.
So he continued to remain silent.
Xiao Yuan sneered inwardly.
Those rats had come rushing over the moment they heard the news.
He had deliberately distanced himself slightly from Su Muchen just now, and someone had already been unable to hold themselves back.
But he also knew that this was only the beginning.
◇◆◇◆◇
Ever since Xiao Yuan had personally arrived in the Northern Frontier to take command, the Linbei City Administrative Office had held a morning council every day, summarizing military and governmental affairs from all sides.
Today, before the hour of Chen had even arrived, the civil and military officials had already gradually taken their seats in the council hall.
Xia Lanshi had arrived early today. Unlike when he was in the capital, he was not wearing a formal official robe, but a plain white everyday robe, with only a jade pendant hanging from his waist.
Because of his considerable abilities, along with Prince Su’s tacit approval, this plain white attire had instead become an unquestioned symbol within the Northern Frontier Administrative Office, echoing Prince Su’s austere black from afar.
Looking around, most of the officials in the hall were Northern Frontier officials of the sixth to eighth ranks, their bamboo-green and dark-blue official robes interweaving together.
Yet amid this sea of blue and green, there was an exceptionally eye-catching crimson figure.
Qu Detao, the “Northern Frontier Military Affairs Inspector” personally appointed by the Emperor, sat upright in the foremost seat among the guest seats.
The crimson official robe worn by this Vice Censor-in-Chief, symbolizing imperial authority and supervision, looked completely out of place in the iron-blooded Northern Frontier council hall, yet it carried an unmistakable sense of pressure.
When Xia Lanshi took his seat, he merely glanced calmly at that patch of crimson before withdrawing his gaze.
Not long afterward, footsteps sounded outside the hall.
Because Xiao Yuan had first gone to the camp outside the city early that morning, he arrived somewhat later.
And when his tall, upright figure stepped into the council hall, everyone’s eyes were immediately drawn to the person following behind him.
That person’s figure was slender and lean. He wore a light blue-gray crossed-collar long robe and a white gauze veil hat that hung down to his chest.
The light gauze swayed slightly with every step, concealing his face completely and revealing only a hazy, mysterious outline.
The officials in the hall had long since heard of the miraculous deeds of “Doctor Su,” yet very few had actually seen his true appearance.
Now that they saw him, quite a few curiously craned their necks, yet still could not see anything clearly. From his slender and lean figure alone, they could tell that Doctor Su was certainly not some elderly man, but a young man.
Through the white gauze, Su Muchen quickly swept his gaze around the hall.
He immediately noticed the only middle-aged man wearing a crimson official robe.
Unlike everyone else, that man did not openly pry. His shrewd, sharp eyes merely made a quick confirmation before he wisely lowered his eyelids.
When Pei Yi saw Su Muchen, he immediately gave him a slight nod.
He had already witnessed Su Muchen’s abilities and was not surprised that he had become a Staff Officer of Prince Su’s residence.
Su Muchen also nodded slightly in greeting.
Then he looked toward Xia Lanshi, who was seated to the right of the main seat.
Xia Lanshi was leisurely organizing the documents on the desk. When he saw Su Muchen looking over, he slightly raised his eyes and lightly indicated the still-empty seat to the left of the main seat.
Su Muchen immediately understood.
That seat had been specially reserved for him.
He gave a slight nod and walked over calmly.
Only after he had taken his seat did Su Muchen truly feel how “hot” this seat was.
This was the position of deputy, second only to the commander-in-chief.
The civil and military officials on both sides all had their gazes fixed on him as though those gazes had physical weight.
Even through the veil hat, he could clearly feel the curiosity, scrutiny, and even doubt mixed within those gazes.
As Xiao Yuan took his seat at the head of the hall, the morning council officially began.
Xiao Yuan wasted no words. His deep, authoritative voice rang directly through the hall.
“I presume everyone has already received the military order. Starting today, Doctor Su is officially appointed as a Staff Officer of Prince Su’s residence. He will participate in determining the Northern Frontier’s military supplies and oversee military medical affairs and the distribution of military medicines.”
“Your Highness.”
The moment he finished speaking, Qu Detao slowly stood up, his hands folded together. His tone was courteous, yet his words concealed a sharp edge.
“This subject has one matter he does not understand.”
Xiao Yuan raised his eyes, his gaze cold and severe.
“Speak.”
“Although Doctor Su has repeatedly rendered extraordinary service in the Northern Frontier and possesses outstanding medical skills, this subject is not questioning Su Staff Officer’s medical abilities. It is simply that once a Staff Officer becomes involved in military affairs, he is no ordinary advisor.”
Qu Detao paused and looked directly at Xiao Yuan.
“This matter… I’m afraid it does not conform to the regulations of the imperial court.”
His tone gradually deepened as he invoked the law.
“Dasheng has always required officials to undergo verification when being appointed. Anyone involved in military and governmental affairs must have their place of origin, lineage, and family background verified. Su Staff Officer is neither registered as a Dasheng citizen, nor can his origins be verified. Now he has suddenly become a Staff Officer of the Prince’s residence and will even participate in the distribution of military supplies and medical affairs. Whether this is appropriate, this subject cannot help but ask.”
Xiao Yuan’s expression did not change in the slightest. He merely leaned back against his chair and calmly asked,
“Does the law of Dasheng explicitly state that people from overseas are forbidden from serving as Staff Officers of a Prince’s residence?”
Qu Detao immediately choked.
“This…”
“Yes or no?”
Xiao Yuan’s voice was not loud, yet it was like Mount Tai pressing down upon them, causing the entire council hall to fall instantly silent.
Cold sweat faintly appeared at Qu Detao’s temples. After remaining silent for a moment, he could only grit his teeth and answer,
“Your Highness, the law contains no such explicit prohibition.”
“If there is no prohibition, then there is no need to ask such a needless question.”
Xiao Yuan coldly withdrew his gaze, his tone so forceful that it allowed no rebuttal.
“What this prince has granted is the position of ‘Staff Officer of the Prince’s residence.’ He is this prince’s personal minister, not an officially appointed imperial court official. He does not fall under the court’s nine ranks and does not receive a court salary. His authority exists only within Prince Su’s residence and does not infringe upon the court’s official ranks. This prince naturally has the authority to appoint and dismiss him.”
Behind the white gauze, Su Muchen sighed inwardly.
As expected, what was bound to come had still come.
The Emperor was already deeply wary of Xiao Yuan. Now Su Muchen had transformed from an ordinary physician into a Staff Officer wielding real authority.
This inspector who had come bearing the Emperor’s edict could never easily let such an opportunity to attack them pass.
Sure enough, Qu Detao did not retreat.
During the past few days, he had been conducting investigations openly and secretly throughout the Northern Frontier and had long since prepared his killing move.
“Since Your Highness trusts the people you employ, this subject naturally dares not say more. However, this subject has another matter.”
Qu Detao raised his head, his gaze like a torch as he fixed it on Su Muchen.
Xiao Yuan said, “Speak.”
“Recently, a large quantity of newly purchased military medicines and unusual medical equipment in the army have all been supplied by an overseas medical organization called ‘Guichen Medical Sect.’”
Qu Detao asked each word deliberately,
“Su Staff Officer happens to have a definite connection with this medical organization, and now Su Staff Officer personally controls military supplies and medical affairs… Wouldn’t that mean he is both the seller and the buyer? If this subject did not ask about it, it would instead be this subject neglecting his duty.”
The moment these words came out, the entire hall erupted in commotion.
Dasheng’s laws strictly prohibited officials from “supervising and conducting their own sales.”
Such behavior, acting as both buyer and seller, was a blatant crime of abusing authority for personal gain and corruption.
The officials could not help directing their gazes toward Xiao Yuan and Xia Lanshi, thinking that they would step forward to defend this new Staff Officer.
However, Su Muchen, hidden behind the hazy veil hat, appeared exceptionally calm.
He did not turn his head to seek help. Instead, he spoke gently, his clear voice carrying throughout the hall.
“Lord Qu’s concern is indeed reasonable.”
The hall actually became somewhat quieter because of this frank admission.
Su Muchen continued unhurriedly,
“However, my lord may have misunderstood one point. Guichen Medical Sect is indeed connected to the medical knowledge I learned, but it is not privately owned or controlled by me. As for how many branches it has overseas or which forces it deals with, as a physician, I do not concern myself with such matters.”
“I have a relationship with it through the inheritance of medical knowledge, and I know how to use those instruments, but I do not control its commercial business. As for the Prince’s residence’s previous purchases, they were all transactions between the Prince’s residence and Tingxue Pavilion. I have never handled a single tael of silver.”
Xiao Yuan spoke at this point.
“This prince can testify to this matter. Most of Prince Su’s external purchases have always been conducted through Tingxue Pavilion from beginning to end, and the military supply accounts have records of them.”
Su Muchen paused, then leaned slightly forward, and an impeccable line of reasoning flowed forth.
“However, since my lord has raised this concern, I will establish the rules clearly. From now on, whenever it concerns the purchase of medicines or medical supplies from Guichen Medical Sect: first, I will absolutely not participate in price negotiations; second, I will not handle any monetary transactions; third, I will not be responsible for the final inspection and acceptance.”
“Price negotiations will continue according to the original procedure. Inspection and verification will be jointly handled by the Military Supply Office and the medical camp. If anyone suspects that I am profiting from this, they may check the accounts, inspect the goods, and investigate the market prices at any time. As long as the accounts match and the goods pass inspection, you cannot presume me guilty simply because I am a person from overseas.”
Su Muchen thought to himself:
It was true that he and Xiao Yuan had never negotiated prices in their transactions. He was not lying.
There were also indeed no monetary transactions between them now, because Xiao Yuan had long ago put all the gold in his possession.
He was now, quite literally, just a deliveryman.
All the accounts were registered under Prince Su’s residence and Tingxue Pavilion. Checking the account books would reveal absolutely no connection to him.
Even if there really were a problem, he would not be stupid enough to expose Xiao Yuan in a setting like this.
But Qu Detao was, after all, an experienced court official. He was not completely blocked by this airtight explanation. He immediately seized upon the loophole.
“If Su Staff Officer wishes to avoid suspicion, then can you guarantee publicly that, in future military procurement, you ‘will not’ give priority to medicines from Guichen Medical Sect?”
Su Muchen fell silent for a moment.
Just when everyone thought he was about to compromise, he uttered two words.
“I cannot.”
Qu Detao’s brows furrowed.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because the medicines from Guichen Medical Sect really are more effective and work faster than those on the market. As a physician and a Staff Officer, I have no reason to joke with the lives of our soldiers merely for the sake of a hypocritical ‘avoidance of suspicion’ and deliberately refuse to use better medicine.”
Su Muchen’s tone remained gentle, yet every word landed with weight.
“When selecting medicines for the army, I only consider four things: effectiveness, quality, price, and stability of supply. Whoever can provide life-saving medicine at the most reasonable price, I will use their products. If another medical organization can produce better medicine tomorrow, I will be the first to switch.”
Qu Detao was stunned.
He had originally thought that dealing with a physician who rarely appeared in public would be effortless. He had not expected the other party’s reasoning to be so clear, or his words to be so upright that Qu Detao could not find the slightest fault.
Xiao Yuan, sitting at the head of the hall, had an almost imperceptible smile and trace of pride in his deep eyes.
He had always known that Su Muchen was never a canary that could only be kept in a cage and made to chirp.
This was a man who could have a sword pressed against his neck and still calmly analyze the situation while mocking the other party.
In the modern world, he had even been able to stand his ground against threats from capital conglomerates.
He was even bold enough to call the Emperor “sick.”
“Since that is the case.”
Seeing that his first attack had failed, Qu Detao immediately changed the battlefield. His sharp gaze locked onto the white veil hat on Su Muchen’s head.
“Now that Su Staff Officer has officially taken office, he is a senior official participating in military and governmental affairs at Your Highness’s side, yet he continues to conceal his face beneath a veil hat and refuses to show his true appearance. May I boldly ask—what exactly is the reason?”
He paused, his tone becoming stern.
“Everyone in the army knows that there is a Doctor Su, yet no one knows what he looks like. If, in the future, some malicious person simply finds someone to put on a veil hat and impersonates Su Staff Officer to deliver false military orders, how are we to guard against such a disastrous danger?”
Through the white gauze, Su Muchen looked at him, his tone still steady.
“Lord Qu’s concern is indeed reasonable.”
“However, I do not conceal my true face because I have a guilty conscience, nor am I trying to put on an air of mystery. It is for tactical reasons. I am responsible for both military supplies and medical affairs, and I will inevitably have frequent contact with wounded soldiers on the front lines as well as confidential information in the future. If my true appearance is easily exposed, it would be extremely easy for enemy assassins to keep me under surveillance. A Staff Officer whose appearance is unknown and whose movements leave no trace will live much longer than a face everyone recognizes.”
His voice had begun to turn somewhat cold, but he still suppressed his emotions and explained calmly.
“Furthermore, I am not a military commander who needs to rely on his appearance to boost morale at the front. What the military recognizes is my Staff Officer’s token and official seal, as well as whether I can straighten out this mess of a logistics operation. If someone dares to resist or refuse to obey simply because they cannot see my face, then what they are questioning is not my identity, but the military orders of Prince Su’s residence.”
Qu Detao gave a cold snort.
“Su Staff Officer speaks reasonably. However… a token and official seal can indeed be verified, but there are already highly advanced disguise techniques in this world. If someone steals your token and then disguises themselves to imitate your appearance and voice, how are we to distinguish the real from the fake?”
He pressed further.
“May I boldly ask one more question. If even the colleagues who work alongside Su Staff Officer day and night do not know what Su Staff Officer actually looks like, then how can anyone prove that the person sitting here today is truly Su Staff Officer?”
This time, Su Muchen fell silent.
It was not that he had no answer.
Rather, under these layers of questioning, he had genuinely felt the malicious intent of Qu Detao.
Every word this man spoke was aimed at him, but in reality, every strike was probing Xiao Yuan’s bottom line, attempting to pry open a crack in the iron-barrel-like defenses of the Northern Frontier.
This made Su Muchen uncomfortable, and his voice became colder as well, carrying a trace of warning.
“So naturally, my identity verification cannot rely solely on a face or a single token. As for the specific method of verification…”
Su Muchen coldly tossed out a soft but pointed barb.
“That is a core secret of Prince Su’s residence for preventing infiltration by enemy nations. Surely… there is no need for me to explain it in detail to Lord Qu?”
Those words, carrying hidden barbs, caused Qu Detao to walk straight into a wall.
For the first time, a suppressed flash of anger crossed that usually calm and composed old face.
He had never expected that a mere Staff Officer would dare to be so impolite to him.
Sitting to the side, Xia Lanshi lowered his eyelashes, concealing a trace of amusement in his eyes.
He had already given Su Muchen some guidance earlier, originally intending only for him to remain somewhat cautious. He had not expected this newly appointed Staff Officer to adapt so quickly and immediately deliver a resounding blow to this inspector from the capital, without showing the slightest fear of whoever stood behind him.
He also suddenly understood who Xiao had meant by the “vicious dog that bites people” before leaving.
Pei Yi almost failed to suppress his laughter.
Who would have thought that although Su Staff Officer looked scholarly and delicate, his temperament was not weak in the slightest? He was practically a match for Chief Administrator Xia.
Just as the atmosphere became tense, Xiao Yuan’s slender fingers lightly tapped once against the red sandalwood desk.
“Knock.”
The soft sound caused the entire council hall to fall instantly silent.
“This matter ends here.”
Xiao Yuan’s sharp gaze slowly swept across everyone in the hall like the edge of a blade, finally stopping on Qu Detao.
His voice was as cold as ice.
“What this prince wants are people who can win battles and keep soldiers alive, not useless fools who only know how to obsess over origins and family backgrounds. Since Su Staff Officer has already proposed methods for avoiding suspicion and verifying matters, the Military Supply Office will strictly implement them from now on.”
He slowly straightened his body, releasing the domineering authority of an imperial prince without reservation.
“As for whether Su Staff Officer shows his face, that is his freedom. But since he has accepted the Staff Officer’s token personally bestowed by this prince, he is a man under this prince’s command. From today onward, any military order that comes from his mouth is equivalent to this prince’s military order!”
“If Inspector Qu still has questions, you may come directly to this prince. But do not waste time in this prince’s council hall again over such trivial matters as him not showing his face.”
Xiao Yuan’s gaze swept imperiously across the hall.
“Who else has an objection?”
The entire hall was silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
No one dared provoke Prince Su, who held the power of life and death in the Northern Frontier.
Qu Detao took a deep breath, suppressing the wariness in his heart.
He did not continue with any pointless argument. He simply lowered his head silently and heavily wrote a line in his confidential memorial:
“Su Staff Officer’s connection with the overseas Guichen Medical Sect is shrouded in layers of suspicion and still requires thorough investigation.”