Ning Chen narrowed his eyes and studied Steward Ding.

A man who could rise to be steward of the Chancellor’s residence was naturally no ordinary man.

Ning Chen said heavily, “Steward Ding, if anything happens to the Left Chancellor, can you carry the responsibility for it?”

“We have had definite word that a thief has gotten into the residence meaning to murder the Left Chancellor… You stand here obstructing us. What is your object?”

Steward Ding gave a mild smile.

Then he walked unhurriedly up to one of the house guards.

Steward Ding’s hand went out all at once, hooked like an eagle’s claw, and clamped on the blade of the guard’s saber. His wrist turned, there was a ringing note of metal on metal, and the long blade snapped clean through.

The eyes of Ning Chen and the others tightened.

Nobody would have seen it in him. This Steward Ding was a skilled fighter.

Steward Ding smiled slightly. “My lords must forgive the poor display! While this small man is here, no petty villain will come within half a step of His Excellency.”

Pan Yucheng came forward half a pace, slowly.

His right foot stamped down lightly. There was a bang, and the bluestone slab underfoot went to pieces where he stood.

Ning Chen could not get a word out.

Good God. There is nothing wrong with the work in Pan Yucheng’s legs.

No wonder he could beat Chen Lezhang into a pig’s head.

Pan Yucheng looked at Steward Ding and said mildly, “The thief’s hands are no worse than mine. Can you stop him?”

Steward Ding’s face stiffened.

Pan Yucheng said heavily, “For the Left Chancellor’s safety, search the residence at once. The thief has to be found.”

“Yes!”

Ning Chen and the others took the order.

Steward Ding was growing anxious now. “My lord, this is—”

“Inspectorate on a case. Persons with no business here will hold their tongues and stay where they stand… Take anyone who obstructs us.”

Pan Yucheng cut him off coldly.

Steward Ding’s old face flushed red, and there was a sullen anger in his eyes.

Had it only been a silver coat, he would not have given the man a thought. But he did not dare take liberties with a gold coat.

Pan Yucheng swept a big hand out. “Search!”

Ning Chen gave Pan Yucheng a mental thumbs-up. The man is a stone-cold badass.

But just as they were about to move, a voice came with anger banked inside it. “Pan the Gold Coat carries a very high hand.”

The Left Chancellor had appeared.

“Your Excellency…”

“Presenting ourselves to His Excellency…”

Steward Ding and the house guards of the residence hurried down onto their knees.

The Left Chancellor lifted a hand. “Get up, all of you.”

That said, his eyes came to rest on Ning Chen, but they moved off him again quickly and went to Pan Yucheng.

Pan Yucheng put fist to palm. “Presenting myself to the Left Chancellor!”

“Pan the Gold Coat, you come to my residence at this hour of the night to make a show of your authority. What is the occasion?”

Pan Yucheng put fist to palm and said, “We have had word that a thief has gotten into the residence meaning to murder the Left Chancellor.”

The Left Chancellor made a small, flat sound of acknowledgment.

“It seems the Inspectorate’s information is not very accurate. Is this chancellor not perfectly well? I am obliged to Pan the Gold Coat for the thought, but there is nothing wrong with this chancellor. You may all go home.”

Pan Yucheng hesitated. “The Left Chancellor’s safety is what matters most. Let us search all the same… If something were to happen to the Left Chancellor through our negligence, there would be no accounting for it to His Majesty.”

“When this chancellor says there is nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong. If something happens, this chancellor will answer for it himself, and you need not trouble yourselves… Steward Ding. See the guests out.”

Steward Ding came over at a quick walk and said, with a smile that went no deeper than the skin, “Gentlemen. This way, if you please.”

Pan Yucheng’s brows drew together.

A steward he could disregard. But a Left Chancellor of the reigning court was another matter, and gold coat or not, he did not dare force it.

The Inspectorate oversaw every official of the court, but there were always a few special ones who could not be touched.

The Left Chancellor could fairly be called the first power among the ministers of the Great Xuan. He was not a man anybody could move against just because they felt like it.

To search the Chancellor’s residence, there would have to be an edict from His Majesty… short of that, not even Geng Jing coming in person would have made any difference.

Pan Yucheng gave Ning Chen a helpless look.

Ning Chen read what was in Pan Yucheng’s eyes. There was going to be no searching the Chancellor’s residence.

Ning Chen was disappointed, but he had expected this too.

Still, it was certain now that the Poisoner was hiding in the Chancellor’s residence… Set a quiet watch on the place, and let the Poisoner try to stay hidden forever.

Pan Yucheng said, “My lord Left Chancellor. We take our leave.”

Ning Chen was about to follow Pan Yucheng out when he stopped where he stood, staring at the man with the long thin face behind the Left Chancellor, sunk in thought.

Then his eyes tightened. “It’s you?”

Pan Yucheng and the others stopped.

“Ning Chen. What is it?”

Ning Chen pointed at the man with the long thin face behind the Left Chancellor and said sharply, “That man once tried to kill me.”

Pan Yucheng and the others fixed their eyes on him.

The man with the long thin face was all puzzlement. “My lord has made a mistake, surely?”

Ning Chen smiled coldly and said heavily, “That day in the street, your carriage very nearly ran me down and killed me… You wouldn’t have forgotten it?”

Ning Chen had expected the man to argue his way out of it. Instead he said, smiling, “Now that my lord mentions it, I do remember… There was indeed something of the kind.”

The Left Chancellor asked heavily, “What is this about?”

“Answering Your Excellency. This small man was out on an errand that day, and the horse took fright and very nearly ran into his lordship here.”

The Left Chancellor said angrily, “You worthless thing. You cannot even drive a carriage properly. What use are you? Apologize to Ning the Silver Coat this instant.”

“Yes!”

The man with the long thin face came in front of Ning Chen and put fist to palm. “Ning the Silver Coat, I am truly sorry… The horse took fright that day, and it very nearly ran Ning the Silver Coat down and killed him, and left Ning the Silver Coat rolling about on the ground in a sorry state. The fault was entirely mine.”

“Ning the Silver Coat is a great man and large-minded. Surely he would not hold it against this small man? And if Ning the Silver Coat finds it hard to work the anger off, he may punish this small man however he likes… Or here is a thought. Why don’t you kill me?”

A challenge. A naked, open challenge.

He called it an apology, but there was mockery in every line of it.

Feng Qizheng and the others had anger all over their faces.

Here was a silver coat of the Inspectorate, being challenged and mocked to his face — and the worst of it was that there was nothing to be done about the man.

He said the horse took fright. You could hardly kill him for it.

Ning Chen looked at him, and his face showed nothing.

The man with the long thin face held Ning Chen’s eyes with a challenge in his own, and a mockery at the corner of his mouth.

“Your hands must be good. Between you and Steward Ding there, who’s better?”

It was a strange question, and it came out of nowhere.

The man with the long thin face stared for a moment. He had no idea what any of that meant, but it sounded impressive. Even so he answered, “This unworthy one is nothing much. My hands are about the same as Steward Ding’s.”

Ning Chen said, smiling, “Then I certainly couldn’t beat you.”

The other man had a mockery at the corner of his mouth. “Ning the Silver Coat is young yet. Perhaps one day he will catch up to me.”

Ning Chen made a small sound of acknowledgment, and then his eyes went suddenly wide, looking past the man’s shoulder, and he said in alarm, “Left Chancellor, you—”

The man with the long thin face thought something had happened to the Left Chancellor, and looked back without thinking.

Bang!!!

And in the instant he turned his head, Ning Chen brought a foot up into his crotch — steady, accurate, vicious. A precision strike on the nuts.

The man let out a howl that had nothing human in it.

Ning Chen’s two fingers went like lightning and jabbed hard into his eyes.

One hand at his crotch and one over his eyes, the man screamed like a pig on the block!

Ning Chen took the chance to unsling his service sword, put everything he had into it, and brought it down on the man’s head.

Bang!!!

The man was knocked flat on the ground, his head split and bleeding!

Ning Chen swung the sword up and battered him over head and face.

The man with the long thin face was rolling about on the ground under it, wailing with the pain.

Ning Chen decided a sword was not handy for beating a man with, and simply jumped and came down stomping on him.

Crack!!!

Ning Chen came down with both feet and the whole weight of him behind it, and broke several of the man’s ribs instantly.

(End of Chapter 125)