Chosen One, how did I end up as the villain?

Qin Huaiyu broke free from the two armored soldiers and sneered:

"Heh, is that so? Does Your Excellency not care about rumors? Scholars are the most skilled at using words. If this accidentally gets back to the court, what do you think those civil officials of the same lineage will do?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Po's expression changed drastically. Not wanting to be discarded like a hunting dog after the rabbit has died, he immediately stepped forward and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"My lord, do not act rashly. If this matter is not handled properly, those old pedantic officials in the court will certainly not let this opportunity pass. Given their tendency to stick together, I fear that not only will you lose your official position, but you may also lose your life."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Tianlin instantly calmed down, realizing that when it came to revenge, his official position and life were more important.

His mind raced, and he said:

"Go to the yamen and tell those scholars that we are just conducting a routine inquiry and following the rules. Once the matter is clarified, we will release the person."

Gao Po's eyes lit up. "Sir, you want to detain him?"

Zhai Tianlin smiled and said:

"That's right, get rid of them first, then it's up to us."

"Wow, you're truly amazing!"

Gao Po couldn't help but laugh along.

Before they could even feel smug for a moment, another figure, even more panicked than before, ran over.

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

"The prefect has arrived with his guards and demands that we release the prisoners immediately."

"What?!"

Their expressions froze.

"...The prefect is here, sir, what should we do?"

Gao Po felt a tightness in his heart. Although he was the deputy captain, he knew very little about the inside story. He only knew that the captain had some connection with Black Cloud Village.

Unexpectedly, the young man they were trying to deal with had such a great influence. Not only did scholars from Jian'an and scions of prominent families come to support him, but even the prefect came to his aid.

Zhai Tianlin's eyes darkened. He had anticipated that Chu Langtian would come, but he hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.

No, those scholars and the young man from the Li family are too.

After thinking it over carefully, he suddenly turned to look at Qin Huaiyu and said:

"It was you! You were the one who notified them!"

Qin Huaiyu said with a mocking expression, "It's just a way to save my life. Otherwise, wouldn't I have died in vain?"

"You've got guts, kid!"

Zhai Tianlin gritted his teeth inwardly, realizing now that he had been tricked.

Wenren and Li Chengye are easy to fool, but Chu Langtian is very shrewd.

If it were just him alone, he could still handle it, but now it's three forces...

They confront officials with officials, create arguments with literature, and build momentum with their aristocratic families.

That's quite a deep scheme; it seems impossible to detain them now.

Zhai Tianlin's face grew darker with each thought. He turned to look at Gao Po and said:

"Go, take him out."

After saying that, he walked quickly outside, unwilling to give up.

Seeing this, Gao Po breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered people to take Qin Huaiyu away.

He just wanted to survive, not become a victim in the power struggle between the two big shots.

You figured it out so quickly!

As Qin Huaiyu walked, he sighed. You really can't judge a book by its cover. This old man looks rough and uncouth, but he's actually quite shrewd. No wonder he didn't leave any evidence against him in Black Cloud Village.

That's quite a formidable enemy.

司衙

A group of armored soldiers looked helplessly at the huge crowd in the courtyard.

Leading the group were Chu Langtian, Princess Chu Yanxi, and Yun Suyan.

Li Chengye stood on the left, followed by a few servants, but not many.

"Li Chengye greets the Prefect and the Princess." He bowed very politely, as did the servants behind him.

Zheng Chun stood on the right, with a large group of literati behind him.

They all bowed to the two of them upon seeing them.

Chu Langtian remained expressionless, waving his hand to signal everyone to stand up, though he was truly shocked.

Good lad, you've only been in Jian'an for a few days and you already have such influence.

Especially these scholars, even I can't convince them, yet they dare to storm the Commandant's mansion for you.

Talent can truly be blinding.

That would be great. It would be difficult for me to deal with Zhai Tianlin alone, but it would be much easier if they were included.

That kid really thought things through.

Such cunning; it seems I underestimated you.

Chu Yanxi was also shocked by this. Although she had heard Yun Suyan mention it on the way and had informed both parties, she was still skeptical.

After all, everyone avoids officials like the plague, fearing they might get into trouble, but who would have thought they would actually come?

Is this what they mean by talent being everything?

Yun Suyan remained calm. She had spent the most time with Qin Huaiyu and knew that he never did anything without a certainty.

This scene was expected.

"Your Excellency, you must stand up for Young Master Ba! He is the foremost literary figure in Jian'an. He must not do anything that violates the law. The Commandant's Office is trying to destroy the hope of our literary world." Zheng Chun spoke first.

"That's right, I urge the Prefect to uphold justice for my literary circles."

"To stand up for the literary world!"

The group of scholars spoke up one after another, their voices were astonishing, and even the armored soldiers standing nearby were intimidated.

They stared at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

The feeling was as if it were saying, "Is this still a scholar?"

Seeing this, Li Chengye did not lag behind and said:

"My lord, I have had contact with Brother Ba. He is an upright, generous, and righteous man, the kindest person I have ever met."

This evaluation, this high level of praise—you guys really know how to talk!

Chu Langtian felt embarrassed for Qin Huaiyu. He was clearly full of scheming. Although he couldn't be called a bad person, he was definitely not a good one.