Liu Bian at the start, so you're called Dong Zhuo, right?

Once inside the hall, someone immediately closed the door, instantly shutting out the noise of the city outside.

The registrar personally brought over hot water and said in a low voice:

"Counselor Cao, may I ask who this young gentleman is?"

Cao Cao remained silent, while the chief clerk gave an awkward smile and bowed to Liu Bian again.

"My name is Chen Yu. May I ask who your elders are, young sir?"

Liu Bian did not answer, but instead asked:

"Is this how the Luoyang County government operates? They arrest people regardless of the crime they committed, only based on their connections."

Chen Yu broke out in a cold sweat; this young man was up to no good.

Just as he was about to speak, an official suddenly came out from inside and whispered something in Chen Yu's ear.

Chen Yu's expression changed drastically, and he muttered, "What should we do?"

Liu Bian frowned and asked, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

Chen Yu looked at Liu Bian in front of him, then at Cao Cao beside him, gritted his teeth, and blurted out everything:

"Young master...it's not that something happened at the county temple."

"It was those kidnappers who were being held captive... They left their trail in the market earlier. When they saw that things weren't going well, one of them ran back ahead to warn others."

Liu Bian frowned:

"To whom should we report this?"

Chen Yu's face turned even paler, almost pleading for mercy:

"Report this to...the people on Attendant Song's side."

"To be precise, he's a relative of Attendant Song. We can't afford to offend him. Perhaps, young master, we should just let it go."

The moment the name was uttered, the air in the hall seemed to be pressed down by half.

Liu Bian lowered his head slightly, and Cao Cao's eyes slowly turned cold, but he still did not speak.

"Is Song Changshi the same Song Dian, one of the Ten Attendants?"

Liu Bian began to speak.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu's face turned pale with anxiety, and he hurriedly said:

"Since you know about the Ten Attendants, young master, you'd better hurry up and leave."

"The Song family had already made it clear: if anyone comes to the county temple to file a complaint because of the child, even if it's white, they'll write it as black."

"Even the county magistrate was warned. Anyone who dared to pass a case up the chain of command would face trouble in their own family. That's why the lower-level officials dared not interfere, the market officials dared to suppress, and the kidnappers dared to act arrogantly."

He spoke faster and faster, as if he were pouring out all the stones that had been weighing on his chest:

"I am but a mere clerk. Even the county magistrate dares not touch this matter, so I have no say whatsoever. Now that Minister Cao and the young master are here... with the Song family arriving, this matter is beyond the capacity of the county government to handle."

By the end, sweat was streaming down Chen Yu's forehead and nose, and he was almost unsteady on his feet.

Liu Bian looked at him, then suddenly softened his tone:

"You're right to be afraid."

Chen Yu was taken aback and looked up.

Liu Bian did not blame him, but simply said:

"What can a mere county temple clerk like you handle? If you do, you'll just be throwing your life away for someone else."

"But if you are willing to close the door, restrain the person, and speak your mind today, you are already better than many others."

When Chen Yu heard Liu Bian say this, he took it as a consolation, but he was still filled with apprehension.

"Young master, what should we do now?"

Liu Bian looked up at the doorway and calmly said, "Wait."

"Now that they've gone back to report, the Song family will definitely send someone to find out what happened."

Chen Yu opened his mouth, about to say no, when suddenly a series of rapid footsteps came from outside the door.

Immediately, the door was pushed open, and a group of people entered.

The leader was about thirty years old, dressed in fine clothes. He did not wear official robes, but instead wore jade and had an object resembling an official seal hanging from his waist. Behind him were two attendants, one who looked like a clerk and the other like a guard, both with stern expressions.

This person entered without bowing, and instead arrogantly looked around at everyone in the hall.

When he saw Cao Cao, his eyes twitched noticeably, and the arrogance on his face lessened slightly, but he still refused to bow his head, only offering a slight cupped-hand salute, his tone barbed:

"So it was Cao Yilang."

"No wonder those guys failed."

He paused, his gaze falling on Liu Bian as if weighing him, before revealing a slightly bureaucratic smile:

"And who is this young man?"

Chen Yu quickly spoke, her voice tense:

"this--"

The man raised his hand to stop Chen Yu, not letting him finish speaking, and instead smiled at Cao Cao:

"Cao Yilang, this matter today is probably a misunderstanding."

"In street fights, minor collisions are inevitable. If the officers are incompetent and arrest the wrong person, just release them. Why escalate it to the county court and ruin everyone's reputation?"

His words sounded diplomatic, but they showed no respect for Cao Cao and continued to exert pressure.

Cao Cao did not answer, but only glanced at Liu Bian.

The man looked in that direction and his heart sank again: Cao Cao had actually taken this young man as his master.

His expression subtly changed. Someone who could make Cao Cao willingly rank second couldn't be without a background.

But in the next instant, he regained his composure.

No matter how powerful someone's background is, can it be greater than Song Dian's?

Standing behind him was Song Changshi, one of the Ten Attendants. Even if Cao Cao or Cao Song himself came, he wouldn't be afraid.

Thinking of this, his back straightened even more, and his tone hardened:

"If you know what's good for you, young man, let's leave this case here. Whether it's kidnapping or lime powder, it's all just hearsay and can't be taken as fact."

"I, Song, will give you a way out for today's events. If you take it, everyone will see how things go."

Liu Bian then looked up at him and smiled:

"Who are you?"

The man's face stiffened, then he forced a smile and said:

"My name is Song Jin, a subordinate of the Governor of Henan, in charge of..."

"Since he is a man of the Governor of Henan, summon him to see me."

Song Jin was interrupted, veins bulging on his forehead, and the smile in his eyes as he looked at Liu Biande finally vanished.

"Young master, let me make myself clear. If you insist on chasing after the kidnapper, it's the same as chasing after Attendant Song in the face."

Liu Bian laughed heartily and said:

"In that case, there's no need to summon the Governor of Henan. Just call your master, Song Dian."

A ferocious look appeared on Song Jin's face as he stared at Liu Bian and said fiercely:

"Young master, do you truly not know the immensity of the world, or do you think that with the Cao family protecting you, you can run rampant in Luoyang?"

He then looked at Chen Yu and said, "Chen Yu! Quickly tell your men to arrest these people, or we'll all be in trouble when Attendant Song arrives!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu trembled in fright.

He looked at Liu Bian and his group.

Cao Cao's eyes turned slightly cold, and Xiahou Dun and the others also shifted their stance slightly, their imposing presence like steel being drawn from a scabbard.

Liu Bian shook his head at Chen Yu, then raised his hand, signaling everyone to stay still.

Chen Yu gritted his teeth and bowed to Song Jin, saying, "I'm afraid I can't help you with this matter."

Song Jin was taken aback by Chen Yu's sudden assertiveness, but quickly recovered and slammed her hand on the table:

"good!"

"You all wait here. I'll go and invite Song Changshi's men to settle this matter."

"At that time, it won't be a question of whether or not to release people—it will be a question of whether you few can get out of Luoyang County Temple."

"By then, I think it's time to change the people in charge of Luoyang County Temple."

With a flick of his sleeve, Song Jin led his men out.

The only things left in the room were the steam from the hot water and the oppressive silence.

Chen Yu recovered his senses. The adrenaline rush had made him fearless, but now, thinking about it, his lips turned pale, and he said in a trembling voice:

"Young master... if Attendant Song arrives, this matter will truly be difficult to resolve—"

He paused, then looked at Cao Cao:

"Why don't you go hide at the Cao family's place? The Cao family is powerful and wealthy; even Attendant Song probably wouldn't dare to make a move against them."

Liu Bian raised his eyes and looked at him:

"You, a mere clerk, are quite interesting."

Then, he looked towards the doorway:

"Let him go."

"I want him to go and call Song Dian."

"Let me see how many big fish we can catch by following this lead."

Liu Bian's lips curled up; he had just cast his net and was about to catch a big fish.