The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Inside the dimly lit prison cell of the Linkang prefectural government office, several black-clad assassins were bound by thick iron chains. Their faces were stern, their eyes fearless, as if unconcerned with their impending fate. Inside the interrogation room, Han Zhengxian sat upright in a stately chair, brow furrowed, a case file clutched in his hand, his sharp gaze scanning the several assassins below.

He had assumed it was just a common assassination, but he hadn't expected the target to be Cen's sister, Xiao. She was a favorite of the Emperor, the chief executive of the sacrificial ceremony, and the Imperial Scholar of Yuyang Province, personally appointed by the Emperor. The people of Linkang Prefecture worshipped her like a deity, and when news of her assassination was revealed, they nearly surrounded the Linkang government office.

He thought that since he had captured these people alive, there would be a breakthrough soon. However, he never expected that the mouths of these assassins were like locked. No matter how he threatened or tempted them, he could not pry them open.

"Sir, do you want to punish them first?" A bailiff leaned close to Han Zhengxian's ear and asked in a low voice.

Han Zheng first waved his hand, signaling him to withdraw, then turned his gaze to one of the burly assassins and asked in a deep voice, "What's your name?"

The assassin sneered and said nothing.

"You won't tell me?" Han Zhengxian slammed the file in his hand on the table and said angrily, "I'll ask you one last time. What's your name? Who sent you here? Why did you want to assassinate Dean Cen?"

The assassin raised his head, looked directly into Han Zhengxian's eyes, and said word by word: "If you want to know my name, I will tell you after you die!"

"How dare you!" Han Zhengxian was furious. He stood up suddenly and pointed at the assassin's nose and cursed, "Do you still think you are a hero? Now you are just a prisoner, and you dare to be so presumptuous in front of me!"

The assassin showed no fear and sneered, "The victors are kings and the losers are bandits, it has always been that way. Today I am in your hands. You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you. Why bother saying anything more?"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Han Zhengxian was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at the assassin and couldn't speak for a long time.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, sat down again, and said to the yamen runner beside him: "Punch them! I want to see, are they tougher, or are my methods more powerful!"

"Yes!" Several yamen runners responded and stepped forward to torture the assassin.

"Wait!" At this moment, the burly assassin suddenly said, "Master Han, you can torture us, but we must tell you that a dead man will never let you know the secrets in his heart."

Han Zhengxian heard this and waved his hand, signaling the yamen runners to withdraw. He then looked at the assassin and said sternly, "I'll make you speak, unless the person behind you makes it impossible for me to speak."

"Master Han, please don't waste your energy. Since we dared to come here, we didn't intend to return alive. You can kill us or chop us up, it's all up to you!"

Another assassin echoed, "That's right, Master Han, please don't waste your time on us brothers. We won't say anything!"

Han Zhengxian was irritated by their unyielding attitude, but he knew that at such a critical moment, he couldn't afford to lose his composure. He suppressed his anger and waved his hand, signaling the officers to escort the assassins away.

After the assassins were taken away, Han Zhengci, a staff officer from Linkang Prefecture, walked up to Han Zhengxian and asked in a low voice, "Brother, what should we do now? It seems these guys are determined not to confess."

Han Zhengxian rubbed his brows and said tiredly, "Yeah, these guys are tough. They won't give in to any tricks, so it's really hard to deal with them."

Seeing this, Han Zhengci asked tentatively, "Then, should we send more people to torture him to extract a confession?"

Han Zhengxian shook his head, rejecting his brother's suggestion. "It's useless. These assassins are obviously desperate criminals. Torturing them will only make them more resistant and even arouse their desire to die. By then, we won't be able to get anything out of them."

Han Zhengci pondered for a moment and asked again: "Well, brother, do you think you should..."

Han Zhengci hesitated to speak and signaled with his eyes to the assassins who were taken away.

Han Zhengxian understood what his brother meant, but still shook his head: "No, the forces behind these assassins are complicated. If the news leaks out and alerts the enemy, it will be even more difficult to find out the truth."

"Well, what should we do now? We can't just sit and wait like this, right?" Han Zhengci was a little anxious. This helpless situation made him feel upset.

Han Zhengxian pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had come up with a good idea. The corner of his mouth curled up into a meaningful smile: "Since the hard way doesn't work, let's try the soft way. Second brother, go prepare some good wine and food, and find some clean clothes, and send them to their cells."

Han Zhengci was puzzled when he heard this, and asked doubtfully, "Brother, what are you doing...?"

Han Zheng first glanced at him and said lightly: "Why, you don't listen to me?"

"Brother, that's not what I meant," Han Zhengci explained quickly, "It's just...it's just that these assassins are stubborn and recalcitrant. Giving them good food and wine wouldn't be giving them too much away."

Han Zhengxian shook his head and said, "Second brother, you don't know this, this is called 'attacking the heart first.' Since these assassins dared to come, they must be prepared to die. But they are also human, and everyone has weaknesses and soft spots. What we need to do now is to find their weaknesses and break through their psychological defenses."

Han Zhengci nodded, seemingly understanding, and asked, "Brother, do you mean to influence them through compromise and concessions?"

Han Zhengxian chuckled and said, "Persuade? You think too much. I just want them to let down their guard."

Han Zhengci suddenly understood and said, "I see, you're the smart one, brother! I'll go get ready now."

"Go." Han Zhengxian waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Although Han Zhengci was confused, he still did as Han Zhengxian instructed.

As night fell, the cells of the black-clad assassins were brightly lit. A low table was laden with a sumptuous feast, the aroma wafting through the air and whetting their appetites. The assassins, having changed out of their worn prison uniforms for clean, coarse clothing, gathered around the table and feasted heartily.

A skinny assassin wolfed down a chicken leg and asked vaguely, "Brother, what do you think Lord Han is up to? We brothers are in his hands, but instead of interrogating the mastermind behind this, he's treating us to delicious food and drinks. What's going on?"

The burly assassin drank a bowl of wine in a muffled chuckle, slammed the bowl down on the table, and snorted coldly, saying, "What else could it be? He's just trying to bribe us with this method! Humph, he doesn't even bother to ask who we are. How could we be such hedonistic people?"

The other assassin also put down his wine glass and nodded in agreement, "That's right, big brother! We brothers are all brave men who have braved life and death. Since we accepted this mission, we are ready to go through fire and water, even to the point of death. How could we be tempted by such petty gains?"

"Second brother is right! In my opinion, he wants to corrupt us with sugar-coated bullets, make us let down our guard, and then slowly trick us into confessing! This is simply a dream!" A scarred assassin lowered his voice with a hint of disdain. "Unfortunately, he miscalculated! We brothers are very tight-lipped. Even if he turns this cell into a palace, he won't be able to pry a single word out of us!"

"Third brother is right! We have seen all kinds of storms. It is wishful thinking for you to try to buy us off with this little trick!" Another short and fat assassin also echoed.

"Brother, what should we do now? We can't just stay here and eat and drink, right? After all, we still have a mission to complete." The thin assassin asked with some concern.