A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1147 Shifting the Blame

Li Hong-Ze had spoken loudly. Many around them had heard him.

That included Wu Wei-Tao and He Lan-Shan.

They leapt in terror instantly. Blood drained from their faces rapidly.

They knew how much trouble they were in right now.

Their terror stopped them from stepping forward and declaring that they were the heads of Yunzhou and Jiangdong.

Li Hong-Ze's subordinate soon called them though.

The phones of both Wu Wei-Tao and He Lan-Shan rang simultaneously.

Their cheery ringtones were loud and unexpected shrills that pierced the tense silence in the air.

Everyone's eyes fell on them instantly.

Countless stares fixed themselves on He

Lan-Shan and Wu Wei-Tao, who were still trapped in a stupefied daze.

They were finished.

Both men lamented silently.

Li Hong-Ze recognized He Lan-Shan instantly.

"He Lan-Shan, why are you here?" he barked. "When did you arrive?"

He Lan-Shan cursed secretly and nearly wept in exasperation.

Li Hong-Ze had disregarded him completely when he had stepped forward to welcome him. He hadn't even remembered the incident.

There was nothing He Lan-Shan could do but protest privately though.

Then, he plastered a smile on his face and approached Li Hong-Ze immediately. His voice was subdued and trembling with fear as he spoke. "I just arrived, sir."

"Is that so? Well, you arrived just in time then. I was looking for you. I want to know what's going on. Explain the troops outside the restaurant where Mr Chu is holding his wedding. Why do I see so many police officers here? Mr Chu said that his residence was destroyed and his family members' safety threatened. What happened? If you want to keep your job, you better give me a full account of what's going on!" thundered Li Hong-Ze, his every word heavy with the threat of violence.

The flurry of questions terrified He Lan-Shan and left him pale in the face. He looked away and dared not say a single word. The arrogance and confidence that he had displayed earlier had vanished without a trace.

"I...I just arrived... That's right! I have no idea what's going on. The mayor of Yunzhou might know something." There was no time to come up with an excuse. Instead, He Lan-Shan dropped Wu Wei-Tao's name and dragged him forcibly into the picture.

Wu Wei-Tao's face darkened instantly and he began to hurl curses at his superior

secretly.

He Lan-Shan didn't care for what Wu Wei-Tao thought or felt. It was every man for himself. He ignored the look of resentment in Wu Wei-Tao's eyes and glared at the mayor as he thundered at the latter. "Wu Wei-Tao, why are you hiding in a corner? Get right here this minute and make a full confession of what you know. Look at the state that Yunzhou is in because of you!"

"I...I..." Wu Wei-Tao stammered. He was choked full of resentment and frustration as he continued to curse He Lan-Shan secretly.

"Speak!" hollered Li Hong-Ze, who had reached the end of his patience.

The mayor stammered and stuttered for a long while and failed to give Li Hong-Ze a reasonable explanation.

There wasn't any explanation he could give.

He couldn't possibly tell Li Hong-Ze that he was the one who had deployed these men, surrounded Ye Fan and tried to kill Ye Fan.

The confession would spell his death.

Ye Fan wasn't the Ye Fan of old.

The second most powerful man in their country had personally delivered their government's conferment of the title of supreme grandmaster upon this man. Their country had hailed him as the unrivalled hero of their nation.

That was one of the highest honors that one could get.

Old men like Lu Cang-Qiong could not compare with the prestige and status that Ye Fan possessed now.

If Li Hong-Ze were to find out that they had been trying to kill Ye Fan moments ago, he would skin them alive.

Wu Wei-Tao would rather die than confess.

"Why aren't you talking now? Mayor Wu and Secretary He had a great deal of things to say earlier, didn't you? Secretary He, didn't you condemn Han Dong-Min as an accomplice of mine because he tried to speak up for me? You didn't even conduct an investigation before stripping him of his office and sending him to the countryside. Few men had such power," said Ye Fan with a mirthless smile. His words were cold and filled with mockery.

An icy glint flashed across Li Hong-Ze's eyes. He glared at He Lan-Shan. "He Lan-Shan, what is going on? Tell me the truth right now!"

"I...I..." He Lan-Shan stammered fearfully. "It's a misunderstanding. This has been a huge misunderstanding."

"Is that so? Was it a misunderstanding on your part when you called me a hooligan and the scourge of society? Was it a misunderstanding on your part when you teamed up with Wu Wei-Tao and ruined my wedding? When you amassed an army and tried to kill me? Were those happy mistakes on your part?" asked Ye Fan, his voice tight with an icy fury.

His words fell and erupted like bombs in their midst.

He Lan-Shan and Wu Wei-Tao flushed with humiliation and gaped. They had no answer to Ye Fan's questions.

Li Hong-Ze was filled with shock and rage when he heard what Ye Fan had said.

"How dare you! Mr Chu is a pillar of our country and a national hero. He's been granted the title of the Unrivalled by the head of our state. He's not someone you can dishonor and insult! You didn't simply disrupt his wedding, you tried to kill him as well?! I think the two of you are the ones who should die today!"

Li Hong-Ze was livid.

He knew now why Ye Fan had been so cold and distant towards him.

He knew now why Mr Chu was reluctant to accept the title of supreme grandmaster.

It was because these two audacious scoundrels had abused their authority and incurred Mr Chu's wrath.

"Nothing that you do will be able to make up for our country's loss of a supreme grandmaster! You'll be marked as sinners for the rest of your lives! Death would be too easy a punishment!" thundered Li Hong- Ze furiously.

He Lan-Shan and Wu Wei-Tao were utterly terrified.

"Please forgive us! We did not mean to offend Mr Chu. It was all Lu Cang-Qiong's fault! He's the scoundrel who misled us into trying to kill Mr Chu. Please, you'll know that this has nothing to do with us if you conduct an investigation into this matter!"

The two men were quaking in their boots.

They wailed loudly and pleaded with Li Hong-Ze fortheir lives.

Without any hesitation, they had shifted all responsibility onto Lu Cang-Qiong.

"You...you..." Lu Cang-Qiong was caught wrong-footed and left stammering.

His face darkened as he pointed a trembling finger at He Lan-Shan and Wu Wei-Tao.

"How dare you call me a scoundrel!" thundered Lu Cang-Qiong.