145. Zhao Douan is imprisoned! The strategist enters the trap willingly.

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Afternoon, at the back yard of White Horse Hall, in a quiet little courtyard.

Zhao Douan and Supervisor Sun Lianying sat at a stone table playing chess, with a jug of fragrant osmanthus wine placed on a table beside them.

Wearing a loose robe, with graying temples and sunken eyes, the Old Director, who held the white pieces, listened to Zhao Douan's account, then placed a piece and said,

"So, Zhou Cheng found Wang Shan through Qin Qiu, attempting to use that concubine to frame you, seeking to make you lose favor, thereby targeting you. And you chose to publicly snatch Wang Shan away?"

Zhao Douan, dressed in everyday clothes and appearing calm, drank half a bowl of osmanthus wine and nodded, saying,

"Actually, I initially planned to arrest him as well. After all, he was the key man in the Xue Lin case thirteen years ago. To bring down Zhou Cheng, I need Wang Shan's testimony. I just went with the flow and acted ahead."