Chapter 25: So you have been lying to me all along

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Tang Zheng and Su Xiaoxi were already standing at the gate of the Zhenjiang Prefecture Office.

Tang Zheng signaled to Su Xiaoxi, who immediately picked up the drumstick of the grievance drum at the gate of the office and started beating it *dong, dong, dong*.

"Coming, coming!" A person who looked like a secretary opened the door while yawning and complaining: "Early in the morning, what are you beating for?"

However, after seeing who was beating the drum, his attitude changed immediately: "This humble one has eyes but no pupils, didn't see it was the Commander. Please don't take offense."

"Don't be polite." Tang Zheng waved his hands repeatedly: "Go and tell your Prefect, it's time to hold court and try the case!"

"Yes, yes!" The secretary replied repeatedly and turned to run into the office.

……

A moment later, Tang Zheng and Su Xiaoxi stood inside the office. Beside them stood two rows of burly yamen runners, holding water and fire staffs, each expressionless.

Prefect Zhou Yunqing was late to arrive, and the atmosphere in the hall was very oppressive, which made Tang Zheng a bit uncomfortable. He couldn't help but joke with the yamen runner next to him: "I say, are you making too much of a fuss? I'm just going to say a few words to Prefect Zhou, it's not worth such a big battle."

However, no one paid attention to him.

At the same time, Tang Zheng caught a glimpse of Su Xiaoxi looking very nervous, clutching the hem of her clothes with her hands, so he couldn't help but comfort her: "Don't worry, with the account book as ironclad evidence, your brother will definitely be cleared."

"Hmm." Su Xiaoxi replied, without saying much.

"The Commander ascends the hall!" The secretary's voice suddenly came from the inner hall.

Yamen runners all around: "Mighty..."

"Hey, hey, hey, do you think it's too noisy?" Tang Zheng said, covering his ears, but still no one paid attention to him.

He saw Zhou Yunqing walk out from the inner hall, sit on the Prefect's chair, and the secretary stood by. Tang Zheng greeted him without avoiding: "Prefect Zhou, let's skip these cumbersome formalities. I once agreed with you on a three-day limit..."

"Presumptuous!" The secretary's face suddenly changed and he scolded: "Who allowed you to speak to the Prefect like this? Why don't you go down and kneel?"

Tang Zheng was startled by him, stared at the secretary and said: "Are you sick? Why are you so loud?"

And Zhou Yunqing pressed his hand at the secretary, signaling him not to speak first, and then asked Tang Zheng: "Who is standing under the hall?"

"Isn't this nonsense?" Tang Zheng frowned impatiently when he heard this. In his opinion, some formalities should just be walked through. What is more important than solving the case?

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yunqing suddenly slapped the gavel and shouted: "Answer me!"

The yamen runners all around also shouted: "Mighty..."

This scene suddenly shocked Tang Zheng, and he could only bite the bullet and say: "Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Tang Zheng."

Zhou Yunqing: "Since you are the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, where is the gold medal?"

"Gold medal?" Tang Zheng subconsciously touched his waist, but touched nothing. Then he looked up blankly: "My gold medal... seems to be lost."

"Is it this one?" Zhou Yunqing asked with a sneer. He had a gold medal in his hand at some point, and shook it at Tang Zheng.

Tang Zheng took a look and subconsciously said: "Yes, yes, yes, it's this one."

He reached out to take the gold medal, but Zhou Yunqing suddenly slapped the gavel hard and scolded: "Bold, take him down!"

The yamen runners all around swarmed up and pressed Tang Zheng down.

"Zhou Yunqing, you have a lot of nerve to dare to do something to the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Tang Zheng struggled while shouting: "Do you know what this crime is?"

"I know, extermination of the nine clans." Zhou Yunqing sneered: "But the premise is—you must be a real Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"You suspect me?" Tang Zheng shouted.

The strength of the yamen runners behind him was great, and their movements were rude. Tang Zheng's head had been pressed close to the ground, and the whole person was lying on the ground in a very unsightly posture.

Although the momentum on the surface remained, Tang Zheng's heart had already been raised to his throat.

He was not sure if Zhou Yunqing knew anything, nor was he sure if Zhou Yunqing's sudden change in attitude was testing him. But he knew that once he admitted defeat at this time, there would be no chance of turning over, and if he gritted his teeth and refused to admit it, perhaps there would be a turning point.

Zhou Yunqing snorted and did not answer. However, a voice came from the side, saying: "Prefect, it is said that true gold is not afraid of fire. Whether it is a gold medal or not, just burn it and you will know."

Tang Zheng was very familiar with this voice, but he was being pressed and couldn't lift his head, so he couldn't see the face of the speaker for the time being.

Then he saw a pair of boots walk out of the inner hall step by step, and stopped in front of him.

Then, the person wearing the boots bent down, brought his face close to Tang Zheng, and smiled at him, as if greeting him.

That face was—Li Sheng!

He saw Li Sheng take the Embroidered Uniform Guard gold medal from Zhou Yunqing's hand, weighed it in his hand, then shook it at Tang Zheng's face, and beckoned to the yamen runner next to him. Someone immediately sent him a lit torch.

Li Sheng made a gesture of invitation and smiled: "Commander, why don't you burn it yourself and see?"

Tang Zheng was speechless for a moment. After a moment of silence, he suddenly shouted: "This waist tag is not mine, it was swapped!"

"Oh? Then this Embroidered Spring Blade is not yours either?" Zhou Yunqing said from the side, then picked up the half-broken knife on the case table, which clearly had the four characters "Peerless Scholar" engraved on it.

This knife was shown off by Tang Zheng the day before yesterday, and almost everyone present had seen it.

"Peerless Scholar?" Zhou Yunqing read the four characters on the handle coldly, then glanced at Tang Zheng: "Are you worthy?"

He threw the broken knife at Tang Zheng casually. The latter subconsciously wanted to dodge, but Li Sheng's hand flashed with cold light, and he slashed at the broken knife in mid-air.

With a *clang*, the broken knife was cut into two pieces again, and one piece of the knife head jumped twice on the ground, just falling in front of Tang Zheng.

"Such inferior goods dare to impersonate the Embroidered Spring Blade bestowed by the Emperor?" Li Sheng returned the knife to its sheath and said: "Commander, what else do you have to say now?"

He deliberately said the five words "Commander" very heavily, and his tone was full of sarcasm.

Tang Zheng opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but in the face of the ironclad evidence of the gold medal and the broken knife, he couldn't think of any good rhetoric for a while.

And Su Xiaoxi looked at Tang Zheng with a heartbroken look, and asked with a trembling voice: "Are... are you really the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander?"

"I..." Tang Zheng only said one word, and didn't know what to say. And his awkward expression was seen by Su Xiaoxi, who understood everything immediately.

"So you have been lying to me all along!"

She sat on the ground weakly, and a tear slid down the corner of her eye. ===== CHAPTER 26 =====