Chapter 178

Ducha Yuan.

The two thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards of Lingyun City have surrounded this place watertight.

All officials have been gathered in the main courtyard, even the left and right deputy censors-in-chief are being held here.

Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief Han Yu looked toward Commissioner Ji Han.

"Commissioner Ji, what do you mean by suddenly sending troops to surround us?"

Ji Han furrowed his brow: "You wait and see, you'll know soon enough."

At this moment, Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief Li Lun approached, his expression grim.

"Ji Han! Don't go too far! I tell you, I have connections in the court too."

"If you can't give a proper explanation today, watch out—I'll make you regret it!"

Han Yu hastily grabbed Li Lun's arm: "Hey, calm down."

"Commissioner Ji, this Deputy Censor-in-Chief Li is just too impatient."

"Just tell us what's going on."

Ji Han let out a cold laugh: "Good cop, bad cop, right?"

"Your little act has long bored the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Go back and wait."

Several hundred-man commanders drew their steel blades and directly forced the two deputy censors-in-chief back.

Ji Han grew increasingly annoyed—Shen Qing had come to his territory to investigate a case, and hadn't even said a word to him.

Forget the Ducha Yuan today—even he might get skinned alive; who still cares about your Ducha Yuan?

However they die, let them die far away—don't let blood splash on me.

Just as Ji Han was fuming, Shen Qing descended from the heavens.

Ji Han hastily dropped to one knee and bowed: "Lingyun City Embroidered Uniform Guard Commissioner Ji Han pays his respects to Minister Shen."

Immediately, all the Embroidered Uniform Guards present shouted loudly: "Paying respects to Minister Shen!"

This shout chilled the hearts of everyone in the Ducha Yuan—they knew a major figure was coming, but never expected it to be Shen Qing!

It's not that they didn't expect it—they simply dared not even think of Shen Qing in that way.

Shen Qing waved his hand and casually threw Yang Wan'an, whom he held, to Old Li.

"Old Li, hang him up—start with him."

"Received!" Old Li drew an iron hook still stained with blood and walked toward Yang Wan'an.

At this moment, Xu Kong, who had been sitting beside the scholar, stood up and slowly walked toward Shen Qing. Shen Qing had just left the execution grounds not long ago, he had awakened, refused treatment, and insisted on coming to the Ducha Yuan.

Xu Kong clasped his hands: "Xu Kong pays his respects to Minister Shen. Earlier, I was overly agitated—I have something to report..."

Shen Qing raised his finger and shook it: "No need to say—what I need to know, I already know. Today, you are merely an observer."

"I'll give you a proper outlet for your anger."

Shen Qing already knew everything he needed to know from Yang Haichen.

Shen Qing looked toward Xu Kong's wife and daughter—they had also come along.

"Hey, what's your name?"

Xu Kong's wife bowed.

"Xiao Hongye pays her respects to Minister Shen."

Shen Qing waved his hand: "Take your daughter to the rear courtyard and stay there—don't remain here."

Though Shen Qing hadn't finished speaking, the bloody iron hook in Old Li's hand had already said everything.

What follows is unsuitable for minors.

At this moment, Deputy Censor-in-Chief Li Lun stepped forward, smiling.

"Li Lun pays his respects to Minister Shen. Why didn't you give prior notice of your arrival, Minister Shen? I could have prepared..."

Before he finished speaking, Shen Qing's slap landed directly on his face.

"Is it your turn to speak? Go squat over there."

Li Lun, having been slapped, dared to be angry but not to speak—he could only slink back awkwardly.

By now, Yang Wan'an had already been pierced through the back by the iron hook and hung up, his wails echoing in the courtyard.

Shen Qing looked toward the people of the Ducha Yuan.

"You're not curious about why the Embroidered Uniform Guard has come, are you?"

"Let me tell you."

"I've heard your Ducha Yuan's methods are superb—you can pin false charges on a fourth-rank official. I've brought people here to exchange notes."

Upon hearing this, many faces in the Ducha Yuan changed.

"Come on, Old Li—begin!"

Old Li nodded, reached out, and summoned two men to firmly grip Yang Wan'an's hands, then used tongs to pick up a red-hot steel needle and stabbed it into Yang Wan'an's fingers.

Hiss—

Intense white smoke rose—it was the steel needle burning Yang Wan'an's flesh.

Everyone felt a sharp pain in their fingertips and unconsciously hid their hands behind their backs.

Shen Qing looked at Li Lun: "You two deputy censors-in-chief—how does the Embroidered Uniform Guard's punishment compare to your Ducha Yuan's?"

Li Lun forced a grin: "Naturally, the Ducha Yuan cannot compare to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Shen Qing let out a cold laugh, looked at Yang Wan'an: "You said there are your people in my Embroidered Uniform Guard—speak up, who is it?"

Yang Wan'an wailed: "It's Thousand-Household Commander Jin He!"

Among the thousand-household commanders, one man's face changed instantly—he turned and tried to flee, but Ji Han was sharp-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed him, and brought him before Shen Qing.

Shen Qing glanced at him: "Hang him up."

Immediately, Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward and used iron hooks to hang up Jin He as well.

Shen Qing waved his hand, Old Li nodded, and embedded another steel needle.

Yang Wan'an panicked, his legs went weak, and yellow liquid flowed out along his trouser legs.

"I confess, I confess everything! Don't torture me anymore!"

But Old Li didn't care about him; the more he shouted, the more excited Old Li became.

As this steel needle pierced in, Yang Wan'an's mouth opened wildly, but he could not utter a wail—this was pain to the extreme.

Shen Qing spoke.

"In the Censorate, who are your people, who have done work for you?"

Yang Wan'an's pupils scattered as he blurted out a long string of names.

Starting from the fifth-rank officials of the Censorate, not a single one was missed—all had received Yang Wan'an's favors and done work for him.

No wonder he could arbitrarily sentence Xu Kong—this entire judicial system of the Censorate was working for Yang Wan'an; once inside the Censorate, who was guilty wasn't it all up to Yang Wan'an to decide?

But the people in the Censorate were unhappy, they opened their mouths to curse, yet all that greeted them were the steel blades of hundreds of Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Soon, these people were all hung up together, and the scene's tension immediately rose—over a dozen people were hung in the courtyard, the lowest among them being fifth-rank officials.

Han Yu burst into tears and shouted: "Sir Shen! Don't listen to his one-sided words! He's mad! He's talking nonsense!"

Shen Qing waved his hand, Old Li grabbed a red-hot branding iron and pressed it against Han Yu's mouth.

Shen Qing snorted: "Tight-lipped, huh? Then let's start with you."

Shen Qing looked toward Yang Wan'an, Old Li immediately picked up a steel needle and stabbed it into Yang Wan'an's finger; by now, the air was already filled with the smell of burnt flesh.

After this steel needle was stabbed in, Yang Wan'an's gaze began to scatter.

"Vice Minister Yang, how much silver did you give to Han Yu?"

"Five hundred thousand taels, and Li Lun also got five hundred thousand taels..."

"And my backer is Prince Wen, Wei Ting."

Yang Wan'an, to avoid a few more steel needles, directly confessed how much silver they had taken, even revealing their backers.

Shen Qing chuckled: "Not bad, you've all learned to shout out answers."

"Old Li, reward him with five steel needles!"

Yang Wan'an's pupils suddenly widened: "No!!!"

Meanwhile, Shen Qing turned and walked toward Xu Kong, who stood silently to one side, and smiled.

"Xu Shaoqing, did you hear that? Did you hear how much silver they took?"

"At the very least, they have a hundred thousand taels each, but so what?"

"The more they greedily take, the better they live—what about you? Honest and upright, yet you're just one step away from having your wife and daughter sent to a brothel."

"Do you know why? Because you didn't join them in their greed."

"When everyone is corrupt, that purity becomes a crime."

Xu Kong lowered his head, unable to speak.

But immediately, Shen Qing shifted his tone.

"But anyway, I'm a bit ill, and I just like people like you—I just like giving people like you a little justice."

In my past life, Shen Qing was often oppressed; sometimes, Shen Qing thought, if I had someone like Xu Kong when I was being oppressed, wouldn't I have lived much better?

Xu Kong raised his head, his gaze toward Shen Qing gradually brightening.

Shen Qing took a step forward and came before Jihan, the Commander of the Garrison.

"Pass my order: recently, the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the five cities shall gather at Lingyun City."

Shen Qing's voice was ice-cold, as if coming from the Nine Abysses, word by word.

"I want."

"To level the Prince Wen's mansion!"