Chapter 164: Court Ministers and the Xiao Clan Nobility Arrive

Duan Wu mocked, "Lord You, could it be that because the sun is high at noon right now, you think it's rising from the west?"

Lord You shot back, "Don't think that with Xiao Qidi backing you, you've forgotten your own worth; this time I merely slipped in a gutter and fell into your hands temporarily—Xiao Qidi won't last long, and someday I'll make you kneel before me, wagging your tail and begging for mercy, pleading for me to spare you."

As he spoke, he lifted his hands, fingernails torn out, and said grimly, "General Duan, the torment I've endured these days will be repaid double—remember that."

Duan Wu occasionally glanced toward the distance.

Just now the soldiers reported the scout's findings to him; now we're waiting for the person who should appear to arrive.

"What's up, General Duan?" Lord You jeered, "Why haven't you passed sentence on me? My crimes far outweigh those of the county magistrates—if you don't give the crowd a satisfactory explanation, you might not be able to step down from the platform! Wanting to kill me but unable to—doesn't that feel awful? And yet you put on this show of a public trial, thinking it'll scare me; little do you know it's a foolish move, and Xiao Qidi is still too green—hahaha!"

Duan Wu originally didn't want to say anything, but he couldn't stand this guy's arrogant attitude even as death approached, so he told him, "Let me tell you the truth: His Majesty already has a plan; you don't need to speak, those people will walk right into the net."

Lord You scoffed, "If there's a way, do you really need to set up a stage and put on an act to intimidate me?"

"You're right about the act," Duan Wu chuckled, "but this isn't to scare you—you're overestimating yourself."

Lord You frowned, "Stop the mysticism—what exactly do you mean?"

Duan Wu grinned, "Lord You seems to have forgotten that in dealing with you, from head to toe only you and your confidants know His Majesty is here, and you've both been kept under control, so His Majesty's identity remains secret."

Lord You's brows furrowed slightly; he vaguely sensed something was off, but still couldn't pinpoint the key point, so he grew a bit annoyed and asked, "So what?"

"Well, let me give you a hint," Duan Wu said with a smile, "Once news of your arrest and trial gets out, outsiders will see it as just a petty border commander throwing his weight around, meddling in trifles. So what will those ministers and royal relatives you refuse to name think? Can they stand by and watch you be bullied by me?"

Lord You froze, then his face turned ashen.

His mind finally clicked; at this moment he understood everything: "So… you've been using me as bait?!"

"Hahaha!" Duan Wu clapped his hands, "That's right!"

"You!" Lord You exploded in anger and jumped to his feet.

"Behave! Kneel!" Two soldiers quickly pressed him down.

Lord You's mind raced; he thought that if he exposed Xiao Qidi's presence here, the news would spread like wildfire among the countless commoners, perhaps alerting those coming to rescue him to withdraw in time, so he strained his voice and shouted, "Xiao Qi—"

Before he could finish the "di" syllable, Duan Wu, quick-eyed and quick-handed, snatched up the sounding board and flung it at him.

Smack!

The sounding board crashed into Lord You's mouth, shattering his teeth and blocking his throat.

Among the crowd, the people saw that General Duan had long delayed starting the trial of the Longyuan Governor, and they grew impatient.

They couldn't help but gossip and urge him on.

Duan Wu heard the noisy clamor from all directions, and he too felt anxious.

He had no choice but to pull out the bamboo slips and slowly read out the Longyuan Governor's litany of crimes.

Even after reading a huge pile of charges, his mouth dry from the effort, still no one came to rescue.

He began to wonder if His Majesty's plan had failed.

The people were filled with righteous indignation, their shouts of "beat him! kill him!" shaking the heavens.

Just then, a troop of horsemen came galloping from afar like arrows, charging into the crowd and kicking up dust wherever they went.

"Make way! Those who block the road die!"

The spearhead riders, mounted on horses, charged forward, roaring loudly.

The people scattered in fear, making way.

Under this forceful thrust, a large force quickly reached the Trial Platform.

Next, several carriages following close behind lined up in a row on the open ground.

The people, still shaken, eyed the suddenly arriving carriage convoy; though they didn't know who had come, from their bearing they were certainly not ordinary folk.

Especially, the splendour and luxury of those few carriages surpassed even what the county magistrate rides, let alone the Longyuan Governor's usual conveyance—it was less than half as fine.

"Lord Xue has arrived!"

A loud cry rang out.

The curtain of the central carriage was lifted by the attendants.

Next, a man in his fifties or sixties stepped down from the carriage.

He wore an official cap and robes; his eyes, though not angry, exuded authority, and a mere glance around silenced the crowd.

"Lord Xue is the Grand Censor of Daxuan!" the attendants barked, "Why aren't you kneeling yet?"

Only then did the people snap to, hurrying to kneel.

To avoid startling the snake, Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli also crouched down.

"Mother… what rank is a Grand Censor?" An An asked curiously.

Xiu Mei, at most, knew roughly what a prefect was; she couldn't explain what a Grand Censor was.

Even Xiu Mei's husband could only say, "That's an official from the Royal City, a high-ranking one."

"How high-ranking? Higher than a county magistrate?" An An asked, full of doubt.

Xiao Qidi explained softly, "In our Daxuan, the Grand Censor's rank is second only to the Prime Minister."

"Big brother, what's a Prime Minister?"

"The Prime Minister is the highest office."

"Higher than the monarch?"

"No, the whole realm belongs to the monarch; the Prime Minister is an official appointed by the monarch to help govern the realm."

"Oh… I get it now: the monarch is highest, then the Prime Minister, then the Grand Censor."

"Hmm, that's about right."

As they went back and forth, Xiu Mei's husband muttered, "How could a Grand Censor come to a place like this?"

"No need to say," Xiu Mei replied, "Surely it's to deal with the Longyuan Governor."

Xiu Mei's husband shook his head, "I don't think so; if they wanted to deal with him, they'd have done it earlier—why show up now?"

Xiu Mei thought, "Maybe he didn't know before; now General Duan found out, reported it to the Royal City, so His Majesty sent the Grand Censor—it seems His Majesty still takes this matter seriously."

At this moment, the people in the other several carriages also got down.

There were six people in total, wearing extremely splendid and exquisite clothes, exuding a distinctive noble aura from head to toe.

"Who are they again?" Xiu Mei widened her eyes.

Xiu Mei's husband looked left and right, indicating he didn't know.

Ning Jinli poked Xiao Qidi with her elbow. "Do you know them?"

Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes slightly. "I know them, they're all acquaintances—I never expected… it's actually them."

On the Trial Platform, Officer Xue had already been tightly bound by the soldiers, his mouth stuffed with coarse rope; he could only watch those people appear, yet was powerless.

"Your subordinate pays respects, Imperial Censor," Duan Wu rose and performed a clasped-fist salute, "I didn't know Your Excellency, Officer Xue, would grace us with your presence; my failure to welcome you properly is remiss."

Officer Xue glanced casually at the situation on the Trial Platform; upon seeing the Longyuan Governor's disheveled state, his eyes darkened somewhat, "General Duan, have you gone a bit too far?"

Duan Wu feigned ignorance: "What? Officer, why say that? This subordinate is dull; please clarify."

Officer Xue drawled: "Investigating and interrogating a case shouldn't be the sole duty of a military officer like you, should it? You should be guarding Xi Tun Guan properly, yet you've come here to act lawlessly—who gave you the guts?"

"Your words are mistaken," Duan Wu said solemnly. "As a commander tasked with guarding a region, whether external enemy troops invade or internal officials commit wrongdoing, I cannot turn a blind eye. Moreover, the He Wan County Magistrate, using war as a precept, has set up private projects to extort and plunder the people, and now it has intensified further. Whether for the honor of the Daxuan army, the honor of His Majesty, or the people's peace, I must get to the bottom of this."

"Hehehe, I didn't expect General Duan to be so eloquent, really making me look at you anew," Officer Xue chuckled. "But according to you, isn't one person like you enough to handle the western frontier of Daxuan? Why not simply remove all the civil officials governing this place? What do you think?"

Duan Wu immediately said: "No, no, I'm just a rough fellow; to govern a locality well, you still need educated civil officials."

"Alright, I won't chat with you further," Officer Xue said sternly. "As a frontier commander, you have deserted your post without authorization—a grave crime—but considering your good intentions, I will offset merit against fault and not pursue it. Take your troops and leave at once."

Duan Wu also spoke sternly: "I'm sorry, but I cannot agree. The He Wan County Magistrate case was uncovered by me and already judged, yet the Longyuan Governor implicated in it is even more heinous; I haven't finished judging him—how could I quit halfway?"

Officer Xue's face fell: "You won't even obey my orders?"

Duan Wu said calmly: "If you're worried I won't judge well, you can just observe and supervise. Someone, bring a chair, please invite the Imperial Censor to take a seat."

"No need!" Officer Xue's eyes darkened further. "It seems General Duan doesn't understand my meaning; I'll not beat around the bush—hand over the Longyuan Governor to me!"

"Why should I hand him over to you?" Duan Wu asked.

Officer Xue snorted: "Do I still need to explain myself to you?!"

Duan Wu declared righteously: "Of course, if there's no reasonable explanation, I'm sorry but I cannot obey!"

"You..." Officer Xue, usually calm, was also annoyed by this obstinate fellow, and directly told his attendants: "Go, take him down."

"Yes, Officer!" Several attendants armed with long swords, one leapt onto the Trial Platform.

But before they could approach the Longyuan Governor, a row of soldiers in Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army armor blocked their way.

"Duan Wu!" Officer Xue shouted, "What do you mean! Do you want to fight my people?"

Duan Wu grinned: "Don't worry, it wasn't you who struck first, was it? But as long as your people don't draw their swords, mine will never strike first—let's keep the peace."

"Officer Xue, this brat seems to have a death wish," a middle-aged noblewoman nearby said with a look of slight contempt, "It's just a few soldiers—let our guards give you a hand."

After saying that, she waved her hand.

In the carriage entourage, over a hundred attendants including coachmen all grabbed their knives and surrounded the Trial Platform.

Duan Wu feigned surprise: "Officer Xue, you actually want to seize him by force? What's this called—abducting a prisoner? As a high-ranking court official, how can you do this in front of the people?! Are you trying to shelter the criminal?"

Officer Xue, embarrassed, told the guards to stand down, then shouted loudly: "No matter what crimes the Longyuan Governor committed, you, a frontier commander, have no authority to interrogate him. I have repeatedly shown you courtesy, yet you repay it with insolence and disrespect. I can only forcibly take him away for another interrogation—don't spout nonsense and disturb the people's hearts!"

Duan Wu thought darkly, "If I don't press this old man, he won't reveal his flaw; even if His Majesty appeared, he'd still have a plausible excuse to distance himself."

Moreover, His Majesty hasn't shown up yet, which proves His Majesty is also waiting for his slip-up.

In that case…

Duan Wu steeled himself, ordering the soldiers blocking the Imperial Censor's few attendants: "Kick them down!"

The soldiers, without a word, simultaneously lifted their feet.

Those attendants never expected the frontier soldiers to be so bold; caught off guard, they were all kicked flying, thudding to the ground.

"Come on, come up," Duan Wu gestured to the knife-wielding guards around the Trial Platform, "whoever dares to seize the prisoner, don't blame me for not showing mercy—one comes, I kill one; two come, I kill a pair."

Officer Xue's face changed, he frowned, pondering a response.

But the middle-aged noblewoman beside him lost patience, shouting: "What huge gall you have! Fighting Officer Xue's attendants was bad enough, yet you dare threaten my guards?!"

"Who are you?!" Duan Wu glared and roared, "This general is judging a criminal—what does it have to do with you?"

The noblewoman, furious, stammered: "You… you actually dare speak to me like this!"

"What's wrong with speaking to you like that?" Duan Wu continued to retort, "Get lost wherever you came from, stop being an eyesore, or I'll take you down as well."

Officer Xue was about to advise the noblewoman to calm down, when several arrogant-looking men beside her spoke in turn.

"We are the Daxuan Xiao clan."

"General Duan, please watch your words."

"If we press the matter, disrespecting royalty and nobility is a serious crime."

Hearing these words, Duan Wu secretly sucked in a breath of cold air.

Xiao clan?

They're all relatives of His Majesty's own clan?!

This isn't just ordinary royalty and nobility!

Who knows, maybe one of them is Xiao Qidi's paternal elder!

What to do?

Can we still investigate?

Duan Wu broke into a cold sweat behind his back, gritted his back teeth, and furtively turned his gaze toward His Majesty hiding among the crowd.

Ning Jinli leaned close to Xiao Qidi's ear and said: "Turns out those nobles are so familiar with you—what are you going to do now?"

Xiao Qidi's cheeks tensed, his gaze terrifyingly cold: "It's merely a direct blood relation; acquaintances are acquaintances, no feelings, and even if there were, if they committed crimes, I wouldn't let them off."

Immediately, Xiao Qidi gave Duan Wu a look, signaling to continue.

Duan Wu took a few deep breaths, then adopted a humble posture and said to the Xiao clan nobles: "This subordinate truly doesn't understand—when a prefect commits a crime, it's only proper for the Imperial Censor to intervene in the interrogation, but why would it alarm all of your esteemed presences?"