Chapter 961: I told you to confess, not to throw your life away

Zhang Yulang really knew how to cry!

Every time Sun Daoning interrogated him, he would cling to the old man's legs and wail, insisting he was innocent.

Sun Daoning would shake him off with force, only for him to roll twice and latch back on, refusing to let go no matter what. It was enough to make the old man lose his temper entirely. This kind of wailing, shameless rogue, born into a great clan with a background that could scare people to death, was truly difficult to deal with.

Clearly, Zhang Yulang was using the same tactics he used on his own father, mother, and grandmother on Sun Daoning.

Sun Daoning:...

Where was one supposed to reason with this?

Unless one got serious and threw him into the interrogation room for a session, even the most unruly person would have to behave after three strikes of the rod.

But...

The Zhang family was scattering money everywhere to smooth things over, and the Ministry of Justice had also received their bribes; they had even sent word through others. One couldn't very well take the money one moment and throw the person into the interrogation room the next.

That wasn't how things were done in officialdom!

If one did things that way, the path would narrow; there would be no friends left in officialdom, only enemies.

That was a truly terrifying situation.

Sun Daoning kicked Zhang Yulang over again. "Whether you are innocent or not, I will investigate myself. First, tell me clearly what you know."

Zhang Yulang looked up, feigning innocence. "My lord, I don't know anything! I'm just a wastrel; I can't even read a book properly, so how could I possibly be involved in a major imperial examination fraud case? There must be a misunderstanding here, surely some link went wrong. May I ask, my lord, who exactly reported me?"

"Are you looking to take revenge?"

"My lord, you misunderstand! I just want to confront the person and clear my name."

"You will have your chance. You keep insisting you are wronged, so why did you know the exam questions?"

"I didn't! I was just speaking off the cuff."

"You spoke off the cuff and accurately stated this year's exam questions. Do you think I would believe that?"

"I really was just speaking off the cuff. My lord, my Zhang family has a deep scholarly heritage. Even if I am a good-for-nothing, one cannot deny that I have been influenced by it since childhood; I still understand a little."

"Do you mean to say your family members were involved, your father, your eldest brother..."

"My lord, how can you implicate the innocent so casually, making something out of nothing, creating baseless charges to implicate my Zhang family? If there is any matter, come directly at me; it has nothing to do with my family."

In an instant, Zhang Yulang transformed from a wailing coward into a man capable of shouldering responsibility. The transition was so fast that Sun Daoning blinked, stunned for a moment before he could adapt.

Immediately after, he laughed. "Based on what you just said, I could lead troops to the Zhang family and make arrests right now."

Zhang Yulang felt cold sweat break out, becoming nervously tense in a rare display. "How can you twist my meaning like that, my lord?"

"Whether I twist it or not is unimportant. What matters is what you just said. Hmph... if this were the Embroidered Uniform Guard, your Zhang family would already be in chaos, with the whole household terrified."

Zhang Yulang's face turned pale. "What do you want, my lord?"

"I only want to hear the truth! Stop trying to play the victim. If you continue to wail and make a scene, I don't mind sharing the credit with the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Zhang Yulang was drenched in cold sweat. "But, how am I to say it? I really am innocent."

"If you continue like this, Zhang Yulang, don't blame me for not warning you. Your Zhang family is not made of steel. Under three strikes of the rod, you will still die."

Sun Daoning hadn't expected that coming to interrogate him today would actually yield a chance to get something real out of Zhang Yulang's mouth. He was indeed too young, with too little experience; his brain turned fast, and his mouth was even faster. Faster even than his brain.

If it were that old fox Wang Huaimin, hmph, don't even think about getting a single useful word out of him.

Young people were easier to deal with after all!

Sun Daoning was filled with satisfaction, believing this round was a sure win!

Then, when Zhang Yulang spat out a name, his expression changed instantly, looking utterly shocked and severely stimulated. He was even more panicked and uneasy than Zhang Yulang.

"Shut up, shut up! Don't say another word! Today, you will pretend you never said anything, and I never heard anything. Do you understand? Don't say I didn't warn you; if you want to save your life and keep your Zhang family, keep your mouth shut. If you die in the Heavenly Prison one day, it will be your own fault."

Zhang Yulang nodded repeatedly, also terrified.

He hurriedly added, "I cannot die! Please, my lord, instruct Chen Jiang Yucheng to ensure my survival!" Then he muttered, "I said from the beginning that I was innocent, but you wouldn't believe me, insisting on threatening me and forcing me to speak. Now that I've spoken, you tell me to shut up! You people, with your two-faced attitudes, are truly hard to serve."

"Shut up! You're still talking, are you looking to die?"

Sun Daoning was frantic with rage and kicked out, not bothering to hold back his strength or caring if he injured the other person. He only cared about venting his inner panic and unease.

"Is this how the Zhang family taught you? Saying whatever comes to mind, you ignorant thing."

"You were the one threatening me with my father and brother, could I not speak?" Zhang Yulang felt aggrieved. "I am young, but I'm not brainless. I kept emphasizing I was innocent, yet you insisted on fishing for words from me. Now look, we're all grasshoppers on the same string."

Sun Daoning was so angry he wanted to kill, drawing the sword from the wall. "If you dare to babble one more word, I will finish you off today, even at the risk of being punished."

Zhang Yulang was terrified, scrambling into a corner. "I won't say anything. My lord, you can't kill! If you kill me, you won't fare well either; my family will definitely avenge me. By then, you won't even be able to keep your official position."

"Shut up! You still dare to speak!"

Sun Daoning was so angry he nearly lost his mind, slashing his sword onto the desk, his rage erupting. The more he looked at Zhang Yulang, the more he found him detestable.

At this moment, he actually remembered the benefits of Chen Guanlou.

Though he also had no filter, Chen Guanlou was reassuring; there was no need to worry about him leaking secrets, nor was there any need to worry about anyone eavesdropping on their conversations. It was perfectly safe!

Zhang Yulang, with his lack of a filter, was like a bomb that could explode at any moment, implicating countless people.

He rubbed his temples, thought it over, pointed at the other person, and said, "Crouch there, don't move."

Immediately after, he opened the door to the office and ordered outside, "Go invite Chen Jiang Yucheng; I have matters to instruct him on."

A moment later, Chen Guanlou arrived at the office.

He had only eavesdropped on the conversation between Sun and Wang Huaimin, expecting them to talk about something exciting, but it turned out to be all posturing, with nothing useful.

As for Zhang Yulang, he had held no hope, so he hadn't eavesdropped.

But looking at the situation now, it seemed they had talked about something real.

Damn it!

He had actually missed it.

So Zhang Yulang really could cough up something real!

He had underestimated Brother Yulang!

Brother Yulang, you hid it well!

"My lord, you were looking for me?"

"Close the door first! Don't let anyone eavesdrop; this concerns a matter of life and death." Sun Daoning whispered his instructions.

Chen Guanlou understood instantly, closing the door and activating the 'anti-theft, anti-eavesdropping' function! Except for a Grandmaster, no one could get close enough to eavesdrop.

"Please instruct me, my lord!"

"Sigh!" Sun Daoning let out a sigh, and in an instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.

It was worrying! ===== CHAPTER 962 =====