Chapter 236: Not Spoiling You

Everyone in the Shanhe Office who had experienced Lord Xu's methods died alongside Lady Fu Shuanghui at Yu Well Village.

The inspector shouted, "The murderer is here!" and the entire Shanhe Office erupted in fury, raising their fists and charging at Xu Yuan: "Make him pay with his life for Master Jiang!"

"This scoundrel dares to stay on his horse! Drag him down, drag him before Lord's spirit tablet, and flay him alive to offer sacrifice to Lord's spirit in heaven!"

It was simply that the Shanhe Office's operations today had gone too smoothly.

It made these people feel a bit arrogant.

"Your Master Jiang wouldn't dare to confront him head-on, yet you, a mere deputy inspector..."

Xu Yuan looked at the charging crowd from the Shanhe Office and shouted loudly, "A strange case has occurred outside the city! It concerns the lives and deaths of countless commoners. This official must enter the yamen to report the case details to Master Jiang. You all, step aside immediately!"

The Captain from the Shanhe Office running at the very front was a Wu Xiu.

Standing straight, he was two inches taller than Xu Yuan's horse's head.

He reached out to grab Xu Yuan and cursed, "I'll make you numb..."

Xu Yuan snorted coldly: "Violent thugs obstructing official duties, seize them for me!"

Qin Ze had been waiting for this very word; he roared and charged out, kicking straight into the man's chest.

Boom!

The massive body of the Shanhe Office Wu Xiu flew straight backward, knocking over three more people charging up behind him.

Although they were all Wu Xiu, there were still differences in their levels.

Qin Ze was clearly superior.

Lang Xiao Ba followed immediately, charging out and raising a fist the size of a sea bowl, raining down a flurry of blows on the Shanhe Office crowd.

These past few days, he had cultivated the "Sky-Piercing Cannon" bestowed by Lord and had finally entered the flow.

Following Lang Xiao Ba, another seven or eight Wu Xiu charged out.

On the way here, Xu Yuan had already made arrangements.

He had moved all the Wu Xiu to the very front.

For this kind of brawl, Wu Xiu were naturally the most effective.

The goal was to shatter the Shanhe Office's momentum in the very first contact!

A dozen or so Wu Xiu from the Purification Office were like tigers entering a flock of sheep, instantly scattering the Shanhe Office forces.

The Shanhe Office still had five or six Wu Xiu left; they came to their senses and wanted to resist.

But a rope suddenly appeared from nowhere.

With a whoosh, it bound them all into a single bundle.

They struggled with all their might, and the rope would loosen.

But the moment they relaxed their strength, the rope immediately tightened again.

After repeating this several times until they were panting from exhaustion, they were still tightly bound!

Meanwhile, the rest of the Shanhe Office had already been beaten to the ground by the Purification Office Wu Xiu, screaming and wailing with bloodied faces: "The Purification Office is beating people!"

"They killed our Master Jiang, and now they want to beat us to death too!"

"Is there no law left in this world!"

Zheng Hong had deliberately waited a little longer to come out.

It wasn't a bad thing for the Shanhe Office people to get beaten.

But he never expected Xu Yuan to be so fierce.

By the time he came out a little late, there wasn't a single person left from the Shanhe Office who could stand!

Xu Yuan rode his horse right up to him and demanded, "Who are you?"

Zheng Hong answered instinctively: "Zheng Hong, Deputy Master of the Shanhe Office's Zhan Cheng Branch."

Xu Yuan said, "This inspector has official duties; why are you obstructing me?"

Zheng Hong frowned, sensing something was wrong.

This young man wasn't just acting on impulse and ordering his subordinates to commit murder!

He had found a perfectly respectable excuse.

"Xu Yuan!" Zheng Hong tried to seize the initiative and shouted, "You killed our Master Jiang; get off your horse immediately, confess your guilt, and submit to the law!"

Xu Yuan sneered coldly: "You say I killed Lady Fu Shuanghui? Where is the evidence? Where is the court ruling?"

Zheng Hong gritted his teeth and said, "Both offices investigated the case together, and not a single person from our Shanhe Office returned; it must be that you colluded with evil..."

"Spouting nonsense!" Xu Yuan cut him off without hesitation: "Whether Lady Fu Shuanghui deserved to die, and whether this inspector is innocent, the court will investigate and judge!

You have no evidence whatsoever, yet you dare block the entrance to the Purification Office and obstruct this inspector from performing official duties!

Is your Shanhe Office just a bunch of ignorant fools and ruffians from the countryside?

If your actions delay this inspector's case handling, causing innocent commoners to die or be injured, can you, Zheng Hong, bear that responsibility?"

Xu Yuan waved his hand and ordered, "Tear all this down for me!"

It was still that dozen or so Wu Xiu who acted, easily dismantling the memorial hall.

Lang Xiao Ba even jumped on the ground and stomped on it a few times.

Zheng Hong trembled with rage: "How dare you do this! Our Master Jiang has already been killed by you, and now you insult him like this!"

Xu Yuan sneered: "What kind of person Lady Fu Shuanghui was, you know better than I do! Regarding her actions, if you claim that everyone in your Shanhe Office's Zhan Cheng Branch was unaware, who would believe that? Wait for the court's punishment!"

Xu Yuan dismounted and headed straight for the Purification Office gate.

"What are you all hiding inside for?" Xu Yuan shouted, "Is the yamen not doing business? Open the door!"

The two squads of Captains blocking behind the gate, although scolded by Lord Xu, held no grudge at all; instead, they felt even more devoted to Lord Xu.

Just now, seeing Lord Xu order the attack, they had been eager to open the door and go out, joining Lord Xu's subordinates to thoroughly beat up those scoundrels from the Shanhe Office.

The yamen gate had been closed by He Youxing; as the Master, according to the rules, the door could not be opened without his order.

But none of the captains asked questions; they all stepped forward, removed the doorstop, and with a rumbling crash, swung the gates open, calling warmly, "My lord Xu."

Xu Yuan nodded once, stepped over the threshold, and strode into the office with the bearing of a dragon and a tiger.

Outside the gate, Qin Ze and the others had not truly arrested anyone from Shanhe Si; instead, they kicked out, "Get lost!"

The Shanhe Si personnel turned to Zheng Hong.

Zheng Hong bit his lip—he could only humiliate himself further by continuing to block the way and play the victim.

So he walked off in silence, hands behind his back.

The Shanhe Si men scrambled to their feet and hurried after him.

"Oh, oh, oh—"

The Quhui Si personnel erupted in cheers, then burst into laughter.

Zheng Hong returned to the Shanhe Si office; soon after, a subordinate entered to report that the rumor had spread through the city: Fu Shuanghui had tried to trap Xu Yuan—and failed, ending up swallowed by the mouth of the malevolent spirit!

The entire account was told in full detail, every anecdote vivid and convincing.

Earlier that morning, Shanhe Si had presented itself as wronged, blocking the Quhui Si's gates.

And He Youxing had dared not drive them away, making him appear in the wrong.

Thus, rumors swarmed the city, all damaging to Quhui Si.

But now the tide had turned.

Besides the vigorous promotion by a few outlaw factions led by Zhu Sanya, it was also because Shanhe Si's reputation was even worse.

Shanhe Si, situated beside the canal, had long engaged in countless vile acts of exploitation and extortion.

Among the three yamen, Quhui Si's reputation was truly the best.

Though there were rotten apples, overall, Quhui Si handled spirit cases for ordinary people, and its reputation leaned positive.

What happened outside the gate occurred too swiftly; by the time He Youxing received the report, it was already over.

Xu Yuan had already entered the office.

He Youxing hurried out and bumped straight into Xu Yuan; he raised his brows, ready to rebuke him for "disregarding the bigger picture."

But Xu Yuan spoke first, calmly: "My lord, do not worry—I take full responsibility for my actions."

(End of Chapter)