Chapter 16

The speed of the news spreading was much faster than Li Mu had anticipated.

As soon as the South City Battalion Commander's office took action, the two major secret service agencies, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, also moved. The reaction speed of the Shuntian Prefecture soldiers was slightly slower, but only by an hour.

When it involves their official hats, everyone's efficiency is very high. Even if it is off-duty time, it does not affect their work enthusiasm.

"My lord, I am wronged!

The Wucheng Military Commission ordered the destruction of the illegal items on the wall; I didn't post them..."

"Slap!"

After a slap, the leading Eastern Depot eunuch scolded angrily: "You'll have plenty of time to talk once you're in the imperial prison; what are you wasting your breath for now!"

The content accused on the notice was all aimed at them, the eunuchs. If they didn't take action quickly and let the higher-ups know, they would definitely meet with misfortune.

Adhering to the principle of "rather arrest the wrong person than let one go," the young eunuch clearly wasn't prepared to spend time vetting them.

Anyway, if people are arrested, it's performance.

Once in the imperial prison, there are plenty of ways to make people confess.

In that ghost place, the probability of coming out alive is less than one-third.

"Stop!"

Li Mu couldn't help but scold.

He had long heard of the violent law enforcement of the Eastern Depot, but he didn't expect it to be so brutal.

Knowing full well that the person is wronged, they still want to take them into the imperial prison.

"Who are you, daring to interfere in the affairs of my Eastern Depot?"

A secret agent stepped forward and clamored.

If it weren't for the official uniform Li Mu was wearing and the soldiers following behind, it is estimated that it wouldn't be a question, but a direct move to arrest him.

Unjust, false, and wrong cases have never existed in isolation. Once the bottom line is breached once, there will be countless times afterward.

"Li Mu, Battalion Commander of the Nancheng of the Wucheng Military Commission, have your person in charge come out to talk!"

Don't lose your nerve; since you've chosen to stand out, you can't show weakness.

The notoriety of the Eastern Depot stinks for ten miles, and the outside world fears them like tigers, but that doesn't mean they are invincible.

Power needs checks and balances; the Emperor would never let one yamen dominate.

In the capital, the Wucheng Military Commission, where the children of meritorious nobles gather, is one of the few yamen that can afford not to buy their account.

However, this "not buying their account" is limited to ignoring them. Direct confrontation rarely happens.

"Mai Qinghu, File Head of the Eastern Depot in the Nancheng, does Battalion Commander Li have any advice?"

Although he spoke politely, his eyes had long since cast elsewhere, indicating with his actual actions that he didn't care about Li Mu, this Battalion Commander.

"I wouldn't dare give advice!

I just want to ask you, Eunuch, do you want to suppress this matter, or are you prepared to make it known to everyone, letting everyone know that the rumors spread from your jurisdiction?"

Li Mu deliberately emphasized the tone of "rumors."

Competition also exists within the eunuchs, and being able to stand out from a crowd of eunuchs naturally means he is not a political novice.

After being pointed out by Li Mu, Mai Qinghu immediately realized that he had done a stupid thing.

Rumors were already flying everywhere, and arresting people with such fanfare would only make it harder to hide.

Mixing in officialdom, one doesn't necessarily have to be outstanding, but one must not perform worse than one's colleagues.

After the matter blows up, the Emperor cannot hold everyone accountable.

Whoever's jurisdiction is the most chaotic is the most likely to be made an example of, becoming the scapegoat responsible for this incident.

"What does Lord Li mean?"

Mai Qinghu asked tentatively.

"Why do you ask when you know the answer, Eunuch? The Wucheng Military Commission, Shuntian Prefecture, the Eastern Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are now all grasshoppers on the same rope.

If the matter blows up, someone will definitely need to take responsibility.

If the Nancheng is peaceful, then the stick won't hit you or me."

Li Mu said straightforwardly.

Covering up is a traditional skill in officialdom. As long as it can be covered up, no one is willing to report it upward.

The situation in the capital is special, with overlapping powers among multiple yamen; to suppress the matter, everyone must cooperate.

"Lord Li, I'm afraid this matter has some difficulty.

As the Emperor's hunting dogs, we dare not deceive the Emperor!"

Secret service agencies like the Eastern Depot are different from the Wucheng Military Commission; internal reporting to higher-ups is a common occurrence.

Not to mention the existence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that competitor; if he tries hard to cover up and is sold out by the other side, that would be miserable.

"You're joking, Eunuch. We are all loyal subjects of the Emperor; how could we deceive the Emperor?

The events of today naturally need to be reported truthfully.

We took timely measures to suppress the influence, which must also be written in.

I think our colleagues in Shuntian Prefecture and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are the same as us and will not deceive His Majesty on this issue!"

The wonderful use of the "Spring and Autumn" writing style lies here; it is clearly the same incident, but just because the recording method is different, the meaning expressed is completely different.

This kind of thing is not afraid of being checked at all; the Nancheng side indeed did not cause a bad political impact. The residents are all at the bottom of society and basically cannot come into contact with high-ranking officials in the court.

Several departments joining forces to downplay the influence can completely create the illusion of peace under heaven.

There is no need to keep it secret forever; as long as the event ferments one step behind other city districts, then the blame can be successfully shifted.

"Made a mistake, release them!"

After saying this, Mai Qinghu directly took his people and left, using his actual actions to show his stance.

"Many thanks... my lord... for saving my life..."

Before the middle-aged man, who was still in shock, could finish his words of gratitude, Li Mu interrupted: "Alright, hurry home and get some sleep, and forget about today's events.

Be smarter in the future; if you see the Eastern Depot agents, hurry and stay far away."

Falling into the hands of the Eastern Depot and being able to walk away unscathed is enough for him to brag about for half a lifetime.

However, it is estimated that normal people wouldn't want this kind of experience.

It is a proper unprovoked disaster, yet there is nowhere to appeal.

Perhaps the Censorate likes to take on these cases now, but the prerequisite is that the parties involved must be dead, preferably a mass murder case.

The charge of arresting the wrong person and then releasing them is too small, so small that it cannot be brought to the table.

A mass murder case has a much more serious nature. During party strife, one can pin the label of "treating human life like grass" on the eunuch faction.

"Many thanks for the reminder, my lord, I will go back and rest now!"

The middle-aged man hurriedly made a promise; it could be seen that he was scared. When he spoke, his body was trembling the whole time.

At almost the same time, in other areas of the capital, notices with the same content also appeared.

West City Battalion Commander's office.

"What, the people who posted the notices were a group of illiterate children, and the one who instigated them was a beggar?"

"Yes, Battalion Commander, when we found the beggar, the person had already been dead for two hours.

Judging from the time, after this person bribed the children to post the notices, they were immediately silenced.

The murderer clearly had premeditation and very likely has already left the capital."

Looking at the beggar's corpse on the ground, Zhao Yawei's mood could not be calmed for a long time.

The clues were suddenly broken, and wanting to dig out the mastermind behind the scenes along this line increased the difficulty by more than ten times.

"Immediately send someone to report to Marquis Wuyang!"

In this place where the powerful and wealthy gather, no one can guarantee that no big shot passed by and happened to see the content on the notice.

It is destined not to be hidden; reporting it actively is always better than waiting for the higher-ups to notice something is wrong and pursue accountability downward.

(End of chapter)