Chapter 124: That One Is Not!

"My Lord, our Lin Family Town has a guard force of over a hundred men. Each one is strong and sturdy, and they have been through long-term training; they are no worse than those Constables!"

Speaking up to this point, Old Master Lin pursed his lips into a smile and said tremblingly, "If you have need of them, My Lord, they are all willing to pledge their loyalty to you and serve you!"

"You certainly know how to climb up the pole!" Hearing Old Master Lin's words, Shen Yu gave a faint huff in his heart. He had just driven away all the Constables and Yamen Runners, and this Old Master Lin was already thinking about stuffing people from Lin Family Town in. You're dreaming.

Don't joke around. Even if you were willing to give them all, he couldn't take them all. At most, he would take a few elites. The Constables and Yamen Runners of the Prefecture Office must absolutely not be controlled by a single family.

"I appreciate Old Master Lin's good intentions, but whether it is the Constables or the Yamen Runners of the yamen, they all require careful selection and cannot be the least bit sloppy. If the people of Lin Family Town wish to take up these posts, they must also pass a test!"

"What you say is true, My Lord. Our Lin Family Town will follow your arrangements entirely!" At this moment, Old Master Lin wore an expression of having been taught a lesson, but in his heart, his assessment of this young Prefect had grown even heavier.

In his original plan, this current Prefect was extremely short of manpower, to the point where he was practically on his own. In such a situation, if Lin Family Town could extend a helping hand, an ordinary person would naturally be happy to take it.

And if the vacancies for Constables were all filled by people from their Lin Family Town, then their Lin Family Town could sleep soundly in the future. Do not underestimate these minor officials; in many cases, it was still they who called the shots in Songnan Prefecture.

Who would have thought that this Prefect would not take the bait at all? Even now, with no one to use, he was unwilling to open this door.

Young, yet neither arrogant nor impetuous, and not eager for quick success or instant benefits. Furthermore, he was decisive in killing; just the fact that he dared to dismiss all the Constables upon taking office was far beyond what the previous Prefect could compare to. He was a ruthless man!

However, precisely because of this, Old Master Lin was even more certain of his choice; only by following such a person would there be a future. No matter what, the people of their Lin Family Town must participate in the selection of Constables.

"My Lord!" At this moment, He Yinshan's voice came from outside. Soon, He Yinshan's figure appeared before the crowd, and in his hand, he was dragging a person who was clearly severely injured, covered in blood, and looked extremely miserable.

"My Lord, this is the culprit who just attempted to assassinate Old Master Lin. I have caught him and brought him back. This brat is too cowardly; as soon as I caught him, he confessed everything!"

After finishing, He Yinshan leaned into Shen Yu's ear and whispered, "My Lord, it was the Gu Family who made the move!"

"So it really is the Gu Family!" Shen Yu nodded at He Yinshan, then looked at Gao Cheng and asked, "Does the Shadow Guard have evidence of the Gu Family's crimes?"

"We do!" Lifting his head slightly, Gao Cheng seemed to have already understood Shen Yu's thoughts. The Shadow Guard had been lurking in Songnan Prefecture for many days, and they naturally paid close attention to a family as arrogant and undisguised as the Gu Family; they had collected quite a bit of evidence of their crimes.

However, having it was one thing, and daring to act on it was another.

"Prefect Shen, the Gu Family is, after all, the family of a Minister of Personnel. Have you thought this through, Prefect Shen? Are you not afraid?"

"Afraid of what? At worst, I'll take off this official robe. But if I don't vent this anger, I won't feel at ease. So what if they are a Minister of Personnel? If they have the ability, let them come and bite me!"

"Good, I admire your resolve, My Lord, but there is one thing I don't know if you have considered."

Looking at Shen Yu, Gao Cheng then said, "That person who just assassinated Old Master Lin confessed as soon as he was caught. Don't you think there is a problem with this, My Lord?"

"What problem? Does it matter whether it was someone sent by the Gu Family?"

"This..." Lifting his head, Gao Cheng's eyes met Shen Yu's gaze, and in an instant, he understood.

It didn't matter who sent this person; what mattered was that this Prefect Shen had already decided to strike the first blow against the Gu Family. Even if this person wasn't actually sent by the Gu Family, now he had to be!

To start by taking the family of a Minister of Personnel to establish authority—this was the first time he had seen someone so bold. Aren't you afraid of getting your head broken and bleeding?

"Old Master Lin!" Ignoring Gao Cheng on the side, Shen Yu turned back and looked at Old Master Lin again. "I just heard from your people in Lin Family Town that the Gu Family beat to death the people of Lin Family Town who refused to sell their land. I wonder if this is true?"

"That is correct, this is indeed true. You may not know, My Lord, but that Gu Family is too overbearing. It is not that our people in Lin Family Town are unwilling to sell their land, but the money the Gu Family offered was too little. To try and seize prime farmland for one tael of silver—this is daylight robbery!"

Old Master Lin also saw that this Prefect wanted to find fault with the Gu Family. Their Lin Family Town had a grudge against the Gu Family; if they didn't perform diligently at this time, they would be failing those clansmen who were beaten to death.

"My Lord, when our people in Lin Family Town refused to sell their land, the Gu Family had people beaten to death, not even sparing the children. These animals!"

Speaking to this point, Old Master Lin was already shedding tears. It was hard to tell if it was a genuine outpouring of emotion or if the acting was just too good, making anyone who saw it feel a bit heartbroken.

"Good, very good. I never expected that the Gu Family, of a dignified Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, would be like this!" Taking Old Master Lin's hand, Shen Yu then said loudly, "Follow me to the Gu Family to demand the people. Tell them to hand over the murderer; I will stand up for you!"

"Many thanks, My Lord!" While thanking Shen Yu, Old Master Lin tried hard to pull his hand away from Shen Yu's, but despite trying for a long time, he could not break free.

This official is quite calculating. With no one to use, he directly drags in the able-bodied men of their Lin Family Town, and when it's over, he doesn't even give them a Constable position. Their Lin Family Town still has to be grateful; this heart is dark enough!

"Master, where are they going?"

Outside, Shen Yu led his men away in a grand procession. The Gu Family members, who had been observing this, were momentarily confused. This young Prefect had just taken office and was unfamiliar with the place; where could he be going?

"Master, why do I feel like the direction they are heading is our Gu Family? No, they really are going to our Gu Family! Master, this..."

"What great audacity! A mere little Prefect, he dares!" At this moment, the Master of the Gu Family also reacted, followed by towering rage. At this moment, he felt his dignity had been provoked like never before.

They say to pick the soft persimmon to squeeze; this little Prefect is treating their Gu Family as a soft persimmon. How bold!

On this side, Shen Yu had already arrived at the Gu Family with his men and kicked open the Gu Family's main gate. With this kick, he not only ruined the Gu Family's face but also cut off his own retreat.

"Who are you people, daring to come to the Gu Residence to cause trouble? Do you know where this is?"

"I am the Prefect of Songnan Prefecture. Yinshan, guard the gate here; not a single person is allowed to leave!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

"You are being presumptuous! Get out of here, this is the Gu Residence!"

"It is you who are being presumptuous. I am handling a case; do you dare to obstruct me?" As he spoke, Shen Yu strode into the residence, not giving the Gu Family any face at all.

Looking at the things the Gu Family did on a daily basis, one could imagine that their house must be hiding filth and corruption. This time, he wanted to launch a surprise attack, preferably catching them in the act; the more evidence of the Gu Family's crimes, the better.

"Your Gu Family habitually seizes prime farmland, forces good women into prostitution, and maliciously kills people. Every single count is shocking, and the evidence is conclusive! Have the head of your Gu Family come out! Wait!"

"Prefect Shen, what is it?" Seeing Shen Yu in front stop in his tracks, Gao Cheng, who was following behind, looked in the direction of his gaze and saw only a brilliant and dazzling sea of flowers. That should be a garden of the Gu Family nearby.

"Prefect Shen, this is the Rainbow Flower. I hear this flower is extremely precious, especially the seven-colored pollen, which is very rare to see. I didn't expect the Gu Family to have a whole garden full of them; how truly extravagant!"

"Rainbow Flower?" Slowly walking forward, Shen Yu looked carefully, then pointed to one of them and said, "Gao Cheng, take a closer look at this one!"

"This one? Prefect Shen, this one seems a bit different from the other flowers, but the difference isn't that big!" Looking carefully with some confusion, this Prefect Shen was truly making a fuss over nothing; there were many differences even among flowers of the same variety, wasn't that normal?

"These ones are indeed Rainbow Flowers, but this one is not!"

"Not a Rainbow Flower? Then what is it?"

"This is a Bliss Flower!"

"What?"