Chapter 152: Take Them All Away

"Lord Shen, from today on, Xichuan is handed over to you, and the common people of Xichuan are also handed over to you!"

In Anzhou City, the Xichuan Zongfu, after Shen Yu arrived, the former Governor He Yuan immediately held a banquet to welcome him and also to conduct the handover; the entire yamen was stirred into action.

Former Xichuan Governor He Yuan appeared all smiles on the surface, but what he was thinking in his heart, only he himself knew.

Thinking about it, he felt aggrieved; he had been a proper Governor, a big shot in a region, doing whatever he pleased here, and his life had been nothing but comfortable.

But now, just because a young man wanted to build roads in Xiaozhou and needed cooperation here, the imperial court simply gave him the position under his own backside.

If one calculated it, Xiaozhou was still part of Xichuan, and Shen Yu was still his subordinate, but now, before the man himself had even revealed any intention of driving him away, the imperial court had eagerly driven him out.

Was there still any rule of law? Was there still any reason to be spoken of!

He Yuan was naturally unwilling and unreconciled in his heart, and perhaps he was even grinding his teeth in hatred toward Shen Yu at this moment. But on the surface, he still had to appear magnanimous and delighted.

Because this was a person he could not afford to offend; perhaps no one in the entire world could afford to offend him.

To put it bluntly, if the man were to take a sword and hack at him right now, he would have to obediently stretch his neck out. Otherwise, there would naturally be people wanting to curry favor with him who would desperately target their entire family.

Unable to afford to offend him, he could only accompany him with a smiling face throughout the city.

The others accompanying them also forced smiles. They were crystal clear about this Lord Shen's temper; when that butcher's knife was raised, he never showed the slightest hesitation.

The vast majority of them had dirty secrets under their own backsides; if a real investigation were conducted, more than half of those present would likely be gone.

Following such a person with an extreme thirst for killing, the good days of the past would never return, and whether one could even keep their own life would depend on the man's mood.

"Rest assured, Lord He, this official will govern Xichuan well, you may leave in peace!"

"Then I am relieved!" Raising his wine cup, He Yuan cursed internally, but on the surface, he still said with a gratified expression, "Come, let us wish Lord Shen a bright future!"

"A bright future?" Raising his wine cup, Shen Yu only smiled faintly. A bright future? Having reached his current realm, what he pursued was long ago no longer this.

"My Lord!" Suddenly, a Black-Clad Guard from outside walked over quietly, preparing to whisper some matters into Shen Yu's ear.

However, Shen Yu stopped him with a wave. "Just speak openly. Could it be that there is anything here that the lords present cannot hear?"

Seeing the Black-Clad Guard come to report, Shen Yu knew the investigation was about done and that there should be results.

Those tragically dead young women were not bad-looking; even if they were not the top stars in the various Brothels, their status was definitely not low, and it was easy for the Black-Clad Guard to investigate.

The reason Shen Yu was eating and drinking with these people was merely to wait for the results; otherwise, who would have the time to play with them.

The high-ranking officials of Xichuan were gathered here, and Shen Yu wanted to see exactly what the attitude of these people was.

Young women washed out by heavy rain outside the city had been tortured to death one after another, yet their corpses were left in the wilderness with no one to inquire about them.

Over these years, who knew how many people had died tragically, yet these people before him turned a blind eye to it.

Did they really not know, or were they pretending not to know, or perhaps it was related to one of the people present.

If that were truly the case, he really wouldn't mind seeing blood on the spot to make these people remember the lesson.

"My Lord, your subordinates have already gone to the various Brothels in Anzhou to investigate. The identities of the young women who died outside the city have been clarified, and the people who tortured them to death have also been identified!"

Hearing the words of this Black-Clad Guard, He Yuan's hand trembled involuntarily; he seemed to have thought of something.

At the same time, several people nearby quietly looked at He Yuan, their eyes carrying a somewhat indescribable meaning.

The changes in these people all fell within Shen Yu's perception, and the killing intent in his eyes flashed and vanished.

It seemed they not only knew, but it was also related to them!

"Continue, who did it?"

"My Lord, it is the He Family's young master, He Shaoxiu. Recently, quite a few of the top courtesans in the Brothels have been tortured to death by Young Master He."

"My Lord, this is the testimony, please take a look!" As he spoke, the Black-Clad Guard handed over a stack of testimonies.

Flipping through the items handed over by the Black-Clad Guard, Shen Yu's expression grew increasingly worse. He knew the perpetrator must have killed more than one person, but he hadn't expected so many; this was a pervert.

Moreover, the time when the He Family's young master started going to the Brothels to find women was roughly the same as when he received the order to come to Xichuan to take over as Governor.

Had this Young Master He heard something? If he hadn't killed before, could it be that he had been killing other innocent young women? Did he only start going to the Brothels after knowing he had come to Xichuan?

"He Family's young master? Which He young master?"

"Replying to my Lord!" As he spoke, the Black-Clad Guard glanced at He Yuan. "He Shaoxiu is the only son of the former Xichuan Governor, Lord He Yuan!"

"Nonsense!" Hearing the Black-Clad Guard's words, He Yuan was furious, his hair standing on end with rage.

"Lord Shen, this is a frame-up. You can go and investigate; Xiu'er is gentle and refined, and who in all of Xichuan does not praise him? This is absolutely slander!"

"This official has cracked down heavily on the trafficking of women in Brothels over these years; they are taking this opportunity to retaliate!"

"That's right, Lord Shen!" At this moment, someone nearby immediately chimed in, "The Governor has cracked down on the trafficking of women for years, causing the various Brothels to harbor hatred; their words cannot be trusted!"

"Well said, we have all met Young Master He; he is scholarly and humble, it is absolutely impossible for him to do such a thing!"

"Taking the opportunity to retaliate?" Throwing the testimony in his hand onto the table, Shen Yu swept his cold eyes over everyone.

"Their words cannot be trusted, so yours can? Tell this official, how much courage do these Brothels have to dare to slander a dignified regional Governor?"

"This, this, Lord Shen, you also know the principle that when people leave, the tea goes cold. This official is no longer the Governor, so they can naturally slander at will!"

"Is that so? Does Lord He really think everyone in the world is a fool? And you lot, each and every one of you telling lies with your eyes wide open!"

Swept by Shen Yu's cold, piercing gaze, everyone subconsciously trembled.

"Fine, you tell this official, since it wasn't done by the young master, then who exactly did it? So many people have died, surely you all present haven't noticed nothing?"

"This, this... My Lord!"

Carefully looking at Shen Yu, one of them whispered, "They were just some Brothel women who died; that shouldn't count for much, right."

"These Brothel women all signed indentures and belong to the private property of the Brothels. Since the Brothels don't pursue it, we have no way to act!"

"What a 'no way to act'; I truly never imagined such words would come out of your mouths!"

"What exactly is human life in your eyes? What exactly are the common people in your eyes!"

Frightened by Shen Yu's words, everyone immediately lowered their heads in silence; they knew this Lord Shen was about to lose his temper. And it was rumored that when he lost his temper, he killed people!

All they were thinking about now was one thing: I am timid, please don't look at me, it has nothing to do with me.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Yu looked at the Black-Clad Guard again. "Continue, is there anything else?"

"Yes, my Lord. During the investigation, your subordinate also heard that there are frequent cases of missing young women in Anzhou City, and this matter has caused public grievance to boil over."

"Although the yamen claims to have found the real culprit, every time they find someone to take the blame and provide an explanation to the public, someone else commits the crime again shortly after."

"Such incidents are repeatedly prohibited but never stop, and there is much criticism among the common people. They say that officials shield one another, and the yamen only finds people to impersonate the culprits to fool them!"

"Nonsense! These lowly commoners just fear the world won't be in chaos; what do they know to be spouting such things!"

"Lord He, those are the common people, not lowly commoners! From this, one can see just how imposing Lord He's official demeanor usually is!"

He stared at He Yuan quietly, until he made him feel a chill all over.

"Where is the Criminal Judge?"

"My Lord, this subordinate is here!"

"As the Criminal Judge, you are in charge of criminal cases and prisons; this matter is your responsibility, isn't it? Tell me, how have you been investigating this?"

"My Lord, this, this..." Kneeling on the ground, the Criminal Judge was covered in sweat, and only then did he speak in a low voice.

"My Lord, this case was indeed investigated by this subordinate. This subordinate, this subordinate discovered that it is a collusive case, a gang of highwaymen using a Cultivation Method of harvesting yin to replenish yang to improve themselves."

"It is just that their identities are very secretive, and their strength is not weak; the yamen truly lacks the power to capture them, which is why it is repeatedly prohibited but never stops."

"Is that so? So, this matter is not your fault then?"

With a cold snort, Shen Yu said nonchalantly, "Then could it be as the common people say, that someone is guilty and has found people to impersonate the culprits!"

As he spoke, Shen Yu looked at He Yuan again, "For example, did Young Master He do it?"

Being looked at by Shen Yu with that kind of gaze, He Yuan shuddered instinctively, and even his smile became much more forced, "Lord Shen, this joke is not funny!"

"Bullshit!" The wine cup in his hand was thrown fiercely onto the ground by him, and shards splashed everywhere.

"Do I look like I am joking with you? Who the hell has the spare time to joke with you!"