Chapter 163: Asking You to Test the Sword

"My Lord, Du Xushi is a fool; how could she possibly make a judgment!"

Kneeling before Shen Yu, Wu Si'an bowed deeply, "My Lord, He Yuan has committed countless evils; he deserves to die!"

"Baby, hee hee, don't be afraid, baby!" Seeming to echo Wu Si'an's words, a foolish, simple smile appeared on Du Xushi's face once again.

One hand held a Black-Clad Guard, her face filled with maternal love, and she patted him gently, as if coaxing a small child to sleep.

"He indeed deserves to die!" Looking at Du Xushi, Shen Yu waved his hand at the Black-Clad Guard, "Let her in!"

The blocking Black-Clad Guard immediately cleared a path, and Du Xushi ran to the front of Shen Yu, her hands rubbing against him for a while.

However, Shen Yu's entire body was separated by a force, and no matter how Du Xushi grabbed, she could not actually touch his body.

"Du Xushi, you have suffered. He Yuan has already been captured. Rest assured, now that I, this official, have arrived, I will certainly seek justice for you!"

"Someone, go drag He Yuan over here!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Not long after the Black-Clad Guard received the order, He Yuan was dragged over by Liang Ruyue, who was leading the men himself.

At this moment, He Yuan was quite miserable; his previous image was long gone, his body covered in whip marks and burn scars, and his fingers, body, and face were all covered in deep, bone-visible wounds.

It was evident that he had been tortured quite severely by Liang Ruyue, and his eyes were dull, as if he had fallen into a state of numbness.

"My Lord, look, this is He Yuan's confession!"

Walking up to Shen Yu, Liang Ruyue handed over a stack of confessions directly, "Take a look at what kind of thing this He Yuan is; your subordinate was afraid that if I stayed any longer, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from slaughtering him!"

"He confessed everything so quickly?" Taking the items from Liang Ruyue's hand and flipping through them briefly, Shen Yu's face grew increasingly ugly.

This bastard was not only a corrupt official but also a pervert; saying he deserved to be carved into a thousand pieces was not an exaggeration at all.

"My Lord, He Yuan is only slightly better than his son, but only just. As soon as the torture began, before even two lashes, he confessed everything himself!"

"I really don't know how such a person became a Governor of a region; his character is a total mess, and he has no personality to speak of!"

"What difference is there between such a person and a street thug? Even a street thug is better than him, pfft!"

Spitting in the direction of He Yuan, Liang Ruyue couldn't even be bothered to look at him.

He had originally thought that even if his character was poor, he would at least have some backbone. But he never expected that as soon as the whip hit his body, he would completely fold, with no intention of holding out at all.

Having been a Black-Clad Guard for so many years, he despised such people the most.

"He confessed everything after just two lashes? Then what is going on now?"

Lowering his head to glance at He Yuan, his current miserable appearance did not look like he had only taken two lashes; it was the rhythm of being beaten until he shat himself.

"This, this, the brothers couldn't hold back for a moment. My Lord, does such human scum even deserve to live in this world?"

"You are right, he indeed does not deserve to live in this world!" Casually drawing the blade of a nearby Black-Clad Guard, he tossed it beside Du Xushi.

"Du Xushi, this official gives you a chance for revenge; pick up the blade and kill him!"

Looking at the blade Shen Yu tossed over, Du Xushi was dazed and lost in thought; after a long while, a foolish, simple smile appeared on her face again.

"Lord Shen, I already said that Du Xushi has long been a fool; how could a fool kill someone!"

"She is not a fool; she is only doing it to survive!" Walking to the front of Du Xushi, Shen Yu held her up, "Am I right, Du Xushi?"

"I know you don't trust me; you are afraid that I will be the next He Yuan. But this official tells you, I am not He Yuan. From today on, you are free!"

Looking up at Shen Yu, Du Xushi saw only sincerity in his eyes, but she remained in that same state, dazed and foolish, not at all like a normal person.

"Very well, if you are unwilling, that is your freedom!" Casually drawing another blade, Shen Yu walked straight to He Yuan's side.

"If you won't take this revenge, I will take it for you!"

"Wait, Shen Yu, Lord Shen, you cannot kill me! Du Xushi, I know you aren't crazy. Tell Lord Shen he cannot kill me; if he kills me, Xichuan will surely fall into chaos!"

With the blade held across his neck, Shen Yu asked with some surprise, "You knew Du Xushi wasn't crazy?"

"Is it hard to see that she was faking madness? I have always known; I was just playing along with her all these years!"

"Du Xushi, you don't want your husband and father-in-law to have died in vain, do you? Tell Shen Yu he cannot kill me!"

"You!" At this moment, Du Xushi, who had been faking madness, finally regained her composure, her eyes filled with fury and killing intent.

"You knew I was faking?"

"Of course I knew. I didn't kill you; I just wanted to humiliate you!"

Lying on the ground, He Yuan's eyes revealed a mocking look, "Du Xushi, who do you think brought the first street bully to lay hands on you?"

"After all, you are the young mistress of the Du Family; even if the Du Family is gone, those peasants wouldn't dare touch you easily."

"I found someone to be the first to touch you just to tear away your last shred of decency, letting those lowly people drop their last bit of hesitation, and then torture and humiliate you day and night!"

"You were played in the palm of my hand before, and you still are now; you didn't even know any of this yourself?"

"A fool like you thinks you can play mind games with me, faking madness and acting stupid; you don't even look at who this official is!"

"Shut up!" The blade moved horizontally inward bit by bit, and fresh blood spilled out along the edge of the blade.

"You really are human scum; a person like you is not worth pitying even in death!!"

"Rest assured, you won't die immediately; I still have that much technique. You will only die bit by bit in despair!"

"Shen Yu, you cannot kill me!"

"My Lord, you cannot kill him!" Seeing that Shen Yu was about to do it for real, Du Xushi blocked Shen Yu's path.

"My Lord, do you know why I faked madness? It is because my husband handed me something very important, specifically so that I could give it to someone capable of dealing with He Yuan!"

"What thing?"

"A list!" Seeing Shen Yu cast a questioning look, Du Xushi then said, "The reason our Du Family was wiped out back then was because my husband accidentally learned of He Yuan's plan!"

"This madman had long ago prepared a way out for himself, secretly contacting civil and military officials throughout Xichuan, and even setting traps to hold their leverage in his hands."

"As for what the specific leverage was, my husband did not know; he only knew that once this leverage was made public, those people would surely die!"

"He Yuan threatened them that if anything happened to him, they must immediately rise in rebellion. Otherwise, if he had any mishap, this evidence of their crimes would inevitably be made public."

"My Lord, although I do not know what that leverage is, my husband said that if they rise in rebellion, there is still a glimmer of hope; if they do not rise and let the leverage be made public, then it is certain death."

"Therefore, My Lord, once you kill him, those people must rise in rebellion!"

Kneeling before Shen Yu with a thud, Du Xushi said with a choked voice: "My Lord, I have endured humiliation for so many years because the matter my husband discovered is of great importance, and he insisted that I must hand the list to someone I could trust enough!"

"He Yuan cannot be killed, at least not until those who have colluded with him are taken down."

"Otherwise, once He Yuan is killed, Xichuan will instantly fall into internal strife, with military chaos erupting everywhere and the people suffering!"

"Hahaha, did you hear that?" Struggling to crawl up from the ground, He Yuan's face was filled with arrogance and smugness.

"Shen Yu, ginger is indeed spicier when it's old; I had long anticipated this day would come. I said it, you cannot kill me!"

"To tell you the truth, the list of the Du Family was merely a small portion I intentionally leaked; how could I possibly let anyone know the real list!"

"Du Xushi, do you know why you have lived despite suffering such humiliation for so many years? It is because I let you live, so you were able to live, and you must live."

As he spoke, He Yuan could not help but laugh with self-satisfaction, "I know your hatred for me; if there were a chance, you would definitely hand the list in your possession to someone capable of dealing with me."

"And you would inevitably have them take these people down first, and only then take me down, otherwise Xichuan would surely fall into chaos!"

"But what you don't know is that the list in your hands was actually just something I intentionally leaked."

"As long as someone takes action against the people on the list, I will know that someone is about to make a move against me!"

Saying this, He Yuan glared at Shen Yu with resentment, "But despite all my calculations, I didn't account for someone like you who doesn't follow the rules; I admit defeat!"

"But Shen Yu, only if I live can Xichuan avoid chaos. If I die, more than half of the common people in all of Xichuan will have to be buried with me!"

"Shen Yu, do you dare to kill me?"