Chapter 237: Don't Even Think About Running

"That's right, it is indeed this official!"

With his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, the killing intent on Shen Yu was so obvious it wasn't even concealed. "Is Magistrate Lu not prepared to offer an explanation for this matter?"

"This, this... Magistrate Shen, you have misunderstood. How could these possibly be the grain Magistrate Shen transported? This grain belongs to them!"

With blades and axes looming over him, combined with that palpable killing intent, Lu Chengnian was truly afraid. Since this Magistrate Shen had entered the Beishan Region, the number of people he had killed was by no means small.

However, Lu Chengnian still had some confidence; all grain looked the same, and he didn't believe Shen Yu could tell which was which. Wouldn't it be enough to just replace what was missing? Even if you are an Imperial Envoy, you can't just kill people at will.

"Magistrate Shen, if you don't believe me, you can ask them!"

"Damn it!" The surrounding grain merchants were all a bit stunned. Why did this Magistrate Lu pass the buck to them? Sure enough, one should never share wealth with him.

However, even so, they still bit the bullet and said, "That's right, Magistrate Shen. What we are selling is all our own grain; we would never dare to have designs on the disaster relief grain!"

"Indeed, and we are even selling it at a reduced price. I don't know how many people are grateful to us right now. Come to think of it, we can be considered righteous merchants!"

Speaking of this, even they themselves felt they were exceptionally noble, and their voices couldn't help but rise significantly.

"Magistrate Shen, go and look throughout the entire Beishan Region; whose grain could be cheaper than ours? As righteous merchants like us, how could we tamper with disaster relief grain!"

"Exactly! It is precisely because of this that this official specially set up a banquet to host them, just to thank them for lowering prices to sell grain and saving countless lives!"

Didn't this echo perfectly with what came before? At this moment, Lu Chengnian really wanted to give himself a thumbs up. This brain of his was truly worthy of having fought its way out of the thousands of troops and horses in the imperial examinations; it didn't turn at any ordinary speed.

Fooling a young man in his twenties—wasn't that something easily accomplished!

"Magistrate Shen, you tell me yourself, isn't such a righteous merchant worth this official taking out most of his salary to specially host such a banquet!"

"Actually, Magistrate Shen, you might not know this, but in my daily life, this official does not live extravagantly; I am quite frugal, and I rarely even touch meat!"

"Oh, is that so!" At this, Shen Yu was also amused to the point of anger. Just how shameless must one be to say such things? You all really have the nerve!

"Then this official is quite curious: the grain for Lujiang City, wasn't it delivered long ago?"

"This, this, Magistrate Shen, you might not know, but the grain for Lujiang City did indeed arrive yesterday. However, opening the granary to release grain is a matter of great importance. To ensure so many people get to eat, it is necessary to set up multiple porridge sheds, which requires a large amount of manpower!"

"Therefore, this official needed some time to prepare. But Magistrate Shen, rest assured, I have already prepared everything. Tomorrow, tomorrow we will open the granary to release the grain!"

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Lu Chengnian smiled and said, "Magistrate Shen, rest assured, I will definitely handle this matter well and will never let down the grain that Magistrate Shen worked so hard to obtain!"

"Is that so? Then Magistrate Lu has really worked hard!"

"Not hard at all, not hard at all. Seeking welfare for the common people is this official's duty!"

"Lu Chengnian, you have a lot of nerve!" At this moment, only a cold expression remained on Shen Yu's face. He grabbed another handful of grain and threw it fiercely into his face.

"You smell the scent on it; do you know what this is?"

"This, isn't this just the smell of grain? Magistrate Shen, I don't understand what you mean!"

"You don't understand? Then this official will let you die with understanding!"

Drawing his sword, Shen Yu carefully wiped it with a cloth, all the while looking at the other party with that cold gaze.

The action of wiping the sword, added to that unconcealed killing intent, made cold sweat stream down Lu Chengnian. He had no choice but to constantly wipe away the dripping sweat, his heart feeling even more anxious and uneasy.

He didn't know why, but he felt that this time he was likely going to crash and burn.

"Lu Chengnian, I specifically added some Sun Flower to the grain I obtained. The scent of this flower is very faint, but it quickly permeates every corner!"

"This floral fragrance can last for several months without dissipating, just to prevent people from lining their pockets. This grain has the scent of Sun Flower in it; do you still dare to quibble!"

"This, this!" At this moment, Lu Chengnian's brain spun rapidly, and then he said, "It's like this, Magistrate Shen, these grain merchants usually use Sun Flower to smoke their grain!"

"Magistrate Shen might not know, but this is a tradition of theirs; it can make the grain taste more fragrant!"

"Isn't that a coincidence? It's exactly the same as what Magistrate Shen added to the grain, which is why it caused Magistrate Shen to misunderstand. If you don't believe me, you can ask them!"

"Yes!" These grain merchants also reacted quickly. They could not afford the charge of embezzling disaster relief grain. Therefore, after Lu Chengnian fabricated the lie, they immediately echoed it.

"Magistrate Shen, we indeed have such a tradition; it can make the grain sell better. This is our secret recipe; you must absolutely not spread it out!"

"Is that so? Are you sure you put in Sun Flower? Not something else?"

"Sure, of course we are sure!"

"Then what if this official tells you that what I put in was not Sun Flower at all?"

With a cold laugh, Shen Yu also admired them; they didn't even blink when lying in such a situation. Impressive, but what a pity—playing mind games with him? He would play them to death!

Looking coldly at these people, Shen Yu finished wiping his sword and then walked slowly toward Lu Chengnian.

"To tell you the truth, what I added inside was Moxun Grass. The scent of this grass is not fragrant either; instead, it has a very, very faint bitter taste!"

"This, this Magistrate Shen, listen to my explanation!"

"Lu Chengnian, now that things have come to this, do you still want to quibble? As a local official, you have engaged in corruption and violated the law, disregarding human life. Colluding with local grain merchants to embezzle disaster relief grain—do you know your crime?"

"Magistrate Shen, I, you..." At this, no matter how silver-tongued he was, he didn't know how to fabricate anymore. You young man, why don't you follow the script!

"Fine, since Magistrate Lu has nothing left to say, then this official will send you on your way!"

"What? Magistrate Shen, Shen Yu!" At this, Lu Chengnian was truly panicked. "I am a local official; do you dare to kill me?"

"What a coincidence, this official's biggest flaw is being bold! Besides, with the Imperial Sword here, I have the authority to execute first and report later; what do I have to fear!"

As the words fell, Shen Yu swung his sword directly. At this moment, Lu Chengnian could no longer maintain his composure and immediately turned his head to prepare to flee. He knew that this young Imperial Envoy would truly kill.

But just as he turned his body, a streak of Sword Qi from behind had already rushed over. Before he could recover from the shock, his consciousness had completely dissipated along with the sky full of blood mist.

"Dying so easily, you got off cheap!" With a cold snort, Shen Yu turned to look at the others here.

"You dared to embezzle disaster relief grain; all of you will be arrested, and the grain shops will be sealed. All grain will be used to provide relief to the disaster victims!"

"Arrest everyone; if there is any resistance, kill without mercy!"

"You! That is our grain!"

Holding his sword horizontally, Shen Yu turned back and gave a cold laugh. "Sorry, now, those are all mine!"

"As for you, daring to collude with Lu Chengnian, then none of you will be able to run!"

"System, sign in!"

"Sign-in successful, obtained Thirty Years of Internal Energy!"