Chapter 29: See If I Dare!

"Head Constable Zhou, what is the penalty for slandering a court official?"

"Reporting to the Magistrate, according to the laws of this dynasty, a false accuser shall be punished with the penalty they sought to impose, and slandering a court official carries an additional degree of severity!"

"What?" Unable to hold himself up any longer, he collapsed onto his backside, and cold sweat streamed down Sun Heling's forehead. A false accuser being punished with the penalty they sought meant that if he accused someone of a crime and it was proven false, he would have to bear that very punishment himself.

He had falsely accused Shen Yu of forcibly seizing a woman and then killing to silence witnesses—these were capital offenses. If the penalty were increased by one degree, he would likely face the confiscation of his entire household. The family fortune he had painstakingly accumulated, barely even warmed in his hands, was it about to be wiped out just like that?

This young County Magistrate had a heart of stone; he had only just arrived in Baian County, and it seemed he intended to wipe out the three great families of Baian County in one fell swoop.

At this moment, he truly wanted to slap himself. He could have sent the steward today, but he had thought he could show off in front of the Prefect, so he came himself. As a result, the "foolproof" plan had turned into a false accusation, and he had trapped himself—where was he supposed to go to reason with anyone now!

"Then take him into custody and throw him into the dungeon for a thorough interrogation!" As he spoke, Shen Yu looked toward the Private Secretary and the others, his eyes filled with indescribable mockery. "This official has heard that the wealthy Master Sun has always been honest and upright; perhaps there is someone behind the scenes directing this!"

"Head Constable Zhou, you must protect Master Sun well; make sure nothing goes wrong with him!"

"Rest assured, Magistrate, this subordinate will certainly protect Master Sun with his life!" First bowing to Shen Yu, Zhou Yuan then looked at Sun Heling and said, "Master Sun, if you can confess in time, it will count as a voluntary surrender, which can naturally reduce your sentence. Perhaps you might even keep your life!"

"But if you refuse to say anything, then it can only be considered your own affair. The confiscation of your property, the murder charges—you will have to bear it all yourself!"

"Private Secretary, Private Secretary!" Terrified by the successive threats from Shen Yu and Zhou Yuan, Sun Heling could no longer hold it together and immediately looked to the Private Secretary beside him for help, only to be met with a massive eye-roll.

He had seen stupid people, but never anyone this stupid. He was the richest man in Baian County, after all; did he not have even a shred of cunning?

It was only because his daughter was favored by the Prefect that no one in Baian County dared to provoke this fool. Cai Zhong, Feng Zhong, and the others were all the Prefect's men; they usually scrambled to curry favor with him, so how would they dare to trip him up?

Even if someone dug a pit to trap Sun Heling, Cai Zhong and Feng Zhong would warn him in time. If they didn't serve this master well, and a word was whispered in the Prefect's ear that they hadn't taken proper care of him, wouldn't they be finished?

The power of authority was sometimes infinite. With the Prefect backing him, the merchants dared not contend with Sun Heling. Whenever Sun Heling expanded his business, the local merchants would obediently retreat, and Sun Heling had become so accustomed to this that he had grown soft himself.

Thus, Sun Heling never found business difficult. What? You say business requires brains? What brains? Does business need brains? When our family does business, we just take whatever we set our eyes on; who dares to compete?

"Sigh!" Unable to stop himself, the Private Secretary let out a heavy sigh. He was exhausted; it was hard to carry a pig-like teammate. But even if he hated his incompetence, what could he do? After all, the man was the Prefect's father-in-law.

Although he might be younger than the Prefect, he was shameless enough to offer his own daughter on a silver platter. One had to admire such ruthlessness!

"Magistrate Shen, didn't this man just say he was drunk and mistook the person? That is somewhat understandable. For you to order him thrown into the dungeon, isn't that a bit heartless?"

"Understandable? Is the Private Secretary questioning this official, or are you questioning the laws of this dynasty?"

"Magistrate Shen, being young and impetuous is sometimes not a good thing!" Leaning toward Shen Yu, the Private Secretary whispered, "You dare not give the Prefect face? Have you considered the consequences?"

"Sorry, this official lives on the court's salary; I only recognize the law of the land, not people!" Leaning over to the Private Secretary's ear, Shen Yu also whispered, "Private Secretary, is there any room for maneuver between me and the Prefect? If you make the first move, don't blame me for the second!"

"I hear this wealthy Master Sun is the Prefect's father-in-law; he must know quite a few things about the Prefect!" With a light laugh, Shen Yu suddenly changed his expression, his face turning cold.

"Rest assured, I will interrogate him thoroughly and make him confess everything he should!"

"Shen Hengzhi, do you dare?"

"Then keep your eyes open, Private Secretary, and see if I dare or not!" With a cold laugh, Shen Yu shouted to Zhou Yuan, "Head Constable Zhou, take him away and interrogate him properly. If he doesn't confess, you should know what to do!"

"Rest assured, Magistrate. Even if it were an iron man, I could make him talk!" Glancing at Sun Heling, Zhou Yuan laughed disdainfully. "For someone like Master Sun, one day is enough!"

"You, you all!" Trembling all over as he met the cold, sinister gazes of Shen Yu and Zhou Yuan, Sun Heling understood exactly what they meant. Once he went through the eighteen types of torture in the dungeon, he would be crippled. How could his frail body withstand that?

"Private Secretary, you must save me! You clearly said it was foolproof! You..." Sun Heling could not continue, for he saw a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Master Sun, you can eat whatever you want, but you cannot say whatever you want!" Bowing slightly with his head lowered, the Private Secretary gave a look to the Huwe nearby. The man nodded silently and quietly moved toward Sun Heling.

Upon reaching Sun Heling, the Huwe suddenly erupted, drawing his blade in a flash and slashing down fiercely. "Sun Heling, I have searched for you for so many years; I never expected you to be hiding in Baian County. You killed my family back then; this blood feud is irreconcilable, and I want you to pay with your life!"

"Who are you? I don't know you at all, don't come over..."

"Bang, clack!" Seeing this, Shen Yu gave a cold laugh and threw the Gavel in his hand. The small Gavel, infused with Shen Yu's Inner Energy, flew through the air with a whistling sound, carrying the force of ten thousand jun, unstoppable!

The Huwe was quick-witted and immediately raised his blade to block, slashing down hard. In an instant, the blade collided with the Gavel, kicking up a cloud of dust. The Huwe then spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.

This scene left the Private Secretary and the others dumbfounded. This Huwe was the Prefect's personal bodyguard, one of the best around the Prefect. How could he be injured like this before they had even truly fought? How was this possible?

"What is the Private Secretary trying to do? Are you trying to kill to silence a witness right in front of this official?"

With a cold laugh, Shen Yu stood up and walked slowly toward the opposite side. His aura erupted without the slightest restraint, the terrifying pressure making the others unable to breathe and filling them with panic and unease.

"An expert!" Beside the Private Secretary, the man dressed as an officer turned pale. Although he didn't know exactly how strong Shen Yu was, he was certainly stronger than himself. This was an expert, a true expert!

Who told them this new County Magistrate was a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken? Was this "no strength to truss a chicken"? Then what were they—half-crippled?

"Private Secretary, your man openly tried to kill a witness in the main hall; do you take me and everyone here for fools? Men, take him down!"

"You dare?"

"See if I dare!"