Chapter 535: We Can All Prove It!

"Shen Yu, you are presumptuous!"

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly; with his only son murdered, He Yuan could no longer care about anything else, and the composure he had cultivated over so many years was cast to the back of his mind.

Yet, the person he was facing was Shen Yu, whose cold, murderous gaze instantly chilled him to the bone.

"He Yuan, as a Governor and a high-ranking official of the imperial court, you do not know how to act for the people, but instead, you rack your brains to shield your own son, leading to so many young girls being harmed!"

"If the lower beam is crooked, the upper beam is likely crooked too; one can only imagine how filthy things are under your own seat!"

With a wave of his hand, Shen Yu said directly, "Men, take him down and interrogate him thoroughly. I want to see exactly how many dirty deeds this Governor has committed!"

"Shen Yu, you dare! I am an official appointed by the imperial court. In terms of rank, you have no authority over me!"

"Is that so? Then if you have the ability, go and report me. Take him down!!"

Liang Ruyue, who was following by Shen Yu's side, acted immediately, and several Black-Clad Guards surrounded He Yuan.

"You have a lot of nerve! Just try touching me!" A heavy aura erupted, rushing toward them like a gale.

Although He Yuan was a scholar, he was also a Grandmaster-level expert, and his strength was not weak.

Facing Liang Ruyue's arrest, He Yuan naturally began to resist; he could not just sit and wait for death.

He certainly knew what he would face once the facade was torn away. Never mind that his own seat was not clean; even if it were, these people could make it dirty.

Rather than being killed in a cowardly way, it would be better to go out with a bang.

In He Yuan's mind, what did it matter that a few commoners had died? Even if the imperial court found out, they would at most reprimand him.

Yet, the moment Shen Yu arrived, he insisted on making an issue of it. Acting for the people? Bah, he was just using it as a pretext to take his life.

This little bastard, he doesn't look very old, but his heart is so ruthless!

This is clearly an attempt to use this opportunity to purge his old subordinates and take complete control of Xichuan. Going through all these twists and turns, do you think everyone else is a fool?

If Shen Yu knew what He Yuan was thinking, he would definitely tell him that he was really overthinking it.

If he truly wanted to seize power, he could do it with ease. Because they do not know what it means to be crushed.

Never mind taking these people down; even if all the troops and all the experts in Xichuan combined to deal with him, it might not be enough for him to cut down.

He does not need to engage in any conspiracies or schemes; in the face of absolute strength, any struggle will be futile.

"What are you all still standing there for? Don't you see that Shen Yu intends to move against all of us!"

While guarding against Shen Yu, He Yuan incited them, "Attack together and take down Shen Yu, otherwise, he will eventually move against everyone!"

"As long as we break out and mobilize the Patrol Battalion, we still have a chance of survival. Why are you still stunned? Hurry and attack!"

"Good, I look forward to you attacking!" A cold gaze swept across everyone, the murderous intent undisguised.

And at some point, a sword had appeared in Shen Yu's hand, a sword flashing with cold light and reeking of infinite blood.

At the same time, he released only a sliver of his aura, yet it locked He Yuan in place.

At this moment, He Yuan felt as if he were trapped in a deep quagmire; he felt unable to breathe, and a suffocating, painful sensation surged through his entire body.

Far from resisting, even moving, or even committing suicide, seemed to have become an extreme luxury.

Only then did He Yuan understand what the lords of the imperial court were afraid of; this was the crushing weight of absolute strength.

He had once seen experts of the Transcendence Realm, but they never possessed such a terrifying aura; perhaps Shen Yu had truly broken through the Transcendence Realm as the rumors suggested.

This terrifying aura hadn't even fully erupted, yet it already held such horrific power; what would it be like if he actually fought in earnest? Perhaps even an army of thousands would be seen as nothing to him.

In this era where strength is supreme, possessing absolute strength means possessing absolute authority.

Even if all his original subordinates were to attack, they probably wouldn't even qualify to make him exert any effort, let alone the fact that these cunning foxes were all shrinking their heads now.

Indeed, these fence-sitters are best at reading the wind; they will lean whichever way the wind blows.

At this moment, He Yuan's face turned ashen, and his fighting spirit collapsed instantly. He knew he had lost completely.

"Liang Ruyue, take He Yuan down and interrogate him thoroughly for me!"

As he spoke, Shen Yu glanced at the various officials sitting nearby like quails, and his cold, murderous voice followed.

"I happen to have not killed anyone in a long time. Anyone who dares to obstruct will be treated as an accomplice—no mercy!"

Such a turn of events made everyone present feel uneasy. They certainly knew that Shen Yu had no authority to arrest He Yuan, the former Governor.

They also knew that once this Governor fell into Shen Yu's hands, how much would be spilled. By then, they might follow in He Yuan's footsteps.

But they knew even better that they could not afford to provoke this Lord Shen. It is better to live in disgrace than to die; one should live as long as one can.

But those who have climbed to this position are all cunning foxes; they naturally see things clearly—He Yuan is a thing of the past, and Shen Yu is the golden thigh to cling to.

Although this golden thigh could turn into a sharp sword at any moment, that is only a possibility, and wasn't it much the same when He Yuan first arrived?

But look at now; isn't everything fine and dandy? Therefore, assessing the situation is the key to self-preservation.

"Shen Yu, I have acted uprightly and sat straight; you cannot slander me because of a personal grudge. You can kill me, but you cannot stop the mouths of the people under heaven!"

"You don't need to worry about that, Governor He. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Let me tell you, I am determined to kill you!"

Watching He Yuan's performance quietly, Shen Yu naturally knew what he was planning—nothing more than crying injustice and preemptively claiming he was being slandered.

He Yuan had many students and old acquaintances, and his influence in Xichuan was deeply rooted, so there were many who would speak for him.

By then, they would dump a bucket of filth on him and promote the idea desperately, claiming he only acted against him out of personal vendetta, and in the end, He Yuan might even gain a reputation for not fearing power.

A nice thought, but he is overthinking if he wants to use public opinion to make him back down. Since ancient times, scholars' rebellions never succeed in ten years; who would fear a bunch of people who only know how to talk?

Moreover, the reason Shen Yu did not kill him immediately was that he wanted to know more about Xichuan from his mouth.

If one were to ask who knows which villains and corrupt officials are in Xichuan, who could be clearer than He Yuan?

"My Lord, this subordinate can prove that He Yuan is a massive corrupt official!"

Just at this moment, the Criminal Judge Wu Si'an suddenly spoke, dealing He Yuan a fatal blow.

"My Lord, He Yuan obtained the position of Governor through sycophancy. He appears fair and incorruptible, but in reality, he is insatiably greedy."

"He even keeps bandits to help him rob houses and plunder, intercept and kill merchants, and slaughter those who oppose him."

"During years of plenty, this man lowers grain prices, and when food is scarce, he colludes with unscrupulous merchants to sell high and buy low, and even forces the common people to take out loans to extract high interest."

"In the eight years since he became the Xichuan Governor, bandits have run rampant, the people have lived in misery, and there are countless families who have had to sell their children!"

"My lord, for so many years, those who opposed him were all secretly killed by him. Your subordinate has endured humiliation and played along with him all this time, just to investigate evidence of his crimes!"

As he spoke, Wu Si'an fell to his knees with a thud and said passionately, "Now that I have finally waited for your arrival, my lord, it is as if your subordinate has parted the clouds to see the sun!"

"Your subordinate's years of enduring humiliation were ultimately worth it. For such a corrupt official who perverts the law and treats human life like grass, killing him is the only way to appease the public anger!"

"Wu Si'an, you dog, how dare you slander me!"

"Slander?" Looking up, Wu Si'an said calmly, "May I ask, Lord He, which of the things I said is false, and which of them is slandering you!"

"You yourself once said that what you have done deserves death ten times over, yet you are still living well simply because no one could investigate you. Lord He hasn't forgotten these things, have you?"

"You!" Shen Yu was hateful, but Wu Si'an was even more hateful. He Yuan roared hideously, "You dog, didn't you take my money?"

"That was to make you believe I was truly in league with you. Otherwise, I would have followed in the footsteps of those colleagues, and who else would be left to expose a corrupt official like you!"

As he spoke, Wu Si'an looked at Shen Yu again, "My lord, the money I was forced to take over these years has been recorded item by item, and I am willing to hand it all over to you, my lord!"

"Wu Si'an, you!!"

He Yuan's former lackey had just sold He Yuan out like that, and the others watching were left dumbstruck. One had to know that for Wu Si'an to have his current status, He Yuan's promotion of him had played an indispensable role.

To betray one's former master the moment an opportunity arose was despicable; how could he expect to get by in the future?

But then they thought about it and realized, no, he was the smart one.

It would be one thing if someone else had come, but they knew this Lord Shen; if he found anything, it would truly be life-threatening. The blade in his hand would strike the moment he decided to, without the slightest hesitation!

Wu Si'an was cutting off his own arm to save his life—what courage!

Subsequently, a few others seemed to understand something; they exchanged glances, and immediately one person rushed out.

"My lord, I can also testify to what Lord Wu said. For these years, your subordinate has been the same as Lord Wu, all for the sake of collecting evidence of He Yuan's corruption and law-breaking, which forced me to be in league with him!"

"That's right, my lord, we can all testify!"

"You, you all!"