Judgment Notice

Inner hall.

Shen Changqing sat there. After about a quarter of an hour, Hong Cheng hurried in, his expression tense.

"Greetings, my lord!"

The moment he saw Shen Changqing, Hong Cheng bowed in salute.

Clearly.

He already knew that Shen Changqing was temporarily serving as the county magistrate.

While members of the Demon Suppression Bureau did not hold direct power of life and death over the yamen's personnel, a county magistrate did.

Thinking of Shen Changqing's ruthless, unblinking slaughter, Hong Cheng did not dare show the slightest discourtesy.

"This is the court's judgment notice for the Zhao Family. Take a look."

Shen Changqing placed the notice on the table.

Hong Cheng stepped forward, picked up the judgment notice, and read it carefully.

Gradually.

His expression grew grave as well.

After reading the entire document, Hong Cheng respectfully set it back down. "My lord, now that the judgment notice has arrived, what should we do?"

"What else can we do? Colluding with demons was a road to death from the start. Such an outcome is only natural."

Shen Changqing shook his head slightly, a sneer appearing on his face.

"Zhao Fang was able to become county magistrate, so the Zhao Family's influence behind him was no small matter. Lin'an City is merely one of the Zhao Family's ancestral lands; they have quite a few branch families elsewhere.

"But no matter how many branches they have, it will be useless. Since the judgment notice has come down, the court must already have taken action. The Zhao Family's branches across the land will not escape unscathed.

"Pass down my order: throw every member of the Zhao Family into prison, including the servants!"

"Yes!"

Hong Cheng nodded, then hesitated slightly. "There are many people in the Zhao Family. They may not be willing to enter prison quietly. Although the yamen runners possess some martial skill, they are still far too weak.

"If the Zhao Family resists, I fear we will be unable to suppress them!"

In the end.

Hong Cheng's expression became rather awkward.

A yamen of such size could not even suppress a single Zhao Family.

But awkwardness aside, he was stating the truth.

At most, the yamen had only twenty or so runners, whereas the Zhao Family, servants included, numbered well over one or two hundred.

The runners could keep watch over the Zhao Family now only because matters had not yet reached the point of a fish dying and the net tearing. The Zhao Family still retained a sliver of hope and did not dare openly clash with the court.

Now that the judgment notice had arrived, it was no different from pronouncing a death sentence upon the Zhao Family.

At this point.

The Zhao Family certainly would not sit still and await death.

If conflict truly erupted, the yamen's limited manpower would very likely be swallowed whole.

Shen Changqing smiled faintly. "What are you suggesting?"

"This subordinate hopes that my lord can come and hold the line. If the Zhao Family does not resist, all well and good. But if they do, they are not qualified to stir up any waves before you, my lord!"

As Hong Cheng spoke, he slipped in another bit of flattery.

"After all, my lord's strength is unquestionably the greatest in Lin'an City."

"Very well. I was just planning to pay the Zhao Family a visit."

Shen Changqing rose to his feet.

Seeing this.

Hong Cheng immediately let out a breath of relief.

He, too, feared that the Zhao Family would resist. If one or two people escaped, he certainly would not be able to evade blame.

Zhao Family.

Ever since Zhao Fang had committed suicide, the atmosphere within the Zhao Family had remained grim.

Everyone understood.

The charge of colluding with demons could, with the slightest misstep, lead to the confiscation of one's household and the extermination of one's clan.

But the problem was.

Yamen runners stood guard outside the Zhao Family estate, leaving everyone else with no way to flee—unless they truly tore all pretenses apart and charged out by force. In that case, the runners naturally could not stop them.

But if they did that.

It would no longer be merely colluding with demons. They might also be saddled with the charge of disregarding Great Qin's laws and intending rebellion.

At that time.

The Zhao Family truly would have no path to survival.

At this moment, all the Zhao Family's direct descendants had gathered in the main hall. Every face bore a different expression—some solemn, others panicked.

"The court has yet to make any move, but you all know perfectly well what consequences come with colluding with demons. A blade now hangs over our heads; it is only a matter of when it falls."

At the seat of honor, a middle-aged man with the air of a refined scholar spoke calmly.

His name was Zhao Li. He was a direct descendant of the Zhao Family and of the same generation as Zhao Fang.

Now that Zhao Fang had killed himself.

Among the Zhao Family, Zhao Li held the highest seniority.

As soon as he finished speaking.

Someone in the hall began to sob softly. It was the female relatives, frightened to tears.

A delicate-featured young man sneered. "Has the Zhao Family not fallen to this state because Eldest Uncle colluded with demons? In my view, as long as someone takes the blame, the court may not necessarily exterminate us all."

"Zhao Mingye, what do you mean by that?" a young man shouted angrily.

"Zhao Mingtang, I made myself very clear. A father's debts are paid by his son. Your father made a mistake, so naturally someone must pay for it. Surely one man's wrongdoing cannot be borne by the entire Zhao Family!"

Zhao Mingye sneered, rising to his feet and speaking loudly.

"There are one or two hundred people in the Zhao Family estate now. Must they all be buried alongside Eldest Uncle? And you—since Eldest Uncle committed wrongdoing, you, his son, cannot escape responsibility.

"Why not have your branch go to the yamen and confess? Perhaps the court will show leniency.

"Even if you are sentenced to death, you would deserve it. We are the innocent ones. Don't you all agree?"

As soon as he finished speaking.

People immediately voiced their agreement.

"Mingye is right. Zhao Mingtang, why should we bear the consequences of your father's mistakes?"

"That's right. If you die, then you die. Why drag over a hundred members of the Zhao Family down with you? Such conduct is simply heartless and insane."

"If you ask me, we might as well tie them up and deliver them to the yamen to atone for our crimes—"

One person after another spoke up. The looks they gave Zhao Mingtang and the others were already filled with cold, vicious malice.

In their eyes, the Zhao Family had fallen into this predicament entirely because of Zhao Fang.

Zhao Mingtang flew into a rage. "When my father was county magistrate, the Zhao Family received no small amount of favor from him. What, now that we have fallen on hard times, every last one of you wants to wash your hands of us—"

"Enough!"

Just as the crowd argued, Zhao Li suddenly barked a sharp rebuke, cutting them off.

The hall immediately fell silent.

Yet indignation still showed on many faces.

Zhao Li swept his gaze over them and said calmly, "What Mingye said is not without reason."

"Second Uncle—"

Zhao Mingtang's expression changed.

Zhao Li waved a hand, interrupting him. "But reason is one thing; the court is not something that always follows reason. Throughout history, colluding with demons has meant, at best, exile and forced military service; at worst, the extermination of nine generations.

"The longer this matter drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us.

"Lin'an City is no longer a place where we can remain. We can only find a way to leave first."

"Second Uncle, do you mean that we should flee Lin'an City outright?" Zhao Mingye asked uncertainly.

Fleeing Lin'an City.

That was no small matter.

If they truly did so, the Zhao Family would have no road back. They would certainly be wanted by the court.

Zhao Li looked at him, a flash of coldness passing through his eyes.

"If the court leaves us no path to survival, then the Zhao Family must naturally seek another way to live!"