A long silence lingered. Everyone inside and outside Rongguo Mansion remained caught in the scene they had just witnessed, unable to shake it off.
Before this, even the young ladies had vaguely suspected that Jia Huan had attached himself to someone powerful, allowing him to rise steadily in the fiercely competitive Embroidered Uniform Guard Office.
Only now, after seeing it with their own eyes, were they certain that Jia Huan truly had ability!
His calm, commanding bearing lingered in their minds.
Jia Huan looked toward the East and West Corner Gates and said softly:
"Such a fuss over a trifling matter. Sorry to have made a spectacle of myself."
"Mother, I won't be coming home tonight."
"All right!" Concubine Zhao drew out her reply, her face flushed crimson, then shouted toward the long street:
"Did you see that? That's my son!"
Qingwen hurried over with tiny steps, leaned close to Jia Huan, and spoke in a voice barely audible:
"Master, Jia Baoyu notified them one by one."
Jia Huan nodded but said nothing.
Seeing how lovely and charming Qingwen looked, many of Rongguo Mansion's first-class maids gazed at her with envy.
They had once mocked Qingwen behind her back for following a concubine-born master. Only now did they realize how promising Third Master Huan was!
"Go back to your rooms," Jia Huan instructed, then rode alone toward the Imperial Prison.
"Disperse, all of you. Who set up this stage to put on a show with ill intentions?"
Wang Xifeng's shrill voice carried across the corner gates before she leisurely departed with Qiao Ping'er.
Jia Baoyu lowered his head, deeply unsettled. He wanted to consult the father and son from the Eastern Mansion, but they were nowhere to be seen. Sun Shaozu was anxiously waving at him from the shop opposite, so he hurried back toward the Grand View Garden.
"What are you afraid of?" Madam Wang came beside him and scolded him under her breath.
Her failed scheme left her eyes nearly splitting with fury, but she had to remain calm and keep her composure.
As Jia Baoyu walked, he listened to Sister Lin's admiring tone when she spoke of that fellow. His heart ached until it bled!
Meanwhile, Xue Pan was beside himself with smug delight, his admiration beyond measure. Looking at his sister's dignified, exquisite face, he whispered:
"Do you understand now? Mother shouldn't think I'm trying to harm you. Jia Huan is bound to achieve great things. You and he would make the perfect pair!"
Xue Baochai pressed her lips together, looking somewhat awkward. She glanced around and said softly:
"Don't talk nonsense. Never mind that Jia Huan and I rarely interact-he and Lin Daiyu are in love with each other."
Xue Pan asked in surprise:
"How did she get involved?"
Xue Baochai said nothing.
That night, beneath the moon and among the flowers, they had walked side by side. There could be no mistaking Lin Daiyu's lovestruck gaze.
Xue Pan grew anxious and urged:
"They haven't drawn up a marriage agreement, so what does it matter? Anyway, I've decided he's my brother-in-law, and nobody's going to stop me. If Mother refuses, I'll go to Jinling and bring Cousin Baoqin to the capital. Why let rich water flow into an outsider's field?"
"Shut up!" Frost covered Xue Baochai's face, yet her thoughts suddenly tangled again. She could not help looking up at Lin Daiyu in the distance.
Outside the Imperial Prison.
Scholar gave a detailed report:
"Boss, the Ministry of War's treasury office does have records of his military merits. His name is Gao Youjin. He started as a common soldier in Liangzhou and repeatedly killed Tatars from the steppes. He came south at the beginning of this year and roamed the Jianghu with his master. He has no evil reputation."
Jia Huan nodded and entered the Celestial Pivot Guard's prison block.
The White-Haired Killing Demon leaned against a bloodstained wall, dazed and barely conscious, blood still seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Jia Huan stood with his hands behind his back and said gravely:
"A Central Plains hero who slaughtered the barbarians should not be hunted down without mercy. But you overestimated yourself and signed the Life-and-Death Writ. You can blame no one else."
"Reveal who sent you, and I'll spare your life. I'll count to three."
"One!"
"Two!"
A flicker of the desire to live appeared in the White-Haired Killing Demon's hollow eyes. He still wanted to return to the border and bathe the Tatars in blood. He had yet to taste his fill of the Jianghu's joys and sorrows.
He did not want to die!
The White-Haired Killing Demon moved his lips:
"Sun Shaozu."
Jia Huan sneered and snapped his fingers:
"Get out. Keep that arrogant tail of yours tucked away from now on!"
With that, he turned to leave.
Thud!
The White-Haired Killing Demon dropped to his knees and declared in a firm, ringing voice:
"I, Gao Youjin, owe you my life. I will repay you in the years I have left. If I break this oath, may Heaven strike me with five thunderbolts!"
Jia Huan left the Imperial Prison, his expression icy, and commanded sharply:
"Assemble thirty Strongmen from the Celestial Pivot Guard. They will accompany me on an assignment!"
"An ant like him dares play dirty tricks behind my back!"
He then went alone to the Southern Commandant Office to obtain an Arrest Warrant. A mere Sun Shaozu was not worthy of making an Embroidered Uniform Guard Hundred-Household Commander seek an Approval Seal!
Night.
Sun Mansion blazed with light.
In the main hall, Sun Shaozu paced back and forth, frantic as an ant on a hot pan. He must have had nothing better to do after stuffing himself! He bitterly regretted provoking that fellow!
"My lord, disaster! The Embroidered Uniform Guard is at the door!"
The household martial instructor stumbled in, his face filled with terror.
Instantly, a chill ran down Sun Shaozu's spine, and even his burly, bear-like body began to tremble.
A thunderous shout came from outside the mansion:
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is conducting an investigation! All uninvolved persons, stand clear! Anyone who obstructs us dies!"
Moments later, the guards filed inside and formed two orderly ranks. A figure in a silver-white Flying Fish Uniform slowly entered the hall and regarded Sun Shaozu calmly.
Of course Jia Huan knew this fellow.
Just last year, he had approached Rongguo Mansion to ask for Jia Yingchun's hand.
Sun Shaozu's face was deathly pale. Forcing a stiff smile, he said respectfully:
"Lord Jia, what brings you here?"
Jia Huan remained expressionless:
"Sun Shaozu, I hear you have recklessly criticized state affairs, cursed the emperor, slandered the Grand Secretariat, and falsely accused the Directorate of Ceremonial."
Boom!
Sun Shaozu's expression changed violently, and he roared:
"That's a blood-spitting lie! Who is deliberately framing me?"
Jia Huan took out a small booklet, accepted the Wolf-Hair Brush Twin Whips handed him, and said calmly:
"If I say you cursed His Majesty, then you cursed him. When, where, and to whom?"
Twin Whips declared sharply:
"Boss, he said it to me!"
"Good." Jia Huan nodded and recorded each detail in the Book of Impermanence.
Sun Shaozu's face twisted as he raged:
"Jia Huan, how dare you run amok! I'm a principal sixth-rank military officer of the court! I've shed blood for the court, the State and Altars!"
Jia Huan waved a hand:
"Detain him in the Imperial Prison on charges of slandering His Majesty, then investigate his crimes."
He then stared indifferently at Sun Shaozu and smiled:
"If even a seventh-rank Hundred-Household Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard can't arrest you, would the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office have a shred of authority left?"
"I know exactly what sort of filthy scum you are. You won't see tomorrow's sun."
Sun Shaozu looked as though lightning had struck him. He collapsed limply to the floor, and it took four Strongmen to drag him away.
Jia Huan's expression turned solemn as he commanded loudly:
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard will not falsely accuse anyone in its investigations."
"This man's record is riddled with wrongdoing. There is no need to fabricate charges. Tonight, focus solely on thoroughly investigating the evidence. Anyone who performs outstandingly will receive a hundred taels of silver!"
The thirty Strongmen cupped their fists and answered in unison:
"Yes, sir!"
At midnight, during the third watch.
Jia Huan entered the Imperial Prison carrying a stack of signed statements bearing handprints.
As early as last year, when Sun Shaozu had asked Rongguo Mansion for Yingchun's hand, Concubine Zhao and Caiyun had told him of rumors that the man was brutally violent, beating six or seven personal maids to death in a single year.
A thorough investigation now revealed that he had raped no fewer than five respectable married women, buried two shopkeepers alive three years earlier, and assassinated four buyers over shop disputes. He had escaped punishment for several cases through connections and bribes.
"Dare play dirty tricks on me? You're rushing off to your next incarnation!"
Jia Huan kicked open the cell door. Twin Whips and Scholar had already brought the instruments of torture.
Sun Shaozu huddled in a corner, reduced to a weeping wreck.
The moment he had been thrown into the Imperial Prison, he had known his record could not withstand investigation. His life was already in Jia Huan's hands.
"Spare me! I'll donate my family fortune! I only ask to stay alive!"
"Brother Huan, I know I was wrong. Just treat me as a dog and beat me a couple of times!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sun Shaozu lay on the floor, sobbing and streaming tears as he kowtowed incessantly, his forehead a bloody mess.
"Wrong?" Jia Huan sneered:
"You only know you're about to die."
"The evidence is conclusive, and his sins are grievous. Don't let him confess yet. Torture him first. He's thick-skinned and tough-fleshed-try a few more methods!"
With that, he went to the interrogation room.
Behind him came heart-rending screams and the sharp sounds of flesh being sliced and bones scraped.
After a full hour of torture, Twin Whips brought the signed confession bearing a handprint for his boss to inspect.
Jia Huan scanned it and said coldly:
"That big-faced bastard."
He had presumed the chief culprits were the father and son from the Eastern Mansion. He had never expected Jia Baoyu to be the instigator!
Just you wait!
Jia Huan stepped into the cell, drew his saber, and hacked into the dying Sun Shaozu's neck. Blood spurted wildly in an instant, and his life descended to the Yellow Springs.
At once, Sun Shaozu's portrait appeared on the panel in his mind, then flashed away.
[Sin level-Lower seventh rank] [Participation-70%] [Reward-Wild Gale Saber Technique, proficiency-At the pinnacle] [Experience Points-1801/10000]
Apart from the experience Sun Shaozu had provided, he had gained more than thirty Experience Points yesterday.
It seemed negligible.
But he had taken no part in solving the cases or making arrests. He had merely gone to the Case File Archive, selected Case Files, and assigned them. The Celestial Pivot Office's Strongmen had done all the work.
Since his participation was nearly nonexistent, each case had yielded only three or four Experience Points.
If he became a Deputy Thousand-Household Commander, or even a Thousand-Household Commander, or gained still greater power, he would no longer need to handle everything himself each day. He would only have to review matters and issue orders, slowly accumulating strength even while lying down!
At that moment, Jia Huan's hunger for power burned with unprecedented intensity!
A Hundred-Household Commander was nowhere near enough. He had to advance, then advance again, climbing ever higher, never stopping.
Jia Huan then spent an hour writing down the forms and mnemonic verses of the Wild Gale Saber Technique. He handed them to Twin Whips and Scholar and instructed:
"Let the other four brothers study this tomorrow. As before, burn it once you've learned it. It must not be passed to outsiders!"
Twin Whips looked as though he had received a priceless treasure, his face filled with astonishment. This saber technique appeared terrifyingly powerful and was especially suited to the Embroidered Spring Saber.
"Thank you for the reward, Boss!"
Both men's eyes reddened, their voices hoarse with excitement.
Even if their boss now ordered them to assassinate a high official of the court, they would have set out immediately, without the slightest hesitation!
"Don't act like women," Jia Huan scolded, then turned and left the Imperial Prison.
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