Several days later, at the Eastern Province Governor-General's Residence, Governor-General Wang Sheng looked at Eastern Province Circuit Inspector Xiahou Yuan with some vexation.
His gaze was impatient, and his tone was far from polite.
"Lord Xiahou, what brings you to my door again today?"
Xiahou Yuan gave a bitter smile. He knew his actions were indeed bound to provoke dislike.
"Governor-General, if I had any other recourse, I wouldn't trouble you. The problem is that we can no longer keep this case under wraps. The people from Six Fan Gate's Vermilion Bird Hall are like murderous ghosts demanding our lives, pressing us at every turn. If we don't take action soon, things may turn very ugly."
"Sikong Chan's treason is an ironclad case, with witnesses and material evidence both present. How could they be allowed to overturn it?"
Governor-General Wang Sheng grew even more disgruntled.
This was not merely because of the incompetent Xiahou Yuan before him, but also because of pressure from the Imperial Court's Ministry of Justice.
The case of Xiushui Commandery Prefect Sikong Chan colluding with local powerful clans to rebel had originally been settled, and the files had already been submitted to Dali Temple to close the case.
Yet Chu Rulai of the Imperial Court's Ministry of Justice had created complications, forcibly taking the case files back to the ministry and declaring that it would be retried.
He glared at Xiahou Yuan, his eyes like blades. "Lord Xiahou, you're an old hand at criminal cases yourself. Every file, every witness, and every piece of material evidence in the Xiushui Commandery case was personally supervised and conclusively established by you. What are you afraid of?"
Xiahou Yuan's throat went dry. He realized Wang Sheng's dissatisfaction with him had reached its limit.
He swallowed, his expression earnest. "My