"Heir, you're slandering us!"
These confessions were far too vicious. Not only did they contain the assassin's statement, but they even included conversations with them. They were all dumbstruck and more than a little dazed.
The charges in them went far beyond suspected involvement in the assassination attempt on the heir. There was also collusion with an enemy nation to plot a rebellion, and even bullying men and violating women. If these charges were proven, their nine familial clans would probably be exterminated.
At the thought, they looked at Lin Yi with terror in their eyes. This fellow was simply too frightening.
If he succeeded, they would probably never be able to turn things around.
Cao Shen's expression also changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Heir, I only wanted you to stop the killing! I had nothing to do with the assassin!"
"Hmph, now you know what fear is!"
Lin Yi said nothing. This Cao Shen really had nothing to do with him, and the Northern Liang Guard's records listed him as a commoner as well.
But the fellow was fond of fame and profit. To put it plainly, he liked to stand out, using the opportunity to raise his reputation. As soon as he heard that Lin Yi was slaughtering people, he came out to save the world.
In fact, that was how he had managed to become a councilor.
Lin Yi particularly disliked people like him. To put it plainly, he was fishing for fame and compliments.
There was no way he knew nothing about what these people had come to do today, yet he had come anyway.
He said coldly, "Lord Cao's name wasn't on the list the assassin gave us, but given your conduct today, do you think you're innocent? I'd say you're the fish that slipped through the net. Otherwise, you couldn't have been in cahoots with them!"
"Ah, this...?"
Looking at the people crowded around him, Cao Shen was at a loss for words.
Assassin. It was as if the word were written across each of their foreheads, while his own forehead bore the label of accomplice. This was a damn trap.
If he had known, he would never have stepped forward. This time, he had fallen into a pit.
Hmph!
Lin Yi sneered and paid no heed to his pleading look. At the very least, he had to teach him a lesson. As for the others, he would never let the matter rest without peeling a layer of skin off them.
Since they had dared to make trouble for him, they had to pay the price.
After receiving the news yesterday, he had decided to strike first and seize the advantage.
Confessions and witness statements were all in order. Zhang Long and Zhao Hu had worked through the night to write them, and they were no different from storybooks. Every tale was full of twists and turns, yet it also filled people with anger.
But these confessions and statements were not entirely false. They also contained a great deal of genuine evidence gathered by the Northern Liang Guard. Mixed together, even if it wasn't shit, it was shit now.
He looked at Huang Yuntao and said meaningfully, "Governor, all these people have close ties to the assassin, and today they even tried to storm the governor's residence. It seems they have ulterior motives."
"Yesterday we uncovered the Heavenly Eagle Guard. I suspect these people are colluding with the Northern Region barbarians, so I intend to have the Northern Liang Guard interrogate them personally. What do you think, Governor?"
Uh!
Huang Yuntao's heart trembled. Now he was even bringing up collusion with the Northern Region barbarians. That was too ruthless.
He knew full well that the boy was plainly testing him. But if he refused, he would henceforth be shut out by this heir.
He truly was a little fox.
Forget it. He was also one of the prince's trusted men; he had no reason not to help the heir.
He sighed and said with a bitter smile, "Since this involves the assassin and the Northern Region barbarians, it would be difficult for the governor's residence to intervene. But please be careful, Heir. These are all important people; it would be unfortunate if they came to harm!"
He had some idea of what Lin Yi intended, but if he really killed all these people, the matter would become serious.
Killing assassins and spies was easy enough to justify, and no one could object. But not only were there quite a few officials among these people, there were also members of noble families. If they were all killed, that would be hard to justify.
Lin Yi naturally understood what he meant. These people all had backing. Killing one or two would not be a problem, but killing too many would be.
"Haha, rest assured, Governor. I have always been just and strict!"
Seeing Huang Yuntao yield, Lin Yi's eyes flashed with a hint of a smile. The old man had finally backed down.
He smiled and said, "Rest assured, Governor. I'll put Zhang Long and Zhao Hu in charge of interrogating these people. They've followed me for so many years and picked up some of my flair. They're sure to complete the task."
These two, Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix, had followed him and set traps for people for so many years that they were undoubtedly experts at it. They were just right for dealing with these people, putting their talents to full use.
Although he could not kill these people, he could still lock them up for ten days or half a month.
"Huh?"
Everyone looked at one another. Others might not know these two, but how could they not? Neither of them was any good. They were professional lackeys of the sort who had done every kind of evil.
What exactly was Lin Yi planning, having those two interrogate them?
Several beads of cold sweat rolled down Huang Yuntao's forehead, and he was already observing a moment of silence for these people in his heart. With those two ruffians on their case, probably none of them would be able to hold out. After all, they had all led pampered lives.
Zhang Long's eyes lit up. This was a cushy job: he could simply beat anyone he disliked. But there was a problem too. If they interrogated so many people at once, something might go wrong.
"Heir, what if I accidentally beat someone to death? You won't make me take the blame again, will you?" he could not help asking tentatively.
Before Lin Yi could speak, Zhao Hu had already blurted out, "Isn't that simple? If he'd rather be beaten to death than confess, he's obviously got a guilty conscience. Then he must be the assassin's accomplice. Otherwise, why wouldn't he confess?"
"Huh?"
Everyone stared dumbfounded. What kind of logic was that from those two bastards? If fellows like them conducted the interrogation, probably none of them would escape a conviction.
For a moment, they were all a little desperate.
Confessing meant guilt, and not confessing was also a crime. This was plainly a dead end.
If they fell into this man's hands, they might as well kill themselves. This was simply too much torment.
"That's Zhao Hu for you. You truly are my Fledgling Phoenix!"
Even Lin Yi could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth. Those two really were Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix. They were truly extraordinary.
That whole theory was truly inconceivable. Only Zhao Hu, the Fledgling Phoenix, could have come up with it.
But these people were no good to begin with. He could rest easy leaving the matter to them.