"Cough..."
The knife in Dong Baoquan's hand had already fallen out, and blood was flowing from his mouth and nose as he tried to push the person in front of him.
But with a knife piercing his chest and severing his spine, he was utterly powerless to resist. His eyes were filled with terror and confusion; he wanted to ask why his attacker had killed him, but he couldn't utter a word.
"Cough... Heh..."
Ye Xingge from a leaping slash to a straight thrust was instantaneous; many people inside and outside the building didn't even have time to react.
At this moment, the Fate-Robbing Saber that had pierced through the wall was soaked in blood, its crimson blade seemingly being used to "test the blood" and calculate the deceased's skill level.
Ye Xingge also felt fulfilled, but he was definitely better than Dong Baoquan. His feedback was far inferior to Gold-Chasing Gentleman's, probably only equivalent to half a year of hard training.
Although Dong Baoquan is not quite dead yet, once the miraculous effect is triggered, even a god would be powerless to save him.
Ye Xingge's gaze did not linger on the other person. He released the hilt of the sword and turned to look behind him.
Chen Xiaobao remained kneeling on the ground, his eyes filled with terror.
Young Master Zhao was standing there in a daze, but when he saw this person looking over, his eyes instantly cleared, and he knelt down on the ground like Chen Xiaobao.
Thump~
The young masters and ladies watching the commotion outside, along with several thugs, were deathly pale and remained completely silent.
Ye Xingge naturally didn't help Ruan Jinyu's follower; instead, he took out the petition and his waist token from his pocket.
"On the tenth day of the fifth month, Dong Baoquan, in a drunken stupor, beat and killed the waiter Chen Miao, and bribed the manager Li Si with fifty taels of silver and the customer Zhao Song with thirty taels of silver..."
"Bribing witnesses to give false testimony, falsely accusing Chen Miao of making irresponsible remarks about orthodoxy, thus escaping punishment, leading to Chen Miao's wrongful death, and his wife committing suicide at home to appeal for justice."
"Killing someone while intoxicated constitutes the crime of 'intentional homicide,' punishable by beheading according to the laws of the Great Yan; bribing someone to give false testimony afterward increases the severity of the crime; indirectly causing the death of the Chen family member increases the severity of the crime even further; all crimes are punished together, and according to the law, the offender should be cut in half at the waist and his body displayed in the marketplace."
" The Judicial Review Bureau, by imperial authority, has the power to execute first and report later. To prevent Dong Baoquan from fleeing in fear of punishment, he was executed."
After speaking, Ye Xingge turned around and looked at Dong Baoquan was on the verge of death:
Do you have any objections to this?
"Heh~..."
Dong Baoquan was barely breathing, and he understood why he was dying, but his unfocused eyes still showed confusion.
After all, he was a retainer of the Cao Clan!
He could die in court infighting, in assassination attempts in the martial arts world, or even be casually killed by his family head, but he should never be executed in the street by a constable for the sake of a mere waiter...
He has Cao Xiong behind him...
His thoughts lingered there, and his head drooped.
The crowd of onlookers outside the building was already horrified at first, but when they discovered that it was the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, which "only kills and does not judge," their eyes widened in disbelief!
Keep in mind that the Cao Clan is a powerful maternal relative, the backing of the Empress and the Crown Prince. Cao Xiong also ranks tenth in the empire and wields considerable power. Even when beating a dog, one has to consider its master, right?
What if you captured him and secretly killed him?
As for carrying out the execution in the street at the Cao Clan's territory?
The streets were silent.
Chen Xiaobao, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly stood up when he realized that the yamen officials had come to arrest someone. He then spoke to the barely audible outside the door:
"Quiet!"
Then, frowning, he turned to Ye Xingge and said solemnly:
"Lord Ye, are you sure about this? Don't be mistaken. This person should actually be taken back for questioning..."
Ye Xingge turned his head away:
"Young Master Chen, why don't you try to save him before interrogating him?"
"Uh... no need!"
Worried about getting himself interrogated, Chen Xiaobao coughed lightly, looked away, and said loudly with one hand behind his back:
"I, Heaven-Observing Pavilion, have already investigated and clarified the matter. Cao Fu! Come down here!"
There were actually quite a few singers, dancers, and managers inside the building, but they all hid in the shadows and dared not utter a sound.
Hearing the shouts, a portly man hurried out of the back room, not daring to look at the corpse on the wall. His eyes flashed with shock and anger, but he dared not utter a sound.
"Young Master Chen, Mr. Dong's case has been fairly adjudicated by the Changyong County and is now closed..."
Ye Xingge looked at the Cao Clan's manager:
" Dong Baoquan wasn't even tried on the spot that day, so how can the case be closed?"
Cao Fu was not a warrior and had not yet recognized the " Commoner Attendant's " identity. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Minister Cao has important matters to attend to, and Mr. Dong is unable to spare the time. This matter will be handled by the lawyer in your household..."
Ye Xingge countered, "In a county court trial, both parties must be present, and the judge must hear five statements. If the parties are not present, the trial cannot proceed; if the statements are inconsistent, a verdict cannot be reached. This Changyong County..."
"Hey hey hey!"
Chen Xiaobao was startled by the sound!
After all, the investigation has stopped here.
If the investigation continues, the county government, the prefectural government, the Ministry of Punishments, and the Court of Judicial Review will all be filled with shrill explosions!
His uncle is the Ministry of Punishments; what if they really find something out...?
Chen Xiaobao raised his hand to stop speaking, then glared angrily at Cao Fu:
"You're talking nonsense! How can you investigate a case if the person hasn't even arrived at the county office? Great General Cao and Vice Minister Cao are unparalleled in their loyalty and integrity; how could they disregard the law and use their public office for personal gain?"
Cao Fu was given a severe dressing-down. Realizing he had said the wrong thing, he quickly bowed.
" Lord Chen is absolutely right. Dong Baoquan was merely a servant, and there may have been instances of deception and cover-ups. I will certainly investigate as soon as possible and give the court and the deceased an explanation..."
"However, even if there are doubts about this case, as the supervisory body of the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, it should at least inform the General's Mansion first. This is a murder in the street..."
Ye Xingge frowned:
"I'm here to arrest a serious murderer. Why do I need to ask permission? Just because the General's Mansion doesn't allow it, doesn't mean I won't arrest him."
"Joke..."
Upon hearing this, all the disciples gasped in shock.
Chen Xiaobao was also horrified by what he heard, and once again angrily cursed at Cao Fu:
"Are you brain-dead? Dong Baoquan compliant but inwardly defiant. Heaven-Observing Pavilion is arresting people according to the law. What if he runs away after we give him a heads-up?"
Zhao Ruimin was also dumbfounded by Cao Fu's stupidity and interjected:
"The government operates impartially; why are you uttering so much nonsense?"
"..."
Cao Fu, having been verbally abused by the two men in turn, dared not speak further. He bowed and scraped, instructing a servant to deliver a message, while simultaneously saying:
"Would you gentlemen like to come upstairs? I did misspoke earlier..."
Chen Xiaobao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly raised his hand:
"Lord Ye, there are too many people around, so perhaps..."
Ye Xingge originally intended to finish dealing with this matter, but at this moment, her ears twitched slightly as she heard Great Beauty, who was watching the commotion across the street, remind her:
There's something going on outside, come out as soon as you're done.
Something's up?
Ye Xingge secretly pondered, guessing that the "big wave of assassins" had arrived. He glanced outside, but didn't linger, tossing the complaint to Chen Xiaobao.
"I still have a case to handle. The Inspection Bureau is in charge of oversight and review. This case will be investigated by Lord Chen. If Ye has made a wrong judgment, committed a wrongful killing, or violated the law, Lord Chen can summon him for questioning at any time."
How could I dare to summon you...
Chen Xiaobao hurriedly took the petition and bowed, saying:
"Lord Ye, please attend to your business first. Leave this case to me. If anything goes wrong, Lord Ruan will answer to you with his head!"
"Um?"
Ye Xingge paused slightly, thinking it was acceptable.
However, Ruan Jinyu was meticulous in his actions and should not have left any evidence against him. He didn't say anything more and walked out the door with his knife in his hand.
Tap tap tap~
Those watching from outside the gate were as if they had seen a ghost or a god, and hurriedly made way for them.
Among them were also some terrified ladies and young women muttering to themselves:
"This adult is so domineering..."
"He's handsome too, I hope he doesn't just vanish into thin air in a few days..."
"No, with such a big fuss, at most they'll be transferred to Lingnan..."
After Ye Xingge's figure disappeared, the Jade Immortal House erupted in uproar, with discussions as loud as boiling water.
Chen Xiaobao watched them leave from the doorway, and only looked at Cao Fu after making sure they were far away:
"Are you out of your mind? They know the laws by heart, they've investigated the case thoroughly, and they've even invoked the 'imperial privilege.' And you keep bringing up the Cao Clan Cao Clan, what are you trying to do? Are you saying your Cao Clan is above the law?"
Cao Fu had never seen anyone dare to show such disrespect to the Cao Clan family, so he quickly bowed.
"I was out of my mind, I really didn't react just now... Young Master Chen, who is this person? How dare they be so bold..."
Zhao Ruimin also found it somewhat unbelievable:
"Yes, this matter was certainly handled in accordance with the law, but the Cao Clan family..."
Chen Xiaobao had watched Ye Xingge rise to prominence and thought this was the "Xiaobao of my daydreams." Hearing this, he pointed his thumb towards the door.
"Give face to the Cao Clan? This guy dared to beat a ' Snake Eunuch ' henchman half to death in the street in Qingxi, and dared to treat ' Subduer of the Three Rivers ' like Rotten Crotch at Forgetful River Mouth. If I hadn't stopped him just now, he might have killed you Cao Fu, and you might not even be in any danger."
Zhao Ruimin was visibly taken aback upon hearing this introduction:
"Was that gentleman just now Ye Xingge?!"
"Joke..."
The crowd outside the door, hearing the noise, immediately became noisy and turned around to look:
"Is this the Living Taisui from Hexi?"
"Truly living up to its reputation..."
"So, they actually gave the Cao Clan face. Given their volatile temper the other day, they should have wiped out the Jade Immortal House..."
" Cao Fu dared to talk back, why wasn't he killed...?"
The shopkeeper Cao Fu, turned green with rage, repeatedly raising his hand to press down, clearly afraid that this madman might suddenly think, "Oh, he's right," and then turn around and chop him up...
A little earlier.
The sudden conflict drew everyone's attention to Jade Immortal House.
Across the street, in a jewelry shop, Hongyu leaned against the second-floor window, observing the activity inside, but her thoughts were already drifting back to the hot pot at home.
However, as a protector, Hongyu was quite professional, constantly keeping an eye on her surroundings, and a thought would occasionally echo in her mind:
Ding-a-ling~
The sound of the coins falling into the pocket was extremely pleasant, and it was a surround sound that could be heard from any direction.
The Gold-Chasing Bell determines the quality of an item based on its material. Famous soldiers have special effects and will always ring the bell. However, if there are a bunch of famous soldiers nearby, only the most powerful one will be marked, such as the Heaven-Obscuring Arm!
For ordinary objects, only the material is judged, not the craftsmanship; therefore, calligraphy, paintings, secret manuals, and banknotes cannot be examined.
As for the threshold of the bell's sound, the golden bell can be rotated; when turned to the lowest setting, it will ring even if it's only one or two taels of silver; while at the highest setting, it will only ring when encountering famous soldiers or rare and precious treasures.
Hongyu thought this feature was very user-friendly, and to avoid being driven crazy by the noise, she set the threshold to the highest level.
However, this is a bustling area in Beijing, frequented by wealthy and powerful families, so the noise is quite frequent.
At this moment, Hongyu leaned against the window of the rouge shop. Whenever the bell rang, she would glance at it to determine its approximate strength and origin.
But after scanning for a short while, she noticed something was wrong out of the corner of her eye.
Hongyu turned her gaze to the dense crowd on the street and soon spotted a middle-aged man dressed in a low-key manner. He looked like a scholar and was very inconspicuous. He stopped Jade Immortal House like a passerby watching the excitement.
This person's gait and breathing rhythm were at least Third Rank, but when he appeared in her field of vision, Gold-Chasing Bell didn't react at all.
When Gold List arts master goes out for a stroll, he doesn't bring all his valuables with him, because the Red-Eye Disease Cult has deeply penetrated people's hearts, and they are afraid of being targeted.
But it's unreasonable not to bring even one of your most treasured life-saving items.
Such a person is either a reclusive master who doesn't want the Heaven-Observing Decree to witness his espionage.
Or maybe it really doesn't exist.
Judging from the man's aura and appearance, Hongyu didn't think he was a poor man who couldn't even afford a Gang-Shaking Ring, but he also didn't seem like a reclusive old demon. Therefore, she began to study him carefully.
It soon became apparent that the other person's face looked somewhat familiar.
Hongyu is the leader of the Mountains and Rivers Association, and among the Eight Great Sects of the Cang River, Mysterious Armament Pavilion, Flying Cloud Fort, and Clear River Manor are relatively close to the Mountains and Rivers Association.
Mountains and Rivers Association orders weapons, protective gear, and other supplies for its disciples, it will definitely go to the Mysterious Armament Pavilion.
Upon closer observation, she suddenly realized that this person resembled He Lin, the head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Mysterious Armament Pavilion!
The head of the Foreign Affairs Hall is responsible for liaison and communication with the major sects, Hongyu, as the sect leader, must have met him.
However, according to rumors circulating in the martial arts world, Mysterious Armament Pavilion was invited by Black Dragon Island to Forgetful River Mouth to discuss cooperation, and the representative was the head of the Foreign Affairs Hall.
Ye Xingge wrecked Black Dragon Island. He should either go back to report or continue to observe from Forgetful River Mouth. Why would he turn around and come to the capital, deliberately without any self-defense equipment...?
After a moment of contemplation, Hongyu sensed something amiss and picked up the jade tablet to offer a reminder:
There's something going on outside, come out as soon as you're done.