In this city full of the powerful and influential, if one doesn’t strive for opportunities to climb up, they will gradually become marginalized and subject to others’ disdain. Many people had already been persuaded. After all, the Duke of Jin had carefully selected these individuals, so naturally, he was quite confident in his choices.
However, there were always one or two timid ones. A government official’s face turned slightly pale as he stood up and said, "Duke of Jin, there’s an urgent matter at home, so I’ll take my leave."
They couldn’t succeed even when Prince Qing joined forces with the Qi Nation, so why would they succeed now? It’s better to leave quickly to avoid implicating oneself and one’s family.
The Duke of Jin raised his hand, indicating that he could leave if he wished. But the guard stationed at the door suddenly drew his sword.
With a swift motion, the blade pierced the official’s abdomen. Wide-eyed, the official exclaimed, "You..."
The guard’s wrist flicked, and the blade twisted in the official’s abdomen, causing him to suffer before his death, his face contorted in agony. He collapsed to the ground, blood flowing freely.
The guard’s expression remained indifferent as he efficiently wiped the blade clean with a cloth.
Through the window, the onlookers witnessed this scene, their hearts trembling, their bodies involuntarily stiffening.
The Duke of Jin took a sip of tea and leisurely remarked, "Gentlemen, this matter is of great importance. Since this person has come, if we don’t agree, this will be the outcome. Otherwise, we will all be implicated."
Though the crowd was frightened, they also felt that the Duke of Jin was right. They couldn’t afford to die before the battle even began.
Originally, there were others who wanted to leave, but seeing the Duke of Jin act so ruthlessly, they could only shrink back, sitting still in their seats, not daring to move.
The Duke of Jin put down his teacup and smiled faintly. "It seems that everyone has thought it through."
"Yes," they all replied in unison, "we will follow Duke of Jin’s arrangements."
The Duke of Jin nodded in satisfaction.
If Fan Guizong could accomplish this task, he wouldn’t have had to resort to this. The reason he had gathered these noble families was that although they were declining, they still had accumulated strength from their ancestors, giving them some power today.
One of the masters asked, "Duke of Jin, even if our trained assassins are formidable, they are no match for the Black Armor Guards, let alone the Ninth Prince, who is already highly skilled in martial arts. Isn’t this akin to courting disaster?"
The Duke of Jin replied, "Rest assured, since I’ve borrowed your people, I have a foolproof plan to ensure success."
Upon hearing this, the others had nothing more to say.
Before leaving, the guard brought out a stack of talismans to cast spells on the people. They showed resistance; after all, once they were enchanted, wouldn’t they be controlled?
The guard explained, "Gentlemen, please understand that this is for everyone’s safety. Without constraints, who’s to say that someone timid won’t report us, betraying everyone?"
This reasoning made sense. Moreover, they couldn’t disobey, and they couldn’t leave here either. So one by one, they could only nod and allow the guard to cast spells on them.
After sending away the heads of each family, the guard went to gather the assassins from each family. After busying himself for a while, he returned to report to the Duke of Jin, "Your Grace, the assassins have all been arranged."
The Duke of Jin touched his cup, his gaze gradually turning fierce. "Very good. This time, I am determined to ensure that neither Ye Siheng nor the Chu family find a burial place."
However, the guard furrowed his brow. "But Fan Guizong has suffered internal injuries. Can he still be useful?"
The Duke of Jin’s plan required someone skilled in Daoist arts. "There’s a type of gu in the border regions that can quickly heal internal injuries. Just find it for him," the Duke of Jin said. "But this Fan Guizong is just good at talking. When faced with someone like Chu Nanli, his skills are simply inadequate."
The guard felt guilty and lowered his head. It was he who had observed and chosen Fan Guizong while on an external mission. But he hadn’t expected him to be so useless.
The Duke of Jin looked at him and comforted him, "You don’t need to feel guilty. Since Luo’er’s death, you have been working tirelessly for me. If it weren’t for you, I might not have made it this far."
The guard’s face showed a trace of sadness. "My life was saved by the Crown Prince. With the Crown Prince’s tragic death, I naturally have to seek justice for him."
"Yes..." The Duke of Jin’s eyes moistened, his fists clenched tightly. He said bitterly, "It’s all because Chu Nanli refused to give the talisman. Otherwise, Luo’er wouldn’t have died so young..."
The guard advised, "Your Grace, let them repay their debt to the Crown Prince soon, so that he can rest in peace."
The Duke of Jin nodded, firming his resolve even more.
Ye Siheng rarely caused such a commotion with the use of the Supervisory Institute. Many ministers in the cabinet had some criticisms, directly questioning it during the court meeting. One of them was Elder Cao.
He was naturally not targeting Ye Siheng, but Ye Siheng’s actions were too overbearing, disrupting the order of the court.
Sitting on the throne, Emperor Muwu seemed listless. "What’s going on? Ninth Brother, is it true as the ministers say?"
Ye Siheng was the first to stand up and said, "Father, Uncle’s actions must have his reasons."
The officials who had gathered at the teahouse last night felt their hearts sink further and found themselves even more agreeing with the Duke of Jin’s words.
If the Crown Prince was already so protective of Ye Siheng now, what would happen when he ascended the throne in the future?
Elder Cao was displeased. "Your Highness, the Ninth Prince oversees the Supervisory Institute. He should abide by the rules and laws. He can’t just do as he pleases, disregarding the law."
Elder Xu also nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
Ye Siheng wasn’t in a hurry. He took out several files. "I have acted according to the rules and the law. Gentlemen, if you don’t believe it, please take a look."
Elder Cao was half-skeptical as he took the files, and then he and Elder Xu read them together.
The criminals had written down their own confessions, and they had even signed and stamped them.
Now, the two men looked at each other, speechless.
But someone raised another question, "Once the people are in the Supervisory Institute and undergo all sorts of torture, there’s no guarantee that they won’t be coerced into confessing."
Ye Siheng glanced over. His handsome face, with a raised eyebrow, exuded a chilling aura from head to toe.
The official who spoke immediately shuddered, swallowed hard, and quickly lowered his head.
Ye Siheng spoke slowly, "If you don’t believe it, bring the people to the court and let everyone question them clearly."
"Very well," Emperor Muwu waved his hand, "Since the people have signed and stamped the documents, there’s no need to bother. How they should be judged will be decided accordingly."
This statement clearly was also in defense of Ye Siheng.
Now that the Emperor had spoken, Elder Cao and the others naturally couldn’t say anything more.
After the morning court, Emperor Muwu still kept Ye Siheng behind. He furrowed his brows tightly. "Ninth Brother, you rarely act so rashly. What are you trying to do? If you investigate , how many civil and military officials in the court will be left?"