An arrow whistled through the air.
The middle-aged military officer unsheathed his long sword, deflecting the incoming arrow. The fierce energy cultivated from years in the military surged within him.
This lowly Bronze Gong dared to shoot an arrow at him? Cutting him down today would be well-deserved. The Constables had always been arrogant; if he didn’t retaliate now, when would he?
The officer raised his sword and shouted, “Trespassers in the Ministry of Justice shall die!”
With a series of metallic clangs, the soldiers drew their sabers. Their expressions were solemn as if preparing for war.
Li Qi’an reined in his horse, causing it to rear up. He took out the golden token bestowed by the Emperor: “This official is investigating by imperial decree. Stand down.”
The middle-aged officer wasn’t intimidated at all. He led his men to block the path: “The Ministry of Justice is also investigating by imperial decree. No outsiders are allowed to approach.”
“Don’t bring trouble upon yourself,” Li Qi’an narrowed his eyes.
“If Your Excellency insists on entering the Ministry, allow me to send someone to announce you,” the officer dispatched a guard to deliver the message.
However, they waited and waited, but the guard never returned.
Min Shan pointed his sword at them angrily: “You sons of bitches, are you toying with me?”
“Listen up, everyone. No one is to enter the office without the approval of the Minister. Anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy,” the middle-aged officer sneered.
“Yes, sir!” the guards responded firmly.
The Ministry of Justice is trying to cut off this lead, Li Qi’an thought. No matter how much I protest, they’ll keep delaying. They’ll drag it out for days until they’ve finished their investigation and reaped the rewards. Or if the clues turn out to be worthless, they might hand over the people to me. I’m already a condemned man; time is life for me. A surge of killing intent rose in Li Qi’an’s heart.
“If you insist on obstructing me, don’t blame me for using the special privileges of this golden token,” Li Qi’an gripped his sword hilt.
“Execute first, report later?” The middle-aged officer grinned maliciously, his long sword imbued with powerful qi. “You’re just a lowly Bronze Gong. You dare kill someone at the gates of the Ministry of Justice?”
With a bright flash of the blade Li Qi’an crossed paths with the middle-aged officer, steadily stopping at the main gate of the Ministry of Justice.
It was only then that both sides reacted. Even Li Qi’an’s fellow Constables hadn’t expected him to be so decisive.
In their minds, Li Qi’an would have displayed the golden token and ordered the guards to retreat. That approach would have been gentler and less likely to cause complications.
Li Qi’an’s right hand held his sword. With a flick of his wrist, he shook a line of blood onto the ground.
The middle-aged officer’s body swayed, and then he fell backward.
A soldier stepped forward to check, touching the officer’s neck. He cried out in dismay: “He’s dead!”
Now, even the Constables’ expressions changed.
The conflict was one thing, but killing took it to another level. What’s more, he had killed someone from the Ministry of Justice.
Even the most arrogant Constables had never dared to kill someone in broad daylight at the gates of any of the Six Ministries.
In unison, the soldiers turned to face Li Qi’an. The atmosphere was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.
This ultimate skill is just a three-second burst… It’s not enough to sustain me in a prolonged battle. I should find a chance to exchange it for something else in the future.
Suppressing his fatigue, Li Qi’an took out the golden token and displayed it to everyone: “I’m investigating by imperial decree. Anyone who obstructs me will be killed without mercy!”
He swept his piercing gaze over the soldiers.
“Stand down now!” he roared.
Under the dual intimidation of the golden token and the officer’s corpse, the soldiers retreated.
Li Qi’an sheathed his sword and led the two Silver Gongs and twelve Bronze Gongs into the Ministry of Justice.
Along the way, Yang Feng and Min Shan, the two Silver Gongs, kept scrutinizing Li Qi’an, as if seeing him in a new light.
Min Shan frowned and said, “Wasn’t that too rash? Killing someone outside the Ministry of Justice, and an official at that. Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?”
Li Qi’an, who had just killed for the first time, still had a fierce look in his eyes. He glanced at the bearded man: “Do I even have an ‘after’ to worry about?”
Min Shan was taken aback.
Li Qi’an continued with a cold smile: “I’m already in a desperate situation. Right now, progress is life for me, clues are life. Anyone who dares to obstruct my investigation is threatening my life.
“The Ministry of Justice and the Constabulary have never gotten along, and with the Prefecture vying for merit, these people are obstacles to my investigation. If I’m not ruthless, there will be a second, third, or fourth person jumping out to hinder me. If I don’t kill them, they’ll indirectly kill me.
“I’ve cut down one fool today, and tomorrow other fools will fear and hesitate. This is also a way to indirectly reduce bloodshed.”
Li Qi’an looked at the two Silver Gongs, Yang Feng and Min Shan, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “You two serve under the same Gold Gong as me, yet you doubt me and don’t trust my ability to handle things. How much worse would it be with the Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice?”
He made his point very clear; this was a show of authority.
Yang and Min, the two Silver Gongs, smiled and said, “Lord Li, we underestimated you.”
This time, the title “Lord Li” was sincere, not just out of obedience to the imperial command.
The Ministry of Justice compound was vast. Li Qi’an caught a clerk along the way to guide them.
The clerk, being weak and powerless, was somewhat afraid of these fierce-looking Constables. He didn’t dare disobey and led them to the council hall.
Crossing the courtyard, they arrived at the Ministry’s council hall. It was a spacious room with no tables, only chairs arranged neatly.
People from the two offices sat on opposite sides, clearly divided.
On the left sat the officials of the Ministry of Justice, led by the Minister of Justice, a second-rank official wearing a crimson robe embroidered with a golden pheasant.
On the right sat the officials of the Capital Prefecture, led by Prefect Chen, a fourth-rank official wearing a crimson robe embroidered with clouds and wild geese.
In the middle sat a eunuch wearing a tall hat and a dragon robe. His face was pale and beardless, his eyes narrowed, his voice oddly shrill.
Two other eunuchs stood at attention beside this chief eunuch.
At the doorway, the clerk, trembling like a quail, stuttered: “My… my lords… the Constables have arrived…”
Inside the council hall, more than a dozen high-ranking officials turned to look simultaneously.
Li Qi’an met the gazes of these powerful figures, stepped over the threshold, and cupped his hands in salute: “This official is Li Qi’an. Greetings to all the lords.”
He scanned the crowd and saw a familiar face, one of the Capital Prefecture’s constables, Lü Qing.
She noticed him too, her eyes flashing with deep confusion. Especially when she saw the two Silver Gongs and the other Bronze Gongs subtly deferring to Li Qi’an, she became even more shocked.
An official from the Ministry of Justice glanced at Li Qi’an and said coldly: “For such a major case, the Constabulary doesn’t even send a Gold Gong. I will certainly submit a memorial tomorrow to impeach them.”
Li Qi’an replied calmly: “When the Constabulary investigates a case, why should we answer to the Ministry of Justice?”
After a pause, he continued: “I hear that the Ministry of Justice has detained many servants from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Rites, and the palace, and is obstructing our Constabulary’s interrogations. Minister Sun, may I ask what this means?”
Minister Sun, whom Li Qi’an had met once before, didn’t speak or even look at Li Qi’an. He maintained an expressionless face as he picked up his teacup and took a sip.
In official circles, offering tea was a way of dismissing a guest.
Li Qi’an’s lips curved into a slight smile. He didn’t continue the argument but quietly found a place to sit down.
In the eyes of the others, this seemed like he had backed down, enduring Minister Sun’s show of authority.
At this moment, a clerk rushed in frantically. He glanced at the Constables, then lowered his head and whispered something in the ear of a Ministry of Justice official.
That official’s face changed dramatically. He slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Li Qi’an and his group, scolding: “How outrageous! Lawless!”
All the officials in the hall frowned.
Minister Sun asked, “What’s the matter?”
The agitated official bowed and said: “Minister, Eunuch Liu, these Constables killed someone at the gate of our Ministry of Justice. They killed an officer with an official rank. How arrogant, how presumptuous! They must be severely punished.”
The officials were shocked. Even the chief eunuch, who had been sitting aloof with narrowed eyes, looked at Li Qi’an’s group in surprise.
Minister Sun’s expression didn’t change. He lightly tapped the armrest of his chair and said: “The Ministry of Justice is in charge of criminal law and statutes, easing the Emperor’s burdens and pleading for the people. Come…”
“Wait!” Li Qi’an interrupted loudly, with a cold smile: “This official is investigating by imperial decree. The Ministry of Justice is interfering and obstructing the investigation. This official holds a golden token and has the authority to execute first and report later. Moreover, I suspect the Ministry of Justice is colluding with the criminals and is the culprit behind the explosion at the Yongzhen Shanhe Temple. Minister Sun, why don’t you come with me to the Constabulary office?”
How could he be so bold?
The Prefecture officials looked at each other in disbelief. Could these words come from a mere Bronze Gong?
Minister Sun was a powerful second-rank official, one of the court’s senior ministers. Yet this Bronze Gong dared to speak to him like this, showing no regard for Minister Sun at all.
The Prefecture officials couldn’t help but look to their superior, only to find Prefect Chen looking up at a 45-degree angle, pretending not to see anything.
“How dare you!”
“You dare slander the Minister? How many heads do you have?”
The Ministry of Justice officials were furious.
Li Qi’an became even more aggressive. He stepped forward, one hand on his sword, and stared at the Ministry of Justice crowd: “If the Ministry of Justice can’t solve the case, I’ll solve it. If there are people the Ministry of Justice can’t kill, I’ll kill them!”
“And another thing!” Li Qi’an took out the golden token bestowed by the Emperor from his chest. With a flick of his hand, the token spun and embedded itself in the ground with a “thud,” sending up a spray of fine dust.
“If the Ministry of Justice dares to obstruct my investigation, I’ll kill the entire Ministry!”
“Is that clear enough?”
The council hall fell silent. The enraged Ministry of Justice officials suddenly fell quiet, not out of fear, but out of shock.
What was going on with the Constabulary? What was Wei Yuan thinking?
Sending such a reckless youth to investigate the case, wasn’t this handing ammunition to their political enemies?
Just based on these words, they could throw him in the Ministry’s prison and keep him there for life. Tomorrow, the Ministry could jointly impeach Wei Yuan. Let’s see how he explains this.
“Hehe!” The chief eunuch in the dragon robe laughed. “Indeed, young and vigorous, showing off his sharp edge.”
He looked around at everyone: “Let me introduce this Bronze Gong to you all. He was recommended by the Princess and personally appointed by His Majesty as the lead investigator from the Constabulary.
“Oh, and previously, he was sentenced to beheading in seven days by Lord Wei for wounding a superior. His Majesty, in His mercy, allowed him to atone for his crime through meritorious service.”
The lead investigator was appointed by His Majesty himself, no wonder he dares to be so arrogant… Wounded a superior, to be beheaded in seven days, no wonder his killing intent is so strong!
The Ministry of Justice officials suddenly fell silent.
This was a desperate madman on his last legs. Solving the case was his only chance at life. Such a person was most likely to go to extremes. If pushed too far, he would likely be willing to drag down a few others with him.
This point was evident from how he killed the military officer without hesitation.
Seeing the Ministry officials backing off one after another, the chief eunuch waved his hand and said: “Everyone, sit down. The Sangbo case is far-reaching. His Majesty considers it even more important than the tax silver case. He has specially appointed me as the overall supervisor to urge you all in the investigation.
“It’s good that the Constables are here. It saves me the trouble of going to talk to you later.”
This eunuch is more inclined towards me… or more accurately, towards the Constabulary. Is it Wei Yuan’s influence?
Li Qi’an bowed and returned to his seat.
Song Tingfeng knew how to play along. He ran forward to pull out the golden token and presented it with both hands: “My lord, your golden token.”
Li Qi’an glanced around at everyone in a show of intimidation, then reached out to take it: “Mm.”
The second stage of his show of authority had been very effective.
Portraying himself as a desperate brute could solve many problems going forward. If the Ministry of Justice and the Prefecture wanted to compete for merit now, they would have to consider that they were dealing with a madman who would draw his sword and kill at the slightest provocation.
As for what troubles this might bring later, Li Qi’an didn’t care. Firstly, he believed Wei Yuan would shield him from the fallout. Secondly, if he couldn’t solve the case, he wouldn’t need to worry about any aftermath – he would either die or leave the capital forever.
Eunuch Liu took a sip of tea and said: “People have gone missing from all three offices. These missing people are likely to be spies who helped the criminals secretly transport the gunpowder. What do you all think about this?”
Prefect Chen said: “My office has already sent people to investigate the families of the nine deceased. They are all still in the capital and know nothing about their relatives’ disappearance. My office deduces that the nine were not fleeing, but were silenced.”
Eunuch Liu nodded slightly.
An official from the Ministry of Justice said: “There must still be spies hidden in the three offices, more covert spies. It was they who killed and silenced those who knew.”
Eunuch Liu frowned in thought.
Li Qi’an listened silently. Since he had stayed for the meeting, the detained people were no longer of much use.
Because just by listening to the discussion between the Ministry of Justice and Prefecture officials, he could learn the information he wanted to know.
“I’m afraid it’s not just the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Rites. Even the Ministry of Works must have spies,” Lü Qing said gravely.
Everyone looked at the only woman present.
Eunuch Liu scrutinized Lü Qing and nodded: “Continue.”
Lü Qing said: “This lowly official has investigated their backgrounds and social connections. With their abilities, they couldn’t possibly have stolen so much gunpowder from the powder factory on their own. Therefore, someone in the Ministry of Works must have secretly assisted them, and this person must hold a high position.”
A high position…
“Gunpowder is a strategic resource that the court values extremely highly. Various secrecy and anti-theft measures are very strict and comprehensive. Without the help of a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Works, this couldn’t have been accomplished.”
Her logic was clear and reasonable. Everyone listened and kept nodding, gaining new respect for this female constable, Lü Qing.
Li Qi’an noticed that one of the eunuchs beside Eunuch Liu was writing furiously, seemingly taking minutes, recording everyone’s discussion.
… Is this to be shown to Emperor Yuanjing?
Xu Qi An pondered. The emperor seemed to regard this case with far greater importance than the tax silver incident… Well, that made sense; whatever emerged from the depths of the Sangbo was likely of unknown significance.
If it weren’t something extremely terrifying or critically important, it wouldn’t be sealed away in the Sangbo.
Lost in thought, he considered this when Eunuch Liu, draped in his python robe, turned to the night watchmen and then to Xu Qi An, asking, “Master Xu, why are you so silent? As the supervising official of the night watchmen, do you have any findings?”
Officials from the yamen and the Ministry of Justice turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.