Without a word, Zhang Kaitai rushed back to the front hall first. Xu Qi An wanted to rush along with Golden Gong Zhang, but he wasn’t as fast.
When he arrived at the front hall at top speed, he saw Zhang Kaitai using his finger as a sword, cutting the last paper figure in half.
At this time, many paper scraps were scattered on the ground, with nearly ten paper figures visible. Additionally, two young men lay on the ground, their throats slit by a sharp blade. Blood was splattered everywhere, and they had already breathed their last.
“What happened?” Xu Qi An exclaimed in shock.
“Many paper figures suddenly emerged from these two, attempting to silence them. We prevented it,” answered the Silver Gong responsible for guarding the prisoners, though his response was directed at Zhang Kaitai.
“How are the prisoners?” Zhang Kaitai asked while looking towards the middle-aged man in fine clothes, huddled in a corner and protected by several Bronze Gongs.
He was crouching in the corner with his head in his hands, facing the wall, making it impossible to see his face.
“Hey, it’s over now,” a nearby Bronze Gong kicked him lightly, and the middle-aged man collapsed limply to the ground.
Everyone’s expressions changed slightly. The Silver Gong responsible for guarding rushed over in large strides, checked his breathing and neck, then turned back with a grim expression, anxiously saluting:
“This humble official failed in his duty to protect. Please punish me, sir.”
Zhang Kaitai’s demeanor suddenly became very gloomy, the veins on his forehead bulging in anger. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly exhaled and said, “This is not your fault.”
He walked to the corpse, gripped the middle-aged man’s collar, and shook it lightly. With a ripping sound, the clothes tore into pieces.
The middle-aged man’s naked body was exposed to everyone. On his chest was a bright red mark.
“This is a shaman’s death curse. By using a person’s hair, blood, fingernails, and other items, along with their birth date and time, they can kill invisibly,” Zhang Kaitai shook his head.
This was unstoppable, especially for martial artists who only excelled in physical combat.
“What about the paper figures?” Xu Qi An asked.
Zhang Kaitai crouched beside the corpse, pondering for a long while. “These paper figures remind me of something. The Wushen Sect has mysterious and unpredictable methods. They have death curses, dream killing, and the ability to control ghosts and corpses.
“These paper figures have ghosts attached to them, being driven to do the spellcaster’s bidding.”
Xu Qi An, being so intelligent, instantly understood Zhang Kaitai’s meaning and exclaimed in surprise, “The well in the backyard is… used by the Wushen Sect’s shamans to raise ghosts.”
This could also explain why it was sealed rather than completely purified.
“That shaman is likely nearby.”
“But they’ve already left. Our sudden attack caught them off guard, so they lurked around and used spells to silence people. Now that the person is dead, they won’t continue to linger nearby.”
“Golden Gong Zhang, couldn’t even you sense these paper figures? We didn’t notice they were hidden on these youths earlier.”
“First, a martial artist’s spiritual sense can only warn of threats to oneself; second, the paper figures are both vessels for ghosts and a layer of sealing, able to block perception; third, the paper figures don’t possess strong killing power, they’re usually used for tasks, not for killing enemies.”
Xu Qi An suddenly flew into a rage, cursing “Useless!” His black-gold long saber left its sheath, and a sharp blade light sliced through the hall’s beams. Broken wood and tiles crashed down with a “crash,” causing the women and youths to scatter with screams, covering their heads.
A street away, in the shadows, seeing the collapsed roof in the distance and hearing the commotion, a person hidden in the shadows let out a cold “Heh” laugh, then fell silent again.
…
At the residence of the Minister of Works.
In the master bedroom, the Minister of Works, who had never remarried after his wife’s death years ago, was sleeping soundly, embracing his concubine.
A paper figure floated into the courtyard on the night breeze, landing lightly on the ground. After a few seconds, it stood up and struggled to squeeze itself through the door crack.
It carefully avoided the charcoal brazier, taking awkward steps to the bedside. Riding a gentle breeze, it floated onto the bed, landing beside the Minister of Works’ pillow.
The paper figure wobbled as it stood up on the pillow, and then with all its might, it headbutted the Minister of Works’ face.
The light-sleeping Minister of Works frowned slightly and slowly opened his eyes. Upon seeing the paper figure on his pillow, he became fully alert.
First, he observed his concubine, confirming she was sound asleep, and then he picked up the paper figure. He got out of bed, went to the table, lit the candle, and unfolded the paper figure, squinting to read the tiny characters.
Not long after he finished reading, the Minister of Works’ expression suddenly changed dramatically, his beard quivering. After he finished reading, he let out a deep breath of relief, regaining his composure and ease.
After burning the paper figure with the candle flame, the Minister of Works returned to the bed. Looking at his sleeping concubine, he pondered for a moment, then slowly picked up the pillow and covered her mouth and nose…
…
The next day, at the Ministry of Justice.
The early-rising Minister of Justice arrived at the yamen and personally went down to the dungeon to inspect the imprisoned Night Watchmen.
A total of forty-six Night Watchmen involved in the corruption case, from Golden Gongs to Bronze Gongs, were all imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice.
Originally, according to the rules, they should have been held separately in three yamens and interrogated separately. However, the Wang faction had lost two core members in the tax silver case and the Sangbo case, putting them at odds with Wei Yuan. The Ministry of Justice was even more eager than the Qi faction’s Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to kick them while they were down.
“Heaven sees all that man does. Do you think that by keeping silent, you can escape the law?” The Minister of Justice shook his head with a cold smile:
“I have already investigated your assets and drafted a memorial. Once His Majesty reviews it, none of you will be able to escape.
“Of course, I’m still willing to give you a chance. Who instructed you to embezzle silver and oppress the people? Was it Wei Yuan?”
No one answered him.
Suddenly, someone laughed coldly and said, “Embezzlement? Minister, please tell me, how much silver did I embezzle? I’ve been a Night Watchman for over a decade and haven’t taken a single copper coin.”
Hmph, still trying to argue… The Minister of Justice walked towards the voice and saw the man who spoke. His first glance wasn’t at the man, but at the clean cell that caught his attention.
The debris and dried grass on the floor had all been swept into the corner, and the cobwebs in the corners were gone. The straw mat was still tattered, but it was neatly arranged on the bed, every detail in perfect order.
The Minister of Justice was puzzled as he examined the man who had spoken. He was a Night Watchman with a stern expression. Although he was wearing prison clothes, he gave off a clean and neat impression. His hair was combed neatly, and the rolled-up sleeves on both sides were perfectly symmetrical.
Looking at this man and this cell, including the Minister of Justice, several officials from the Ministry of Justice inexplicably felt a sense of comfort…
“What’s this man’s name?” Minister Sun stood with his hands behind his back.
“Li Yuchun.”
“How much silver did he embezzle? How many houses does he own in the inner city?”
The official flipped through his records for a moment, remained silent for a long time, and only after receiving a glance from Minister Sun did he speak in a low voice:
“He has one modest courtyard house in the inner city, an elderly mother at home, and a pregnant wife. As for money… the Ministry of Justice only found fifty taels of silver in his home.”
“Fifty taels of silver?” Minister Sun was shocked. A Silver Gong only had fifty taels of silver to his name.
“How did you investigate?” Minister Sun felt this was due to carelessness on the part of the Ministry of Justice.
The official whispered in his ear for a moment. After listening, Minister Sun fell silent, seemingly unwilling to bother with this clean-loving man anymore, and turned to leave.
In the now quiet dungeon, Jiang Luzhong leaned against the wall and sighed.
“Old Jiang, what are your plans?” The Golden Gong next door knocked on the wall and asked.
“What plans could I have? After being dismissed, I’ll have to find another way to make a living. I won’t become an undercover agent, my wife and children are all in the capital,” Jiang Luzhong said irritably.
“Heh, I have no children, so I could take a journey through the jianghu. I’m tired of staying in the capital anyway,” said that Golden Gong.
“Bullshit,” Jiang Luzhong laughed coldly. “You were just saying the other day that you planned to marry and have children, to settle down in the capital. I just regret not embezzling more money all these years, only taking some small profits. Otherwise, this jail time wouldn’t be in vain.”
“Hah, then why don’t you become a bandit after you get out?”
“Get lost.”
The worst outcome would just be dismissal from their positions. At least there was no threat to their lives. For high-ranking martial artists, as long as they hadn’t committed too grave an offense, the court wouldn’t impose capital punishment.
When high-ranking martial artists go berserk, their destructive power is not to be underestimated.
“Ah!” Another sigh, followed by a long silence.
Leaving the dungeon, the Minister of Justice asked, “How come I didn’t see that little bastard surnamed Xu?”
“It seems he escaped,” the official replied.
“Has a wanted notice been issued?”
“It’s already been drafted, just waiting for the yamen’s seal to be published.”
Minister Sun nodded with satisfaction: “How much silver did that kid embezzle?”
“Yesterday we sent people to search the Xu residence, and only found several hundred bolts of fine silk and satin, but not much silver,” said the official.
Minister Sun made a sound of acknowledgment: “Keep those silks and satins for now. After this matter is settled, distribute them to the officials in the yamen.”
“This… we didn’t dare to confiscate those things,” the official said in a low voice.
Minister Sun’s gaze sharpened: “Hm?”
The official smiled bitterly: “Those… those were bestowed by His Majesty. No one dares to take them. What if that Xu Pingzhi files a complaint to the emperor later…”
“…I heard that fellow often goes to the Courtesans’ Department?” Minister Sun sought another breakthrough.
“Yes, we sent people to inquire with the madams of the Courtesans’ Department. In just two short months, the surnamed Xu slept with eight top courtesans and is intimate with Fuxiang from the Yingmei Pavilion.”
“Isn’t that it then?” Minister Sun felt somewhat encouraged. “So the silver was all spent on women. The testimonies of those women from the Courtesans’ Department can also be used as evidence.”
The official said with great difficulty: “But the testimonies of those women are all very consistent…”
Minister Sun looked at him with an inquiring gaze. The official said indignantly: “Those women claimed they admired the surnamed Xu’s talent and were willing to serve him without taking a single coin.”
Minister Sun’s body swayed, nearly overcome with anger.
“Damn it all, if there are no flaws, then arrange some flaws for him. If he has no money, then send him money!” Minister Sun said in a deep voice:
“I absolutely will not let this little bastard off.”
He returned to the hall in a rage, took a sip of warm tea, and before his buttocks had even warmed the seat, a clerk hurriedly entered and reported:
“Minister, a message from the palace. His Majesty summons you.”
Minister Sun glanced at the water clock in the corner. At this time, the morning court session had already passed. When His Majesty was summoned, it was either for something urgent or for a small court meeting.
Why is His Majesty so diligent? Gathering ministers to discuss matters every few days… The Minister of Justice nodded: “Prepare the sedan chair!”