I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 240 Yan Peizhi, what kind of man are you! The Madam's resolve!
?

Qin Shu stared in astonishment at the string of tokens in Chen Mo's hand.

Although she was not an official, as the wife of the Yan family, she was worldly and could naturally recognize the origin of these tokens.

"The Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree, a second-class Flying Phoenix Token; the other two are the Purple Phoenix Token from the Cold Cloud Palace and the Qilin Token from the Heavenly Qilin Guard..."

"I haven't seen that jade token before, but it's engraved with a four-clawed dragon, so it must have come from the Eastern Palace..."

After Qin Shu realized what was happening, his scalp tingled.

Each of these tokens weighs more than ten thousand pounds; the other party certainly wouldn't dare to forge them. But who exactly is this person who could simultaneously gain the favor of the Empress, the Imperial Concubine, and the Crown Prince?!

Only now did she realize that what Yan Peizhi had said was true...

It's not that we don't care, it's that we simply don't have the ability to care!

Li Yuan planted his long sword on the ground and said in a deep voice, "How dare you! You dare not kneel upon seeing the imperial token?!"

wow-

The guards snapped out of their daze, dropped their weapons, and knelt on the ground.

Qin Shu trembled slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly knelt down.

"Tsk tsk, I still prefer the unruly look on your face just now."

Chen Mo, with a string of tokens twirling in his hand, smiled and said, "Madam Yan, I wonder if my 'qualifications' are sufficient?"

Qin Shu's pretty face flushed red, and she said in a low voice, "Enough, of course enough. I was blind just now and didn't recognize you. I didn't know which lord of the Tianlin Guard you are."

“Deputy Commander of the Fire Division, Chen Mo.” Chen Mo casually handed the token to Qiu Longgang and said indifferently, “I am acting on the orders of the Crown Prince to thoroughly investigate the barbarian case. Now there is evidence that your son, Yan Linghu, may be involved. He will be coming back with us to accept the investigation.”

"Chen Mo?"

Qin Shu's expression became even more solemn.

This name was not unfamiliar to her.

The Yan family and the Chen family are mortal enemies, and Chen Mo has been stirring up trouble in the capital recently, even seriously injuring the Prince Yu's heir... Now, not only is he unharmed, but he can also come to the Yan family to arrest people, which shows how powerful his background is!
"They say they're cooperating with the investigation, but the Linwei are a place that eats people alive without spitting out the bones. If you go in there, you'll either die or be skinned alive!"

"Not to mention that Chen Mo and Hu'er have a history of conflict... If they are really thrown into the imperial prison, I'm afraid their lives will be in danger!"

Thinking of this, Qin Shu rose and came closer, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze and his tone much softer, "So it is Lord Chen. Your name is renowned. Today I have the honor of seeing your face and I know that the rumors are true. You are truly a dragon among men!"

"..."

Chen Mo's lips twitched, and he said with amusement, "Madam's face changes really quickly. Who was it that called me a young punk just now?"

Although Qin Shu was outspoken, he was not a fool without any cunning. He knew that the situation was beyond his control and that the most important thing now was to keep Yan Linghu away!

As long as they are not thrown into prison, there is still room for maneuver!
Facing Chen Mo's sarcasm, Qin Shu seemed oblivious and said in a coquettish voice, "I am just a woman, ignorant and blind, and I have offended Lord Chen. I hope you will forgive me."

"Look at this sweltering heat, you still have to make the adults come all this way. Please come inside quickly, have a cup of cool tea to cool off, and we can talk things over slowly."

Chen Mo waved his hand and said, "There's no need for tea. Let's bring your son out as soon as possible, lest we delay our business."

"Ahem, Lord Chen, may I speak to you in private?"

Seeing this, Qin Shu reached out and pulled Chen Mo's sleeve, leading him aside. She looked around and said in a low voice, "I don't know much about handling cases, but I do know that the case of the barbarian slaves has long been solved and the culprits have been brought to justice. So much time has passed, and suddenly bringing up the old matter again is probably just a formality."

"The relationship between the Yan family and the Chen family is tense. They have been fighting for so many years, and neither family has gained anything."

"As the saying goes, it is better to resolve enmity than to make it, and to forgive others when possible... If Lord Chen can show leniency today, the Qin and Yan families will be grateful for your kindness. At that time, I will definitely come to your door with Peizhi to express our gratitude!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo gave a cold laugh.

Ha, so you've said both good and bad things.

When Yan Peizhi joined forces with other ministers to impeach and accuse him in court, why didn't he think of showing leniency when possible?

Now that they're scared, they're trying to curry favor and even brought up the Qin family... Does a former Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, who has been retired for many years, really think he has a lot of influence?
"Madam Yan may have misunderstood. I am not discussing this with you."

Chen Mo stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Letting you hand over the person yourself is already showing the Yan family some respect. Since Madam doesn't appreciate this courtesy, then don't blame me for being impolite..."

"Gangzi, arrest him!"

"Yes!"

Qiu Longgang responded and immediately led his men towards the inner courtyard.

"and many more……"

Qin Shu didn't expect Chen Mo to turn on him so suddenly. His expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly tried to step forward to stop him.

The moment he took a step, a sharp blade was already pressed against his neck, the chilling killing intent stinging his skin!
Li Yuan held the Mo Dao in one hand, his tone indifferent: "Those who obstruct official business shall be regarded as accomplices. I advise you, Madam, not to act rashly."

Qin Shu's back hair stood on end, and he froze on the spot.

She could sense that if she made the slightest move, the woman in front of her would definitely attack without hesitation!
Just as Qiu Long was about to enter the inner courtyard, the hall door suddenly opened, and Yan Peizhi walked out slowly, followed by Yan Linghu, whose face was pale and whose clothes were still dripping with bright red blood.

"Lord Chen, you've gone to such lengths; I am truly flattered!" Surrounded by constables, Yan Peizhi remained calm as he looked at Chen Mo from afar and spoke.

"Lord Yan, we meet again." Chen Mo raised his hand to signal everyone to step back, and said with a smile, "This humble official thought that you were unwell, otherwise why would you have sent your wife? It seems that you are still in good health."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Chen."

Although Yan Peizhi was dressed in ordinary clothes, his aura as someone who had long held a high position was still not to be underestimated. He said in a deep voice, "This unfilial son has just been disciplined by his family and is unable to move around easily. I originally intended to wait until he recovered before sending him to the Tianlin Guard to cooperate with the investigation. I did not expect Lord Chen to come to our door so quickly."

Chen Mo shrugged and said helplessly, "After all, Her Majesty the Empress is keeping a close eye on things and has demanded that the case be solved within a month. Naturally, I dare not slack off... Lord Yan, there is no need to worry. The Tianlin Guard also has physicians. You can get treatment there as well."

Yan Peizhi's white eyebrows furrowed.

The reason he resorted to family discipline and prevented doctors from treating his injuries was to try to delay the situation as much as possible.

However, it now seems that Chen Mo is completely unmoved, and he has abandoned this last glimmer of hope...

“What Lord Chen says makes sense.” Yan Peizhi nodded and said, “Since it is His Highness’s order, the Yan family will do its best to cooperate. Linghu, you should go with Lord Chen.”

"father!"

Yan Linghu's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Yan Liang's fate is still fresh in everyone's mind. He and Chen Mo were already at odds, so how could he possibly fare well after falling into Chen Mo's hands?!
"Father, you absolutely can't abandon me!" Yan Linghu trembled and almost collapsed to the ground.

Yan Peizhi straightened his collar and said, "When you get to the Tianlin Guard, you must cooperate fully with the investigation. Do you remember what your father told you?"

Yan Linghu's voice trembled slightly: "I... I remember... What can be said must be based on evidence, and what cannot be said must be kept secret."

Yan Peizhi nodded and said earnestly, "What needs to be said must be said clearly, and what shouldn't be said must not be said recklessly... Making baseless accusations will only lead you into a trap, so be careful not to set yourself on fire!"

"But……"

Before Yan Linghu could say anything more, Qiu Longgang had already stepped forward and taken him away.

Chen Mo cupped his hands and said, "Lord Yan, I'll take the person with me now. I won't bother you any longer. I'll come to visit you another day."

Yan Peizhi remained expressionless, cupped his hands in return, and said, "Take care, Lord Chen."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had thunder in his heart but his face remained calm... In any case, this vice minister's ability to maintain composure was truly remarkable.

"Walk."

Chen Mo turned and left.

The constables led Yan Linghu out of the main gate in single file.

The sound of horses' hooves outside the door faded into the distance, and the atmosphere quieted down.

Looking at the splinters of wood scattered on the ground, Yan Peizhi's eyelids twitched, and his face turned ashen.

"Hey Yan, someone's had a knife to my throat, and my son's been taken away. Are you just going to stand by and watch?!"

Qin Shu's eyes reddened as she glared at Yan Peizhi with hatred. "You know what kind of place that imperial prison is. It's no exaggeration to say that you're on your deathbed! This whole thing started because of you. If anything happens to Hu'er, I'll never forgive you!"

"Shut up, you!"

Yan Peizhi glared at her and said coldly, "Isn't your Miss Qin quite capable? Why don't you dare to be so aggressive in front of Chen Mo?"

Qin Shu's breath hitched, and she turned her head away, saying, "He has the Flying Phoenix Token and the Crown Prince's token. I am just a woman with no official rank. What can I do?"

"You also know that it's a token of the Crown Prince's favor?!"

"A whole bunch of tokens have been thrown at our face. What can we do but cooperate?"

"At least I can still operate outside now that that rebellious son is in jail... But if he openly defies the law and gives Chen Mo a reason to take action and wipe out the entire Yan family, then he'll really just be waiting to die in the imperial prison!"

Yan Peizhi, panting heavily, said angrily.

"Operation?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shu frowned and asked, "Do you have a way to get Hu'er out?"

Yan Peizhi gestured for his attendants to leave, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard. He took a breath and said, "After the court assembly, I went to see Chief Minister Zhuang. Although I didn't see him, he passed me a note with eight characters written on it..."

Qin Shu asked curiously, "Which eight characters?"

Yan Peizhi said in a low voice, "They're trying to shift the blame and save themselves."

Qin Shu blinked and asked, "What do you mean? Can you explain it more clearly?"

"..."

Yan Peizhi looked somewhat helpless and explained, "Although the Chen family and the Yan family have a long-standing feud, it is only a dispute over interests. However, Chen Mo and the young master are mortal enemies!"

"His grand visit this time, seemingly targeting the Yan family, was actually intended to use this as an excuse to set his sights on the Prince Yu's residence!"

Qin Shu's heart skipped a beat. "You mean, let Hu'er bite the Crown Prince?"

“The young master was already involved, so it can’t be considered an attempt to frame someone.” Yan Peizhi said with a solemn expression, “This investigation into the barbarian slave case is actually a power struggle between two factions.”

"On one side is Prince Yu, and on the other is imperial power. Do you think I have a choice?"

Qin Shu frowned even more deeply. "But after all this talk, you still haven't said how to rescue Hu'er. Every day he stays in the imperial prison, he suffers another day!"

Yan Peizhi looked at his naive wife and sneered, "At a time like this, you're still thinking about getting that rebellious son out? We're lucky if we can even save the Yan family!"

"Once the Crown Prince is implicated, I will request His Highness to conduct a joint trial by the three judicial departments. If we can transfer him to the Ministry of Justice prison, his life will naturally be safe..."

"I'm just afraid..."

Yan Peizhi hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

Qin Shu hurriedly asked, "What are you afraid of?"

Yan Peizhi sighed, "Given the cruel methods of that imperial prison, I'm afraid your son won't last that long!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shu's face turned pale, and he swayed slightly.

Yan Peizhi composed himself and said coldly, "The reason I'm telling you all this is to keep you calm and prevent you from doing anything unnecessary, lest you end up shooting yourself in the foot!"

Having said that, he flicked his sleeves, turned around, and left.

Qin Shu lowered her head, stood still, her hands clenched tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"After all this time, all you care about is your official position!" "Your mind is full of self-interest and gains. When faced with difficulties, you abandon the pawns to save the king. You'd even sacrifice your own son?!"

"Yan Peizhi, what kind of man are you?!"

Qin Shu and Yan Peizhi were an older man and a younger woman, with an age difference of more than ten years.

The reason they got together in the first place was because Old Master Qin saw Yan Peizhi's potential. It was a standard political marriage, and there was no deep affection between them.

But Yan Linghu is different.

That was her own flesh and blood; blood is thicker than water. Even if he was a bit useless, she couldn't just stand by and watch him die!

"Someone, prepare the sedan chair!"

"I want to go back to the Qin family!"

……

……

Tianlin Guard, Imperial Prison.

wow-

wow-

The sound of chains grinding echoed through the deep passageway.

Under the escort of two prison guards, Yan Linghu descended the stone steps to the second basement level.

His face was deathly pale, his hair was disheveled, his hands and feet were shackled, and steel nails were driven into his shoulder blades. Blood had soaked through his prison uniform.

They arrived at a prison cell deep inside the passageway.

The jailer opened the iron gate and pushed him.

"Go in."

Yan Linghu staggered inside, and then the door slammed shut with a bang.

"coming?"

"I've been waiting for you for a while."

The candles burning on the wall barely illuminated the cramped prison cell.

In the center of the cell, Chen Mo sat in a chair with his legs crossed, looking completely at ease.

Dozens of instruments of torture were laid out on the long table in front of him: clamps, files, branding irons, iron lotus flowers... all stained with dark red blood.

In addition, there was a large earthenware urn beside him.

"It's quite a coincidence, this cell was originally used to imprison Yan Liang, and now it's your turn to enjoy yourself." Chen Mo chuckled, toying with a file in his hand. "Maybe your father will be next... In my opinion, how about turning this cell into 'Yan Family Only'?"

Yan Linghu swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "Lord Chen, I have offended you in the past, and I hope you will forgive my rudeness... But I really did not participate in the barbarian slave case, and I knew nothing about it!"

“I suspect this matter has nothing to do with Young Master Yan,” Chen Mo nodded.

Just as Yan Linghu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard him continue, "But since we're already here, we still have to go through the formalities."

Yan Linghu had a bad feeling. "W-what process?"

Chen Mo ran his fingers over the instruments of torture on the table and said slowly, "These are all must-do activities in our Imperial Prison. Young Master Yan can try them one by one... Don't worry, with your physique, you should be able to withstand one round without much trouble."

"This is the main event."

Chen Mo patted the large urn behind him and said, "I went to great lengths to find one that was the right size... Someone, light the fire!"

"Yes."

Two jailers lit the stove, then lifted the large urn and sat it on the stove.

Soon, the roaring fire turned the large urn red-hot.

Chen Mo gestured for him to enter, saying, "It's almost done, Young Master Yan, please step into the trap."

? !
Yan Linghu was so frightened that his legs went weak.

Although he was a martial artist who practiced external martial arts, his cultivation was now completely ruined. If he were to enter this urn, he would probably be cooked in less than a quarter of an hour!

Without a word, the jailers dragged him toward the stove. Yan Linghu struggled fiercely, his voice even trembling with tears.

"Lord Chen, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"

"I did participate in the matter of raising barbarian slaves, but I was not the mastermind behind it!"

"stop."

Chen Mo cleared his throat.

The jailer stopped in his tracks, and Yan Linghu's face was frozen two inches in front of the large urn, the sweat rolling down his face evaporating in the heat.

"You two brothers are really boring. You could at least hold on a little longer. I've developed this 'Invite the Enemy into the Trap' technique, but I haven't used it even once since." Chen Mo said with some regret, waving his hand as the two jailers left the cell.

Yan Linghu lay on the ground, panting heavily.

Chen Mo walked over, knelt down, and placed paper and pen in front of him. "What do you know? Tell me as you go, and write it down... especially about Chu Heng. Don't hide anything..."

As he spoke, he pulled the red-hot branding iron from the furnace and pressed it directly onto Yan Linghu's back.

swoosh-

A wisp of smoke rose, accompanied by the aroma of roasted meat.

"Ahhh!"

Yan Linghu cried out in pain, his voice trembling as he said, "Don't worry, Lord Chen, I will tell you everything I know!"

"Very good." Chen Mo put away the branding iron and nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's begin. Whether Da Huang can have an extra meal today depends on Young Master Yan's performance."

Yan Linghu said with a heavy heart, "Dahuang is..."

Chen Mo said casually, "The Bloodhounds raised by the Tianlin Guard are getting old now, so they're left at the training ground as guard dogs... Young Master Yan is such a big guy, he'll be enough to feed them for three days."

"..."

Strictly ordered that the tiger's spine should feel cold.

This guy is a monster!
Now that he was already in prison, he had no intention of putting up a fight; he simply wanted to use it as leverage to try and save his life.

As it turned out, Chen Mo didn't play by the rules and didn't give him a chance to negotiate at all.

We'll start grilling right away...

But since things had come to this, there was nothing he could do. With trembling hands, he picked up the brush and began to write, word by word.

After a stick of incense.

Chen Mo walked out of the cell with the confession bearing the bloody handprint.

"This efficiency is just too high. It seems I was born to be a warden..."

The confession clearly states that Chu Heng was the mastermind, and that the route for transporting the barbarian slaves into the city was also arranged by Chu Heng.

However, Chu Heng was very cautious. He always communicated through others and would set up a magic array in advance to prevent his image and voice from being recorded.

Therefore, there is a lack of substantial evidence.

But for Chen Mo, that was enough.

He didn't expect to make this an ironclad case through these things; he just needed a reason to take action.

At this moment, a jailer stepped forward and asked, "Lord Chen, should we continue the interrogation of Yan Linghu?"

"Interrogate him, of course we should interrogate him." Chen Mo put away the confession and said calmly, "Since we're already here, let's not sit idly by. Let's give him a full-on interrogation to loosen up his muscles first."

Besides the heir apparent, he was also very interested in Yan Peizhi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Although the chances are slim, we can't be complacent. We'll see how long this young master Yan can hold out.

"Yes."

The jailer bowed and withdrew.

Soon, a series of shrill screams echoed from the cell.

……

……

The Qin residence.

Inside the study, Qin Shu's face was extremely grim.

"Father, is there really no way at all? The Office of Transmission has direct access to the Emperor, can't they at least try to pull some strings?"

"Even taking them from the imperial prison to the heavenly jail would be acceptable!"

With a full head of silver hair but still looking quite energetic, Qin Yucheng sat in a chair, holding a teacup in his hand, and shook his head, saying, "You are not an official of the court, so you don't understand the seriousness of this matter. Chen Zhuo presented evidence against the Yan family in court, and Her Majesty the Empress was furious..."

"Now that Chen Mo has taken the person away, it is perfectly legitimate. Not to mention that the Crown Prince is backing him up. Getting the person out is as difficult as climbing to the sky."

Qin Shu gritted his teeth and said, "But we can't just do nothing! I only have one son!"

"You think I haven't tried anything?" Qin Yucheng sighed. "I went to the Shangguan family as soon as I heard about this. Shangguan Jin was very polite, but he fell silent as soon as the topic came up. I knew then that things were not good..."

The current Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, Shangguan Jin, and Qin Yucheng were former colleagues and had a very good personal relationship.

This attitude they've adopted now is enough to explain the problem...

“Pei Zhi is right. This situation is very complicated. If we are not careful, we could drag the Yan family down with us. We should focus on the big picture right now,” Qin Yucheng advised kindly.

"Yan Peizhi? He lost the party struggle and pushed his own son out to take the fall. What a coward!" Qin Shu said with disdain, clearly his dissatisfaction with Yan Peizhi had reached its peak.

Knowing his daughter's temper, Qin Yucheng said helplessly, "Linghu's life is now in Chen Mo's hands. If he's willing to back down, there might be a glimmer of hope. Otherwise... sigh..."

Qin Shu bit her lip and whispered, "Everyone has weaknesses, and Chen Mo is no exception... I heard he's quite lecherous?"

Qin Yucheng nodded and said, "That's true. He's a well-known big spender in the brothel, he's spent thousands of taels of silver... But if you're thinking of sending a beauty, you'd better give up that idea. Chen Mo has no shortage of beauties around him..."

Qin Shu didn't say anything, turned around and walked out of the study.

She returned to her room, closed the door, and sat down at her dressing table.

Looking at that well-maintained, pretty face, her rosy lips parted, revealing a desolate smile.

Chen Mo would naturally not be interested in ordinary beauties, but what if it were the wife of his nemesis?
It must have been quite a unique experience, right?

"Tiger was just a sacrifice; Chen Mo's target was never him."

"I'm willing to do anything to save them..."

Qin Shu's eyes gradually hardened, filled with determination.

(End of this chapter)