Catching Monsters

Chapter 674 It's not an exaggeration for me to call myself a peerless genius, is it?
This little bastard still knows to go home; looks like he's not completely drunk yet.

Qu Boling took a deep breath and asked earnestly, "Yi'er, your father is here, you don't need to be afraid of anything!"

At this point, Qu Boling glanced back at Jiang Yun before asking Qu Yi, "Tell me, were you subjected to torture or forced confession here? Did these Imperial Guards beat you?"

"Father," Qu Yi was about to speak.

Qu Boling then shouted loudly, "Tell me the truth! Now!"

Qu Yi, who was originally quite drunk, was sobered up a bit by Qu Boling's appearance.

He had never been yelled at like that by his father before.

"No, no, these Imperial Guards didn't hit me," Qu Yi answered truthfully.

These words struck Qu Boling like a bolt from the blue. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Then what about the confession you signed and fingerprinted?"

"I wrote it too." Qu Yi nodded.

“You…” Qu Boling stared at the other person in disbelief.

Qu Yi said in a low voice, "Father, didn't you tell me to tell the truth?"

Qu Boling took a step back and sighed.

"Dad, when can I go home?"

“It seems we can’t go back for now.” Jiang Yun stepped forward, smiled, and then looked respectfully at Xiao Jingzhi, saying, “Your Majesty, the case is quite clear. I believe that, after all, Qu Yi is Lord Qu’s son.”

"As for Lord Qu, he is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and is in charge of punishments. I think it is up to Lord Qu to decide how to punish him."

"I will send Qu Yi to the Ministry of Justice first thing tomorrow morning."

Xiao Jingzhi stood with his hands behind his back. After listening, he nodded solemnly and said, "Qu Boling."

"Your humble servant is here." Qu Boling quickly turned around and bowed.

“Jiang Yun’s suggestion is not bad,” Xiao Jingzhi said slowly. “You are the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Your son has broken the law, so his punishment should be increased by one degree.”

"You decide how to handle this."

After saying that, Xiao Jingzhi flicked his hand and turned to leave.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Qu Bo watched Xiao Jingzhi's departing figure, and his gaze toward Jiang Yun also carried a hint of resentment.

Jiang Yun calmly met his gaze and said, "Lord Qu, let's take care of your son's funeral arrangements first."

Qu Boling gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Jiang, we have no grudge against each other, why are you so relentlessly persecuting my son?"

"What did I force him to do?" Jiang Yun's voice also turned colder as he said in a deep voice, "Lord Qu, what did I force him to do? It was your son who committed murder first."

"I'm just trying to get justice for that girl who died unjustly."

Qu Boling clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but he couldn't utter a word.

Jiang Yun calmly said, "Lord Qu, tell me, does this girl deserve to die?"

"Shouldn't someone who commits murder pay with their life?"

Qu Boling was momentarily dazed.

Jiang Yun snorted coldly, and after saying these words, strode away.

Qu Yi is definitely not going to make it.

Qu Yi, who was in prison, had fallen fast asleep, slurred by the alcohol.

Qu Boling looked at his sleeping son with a helpless expression. He gripped the prison bars tightly, feeling somewhat regretful.

Looking at his son lying on the prison floor, he seemed to recall the way the child used to follow him around when he was young, calling him "Daddy" and asking him to spend more time with him.

How did that innocent and lovely child turn into this?

As the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, how could he not understand the principle of "a life for a life"?

As Qu Yi grew up and started getting into trouble, whenever something involved the child, he would spoil him and grant his every request.

In the end, it was he who was harmed.

After being released from the imperial prison, Jiang Yun instructed Qi Da to properly transfer the case to the Ministry of Justice the next day.

Zida asked curiously, "Sir, do you think Qu Boling will only be sentenced to exile?"

"Only exile?" Jiang Yun smiled slightly, shook his head and said, "Unless Qu Boling doesn't want this promising future anymore."

For Qu Boling, if he handles this kind of case well, he will be praised for putting righteousness before family.

If not handled properly.

It's not just a simple influence on him.

There was nothing more to do at the Zhenfu Division, so Jiang Yun went straight back to the Jiang residence. Upon entering, Jiang Yun wanted to see Jiang Qiaoqiao first. After all, she had helped Qiao Haotian, and she wanted to tell Qiaoqiao to put her mind at ease.

But as soon as he entered, Yun Pingchuan strode over and said, "Master, there is a guest in the manor who has been waiting for you."

"Guests?" Jiang Yun glanced at the sky; it was already dark. At this hour, were there still people waiting for him?

"Who?"

"The great scholar Fang of Renyi Academy".

"Master Fang." Upon hearing these three words, Jiang Yun nodded slightly and quickly went to the reception room.

Fang Tingzhi had been waiting at the Jiang residence for a long time. Although it was late at night, Xu Suwen, as the host, still showed proper hospitality.

He took Jiang Qiaoqiao with him and chatted with the great scholar in the reception room.

Firstly, it's impolite to leave a guest alone here; that's not proper hospitality.

Secondly, Fang Daru was also Jiang Qiaoqiao's mentor.

"Master Fang, I apologize for keeping you waiting. If I had known you were waiting at home, I would have returned long ago. How could I have kept you waiting for so long?" Jiang Yun forced a smile and walked into the reception room.

Fang Tingzhi smiled and said, "Lord Jiang is very busy with official duties. I am just here on behalf of the academy to have a casual chat with you."

Seeing this, Xu Suwen knew that the two were about to discuss serious matters, so she stood up with Jiang Qiaoqiao and said, "Master Fang, you two talk. I'll go and have the servants prepare some late-night snacks for you."

"Master, I'll go out first." Jiang Qiaoqiao said to Fang Tingzhi, but her eyes were on Jiang Yun.

Clearly, they were concerned about how Qiao Haotian was doing.

Jiang Yun glanced at her and said, "Don't worry, Qiao Haotian is fine."

Hearing this, Jiang Qiaoqiao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

After the two left, Jiang Yun sat down next to Fang Tingzhi and slowly asked, "Master Fang, tell me, I have received the academy's baptism. What is the academy's attitude?"

Fang Tingzhi gave a helpless bitter smile and slowly said, "Jiang Yun, this matter has been discussed extensively within our academy."

"Early this morning, the chief scholars of the five major academies gathered together to discuss this matter."

"After all, the baptism at the academy is extremely important for our five major academies."

"We do have a plan right now, though you might not accept it." Fang Tingzhi paused, knowing Jiang Yun wouldn't accept it, but he still had to say it.

"That is, you close down those Sanqing Temples and join the academy. You receive the full baptism of the sages, and your future in Confucianism and Taoism will surely be limitless."

"You can choose any one of the five academies, and I will give it to you."

The five academies knew that Jiang Yun had big ambitions. After all, he was now the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If the conditions were too poor, Jiang Yun would not agree to join the academy.

They've gone to great lengths to get Jiang Yun to join them.

It should be understood that as long as Jiang Yun takes charge of one of the academies, all students who graduate from that academy in the future, whether they embark on an official career or achieve success in cultivation, will be considered as Jiang Yun's subordinates.

Jiang Yun shook her head: "Impossible."

"It is absolutely impossible for me to leave Taoism and join Confucianism and Taoism."

"If the five academies need some gold and silver jewelry as compensation, I, Jiang, am a reasonable person and am willing to contribute some money."

Upon hearing this, Fang Tingzhi frowned slightly. Could the academy possibly be short of money?

"If you don't want gold or silver, then I can't help you. To be honest, I haven't blamed your academy yet."

"Blame the academy?" Fang Tingzhi was taken aback. Wasn't Jiang Yun the one who benefited from this? How could this be...?

Jiang Yun said, "My original talent was that of a prodigy who specializes in cultivating Taoist arts. Look at me, in just two or three years, I have cultivated from an ordinary person to the current second-grade True Monarch realm."

"Is it not an exaggeration for me to call myself an unparalleled genius, a born Dao seed?"

Fang Tingzhi frowned slightly: "It's not too much."

Jiang Yun knows his own background best, but to outsiders, it is anything but ordinary.

Jiang Yun clapped his hands: "That's settled then. I am a potential genius, so I should focus on cultivating my Daoist arts."

"I just went to your Renyi Academy for a visit, and suddenly, with a whoosh, your sage sent down several beams of white light, completely washing away my previous innate qualities and turning me into someone who cultivates Confucianism and Taoism."

“Confucius Fang, tell me, where can I go to seek justice? Do I lack this little bit of baptism? If I want baptism, I can just go to my own Three Pure Ones Ancestor. You sages didn’t even ask if I agreed before suddenly giving me this little baptism.”

"I don't even know if this baptism will affect my future cultivation of Taoist arts."

"I'm already being magnanimous by not causing trouble for your academy, so how dare you find fault with me?"

"Me." Fang Tingzhi opened his mouth slightly, but didn't know what to say. He almost apologized to Jiang Yun on behalf of the academy.

(End of this chapter)