New and dark light years

Chapter 322 Is he a corrupt official?
The military camp of Jin County.

Mu Yi was sweating profusely. He stood below the platform, head bowed, looking extremely frightened.

On the platform, several men dressed in black robes and wearing black crowns escorted a man onto the platform.

The man being held captive was Qu Wenjie.

Compared to Mu Yi, who was sweating profusely, Qu Wenjie seemed to have no bones and was being dragged along limply.

The two men in black robes threw him onto the platform and then took two steps back.

A man with a fair complexion and no beard sat on a red chair on the school platform. He wore a scarlet robe and had a silver fish-shaped pouch hanging from his waist.

He stood up, looked at the densely packed soldiers below, and said, "I have investigated and found that Qu Wenjie, the military commander of the Eastern Route, deserted in the face of battle. He deserves to die. Does anyone object?"

His voice was very high-pitched, like he was squeezing his throat.

This is a tone unique to eunuchs.

Many of the mid-level officials in the Imperial City Guard were eunuchs.

Although there were more than 7,000 people in the camp, not a single one dared to utter a sound.

Whether it was Mu Yi or the other two military commanders.

Seeing that no one dared to speak up, the eunuch nodded with satisfaction: "In that case, let's execute him."

Upon hearing this, Qu Wenjie scrambled towards the eunuch in a panic, crying out, "Eunuch Li, please spare me! I really didn't run away! I just... made a strategic retreat... I brought back more than two thousand men, preserving the court's military strength. I'm innocent!"

Eunuch Li sneered, his gaze toward Qu Wenjie filled with disdain.

Then two men in black robes came over, dragged Qu Wenjie's body forward, and placed it on the edge of the platform, bowing his head down.

Qu Wenjie cried so hard that snot was coming out of his nose. Despite having mastered the martial arts to a high level, he didn't dare to fight back.

Then another man in black robes drew a longsword and slashed it down, a flash of silver light.

The crying stopped, and only the sound of blood gushing from the neck could be heard.

The entire camp was so quiet it was unsettling.

After a while, Eunuch Li chuckled twice, breaking the tranquility of the camp.

"Chief Military Commander Mu... Her Majesty the Empress has ordered me to deliver a message: This is a one-time exception; there will be no next time!"

Mu Yi wiped away his cold sweat, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Half an hour later, Eunuch Li appeared in the backyard of the government office.

Huang Yan sat in the pavilion, while Eunuch Li stood outside, half-bent over.

"This humble official greets Prefect Huang."

Huang Yan nodded and asked, "Speak if you have something to say. People from the Imperial City Guard can't be here for good news. I heard you've already executed a supervisor."

“The deserter should be executed.”

“That’s true.” Huang Yan nodded and said, “This is a matter for the Imperial City Guard and the military officers, so there’s no need to tell me.”

As a civil official, Huang Yan did not want to get involved in the internal struggles of the military officer system.

Eunuch Li had a rather sinister appearance. Although he was from the Great Qi, his nose was hooked like an eagle's beak, which made him look very menacing.

He said, "But there is one person who is appointed to both civil and military positions. This person also has a great relationship with Prefect Huang."

Huang Yan looked up at the other person: "You mean... my son-in-law?"

"Yes!" Eunuch Li nodded.

Huang Yan smiled and said, "Did he offend you in any way?"

“No, no, of course not,” said Eunuch Li. “But… someone above asked me to investigate him.”

"What did he do that you're asked to investigate?"

"It cannot be said." Huang Yan laughed: "What a fine 'cannot be said.' This is Jin County. If you want to touch my subordinates, you'll have to give me a reason, understand?"

"It's truly unspeakable."

Huang Yan's face turned cold: "Is it really unspeakable?"

"Yes!"

"Very well." Huang Yan cupped his hands to the north: "I will go to the Secretariat later and speak directly to the Emperor. Let's see who gave the order, that they dared to extend their reach to the local area, yet they don't even show their face, and they can make me, a local minister, back down with just a word of 'it cannot be said'."

Previously, Eunuch Li was arrogant and domineering in the camp, but now, looking at Huang Yan's cold face, he was somewhat troubled.

He thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll let Prefect Huang know the truth. It's not a bad thing. As long as Supervisor Li is a little more sensible, there won't be any problems."

"What if he's immature?"

Eunuch Li lowered his head and remained silent.

Huang Yan laughed, but it was a cold laugh: "I don't care what the outcome is. If my son-in-law is wronged, I will ask him about it, not just the nobles in the capital, but even the nobles in the palace."

Eunuch Li frowned: "Prefect Huang, he's just a son-in-law, and he married a concubine's daughter at that. Why are you doing this..."

"You, a person cut off from your lineage, what do you know about human nature, what do you know about family affection!" Huang Yan looked at the other person with disdain: "I'll tell you the truth, my son-in-law, my Huang family guarantees it. You can go and ask him. If he's willing to be sensible, everything will be fine. If he's not willing to be sensible, then you two have to be sensible. Understand?"

Eunuch Li suddenly looked up, staring at Huang Yan with extreme dissatisfaction.

Huang Yan slammed the teacup he was holding onto the stone table. The cup shattered, and tea spilled all over the table.

Then he stared intently into Eunuch Li's eyes and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Did you understand?"

Eunuch Li sighed deeply, then said, "I understand."

"Very well, you can go."

Eunuch Li walked out of the government office, his face full of anger.

Several black-robed Imperial City Guard detectives waiting outside immediately walked to his side.

One of them asked, "Sir, how did the talks go?"

The eunuch Li suppressed his anger and said, "Prefect Huang is more... protective of that young master Li than I imagined."

"What about the Empress's request?"

“Let’s go to Yulin County first and scare him a bit.” Eunuch Li sneered, “We can’t handle that old fox, Prefect Huang, but surely we can handle a greenhorn in his early twenties? Let’s reveal our identities first and then scare him a bit, and that should do the trick.”

Several men in black robes from the Imperial City Guard chuckled.

They immediately began their journey on horseback, and at night, the group donned thick 'mystery-concealing clothes'.

Unlike the thin cloaks worn by local spirit hunters, the Imperial City Guard, as an institution directly under the emperor, naturally had far superior supplies compared to the countryside.

These people's protective clothing was not only thick, but also long... enough to cover three people at once, and could even be used as blankets to sleep on.

Therefore, the group arrived in Yulin County without any major incidents.

They were not approached by any strange creatures.

At this moment, Eunuch Li was dressed in plain clothes. He was drinking at a tavern when he beckoned to the waiter and asked, "Do you know Li, the county magistrate of this area?"

The waiter looked him over suspiciously: "Why do you talk in such a sinister way?"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Li's face darkened, and he pointed to the man beside him: "You ask."

The man in black robes stood up and said, "Our master tells you to speak, so just speak. Why waste so much breath?"

Upon hearing that this was an 'adult,' the waiter immediately lowered his head and said, 'What do you wish to ask, sir?'

"Is this County Magistrate Li a corrupt official?"

(End of this chapter)