After failing the imperial examination, he began to wield immense power after entering the palace!

When Wu Zheng saw Li Fan emerge from the shadows and stand with his hands behind his back at the cell door, he immediately frowned.

"Who are you? This is the Ministry of Justice prison, not a place for eunuchs."

Li Fan stepped forward, took the token from his waist, and waved it in front of Wu Zheng.

"My name is Gao Jin. I have been ordered by His Majesty to investigate the case of Zhang Xuan's collusion with the enemy."

"Tell me, who are we?"

Wu Zheng's expression changed.

His Majesty sent people down to investigate the case, how come he didn't receive the news?

"So it's the Imperial Envoy."

"This humble official was unaware of your arrival, Your Excellency, and has failed to greet you properly. I hope Your Excellency will forgive me."

Li Fan didn't respond to his question, but instead asked:

"What are you doing here in the Ministry of Justice prison instead of staying in your office, a mere legal officer from the Capital Prefecture?"

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Wu Zheng's forehead.

According to regulations, the Jingzhao Prefecture indeed had no right to interfere in cases handled by the Ministry of Justice.

He sneaked in only after receiving a warrant from the Prefect of the Capital.

"Well, I am here on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress to inquire about Zhang Xuan's treasonous dealings..."

"Oh?"

Li Fan smiled, a smile that sent chills down Wu Zheng's spine.

"Then let me ask you, who is more senior, His Majesty or the Empress?"

"what?"

Wu Zheng was stunned, his mind still reeling.

The smile on Li Fan's face vanished abruptly, and his voice turned cold:

"Oh, you can't answer that. It seems that in your heart, the Empress is more important than His Majesty?"

Wu Zheng turned pale with fright: "Father-in-law, please don't talk nonsense!"

"In my heart, Your Majesty is undoubtedly the greatest!"

"His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, the ruler of all people. No matter how noble the Empress is, she cannot compare to His Majesty!"

Li Fan looked at him coldly: "Then what are you still doing here? Get out."

"We'll take over this case; you and the Empress don't need to worry about it."

Wu Zheng's face turned pale and then red, and his lips trembled as if he wanted to say something.

Li Fan glanced at him: "What? You're not happy about it?"

"Then you can go to the palace now and ask His Majesty whether this case should be investigated by the Empress's people or by us."

Wu Zheng trembled all over.

How could he dare to go to His Majesty?

He came to force Zhang Xuan to sign and put his fingerprint on the document; this was something that couldn't be done in the open.

If this gets reported to His Majesty, not only will he be in trouble, but the Prefect himself will also be implicated.

"This humble official takes his leave."

Wu Zheng slunk away.

As he passed by Zhang Miaozhen, he lowered his head and didn't dare to look at her again.

Zhang Miaozhen stared at his back, her phoenix eyes filled with disgust.

Does this kind of person deserve to be an official?

"stop!"

Wu Zheng paused, turned around, and spoke with undisguised impatience.

"Father-in-law, is there anything else?"

This damned eunuch, does he really think he's something special?

Li Fan stepped forward with a gloomy face and asked, word by word:

"Has His Majesty issued an edict condemning Zhang Xuan as a traitor?"

Wu Zheng was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "No, but..."

"No?"

Li Fan interrupted him directly, his voice suddenly rising:

"Then he is now a heroic general who saved 100,000 soldiers in Liaodong!"

He pointed to the scars on Zhang Xuan's face and said coldly:

"And you, a mere legal officer in the capital, have assaulted a general without cause. According to the laws of the Great Chu, what crime should you be charged with?"

"Forty strokes of the cane!"

Wu Zheng's face darkened, then he laughed in anger.

A eunuch using the laws of the Great Chu to suppress himself?

He was a seventh-rank official in the imperial court, with the Prefect and the Empress standing behind him!

"Father-in-law, don't go too far."

At this moment, Li Fan's words were so cold they sent chills down one's spine:

"Oh, so Lord Wu disregards the laws of the Great Chu."

"Alright, when we return to the palace later, we will tell His Majesty that Wu Zheng, the legal officer of the Jingzhao Prefecture, broke into the Ministry of Justice prison without permission, beat an innocent general, and treated the laws of the Great Chu as if they were nothing."

"I'd like to see how His Majesty will deal with you."

Wu Zheng's expression changed instantly.

Why does this damned eunuch always try to use His Majesty to pressure him?

But he dared not gamble, for if the matter were to reach His Majesty, he would be in serious trouble.

"Your Excellency misunderstands. I have never struck Zhang Xuan."

"If you don't believe me, ask him."

He turned his head and looked at Zhang Xuan, his eyes filled with a naked threat.

You'd better be sensible, or your wife and daughters...

Zhang Xuan froze.

He clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and blood dripped from between his fingers.

But the words that were on the tip of his tongue turned into a muffled groan.

"Lord Wu is right, he indeed...did not hit me."

humiliation!

Utter humiliation!

He never flinched when facing tens of thousands of Tartar cavalry on the battlefield, but now he has to bow down to a civil official who only knows how to talk big!

Looking at her father's face, which was covered in bruises, Zhang Miaozhen felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.

The father, a man of unyielding integrity, can only swallow his anger and bear the immense injustice he has suffered.

Those powerful and influential people can crush a seasoned veteran into the mud with the flick of their fingers.

desolate.

An indescribable sorrow!

Wu Zheng smiled.

How dare a prisoner offend me?

That damned eunuch was trying to take advantage of the situation; he was delusional.

"Grandpa Gao, look..."

"Snapped!"

A resounding slap landed on Wu Zheng's face.

Clean and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.

"what?"

Wu Zheng was completely stunned by the slap, his face turned to one side, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The cell fell silent instantly.

The imperial guards all instinctively shrank back, looking at Li Fan, who had made the move, in astonishment.

To physically assault an official?

"Whoosh!"

Wu Zheng suddenly came to his senses, covered his face, his eyes wide like copper bells, and his voice changed tone.

He was a dignified seventh-rank official of the imperial court, and he was slapped in the face in public by a eunuch.

"How dare you...how dare you hit me?!"

"So what if I hit you?"

Li Fan shook his hand, a smile still on his face.

"Since we're going back to the palace to see His Majesty soon anyway, why don't we trouble Lord Wu to come with us?"

"If you want to file a complaint, you can go directly to His Majesty."

"By the way, I would also like to ask Your Majesty, does a mere legal officer have the authority to enter the Ministry of Justice prison to force a military officer to sign a confession?"

The color drained completely from Wu Zheng's face in an instant.

This matter cannot withstand scrutiny.

He gritted his teeth, his face contorting in pain; he had never suffered such humiliation in his life.

"You still don't know your father-in-law's name?"

Li Fan replied without hesitation:

"Our Gao Jin is Grandpa Hai's godson."

"If you have any complaints, feel free to come and find me."

Wu Zheng felt a chill run down his spine.

Hai Gonggong, the head eunuch serving Consort Xie, is a top-tier second-rank eunuch and a half-step grandmaster.

No wonder this kid is so arrogant; it turns out he has a powerful backer.

Oh no! Consort Xie's men have arrived. They're going to make trouble for Zhang Xuan. We must hurry back and report to the Prefect.

"Eunuch Gao, I will remember you."

He left those words behind, covered his swollen face, and hurriedly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

That silhouette looked just like a dog running away with its tail between its legs.

Zhang Xuan stared blankly at this scene.

Wu Zheng, who had just been beating and kicking him and acting all high and mighty, didn't dare utter a single word in front of this young eunuch and slunk away in a sorry state.

This eunuch Gao is truly remarkable!

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Miaozhen's beautiful eyes.

She initially disliked the eunuch because she thought his methods were too dirty.

But watching him slap Wu Zheng, watching him scare the man so badly he wet himself with just a few words, I felt inexplicably satisfied.

Although this eunuch Gao was ruthless in his actions, he did manage to avenge his father.

Li Fan turned around and looked at Zhang Xuan.

At this moment, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a cold seriousness.

"Zhang Xuan, you're about to die, do you know that?"