With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

A bad feeling welled up in the foreman's heart. His eyes darted around, and he asked, "What grievance do you have? Do you have a complaint?"

"Of course we have a complaint." Wei Yang took out the complaint and handed it to the head constable.

The foreman took the petition, waved it at them without even looking at it, and said, "Leave the petition here. Go back now and come back tomorrow."

Wei Yang's face turned cold. "We're suing for a murder case."

In ordinary cases, it is indeed necessary to submit a petition first and then wait until the next day for trial. However, when it comes to matters of life and death, the yamen dares not delay at all. Even if someone comes to beat the drum in the middle of the night, the county magistrate has to get up and hold court.

"A murder case?" The foreman then opened the indictment to read it.

Wei Yang snatched the complaint back, glanced at the courtroom, and asked coldly:

"The imperial court has regulations stipulating that whenever someone beats the 'drum of grievance,' the yamen must immediately convene a court session. Where is your county magistrate? We've been beating the drum to appeal for justice for so long, why hasn't he appeared yet?"

"This..." The foreman was about to argue, but when he met his sharp gaze, the words caught in his throat.

He now understood that the visitor was up to no good.

"The magistrate is handling official business in the back hall. He must still be busy. I'll go check on him right away." The head constable said and ran towards the back hall.

A moment later, the county magistrate rushed over, his fat jiggling as he ran, his official hat askew, and the buttons on his blue official robe not fastened properly.

When the county magistrate saw them, his already small eyes narrowed into slits. When he saw Bei Chenyan standing behind them, he was secretly startled.

This person was just standing there, yet he exuded an aura that could not be ignored.

These people are definitely not simple!

"Was it you who beat the grievance drum? What grievance is it?" he asked tentatively.

"It was we who beat the drum to appeal for justice; it's a murder case." Wei Yang handed him the complaint in his hand.

The magistrate took the petition but didn't even look at it. He turned and walked into the courtroom, ordering, "Hold court immediately!"

The head constable led two rows of bailiffs, each holding a water or fire stick, standing on either side.

In the main hall, the magistrate had already straightened his official hat and robes, and sat upright, slamming the gavel on the table.

"Snap!" The sound was crisp.

Then, the bailiffs on both sides of the courtroom, holding their stern rods, chanted in unison:

"mighty--"

The roar was deafening; ordinary people would have been truly awestruck.

"Sue them!"

Bei Chenyan, Nangong Wu, Qi Ziyang, and Wei Yang entered the courtroom and stood on the platform.

Seeing that they did not kneel, the magistrate slammed his gavel again and shouted, "How dare you! Why do you not kneel before me?"

"You're not worthy to make us kneel before you!" Wei Yang sneered. "Take a look at that complaint first!"

The magistrate's face hardened, and a hint of fear finally appeared in his cunning little eyes.

"Impossible!" he reassured himself.

The people above have been bribed, so if there's any disturbance in the court, someone will immediately send a message.

Thinking this through, the magistrate calmed himself down and opened the petition to read it.

Just one glance, and his expression changed drastically.

The person who filed the complaint was Xu Qinghe, who accused the wealthy Lü family of a wrongful charge of stealing his wife and killing his son.

His hands trembled slightly. The case had been closed a few years ago; Xu Qinghe had committed murder and fled, supposedly becoming a bandit in the mountains.

At this moment, Xu Qinghe walked into the courtroom. "Magistrate, do you still remember me?"

When the magistrate saw his face, he turned deathly pale, as if he had seen a ghost. The petition fell from his hand. "You are Xu Qinghe... are you a human or a ghost?"

"You corrupt official, you've judged so many wrongful cases, just wait for those wronged ghosts to come and claim your lives!" Xu Qinghe looked at the county magistrate, his eyes filled with intense hatred.

Just then, a county magistrate hurried in, carrying some case files, and stood next to the county magistrate.

"Guards! Xu Qinghe committed murder and fled, later becoming an outlaw. He is an utterly wicked man. Seize them all immediately!" the magistrate ordered.

The county magistrate standing nearby sensed something was amiss and said, "Sir, since they say they have a grievance, why don't we let them speak first? Perhaps there is more to the story."

If they really are bandits, it's not too late to have them captured later.

"How dare you, Shi Wei, a mere county magistrate, question the judgment of this official?" The county magistrate pointed at the county magistrate and rebuked him.

The county magistrate lowered his head after being scolded, but still argued his case, "Your Honor, I believe that since someone has beaten the drum to appeal for justice, we must investigate the case impartially and find out the truth..."

Upon hearing this, Bei Chenyan, Nangong Wu, and Qi Ziyang all looked at the county magistrate in surprise.

The county magistrate was only the second-in-command, and he had to listen to the county magistrate in everything. I thought he would also follow the county magistrate's lead and go along with his corrupt practices.

The yamen runners, who all obeyed the magistrate, immediately stepped forward to arrest Bei Chenyan and his companions.

"Let's see who dares to make a move!" A cold shout came from outside the lobby.

Cao Li led several people in, all of whom were dressed in the unique uniforms of the Eastern Palace guards.

When the magistrate saw the clothes they were wearing, he was so frightened that he ran out in a panic.

The presence of the palace guards here suggests that the Crown Prince may have come here incognito.

If it really is the Crown Prince who comes, then he's completely finished.

"You corrupt official!" Wei Yang went over and kicked the county magistrate.

"Ouch!" The magistrate yelled and fell to the ground, taking a while to get up.

"Who are you? How dare you assault me? I am an official appointed by the imperial court!"

Bei Chenyan didn't even look at him, and shouted towards the door, "Bring him up!"

"Yes."

The guards brought several people up.

Xu Qinghe looked up and saw that the people being brought in were the wealthy man's family.

The old rich man, his legal wife, and his three sons were all forced to the ground.

"Kneel down!"

The magistrate was completely limp, his face ashen.

Everything is over!

He now deeply regrets not taking Xu Qinghe's life back then, thus leaving himself with future troubles.

"Your name is Shi Wei?" Bei Chenyan asked the county magistrate.

"This humble official is Shi Wei," the county magistrate stepped forward and bowed slightly. "May I ask your honorable name?"

"This is His Highness the Crown Prince! Why are you all kneeling down?" Wei Yang stepped forward and held up a token in front of Shi Wei.

"Your Highness!" Shi Wei was startled to see the token from the Eastern Palace and immediately knelt before Bei Chenyan. "This humble official pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"

The constables were terrified and dropped their sticks, kneeling down and shouting, "Greetings, Your Highness! Long live the Crown Prince!"

The magistrate crawled over and knelt at Bei Chenyan's feet, his entire body trembling with fat, stammering, "This... official pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince... may he live a thousand years..."

"Deng Song, what is your crime?" Qi Ziyang shouted.

"Your humble servant... Your humble servant..." The magistrate was so frightened that he couldn't speak. Yellow liquid, which smelled of urine, flowed from his body.

Bei Chenyan frowned, pulled Nangong Wu aside, and said to Shi Wei, "You will be in charge of re-examining Xu Qinghe's case."

Shi Wei was taken aback for a moment, then accepted the order, "Yes!"