Denghuangtai

Pei Qingyan turned her head and saw Yun Zheng staring at her with a gloomy expression.

"Pei Qingyan, have you gone mad? Do you know how many court officials were inexplicably arrested and imprisoned last night? The petitions impeaching you for abusing your power are already piling up!"

Pei Qingyan smirked and retorted, "So what? I'm investigating this case on His Majesty's orders. Who dares to obstruct me?"

Many people say she's crazy, but who could know that she had already gone mad the moment she heard the news of her loved one's death?

And this is just the beginning!

Passing Yun Zheng, Pei Qingyan stepped forward.

Yun Zheng grabbed Pei Qingyan's wrist and said coldly, "Pei Qingyan, you should understand that you can't touch those people, and His Majesty will not allow you to shake the foundation of the court."

Pei Qingyan did not turn around, letting Yun Zheng hold his wrist.

"When we were young and studying, we always said that if we could become officials in the court, we would be honest and upright and speak up for the people. But after I went to the north, I realized that if 30% of the military pay allocated by the court could be transported to the border, it would be the greatest blessing! As soon as we left the capital, the new rice was replaced with old rice, and before we were even halfway there, it became coarse rice. When we arrived at the border, those with a better conscience could still eat some old coarse rice, but most of the time it was mixed with sand and stones to make up the difference."

"We have to eat! If we don't eat, we won't have the strength to fight, and we'll lose our lives!"

"Yun Zheng, you are Consort Yun's nephew, a favorite of His Majesty. Do you know what stale rice mixed with sand and stones tastes like? Can cotton clothes stuffed with reeds keep you warm? Weapons break at the slightest touch and have to be melted down and reforged, which consumes so much manpower?"

"Given all this, if all those people were killed, there wouldn't be a single injustice done to them. Isn't that right?"

Yun Zheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he loosened his grip a little.

"You are making an enemy of the entire imperial court."

"Heh..." Pei Qingyan chuckled softly, "Your Excellency is mistaken. Why should I antagonize the entire court? My only desire is to survive!"

Just then, the sound of wheels rolling came from not far away.

Pei Qingyan's expression shifted slightly as he looked over.

Three carriages came speeding by, and through the fluttering curtains, one could see that they were filled with lacquered wooden boxes.

Yun Zheng frowned. That was...

Pei Qingyan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, murmuring, "Finally here!"

The carriage stopped in front of Pei Qingyan, and the agile and composed coachman jumped down and clasped his hands in a military salute.

"General, I have successfully completed my mission and delivered the goods on time!"

Yun Zheng asked inquisitively, "What is that?"

Pei Qingyan was in a good mood and showed more patience towards his future partners, explaining, "These things are deadly to them!"

After saying that, Pei Qingyan waved his hand, ignoring Yun Zheng, and turned to enter the Zhao Prison, with three carriages following closely behind.

Yun Zheng frowned in thought. Could something that could kill those officials be…?

He and Pei Qingyan grew up together and knew that she was not an ordinary young lady. She was well-versed in military strategy and never fought a battle she was not sure of winning. Whether it was her calm and composed demeanor when she returned to the capital and was in the Zhao prison, her temporary escape to plan cooperation with him, or her forceful coercion of the Court of Justice to arrest dozens of court officials, she always planned ahead. To outsiders, she was taking a hard line against the corrupt officials in the court.

But he knew that she was never a reckless and inflexible fool.

Water that is too clear has no fish; corruption has existed since ancient times, and it can never be eradicated or eliminated.

What does she want to do?

Pei Qingyan found several jailers to carry the lacquered wooden boxes one by one to the interrogation hall.

When she entered, the interrogation room was filled with the sounds of whips lashing and heart-wrenching screams.

The man tied to the stake and being beaten saw Pei Qingyan enter and his eyes flashed with hatred. "Pei Qingyan, you colluded with the Court of Judicial Review to frame a loyal minister! You deserve to die a horrible death!"

"You still have the energy to curse? Looks like you're not giving up!"

Pei Qingyan sneered, opened the lacquered wooden box that the jailer had just placed there, and held up the top booklet in front of the man.

The man was still shouting, but after taking a closer look at the contents of the booklet, his expression changed drastically.

"How did you... get this thing?"

In his shock, the man was unable to utter a complete sentence.