From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

Zhu Hong stood in the hall, looking at Jiang Cong:

"Today, I have received an oral instruction from the registrar, concerning only three matters." He held up one finger, his voice neither loud nor soft, yet it sent a chill down one's spine: "First, Zhao Lai beat the drum to appeal for justice, falsely accusing someone in my office. He has now confessed."

"The instigator was the Jiang family."

Before he finished speaking, he glanced towards the door and gave a stern order:

"Bring people."

The curtain was lifted, and Lin Jizhi led two constables in, bringing Zhao Gui inside. As soon as Zhao Gui entered the main hall, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he didn't dare to lift his head. He just curled up into a ball, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Zhu Hong looked down at him, his tone indifferent:

"Explain things clearly from the beginning."

Zhao Gui felt as if his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he could hardly breathe. He trembled all over, his lips turned blue, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a few broken words: "It was...it was Young Master Jiang Feng who sent me."

He said,

"As long as we are willing to go to the government office and beat the petition drum, the Jiang family will stand up for us and will come to the court today to confront us. That's fine."

At this point, he suddenly shrank back.

Zhao Gui furtively glanced up at the Jiang family members in the hall. Several young men were glaring at him fiercely, their eyes cold and hard, as if they wanted to devour him. The words caught in his throat, leaving only the sound of his teeth chattering.

Zhu Hong frowned.

Lin Jizhi, who was watching clearly from the side, didn't need to give any orders. He simply drew his waist knife half an inch and placed the gleaming blade next to Zhao Gui's neck. The chilling air went straight into his collar.

"Don't waste any more time."

His voice was icy: "I'll send you to see that Zhao Lai right now."

"My lord, spare me! I'll talk, I'll talk!"

Zhao Gui was terrified and immediately banged his head on the ground, making a loud thud, shouting, "But Young Master Jiang Feng promised to do something, but we haven't seen him at all! We were just following his orders, and he even knows about Master Su of the Zhenyuan Martial Arts School!"

There was silence in the hall.

Jiang Cong's expression shifted several times, from initial solemnity to a thin, cold smile. "The ravings of a lowly commoner, dare to call them evidence?" He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Zhu Hong, his tone carrying undisguised sarcasm.

"This little adult."

As the top official today, you must rely on evidence when handling cases.

To falsely accuse the Jiang family and its eldest son based solely on the one-sided statements of such people is far too hasty, isn't it?

"Whether your Jiang family is in charge or not, it doesn't matter who ordered it."

It doesn't matter.

Zhu Hong didn't respond, but instead raised his gaze and fixed it firmly on Jiang Cong's face. His eyes showed no sign of backing down, only an unquestionable determination: "But the matter of Zhao Lai's false accusation is absolutely related to your Jiang family."

"Nonsense! Do you have any evidence?!"

Jiang Cong slammed his hand on the table, the sound echoing in the silent hall and making the teacups on the table jump. His face was ashen, and he uttered each word through gritted teeth: "You dare to insult the reputation of the Jiang family with empty words?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hong's lips curled into a very faint smile:

"I seem to remember that there was a man named Jiang Heling in the Jiang family, wasn't there?" He paused slightly before continuing unhurriedly, "Didn't the Jiang family investigate his death?"

Jiang Cong narrowed his eyes, and his aura suddenly turned cold.

He stared at Zhu Hong for a long while before speaking: "The clan's members are out there gaining experience, and their lives are not always guaranteed. My Jiang family has hundreds of members, and we are constantly dealing with big and small matters every day. How can we possibly attend to these trivial details?"

"A dead pig in the pigsty is just one less mouth to feed."

Zhu Hong's lips curled into a slight smile, a faint hint of amusement: "As for Jiang Heling's interception of the imperial envoy, I, Zhu Hong, have no intention of delving into it further, to give your Jiang family some face." Before he could finish speaking, his tone suddenly turned cold and his words abruptly shifted:

"The second matter is the Liu family massacre case."

Inside the main hall, even the wind seemed to freeze. The faces of the Jiang clan members below the hall changed drastically, and a slight commotion was about to arise, but it was suppressed by Jiang Cong's cold glance.

"The Liu family has 137 members."

Zhu Hong's gaze was fixed on Jiang Cong, and he said, word by word, "Overnight, not a single chicken or dog was spared."

Jiang Cong,

"You Jiang family, how dare you!"

Jiang Cong suddenly stood up, his imposing aura, the mark of a fully-fledged Martial Apprentice, emanating from his body. "Boy, watch your words!" he said coldly.

The Jiang family and the Liu family have never been enemies.

They usually get along well and have never had any disagreements, so why would they commit such a heinous act of annihilation?

It's understandable that young adults are eager to solve cases, but they shouldn't make baseless accusations and fabricate stories!

Zhu Hong stood motionless, letting the overwhelming aura wash over him. His expression remained indifferent and aloof, devoid of any emotion. "No enmity, no grudge, who can be sure?" He paused slightly, his voice soft and indifferent.

"But can the Jiang family raise a beast in human clothing?"

But it's not necessarily hard to say.

"you--!"

Jiang Cong trembled with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he glared fiercely at Zhu Hong, his aura growing increasingly violent.

"Jiang Cong".

Wang Zhenshan slowly rose, his voice neither warm nor cold, yet perfectly timed, as he interjected: "You're already so impatient before I've even finished speaking. Could it be that you have something to hide?"

"Alright, I'll listen to him finish."

Seeing Wang Zhenshan step in to calm things down, Jiang Cong let out a heavy snort, forcibly suppressing his surging anger. He glared at Zhu Hong and gritted his teeth, saying, "But if you can't produce any solid evidence, you'll just be falsely accusing my Jiang family."

He uttered each word through gritted teeth:

"The Jiang family will definitely demand justice from the Prefect!"

"Do as you please." Zhu Hong seemed to ignore the threat, and simply said, "Bring Jiang Feng here." His gaze swept over Jiang Cong, brooking no refusal: "Without him, we can't explain all these matters, and don't force our yamen to conduct a search and arrest ourselves."

"At that time."

This doesn't look good on the Jiang family's face.

"Arrogant!"

As soon as Zhu Hong finished speaking, an angry shout erupted from below the hall.

An elder of the Jiang family raised his withered hand and pointed it directly at Zhu Hong, trembling with rage: "You young upstart, how dare you speak so intimidatingly to the Jiang family in the Jiang residence? Go and find out how many generations the Jiang family has been rooted in Jinyang City, and how deep its foundation is!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge.

Jiang Cong raised his hand to stop the man. He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger in his heart, glanced coldly at the elder, and uttered two words in a deep voice: "Step back."

The elder's lips moved, as if he was unwilling.

But before he could even finish the word "he," he looked up and saw the unreadable expression in Jiang Cong's eyes. He had no choice but to swallow his words, angrily flicked his sleeve, and sat back down in his chair.

Jiang Cong then turned his gaze to the door.

"Go and summon Jiang Feng."

……