Han Anbo took out a whistle and blew it three times.
Team after team of Internal Factory Eunuchs and Patrol Bureau Night Guards emerged from all directions, piercing into Rouyu Pavilion like daggers in the night.
Spirit Talismans from Daoist Cultivators filled the sky, sealing the area off from the outside world.
Led by three great masters of the Fourth Grade, over a hundred Entering Grade Cultivators from various sects infiltrated soundlessly. Anyone who resisted was either knocked unconscious or killed.
Old Sound Square was a scene of debauchery, but inside Rouyu Pavilion, people were cut down like grass, without a sound.
A quarter hour later, dozens of corpses were piled into a small hill in Rouyu Pavilion’s main hall.
Fresh blood flowed, and flies and mosquitoes swarmed.
To the left of the small hill of corpses, the people of Rouyu Pavilion lay like dead dogs, their pressure points sealed.
Some were terrified, while the eyes of others glinted with bone-deep hatred.
To the right of the mountain of bodies, the guests were strewn about like broken burlap sacks, an unspeakable terror etched on every one of their faces.
In front of the mountain of bodies was a pile of gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and paintings.
Zhang Yulin lay motionless within a pile of people, desperately trying to signal Fei Yan with his eyes.
However, Fei Yan—the Military Supervisor of the Northern Hall of the Patrol Bureau leading the operation—acted as if he hadn’t seen Zhang Yulin at all. He kept flipping through the collected evidence, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight, mirthful smile.
Finally, Fei Yan sighed deeply and said, "Who would have thought that the famous Rouyu Pavilion was actually a stronghold for Nether Mountain. Traitorous rebels, everyone has the right to execute them. Take them all to the Imperial Prison for individual interrogation."
After speaking, Fei Yan swept his gaze over the crowd, then turned and left.
Carriage after carriage arrived to transport all the suspects from Rouyu Pavilion.
Back at the Night Guard headquarters, the entire Patrol Bureau bustled with activity. Veteran interrogators entered the Imperial Prison to question the suspects, investigators inventoried the evidence, and Scribes recorded everything, responsible for transcribing the contents of the Sound Recording Stones.
As dawn broke, a red-eyed Scribe hurriedly handed over a stack of transcripts from the Sound Recording Stones.
"Lord Fei, we’ve found a critical clue. The Ministry of Justice’s Seventh-Grade Cavalry Captain, Zhang Yulin, spoke treasonous words during a conversation with the rebels..." The Scribe’s hands trembled.
Fei Yan scanned the record, his face twitching slightly. He growled, "Absurd! In this righteous world, how can we allow the Demon Sect to slander the Holy Emperor like this! I must report this matter to the Duke personally!"
Fei Yan took the testimony and the Sound Recording Stone, left the Patrol Bureau, and headed straight for the Internal Factory.
Imperial Prison.
In a square room within the prison, Li Qingxian took a sip of tea.
"Sir, I was just there for fun, I couldn’t possibly be colluding with rebels! I have a family to support! Please have mercy, sir! I’m willing to offer half my family’s fortune to the Night Guard! I also have a few shops, I can transfer them all to you, sir!" The merchant knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
Li Qingxian glanced at the man’s Qi Fortune. He was an ordinary merchant who ran his business normally, had done nothing truly wicked, and only occasionally visited brothels.
Li Qingxian nodded. "You were indeed just caught up in this. How about this: I’ll let you go. Just come to the Patrol Bureau tomorrow and pay a fine of a hundred taels of silver."
"Huh?" The merchant stared at Li Qingxian, dumbfounded. He had been prepared to be skinned alive, but in the end, not only was he not skinned, it wasn’t even a serious injury.
The nearby Night Guards all looked at Li Qingxian in surprise.
Li Qingxian said slowly, "In this world, life isn’t easy for anyone. As long as you don’t do things that are truly depraved, a small punishment will suffice. Compared to those who bring disaster to an entire street without a second thought, your mistake is nothing. Remove his shackles and send him away."
The merchant, weeping, thanked him profusely.
Afterward, Li Qingxian interrogated one person after another. They were mostly wealthy merchants, young masters from great clans, or minor officials. None had colluded with the rebels, so Li Qingxian just fined them some silver and let them go.
"Next."
After speaking, Li Qingxian took another sip of tea.
A familiar figure was escorted over by two Prison Guards.
Li Qingxian looked up, a warm smile on his face, and said, "Well, if it isn’t Lord Zhang? Someone, bring him a stool."
Zhang Yulin forced a terrified smile, hunching his back and bowing. "Greetings, Master Xiaoli. Since we last parted, I’ve been singing your praises to everyone I meet. All of us at the Ministry of Justice feel you are a rare talent in Qii Country, and we all hope you’ll join us."
Li Qingxian nodded and said, "We can discuss private matters later. Right now, let’s talk business."
"Yes, yes, of course, of course..." Zhang Yulin reached up to smooth the long hair on his head, then sat primly on the stool, his knees together.
Li Qingxian asked with a smile, "Lord Zhang, what was your business at Rouyu Pavilion today?"
Zhang Yulin gave an awkward laugh. "Well, men will be men, there are times we can’t control what’s in our pants. My training went awry, so I went to... let off some steam. Rest assured, the Ministry of Justice and Nether Mountain have always been irreconcilable foes. I would never collude with the rebels."
"What a coincidence. Today just so happened to be when the rebels were meeting at Rouyu Pavilion to discuss how to disrupt the Holy Emperor’s birthday celebration. And you just happened to be there. For you to say you have no connection to them... it puts me in a very difficult position," Li Qingxian sighed softly.
Zhang Yulin said hurriedly, "I understand. I have three shops in the city and a manor outside it. The deeds are all at home. You can send someone to fetch them, and I’ll sign them over to you right here, on the spot. We’ll even draw up a document saying you bought them with real gold and silver. As for the women in my household, whichever one catches your eye, feel free to take her. And my paintings and antiques, if you would do me the honor, you can take those as well."
Li Qingxian sighed softly, pointed at Zhang Yulin, and said to the others, "You all hear that? This is exactly how the Nether Mountain rebels tried to bribe me, too."
A flash of anger crossed Zhang Yulin’s eyes, but he quickly covered it with a fawning smile. "Lord Li, you jest. No matter how low I’ve fallen, I am still a Direct Lineage disciple of Demon Transformation Mountain. At the latest, the Ministry of Justice will send someone to inquire about me tomorrow."
"You hear that? This is also how Nether Mountain threatened me."
"Mr. Xiaoli, I really have nothing to do with the rebels," Zhang Yulin said, his voice rising.
Li Qingxian said, "Before we arrested the rebels, we placed Sound Recording Stones throughout Rouyu Pavilion. One of them was in your room."
Zhang Yulin breathed a sigh of relief. "I see. Then that Sound Recording Stone will surely prove my innocence. I was in my room the entire time and never colluded with any rebels."
"Think carefully about what you said in that room." Li Qingxian looked down and sipped his tea.
Zhang Yulin had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. He desperately racked his brain. Slowly, memories surfaced, and his expression grew more and more terrified.
"Th-that... that was all just drunken nonsense, I... I was just spouting gibberish..." Zhang Yulin trembled all over.
Li Qingxian waved his hand, and the other Prison Guards left, leaving only Han Anbo, Yur Ping, and Zheng Gaojue.
Li Qingxian pointed at Yur Ping and said, "Lord Zhang, do you remember this person?"
Zhang Yulin looked at Yur Ping, his eyes vacant, and shook his head slightly.
"You really don’t remember?"
"I really have no impression of him," Zhang Yulin said.
Yur Ping gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, staring at Zhang Yulin.
Han Anbo sighed. "How forgetful the great and powerful can be."
"Indeed. It was only a matter of crippling the Dantians of two Night Guards. How could Lord Zhang be expected to remember such a trivial thing," Li Qingxian said.
Zhang Yulin froze for a moment, thinking for a long time. A flicker of recognition crossed his eyes, and he sighed. "I remember now. That incident... I was in the wrong."
"At the time, were you just passing by, or was it intentional?" Li Qingxian asked.
Zhang Yulin’s brow furrowed as he recalled, "A friend had mentioned the day before that Elder Kangg’s family had a shop there. If I wanted to ask Elder Kangg for help, I could go there to look for an opportunity. No one specifically ordered me to do it."
"And then?"
"Nothing happened. Elder Kangg doesn’t even know about it," Zhang Yulin said.
Li Qingxian nodded. "Yur Ping, this man has uttered treasonous words, slandering the emperor. He has also attempted to escape by force. Cripple his Dantian to prevent any further escape attempts."
"Yes, sir!"