Book 1: Chapter 94: Wang Shouzhe, who kills the donkey after removing the millstone
Liu Shengze, Zhao Jinda.
They were both elites of their respective clans. Although their strength was only at the fifth or sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm, they each managed a sector of their family's industry and did it quite well.
They were the kind of people who were respected wherever they went.
This time, they came to cause trouble at the Wang's Clan, aiming to suppress Long Yan. Before they arrived, they were full of enthusiasm, fantasizing about how much benefit their own clans would gain if they could suppress the Wang's Clan again.
However, they didn't expect that as soon as they arrived at the Wang's Clan, they would be met with one painful blow after another. In the end, even their Ancestor was almost killed and had to beg for help to barely survive.
Such a great humiliation was not the end...
At this moment, Liu Shengze and Zhao Jinda were tied up, looking extremely miserable. There was no trace of nobility left on them, only deep fear and despair in their eyes.
They wanted to defend themselves, but they didn't know where to start. Because all the crimes listed in the charges were real and undeniable.
Perhaps, the only defense they could make was that everything they did was for the sake of their clans, not out of their personal desires. But doing so would undoubtedly drag their clans and their descendants into the mess.
They understood what the Clan Leader meant by leaving some dignity for their clans. They knew the relationship between their clans and Lei Yangqiu. If they completely offended Lei Yangqiu, their clans would not have good days ahead.After a fierce struggle in their hearts, the two finally made up their minds.
"Clan Leader!" Liu Shengze cried out miserably, "Take care of Yongzhou. Wang Shouzhe, Wang Dingzu, you will not die a good death."
After saying that, he stirred up his Xuan Qi, shattered his own heart, and died on the spot, spitting out a mouthful of blood due to the violent convulsion of his heart.
Zhao Jinda also laughed miserably: "Wang's Clan, you won't be arrogant in the end. My son, take care of your mother and your siblings."
Saying this, he followed Liu Shengze's example and committed suicide, leaving some dignity for his clan.
Such a "heroic sacrifice" made the clansmen of the Liu and Zhao Clans feel inexplicably sad. Many people cried out. They felt a strong sense of hatred towards Wang Shouzhe, Wang Dingzu, and even the entire Wang's Clan. Wang Shouzhe, we are not done with you today.
Especially Liu Yongzhou and Zhao Dingtian, the two sons, who roared and screamed on the spot, crying and shouting. Several family generals and clansmen had to forcibly take them away from the scene.
Zhao Bojun and Liu Zhide, the two Ancestors, stared at Wang Shouzhe with hawk-like eyes. They had lost all their dignity, and their descendants had died like this. How could they be willing?
Even some women in the Wang's Clan couldn't bear to watch and covered their children's eyes. However, the people of the Wang's Clan would not truly sympathize with their enemies. The actions of the Liu and Zhao Clans towards the Wang's Clan had long made them incompatible.
"They were indeed two brave men." Lei Yangqiu was slightly moved, then turned to Wang Shouzhe and said sarcastically, "Clan Leader Wang, are you satisfied with this outcome?"
Of course, he was not happy. All of this was forced by Wang Shouzhe, forcing him to take action against the Liu and Zhao Clans.
In this way, there might be irreparable rifts between him and the obedient Liu and Zhao Clans.
At the same time.
The onlookers all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, cheering for Lei Yangqiu.
Comments such as "Lei, the Clan Leader, is still fair and just. I didn't expect Lei, the Clan Leader, to actually take down the nobles of the Liu and Zhao Clans for the death of some commoners. The Heavenly Clan is indeed the Heavenly Clan" and so on.
These comments fell into the ears of Lei Yangqiu, who was at the Spirit Platform Realm, and somewhat restored his dignity. Although he felt aggrieved, he had at least gained some reputation.
"I'm not satisfied." Wang Shouzhe answered seriously and loudly.
This answer was completely unexpected to everyone. Even the Ancestor on the side, as well as the onlooking siblings of the Liu's Clan, felt their hearts "thump" and thought it was bad. They were afraid that Wang Shouzhe would completely anger Lei Yangqiu.
The discussions among the onlookers also stopped abruptly, and everyone looked surprised. Lei, the Clan Leader, seemed to have done a good job. How could Clan Leader Wang still be unsatisfied?
Some members of the Liu and Zhao Clans couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Wang Shouzhe, you are courting death. You are handing over the opportunity for a counterattack to the aggrieved Lei, the Clan Leader.
"What?" Lei Yangqiu's slight sense of triumph froze instantly, and his anger surged uncontrollably. He laughed in anger, "Very well, please tell me what you want, Wang Shouzhe. I promise to satisfy you today."
He had originally planned to deal with Wang Shouzhe after this matter was over, and then find an excuse to torment the Wang's Clan. In any case, he had to get back at Wang Shouzhe tenfold or a hundredfold for manipulating him today.
Unexpectedly, Wang Shouzhe directly handed the handle to him. If he didn't clarify the matter, Lei Yangqiu could find fault with him on the spot."Firstly, the Lord Protector referred to them as two men, with a hint of respect in his words," Wang Shouzhe said solemnly, "Although they have not been interrogated, their crimes indicate that they are the masterminds behind multiple family massacres, with countless blood on their hands, and their sins are monstrous. The Lord Protector actually expressed respect and admiration for such brutal beasts, which clearly shows that he instinctively agrees with their actions. This makes me worry about whether the Lord Protector, with his worldview and reputation, is suitable to govern Ping'an Town."
"You..." Lei Yangqiu's face changed drastically, a surge of anger erupted from his chest, "Wang Shouzhe, you are making baseless accusations."
"Accusations are indeed made, but whether they are baseless is subject to judgment," Wang Shouzhe said leisurely, "The second point is not dissatisfaction, but I, Wang Shouzhe, deeply question the Lord Protector's professional conduct and morality. As you know, our noble families also have the right to supervise the behavior of the Lord Protector."
"As the Lord Protector, you should abide by the laws of Daqian, handle cases impartially, and look at what you have done?"
"You... where did I fail to handle the case impartially?" Although Lei Yangqiu was furious, he felt a vague sense of unease.
Wang Shouzhe, with his righteous aura, said loudly, "The laws of Daqian naturally have their own procedures for judging cases. Firstly, the Lord Protector used oppressive means to directly silence the two suspects who have not been convicted."
"Secondly, without any questioning, without listening to their confession of the crime process to see if it is consistent with the investigation, without interrogating whether they have accomplices, whether there are masterminds behind the scenes, whether there are other hidden facts in the case, or even whether there are old cases that have not been unearthed, etc., you have determined that they are unforgivable criminals. I would like to see how the Lord Protector's case file is written. Such professional conduct of an official is something I cannot agree with."
"Thirdly, the Lord Protector hastily judged the case without interrogation, which is procedurally incorrect. I really didn't expect that the Lord Protector would subtly encourage and vaguely threaten the suspects who have not been convicted to commit suicide. There are only two explanations for this. One, the Lord Protector is afraid that more people will be implicated in the interrogation of the suspects. Two, the Lord Protector is quite impatient with this matter and just wants to hastily close the case. Regardless of which point it is, I, Wang Shouzhe, am deeply afraid."
"Today, the Lord Protector hastily dealt with the blood relatives of the Liu and Zhao Clans. Tomorrow, the Lord Protector can arbitrarily convict the members of my Wang's Clan. I, Wang Shouzhe, am truly afraid."
"You..." Lei Yangqiu's face turned red, and he was so angry that he stepped back a few steps, his eyes wide open, "Wang Shouzhe, you are so bold to slander me."
A huge oppressive aura enveloped Wang Shouzhe.
"The Lord Protector indeed has great official power," Wang Shouzhe faced the oppression without fear. The pressure of the Spirit Platform Realm was mostly psychological intimidation from the higher end of the food chain to the lower end. The mental power contained in it could not harm him with his Qi Refining Realm Seventh Layer strength.
Seeing Lei Yangqiu exert the pressure of the Spirit Platform Realm, the Ancestor originally wanted to stand in front of Wang Shouzhe to help him, but he didn't expect him to be unaffected. He was amazed and began to admire this grandson-in-law.
He had to admit that what his grandson-in-law said made a lot of sense. Lei Yangqiu's behavior clearly did not meet Daqian's requirements for a Lord Protector.
He had a vague feeling that with his grandson-in-law's methods, Lei Yangqiu was probably in trouble. His grandson-in-law was not one to just talk.
Even the Ancestor felt a bit of sympathy for Lei Yangqiu. This guy was a dignified Spirit Platform Realm cultivator, who was first forced by Shouzhe to deal with the Liu and Zhao Clans, using him to kill.
After using him, Shouzhe immediately started to burn bridges, as if he was dealing with a dirty piece of toilet paper.
Not only the Ancestor felt this way.
The members of the Wang's Clan, the Liu siblings, all felt that what Wang Shouzhe said made a lot of sense. This Lei Yangqiu was either incapable of being a Lord Protector, or he had deep collusion with the Liu and Zhao Clans.
Regardless of which point, being the Lord Protector of Ping'an Town would be a disaster.
The thousands of onlookers initially thought that Lord Lei was impartial and a good Lord Protector. But after hearing Clan Leader Wang's analysis, they all felt a chill.
Yes, is such a Lord Protector who disregards national laws, acts arbitrarily, and hastily judges cases really good? Today he can arbitrarily deal with the Liu and Zhao Clans, tomorrow he can arbitrarily deal with the Wang's Clan, and the day after tomorrow, he might start slaughtering the civilians in his jurisdiction.
The Lord Protector should pacify and comfort the people.
Now everyone is scared, who wouldn't be afraid of a lawless Lord Protector?Under the instigation of some interested parties, the murmurs of the common people grew louder and more agitated, all feeling that there was a significant issue with the Lei's town guard.
The murmurs fell into Lei Yangqiu's ears, causing his heart to gradually sink. Public sentiment was boiling over.
Even the clansmen of the Liu and Zhao clans, including Liu Zhide and Zhao Bojun, the two ancestors, were sneering incessantly. They had no sympathy for Lei Yangqiu's predicament, but rather a sense of schadenfreude.
Lei Yangqiu, Lei Yangqiu, did you ever think of this scene when you were dealing with us?
Seeing that the time was ripe, Wang Shouzhe immediately cupped his hands and sneered, "I have experienced the prestige of Lei's town guard. However, this Changning Guard is not solely under the control of your Lei Clan."
"I will record all the details of this matter from beginning to end, make several copies, send one to the city lord, one to the Imperial College, and one to the Longzuo Commandery. The right and wrong will be judged by the adults. I don't believe that there is no place in our Great Qian where justice can be sought for the people. If it really doesn't work, I will go to the capital."
"Brother Shouzhe is right, I also think that Lord Lei, the town guard, does not quite meet the conditions to be in charge of a place." Liu Ruolei excitedly stepped forward, "I will entrust the letter to the Imperial College to Elder Xuanfu."
"Thank you, Sister Ruolei, for your righteous words." Wang Shouzhe thanked her with a bow, "But my Wang's Clan also has some connections in the Imperial College that can handle this matter."
"Could it be... Bing?" Liu Ruolei was overjoyed, "Has she forgiven my great-aunt?"
"Cannot say, cannot say." Wang Shouzhe vaguely mentioned Binglan, but he didn't dare to lie directly. If it fell into Binglan's ears, it would be a big trouble.
Leave some space for everyone to imagine.
Sure enough, Liu Ruolei laughed and said, "Since Brother Shouzhe has a plan, I won't interfere. With her there, the Imperial College will definitely react."
Lei Yangqiu was truly stunned, his heart suddenly turned cold.
With Wang Shouzhe's words, no one around him stood by his side. If the city lord's office was really alarmed and sent an inspector to investigate, he feared that no one would speak well of him.
Moreover, some of Wang Shouzhe's words were not unfounded, how could he withstand the investigation?
As Wang Shouzhe said, Changning Guard was not solely controlled by the Lei Clan. The clan had put a lot of effort into putting him in this position. If it caused trouble in the clan, he would be the first to suffer.
Wang Shouzhe, this kid, his ability to turn the tide was too terrifying!
Immediately, he hurriedly retracted his aura, showed a friendly face, and saluted Wang Shouzhe, "Little brother Wang, may I have a word with you?"
Wang Shouzhe returned the salute and politely declined, "Lord Town Guard, you're joking. We have no quarrel. If you have something to say, please say it in front of everyone."
Lei Yangqiu was furious, but today he was completely at the mercy of the other party, his life and future hanging by a thread.
Immediately, he didn't care about his face anymore, cupped his hands and laughed, "Clan Leader Wang, what do you think I should do? Don't worry, I can swear that I will never trouble your Wang's Clan in the future."
"Lord Town Guard, my Wang's Clan has done nothing illegal, why do you need to swear not to trouble us? Now that things have come to this, I can only give you one piece of advice." Wang Shouzhe saluted.
"What advice?" Lei Yangqiu's heart shuddered.
"I suggest you save some face for your clan." After saying that, Wang Shouzhe turned around and left with a wave of his sleeve.
What?
Wasn't this the same advice he had just given to Liu Shengze and Zhao Jinda?
"Wang Shouzhe, you..." Lei Yangqiu was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood.
...