Chapter 64 of 100

Chapter 64

16 min read3,953 words

Until he had beaten Pan Shaofeng's teeth out, Song Li finally stopped, threw the boy to the ground, and pointed at the crowd, saying, "Apologize! Apologize to the people of Chang'an Street!"

Pan Shaofeng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up from the ground, and glared at Song Li with venom, slowly saying, "Do you know who I came to meet today? Song Li, let me tell you, in this world, it's not just about being able to fight. I will never forget the humiliation you've inflicted on me today! Making me apologize to these commoners is absolutely out of the question! You injured my Fire Kirin, my coachman, and me. I won't let this go! I, Pan Shaofeng, swear to you, I will use all my power to make you pay!"

"I don't care who you came to meet! Pan Shaofeng, it seems you still haven't realized your mistake. I know what you're thinking. You think your father's power can be used against me, right? Fine, I'll wait for you to gather your reinforcements!" Song Li sneered and gave Pan Shaofeng a sidelong glance.

This kid is still so arrogant. If it were before, Song Xinghai was just a nominal and powerless Duke, with a title but no real power, and couldn't compare to the Capital Prefect. With the Loyal Prince as his backer, once a conflict arose, the Duke's residence would have no chance. But now, the situation is different. Song Xinghai is the Bright Prince, in charge of the three special service agencies, with power on par with the Tranquil Prince, Song Xingguang. A Capital Prefect is no longer in the same league.

Poor Pan Shaofeng doesn't know this. This kid just returned from out of town, with outdated information, and it's his own fault he's in this predicament.

"Afu, get up, don't lie there. You stay here and watch the carriage; this is evidence. Without my permission, no one is allowed to touch the carriage!" Pan Shaofeng shouted at the coachman who was pretending to be dead on the ground. The man quickly got up and loudly responded. He then looked around the crowd with a threatening gaze, as if to say, "You wait, my master will back me up. I'll remember who kicked me."

Song Li sneered, "Since you don't want to move your carriage, then leave it here. Don't worry, I'll make you kneel and beg me to take the carriage away!"

"Hmph! Dream on!" Pan Shaofeng coldly snorted and limped away.

The Justice Alliance brothers gathered around, watching Pan Shaofeng's back. Pang Da gritted his teeth and said, "This bastard still seems defiant. Boss, should we all rush in and smash his golden carriage?"

Song Li waved his hand and smiled, "No need. Since he wants to leave the carriage here, it won't be easy to move it. I've said it, Pan Shaofeng won't kneel and beg me, and no one will be able to touch this carriage!"

Pang Da's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "Boss, what do you plan to do?" Although he didn't know the details, he knew that whatever Song Li said, Pan Shaofeng was in for trouble. He was well aware of his boss's methods.

Song Li made a strange gesture in front of the crowd. This gesture was actually taught to him by his father, Song Xinghai. It was a special symbol used within the three special service agencies to signal for help. Anyone who saw this gesture would know that the person needed assistance, and the nearby special service guards would come to support immediately.

Sure enough, as soon as Song Li's hand dropped, a plain-looking young man walked out of the crowd, carrying a skewer of candied haws. He approached Song Li and smiled, "Young sir, would you like some candied haws? They melt in your mouth, sweet and sticky." In passing, he also made a gesture, indicating that he was one of them and was ready to follow orders.

Song Li took the opportunity to pick some candied haws and whispered in his ear, "I am the Crown Prince of the Bright Prince, Song Li. Go back and tell my father to have the Inspectorate thoroughly investigate the origin of this carriage. You should have seen that this carriage belongs to the Capital Prefect, Pan Shijian. Do you understand what to do?"

The young man whispered back, "Understood. Crown Prince, rest assured, I will ensure a thorough investigation." Song Li took a few skewers of candied haws, paid, and smiled as he distributed them to Pang Da and the others, saying, "You guys were shouting so enthusiastically just now. Here, each of you gets a skewer of candied haws as a reward."

"Thank you, Boss." Pang Da and the others put on a fawning face, laughing and joking as they took the candied haws and ate them while chatting. The young man selling the candied haws quickly disappeared into the crowd to report.

Song Li looked at the coachman, who was standing proudly next to the carriage, looking around smugly. He sneered inwardly. It wouldn't be long before this ostentatious golden carriage in the bustling market would become a thorn in the side of Prefect Pan, who would desperately try to get rid of it. But by then, it would be too late.

One of the functions of the Inspectorate, one of the three special service agencies, is to monitor all officials, with the power to investigate, interrogate, and punish officials for treason, selling out the country, corruption, and malfeasance. This power is much greater than that of the anti-corruption agencies in the previous life.

Since Pan Shaofeng dared to leave his golden carriage in the market and even tried to use it as evidence to extort him, Song Li decided to let the Inspectorate's fierce guards thoroughly investigate the origin of this golden carriage. This carriage is extremely luxurious, costing at least several hundred thousand gold coins to build. Add to that the rare Fire Kirin, and even a prince's entourage would be hard-pressed to match this level of luxury. Given Prefect Pan's annual salary of 40,000 gold coins, how many years would it take him to afford such a carriage? Although many things on this continent are different from the previous life, Song Li believes that one thing is the same: official corruption. If Prefect Pan were truly clean and lived only on his salary, he would never have the means to provide his son with such a luxurious carriage!

Prefect Pan definitely has issues, but with the Loyal Prince as his backer and being the biggest local power in Holy Lion City, no one has ever dared to investigate him. This is why he allowed his son to be so high-profile.

What others dare not do, Song Li dares to do.

You, Pan Shaofeng, have the backing of Prefect Pan, but I have the backing of the Bright Prince and the three special service agencies. Prefect Pan's backer is the Loyal Prince, but our backer is the Holy Emperor! Who's afraid of whom? Besides, in any argument, I am in the right. You almost caused a fatal accident with your carriage in the market; how can you be in the right? Song Li is the type who never lets go of an advantage, and this time he is determined to teach Pan Shaofeng, the arrogant official's son, a lesson.

Pan Shaofeng was determined to make Song Li bow, but he didn't realize that he was digging a big hole for his father's political career.

"Pang Da, find some capable people and surround this carriage. Without my order, no one is allowed to move it. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible!" Song Li said seriously, "Remember, this is an order!"

"Yes, Boss, you can count on me!" Pang Da accepted the order and immediately led a few brothers to stand guard around the carriage, then sent one brother back to get more people.

The coachman, seeing Pang Da and the others approaching menacingly, was so scared that he hid inside the carriage and didn't dare come out. Pang Da didn't bother with him, focusing on executing Song Li's orders, ensuring no one moved the carriage.

Song Li approached the handsome young man and bowed, smiling, "Thank you for your help. I am grateful on behalf of the grandfather and grandson."

The young man in the brocade robe smiled, "It's the duty of the people to manage the affairs of the world. I just happened to be there and helped a little. It's really not worth mentioning. Compared to your noble actions, I feel ashamed."

Song Li noticed the young man's rosy lips, white teeth, and graceful eyebrows, with eyes that sparkled. His voice was as clear as a lark, and despite his male attire, Song Li immediately knew he was a girl! In ancient dramas, he often saw male leads unable to distinguish between male and female characters, which always made him feel awkward. How could someone be so stupid and lack observational skills to make such a mistake? It's not like they were dealing with someone like Chun Ge or Zeng Ge, who are hard to distinguish.

Anyway, Song Li knew from the first glance that this young man was a woman.

"Thank you, big brothers, for saving my grandfather and me. I will kowtow to you!" The little girl, about seven or eight years old, with a dirty face, was very sensible and was about to kneel and kowtow to Song Li and the young man.

Song Li quickly helped her up, smiling, "Let me correct you. I am a big brother, but this one is a big sister, not a big brother."

The little girl blinked her eyes, looking innocently at the young man, who smiled and nodded, confirming that she was indeed a big sister. No wonder, how could there be such a beautiful man in the world?

Song Li took out a dozen gold coins from his pocket, gave them to the little girl, and whispered, "Hide these coins and don't let anyone see them. If you have any difficulties in the future, go to the west of the city and find a man named Pang Da. Tell him I sent you. My name is Song Li, remember that."

The little girl shook her head, "Brother Song Li, I can't take your money. Grandfather says we shouldn't accept gifts from strangers."

Song Li smiled, "Good girl, your grandfather has taught you well. But I am your brother Song Li. Do you really think I'm a stranger?"

The little girl tilted her head, thinking, and then smiled, "That's right, you are a good person, Brother Song Li, you are not a stranger."

"Then that's settled. Take this money; it will last you and your grandfather a long time. Be careful when you go out in the future, understand?"

"Understood, thank you, Brother Song Li." The little girl took the gold coins, and with her grandfather, they left with heartfelt gratitude.

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