Chapter 6

The county office is divided into front and back sections; the front is the official office for handling public affairs, while the back is the residential area.

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After the Qingluan Guard apprehended the current Fengtai County Magistrate, Li Hongwen, they confined his entire family in the residential area of the county office. They did not cause much of a commotion, only ordering them to stay in their respective rooms and not to leave.

Li Hongwen was detained in his own study.

Just as Zhou Feilong and Qi Xuansu were fighting in the front office, Li Sanshen and his group slowly made their way along the corridor to Li Hongwen's study. Two Qingluan Guard officers were on duty at the door. Upon seeing Li Sanshen, they immediately bowed respectfully and, at his gesture, unlocked the door.

Li Sanshen instructed the others to stay outside and entered the study alone.

The furnishings in the study were quite simple, with only a desk, two chairs, and a bookshelf. The bookshelf was filled with various books, but apart from the Four Treasures of the Study, a water container, a brush holder, and a paperweight, there were no other decorative items on the desk, making it seem rather austere, not befitting a county magistrate.

At that moment, Li Hongwen was sitting behind the desk, wearing his seventh-rank official robes. He looked to be around fifty years old, with a gaunt face and a long beard. In appearance, he was a perfect match for the common people's image of a clean and loyal official.

Li Sanshen picked up the chair leaning against the wall and placed it opposite Li Hongwen's desk, then sat down in the subordinate's position.

Li Hongwen kept his eyes lowered, showing no reaction to Li Sanshen's arrival and no intention of getting up.

Li Sanshen placed the teacup on the desk and said, "According to the laws of the Great Xuan, although you have been dismissed, you are still an official until you are convicted. Although I am a special envoy appointed by the emperor, I cannot address you by name. Therefore, out of respect, I will still call you Magistrate Li."

Li Hongwen remained silent.

Li Sanshen was not bothered by this and continued, "Magistrate Li serves the court, and so do I. We serve the same emperor, and loyalty is what we value. Magistrate Li considers himself a loyal official, but now there are rebels who have stormed the county office to rescue you. What do you have to say about this?"

These words were like a thunderclap to Li Hongwen. He suddenly looked up at Li Sanshen and said in a deep voice, "Loyalty to the same emperor, indeed. Don't try to trick me with talk of rebels. I, Li Hongwen, have always acted alone. I have a question for you: to which emperor are you and the Qingluan Guard loyal?"

"Of course, to the court," Li Sanshen raised his voice slightly and bowed in the direction of the capital. "I and the Qingluan Guard have always been loyal to the court."

Li Hongwen sneered, "The court? You know very well!"

Li Sanshen's face darkened, and he stood up abruptly, saying sternly, "What do you mean by that, Magistrate Li?"

Li Hongwen was undaunted, "Whose order did the Qingluan Guard follow to apprehend me? It was not the emperor's decree but the cabinet's order. You accuse me of forming cliques and seeking personal gain. Who did I form a clique with, and what personal gain did I seek? This is a false charge."

Li Sanshen suddenly smiled and sat back down, saying, "Well, Magistrate Li has finally admitted it."

Li Hongwen's face changed, "What do you mean by that?"

Li Sanshen took a sip of the slightly cooled tea in the teacup and said solemnly, "Magistrate Li, falsely accusing the cabinet, do you know what the Great Xuan Law says about that?"

Li Hongwen said sternly, "Death is nothing to fear."

"To die, a length of white silk, a sharp knife, a cup of poison, which one would you choose? If Magistrate Li does not have them, we, the Qingluan Guard, can provide them, free of charge."

Li Sanshen's voice was low, "Why use such words to evade me? We can actually have a talk."

Li Hongwen's face was solemn, "At this point, do you really think I am a three-year-old child?"

Li Sanshen said softly, "This concerns the lives of your entire family."

Li Hongwen remained silent.

Li Sanshen continued, "Before I came to Fengtai County, the commandant instructed me that if Magistrate Li is willing to hand over that item, we can talk. Your life, the commandant cannot guarantee, but the lives of your family, he can. It's just a matter of adding or subtracting a few lines in the records. Even if you are exiled, it's better than being executed."

Li Hongwen asked, "What if I refuse to hand it over?"

Li Sanshen sighed and stood up again, "If Magistrate Li refuses to talk, the commandant has his instructions."

Li Hongwen looked at Li Sanshen.

Li Sanshen said softly, "Then Magistrate Li's entire family will stay in Fengtai County. Whether you hand it over or not, please consider carefully."

"No need to consider," Li Hongwen's expression was resolute, "I will not hand it over to you."

A fierce look flashed in Li Hongwen's eyes, and he turned and left the study, waving his hand.

The Qingluan Guard, who had been scattered around, immediately gathered before him, waiting for orders.

Li Sanshen was silent for a moment and then said slowly, "Heaven has the virtue of preserving life, and the commandant has a compassionate heart."

The Qingluan Guard remained silent, waiting for further instructions.

Li Sanshen paused, his expression turning grim, "But there are always some people who do not appreciate the commandant's compassion and are stubborn."

The Qingluan Guard, who had been in the service for a long time, understood the situation. The commandant was about to order a killing.

The head of the Qingluan Guard said softly, "Please give your instructions, sir."

Li Sanshen closed his eyes and said softly, "Li Hongwen knows too much. If we send him to the imperial prison, it will involve many people and cause trouble. So, the lesser of two evils is to let him stay in Fengtai County."

The head of the Qingluan Guard's face turned serious, understanding that "staying" meant staying forever.

Li Sanshen continued, "Li Hongwen has many old friends. If this is not done cleanly, it will be used as a pretext and cause public discussion, which will be very disadvantageous to us. So, according to the old rules, no one should see him alive..."

The head of the Qingluan Guard immediately replied, "And no one should see his body."

Li Sanshen opened his eyes, looked at the head of the Qingluan Guard, and lowered his voice, "In addition to him, his entire family must be eliminated. It must be done thoroughly."

The head of the Qingluan Guard said solemnly, "Understood!"

Li Sanshen then looked at another Qingluan Guard, who looked like a scholarly gentleman, and instructed, "Prepare the records and pin the murder of the county magistrate on the rebels. Say that the rebels attacked the Qingluan Guard, obstructed the investigation, and killed to silence witnesses. Many of our men died in the front office, so blame it all on the rebels. This time, it must be an ironclad case with no loopholes."

The Qingluan Guard said hurriedly, "Please rest assured, sir."

Li Sanshen waved his hand.

The Qingluan Guard immediately dispersed.

Soon, the back residential area was filled with the sounds of footsteps, doors opening, swords being drawn, and the cries and screams of the dying.

Li Sanshen ignored these sounds, standing under the eaves, looking at the rain, and sipping tea from the teacup.

Rainy days are indeed good for killing.

When Li Sanshen finally finished the last sip of tea, someone came from the front office to the back office.

The person was drenched, but there was no blood on him, neither his own nor anyone else's.

He held a "Fine Tiger" saber in his right hand and a head in his left hand.

The young man in the straw hat threw the head and said, "This special envoy, Li Sanshen, was unwilling to talk to me, so I had to kill him. I wonder if this gentleman is willing to talk?"

Li Sanshen looked down at the head that had rolled to his feet. Zhou Feilong's eyes, which had not closed even in death, stared at him.

Since he had joined the Qingluan Guard, he was not afraid of ghosts or spirits. If you couldn't do anything to him when you were alive, how could you do anything to him now that you were dead?

So Li Sanshen lifted his foot and crushed the head of his former colleague, who had been chatting with him just moments ago, and then scraped the soiled sole of his boot on the edge of the steps.

After he finished, he looked up at the newcomer, narrowed his already narrow eyes, and said softly, "Good skills."

The newcomer showed no emotion, no sign of joy or anger.

A trace of worry flashed in Li Sanshen's eyes.

An ordinary man is not worth mentioning, but if this ordinary man is a natural talent, then no one can afford to underestimate him. Why do the powerful families in the capital go to great lengths to recruit these experts?

Besides doing dirty work, it is also to protect their families.

If Li Hongwen had an expert like the one before him, the situation would not be as it is now.

However, Li Sanshen was only worried, not afraid. He was not a waste like Zhou Feilong. He had achieved the rank of a sixth-grade special envoy at a young age and would soon be promoted to a full sixth-grade officer, which was no small feat.

Li Sanshen spoke again, his voice much lower, "You came alone and killed my Qingluan Guard brothers. What is your purpose?"

Qi Xuansu said, "Following orders, you should understand."

"Understood, of course, I understand," Li Sanshen nodded, "We are all bound by our duties, and fighting to the death is inevitable. Please make your move."

Qi Xuansu said no more, stepped on the stone floor, creating a web of cracks, and lunged forward.

Li Sanshen smiled faintly, used his wrist strength to throw the teacup he had been holding, and it disappeared in a flash.

The next moment, the teacup appeared in front of Qi Xuansu.

The spinning teacup, as if alive, circled Qi Xuansu, forcing him to stop his forward momentum.