Chapter 41

"Without any evidence, just based on conjecture, you want to imprison someone. Who gave you the authority to arrest people?"

A man stepped in, his face stern, his words as cold as frost.

He walked in, slapped his hand, and the long, narrow saber flew up from the ground. His body slightly tilted, and the saber fell from the air, sheathing itself.

"I am Lu Qing, paying my respects to Grand Scholar Su."

Lu Qing gave a slight bow to Grand Scholar Su, who nodded in acknowledgment. Then he greeted the old master of the Gao family, and finally turned to the crowd, giving a casual salute and said coolly, "Greetings to all the officials."

Qin Xianyu noticed that the three times Lu Qing paid his respects, the differences in attitude were like heaven and earth, but the others did not dare to show the slightest displeasure.

Not to mention that Lu Qing represented the state governor Liu Jun, even just Lu Qing himself was a commander of the imperial guards in the capital. Although he was assigned to the state governor as a bodyguard, his rank remained. In the room, about sixty percent of the people present had lower ranks or status than Lu Qing.

Fourth Prince Qian laughed softly, "Old Su, you are at least a grand scholar. The Chen family, though powerful in their region, is just a local gentry. To defame and frame someone, and arrest them at will in front of you, it seems they don't take you seriously?"

Grand Scholar Su replied calmly, "You don't need to provoke me. For the Chen family to act so recklessly, they must have a solid basis. Now that Lu Qing is here to take the lead, let's see how this plays out."

Fourth Prince Qian said, "Very well."

...

After greeting everyone, Lu Qing, to everyone's great surprise, gave a salute to Qin Xianyu.

Seeing this, Young Master Chen was struck as if by lightning. Only at this moment did he truly realize that the seemingly peaceful young man, whom he had never taken seriously, was not so easily manipulated.

"You are saying that Young Master Qin stole treasures and silver?"

Lu Qing turned around, his face cold, and asked, not waiting for an answer, "Where is the evidence?"

Yuan, who usually prided himself on his eloquence, found himself tongue-tied under Lu Qing's intimidating presence.

Even more so, Young Master Chen, who had been raised in luxury, was in a sorry state.

"Without any evidence, you want to arrest someone based on mere conjecture?"

Lu Qing sternly shouted, "What do you think of the laws of the Great Virtuous Holy Dynasty? Do you really think the Feng Prefecture is your own home, where you can act as the law?"

Qin Xianyu was secretly impressed. Lu Qing's words were not the main point, but the inner strength he infused into his words created a compelling and awe-inspiring effect. Combined with his high status and extensive experience, Lu Qing, a seasoned commander of the imperial guards, exuded a formidable aura, almost intimidating the entire room.

"His words are sharp and authoritative, infused with inner strength, and his aura is overwhelming. The entire room is subdued by him, and for a moment, it seems as if Lu Qing is the master here. This kind of aura is almost beyond the realm of martial arts, it could be called the Way of Martial Arts." Qin Xianyu was secretly amazed. If one were to delve deeper, it almost resembled the sacred grounds of the immortals described in ancient texts.

Under Lu Qing's continuous questioning, Yuan was almost struck dumb. Only now did he recover somewhat, trembling as he said, "In that dilapidated temple, there was a large sum of silver, that is the... evidence..."

For some reason, under Lu Qing's piercing gaze, Yuan's voice trembled.

"Silver?" Lu Qing said coldly, "Is silver automatically evidence? Is it marked? In the past, the Qin family's pharmacy was at its peak. Even though Young Master Qin is not personally in charge now, Mr. Qin Mingjin must have left some wealth behind, right?"

"Impossible!" Yuan immediately shook his head without thinking, "How could he have any silver left?"

"Why not?" Qin Xianyu said with a half-smile, "Or are you trying to tell the truth, so that everyone here knows that the savings of the Qin family's pharmacy were actually divided among you and the Qin family's relatives, with not a single coin left for me?"

"Nonsense! Nonsense!" Yuan's face changed, and he shouted, "You dare to defame me, I..."

"I won't waste words with you. You just think the silver's origin is suspicious, so you want to imprison me, right?" Qin Xianyu patted his robe, seemingly unconcerned, "Regardless of the Qin family's savings, just from my years of gathering herbs and treating patients, I have accumulated quite a bit of silver. Look at this hundred-year-old cold grass, it's a valuable treasure."

"Those two hundred taels of silver are the savings I've accumulated over the years by living frugally, saved for when I return to secular life to marry a wife. Oh, right, I haven't officially joined the Daoist order yet, and neither the court nor the Daoist order has recorded me."

He paused, sighed, and said, "I have been saving and living frugally for years, only to have it all become stolen goods. What a pity, what a pity."

He had originally wanted to mention that he had cured Miss Liu's illness and received a thousand taels of silver as a reward from the state governor, using it to blackmail them.

But after careful consideration, he decided against it.

The state governor's salary was high, but giving a thousand taels of silver as a reward could be seen as corruption. Additionally, the fact that Miss Liu was ill was something the Liu family would not want others to know. If it were to spread from him, it would be problematic.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Lu Qing say coolly, "Young Master Qin, did you also keep two thousand taels of silver in the temple?"

Qin Xianyu was slightly taken aback, a sense of absurdity rising in his heart, but he ultimately nodded, pondering for a moment, and added, "From what they said, they only mentioned my two hundred taels of savings, not the two thousand taels. Since I hid it well, it probably wasn't found."

Lu Qing inwardly praised Qin Xianyu's words, which neatly covered up the previous inconsistency. Then he said, "If it's not found, it only shows that these officials, who receive salaries from the court, are all useless. If it is found and not reported, it is corruption, and they should be punished with imprisonment."

The bailiff was frightened, his face turning pale.

"Two thousand taels of silver?"

Yuan and Young Master Chen exchanged glances, both feeling a sense of unease.

"A few days ago, the state governor invited Young Master Qin to treat an illness, and he performed a miraculous cure, truly a divine doctor. Afterwards, the governor rewarded him with two thousand taels of silver, and I, Lu Qing, can vouch for this."

Lu Qing turned to a man behind him and said, "Go and check, where are those two thousand taels of silver?"

The man accepted the order and left.

Lu Qing glanced at Qin Xianyu.

Qin Xianyu nodded almost imperceptibly.

Two thousand taels of silver, split fifty-fifty, each getting a thousand.

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