Kyoto, Great Wei.
The outer hall of the Ministry of Justice.
Xu Qingnian looked at the group of merchants and did not say a word.
Looking at the sky, Xu Qingnian knew that the real big shots had not yet made their appearance.
Who were these people? Kyoto merchants, they don’t need to pay taxes to do business in Wei, what does this mean? What does this mean? It means that the money they make every year is a net profit.
And why are the foreign merchants in Wei like fish in water? Why are they so dominant?
In the past, when Xu Qingnian first came to the capital, he encountered such a situation and saw with his own eyes the blackmail of the merchants.
Why are they so arrogant?
If there weren’t some people behind them? Even Xu Qingnian didn’t believe it.
Even Xu Qingnian could be sure that the bigwigs behind these merchants, you said there were not a few princes, would they dare to do so?
The answer is obvious.
The merchants were mad, but how mad could they be? Arrogant on someone else’s turf? Isn’t that seeking death?
If you dare to be arrogant, you have the capital and the courage.
Xu Qingnian didn’t want to find out who was behind them today, his aim was simple: to punish these merchants severely in front of the people behind them.
He wanted to bite off a piece of meat.
“Xu Qingnian, you dare to arrest me? Do you know who I am? I am the tribal leader of the Tai Wu Clan, and I am extremely close to the messenger, if you arrest me, I will definitely tell our messenger!”
“Xu Qingnian, untie me, if you offend me, I can guarantee that you will end up miserable, you simply don’t know how powerful we are.”
Someone shouted, the most arrogant of the Fan merchants, they roared and looked at Xu Qingnian with flames coming out of their eyes.
They were relatively large merchants, strong and with people behind them, but what they didn’t expect was to be caught like dogs, leaving them with no shame!
However, in the face of these two, Xu Qingnian’s face was clear and cold.
“According to the laws of the Great Wei, threatening an official of the court is a crime punishable by beheading!”
“Men! Kill!”
Xu Qingnian’s face was clear and cold as he threw out the order on the table, the word beheading was overbearing.
“Xu Qingnian! Are you crazy?”
“Xu Qingnian, if you dare to kill me, you will die a miserable death!”
The two men still shouted, they simply did not believe that Xu Qingnian dared to kill them, roaring in anger, the arrogance in their eyes was very similar to that of the Huai Ping County King, but the arrogance of the Huai Ping County King was that he thought he had a great background and thought he could not die.
The arrogance of these people, on the other hand, was that they thought they had done nothing wrong, and even if they had, they did not deserve to die, so they had no fear.
But!
The order had already been given.
Without any change of expression on his face, the official of the Ministry of Punishment directly grabbed these two people and pulled them aside.
“Wait!”
Xu Qingnian spoke, and at this moment all the merchants sighed in relief, mistaking Xu Qingnian for a man who was afraid and wanted to give himself a step down.
The two merchants also shut up, they did not dare to continue to provoke Xu Qingnian, in case Xu Qingnian really had a hot head, they would have lost their heads.
Everyone looked at Xu Qingnian, and the people were curious, wondering what Xu Qingnian was doing all of a sudden. Were they really afraid?
But at that moment, Xu Qingnian’s voice rang out coldly.
“Behead them on the spot!”
Four words fell, and at this moment there was an uproar.
“What? Beheaded on the spot?”
“Xu Qingnian really dares to do this?”
“Is this Xu Qingnian crazy?”
The merchants were horrified, unable to believe that Xu Qingnian would say such a thing. Is that too harsh?
The people also smacked their lips, knowing that Xu Qingnian was fierce, but they never thought that Xu Qingnian would be so fierce?
“Yes, sir!”
The officials of the Ministry of Justice didn’t say anything, they just grabbed the two merchants and brought them to the open space, kicking them twice to make them kneel on the ground.
The large swords were waved and the cold light flashed.
The two merchants’ lips turned white with fear and their words seemed to tremble.
“Xu Qingnian, even if we are at fault, we do not deserve to die, you are bending the law!”
“Xu Qingnian, you can talk nicely about what’s going on, if you really move us, you will definitely not suffer well.”
The two men’s words were arrogant, but their voices trembled; with a knife at their necks, how many people would dare to speak up? Especially such profit-oriented merchants.
When the sword fell, the officers of the Ministry of Punishment were not dullards, and Xu Qingnian did not say to stop, they naturally carried out their orders strictly.
However, it was just in the nick of time.
A voice rang out.
“Save the man under the sword!”
A majestic voice rang out, someone had finally arrived.
How could someone not come when things had come to this point?
All the merchants breathed a sigh of relief, the voice was familiar to them.
The officers of the Ministry of Justice stopped and did not continue to chop, after all, someone had said that they would not dare to continue chopping.
However, at that moment, Xu Qingnian’s voice followed.
“Chop!”
The voice was cold and heartless, ringing in the duo’s ears.
In an instant, there was no more hesitation on the part of the officers of the Ministry of Punishment, for this was an order given by Xu Qingnian, and the Minister of Punishment, Zhang Jing, had explained it clearly before.
Xu Qingnian was in charge of everything, and whatever he said was what he would do.
No one would be of any use, unless His Majesty himself came.
“How dare you!”
That angry roar rang out, trying to stop it.
But the knife of the official of the Ministry of Punishment had already fallen.
Two heads rolled to the ground, blood splattered all around, and with two fluttering sounds, the heads of the two merchants were gone.
Silence!
Quiet!
Quiet!
The Ministry of Justice’s Minister Zhang Jing, the Ministry of Household Affairs’ Minister Gu Yan and the Ministry of War’s Minister Zhou Yan were silent.
The Ministry of Justice was silent, the merchants were silent, the people were silent.
Everyone was silent.
The reason is that Xu Qingnian really chopped off the heads of two merchants.
This is to …… The first thing you need to do is to get rid of the problem.
To be honest, these merchants were able to run amok in Kyoto, the people were not stupid and knew that there were people behind them.
When that voice sounded, they also realized that someone was going to step in to protect these merchants.
So they didn’t think that Xu Qingnian would really dare to wield his sword and cut them down.
But what they didn’t expect was that the two merchants who were screaming the loudest were really dead.
This is really …… There is something unbelievable.
The first thing you need to do is to kill them.
It was a clean cut.
There was no mercy whatsoever.
“All troops listen to the order.”
The next moment, Xu Qingnian’s voice rang out again.
At that moment, the officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment stood in line in unison, their aura like a dragon.
“No matter what, today’s matter will be decided by my words, if anyone dares to stop this officer from handling the case again, they will be severely punished according to the law, and those who dare to disturb the order will be killed!”
Xu Qingnian spoke, he was not satisfied with what happened to the other side, very dissatisfied.
To have an official from the Ministry of Justice strike, and actually have hesitation and pause, this kind of law enforcement ability, it was too poor!
However, Xu Qingnian also understood that these officers were also worried that they would be too quick with the knife and make the situation too stiff, but this was not a reason, the natural duty of officers and soldiers was to obey orders, if they did not obey orders, they were not doing a good job.
“We obey orders!”
The crowd spoke in unison, giving the strongest response.
And at that moment, the voice of the Minister of Penalty, Zhang Jing, followed suit.
“Today’s trial is conducted by the Ministry of Penalty, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Household in cooperation with Lord Xu, Lord Xu’s order is our will, and also His Majesty’s will, the two people who enforced the law just now, receive ten military truncheons as a sign of punishment!”
Zhang Jing understood where Xu Qingnian’s discontent lay, so he spoke up at the first opportunity, firstly to tell everyone that Xu Qingnian alone could make the decision on today’s matter, and secondly to tell everyone that the three of them, the three Shang Shu, had completely sided with Xu Qingnian and supported him unconditionally.
Of course, the most important point is that these merchants should be killed! What could be done if they were killed?
“Xu Qingnian, Lord Xu, you really have great official authority.”
At that very moment, a voice rang out.
This voice was filled with anger.
Not far away, a middle-aged man walked over, wearing a python robe, with a dragon walk, a Chinese face, thick eyebrows and a murderous aura, a powerful aura that made the surrounding people a little afraid.
This was a va*sal king, the King of Zhenxi County.
The real king in power is the county king, but he is definitely higher than the Huai Ping County King, because he holds real power, is the feudal king of a land, and has military power under his hand, such a figure is a man of the people in all parts of the Great Wei.
Anyone would have to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Especially because of his title, the King of Zhenxi.
He was the seventh son of Emperor Taizu and suppressed the entire north-western realm, otherwise how could he have dared to be known as the King of Zhenxi?
This va*sal king was no weaker than Prince Huaining.
His appearance caused all three Shang Shu to rise to their feet.
“My humble servant, I have met the King of Zhenxi!”
The three opened their mouths and bowed towards the King of Zhenxi.
The Zhen Xi King’s gaze, however, did not fall on the three Shang Shu, but instead turned his gaze towards Xu Qingnian.
There was anger in his eyes, he had already said that he would leave people under the sword, but Xu Qingnian still dared to behead these two merchants, how could he not be angry?
“How dare you! Why do you worship the King of Zhenxi? Xu Qingnian, you have overstepped your authority, which is a great crime! You should be punished!”
At this moment, the guards beside the King of Zhenxi roared, martial artists, pointing at Xu Qingnian with a furious roar.
However, Xu Qingnian paid no heed, but calmly took out the Dragon Talisman of the Great Interior.
When the Dragon Talisman appeared, King Zhen Xi’s face changed, and those guards’ faces also changed instantly.
“How dare you all not kneel when you see the Saint?”
Xu Qingnian asked in a stern voice, looking at King Zhenxi’s guards.
“Kneel!”
The King of Zhenxi spoke with a suppressed voice, and in an instant these guards knelt on the ground, chanting Long Live My Emperor.
And the King of Zhenxi also bowed his hands towards the dragon talisman, he was a va*sal king, he could not kneel, but he had to pay a bow, it was respect.
“King Zhenxi is kind.”
Xu Qingnian smiled blandly.
The big fish had finally arrived, it was not in vain that he had laid out for so long.
The King of Zhenxi was a va*sal king, he had come a long way to the capital, it was certainly not because of himself, nor could he have been unpredictable, come to think of it wasn’t just the group of princes in Kyoto who had invited their helpers.
In the case of the foreign merchants, no power in Kyoto would dare to show its face, and if it did, it would be looking for death.
However, the foreign princes can come forward, they are not in the capital, so even if they want to throw dirty water on them, they cannot do so.
Unless they had substantial evidence.
“This king ……”
The King of Zhenxi had just opened his mouth, yet Xu Qingnian’s voice rang out.
“Does this official tell you to get up again?”
Xu Qingnian looked at the guards beside King Zhenxi, a simple statement that made King Zhenxi frown.
The King of Zhenxi’s guards did not dare to get up, but their faces became ugly, as the King of Zhenxi’s guards, their status was also extremely high, and they could be said to be the overlords in the local area, in any place, who would not give them some face?
Even if they went to other county kings’ residences, those kings would be slightly more polite to them.
Xu Qingnian, on the other hand, kept making them kneel on the ground, which …… was too humiliating, and at the same time, it was also not giving face to the King of Zhenxi ah.
“Xu Qingnian.”
Zhen Xi King was just about to continue speaking when Xu Qingnian’s voice rang out again.
“King Zhenxi, dare I ask if there is an imperial decree for you to enter the capital?”
Xu Qingnian once again interrupted the King of Zhenxi, he was not afraid of any King of Zhenxi or King of Zhenbei, he had already offended many people anyway, one more prince for you is not much, one less prince for you is not much.
“So what if I have? So what if there isn’t?”
The King of Zhenxi was furious.
He had heard of Xu Qingnian’s arrogance and knew that Xu Qingnian was arrogant, but these were all from other people’s mouths, yet when he saw it today, he was really arrogant to the extreme.
“If there is an imperial decree, everything will be fine.”
“If there is no imperial decree, according to the laws of the Great Wei, the legacy of the Great Ancestor, a va*sal king cannot enter the capital without an imperial decree.
“Your Majesty, don’t put your servant in a difficult position, but please produce the imperial decree.”
Xu Qingnian spoke out, one word at a time, speaking clearly.
People smacked their lips, a series of shocks, Xu Qingnian was just too domineering, facing the King of Zhenxi, a king with real power, and daring to speak like this.
What the hell kind of person is this?
Does Xu Qingnian have seven guts?
Oh, no, did Xu Qingnian have nothing else but guts?
“Fine!”
“Bravo!”
“The King has always heard of Lord Xu’s reputation, knowing that he is upright and unafraid of power.
The King of Zhenxi took out the imperial decree and placed it on the long table, he did not get angry, nor did he argue with Xu Qingnian over any verbal arguments.
Because he knew that Xu Qingnian was already not giving him any face, everything was done in a public manner, if he wanted to use his power to oppress others, or to show off any king’s prestige.
It would definitely not work.
Since Xu Qingnian was doing everything in a public manner, he could also do it in a public manner, he wanted to see what Xu Qingnian could toss out.
“Your Highness is too kind, but I don’t know what your Highness wants to do at the Ministry of Justice today? Are you also being robbed of your silver by these merchants?”
Xu Qingnian smiled modestly.
And King Zhenxi did not smile, his face was calm.
“This king has come today because he wants to see how Lord Xu will judge the case, this king has received a secret report that Lord Xu has taken money from others and is acting in an improper manner, being the royal family, he has the responsibility to supervise all the officials of Great Wei, of course this king also believes that this is a misunderstanding, just that no matter what, this king has the obligation to supervise.”
“If Lord Xu is really upright, the king will certainly punish these villains severely, but if Lord Xu is unfair in judging the case, then the king will not sit idly by and do nothing, I hope Lord Xu will forgive me.”
The King of West China has thoroughly understood what kind of person Xu Qingnian is, so he intervened in this matter in a different way, using his usual style, the Minister of the Six Ministries would give himself face, but Xu Qingnian would not give himself face.
It was better to be direct.
“Understood.”
“Your Majesty is dedicated to the Great Wei, this is something that my humble servant respects, since this is the case, then take your seat on your right.”
Xu Qingnian nodded, it was good that people were coming, but he was afraid that they wouldn’t.
“Then these subordinates of this king?”
The King of Zhenxi said calmly.
“Oh, in theory, minions are not allowed to observe, after all, the Ministry of Penalty adjudicates cases, but for the sake of the king’s status and the fear that some thieves might disrupt the law, these minions will make an exception for once.”
Xu Qingnian had a smile on his face, but the word “lackey” was a sneer that was spot on.
In Great Wei, a lackey was different from a minister; in Xu Qingnian’s previous country, a lackey was someone close to him, and a minister was someone who did things, so a lackey had a higher status than a minister, and was also a compliment.
However, in Great Wei, a lackey meant a slave, without any dignity or power, equivalent to goods, and a va*sal had a higher status than a lackey.
Naturally this one sentence scolded these few guards with ugly faces, and if the King of Zhenxi were not here, they would probably have cursed a few times.
“Lord Xu, a sharp tongue, that’s really good, this king admires you.”
The King of Zhenxi smiled, followed by a sullen face and settled down, several guards also got up and stood behind the King of Zhenxi, their faces grim and frightening.
Just after he had settled down, King Zhen Xi wanted to speak.
However, Xu Qingnian once again took the lead.
“Your Majesty, you are listening to the trial, but there is one thing that I have to remind you of, the person in charge of this trial is this official, not the king.
“Lest it bring trouble to the king.”
Xu Qingnian reminded.
At the same time, he was also telling the other party that he was the biggest today, and no one was qualified to give orders for him except His Majesty who had come, otherwise, even if you were the king, I, Xu, would dare to take action.
You don’t believe me? Think about what happened to the Huai Ping County King.
“What Lord Xu said, this king is the royal family, the first to abide by the laws of Great Wei, as long as Lord Xu can do things fairly and without any favouritism, this king will definitely not interfere.”
The King of Zhenxi laughed lightly.
The meaning of these words is also very simple, if you let me not pick a fault, I will not say anything, if you do something wrong, the time to say I still say.
Xu Qingnian didn’t care about King Zhenxi anymore.
Instead, he slowly sat down.
The big man had arrived, and it was time for the real good show to begin.
“Men!”
“Escort all the merchants outside the hall.”
Xu Qingnian spoke, his voice indifferent.
“As ordered!”
Voices rang out in unison.
In an instant, the merchants who were being held outside were sent to the hall one by one.
After a count, an official spoke up.
“Lord Xu, three hundred and ninety-five prisoners have been brought to the hall.”
The official spoke up and said so.
And on the long table.
Xu Qingnian looked at the merchants, and then spoke again.
“You merchants, by the grace of the late emperor, were allowed to do business in the capital and were exempted from taxation because of your poverty.”
“But I never imagined that in our capital, you have committed crimes, extorted money from others, and acted in a despotic manner, at times cheating and deceiving, at times injuring people and forcing them to buy and sell.”
“They have committed a heinous crime, causing fear and anxiety among the people, and deserve to die.
Xu Qingnian’s words were incomparably cold, directly convicting them and beheading them.
Once these words were spoken.
In an instant, more than three hundred merchants shouted out.
“Lord Xu, where have we done wrong and run amok, there must be a misunderstanding here.”
“Yes, yes, it’s all a misunderstanding, we are in business, how dare we be so arrogant.”
“Lord Xu, we are honest businessmen, how could we do such things against our conscience?”
The merchants spoke up, they would not admit what they had done, and as for the others, they did not dare to shout, after all, the two heads were still on the ground, their eyes were not even closed.
“Lord Xu, although the king is not in the capital, he knows a little bit about it, these merchants have rules for doing business, and this is the Great Wei, even if they are crazy, they would not dare to blackmail people for money, right?”
“It’s not that the king is picking on them, but everything has to be based on physical evidence.”
The King of Zhenxi spoke calmly, arguing for these merchants.
“That’s fine, in that case, pa*s the physical evidence.”
Xu Qingnian was also calm, with just one word, and immediately dozens of officials quickly came and placed stacks of receipts on the hall.
At this moment, the people suddenly whispered.
“So Lord Xu had already prepared for this. No wonder the officials had asked the merchants to leave receipts when we were blackmailed these days.
“This is a good receipt, I want to see how these merchants can defend themselves.”
“Good, good, so that’s how it is, this receipt is ironclad evidence, none of these merchants will get away.”
The people whispered, they didn’t expect the receipt to serve this purpose, and lamented Xu Qingnian’s forethought.
“June 15th, Yongxing shop, jade twenty-five taels.”
“June 15th, Changping shop, jade forty-eight taels.”
“June 15th, Chang’an shop, jade goods, fourteen hundred and fifty taels.”
Xu Qingnian picked up a stack at random, and then read out the contents on it, word by word.
After reading out a paragraph, the official of the Ministry of Penalty brought in a few more boxes.
“Your Excellency, in recent months, the government offices all over the capital, including the Ministry of Criminal Justice, have taken over a total of four hundred and thirty-five cases of Fan merchants, and all the dossiers are in them.”
“The highest involved, seven thousand taels of silver, the lowest fifteen taels of silver, please check and receive them, Your Excellency.”
The official of the Ministry of Justice spoke up and said what the boxes contained.
“En.” Xu Qingnian nodded, then turned his gaze towards the King of Zhenxi and said, “Your Majesty, does this count as physical evidence?”
Xu Qingnian asked.
“This king will take a look.”
The King of Zhenxi was very bland, and as soon as he spoke, the guard beside him came in front of Xu Qingnian and picked up a stack of written documents before handing them to the King of Zhenxi.
The latter unfolded it very calmly and read it one by one.
After reading about a dozen of them, King Zhenxi shook his head.
“Lord Xu, what’s wrong with these notes? They are all sale notes, how can this be considered physical evidence?”
The King of Western Town was clearly trying to favour these merchants, not considering this to be forced buying and selling, but rather that it was just a normal sale, no big deal.
“Oh!”
“Your Majesty is really joking!”
Xu Qingnian laughed lightly and then looked at the merchants and said.
“Where is the shopkeeper of Yongxing Shop?”
The voice rang out, and immediately a middle-aged fat man spoke up, “I am here.”
“This official asks you, this note says that on the 15th of June, you received 25 taels of silver from Li, what is that about?”
Xu Qingnian asked.
The latter lowered his head, but still said very seriously.
“Your Excellency, this is doing business, I’m not sure about the specific matters, there are so many businesses every day, I can’t remember every single thing.”
The latter did not dare to elaborate, only thinking to muddle through.
“Doing business? That’s fine, pa*s on Li.”
Xu Qingnian continued to speak.
At that moment, a woman walked out quickly and looked at Xu Qingnian and knelt down directly.
“Woman Li, meet Lord Xu.”
“Greetings to all the lords.”
Li opened her mouth and knelt respectfully to Xu Qingnian.
“Don’t make a big salute.”
“Li, this official asks you, on the 15th of June, what did you buy at the Yong Xing Shop?”
Xu Qingnian said with a gentle face.
“Your Excellency, my wife did not buy anything from the Yong Xing Shop.”
Li replied.
“Didn’t buy anything? Then why did he charge you twenty-five taels of silver?”
Xu Qingnian continued to ask.
“Your Excellency, on that day, I was just pa*sing by the Yongxing Shop and happened to see an emerald green bracelet, so I was pleased with it and looked at it for a while.
“Although I knew it was expensive, I couldn’t resist putting it on, but the bracelet was too small for me to put on, so I gave up after trying it on.”
“I was about to leave, but I was surprised when the shopkeeper of the Yongxing Shop asked me to buy the bracelet and offered me 3,000 taels of silver.”
“My husband has a job, but his monthly salary is only eight taels of silver, so even if he doesn’t eat or drink for ten years, he won’t earn three thousand taels of silver.
“So I argued with the shopkeeper, but he spoke harshly to me and even exchanged punches and kicks with me.
“But the shopkeeper of the Wing Hing Shop was still unforgiving and demanded at least fifty taels of silver as compensation, thinking that the woman had ruined the bracelet and the jade.”
“Later, when the official came, the shopkeeper still insulted the woman, but finally, under the mediation of the official, he gave her 25 taels of silver.”
“Your Excellency! I don’t care about the silver or money, but I am a woman anyway, and I was humiliated by them in broad daylight, even stripping her clothes and slapping her.
“I’m afraid I would have jumped into the river and killed myself! I’ve lost all my face, I can’t live any longer.”
“I hope you will do something for me!”
Li spoke up, at first she was just talking, but the more she spoke, the more emotional she became, and in the end she was bawling.
To a woman, reputation is so important, and she had already married a woman, but she was humiliated in public and even stripped of her clothes.
If her husband had not loved her, I am afraid that if it were a normal person, she would have lived in shame, unable to carry herself for a long time, or even jumped into the river to kill herself.
“Don’t get excited.”
“Today, I am here to do justice to the people.”
“Boss of Yongxing Shop, this official asks you if this matter is true?”
Xu Qingnian first comforted, and then looked at the shopkeeper of Yongxing Shop with a cold and incomparable gaze, asking thus.
“Your Excellency, this B*tch is completely creating rumours and causing trouble, how dare I do this, the Yongxing Shop would not do this at all, she is lying, Your Excellency, you must not fall for it, this B*tch usually pa*ses by my shop and has always liked my family’s jade.”
“Three times she has come to bargain, but my jade is so exquisite that it is impossible to sell it at a low price, and she is harbouring a grudge, and today she is taking advantage of the opportunity to take revenge.”
“B*tch! You are so cheap!”
The shopkeeper of Yongxing Shop explained in a hundred ways, not admitting the matter at all, and even insulted the other party by saying “B*tch” in one breath.
How could they tolerate such an insult from a merchant who called a Wei woman a Sl*t?
The people were so shocked.
The wood of the hall was slapped.
Xu Qingnian’s eyes were cold.
“How dare you lie in front of this official!”
“This person, no matter what, is a citizen of Great Wei, so by calling her a B*tch, you are insulting her as well as the citizens of Great Wei.”
“Someone, slap her mouth for fifty.”
Xu Qingnian spoke up, and with a command, the officers of the Ministry of Punishment directly stepped forward and grabbed him to death.
“My lord, my lord, I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean it, ah ah ah ah!”
The merchant tried to defend himself, but he was grabbed by the officers of the Ministry of Punishment and beaten on the mouth with a wooden order, each blow making a cracking sound and with great force.
The officers did not like this man either, so they were naturally harsh.
“Lord Xu.”
“Before the matter is clearly investigated, you have gone a bit too far, haven’t you?”
At this moment, the King of Zhenxi spoke up, trying to stand up for the Fanshang.
“Shut up!”
Xu Qingnian looked away coldly, his gaze landing on Zhen Xi Wang, two words that drew a murderous aura in a flash.
The Zhen Xi King’s gaze was indifferent, while the guards around him had fierce gazes, full of killing intent.
Xu Qingnian actually told King Zhenxi to shut up?
This was truly treacherous.
“King Zhenxi! I call you a king because I respect your single-mindedness for the country, and this person insulted my Wei woman as a Sl*t, yet you still help her speak out.”
“I would like to ask you, Your Majesty! Are you the king of Great Wei or not?”
Xu Qingnian spoke up, and with some rebuke, the people resonated.
“Yes, are you still the prince of our Great Wei?”
“You’re still a relative of the royal family? What kind of royal relative is that, helping outsiders bully their own people?”
“Your Majesty? They call our women Sl*ts and you still help them? Don’t you have a mother or a daughter-in-law?”
“This bullSh*t prince, it’s so annoying to watch, but it’s Lord Xu who is dedicated to Wei.”
The people cursed, they were also angry, this man was used to being a bully, even if people were humiliated, now in front of the high officials of Wei, they still dare to call her a B*tch.
This was a great shame.
A group of foreigners who deserve to be killed.
He was not stupid, but smart enough to know that the people were angry and that Xu Qingnian was in control of the people’s hearts, so if he dared to say anything else, he was afraid that it would lead to trouble.
Therefore, King Zhen Xi spoke up.
“Everyone has misunderstood, what this king means is that the matter should be investigated more clearly, lest it be unclear and in retrospect these foreign states will say that we in Great Wei are bullying people.”
“Lord Xu, although the king respects you, I hope that Lord Xu will be careful with his words, otherwise with what he said just now, the king can refer you to His Majesty.”
The King of Zhenxi changed his approach, both explaining himself and warning Xu Qingnian a little.
Don’t use the country’s righteousness to pressure yourself, if you really P*ss yourself off, who cares who you are.
“That’s what the king means then.”
“This official thought that Your Majesty had some kind of collusion with this bunch of Fan merchants.”
“But think about it, the king is a va*sal king, what are these merchants? What are these merchants? Are they just making some money? The king is so noble and regards gold and silver as dirt, what does he need so much silver for?
Xu Qingnian said grimly.
“You! Don’t talk nonsense!”
When he heard the word “rebel”, the King of Zhenxi rose up, and he looked at Xu Qingnian with anger and emotion.
As a va*sal king, the thing he wanted to do the most and the thing he did not want to touch the most was to rebel.
Xu Qingnian’s words were too damaging.
“Your Majesty, don’t get excited, this official is just talking.”
“All right, summon the Jing Bing witnesses.”
Xu Qingnian ignored the King of Zhenxi, but spoke slowly and had the capital soldiers summoned inside.
At once, the four capital soldiers came outside the hall and bowed towards Xu Qingnian.
“We have met Lord Xu.”
The four men bowed respectfully towards Xu Qingnian.
“Do you know the civilian woman under the hall?”
Xu Qingnian asked without any nonsense, pointing at Li.
“Back to your Excellency, we know each other.”
The four of them just looked at each other and spoke in unison to answer.
“How do you know each other?”
Xu Qingnian said calmly.
“Your Excellency, my servant Wang Yangchen is responsible for patrolling the North Street of Kyoto. On the 15th of June, a citizen reported a fight and brawl at Yongxing Shop, and when my servant and others arrived at once, they found the Yongxing Shop’s fellows beating Li.”
“The first thing we did was to stop them, and only after careful questioning did we learn that Li had tried on a jade bracelet from the Yongxing Shop, and the shopkeeper believed that the bracelet was taken from a sacred mountain and possessed a spiritual nature, and that after it was made into jade, the first person to touch it would be tainted with the spirit.”
“This was also their selling point, but after Li wore it, she had no silver to pay for it, which is why the conflict occurred.”
Jing Bing told the truth and would not tell a lie.
“Understood.”
Xu Qingnian looked towards the Yongxing Shopkeeper, only the other party was still being slapped, so he withdrew his gaze and waited until the fight was over before asking again.
Resetting her gaze on Wang Yangchen.
Xu Qingnian continued to speak.
“Then have you and the others seen with your own eyes that Li was beaten up?”
Wang Yangchen’s four men did not think twice before saying.
“Back to Your Excellency, I saw it, and Li was still somewhat dishevelled, so my subordinate took off his jacket and covered Li with it.”
Xu Qingnian nodded, and then took a long breath.
He gazed at the Fan merchants.
“Bravo! When it’s really good!”
“My people of Great Wei, in the middle of Kyoto, at the feet of the Son of Heaven, to be humiliated like this.”
“This is just a failure to buy and sell, if there is some revenge, will they kill someone in the street?”
Xu Qingnian looked at the merchants and said this.
“Your Excellency, forgive me!”
“My lord, we have been wronged.”
“My lord, how dare we.”
The merchants all spoke up, kneeling on the ground and shouting.
“Humph.”
Xu Qingnian snorted coldly, and it was at that moment that the Yongxing shopkeeper was also finished being slapped in the mouth.
His mouth was full of blood, and his eyes and nose were full of tears and snot from the pain.
The official of the Ministry of Justice had done an excellent job of making the other party feel the pain while not letting him pa*s out.
“Boss of Yongxing Shop, the evidence is all there, what else do you have to say in your defence?”
In the hall, Xu Qingnian asked coldly.
“Your Excellency, …… Everything is just a misunderstanding, the jade is indeed worth a lot of money and has a spiritual nature, how can you say that it is forced to buy and sell? My lord, you have wronged me.”
The Yongxing shopkeeper cried out, and up to this moment, still insisted that it was just a misunderstanding.
“Good, how valuable and spiritual!”
“Even more valuable, Li is asking for three thousand taels of silver just to wear it for a while.”
“Even more spiritual, it’s gone when touched, so don’t you absorb the spirituality when you touch it on a regular basis?”
“And, even if even what you say is true, but even if Li doesn’t buy it, can you report it to the police? Yet you used torture on your own, beating Li and humiliating a virtuous woman in front of broad daylight.”
“How can you explain this?”
Xu Qingnian said in a stern voice.
“I ……. This ……”
The Yongxing shopkeeper couldn’t say anything, he stammered and didn’t know what to say, he could only look at the Zhen Xi King.
And the King of Zhenxi was also silent.
It is Li’s fault that the goods were not bought, and you can indeed report it to the official.
It was also true that using lynchings and beating people up was wrong, and it was impossible for him to defend it even if he could have done so.
Sensing the silence of the King of Zhenxi, the latter knew that he could only admit his mistake.
“I admit my mistake.”
“My lord, I will never dare to do so again.”
He lowered his head and said in tears.
“Good!”
“Since you admit your mistake, then sign and pledge.”
Xu Qingnian spoke directly, and at that moment threw out the white paper on the table, which was a confession of guilt.
The latter looked at the confession of guilt floating around and knew that he would have to bleed heavily today, but what could he do? But what could he do? When he met Xu Qingnian, what could he say?
But this hatred, he would keep in his heart, and one day, he would definitely take revenge back.
At that moment, the latter drew a charge.
As the charge was drawn, the official of the Ministry of Justice picked up the confession of guilt and handed it to Xu Qingnian.
Looking at the signature on it, Xu Qingnian nodded and said in a gentle tone.
“If you know your mistakes and can correct them, there is no greater good.”
“In your next life, don’t be like this.”
“Someone, behead him on the spot.”
Xu Qingnian threw out the decapitation order and said in a gentle tone, hoping that the other party would not be like this in his next life.
“Many thanks, my lord, many thanks …….”
The Yongxing shopkeeper subconsciously thanked Xu Qingnian, thinking that it was only a minor punishment and would be left at that.
But when he made his intentions clear, his entire body froze.
Don’t do this in your next life?
Beheaded on the spot?
I have to be beheaded even if I admit my mistake?
What the hell is wrong with that?
When he tried to speak up, the official of the Ministry of Punishment had already grabbed him, brought him aside and pressed him directly to the ground.
“Lord Xu, Lord Xu, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I didn’t deserve to die.”
“Lord Xu, even if I am wrong, I don’t deserve to have my head killed.”
He cried out, crying out loudly, he didn’t think that a small matter like this would warrant a beheading?
He had been very cooperative.
It was also at this point that the King of Zhenxi sat up.
To be honest, he was also a bit confused, Xu Qingnian was not being decisive, this was a killing spree, right?
He had already admitted his mistake, but you still beheaded him?
Besides, even if he was wrong in the first place, he didn’t deserve to die, right?
“Stop it!”
“Lord Xu, this has gone too far!”
“He’s guilty, but after all, it’s just a matter of money, so the big deal is to make him pay some silver.”
“You’re being too strict in killing him.”
“This is not the law of the Great Wei!”
The King of Zhenxi spoke up and angrily stopped it.
And the official of the Ministry of Punishment hesitated a little.
However Xu Qingnian’s angry voice rang out.
“This official says again, this official’s order, whoever dares to hesitate in any way again will be considered as harbouring and punished with the same crime.”
His angry voice rang out.
It was not directed at the King of Zhenxi, but at the officials of the Ministry of Penalty.
Once these words were spoken, the officers of the Ministry of Punishment did not dare to hesitate at all.
His hand rose and his sword fell.
Another human head ……. rolled to the ground.
This moment.
Everything was quiet.
