Not long after the Imperial Guards had taken control of Liu Zhong and the Su family, Tian Feng and Yang Qiu's eunuchs also arrived with their men.

Tian Feng looked at the eunuchs under Yang Qiu's command and said, "You are to interrogate these people thoroughly. The Imperial Guards and I need to head to the official granary immediately!"

"Please rest assured, Minister Tian! We are experts at this kind of thing!"

"That's good!"

Tian Feng nodded, then led the Imperial Guards toward the official granary. Although Tian Feng was in charge of gathering the relocated refugees, they also had the right to use the grain stored in the official granary. If there were any problems with the official granary, he still had the right to intervene and investigate.

After Tian Feng and his men left, the eunuch looked at the group with a sinister gaze and said, "Bring the leader of them here!"

"promise!"

After receiving the order, several men with menacing expressions walked into the crowd and began to conduct a search.

Soon, Liu Zhong and a member of the Su family were brought out.

The eunuch Chen Shi looked the two men up and down, then turned to Liu Zhong and asked, "Tell me, who are you?"

Liu Zhong gave a soft snort, turned his head away, and remained silent.

"Ha! You don't know what's good for you!"

Chen Shi couldn't help but sneer. Then, one of his men stepped forward to Liu Zhong's side, pulled out a dagger, and stabbed Liu Zhong's right thigh. With a "hiss," a spurt of blood gushed out.

Ah~

Liu Zhong couldn't help but groan in pain, his face turned pale, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. The intense pain in his wound made him unsteady on his feet.

Chen Shi asked again, "Will you talk or not?"

Liu Zhong remained silent, his teeth clenched.

"Still being stubborn!"

Chen Shi narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at his subordinate. The subordinate understood and plunged the dagger into Liu Zhong's left thigh once again.

Ah~

Liu Zhong cried out in pain again, his legs could no longer support him, and he fell to the ground, covering his wounds with his hands in an attempt to reduce blood loss.

Seeing this, Chen Shi sneered, then walked to Liu Zhong's side and kicked Liu Zhong's shin hard.

With a cracking sound, Liu Zhong's shinbone broke instantly. His eyes rolled back, and he immediately fainted from the pain.

Seeing Chen Shi's cruel methods, the Su family members standing to the side couldn't help but tremble, shrinking to the side and shaking uncontrollably.

"How boring!"

Seeing Liu Zhong faint, Chen Shi snorted and waved his hand. Two of his men then came over and dragged Liu Zhong aside.

Chen Shi glanced coldly at the Su family members beside him and said slowly, "If he won't talk, then you should!"

The man from the Su family, meeting Chen Shi's cold gaze, had his knees buckle and fell to his knees with a thud, saying in a trembling voice, "I'm willing to confess, please spare me!"

"Hmph~ You're smart enough to know your place. Well then, explain yourself carefully and thoroughly!"

"Yes, yes, yes... I will certainly tell you everything I know!"

Then, the member of the Su family told Chen Shi everything that Liu Zhong had instructed him to do.

Meanwhile, Tian Feng led his men to the official granary. After ordering it to be opened, they found that the warehouse, which should have been full of grain, was now almost empty.

Looking at the empty warehouse in front of him, Tian Feng's breathing quickened and his face turned extremely pale. The official granary was of utmost importance for storing grain, but now it had been almost emptied. If a disaster were to occur here and there was no way to provide relief, there would likely be starving people everywhere.

"Thieves are hateful!"

Tian Feng couldn't help but curse angrily, and then ordered his men to bring up the official in charge of guarding the granary.

Tian Feng's eyes were icy as he looked at the trembling officials who had been brought over. He asked angrily, "Where did the grain go? Do you know that using the official granary for grain without authorization is a serious crime? If you don't tell the truth, your whole family will be executed!"

"I'm innocent, Minister Tian! This grain was ordered to be requisitioned by Governor Liu, who said it was for the purpose of implementing national policies and was being done temporarily. I dared not stop him!"

The official was quite frightened and then told Tian Feng everything truthfully.

"Here is an account book. I have recorded in detail every time Governor Liu has made any requests."

After speaking, the official took out an account book from his pocket and handed it to Tian Feng.

"This Prefect Liu has some nerve! Without His Majesty's permission, who gave him the authority to use the grain stored in the official granaries?"

After reviewing the account books, Tian Feng angrily put them away; they were crucial pieces of evidence.

Then Tian Feng looked at the official and said, "Although you are not the mastermind, you cannot escape the crime of dereliction of duty!"

"Minister Tian, ​​it is I..."

"Guards, take him away and lock him in the dungeon. He will be punished after the authorities have investigated the matter thoroughly!"

The official was about to speak when he was interrupted by a loud shout from Tian Feng and then dragged away by two Imperial Guard soldiers.

On the other side, Chen Shi, who had finished his interrogation, also rushed over and gave Tian Feng a detailed report on the situation.

After a moment's thought, Tian Feng looked at the officer of the Imperial Guard and said, "All the evidence now points to Governor Liu. I request that you personally go and take him into custody. We will then consult His Majesty before making any further decisions!"

"no problem!"

The Imperial Guard officer nodded and then led his men to the governor's mansion.

Hearing the commotion outside, Liu Yan got up and went outside. Seeing the Imperial Guards rushing in, he knew that his plan had been exposed. He then sighed deeply and stood there quietly.

"Governor Liu, please go back and rest. Until the imperial edict is issued, we will take care of your daily needs!"

Upon hearing the words of the Imperial Guard officer, Liu Yan nodded helplessly and turned to return to his room.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!