Chapter 581: Sneaking a Touch on the Tiger's Butt (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Ganzhou, Qushan County, Imperial Palace.

Officials in court robes stood trembling, heads bowed,不敢抬头对正乔直视 (不敢抬头对正乔直视 - dared not look Zheng Qiao in the eye), a suffocating, terrifying atmosphere permeating the palace. Above, Zheng Qiao held a magnificent gold-inlaid jade ruyi in his right hand, tapping it lightly against his left palm as he paced back and forth. His steps were light, but they felt like heavy hammer blows to everyone's hearts…

Thump thump thump—

After a long silence, Zheng Qiao finally spoke.

He sneered contemptuously: "I heard that another force has responded to Huang Lie's call today, attempting to overthrow this throne, is that right?"

"They are nothing but a rabble, nothing to fear. When the king's army arrives, they will surely collapse." The speaker was a young official, handsome but with a wicked air about him, and his words were full of flattery.

This man was originally a minor official in Qushan County, lacking any real ability. However, he was adept at living off his wife, and after marrying into her family, he won her over. Through her, he persuaded his parents-in-law to buy him an official position, so he wasn't a nobody. However, while he had no other skills, his flattery and sycophancy were unparalleled. He was noticed by Zheng Qiao and promoted to a high-ranking official position, rising rapidly through the ranks.

When people become successful, they stand tall with pride.

He even dared to have his way with three or five of the maids who served him.

Only when facing Zheng Qiao did he still show a fawning and respectful expression.

Zheng Qiao scoffed upon hearing this.

"A mob? Ha, if they really are a mob, that's fine. I can lure them with benefits, promise them high-ranking positions and riches, making them as wealthy as kings and nobles, and then easily win them over to the court. However, some of them have grand ambitions and connections that extend to the highest levels of government, and they even have connections with court officials... This makes me uneasy... Have I done something to wrong you court officials?"

The crowd remained completely silent.

This is a crucial question! Can they really say that Zheng Qiao has wronged them in countless ways? Can they? If they do, they'll lose their heads!

Some people secretly broke out in a cold sweat.

Because they were courtiers with both a "beginning" and a "end".

Aside from Huang Lie, who rose in rebellion, the forces responding to this "Dragon Slaying Scheme" were mostly powerful and aristocratic families. The crucial point was that after Zheng Qiao came to power, he became extremely strict about this matter. Those sons of various families who already held official positions were directly retained as court officials and rarely sent to other posts; those without official positions were given honorary titles and kept under his watchful eye. In other words, they were all hostages.

Some of them were even patriarchs of their families or rightful heirs, while their clansmen were raising armies elsewhere...

If mud gets in your crotch, even if it's not poop, it'll still look like poop.

Do these hostages expect to have an easy time?

It was naturally not a good time.

The prison cells were extremely scarce. Single rooms were all gone, and newcomers had to squeeze into three, four, five, or six-person rooms... The harsh living conditions and the possibility of being killed at any moment caused those with weaker mental fortitude to break down on the spot... After a few days, they became haggard and their faces darkened. Those who had been in prison the longest were even more sallow and thin, unrecognizable as human beings.

Zheng Qiao's question implied that another unlucky fellow was about to go to jail, and the crowd looked sympathetically at the middle-aged official in his thirties or forties, whose face was ashen. The official robes he wore indicated that he held a high rank, but the clothes did not give him any sense of security.

As expected—

He was also thrown into jail.

The further into the prison you went, the darker it became, and the air reeked of an indescribable stench. Prisoners had to relieve themselves in their cramped cells. If there were urinals, that was one thing; otherwise, they had to find a corner to relieve themselves. The smell... ugh.

In addition, there are multiple-person cells...

After a while, there was nowhere left to put your feet.

The living conditions were appalling; prisoners were frequently subjected to severe torture, including needle pricks, whippings, and even water torture, each time leaving them bruised and battered. Had Zheng Qiao not forbade the use of the "Broken Mansion Extreme Torture," they would have perished long ago.

The middle-aged court official was shoved inside.

I almost stumbled and fell.

A familiar voice rang out in the darkness.

"How did you get in here?"

The middle-aged court official carefully examined the man and realized he was a colleague.

The latter has been detained for two or three months.

During this time, he tried to use his connections to get the other party out, but to no avail, and in the end, he himself became deeply involved...

He replied with a wry smile, "My second brother is raising an army outside..."

The second brother he mentioned was his biological brother from the same parents, but because he was adopted by the eldest son's family, the two were only cousins ​​in the family genealogy. As the eldest son's direct descendant, he enjoyed all the family resources, which aroused the jealousy of his second brother, resulting in a bad relationship between the two brothers. However, he did not expect the other to go so far as to join Huang Lie's team in a high-profile manner, even though he knew that Huang Lie was being held hostage by Zheng Qiao.

Upon hearing this, his colleague sighed softly.

He comforted her, saying, "It's good that your family is safe and sound..."

They were hostages used by Zheng Qiao to control the various families, while their relatives were hostages used to control them. Zheng Qiao also knew the principle of not pushing people too far, and generally wouldn't kill their families. Of course, some people didn't believe in such things.

As a result, the entire family was killed.

They even went after the yellow dog kept at the entrance.

The court official covered his face in shame: "It is because I am useless..."

As expected, his wife and children should have received the devastating news that he has been imprisoned by now, and are doing everything they can to get him out.

However, he was only half right.

His wife and children received the gifts, but he didn't go to any trouble to help them.

It wasn't that I didn't want to, but a guest happened to come by.

To be precise, there were three people.

Old, young, and youth.

The elderly man at the head of the group had white hair and beard, and wore a simple linen robe. He was more wealthy than even the gatekeeper.

But this man's eyes were bright and clear, and one glance was enough to tell that he was no ordinary person. The woman's tears were still wet, and she almost blurted out a greeting when she saw the old man, but he interrupted her: "Madam Qiu, I won't say anything else. I have come to ask you for a favor today."

Upon hearing this, the woman hurriedly let the three men in.

The gatekeeper, sensing the danger, closed the gate.

"Please speak."

The woman invited the old man to take a seat, but the old man did not sit down. Instead, he patted the boy who was already as tall as her shoulder—calling him a boy would be an exaggeration, as he looked like he was eight or nine years old, but he had cultivated martial arts skills, dressed smartly, and was close to a boy in stature.

He asked the woman, "Do you remember him?"

The woman looked at it carefully and shook her head.

But then he added, "It looks somewhat familiar..."

The old man reminded her: "The previous head of the Qiu family had been married for over ten years but had no children. A maid who had once served him lied and claimed to have borne him a son, who was then raised in the countryside. Coincidentally, the child bore a resemblance to the head of the Qiu family, and a blood test confirmed kinship, so he was brought back to the Qiu family. However, after raising the child for several years, it was discovered that he was different from ordinary people, suffering from a brain disease, and his height remained that of a toddler... In the end, the secret could not be kept..."

The maid was terrified and had no choice but to tell the truth.

The child was a homeless child she found on the street. His appearance was striking, bearing a resemblance to the Qiu family's elders. This discovery gave her a bold idea: to switch the child with the Qiu family's!

But the truth will always come out eventually.

In the end, the child was abandoned in the countryside to fend for himself.

Naming, banquet.

As the head of the Qiu family grew older, the problem of having an heir remained unresolved, eventually reaching a point where it had to be addressed. He had no choice but to adopt the eldest son of his brother, the unfortunate fellow mentioned earlier who was thrown into prison.

The woman then remembered.

She had seen the boy when she married into the family.

As a child, he bore a resemblance to his late father-in-law, but now that his features have matured, he looks nothing like him. His cheeks are slightly chubby, and his eyes are clear and bright, untouched by worldly concerns, suggesting a touch of naiveté.

Standing obediently beside the old man, like a silent porcelain doll, yet unable to resist curiously observing the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Could it be... could it be that he... he is that young man? But... but he's not a monster who can't grow up..." The woman was so shocked that she almost blurted out something inappropriate in front of the old man. She swallowed the rest of her words, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The old man avoided the question, saying, "There's a reason for that, but it's not convenient to discuss it now. I came here today to ask if the item he wore back then is still in his residence? And if it's possible to find it?"

(￣_，￣)

A new map and storyline are about to be released. Let's take it out for a spin before putting it back in the deep mountains and forests.

P.S.: Is this the tenth Double Eleven that Xianggu has spent with Yuewen? It's that time of year again for impulsive shopping. As always, Yuewen paid out royalties early. Aside from orders for my future daughter, the only other orders I received were for two 5.4kg bags of Orijen chicken cat food for my two feline overlords, Yingying and Miaomiao. It was really too expensive… I even bought a vacuum food storage container to store them…

(End of this chapter)