The hidden power quietly descended, cutting off all prying eyes.

Qin Zhaoyue leaned back lazily in her chair, tilting her head back and looking down at the people below.

Qin Zhaoqiong stood up straight, her eyes sharp, her aura even stronger than before after her promotion.

The four people in the hall looked no different from when they were interrogated before, but they were actually secretly on high alert.

All the corruption cases are just a cover-up; what they need is this moment of excitement.

Shi Zhongkui was dark-skinned, with a full beard, and short and stocky, truly living up to his name.

But now he was kneeling and cowering in the hall, his fierce image completely destroyed.

“Raise your head.”

"Yes, yes..."

Qin Zhaoqiong, though not angry, exuded an air of authority. "You know what I want to ask you, right?"

"I know, I know, the flood control funds... I embezzled two hundred taels."

Shi Zhongkui dared not pause and immediately confessed his crimes.

The room fell into a deathly silence, with only his own rapid breathing audible.

“I am not lying; I am just a lowly clerk.”

"I had no choice but to take what my superior took; in reality, I embezzled less than two hundred taels..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Zhaoyue scoffed, "Not bad, Shi something again? Never mind..."

She waved her hands repeatedly, "It doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, if your entire family is exterminated, no one will come to your grave to pay respects. It doesn't matter whether they know your name or not."

"Confiscating nine generations of one's family..." Shi Zhongkui was stunned. "I...I only embezzled less than two hundred taels, how could this be..."

Bang!

Qin Zhaoqiong slammed her hand on the desk. "You won't shed a tear until you see the coffin, Zhou Yanqing, the magistrate of Chiyan County!"

Shi Zhongkui gasped, the veins on his forehead bulged like earthworms digging into the soil, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Cold sweat seeped from the edge of his turban, soaking through the stand-up collar of his linen shirt.

"I...don't know!"

Shi Zhongkui immediately prostrated himself on the ground, his head hitting the ground with a loud thud. After a few kowtows, his forehead swelled up and oozed glaring bloodstains.

He had a premonition that something bad would happen sooner or later, but he didn't expect it.

"Aren't you going to tell the truth? Do you want to die?!"

The stern shout, carrying a surge of true energy, made him tremble with fear.

"I wouldn't dare; every word I said is true..."

With his voice hoarse from shouting, Shi Zhongkui confessed everything, but after listening, all four of them fell silent.

Yin Zhi and Liu Yan transmitted their voices one after the other. They were experienced and made their judgment based on the other's heartbeat, tone of voice, expression and other factors.

Both concluded that the person was not lying.

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Yan stepped forward and slowly walked to Shi Zhongkui's side, where he squatted down.

“Xuanji Guard, you know what that means, right?”

Starting today, our people will be secretly watching your every move.

Anyone who dares to reveal the content of today's inquiry will die.

If someone discovers that he has revealed a flaw, he will die.

Oh, no, as Your Highness said, it's the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

Including your two-year-old son, no one was spared.

Shi Zhongkui kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I understand, I understand!"

After he left, he summoned several clerks.

In order to avoid revealing any flaws, some brutal interrogation methods were used. After all, Shi Zhongkui's head was broken, so they had to treat everyone the same.

It took almost half an hour to record all the corrupt crimes committed by officials at all levels of the Longmen County government.

When only four people remained, everyone's expressions were not very good.

"It's pretty much confirmed now; Shi Zhongkui is just a worthless hook..."

According to him, he would go to Chiyan County to deliver messages about three to four times a year.

How to say it and what attitude to express were always communicated in advance via letter.

The threats, coupled with the twenty taels of silver for each journey, continued for eight years.

It's impossible for Shi Zhongkui to have been completely unaware of anything over such a long period of time.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late. Trying to back out now would not only cost them their job, but could even cost them their lives.

As for who delivered the message, he had never seen the person in person.

The other person was completely covered up when we first met, and afterwards I received letters directly at home.

What I thought was an important clue turned out to be useless information.

Shi Zhongkui is like a warning bell; once someone touches it and it rings, it alerts the person behind the scenes that their operation has been exposed.

Aside from this identity, he could not provide any valuable intelligence.

Fortunately, the investigation is currently being conducted openly under the guise of investigating corruption in water management, so it should not have been exposed yet.

Canglan brought back news that the capital had begun a covert investigation into the various residences that possessed borneol.

In addition, there are very few third-rank sorcerers in the world, which is also a clue.

Just then, the Imperial Guards announced that someone was causing trouble.

At the entrance of the county government office, the county magistrate, accompanied by his yamen runners, blocked the group of people from entering.

"Madam Li, please go home and wait. This matter is still under investigation, and the Imperial Envoy will surely find out the truth..."

No matter how the county magistrate tried to persuade her, the old lady ignored him and continued walking forward with determination, leaning on her cane.

She refused to be helped up; behind her were her children and grandchildren, and a group of people lagged far behind.

The old lady was dressed in a blue silk robe, which, although of the lowest rank, still indicated that she was a woman of noble birth bestowed by the imperial court.

As they drew closer to the county government office, the county magistrate grew increasingly anxious.

He encouraged all the officials in the county government to tell the truth, hoping that the law would not punish the masses and that leniency would be given for those who confessed.

Although it's impossible to completely escape punishment, it shouldn't bring disaster on his family, and if he's lucky, he might even be sentenced to exile.

Having finally managed to appease the princess and her entourage, we cannot afford to let our efforts go to waste at this crucial moment.

"Stop them!"

The county magistrate issued an order to forcibly send the old lady and her family away.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!