Outside the gate of Qingtan Abode, Qin Zhaoyue sat imposingly on a wooden stump, the result of chopping down the Bodhi tree in the courtyard with Douzhan.

She was sitting, while the other four were standing, including two powerful Xuanji Guardians at the Divine Martial Realm.

This lineup... wow, who else could it be but the Empress?

"Hey, Master Yinzhe, they've already called for reinforcements, what are our preparations?"

Qin Zhaoyue had seen similar scenarios before; they were simply about comparing who had connections behind the scenes.

If a Marquis emerges from the Nine Gates, and his eldest son becomes the Prefect of the Capital, then their position must at least be that of a Junior Director of the Six Departments. I'm already looking forward to being slapped in the face.

"Your Highness has forgotten that we cannot reveal our identity as officials of the imperial court."

"So what do you plan to do? Are you suggesting we fight back if the Jingzhao Prefecture wants to arrest someone?"

This time, Yin Zhe chose to remain silent.

Qin Zhaoyue asked twice without receiving a response, then turned and glared fiercely at Dou Zhan, "Aren't you going to do anything about this?"

Douzhan: ?

What does he have to do with it? And what gives him the right to do so?

Just then, a gaze swept over from the side.

Dou Zhan caught a glimpse of the playful glint in Yin Zhe's eyes out of the corner of his eye, and dared not move, quickly transmitting his voice:

"Your Highness is too kind. As your subordinate, I should naturally obey your orders."

"Tsk," Qin Zhaoyue curled her lip, "Useless."

Douzhan: ...

A little over a quarter of an hour later, Deng Hongyi, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, arrived in haste.

This speed is abnormal; unless he happens to be at Langyinfang, it's impossible for him to be this fast.

Everyone bowed to him, and even though he was not wearing official robes, there were few people present who did not recognize him.

Lord Deng immediately straightened his back.

He couldn't very well show his son the same clothes as before, so while he waited, he had a servant lead him to change his clothes.

He raised his head and looked down at the five people opposite him, his expression as if to say, "You're all doomed."

Deng Hongyi caught sight of his elderly father at the front and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Father."

"Hmm." Lord Deng squeezed out a reserved reply through his nose, "You uphold justice yourself, you don't need to pay any attention to me."

He wasn't a complete idiot; he was just unemployed for many years and had been worn down by wine and women.

The meaning is clear: murder and arson are facts that are happening right before our eyes, and there is no need to use power to suppress people.

Deng Hongyi cupped his hands in greeting and turned to look at the five people opposite him.

Just as he was about to speak, a voice came from not far away, and an ordinary-looking gang member was pushing a wheelchair over.

"The boss!"

The surrounding members of the Nine Gates Gang greeted him respectfully, which reassured him.

With the head of the gang personally present and the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture joining in, the other party couldn't cause any trouble at all.

The crowd parted to make way for the God of Wealth's head, which then came to the front.

"My lord, my lord, I am unwell and apologize for my rudeness."

Lord Deng waved his hand, but his expression was not friendly.

His son, Deng Hongyi, merely gave him a dismissive look, showing no intention of replying at all.

He knew about his father's private quirks, but he kept himself pure and had no dealings with Chengyuan.

His gaze swept across the scene and landed on the Qingtan Abode, which had been burned to the ground.

That's fine, since the fire didn't spread and only one house was destroyed; at most, it's just a matter of paying some money in compensation.

The problem is the chopped-down Bodhi tree outside the courtyard...

The body was piled up with flesh and blood, leaving only a skeleton, with the head, stripped of the skin and flesh from the cheeks, lodged askew in the middle.

Under the emperor's nose, even though he was the prefect of the capital and had handled many murder cases, such a bloody scene was extremely rare.

"Who is that on the other side? State your name."

Dou Zhan took a step forward, and this simple action immediately caused a commotion at the Nine Gates.

Their second-in-command was killed, so it's impossible not to be afraid.

They only managed to avoid a complete rout because the chief and the marquis were present.

In the end, Dou Zhan only took out the travel permits for the four people and handed them over to Deng Hongyi.

Deng Hongyi quickly crossed over to Panggu County, Yunlu Prefecture, Canglong East Road. That was it.

"Where is the other person?"

There were only four travel permits here, but there were five people opposite him, so he didn't recognize Zhao Tai.

Zhao Tai dared not put on airs; when commoners meet officials, they feel they are three points lower in status.

He stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "I am Zhao Tai, a native of Fengjing, and I live in Yuqian Lane."

"Oh? Tell me what happened."

Zhao Tai immediately repeated what he had said before, but added an explanation of his role.

Since there was no way to verify the story since he was dead, he tried to whitewash his actions.

They were invited to be witnesses to see the outcome of the betting between the two sides.

"You mean, the two sides set a bet, and the Nine Gates lost the bet."

Afterwards, he went back on his word and attacked the four people, intending to kill them to silence them.

As a result, in order to protect themselves, the four of them "accidentally" killed one and captured another, right?

Zhao Taixin was trembling, but he still clasped his hands in a fist and gritted his teeth to admit, "Yes."

"Ha," the old Marquis laughed in anger, "What a blunder!"

Who the hell managed to fight back and cut a person down to their skeleton?

Who would believe that? It's obviously a blatant lie.

Deng Hongyi's face darkened as he scanned the faces of the four men before handing them back their travel permits.

"Since there are witnesses here and the matter is clear, let's leave it at that."

Silence fell over the room after these words were spoken.

The old Marquis stared wide-eyed, finding it hard to believe that these words came from his son's mouth.

Even without taking sides, from a legal perspective, it is still a crime of murder and arson!

"Hongyi, you..."

Just then, Deng Hongyi suddenly turned around and met his elderly father who was walking forward, grabbing his hand tightly.

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