Upon hearing the commotion, the young eunuch quickly knelt down and stepped aside, worried that he was blocking the way of the person coming.

The couple walked up to the young eunuch, but stopped in their tracks. The young eunuch, who was already prostrate on the ground, pressed himself down even further.

The man in the lead picked up the half-eaten bun from the ground and asked, "How did you slip and fall?"

A simple question sent the young eunuch trembling like a leaf.

He thought of the rumors he had heard about the general a couple of days ago.

It is said that his methods were ruthless. Among the officials punished this time, many were skinned and had their bones cut off. All the female relatives of the punished officials were conscripted into the army. Once those women arrived at the military camp, they were abused and humiliated by tens of thousands of soldiers in turn. They were eventually forced into a miserable state. And this general himself preferred boys with good looks.

The little eunuch shuddered and buried his head even deeper.

"General... General, spare my life! General... spare my life!"

Why are you begging for mercy?

"I...I...I spilled the general's...lunch." The little eunuch's voice was already trembling with tears. "I didn't mean to, general, please spare me!"

Are you afraid of me?

The young eunuch was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Why does this general always ask four-word questions? His voice is unreadable; what does he want?

"General..."

The young eunuch stammered and couldn't answer.

Gu Jingheng didn't wait for an answer any longer. He simply placed the steamed bun in the empty bowl and plate, saying, "It's a waste to throw this steamed bun away. Eat it."

After saying that, he left with his men.

When the footsteps disappeared, the little eunuch deflated like a punctured balloon and slumped to the ground.

Covered in cold sweat, he didn't bother to wipe it off. He simply used the hem of his shirt to clean the food on the floor, then grabbed the empty food box and ran to the kitchen.

We need to hurry up and send another meal back to that god of war general!

As Lian Yingtong stepped inside, he turned back to look down the corridor and saw the little eunuch running away as if his life depended on it.

"General, you've frightened the child."

After everyone had left, Lian Yingtong spoke to Gu Jingheng.

"Scared?" Gu Jingheng frowned. "Why was he scared?"

"The people here seem to be very afraid of you."

Lien Ying-tung recalled snippets of conversation he had overheard: "They all say that you kill without blinking an eye, torture and kill officials, and allow soldiers to bully women who are implicated. They also say that you like to play with little boys."

Gu Jingheng's hand, which was writing a memorial, froze in mid-air.

"..."

"General, should we send someone out to explain?" Lian Yingtong asked cautiously.

The corrupt officials in Fengzhou who were dealt with this time all had murder on their hands, and they had tortured and killed countless poor people. During the interrogation, several generals thought of their poor parents, wives and children far away in their hometowns. Overwhelmed with hatred, they used the same methods that the corrupt officials had used on those people. As a result, the next day, rumors spread that Gu Jingheng was addicted to killing and had skinned and shaved bones.

As for the other rumors, they were completely unfounded. It was true that the women involved would either be sent to the army or sold into slavery according to the law, but there were absolutely no prostitutes in the army under Gu Jingheng's command. After those women entered the military camp, they were sent to the logistics department to be responsible for cooking, washing and mending clothes, or to follow the military doctors and take care of the wounded.

The claim that "Gu Jingheng likes delicate and pretty boys" is completely unfounded.

Xu Meng glanced sideways at Lian Yingtong, thinking to himself, "Tsk tsk, my General Lian, you yourself are quite the handsome young man!"

However, Xu Meng's gaze drifted behind him, and when he saw the Imperial Guards standing at the door like wooden figures, he said nothing and calmly withdrew his gaze.

The Imperial Guards obeyed the Emperor's orders and came from Beidu. They all put on airs and looked down on people. Xu Meng and the others disliked the Imperial Guards' behavior, but what could they do? They were the Imperial Guards, and the general had said they couldn't offend them.

Furthermore, Lian Yingtong told Xu Meng that the Imperial Guards had come to Fengzhou for two reasons: firstly, to protect Lord Lin and Eunuch Cui, and secondly, to supervise General Gu. Their every action represented General Gu.

Thinking of this, Xu Meng straightened his posture, stood tall, and exuded the dignity befitting a general.

Gu Jingheng pondered for a moment, then waved his hand: "Never mind, it doesn't matter. The rumors are all false, no need to pay attention to them. Have you heard anything from Lord Lin and Eunuch Cui?"

Lin Suqing, the Prefect of Jingzhao, and Cui Gonggong, a palace eunuch, were sent by Beidu to assist Gu Jingheng in supervising the case of officials in Fengzhou abusing their power for personal gain.

Every day, the three of them, along with their respective teams, would handle cases together, and now they have finally concluded all the cases.

According to custom, each of the three parties had to draft a memorial to the emperor, clearly stating the details of the cases. They were not allowed to view or inquire about the contents of each other's memorials. This was to ensure that no one dared to conceal anything and that the emperor could see the true situation of the cases.

"Lord Lin's memorial has been written and sealed with wax; it is being guarded by the Imperial Guards. Eunuch Cui replied that it is still a little short."

Gu Jingheng gave a light "hmm," quickly finished writing his unfinished memorial, and compiled a list of cases, sealing them all into a wooden box.

The Imperial Guards waiting at the door immediately stepped forward, took the wooden box with both hands, and walked away backwards.

As soon as the Imperial Guards left, Xu Meng's imposing aura vanished. He shuddered, feeling his body stiffen.

"After more than a month, the case is finally over," Lian Yingtong sighed.

More than a month has passed since they returned to Yicheng, Fengzhou from Qingshui County. During this time, they have been with Gu Jingheng, working on cases almost day and night.

Land seizure, massacre of civilians, collusion between officials and businessmen, price gouging—almost every case implicated a string of officials. The officialdom of Fengzhou, from top to bottom, was rotten to the core.

Lian Yingtong still remembers that when he was ordered to lead a team to raid a rice merchant, a young girl was chained in a cellar. Her clothes were torn to shreds and filthy. The girl had been tortured to the point of losing her mind. Her stupid and dirty face still showed traces of her original beauty.

The reason this girl was treated so cruelly was simply because her father borrowed a bushel of rice, but the rice merchant threatened him with usury. Unable to repay, the girl's father was taken to court, and the local official not only failed to uphold justice but also tortured the poor man to death. Afterward, the rice merchant abducted the girl and took her home, where he tormented her for a whole year, turning her into this state.

"Yingtong, that girl... Yingtong?"