Although the Dragon Guard is strong, its forces are only a few dozen times, or even a hundred times, greater, not to mention the Gu worms from the Southern Frontier.
Jiang Jiaojiao and her group were immediately put at a disadvantage. The wealthy Marquis and the Jin family men glared at her and stood in front of her. Jiang Jiaojiao moved her finger and crushed a deworming pill.
Prince Chen raised his eyes to look at Prefect Mei, "You... are plotting a rebellion?"
Everyone present was shocked, trembling uncontrollably, and drenched in cold sweat. What would they do if Prefect Mei rebelled?
Prefect Mei was fearless and his gaze swept over the guests in the hall. The richest and most powerful people in Shu County were all here. Controlling them meant controlling the sky of Shu County.
A smug look crept across his face as he glanced at Jiang Jiaojiao and Prince Chen, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it..."
"Kill them all—leave none alive!"
"stop!"
At the same time, Prefect Mei's order to kill and Magistrate Qian's voice rang out, and then... countless soldiers surged out instantly, surrounding the Prefect's mansion completely!
"Prefect Qian—"
Mei Tai's eyes suddenly darkened as she stared intently at Qian Tongpan, who walked in through the door.
Qian Tongpan wiped the sweat from his brow, strode to Prince Chen's side, and bowed, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Chen, this humble subject is late in coming to your rescue—"
"You're actually Prince Chen's lackey!"
Prefect Mei gritted his teeth, "All these years, I've underestimated you!"
Judge Qian looked up at Prefect Mei, his usual humility and resentment vanishing. "I am His Majesty's subject, loyal to the court. How dare you kill a prince! Your intentions are despicable! Are you plotting rebellion?"
"Hahaha--"
Prefect Mei laughed in fury, “Treason? I am not the one who is plotting treason!”
"All of you, heed my decree—"
Magistrate Mei suddenly shouted.
He pulled out a bright yellow imperial edict from his sleeve, his face arrogant. "By imperial decree: Marquis Fuyu has been illegally mining iron ore, and the Jin family has seventeen sons who have defected to the Northern Mongols... This is treason. All of the Jin family's property and shops are hereby confiscated, and they are to be detained on the spot and exiled to Lingnan!"
This is his biggest trump card!
Since he couldn't marry Jiang Jiaojiao, he originally wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of Fuyu Hou, so that he could get at least half of the Jin family's wealth and shops.
I never expected that Magistrate Qian was one of their men.
This forced him to play his last card: the wealthy Marquis and the Jin family were charged with treason, and much of their confiscated property and shops would end up in his hands.
But it's too late now...
He would never allow the entire Jin family to be exiled to Lingnan!
The imperial edict from Prefect Mei stunned everyone.
Jiang Jiaojiao's mind was buzzing, and it took her a while to come back to her senses: treason, exile, Lingnan...
A fleeting sense of past and present lives.
Her cold hand was grasped by a large, warm hand, and she suddenly came to her senses. Looking up, she met a pair of gentle, watery eyes that seemed to be telling her not to be afraid.
Jiang Jiaojiao took a deep breath. No! This isn't her past life!
The Jin family is definitely not the same Jin family that was at the mercy of others in the previous life!
Marquis Fuyu stumbled back a few steps, but was supported by his brothers and nephews. He couldn't believe it. "Impossible!"
"Our Jin family is loyal and steadfast; how could we possibly commit treason!"
"Slander! It must be a slander! My seventeenth brother could never have defected to Northern Mongolia!"
"It was clearly you who was illegally mining iron ore—"
"For your own selfish desires, you not only murdered the entire Tushan Village clan, but also bribed the miners to try to blow up our iron mine! All the miners you bribed have confessed and signed confessions! And the person you instructed has also confessed to his crimes!"
"It must be falsehoods that have deceived His Majesty!"
The men and women of the Jin family were filled with resentment and spoke with absolute certainty.
The old steward's son was the one who arranged for the three thieves to blow up the mine, so he had already confessed everything.
Dao Hong arrived just in time.
The young masters of the Jin family put their heads together and decided to play along, thus lowering Magistrate Mei's guard.
Prefect Mei looked at Magistrate Qian, his face smug and arrogant, "Since you are loyal to the court, this imperial edict... do you accept it or not?"
Judge Qian had not expected that Prefect Mei had such a trump card, and his gaze toward Prince Chen and Jiang Jiaojiao was somewhat hesitant.
Jiang Jiaojiao steadied herself and focused her gaze on the imperial edict. "Whether this is truly His Majesty's edict or not is not up to you to decide!"
She couldn't believe that His Majesty would suddenly issue such an imperial edict.
Even if they were misled by Prefect Mei's memorial, they would never convict someone without even conducting a trial. Even if... for the sake of the Imperial Noble Consort and Prince Chen, unless his favor was all fake.
Magistrate Mei's expression changed slightly.
The Marquis of Fuyu and the Jin family men stared intently at the imperial edict. They couldn't believe it either. With Magistrate Mei's absolute power, this imperial edict must be fake!
"Verify the imperial edict."
Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he charged towards Prefect Mei with both his green and red blades flashing.
But Magistrate Mei was prepared. The sudden appearance of his secret guards blocked the figure with the green and red blades. Li Yan's eyes turned cold. How dare a prefecture magistrate keep secret guards?
They really have big plans!
"Prefect Qian! Do you really intend to collude with these traitors? Do you think I have absolutely no suspicion of you?"
Magistrate Mei let out a cruel laugh and waved his hand. Suddenly, a scream rang out from behind the crowd, "Son—quickly confess your crimes to the magistrate!"
"Big brother—save me!"
"Your Excellency, spare my life!"
Several people, bound hand and foot, were pushed forward. They turned out to be Qian Tongpan's mother and brothers. At this moment, they were being pushed forward by those holding knives, looking disheveled and terrified.
Magistrate Qian's expression changed drastically, "You—"
"Hehe... Your mother and brothers have come to the banquet, and I have not treated them badly. As long as you help me take down these traitors, you will be my number one meritorious official!"
Magistrate Mei used both threats and inducements.
Judge Qian said in a deep voice to his weeping mother and brothers, "Didn't I tell you to stay at home and not go anywhere?"
The Qian brothers felt extremely guilty.
Mother Qian wailed loudly, "I'm doing this for your future, for our Qian family! My son! Quickly listen to the prefect and take down those traitors! Our Qian family must not..."
"Our Qian family will never collude with him!"
"Grandmother...you usually scold the prefect so vehemently at home, why have you changed your tune today?"
“That’s right, Second Uncle—didn’t you say that the Prefect is a freeloader and only has what he has today because of the Prefect’s wife and the King of Southern Xinjiang? If you had been born twenty years earlier, who knows who the Prefect of Shu County would be?”
The three men of the Qian family climbed over the wall with a grin.
The guests stared wide-eyed, and suddenly found their good-for-nothing sons much more agreeable.
These three troublemakers are indeed lawless. They've complained about these things in private, but who dares to utter a single word, let alone in front of Magistrate Mei!
really--
Magistrate Mei's face instantly darkened; the words "living off a woman" were his Achilles' heel.
Back then, he was just a down-on-his-luck county magistrate. If he hadn't married the prefect's wife and received the strong support and protection of the King of Southern Frontier, how could he have risen to the position of prefect and become all-powerful in Shu County?
These words are like stabbing him in the lungs!
Enraged, Magistrate Mei grabbed a knife and slashed at Qian Lao Er's thigh!
Blood spurted out, and Qian Lao Er collapsed to the ground with a thud, his face pale, letting out a shrill scream, "Agh—you little beast, you've ruined me! My lord! You mustn't listen to that little beast's nonsense, I am utterly loyal to the prefect!"
Qian's mother was so frightened that her eyes rolled back, her mouth opened wide, but she couldn't make a sound.
Qian San and Qian Si's legs trembled so badly they almost peed themselves.
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