Chapter 165 With His Majesty here, who dares to act recklessly!
"General Duan, you'd better not ask questions you shouldn't," Lord Xue coldly reminded him.
As a high-ranking official in the court, Lord Xue did not want to incite public resentment, so he kept a low profile and did not make his intentions completely clear.
Logically speaking, at this point, even if Duan Wu is stubborn, he should be able to realize the problem.
But the person kept pressing him for details, which really annoyed him.
Seeing Lord Xue's increasingly grim expression, Duan Wu chuckled and said, "Please tell me, sir, what does it mean to ask something you shouldn't?"
Lord Xue's old face trembled. In his decades of official career, he was used to speaking in roundabout ways and letting others understand on their own. This time, however, he had already made an exception and hinted clearly enough, but Duan Wu seemed to have no brains, which made him feel a bit tricky.
"Duan Wu! Are you... are you a pig?" Lord Xue cursed through gritted teeth, while frantically giving him meaningful glances.
Duan Wu was determined to play dumb, putting on a blank and confused expression. "Sir, what's wrong with you? Why is your head twitching and your eyes keep glancing at those noblemen? Do you have epilepsy?"
Lord Xue nearly fainted from anger.
He felt he was going to lose many years of his life by encountering such a stubborn person.
“Since you are unwell, my lord, then I will make this quick to avoid wasting your time,” Duan Wu waved his hand and said, “Men, behead the Prefect of Longyuan!”
One of the soldiers immediately drew his sword and approached the governor of Longyuan County.
Several members of the Xiao clan changed their expressions instantly.
Lord Xue was so anxious that he took a step forward and was about to run to the judge's bench.
Duan Wuchong waved his hands repeatedly, "There's no need for you to help with beheadings, sir. You can just watch from below."
"Stop!" The noblewoman trembled with rage, roaring without regard for her image, "If you dare to harm him today, I will exterminate your entire family!"
Duan Wu sneered, "I'm the only one left in the Duan family. If you want to exterminate my entire clan, you'll have to ask the King of Hell. How strange, it's just the execution of a prefect, why are you ministers and nobles so agitated?"
The noblewoman retorted angrily, "I'll tell you, the Prefect of Longyuan is—"
"No," Lord Xue quickly grabbed her, whispering to stop her, "If you reveal the relationship, it might cause controversy among the people present, leading to gossip and damaging the Xiao family's prestige..."
"They're nothing but ants! I've never taken them seriously!" the noblewoman cursed, her face ashen. "Since when have nobles ever been afraid of them? Lord Xue, you're far too cowardly!"
Lord Xue's expression was very unpleasant, but he still wanted to continue to persuade him.
But the noblewoman had reached her limit and raised her voice, "The Prefect of Longyuan is my aunt's nephew! Although he is not a member of the Xiao clan, he is still a distant relative of mine!"
Duan Wu grinned. "Oh, I see. You all came all this way just to save his life, didn't you? You could have said so earlier!"
Now that things have been made clear, the noblewoman said confidently, "That's right. Don't even mention a lowly military officer like you. Even if the Heavenly King himself came, he couldn't kill him."
The people present were now disheartened.
Seeing that those scoundrels who committed evil deeds have been put on trial one after another since this morning, everyone was waiting to see this most deserving prefect get his comeuppance. Unexpectedly, such a powerful backer suddenly appeared.
The people were filled with resentment and indignation, but no one uttered a sound.
The noblewoman glanced around and smiled at Lord Xue, saying, "Look, you've worried too much. Ants are just ants; they don't even dare to fart. What's the point of caring about the people's hearts? Are you afraid they'll rebel?"
Lord Xue could only force a smile and say, "You're right, I was overthinking it."
Among the crowd, Xiumei felt worse than if she had eaten feces.
When I saw the Imperial Censor arrive, I thought the court was taking the case seriously and had come to help try the corrupt official.
It turned out they came to protect the dog official.
"Sigh..." Xiumei sighed, her head hanging low. Despite her inner turmoil, she could only mutter helplessly, "I was so stupid to think that those high-ranking officials, those people in high positions, would care about us ordinary people..."
Xiumei's husband gently comforted her, "At least the county magistrate and his gang have been dealt with, and at least we have good people like General Duan and Miss Ning who have helped us. We should be content."
Xiumei hummed in agreement and said nothing more.
The couple's reaction was just a microcosm of the reactions of many ordinary people. Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli saw it all and felt a mix of emotions.
At this point, the noblewoman began to urge Duan Wu, ordering him not only to release the people himself but also to kneel down and apologize.
Seeing that the opportunity was just around the corner, Duan Wu pointed at the several Xiao clan nobles and cursed them righteously: "If they were just distant relatives, you wouldn't have bothered to come here and put pressure on me. You must be trying to make money off him! You are the real scum who are sucking the blood of the people!"
Lord Xue frowned and immediately rebuked, "Duan Wu! Stop talking nonsense!"
"You're scum too!" Duan Wu shouted angrily. "You must have taken plenty of benefits from him, right? Otherwise, why would you have allowed him to wreak havoc in this area? Colluding with him, you're worse than pigs and dogs, and you don't even deserve to be the Imperial Censor!"
Lord Xue's face turned ashen, but he had not lost his composure. His intuition told him that something was amiss. After a quick thought, he felt more and more that Duan Wu seemed to be trying to extract information from him step by step.
I was careless!
We actually fell for this kid's trick!
In any case, we must not let him lead us by the nose anymore, and we must never admit to having any business dealings with the Prefect of Longyuan!
Lord Xue's mind worked very quickly, but he couldn't keep up with the even faster chatter of the noblewoman beside him.
Enraged, the noblewoman blurted out, "So what if we make money off him! This Great Xuan land belongs to us! We lowly ants should support us! You, as despicable as them, have no right to speak out! When the nobles of Great Xuan need you, you are a watchdog; when we don't, you are not even a dog!"
Lord Xue's vision went black again.
While such words may be true, it's one thing to say them privately within the Kyoto royal city, but how could one say them in broad daylight in front of so many people?
"Lord Xue!" The noblewoman's eyebrows shot up. "We've always made sure the Prefect of Longyuan doesn't miss out on the benefits for you, but when it comes to the crucial moment, you become timid and hesitant, unable to even handle a small matter properly! What use are you!"
Lord Xue clutched his chest, barely suppressing the mouthful of blood he almost coughed up, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Duan Wu! I hereby dismiss you from your post and order an investigation! Guards, seize him!"
At his command, his men once again rushed onto the trial platform.
The dozen or so Xuanjia soldiers on the platform simultaneously drew their swords and stepped forward.
Lord Xue roared, "You dare disobey my orders? Are you trying to rebel?!"
Upon seeing this, the noblewoman raised her chin and gestured to the group of guards she had brought.
The guards rushed forward, surrounding the entire trial platform.
The people were anxious and angry, but no one dared to go against the powerful and wealthy.
“These beasts…” Xiumei trembled all over, “God, please open your eyes… save General Duan…”
"The one who should be dismissed and investigated is you, Lord Xue, isn't it?" A deep, angry voice suddenly rang out from the judge's platform.
Xiumei was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned to look at the side and asked Ning Jinli in surprise, "When did he go up on stage?"
Ning Jinli smiled and said, "Just now."
Xiumei panicked, "He...he's practically asking for death!"
Ning Jinli winked at her, "Don't be afraid, there's a good show to watch."
After Xiao Qidi's voice rang out, the Imperial Censor and several members of the Xiao clan vaguely felt that it was familiar, but because they were standing below the platform and their view was blocked by the two groups of people confronting each other on the platform, they could not see the speaker's appearance for a moment.
"You audacious scoundrel! How dare you speak so disrespectfully to me!" Lord Xue roared. "Take him down as well!"
Bang bang bang!
A series of striking sounds suddenly rang out.
In the blink of an eye, Lord Xue's entourage were sent flying and fell off the judgment platform.
Amid the chaos, it was clear that a dozen or so soldiers had started the fight, and behind the soldiers and Duan Wu was a tall figure.
"This is outrageous! All of you, attack! Kill them all without mercy!" Lord Xue's eyes turned red with rage, and he ordered the noble guards surrounding the judge's platform to attack.
Just as the guards were about to rush up...
Duan Wu shouted, "With the Emperor here, who dares to act rashly!"
The guards froze, pausing their movements.
At this moment, Xiao Qidi also stepped out from behind Duan Wu and stood directly at the front of the judgment platform, his eyes lowered and his gaze sweeping coldly across the room.
The guards surrounding these members of the Xiao clan had all seen Xiao Qidi before.
Although Xiao Qidi was dressed in ordinary people's clothes and was somewhat unkempt, he was quickly recognized upon seeing him up close.
They were so frightened that they dropped their weapons and knelt down one after another.
Lord Xue's mind went blank; he could hardly believe his eyes, staring blankly at the tall figure that had now come into full view.
Several members of the Xiao clan who were standing nearby were also stunned on the spot.
The crowd was stunned, and the entire place fell silent; even the sound of breathing ceased.
Xiao Qidi said in a low voice, "What a fine 'no mercy' tactic, Lord Xue. Do you intend to kill me as well?"
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..." Lord Xue, his eyes filled with terror, knelt down with a thud, his forehead touching the ground, and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty...Your humble servant did not know you would be here..."
Xiao Qidi's cold gaze swept over the nobles.
The group, led by the noblewoman, snapped out of their daze, hurriedly knelt down, and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The people were terrified and quickly knelt down, lying on the ground, not daring to breathe.
Xiu Mei was the only one who hadn't reacted yet; her pupils were trembling violently. She and Ning Jinli were the only two people in the crowd who didn't kneel down.
Xiumei was just as shocked as Lord Xue.
She would never have imagined that this young man, whom she had met by chance a few days ago and who had even been invited to her home and acted without any airs in front of her... would actually be the Great Xuan King!
She even publicly berated the king!
"Xiumei, Xiumei!" her husband tugged at her sleeve. "Kneel down now!"
Xiumei's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud. She felt dizzy, her heart was pounding, and she could hardly breathe.
"Sister Xiumei!" Ning Jinli quickly helped her steady.
Seeing this, Xiao Qidi jumped off the platform and strode over to help her up. "Sister Xiumei, please forgive me for having to conceal my identity before."
The people were all dumbfounded.
The Great Xuan King actually helped up a commoner himself?
He even called her "sister" and... he even apologized to her?!
Is this a dream?!
Xiumei's heart was pounding in her throat. She stammered, "Your Majesty... I... I have offended you in many ways. Please... please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Xiao Qidi said, "You have committed no crime, so why should you be forgiven? I just hope I didn't frighten you."
Then, he helped Xiumei's husband and daughter up, and addressed the people, "Everyone, please rise."
The people stood up slowly and respectfully.
"Big brother, big brother," An'an asked, pulling on Xiao Qidi's hand and looking up, "Are you a king?"
Xiumei and her husband were terrified and hurriedly tried to pull their daughter away.
Xiao Qidi smiled and picked An'an up, saying, "Yes, I am the Great Xuan King."
"So... you're the biggest person in the world?"
"Hahaha, yes, the biggest one!"
"Big brother, you have to teach those bad guys a lesson!"
Xiao Qidi patted An'an's little head, gently put her down, and said softly, "Even An'an said so, so of course big brother won't let them off the hook."
Xiumei and her husband were momentarily dazed.
The way the surrounding people looked at her family was different now.
Xiao Qidi turned around and looked at the Imperial Censor and the others. His gentle expression was instantly replaced by coldness. "I only told the people to rise. Who told you to stand up too?"
Lord Xue's legs went weak, and he hurriedly collapsed to the ground again.
The noblewoman and the others did not kneel down again.
Xiao Qidi's eyes grew increasingly sinister as he strode up to them.
“Your Majesty,” the noblewoman curtsied, forcing a smile, “you…what are you doing here? That’s quite unexpected.”
Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes slightly, "Compared to me being here, it's more surprising that my aunt and several uncles are here, isn't it? What's even more surprising is that I never dreamed that the wicked governor of Longyuan was your cash cow. You have truly opened my eyes. If I hadn't lured you out and caught you red-handed, I don't know how long you would have been hiding."
The other men looked embarrassed and nervous, and dared not look Xiao Qidi in the eye.
The noblewoman forced herself to remain calm and said softly, "This matter is indeed somewhat inappropriate... We will take this as a lesson and not do it again. I hope that you will spare his life and dismiss him from office, considering how hard the prefect of Longyuan has worked for us over the years."
Xiao Qidi's eyes were dark and gleaming with a cold light. "Your aunt calls this 'somewhat inappropriate'?"
The lady felt uneasy under his gaze, but she thought that no matter what, she was his relative and elder, and even if he was angry, he wouldn't really punish her severely.
Besides, his mother, the Empress Dowager, had previously conspired with Marquis Le'an to rebel.
Isn't that a million times more serious than taking money from the people?
Didn't he let it go?
“Aunt knows she was wrong,” the noblewoman said in a low voice, feigning apology. “Your aunt and your uncles hereby promise you that we will never do it again.”
“They are my paternal aunt and paternal uncle,” Xiao Qidi coldly corrected, emphasizing the word “paternal”.
The noblewoman smiled and said, "Your biological father's brothers and sisters are all gone. Although we are your cousins, we are your closest family members. Why be so distant?"
Xiao Qidi smiled enigmatically. "You mean, this matter is just going to end like this? Why don't you tell me how you're going to explain this to the people of Hewan County?"
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