Upon hearing this, He Liren was slightly taken aback, but as the prefect of Qingzhou, he had been in officialdom for many years. His surprise was fleeting, and he said without changing his expression, "What you say is absolutely right. The court has suspended corvée labor and reduced taxes. I have been conscientiously performing my duties and strictly investigating any violations. If there are any oversights, I hope you will give me some guidance. I would be extremely grateful."
"Prefect He, please allow me to make a trip!"
He Liren arrived at the newly built Imperial City Office in the north of the city with trepidation. As soon as he entered, he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from inside. In the courtyard, he saw two people tied to wooden stakes, their clothes completely stripped off.
The two men were whipped until their skin was torn and bleeding, and someone was rubbing salt into their wounds, causing them excruciating pain.
He Liren's face turned pale. He rolled his eyes and tried to remain calm: "Shangguan, who are these two?"
"The person you failed to capture, I have captured for you."
He Liren's heart pounded wildly, and he knew something was wrong. Didn't the Xu family say they had already killed the witnesses to cover their tracks? How come two others were still arrested by the Imperial Guards?
Hou Shijie asked, "Prefect He, are you feeling unwell? You look a bit pale."
He Liren quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, sir. I have a slight fever and am feeling a bit unwell."
"It's alright, Prefect He. You'll feel much better after we finish questioning you."
"Yes...yes..."
Hou Shijie walked up to the two men, signaling them to stop whipping them. He then took out a dagger and said cruelly, "The man in front of you is He Liren, the prefect of Qingzhou. Speak your mind directly. If even half a word is untrue, I will make you wish you were dead!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Your Honor, we were wrong! We were wrong! We'll tell you everything!"
"We're all from the Xu family! We're thugs hired by the Xu household, here to do errands for Master Xu..."
He Liren immediately interrupted them: "How dare you! You dare to kill someone in the street! You treat human life like dirt! Commander, in my opinion, such a person should be beaten to death as a warning to others!"
"Your Honor, spare us! We were just following orders!"
He Liren roared, "Men! Beat these two to death with clubs and throw them into the wild to feed the dogs!"
Hou Shijie sneered from the side. This was the Imperial City Guard Office, so naturally no one listened to He Liren.
Judging from the situation, if the Imperial City Guard hadn't caught these two people first, they would probably have been killed by He Liren.
"Prefect He, what an arrogant official you are!"
He Liren quickly smiled obsequiously, "This humble official detests these beasts who treat human life like dirt!"
He Liren was going crazy. Ever since the Imperial Guards from Tokyo came to Qingzhou in April of this year, he couldn't sleep no matter what he did. Even having his concubines drink with him didn't feel right.
It wasn't that he hadn't given gifts; he had practically plundered all the most valuable collections in Qingzhou City and sent them to the Imperial City Guard. The powerful and wealthy people in Qingzhou City were also willing to give them up, because if they didn't appease the Imperial City Guard, there would be a lot of trouble in the future.
But the Imperial City Guard was completely unyielding. Once, a guard from the Imperial City Guard secretly took something and was torn apart by five horses in the street!
The entire family of the person who gave the gift went to jail, and later they were all beheaded.
Later, He Liren learned that the commanders of the Imperial City Guard in the prefectures were rotated every three years, and after three years they had to return to the capital to report on their duties. The next commander would investigate the previous commander, and if any corruption or collusion was found, the entire family would be exterminated.
The Imperial City Guard is almost entirely composed of Tokyo locals with families living in Tokyo. Since it's right under the emperor's nose, committing a crime directly affects their families.
This alone has already curbed collusion to some extent.
Hou Shijie watched He Liren put on an act with a half-smile: "This is the Imperial City Guard, and I'm the one who calls the shots!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Hou Shijie added, "Let's go! Brothers! Bring your men and come with me to the Xu family. Keep a close eye on these two. If they die, I'll skin you alive when I get back!"
"Yes! Commander, rest assured!"
"Let's go, Prefect He, come with me!"
He Liren hesitated, but was forced to go to the Xu residence with Hou Shijie.
The Xu family was a prominent family in Qingzhou, not for any other reason than their connection with Xu Churen, the Grand Chancellor of the current dynasty. They were said to be related to Xu Churen, although the bloodline was somewhat distant, they were still included in the family genealogy. In addition, the Xu family's ancestors owned a lot of fertile land. Later, through various connections, the family made the Xu family the richest in Qingzhou.
The richest man in Qingzhou naturally had a very good relationship with the prefect of Qingzhou. One wanted to be an official, and the other wanted to do business and make money. Their mutual understanding made things easier.
That evening, people saw a group of people marching menacingly toward the Xu family and became curious.
Normally, thanks to the name of the current prime minister, Xu Churen, the Xu family is so powerful that even the prefect shows them deference. They are practically the heavens and the earth of Qingzhou City!
The young master of the Xu family walks around the streets with an air of superiority. In brothels, he's always cleared out. Street fights are a common occurrence for him. I've heard he's had countless women killed by him.
But today was completely different. When Hou Shijie arrived at the Xu family's residence, before the guards at the door could even utter a word of reprimand, two Imperial Guards pushed them aside and pinned them against the wall, while another Imperial Guard kicked the door open.
The group went straight inside, immediately attracting a large crowd of onlookers.
"How dare you! Whoever dares to trespass into the Xu residence! You're courting death!"
A burly man rushed over from the front yard. He was the guard of the Xu family. His physique was such that he could take on five ordinary people at once, and he was even considered average in the army.
However, against the elite Imperial Guards, it would be... a matter of one strike.
A guard from the Imperial City Guard next to Hou Shijie drew his sword and slashed at Hou's neck. Hou's head was severed, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
"You're courting death! How dare you stop us, the Emperor's personal guards?"
Hou Shijie said coldly, "Please have Xu Huaishan come out!"
The commotion in the front yard immediately attracted more than twenty servants, each carrying a stick, who surrounded the intruder.
A flippant voice rang out: "Who dares to trespass into my Xu residence? Are you courting death!"
The newcomer was none other than Xu Ming, the young master of the Xu family, a typical spoiled brat and the number one scoundrel in Qingzhou.
Xu Ming glanced at Hou Shijie, then at He Liren, and snorted, "So it's Prefect He. What brings you to my Xu residence?"
He Liren's face had turned pale and he looked extremely ugly. The Imperial City Guard had already come to investigate, and this young master of the Xu family was still acting like he was the most important person in the world. He was truly a frog in a well!
Hou Shijie sneered, "State your name?"
"You're not qualified to ask me that question. I'll give you one chance: get out, kneel at the door and confess your sins, or I'll kill you..."
Xu Ming, holding a fan, pointed at Hou Shijie and said arrogantly, but before he could finish speaking, his arm was chopped off with a knife. It all happened so fast that he didn't even have time to react.
Hou Shijie said in a low voice with a cold face, "To dare to disrespect us is to disrespect the Emperor, and will result in the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your clan."
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