"No—that's not it."
Xie Feiyang shook his head anxiously, "Sir Ning, we are here on General Fan's orders and are just passing through Menglan City."
What bad luck! They always encounter all kinds of problems.
Ning Zhifu's eyes darkened slightly.
"What are you doing?!"
After the death of Fan Jinchang's only son, he had been active in the capital, serving as a military officer stationed there.
Why would his men suddenly appear in Menglan City for no reason?
And as luck would have it, after those imperial guards and Fan Jinchang's men showed up, his private vault and all the money houses and pawnshops in the city were emptied out.
The Imperial Guards and the Generals join forces!?
Could it be that Emperor Tianwu is secretly dealing with him?
Thinking of this, Governor Ning's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
This matter is of great importance, and he must immediately inform the Minister of Revenue Kong Zongli.
They are in the same boat, so Minister Kong can't kick him out and take the blame.
"To handle--to handle some personal matters of General Fan."
Xie Feiyang drooped his eyelids with an averted look and uttered a perfunctory sentence.
My mind was racing, trying to find something to fool me.
In any case, they must never say that General Fan sent them to hunt down Shen Yong.
"Private matters!?" Prefect Ning sneered, "What private matters are so shameful to be kept secret?"
"If you can't explain it clearly, don't blame me for not giving General Fan face."
Ning Zhifu glanced at the yamen runner beside him.
"How are the other trials going?"
In order to prevent these people from giving false testimony, he detained and interrogated these eleven people separately.
The yamen runner came close to the ear of Ning Zhifu and whispered,
"Those people didn't know anything. They just followed General Fan's orders and followed Xie Feiyang to do things. He told them to listen to Xie Feiyang in everything."
"Xie Feiyang!?" Prefect Ning glanced at the hanging Xie Feiyang.
"......Yes!" Xie Feiyang was stunned for a moment and nodded in response.
These bodyguards were so tight-lipped that they reported his name so quickly.
Fortunately, General Fan did not tell these personal soldiers what they were doing there, otherwise these people might have been exposed as well.
"Ha!" Prefect Ning looked at Xie Feiyang and sneered.
"Your accomplices have already confessed, but you're still refusing to speak. It seems you won't speak unless you suffer some hardship."
Xie Feiyang's pupils trembled and he blurted out,
"How is that possible! They don't know anything at all."
Could it be that these useless guys couldn't bear the punishment and admitted to the crime of theft?
"They don't know, so you know?"
Ning Zhifu raised his chin towards the yamen runner beside him with an expression of "as expected".
"Serve me well~"
"Yes!" The bailiff nodded, took out a red-hot iron from the brazier, and walked towards Xie Feiyang.
"You-----you dare!" Xie Feiyang's pupils darted with fear, all the muscles in his body tensed up instantly, and his teeth chattered.
Seeing that the red-hot iron block was almost reaching his chest, he could already feel the scorching heat.
"Master Ning!"
Xie Feiyang yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'm General Fan's man!"
"Those of you who dare to humiliate General Fan like this today, aren't you afraid that General Fan will come after you?"
"I did go to Danyun City on General Fan's orders. I can swear!"
"If I steal in Menglan City, I will die a miserable death, without a burial place..."
“…”
As the branding iron got closer to Xie Feiyang, his screams became more and more intense.
Seeing that the iron block was burning his clothes, Xie Feiyang was so scared that his voice was split.
“Wait!”
Just when the iron block was about to hit Xie Feiyang, Governor Ning looked at Xie Feiyang's messy facial features and shouted slowly.
"Quick, quick, take it away! Master Ning told you to take it away!"
Xie Feiyang breathed a sigh of relief instantly, leaned back hard, and urged the yamen runner to remove the red-hot iron block.
The iron block was so close to him that it burned his chest and caused waves of pain.
The yamen runner ignored Xie Feiyang's words and waited quietly for Prefect Ning's instructions.
Lord Ning just said wait a minute, but didn't tell him to take it away.
Prefect Ning looked at Xie Feiyang's frightened expression and had no intention of asking the bailiff to move the iron block away.
He put his hands behind his back and asked slowly,
"Before you, a group of imperial guards passed through Menglan City. Were you chasing after them?"
Two groups of people passed through Menglan City one after another, and both came from the capital. He didn't believe that Xie Feiyang didn't know.
"......." Xie Feiyang was stunned for a moment, took a deep breath of the hot air in front of him, and bent his body for fear of touching the iron block in front of him.
"I saw the Imperial Guards leave the capital, but I really don't know what they were doing there."
"I am only following General Fan's orders to go to Danyun City to handle some personal matters."
"Besides, I'm not worthy enough to chase after those imperial guards. I'm not even worthy enough to carry their shoes."
What he said was true. He was just a small leader of the personal guards under General Fan.
To put it nicely, he is the leader of the personal guards, but to put it bluntly, he is just an attendant guard, not even as good as a seventh-rank county magistrate.
The county magistrate at least has real power, but all he has is General Fan's face.
If others were polite to him, it was only because of General Fan.
"If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for not giving General Fan face."
Prefect Ning stared at Xie Feiyang and sneered.
General Fan's personal soldiers were quite courageous to lie to his face.
He has been the prefect for so many years. If he didn't have this kind of vision, he would have been brought down long ago.
From Xie Feiyang's flickering eyes, he could tell that this man definitely knew what those palace guards were doing.
"Sir Ning!" Xie Feiyang looked up anxiously at Prefect Ning, "Everything I said is true."
"Please understand this, sir."
Seeing the unmoved expression of Ning Zhifu, Xie Feiyang continued,
"If you don't believe it, you can immediately send someone to Beijing to find General Fan to verify it."
He just didn't believe that Prefect Ning would dare to send someone to the capital to find General Fan for verification.
As long as Prefect Ning dares to send someone to ask, General Fan will know that they have been detained by Prefect Ning.
At that time, it will be a contest between Prefect Ning and General Fan.
General Fan has always been a man who cares about his reputation, and he will protect them no matter what he says.
Prefect Ning looked at Xie Feiyang with a smile.
He's a smart guy, but unfortunately he uses his brains in the wrong place.
Do you really think he's so easily fooled?
"Whether it's true or not, you'll know after you suffer a little."
Prefect Ning ignored Xie Feiyang's frightened look and winked at the yamen runner.
The bailiff directly pushed the red-hot iron block against Xie Feiyang's chest.
With a "sizzle", the smell of barbecue instantly spread throughout the cell.
"ah!"
Xie Feiyang straightened his body and screamed in pain with his head raised.
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