When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter! With the leaders running away, the others naturally panicked, all trying to escape. However, surrounded, leaving was easier said than done. Instead, their own disarray led to many being quickly cut down.
The garden is only so big, where can we run to! The constables of the Six Doors are not a rabble, they use swords and shields in coordination, crossbows to mow down enemies, and they advance methodically!
"Clang clang clang!" Some quick-witted ones dropped their weapons, covered their heads, and squatted down.
As for the goatee and his men, they were shot down by crossbow bolts and then caught up by Bu Fang and his group. They were evenly matched before, but now they were no match for each other.
Seeing the goatee being dragged before him like a dead dog, Qin Mu couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Perhaps this was one of the downsides of high strength—they could take a beating! But Princess Changning had gone too far, so the goatee looked like he'd been run over by a heavy cart, the kind that leaves you crushed in the mud—a truly pitiful sight!
"Besides the one who escaped, who else is down there?" Looking down from his vantage point, Qin Mu asked.
"Pah!" With his dark, swollen eyes wide open, the man with the goatee opened his mouth and spat, but weakly, the spitting landed on the ground.
"I'll ask you one more time! What's down there? Are there any more experts? If you don't tell me, I guarantee you won't die!" Qin Mu wasn't angry. He simply raised his foot, stepped on the goatee's face, rubbed it a couple of times with a little force, and asked calmly.
"Kid! Forget about it! You think you can get information from me? Maybe in your next life! Bring on whatever tricks you have! I'll take them on!" The man with the goatee said with a miserable smile as Qin Mu lifted his foot.
"It's alright! I wonder if the others are as stubborn as you!" Qin Mu said calmly, then raised his hand and ordered, "Take him away! To prevent him from escaping, break his legs first!"
"Ah! You...you..." Upon hearing this, the man with the goatee was shocked. He never imagined that Qin Mu, an official, would have his legs broken in public! He had been thinking of waiting for his master to bail him out, which was why he had been so stubborn.
Perhaps he wanted to say something more, but two constables covered his mouth and dragged him away. It wasn't that they deliberately prevented him from speaking; it was simply the Six Doors' method. To prevent the enemy from shouting, the first step was to gag them! Then they would tie their hands and feet with chains.
The constables, of course, carried out Qin Mu's orders without question. They didn't go far, dragging him aside and forcefully stomping on his leg. For them, veterans of battle, this was a trivial matter, and they didn't find it cruel at all.
The sound of a "click" was clearly heard by those nearby.
The others who were caught couldn't help but shudder. They didn't know if they would be next. Being cruel to others didn't seem like a big deal, and might even have brought some joy, but when it came to themselves, no one could feel happy.
"Speak up! Has anyone volunteered to speak? Perhaps I can consider making him suffer less!" Qin Mu asked, scanning the room.
When Qin Mu's gaze swept over them, or perhaps because the bronze mask was somewhat intimidating, everyone who saw it lowered their heads involuntarily, then hurriedly raised their heads and shouted, "I! I! I'll talk!"
"Take them away! Interrogate them separately!" Seeing the prisoners scrambling to get to them, Qin Mu smiled behind his mask and waved his hand again.
"Brother Qin! I'm going to find the secret room!" Seeing that the battle was almost over, Xiangli Yanran looked around and said with a gleam in her eyes.
"Go ahead! Be careful!" Qin Mu knew that she just enjoyed the process of searching, not the treasure map, so he let her go.
The interrogation results came out quickly. It turned out that the real manor was down below, and all expenses were conducted underground. They were the force that protected the manor. The man with the goatee was the leader, and the one who ran away was a high-paid retainer hired by the manor. As for the owner of the manor, he was very mysterious, and only the man with the goatee knew the truth.
Qin Mu then understood why the man with the goatee was so confident; he knew he wouldn't get much out of him.
Now that they knew the experts had already come out and that the rest were just ordinary service staff, there was nothing more to say. Qin Mu led his men into the house.
The stone house in front was a very spacious hall. After passing a screen, a tunnel entrance appeared behind it. I don't know if they came out in a hurry or if nothing had happened, but the tunnel was not closed.
Following the steps down, surprisingly, it wasn't as dark and narrow as they had imagined. The passageway was spacious, entirely constructed of brick and stone, with a bronze oil lamp every ten steps or so. Continuing on, they came to a large hall, which even had steps leading downwards. Only then did they realize that there were actually three underground levels.
Amidst the singing and dancing, over thirty girls dressed in sheer gauze, along with some men, were happily playing. Others were chasing and frolicking in the hall. Upon seeing so many people suddenly appear, the noise in the hall gradually subsided, and everyone stared in astonishment at Qin Mu and his group.
No one expected anything to go wrong; instead, they looked on with great curiosity. It wasn't until more and more people poured in, all carrying weapons, that these people realized something was wrong, and several of them began to back away.
"Arrest them all! Take them back for interrogation!" Qin Mu waved his hand and gave the order.
"Who are you people!" Upon hearing Qin Mu's words, a middle-aged man stood up and shouted.
"Six Doors is handling this case! Everyone squat down! Hands behind your heads, anyone who resists will be killed!" The arrest slogan rang out again, and then many people jumped down the steps. The others scattered and rushed into the passageway.
Qin Mu slowly searched the place and discovered that it truly lived up to its reputation as Chang'an's largest gambling den. There were three gambling halls alone, each with about ten tables. Given that the patrons here were all relatively wealthy, one could only imagine how much money it generated. As for the rooms for sexual intercourse, there were even more.
There was also delicious food; according to the interrogation, food could be ordered from waiters at any time. Qin Mu also discovered that the place had replicas of his own restaurant's tables, chairs, and sofas, all of equally high quality.
Wine, women, wealth, and power are undoubtedly the best consumer goods, but in Qin Mu's view, his establishment is just large in scale and has a lot of women; the main source of income should be gambling.
Groups of people were being escorted out one after another. Of course, many resisted, but they only got another beating because the exits were blocked by crossbow bolts. How could they escape?
"Pah! Shameless!" Princess Changning muttered coldly.
"Cough cough!"
"You have a problem with that?" Liu Renshi was looking at the beautiful woman when he turned around and saw the Changning County Magistrate asking with a stern face.
"No, no!" Liu Renshi, of course, knew this princess. Startled, he hurriedly shook his head.
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