The deserted yard was covered with trees and countless bones were buried under the soil.

Song Taotao didn't dare to look anymore and turned away, feeling inexplicably angry.

After the last corpse was moved out, there was no other place to stay in the entire yard. Even though the red-armored soldiers of Xialing County had seen countless tragic scenes, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts when they saw this scene.

"This...this..." Yuan Baozhen was speechless.

"What does Yuan Yushi want to say," Xiao Jue said slowly, "or is it that in Yushi's mind, this is still a misunderstanding?"

"How could this be a misunderstanding?" Before Yuan Baozhen could speak, He Yan spoke first, "This is Sun Zhixian's own house. If someone buried female corpses here without telling Sun Zhixian, it would be fine if there were only one or two, but if there were dozens or even hundreds of them, it's not hard to wonder why an assassin would sneak in. The gate of the Sun family is probably made of paper. Are the servants and guards like Sun Zhixian deaf and blind?"

Sun Xiangfu was sweating profusely. He didn't know how Xiao Jue knew about this underground lawsuit. He gritted his teeth for a moment and argued, "These are just servants in my house who committed crimes. They were beaten to death and buried here. This... is a common occurrence in wealthy families."

He Yan sneered: "I also come from a wealthy family, but wealthy families don't have such brutal behavior as you. If it's servants who committed crimes, please ask Sun Zhixian to produce their deeds, which should record the reasons for their death. In addition, all the corpses on the ground are women... Sun Zhixian, these are all maids in your house? You are a seventh-rank county magistrate, and you can beat hundreds of maids to death at will. You are really more powerful than His Majesty!" At the end of his words, his eyes and voice became fierce, making it difficult to resist.

As soon as these words were spoken, Sun Xiangfu immediately knelt down and kowtowed, crying out loudly: "No! No! I am innocent! I am innocent!" He kept repeating these few words over and over again, but he could not explain why he was innocent, and the situation was already hopeless.

He Yan was still angry and felt that the man in front of her was really hateful. When she fought with Ding Yi last night, Ding Yi said that every Buddha statue in the room was a dead person. She thought it was just a joke to scare her, but now it seems to be true. How ridiculous!

Sun Ling and his son committed many evil deeds in Liangzhou, and captured countless women. Whenever they were not satisfied, or even just disliked them, they would easily take their lives. Those who were buried in the backyard of Sun's house were already considered lucky, at least their bodies were intact. Who knows if there would be more pitiful ones, who were thrown on the mass grave after death, and even their bodies were eaten by wolves and beasts, leaving no trace.

How arrogant and inhumane this is!

Song Taotao felt a chill in her heart. If she hadn't met He Yan that night, would she have become a pile of dirt like those women, rotting in the dark underground, never discovered by anyone.

Her eyes were red, and she said hatefully, "How abominable! We must avenge these girls!" Just as she finished speaking, she felt someone stabbed her arm. She turned her head to look, and He Yan winked at her, signaling her to look at Yuan Baozhen.

In an instant, Song Taotao understood what he meant, and turned to Yuan Baozhen and shouted: "Uncle Yuan, I have suffered so much this time, and you are the only person I trust here. You have to make the decision for me!"

Song Taotao's father was once Yuan Baozhen's boss. Yuan Baozhen boasted that he had a close relationship with the Song family, so it was impossible for him to ignore Song Taotao's words. He wiped his sweat and smiled, "Of course."

"Commander-in-chief, this corpse is a little different." said a soldier in red armor.

He half-knelt down, picked up a handkerchief and wiped the face of the person on the ground, revealing his face. He was the only man among the female corpses in the room. He must have died not long ago, and his expression was horrified.

"Tsk," said Xiao Jue, who stood where he was and said slowly, "It seems that Yuan Yushi's guards have been found."

The male corpse that was dug out was Ding Yi, whom Yuan Baozhen had been looking for early in the morning.

He Yan: “…”

After she killed Ding Yi last night, she didn't want to collect his body, so she ran away. It was only later that Xiao Jue discovered her identity and told Xiao Jue that Ding Yi was dead. Xiao Jue thought that someone had done it, dragging Ding Yi out and burying him, but now he dug him out in front of Yuan Baozhen. At this moment, He Yan felt a little sympathy for Yuan Baozhen.

Yuan Baozhen's lips trembled and he was unable to speak for a long time.

"Yuan Yushi was a loyal and brave guard who discovered many female corpses hidden in the backyard of the Sun family. They were silenced and buried underground by Sun Zhixian." Xiao Jue looked at him with a half-smile: "Yuan Yushi, don't you feel sorry for your guards who died in vain?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Sun Ling roared and stood up. He was pinned down by the soldiers beside him. He still struggled desperately and shouted: "I didn't kill him! This is slander! I don't know why he is here, I didn't kill him——"

His voice became hoarse from shouting, which sounded particularly harsh in the quiet courtyard. Xiao Jue frowned and said indifferently, "Shut up his mouth."

The soldiers stuffed rags into Sun Ling and Sun Xiangfu's mouths, and now they could only make unwilling "wuwu" sounds.

"Yuan Yushi," Xiao Jue looked at him and smiled faintly, "What are your plans?"

Yuan Baozhen was filled with hatred, and he knew that Ding Yi could not have been killed by Sun Xiangfu's men. The man in front of him already knew everything, but he was powerless to refute, so he could only squeeze out a few words from between his teeth: "Please give me some advice, Governor."

"Sun Xiangfu and his son are tyrannical, greedy, plundering, and exploiting the people. They captured a good girl and used her as a measure of their bodies." He said, "As a military officer, Yuan Yushi will not tolerate such a poor and vicious person. I have informed the governor of Xialing County and will report this to the emperor together with Yuan Yushi. As for Yuan Yushi," he stared at Yuan Baozhen with a hint of mockery, "whether he will make a public report or a secret impeachment, I will not intervene."

Yuan Baozhen almost couldn't catch his breath.

Although he clearly said "I cannot intervene", he was the one who had been leading the whole thing. Even if Yuan Baozhen wanted to do something, Xialing County had already reported it, so he had no choice but to do it. The person who recommended Sun Xiangfu and his son was a student of Xu Xiang. Xu Xiang's students were all over Wei. In the case of the Liangzhou County Magistrate, it was Xu Xiang who was embarrassed. In addition, in order to avoid suspicion, the new County Magistrate would never be Xu Xiang's man.

Xu Xiang has completely lost control of Liangzhou. How will this cause trouble for Xiao Jue? !

When he returns to Shuojing this time, Prime Minister Xu will definitely not treat him lightly. Yuan Baozhen feels hopeless.

Xiao Jue turned to look at the servants who were huddled aside and trembling, and said calmly: "Tell us what you know, and you will be exempted from serious punishment."

This meant that the servants of the Sun family were to expose the crimes of Sun Xiangfu and his son.

The servants were still a little hesitant, fearing that Sun Xiangfu and his son would come back to take revenge if they escaped. The maids were overjoyed and stepped forward to answer. As a woman in the Sun family, there is no way out. Even if you are beautiful, talented, gentle and eloquent, the best you can do is to be given as a gift to your superiors, and maybe live a few more years. More often, you will be killed by Sun Ling and his son after they are tired of playing with you, and become a handful of mud.

Living here is like being in prison, and no one knows when the execution will come. Now that she has a glimmer of hope, she wishes Sun Xiangfu and his son would die immediately and never have a chance to turn over. Therefore, everyone says that the crimes committed by Sun Xiangfu and his son are chilling, and they feel that such a cruel person must be blamed for his crimes.

Fei Nu and the chief of the soldiers of Xialing County recorded together that Sun Xiangfu and his son were forced to kneel on the ground, and Xiao Jue turned around and walked out.

Yuan Baozhen was still standing there, he was faced with a sudden change and there was no one around him to discuss things with. His thoughts were in a mess and he didn't know what to do. Then he saw the person who made him grit his teeth walking towards him calmly with a peaceful expression.

When passing by him, Xiao Jue suddenly stopped. The young governor curled his lips and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Yuan Yushi wants my life, but I hope you are alive. If you are alive, it will make Xu Jingfu more uncomfortable than if you were dead."

He stood up again, smiling mockingly, and spoke calmly: "When you return to Shuojing, give my regards to Prime Minister Xu. Yuan Yushi, have a safe trip."

He turned and walked away.

Behind him, someone shouted in surprise: "Yuan Yushi! What happened to Yuan Yushi? Yuan Yushi?"

Yuan Baozhen fainted. He Yan turned around to see Xiao Jue disappearing beyond the flower wall, with no trace of him left.

This matter... has now been settled.

…

The county magistrate's mansion was sealed off by soldiers from Xialing County. The originally magnificent house was now sealed with seals all over the door, and the lanterns were torn into pieces, in a state of disrepair. Song Taotao saw many female corpses in the yard and felt very uncomfortable. He Yan comforted her for a long time and finally calmed her down. When Song Taotao felt a little sleepy and took a nap on the table, He Yan said hello to Chiwu who was protecting Song Taotao and went to find Xiao Jue.

She still has some doubts that have not been resolved.

Xiao Jue was talking to Fei Nu.

Sun Xiangfu and his son committed countless evil deeds, which the maids had exposed one after another. There was no need to mention them one by one. Just for the current ones, no one could protect them. The sins they committed were enough to make them die more than ten times. Such heinous behavior was rarely seen in the entire Wei Dynasty.

When a cruel person gains power, it is a disaster for ordinary people. Although wolves, tigers and leopards are scary, how can they compare to the evilness of human hearts?

"Uncle!" He Yan shouted from the doorway.

Xiao Jue and Fei Nu's conversation came to an abrupt halt. He Yan walked in. Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows: "You still call me uncle?"

He Yan: "...Commander-in-Chief."

He spoke as if no one was willing to call him uncle. It was obvious that he was taking advantage, yet he was still so reluctant.

"Why do you look for me if you don't want to accompany Miss Song?" he asked.

This man spoke with a gun and a stick. He Yan hesitated for a moment and asked, "You dealt with the Sun family father and son today, why did you leave Yuan Baozhen behind? You clearly know that Yuan Baozhen is the one who wants to kill you."

Although the father and son of the Sun family were despicable and deserved death, the person who assassinated Xiao Jue at the banquet was Yuan Baozhen. Ding Yi was already dead, but Yuan Baozhen was able to return to Shuojing alive. Would Xiao Jue be so kind?

"I'm not killing him here because he will die if he returns to Shuojing." Xiao Jue looked out the window, "It's just a matter of time."

"What about the others?" He Yan asked, "The father and son of the Sun family in Liangzhou City can cover the sky with one hand, so they must have accomplices." Those who support Sun Xiangfu, Sun Xiangfu's people are still entrenched in Liangzhou, why not catch them all in one fell swoop?

Xiao Jue: "When water is too clear, there will be no fish. Miss He, you are too naive."

Fei Nu stood aside in silence, as if she had not heard their conversation. The trees outside the window were lush and green. Who would have known that such a beautiful house would bury so many sins?

In fact, Xiao Jue’s target was never Yuan Baozhen.

He had known for a long time that the night banquet at Sun Mansion was the Hongmen Banquet. He had also known for a long time that Yuan Baozhen's appearance must have a murderous intention. He came to Liangzhou City this time not to participate in a cat-and-mouse game, but to hold Liangzhou City in his hands.

Leading new soldiers to guard Liangzhou was to temporarily avoid the sharp edge and avoid Xu Jingfu's eyes and ears. But Xu Laogou's disciples were all over Wei, and the trend of selling official positions and titles was prevalent throughout the country. Sun Xiangfu of Liangzhou Guard was also one of them. Yuan Baozhen came here on Xu Jingfu's orders. If he could kill Xiao Jue, it would be the best. If he couldn't kill Xiao Jue, he would have a secret relationship with Sun Xiangfu, who directly obeyed Shuo Jing. It would be easy to make a deal with Liangzhou Guard.

Even if flies cannot kill the elephant, their constant buzzing in one's ear will still make one feel disgusted.

On the night of the night banquet incident, He Yan went "blind". Xiao Jue disappeared for a few days afterwards and everyone thought he had left the house. Ding Yi followed him as well. In fact, the person Ding Yi followed was Fei Nu in disguise. The real Xiao Jue had been in Sun Mansion the whole time.

Sun Xiangfu committed many evil deeds and had many dealings with many wealthy families in Liangzhou. The wealthy families "offered" gold and silver to Sun Xiangfu, and Sun Xiangfu ensured that they would be "smooth" in Liangzhou City. He also took care of his superiors and subordinates, and all his deeds and gifts were recorded in the account book.

Xiao Jue found the account book and replaced it with another one. Here, he also found something else.

Sun Ling had killed countless girls over the years, and the original ones were thrown into mass graves. In the past two years, perhaps because he had done too many evil things, he had a guilty conscience and had frequent nightmares. The Sun family invited a Taoist priest to look at it, and he said that the women who died at Sun Ling's hands should be buried in the northwest and suppressed with Buddha statues and talismans.

So there was a mountain of corpses and Buddha statues in the backyard.

Xiao Jue originally planned to use Song Taotao to punish the father and son of the Sun family. However, after this discovery, even if Xu Jingfu came in person to guarantee them, he would not be able to do so.

In the past few days, he had been identifying the people underground and searching the account books. He actually left the house on the last day. He did not do anything else when he left the house. He picked a few people on the account book, transcribed the relevant records in the book one by one, and delivered them to each house.

He holds all the ties to the merchants and tycoons in Liangzhou City. When a new Liangzhou magistrate takes office in the future, he will be powerless to do anything to him, regardless of whether he is Xu Jingfu's man or not.

Liangzhou City, from today on, belongs to him.

The biggest mistake Yuan Baozhen made was miscalculating his direction. Xiao Jue never took the assassination at the night banquet seriously. What he wanted was always Liangzhou City.

It was just a coincidence that He Yan's appearance and strangeness attracted all of Yuan Baozhen's attention. In a way, He Yan also became a bait, but this bait had a hook on it, and it cut the mouth of the prey that followed the smell, so that things would go so smoothly.

When he was silent, He Yan was also thinking.

Xiao Jue had expected what would happen today. She asked, "The reason you let Yuan Baozhen go is because if Yuan Baozhen messed up his job, he would be abandoned and punished by his master, who was Prime Minister Xu." She paused and asked, "Prime Minister Xu, is he the current Prime Minister Xu Jingfu?"

After these words came out, Lian Feinu couldn't help but look at He Yan in surprise.

She actually said it so directly, which meant that she didn't know Xu Jingfu, but who knew if she was lying?

"Does your father know that Miss He cares so much about the court?" Xiao Jue said indifferently.

When he answered like this, He Yan knew that the Xu Xiang that Yuan Baozhen was talking about was indeed Xu Jingfu.

"Although my father is only a captain of the city gate and Xu Xiang is the current prime minister, there seems to be a world of difference between them, but the governor also knows not to look down on the poor young. I am sixteen this year, and I have fought all over Liangzhou Guards and have no rivals," she said boldly, "I may make great achievements in the future and become an official higher than the governor. So what if Xu Xiang is the only one? I have a younger brother who is younger than me. To be honest, we are like the rising sun, while Xu Xiang is already a candle in his old age. When my brother and I grow up to be as old as the governor, who knows if Xu Xiang will still exist in the world?"

Fei Nu started coughing because of the choking he did.

Based on what He Yan said, it is very likely that he is not Xu Jingfu's man. How could Xu Jingfu tolerate such a rebellious person under his command? He Yan is alive today, probably just by luck.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue sneered: "You are so ignorant of life and death, you might not live as long as Xu Jingfu."

He Yan thought to herself, Xiao Jue had guessed wrong. She had already lived one life longer than Xu Jingfu, so who cared whether she lived longer or not?

"The governor doesn't need to be so wary of me," He Yan looked at him, "We have a common enemy."

"I don't know," he said in a neutral tone, "why would Xu Jingfu bother to get involved with a captain of a city gate?"

"The captain of the city gate naturally cannot get close to Prime Minister Xu, but if the dog bites the man, the master should also be held responsible." He Yan sighed: "My enemy is Prime Minister Xu's subordinate, so in fact, I am the Prime Minister to Prime Minister Xu." She smiled: "The governor and I share the same hatred, so we should be friends. The governor has suspected me again and again, which makes me very sad."

Xiao Jue glanced at her, but there was no sign of sadness on her face.

"You will be disappointed," he said, "I don't make friends, especially not with liars."

He Yan: “…”

Is this guy invulnerable to weapons? I really want to fight him to vent my anger.

"Then Governor," He Yan held back his anger and asked, "What about the corpses in the courtyard of Sun Mansion?"

Some of the bodies were so old that only bones remained, and some were still recognizable. It was not a solution to pile them all up in Sun's mansion.

Xiao Jue looked at the tree outside the window, the shadow of the tree swayed slightly. After a moment, he said to Fei Nu: "Notify the people in the city to come and identify the body."

…

When the people of Liangzhou City learned that the Right Army Commander had brought people to seal the gate of Sun's mansion and arrested the father and son of the Sun family, everyone applauded. The brave ones ran to the door of Sun's house and spat and cursed, while the less courageous ones stood timidly not far away, and when the soldiers passed by, they pulled one person to ask cautiously: "This military master, Sun Zhixian was really...really arrested?"

Liangzhou has been dark for so many years, and finally the day has dawned.

The confession of the Sun family father and son was a good thing after all. The magistrate's mansion was filled with weeping. Families whose daughters had been lost or who knew their daughters had been abducted but were unable to do anything about it, upon hearing the news, came to the mansion to claim the bodies.

The bodies of women were laid out in the yard, filling up the three yards in front and back. Although it was autumn, there was a strange smell. He Yan followed Fei Nu and saw a mother-in-law being held by her daughter-in-law, looking for her daughter who had been missing for three years among the corpses. There was also a young man dressed as a scholar, crying loudly while holding his wife who was kidnapped on the wedding night.

He Yan saw a dark-skinned man in a white cloth coat, hugging a female corpse and sobbing: "Sister, sister! Brother is here, brother will take you home..." The voice was so sad that anyone who heard it would cry.

The little girl in his arms was tiny, no more than twelve or thirteen years old, still a child. If she was naughty at home, she would still like to catch crickets at this age. Now her little body is curled up into a ball, and it is hard to see the lively figure in the past, like a flower withering before it blooms.

The whole yard was filled with cries of death. He Yan looked up at the sky and felt that the cries were almost breaking through the sky. This was the most tragic thing in the world.

Fei Nu looked at her in surprise.

Girls are soft-hearted and can't bear to see such a scene. Just like Song Taotao, she had already hidden in the house, unable to bear to watch any longer. But He Yan stood there, with sadness in her eyes, but she didn't cry.

He Yan had seen too many separations of life and death. Many men went to the battlefield, and when they went out, they were the eldest sons of their families and the husbands of their wives, but when they came back, they became a pile of yellow earth. Life in this world is full of joys and sorrows, separations and reunions.

These girls were bullied when they were alive and imprisoned when they died. They lived a miserable life, but now they are finally free and back to the arms of their families. Their families will always remember them and shed tears for their experiences.

So what about her?

He Yan wondered, is there someone who would shed tears for her death? Who would care for her when no one else was around, and feel the pain she felt. Her family in her previous life personally sent her to hell, and she was being used even after death. Has there ever been a moment when she received the true love of her family?

"Young Master." Fei Nu's voice interrupted He Yan's thoughts. He turned his head and saw that Xiao Jue had come out without him noticing.

He asked: "Have all the bodies been found with their families?"

Fei Nu shook his head: "There are still 23 unclaimed bodies."

Some of the girls who were taken to Sun's family were not from Liangzhou like Song Taotao. They were separated from their families from all over the world, and it was a farewell forever.

"Bury him."

He Yan was startled and looked up at Xiao Jue.

He stood tall and graceful, in the desolate courtyard, just like the Yinqiu sword hanging at his waist, sharp, calm, and reassuring.

"Master, where is he buried?" Fei Nu asked.

"Outside Liangzhou City, there is a peak called Chengfeng." Xiao Jue looked into the distance, as if he saw something else through the branches in the yard. His expression was calm and his tone was indifferent, but in his indifference, there was a trace of unnoticeable sadness. He said, "These women had no choice in their lives, and they were caged like birds and fish in the pond. Buried here, I hope they can ride the wind freely in their next life and be proud of the lake and mountains."