"Blame? I have the Emperor's support. Who can blame me? Who dares to blame me?"
Zhao Lin snorted coldly: "You dare to threaten me? It seems that simply confiscating your property is not enough."
Zhang Hong was completely frightened by Zhao Lin's tough attitude and said, "Please spare my life, sir. I have something important to report."
"Speak." Zhao Lin said.
Zhang Hong said helplessly, "The robbery of the Flower and Stone Gang was done by Lu Ze'an's men."
"oh?"
Zhao Lin hadn't expected that a simple matter of confiscating property and making a fortune would lead to such an unexpected surprise. He said, "Tell the truth. If it's true, I can give you a lighter punishment."
Zhang Hong quickly recounted the entire incident, and concluded, "This was all done because Lu Ze'an threatened us. He also said that he had someone close to him, and that he would not only become a prefect, but also a marquis and prime minister."
"He can be made a marquis and become a prime minister? It seems that he is from the capital."
Without even thinking, a name popped up in Zhao Lin's mind.
Apart from him, who else would care about Zhao Lin so much that he would come all the way here to cause trouble for himself?
"Good, very good."
Zhao Lin grinned: "Bring Lu Ze'an up here."
Lu Ze'an was brought up quickly.
He looked at Zhao Lin coldly: "You won't be so arrogant for long. Someone will take care of you."
Zhao Lin smiled faintly: "Lü Ze'an, do you know who asked you to mess with me?"
Lu Ze'an's face changed and he looked at Zhang Hong and others fiercely.
Zhang Hong advised from the side: "Master Lu, it's already this time, don't be stubborn."
"Traitor." Lu Ze'an cursed.
Zhao Lin snorted coldly, "Lü Ze'an, I'll only give you one chance. Tell the truth and keep your family safe. Otherwise..."
Lu Ze'an's face changed: "Before the order from the Ministry of Justice comes down, I am still an official, you can't do this."
Zhao Lin said calmly, "Don't worry, I will give you enough respect, but the same cannot be said for those whose families have been destroyed by you."
Lu Ze'an looked ashen.
After a long pause, he asked, "You are so young, why are you so cruel?"
Zhao Lin said disdainfully, "Because people like you are only worthy of being cruel."
Zhao Lin is not a pedantic person, otherwise he would not have done such a thing as to curry favor with the powerful eunuch.
But he would not kill innocent people indiscriminately. If Lu Ze'an really wanted to die, there were naturally other ways.
Lu Ze'an sighed and said, "I said, spare my life."
Zhao Lin said calmly, "That depends on whether you are telling the truth."
Lu Ze'an said, "The other party is the prince of the Zhenbei Marquisate. He wants me to ruin your important plan to collect the flower and stone tax so that you will be punished by the emperor. Then he will use some trickery to transfer you away and let me be the prefect."
Zhao Lin nodded. "Although it's simple, it works well. Have you met Zhao Chenhan?"
Lu Ze'an shook his head and said, "How is that possible? The person I saw was just a messenger."
Zhao Lin asked, "How do you know he's from the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion?"
Lu Ze'an said, "He said so himself. It doesn't really matter who they are, as long as we can get rid of the adults."
Zhao Lin said, "You're quite clever. What's that person's name, and where is he now?"
Lu Ze'an said, "His name is Mr. Qian, and he lives in the Laifu Inn in the city."
Zhao Lin immediately ordered: "Shen Yuan, arrest him."
Shen Yuan immediately led his men out.
Lu Ze'an said hopefully, "Sir, I will tell you everything I know. Can you spare my life?"
Zhao Lin said calmly: "This little bit is not enough to save your life."
Lu Ze'an glared at Zhao Lin: "Although I did something wrong, my crime is not punishable by death. Why do you insist on killing me?"
Zhao Lin lowered his head slightly and looked down at Lu Ze'an: "Those who were forced to death by you ask you, you have no shortage of money, why did you force them to death for that little bit of benefit?"
"I……"
Lu Ze'an was speechless.
Shen Yuan worked quickly and brought the person back in less than a quarter of an hour.
"What are you going to do? Our boss is a big shot in Beijing. If you dare to touch me, I will never let you go." Mr. Qian shouted loudly.
"How dare you not kneel down when you see the prefect?" Shen Yuan shouted.
"Humph, a mere prefect, not even worthy of my kneeling."
Mr. Qian stood proudly, glancing at Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin said calmly, "You're shouting in court and disrespecting your superiors. Come on, I'll give you thirty lashes first."
With a snap, the lottery slip fell to the ground.
Mr. Qian was stunned: "You, you, start fighting as soon as you come?"
The yamen runners on both sides stepped forward, pushed Mr. Qian down, pulled down his pants, and started beating him with sticks.
Mr. Qian finally realized that Zhao Lin must have known something, which was why he grabbed him. He quickly said, "Stop, I'm...ah..."
Bang!
Mr. Qian's words were hit back with a stick.
These yamen runners wanted to perform in front of Zhao Lin, so they put all their strength into every blow.
By the time the thirty lashes were over, Mr. Qian had already fainted.
Crash...
A basin of cold water was poured on his face, and Mr. Qian woke up faintly, only to hear Zhao Lin say, "You're pretending to be unconscious and insulting this official. You'll get another thirty lashes."
Without waiting for Mr. Qian to speak, he was slapped with thirty sticks.
Mr. Qian is just a weak scholar.
The first thirty blows cost him half his life.
Now after these thirty strokes of the cane, he has lost half his life.
Only one breath left.
With a splash, Mr. Qian was splashed with cold water again to wake him up.
When Mr. Qian opened his eyes, he saw a pair of brand new official boots in front of him.
"I ask, you answer. Otherwise, I'll beat you."
Zhao Lin's cold voice came into his ears from the air.
Mr. Qian showed a look of fear: "Devil, devil, you, you are a devil."
Zhao Lin asked, "Who sent you?"
Mr. Qian closed his eyes and remained silent.
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