"You son of a bitch!"
They actually ran away!
Xie Yushu looked at the blood droplets on the dagger. Her slash had grazed from the forehead to the nose. Even if the person dodged quickly, he must have been disfigured. She wondered if the person cared about his appearance or if he would seek revenge!
While Xie Yushu was distracted, Yi Shuihan and several brothers pinned Zhang Zhidao and his men to the ground, with knives held to their necks!
Just then, Qu Xiaodie and Liu Qiang dealt with the black-clad assassins, and the other guards were also killed or wounded by Yi Shuihan's personal guards. The remaining guards, seeing that the situation was not good, surrendered one after another.
Seeing that the situation was settled, Han Zhongyu asked...
Where is Magistrate Yu?
A minor official stepped out from behind Zhang Zhidao, trembling, and knelt on the ground to reply.
"This humble servant, Wang Lu, a lowly clerk from Tai'an Prefecture, greets Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy!"
"Take the granary keys and account books and come with me. The rest of you, take them to the death row. I will report to the Emperor and await his judgment!"
"This...this...sir, the key to the granary is not with me!"
You're in charge of the granary, and you're saying the key isn't with you? Then who has it?
Han Zhongyu was furious
Wang Lu glanced at Zhang Zhidao like a thief, then remained silent.
"Confess now! As the granary manager, losing the keys and ledgers is a capital offense!"
"My lord, spare me! The key! The key is with Lord Zhang's nephew!"
"Where is Lord Zhang's nephew?"
Wang Lu, you are already guilty of dereliction of duty. If you continue to cover it up, you will surely die. If you repent and atone for your crimes, I will consider sparing your life. You should think it over carefully!
Wang Lu turned pale with fright and dared not look at Zhang Zhidao again, blurting out what he had said.
"Lord Zhang's nephew is Zhang Xiang, who is now in charge of all the grain shops in Tai'an Prefecture. The grain in the granary has been sold at high prices, and I don't know how much is left."
About two months ago, the second batch of disaster relief grain from the imperial court arrived. It's estimated that the Hu people thought grain prices would continue to rise this year, so a Hu merchant bought in bulk. Lord Zhang decided to sell it to him at 10% above the market price. Because the merchant was short-handed and there were many disaster victims in the area, he requested that the grain be sent to the border. Zhang Xiang led a group to deliver the grain; it's unknown whether they have returned.
Han Zhongyu's face turned ashen with anger, and he began to scold...
"What a wicked Zhang Zhidao! You actually dared to resell the grain allocated by the imperial court for disaster relief to the barbarians at exorbitant prices, disregarding your own people and causing widespread famine in the Tai'an Prefecture area. You are utterly devoid of conscience!"
"Ha! Han Zhongyu, don't be too smug. I advise you to release me quickly. I am a fourth-rank prefect, an official appointed by the imperial court. Even if I am guilty, it is not up to you to deal with me!"
"You'll regret it if you offend me!"
"Whether I stay or leave is none of your concern! Take me away!"
At Han Zhongyu's command, men immediately stepped forward and escorted Zhang Zhidao and his subordinates to the death row!
"Let go! Han Zhongyu!"
You audacious brat!
"How dare you touch me! Let me tell you, Grand Tutor Zhou is my brother-in-law! If you mess with me, my brother-in-law will deal with you!"
When Zhang Zhidao saw that someone was actually coming up and pulling at him, he immediately shouted loudly.
Han Zhongyu sneered disdainfully.
"Grand Tutor Zhou? Your brother-in-law!"
What a big face!
If I remember correctly, Grand Tutor Zhou's wife's surname was Cui, not Zhang!
Who are you to call him his brother-in-law!
Moreover, I am acting on imperial orders to investigate this case. You have committed bribery, perverted the course of justice, deceived your superiors, formed cliques for personal gain, and allowed your relatives to harm the common people. The evidence is irrefutable. I will prosecute you fairly and justly; even Grand Tutor Zhou has no right to interfere!
"Lord Han! You are still too young!"
Zhang Zhidao said with inexplicable smugness
"The so-called 'whisper under the pillow' is something you have to listen to whether you want to or not. Although my sister is not Grand Tutor Zhou's legal wife, she gave birth to his only son. Because of her son, she has gained status, and Grand Tutor Zhou loves my sister very much! Even the servants in the mansion have to respectfully call my sister Madam Zhang!"
"Because of your affection for my brother-in-law, he's always taken good care of me. If something happens to me, my sister will definitely not let it go. I advise you to leave yourself a way out; if things fall apart, it won't look good for anyone!"
"Ha! What a joke! Don't you even know who I, Han Zhongyu, am!"
Why would the emperor send me here?
Take him away!
"Han Zhongyu!"
Seeing that Han Zhongyu completely ignored him, Zhang Zhidao struggled unwillingly, and while struggling, he addressed his subordinates and the remaining men.
Are you all stupid?
Han Zhongyu found a group of people from who-knows-where to impersonate his guards and killed him. Without a leader, they were nothing!
If I end up in jail today, my life is over. We're all in this together. If something happens to me, nobody can escape!
Only when Han Zhongyu dies can you continue to live a life of luxury. If you cower like cowards now, you'll only face death!
As expected, after Zhang Zhidao finished speaking, those who had just surrendered suddenly rose up in resistance again. Zhang Zhidao and several officials also began to resist, and several officials who knew martial arts even seized knives and injured several of the people guarding them!
Yi Shuihan reacted quickly, kicking Zhang Zhidao away as he broke free of his restraints and slashed at Han Zhongyu with his knife. He then took two steps forward, grabbed the back of Zhang's neck, and kicked him to his knees!
The man struggled on, but Han Zhongyu drew his imperial sword and with a swift stroke, Zhang Zhidao's head rolled off! Blood splattered everywhere! His eyes widened in disbelief, and even in death, he couldn't believe that Han Zhongyu had dared to kill him so directly!
Seeing this, Liu Qiang shouted loudly at the fighting crowd.
"Zhang Zhidao is dead! You all should surrender immediately!"
The group of people were stunned on the spot. Was Zhang Zhidao, who had been domineering and all-powerful, really dead?
Those who followed him in his tyrannical and domineering ways could hardly believe it!
Xie Yushu drank cold
"What, do you also have a sister who became a concubine of the Grand Tutor?"
The group immediately threw down their swords and knelt down to beg for mercy.
The remaining officials stood frozen in shock. Han Zhongyu, holding up the imperial sword, said...
"His Majesty has bestowed upon me the Imperial Sword, granting me the authority to execute first and report later. Anyone who obstructs or disobeys this order shall be killed without exception!"
If you continue to resist, it is tantamount to treason. Once I report this to the Emperor, it is not impossible that your entire family will be executed!
Have you thought it through?
"My lord! We confess our guilt. We were just following orders. We had no choice. Please have mercy!"
"Take him away!"
Han Zhongyu waved his hand, signaling the two to take them away.
The most important thing right now is to coordinate the distribution of food and supplies to the people as soon as possible. If this is delayed, many more people will die. As for these few scoundrels, there will be plenty of time to deal with them!
Seeing Han Zhongyu swagger into the prefectural government office, Xie Yushu leaned close to Yi Shuihan and whispered, "..."
"Brother Yi, who is this Lord Eryu? Why did His Majesty send him here?"
Yi Shuihan raised an eyebrow and replied.
"Eryu!"
The Han family is a family of imperial censors!
Each generation is more headstrong than the last!
They're willing to die for their principles at the drop of a hat!
Three of their ancestors committed suicide by hitting their heads against pillars while in power. The current emperor is a wise ruler, and he hasn't given their family the chance to do so!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
