jdhmnovel Chapter 120 This official hat is doomed.
Chapter 120 This official hat is doomed.
The Prefect of Jingzhao came upon being summoned, and upon seeing Jun Ce, his legs immediately gave way, and he knelt down with a thud.
He had a worried look on his face, and his official hat almost slipped off his head.
A servant just reported that some people in his jurisdiction have falsely accused the Regent of indiscriminately killing innocent people. My goodness! How many heads does he have to chop off?!
They rushed over in a panic.
"Your humble servant, Qi Sheng, Prefect of the Capital, pays his respects to the Regent!"
Regent?
This person is actually the Regent?!
The boisterous crowd fell silent instantly. The few who had been talking the loudest exchanged glances, then knelt down in fear, heads bowed, trying to minimize their presence.
The old woman's eyes also showed fear. She lay prostrate beside her husband, not daring to breathe.
Jun Ce's cold gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on the trembling body of the Prefect of the Capital.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Regent..." Qi Sheng rose in a panic, barely managing to stand by leaning on his subordinate's arm.
Jun Ce's deep eyes were devoid of emotion. He slightly raised his chin and pointed at the old man on the ground, "Go and see what's going on."
Qi Sheng readily agreed and immediately stepped forward, squatted down, and checked the old man's breath. His face turned deathly pale instantly.
"Regent, this..."
"This person has stopped breathing..."
How can this be good?
He can't very well punish the regent, can he?
But so many ordinary people witnessed it with their own eyes...
If this isn't handled properly, his official career will be over, and that's the least of his worries; he might even lose his life...
Qi Sheng almost fainted like the old man.
[She's stopped breathing?]
Zhai Rong frowned, stepped forward, and opened her Heavenly Eye to carefully examine the old man's face.
This person's life palace is still intact; their lifespan has not yet ended.
It seems they used some kind of feigned death technique.
Jun Ce's expression darkened as he suddenly remembered the silver needle from earlier.
Who exactly is trying to frame Rong'er?
What is their purpose?
His sharp gaze swept across the crowd, memorizing several familiar faces.
They were the ones who stirred up public sentiment just now.
The old woman seized the opportunity and rushed forward, grabbing Qi Sheng's robe and wailing, "My lord, you must do justice for me!"
A glint flashed in her eyes; knowing that Qi Sheng would not dare to offend the Regent, she shifted all the blame onto Zhai Rongyu.
"Your Excellency, please investigate! This matter has nothing to do with the Regent; it was Miss Zhai who instructed her servants to do it!"
"I saw it all clearly, old woman!"
Qi Sheng instantly felt that he could breathe again.
He breathed a sigh of relief; it was much easier now that it wasn't the regent.
"If that's the case, where is the culprit, Miss Zhai?"
He straightened up, regaining a sliver of hope that he could continue serving as an official.
"Is this how you handle official duties?" Jun Ce stared at him with icy eyes, his voice devoid of any warmth.
Qi Sheng was startled and turned around to meet Jun Ce's gaze. His legs trembled uncontrollably again.
This is this...
Why does the Regent seem even angrier?
Jun Ce stepped forward, bent down, grabbed the old man's arm, and used his inner strength to force the silver needles out of his body.
He casually added a bit of domineering energy into it.
He then tossed his arm to the ground and stood up.
A lone figure stepped forward and handed him a handkerchief, which Jun Ce took to wash his hands.
The old man spat out a mouthful of blood, then suddenly coughed violently, his whole body aching unbearably. He could no longer pretend and had to wake up.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"This old man isn't dead?!"
Qi Sheng's face, which had just regained its color, immediately turned pale again, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
it's over...
His official career has come to an end...
The old woman's eyes flickered with unease, and she glanced around nervously.
Zhai Rongyu said, "This old lady has a good eye. Just like your husband, she called me 'Miss' right away."
"But I don't remember when I saw you."
Qi Sheng then realized that the young master in front of him was none other than the Second Miss Zhai that the woman had mentioned.
The common people, upon hearing this, also began to have doubts.
"Yes, how did they recognize Miss Zhai, who was dressed as a man?"
"Could it be that they came prepared?"
"So, they orchestrated this whole thing themselves?"
"That's right, look at that old man, he's not dead at all!"
The lone figure stepped forward, seized the couple, and demanded sharply, "Speak! Who sent you to frame Miss Zhai?"
"Ah, it hurts..."
How could those two men withstand the strength of a lone figure? They immediately began to wail in pain.
Jun Ce ordered in a deep voice, "These two men committed violence in the street, were stopped by my guards, and then faked their deaths to frame the daughter of a loyal minister and implicate me. Their crimes are truly unforgivable!"
"Qi Sheng, what do you think should be done?"
Qi Sheng hurriedly knelt down, "This humble subject believes that these two are extremely vicious people and should be beheaded immediately as a warning to others!"
The old woman and the old man begged for mercy in their pitiful cries.
"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me!"
"We're just doing this for money, please have mercy, Your Excellency!"
"Who ordered you?" Jun Ce asked in a deep voice.
The old woman shook her head.
"He was an ordinary-looking man who promised to help my old man pay off his gambling debts if we came here to put on a show."
"I didn't really intend to kill Miss Zhai!"
"Please, Your Excellency, have mercy!"
Qi Sheng glanced at Jun Ce's expression and tentatively said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it would be better to temporarily detain these two people and wait until the mastermind is found before executing them."
Jun Ce gave him a cold look.
“The Prefect of the Capital is right.”
Qi Sheng immediately beamed with joy; he had managed to keep his official position!
Then Jun Ce's next words poured cold water on him, leaving him feeling utterly disheartened.
"A lone figure escorted the man to the Dali Temple."
As soon as he finished speaking, several people in the crowd were about to quietly leave.
Jun Ce gave Zhiying a wink, and with a light tap of his toe, he caught the fleeing group in no time.
Then it was thrown on the ground and tied into a ball.
Several sharp-eyed residents immediately recognized them as the people who had spoken the loudest earlier.
"These people are inciting the public; they must be their accomplices."
"Take them back to the cell and interrogate them one by one."
"Yes!" Zhiying accepted the order and directed the men brought by Qi Sheng to take all these people to the Dali Temple.
“As for you,” Jun Ce turned to Qi Sheng.
He straightened the long tassel of the jade pendant at his waist, his sharp brows inspiring awe. "As the Prefect of Jingzhao, I find myself facing murder by thugs in the very territory I govern."
"To punish innocent people based solely on the perpetrator's one-sided account without any investigation."
"And what is your crime?"
Qi Sheng knelt down with a thud, removed his official hat and placed it on the ground in front of him, and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for forgiveness, "This humble subject has failed in his duty and has no face to see the people. I beg the Regent to have mercy and allow this humble subject to resign and return to his hometown..."
Zhai Rongyu raised an eyebrow.
That shows they have some self-awareness.
Jun Ce glanced at him coldly, his thin lips slightly parted:
"allow."
"Thank you, Regent!" Qi Sheng kowtowed and knelt in gratitude.
Thank goodness, I almost lost my life.
Just as Zhai Rongyu was about to leave, she suddenly saw a familiar figure in the crowd, and her pupils contracted sharply.
[It's him?!]
She took off after him.