Under the cover of night.
Chaoyang County, behind the county government office.
In a room with dim lights.
A middle-aged man in constable uniform was standing aside with his head bowed and his ears lowered, looking respectful.
This person was none other than Xie Yongan, the county police chief who had captured the woman in the bamboo hat and Shen Lingjun today.
He is also the cousin of Xie Yongqing, the owner of the restaurant in that small town!
After learning that something happened in the small town restaurant, Xie Yongan received the tip-off immediately and immediately led his men to block the road to Xunyang County and captured the two women.
Not far in front of Xie Yongan, there was a calm figure sitting quietly. He was dressed in plain clothes and had a steady aura. He was the magistrate of Chaoyang County.
Wang Shi.
Although Chaoyang County was a small town, it was adjacent to Xunyang Commandery, so it naturally benefited from it. Wang Shi, the small county magistrate, also had powers that were different from those of ordinary county magistrates.
Chaoyang County was strategically located, serving as a crucial route connecting the north and south of the dynasty. This small county had a strong economy. To be able to become the magistrate of Chaoyang County, Wang Shi must have considerable influence behind him.
At this moment, in this room.
Xie Yongan lowered his head slightly and said respectfully, "Sir, those two women have been captured by my subordinates and are currently incarcerated. How should we deal with them?"
Wang Shi narrowed his eyes slightly, expressionless: "Have you found out the identities of these two women?"
"I don't know yet. He looks like someone from the underworld, not from the imperial court..."
Wang Shi opened his eyes, a cold look flashing in his eyes: "You must understand that if this matter is exposed and something happens to me, you will not end well!"
Xie Yongan's heart trembled, and he immediately gritted his teeth and nodded: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely find out the truth."
He owed his success to the support of County Magistrate Wang. Without County Magistrate Wang, how could he have achieved his current prosperity? If anything happened to County Magistrate Wang, he would suffer the consequences.
“No need!”
Wang Shi's expression was icy as he said in a cold voice, "No matter where those two women came from, since they already know our secret, they can't stay!"
Xie Yongan's eyes instantly turned fierce: "My Lord, what do you mean... to eradicate the roots?"
"Do it cleanly!"
Wang Shi had a blank expression on his face, and gave him another cold look. "Also, tell your cousin to be smart. He almost ruined my plan. If he does it again, I won't let him off!"
Xie Yongan was sweating profusely, his eyes determined: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely warn him, and it will never happen again..."
“…”
Above the eaves.
Shen Lingjun, who witnessed all the conspiracies in the room, opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
“This, this…”
She originally thought that she was arrested today because of the restaurant owner's cousin Xie Yongan. As the chief constable of the county government, he was seeking revenge. Shen Lingjun even thought about filing a complaint against him when she met the county magistrate tomorrow.
However, what she saw tonight made her feel cold and extremely angry.
The magistrate of Chaoyang County is actually in cahoots with his subordinates?!
No, strictly speaking, the mastermind behind all this is most likely the magistrate of Chaoyang County. Are the so-called brothers Xie Yongan and Xie Yongqing just helping him?
Thinking of this, Shen Lingjun was so angry that he was shaking all over. He never expected that the county magistrate, the father and mother official of Chaoyang County, would do such a thing behind the scenes!
Is he still human?!
Shen Lingjun was furious and wanted to bring the corrupt official and the corrupt police chief to justice right then and there. But in the end, reason prevailed.
calm!
She can't act rashly now!
More importantly...
Shen Lingjun looked up and saw a woman in a bamboo hat next to her, listening to the conversation between the two people in the room without saying a word.
There was still no expression on his face.
Not long ago, the woman in the bamboo hat suddenly escaped from prison and took Shen Lingjun away from the prison guards. She quietly came here and happened to overhear the conversation between the two people in the room.
Shen Lingjun was filled with righteous indignation after hearing this, but the woman in the bamboo hat did not seem surprised. She just looked at everything with indifference through the eaves and tiles.
"Sister, now we..."
Shen Lingjun became a little anxious when she saw that the woman in the bamboo hat next to her didn't say anything.
"what to do?"
The woman in the bamboo hat looked up at her and asked, "What do you think we should do?"
"Of course we should kill this bastard official and rid the people of this evil!"
Shen Lingjun said without hesitation.
As someone who couldn't tolerate any sand in her eyes, such a bastard official would definitely not survive half a day in her hands. If her martial arts skills were still there, she would definitely make this bastard official beheaded on the spot.
The woman in the bamboo hat looked calm and said, "And then?"
"What then?"
"You killed him, have you ever thought about the consequences?"
Shen Lingjun was stunned, then felt a little confused.
Do you need to think about the consequences after killing a corrupt official?
As a chivalrous man, shouldn't it be a good thing for the people to praise and applaud for bravely eliminating a corrupt official who is oppressing the people?
After killing this bastard official, I can escape unscathed, flee from here and keep my fame and honor to myself... What other consequences do I need to think about?
Just kill him!
The woman in the bamboo hat simply glanced at her casually and said calmly, "He's the magistrate of Chaoyang County, an official appointed by the imperial court to maintain peace in Chaoyang County. If you kill him casually, how much panic will it cause among the people of the county? With the magistrate's death, the county government will be paralyzed. What if someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of the opportunity to cause even greater trouble? What will we do then?"
"Besides, how can you guarantee that the next county magistrate will be an honest official? If he's still a corrupt official, will you continue to kill him?"
"There are so many corrupt officials in the world, can you kill them all?"
The woman in the bamboo hat's casual words made Shen Lingjun stand there in a daze.
She had never thought about this question!
In her eyes, right and wrong are simple: good people deserve to live, and bad people deserve to die!
That Prince Lin killed so many people, he deserves to die!
The magistrate of Chaoyang County was secretly involved in trafficking women, and he deserves the death penalty!
Just kill these people, their deaths are not a pity!
As for other consequences, she had never thought about them. Her thoughts had always been simple and pure, which was also the philosophy she had always upheld as a person in the martial arts world.
Until this moment, the words of the woman in the bamboo hat made her suddenly confused.
Yes, there are so many evil officials in the world, can she kill them all?!
If we kill this one, what if the next one is still a corrupt official?
What about the next one?
After a while, Shen Lingjun came to his senses and gritted his teeth: "If we kill him, the next one may not be a bad official. But if we don't kill him, this bastard official will definitely harm the people if he stays alive, so he deserves to be killed!"
The woman in the bamboo hat shook her head slightly: "The next one will definitely be another evil official."
Shen Lingjun looked confused and puzzled.
The woman in the bamboo hat whispered, "Chaoyang County is adjacent to Xunyang Commandery, a strategic location. Yet this county magistrate openly engaged in such behavior right under the nose of the Xunyang prefect. Do you think... he has the guts to do so?"
Shen Lingjun seemed to realize something, and his eyes gradually widened: "You, you mean..."
"The problem doesn't lie with the identity of the Chaoyang County Magistrate, but with this position and the person behind it!"
The woman in the bamboo hat spoke softly, but her words hit the nail on the head.
Shen Lingjun suddenly realized something, as if he had suddenly realized something: "You mean, there's someone behind the Chaoyang County Magistrate?"
The woman in the bamboo hat remained silent and said calmly, "You have a sense of justice and want to stand up for the people. Your intention is good, but simply killing this official won't solve the fundamental problem."
Shen Lingjun was silent. She was already somewhat persuaded at this moment.
"So, what do you think I should do now?"
Shen Lingjun gritted his teeth and said, "Since this official has someone behind him, they will definitely protect each other. Besides killing this official, is there any other way?"
"Of course there is." The woman in the bamboo hat raised her eyes slightly, looking at the indignant Shen Lingjun in front of her. She paused as if she thought of something and said, "It depends on whether you want it or not!"
"What method?"
Shen Lingjun was startled for a moment, then a look of joy appeared on her face: "Sister, do you have a solution? Just tell me... As long as I can bring these corrupt officials to justice and eliminate them, I can do it."
"There is indeed a way, but it's a bit dangerous."
The woman in the bamboo hat looked at her quietly: "I don't know if you dare."
"dare!"
Shen Lingjun nodded without hesitation, looking excited.
…
Early morning, county jail cell.
"Oh no! Someone escaped from prison!"
From inside the cell, the jailer's panicked voice was heard.
Xie Yongan's face darkened as he quickly stepped into the cell: "What's going on?"
Looking around, he saw two jailers who were knocked unconscious in the cell, and the chain that was pried open not far away. When he saw the lock that was almost split horizontally, Xie Yongan took a breath.
Prison break!
One of the two women he arrested yesterday had escaped from prison. Xie Yongan was shocked and angry when he heard the news.
These two women were extremely important. He had learned from his cousin that they knew some of their secret dealings. If they let the news get out, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Where did your accomplice go?!"
Xie Yongan stepped into the cell and stared at the woman in the bamboo hat who was the only one left in the room with a gloomy face, his tone anxious and angry.
One ran away, and there is still one left!
Xie Yongan was so angry that he didn't even think about why only one person ran away!
The woman in the bamboo hat sat cross-legged, motionless, and didn't even look at him.
Xie Yongan was extremely angry, "Didn't you hear me asking you a question?"
He quickly stepped forward, wanting to reach out and lift the other person's hat. But just as he reached out, a strong chill suddenly hit him. The air around him seemed to be instantly cold. Xie Yongan shuddered subconsciously, his eyes filled with fear, and he woke up.
This woman... is there something wrong?!
Xie Yongan stood there, staring at the woman in front of him in shock and doubt. Having dealt with danger for many years, Xie Yongan was naturally no fool. This woman in front of him seemed to be not easy to mess with!
Xie Yongan stood there, staring at the woman with a gloomy expression.
These two women knew his big secret... Once the truth came out, the county magistrate would definitely shift all the blame onto him.
Then, it will be his death!
He relied on the county magistrate to gain wealth and glory, but if something went wrong, he would be the scapegoat!
Thinking of this, Xie Yongan's face turned extremely ugly, and he didn't bother to settle the score with her anymore.
"Come here, keep an eye on her! If you let her get away, you'll all be punished and die with her!"
Xie Yongan didn't dare to act rashly towards the woman in the bamboo hat in front of him for the time being. After ordering someone to keep a close eye on her, he turned around and left in a hurry.
He has more important things to do.
…
In Chaoyang County, in a residential building on the outskirts of the city, Xie Yongan hurried to the back door and only entered the house after making sure no one was following him.
This was an ordinary house, and inside, several burly, thug-like men were patrolling everywhere. Xie Yongan walked through the pavilion and came to a small house. The room was simply furnished. Xie Yongan went to a bookshelf and opened a secret passage. He walked along the secret passage and soon arrived at a basement.
Inside the basement, there were many fully armed guards, and faint screams could be heard. Xie Yongan rushed to a room and looked up to see several pretty, slender women staring at him in fear.
"Captain Xie, why are you here today?" A man walked over, looking a little puzzled. "It seems today isn't the delivery day yet, is it?"
"There was an accident and the delivery time was advanced!"
Xie Yongan looked gloomy and glanced around the room: "How are these people?"
"Almost done. Some of them are still not obedient... But it doesn't matter. Someone will naturally discipline them after they are sold. This batch of goods is not bad. There are a few good-looking ones. They should be able to sell for a good price!"
The goods they were talking about were the women in the room.
Xie Yongan's gloomy expression relaxed slightly: "Move them all out to prevent any evidence from being left behind. Those who cannot be moved will be dealt with completely!"
"yes!"
In the basement, there was soon a commotion and chaos, accompanied by the screams of a woman, and the whole place was in chaos.
The women held here were all women they had brought back through various channels. Most of these women were not locals, but came from all over the country, having been kidnapped and brought back by them using various means.
Throughout Chaoyang County, countless such shady businesses were spread across the county. Besides Xie Yongqing from the small town restaurant, there were also some small local gangs who were also secretly colluding and shielding each other.
Xie Yongan was their superior, the head of the Chaoyang County police, secretly protecting them. With this connection to the government, they naturally became even more unscrupulous. Kidnapping, extortion, blackmail, robbery... Over the past few years, countless chaotic cases had occurred throughout Chaoyang County, yet they were all suppressed.
In this small county town, there are so many filth hidden in the darkness!
It’s pitch black!
…
On the other side, on the official road heading north, the weather was cold and a carriage was moving slowly.
Halfway through the journey, the carriage suddenly stopped, the curtain opened, and a person in red slowly walked out of the carriage.
"Saint, what's wrong?"
Ling'er followed the saint and walked out of the carriage.
Three figures appeared on the official road not far ahead, blocking the way.
The one standing in the center was wearing a black robe, shrouded in the black robe, his appearance could not be seen clearly, and his breath was low.
Seeing this, Ling'er exclaimed, "Grand Elder?!"
Liu Su, dressed in red, frowned slightly as she looked at the great elder who appeared before her.
"Grand Elder?"
"Why are you here?"
“…”