Chapter 547

"Whoosh!"

An arrow pierced through the air.

The middle-aged officer unsheathed his saber and deflected the incoming arrow. The hostility he had developed in the army suddenly surged.

This little gong dared to shoot an arrow at him. He deserved to be beheaded today. The night watchman had always been arrogant. If he didn't take revenge now, when would he?

The middle-aged officer raised his saber and shouted, "Intruders of the Ministry of Justice, die!"

The clanging sounds continued. The soldiers pulled out their sabers and looked solemn as if they were ready for war.

Xu Qi'an pulled the reins of his horse and raised its hooves high. He took out the golden token bestowed by the emperor and said, "I am here to investigate a case. Step back."

The middle-aged officer was not afraid at all. He blocked the way with his men and said, "The Ministry of Justice is also here to investigate a case. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to come near."

"Don't make a mistake." Xu Qi'an squinted.

"It's fine if you want to enter the Ministry of Justice. Let me send a message." The middle-aged officer sent a guard to pass the message.

In the end, after waiting for a long time, the guard never returned.

Min Shan pointed his saber at him and said angrily, "Son of a bitch, are you messing with me?"

"Listen up. Without the permission of the Ministry of Justice, no one is allowed to enter the yamen. Intruders will be killed." The middle-aged officer sneered.

"Yes, sir." The guards replied.

'The Ministry of Justice wants to cut off this lead. No matter what I do, they have to drag it out. After a few days, they will finish their investigation and get what they want.' 'Or maybe the clues are worthless. Then they will hand the person over to me. I am a criminal and time is life.' Xu Qi'an's heart was filled with hostility.

"If you insist on stopping me, don't blame me for using the privilege of the golden token." Xu Qi'an pressed the hilt of his saber.

"Act first and report later?" The middle-aged officer sneered. His saber carried a strong Qi. "You are just a gong and you want to kill people in front of the Ministry of Justice?"

With a flash of the saber, Xu Qi'an and the middle-aged officer crossed each other and stopped at the gate of the Ministry of Justice.

It was only at this moment that both sides reacted. No one, including the one who played the night shift, expected Xu Qi 'an to be so decisive.

In their minds, Xu Qi'an would show the golden token and order the guard to leave. This method was gentler and less likely to cause unnecessary trouble.

Xu Qi'an held the saber in his right hand and shook his wrist, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

The middle-aged officer's body swayed and he fell to the ground.

A soldier went forward to check and touched the officer's neck. He cried out involuntarily, "Dead!"

This time, the expressions of the night watchmen also changed.

Conflict was conflict. Although everyone looked like they were going to fight, if they killed someone, the incident would escalate. Moreover, the person killed was someone from the Ministry of Justice.

Even the most arrogant night watchman had never killed anyone in front of the main gate of any of the six ministries.

Swoosh.

All the soldiers turned around and faced Xu Qi 'an. The atmosphere was like a barrel of gunpowder, ready to explode at any moment.

This lousy ultimate art is Three Second True Man … It's not enough to support me in a battle of attrition. I'll find a chance to change it in the future.

Suppressing his fatigue, Xu Qi 'an took out the gold plate and showed it to the crowd. "I'm here to handle this case.

"Stand down!" He roared.

The guards retreated under the fear of the golden token and the officer's corpse.

Intimidated by the gold medal and the officer's corpse, the soldiers retreated.

Xu Qi'an sheathed the golden token and led the two silver gongs and twelve bronze gongs into the Ministry of Justice.

Along the way, the two silver gongs, Yang Feng and Min Shan, kept looking at Xu Qi 'an, as if they were getting to know him again.

Min Shan frowned. "Aren't you being too impulsive? You killed someone outside the Ministry of Justice's gate. Aren't you afraid of being investigated? "

It was Xu Qi'an's first time killing someone. He looked at the bearded man. "Am I going to be investigated?"

Min Shan was stunned.

Xu Qi'an sneered and continued, "I'm in a desperate situation. To me, progress is life, and clues are life. Whoever dares to stop me from handling a case is asking for my life.

"The Ministry of Justice and the night watchman's office have always been at odds. With the magistrate's office trying to steal my credit, these people are my stumbling blocks. If I'm not ruthless, there will be a second, third, or fourth person to stop me. If I don't kill them, they will kill me indirectly.

"If I chop down one blind person today, the other blind people will be fearful and fearful tomorrow. This is also a way to reduce the number of killings. "

As Xu Qi'an spoke, he looked at Yang Feng and Min Shan and put on a fake smile. "Even the two under Yang Jinluo doubt me and don't trust my ability, let alone the magistrate's office and the Ministry of Justice."

His words were very clear. He was establishing his authority.

Yang Feng and Min Shan smiled. "Your excellency Xu, we've underestimated you."

This' Lord Xu 'was the most sincere way to address her. It wasn't because of imperial orders.

The Ministry of Justice's office was very big. Xu Qi'an caught an official to lead the way.

The official was just a weak person. He was a little afraid of these fierce night watchmen and didn't dare to disobey. He led them to the meeting hall.

Passing through the courtyard, they arrived at the meeting hall of the Ministry of Justice. It was a spacious hall. There were no tables, only chairs, neatly arranged.

The people from the two yamens sat on opposite sides, clearly separated from each other.

On the left, the officials of the Ministry of Justice were led by the Second Rank Minister of Justice, who wore a scarlet robe and embroidered golden pheasant.

On the right, the officials were led by the Fourth Rank Governor Chen, who wore a scarlet robe and embroidered golden pheasant.

In the middle sat a eunuch wearing a tall hat and official robe. He had a pale face and squinted eyes, giving off a strange aura.

There were two eunuchs beside this eunuch.

At the door, the official was like a little quail. He said with a trembling voice, "My, my lords … the night watchman is here …"

In the meeting hall, more than a dozen powerful officials looked at him at the same time.

Xu Qi'an met the eyes of the big shots and crossed the threshold. He cupped his fists and said, "I'm Xu Qi'an. Greetings, my lords."

He glanced at the crowd and saw a familiar-looking woman. She was one of the constables of the Governor Chen, Lü Qing.

The latter had also noticed him, and her eyes were filled with confusion. Especially when she saw the two silver gongs and the other gongs seemed to follow Xu Qi'an's lead, she was even more shocked.

An official of the Ministry of Justice glanced at Xu Qi'an and said lightly, "Such a big case, and the night watchman didn't even send someone from Jinluo. I will definitely write a letter of impeachment tomorrow."

Xu Qi'an said lightly, "Why should the night watchman explain to the Ministry of Justice when investigating a case?"

After a pause, he said, "I heard that the Ministry of Justice has detained the Dali Monastery, the Ministry of Rites, and many servants in the palace. They also stopped our night watchman from interrogating them. Minister, may I ask what is the meaning of this?"

Minister Sun, who had met him once before, did not say anything. He did not even look at Xu Qi'an. He picked up his teacup and took a sip without any expression on his face.

In the officialdom, serving tea meant seeing off a guest.

The corner of Xu Qi'an's mouth curled up. He did not continue to argue. He quietly found a seat and sat down.

In the eyes of the crowd, he was admitting defeat and tolerating Minister Sun's display of power.

At this moment, an official rushed over in a panic. He glanced at the night watchman and lowered his head to whisper a few words in the ear of an official of the Ministry of Justice.

The expression of the official of the Ministry of Justice changed. He slammed the table and stood up. He pointed at Xu Qi'an and the others and scolded, "Outrageous! They have no respect for the law!"

All the officials in the hall frowned.

Minister Sun asked, "What's going on?"

The official of the Ministry of Justice looked agitated. He cupped his hands and said, "Minister, Eunuch Liu, these night watchmen killed people at the gate of the Ministry of Justice. They even killed high-ranking officials. How arrogant and presumptuous! They must be punished severely. "

The officials were shocked. Even the chief eunuch, who had been putting on airs and squinting his eyes without saying a word, looked at Xu Qi'an and the others in surprise.

Minister Sun's expression did not change. He lightly patted the armrest of the chair and said, "The Ministry of Justice is in charge of the law and laws. We share the burden of His Majesty and plead for the people. Guards …"

"Wait!" Xu Qi'an loudly interrupted and said with a cold smile, "I am investigating a case by imperial decree. The Ministry of Justice is obstructing the investigation. I have the gold medal in my hand. I act first and report later. Also, I suspect that the Ministry of Justice is in cahoots with the thieves. They are the culprits who blew up the Mountain River Temple in Yongzhen. Minister Sun, why don't you come with me to the Yamen of the Night Watchmen? "

How could he be so tough?

The officials of the Yamen looked at each other in disbelief. Was this really something that a small gong dared to say?

Minister Sun was a second-rank official who held great power in the Imperial Court. The gong in front of him dared to say such words. He did not respect Minister Sun at all.

The officials of the Yamen could not help but look at their superior. They found that Governor Chen was looking at the sky at a 45-degree angle, pretending not to see anything.

"How dare you!"

"How dare you frame the Minister? How many brains do you have?"

The officials of the Ministry of Justice were furious.

Xu Qi'an became even more arrogant. He took a step forward and put one hand on his knife. He stared at the officials of the Ministry of Justice and said, "If the Ministry of Justice can't solve the case, I will. If the Ministry of Justice can't kill them, I will! "

"Also!" Xu Qi'an took out the gold medal bestowed by His Majesty. With a shake of his hand, the gold medal spun and embedded itself into the ground, sending dust flying.

"If the Ministry of Justice dares to obstruct me from solving the case, I will kill them as well!"

"Is that clear enough?"

The meeting hall was silent. The angry officials of the Ministry of Justice suddenly stopped talking. It was not because they were afraid, but because they were shocked.

What was wrong with the Yamen of the Night Watchmen? What was wrong with Wei Yuan?

Sending such a hothead to solve the case, wasn't that giving his political enemies something to use against him?

Based on what he said, he could be imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's prison for the rest of his life. Tomorrow, the Ministry of Justice would jointly report Wei Yuan to see how he would explain himself.

"Haha!" The chief eunuch in the official robe laughed. "Young and aggressive, showing off your abilities."

He looked around at the crowd and said, "Let me introduce you to this gong. He was recommended by Princess Royal and personally appointed by His Majesty to be the manager of the Night Watchmen.

"By the way, he was sentenced by Duke Wei to be chopped in half at the waist after seven days because he injured his superior. His Majesty was kind enough to allow him to redeem himself. "

The manager appointed by His Majesty. No wonder he dared to be so arrogant … injuring his superior and being executed after seven days. No wonder his killing intent was so strong!

The officials of the Ministry of Justice suddenly fell silent.

This was a madman at the end of his rope. Solving the case was his only chance of survival. People like this were the most likely to go to extremes. If he was forced into a corner, he would probably be willing to drag a few people down with him.

This could be seen from the fact that he killed the military officer without hesitation.

Seeing the officials of the Ministry of Justice trying to avoid harm, the chief eunuch gestured with his hand and said, "Sit down. The Sampo Case involves a lot of people. His Majesty places more importance on it than the tax case. He specially appointed me as the Governor to supervise you in handling the case.

"The night watchman came just in time. It saves me the trouble of talking to you later."

This eunuch obviously favors me … or more accurately, the night watchman is related to Wei Yuan?

Xu Qi'an gave a fist salute and returned to his seat.

Song Tingfeng was very cooperative. He ran forward to pull out the gold medal and presented it with both hands. "Your Excellency, your gold medal."

Xu Qi'an looked at the crowd as if to demonstrate his power. He reached out and took the gold medal. "Yes!"

His second stage of establishing his authority was very effective.

Portraying himself as a boorish man at the end of his rope could solve many problems in the future. If the Ministry of Justice and the magistrate wanted to fight for credit, they would have to think twice first. The person he had to face was a lunatic who would pull out a knife and kill people at the slightest disagreement.

As for what kind of trouble would follow, Xu Qi'an did not care. Firstly, he believed that Wei Yuan would shield him from the storm. Secondly, if he failed to solve the case, he did not need to care about the aftermath. He would either die or leave the capital forever.

Eunuch Liu took a sip of tea and said, "There are people missing from the three yamens. These missing people are very likely to be spies who helped the thieves smuggle gunpowder. What do you think of this matter? "

Governor Chen said, "I have already sent people to investigate the families of the nine deceased. They are still in the capital and do not know about the disappearance of their loved ones. I deduced that the nine people did not escape but were killed. "

Eunuch Liu nodded slightly.

An official of the Ministry of Justice said, "There must be spies hidden in the three yamens. The spies that are even more secretive are the ones who killed them to kill those who knew about it."

Eunuch Liu frowned and muttered to himself.

Xu Qi 'an listened silently. Since they had stayed to participate in the meeting, then the people who were detained would not be of much use.

This was because he could get the information he wanted by listening to the conversation between the officials of the Ministry of Justice and the yamen.

"I'm afraid it's not just the Dali Monastery and the Ministry of Rites. Even the Ministry of Works has spies," Lü Qing said in a low voice.

Everyone looked at the only woman present.

Eunuch Liu scrutinized Lü Qing and nodded. "Continue."

Lü Qing said, "I have investigated their family background and interpersonal relationships. With their ability, it is impossible for them to smuggle so much gunpowder from the gunpowder factory. Therefore, there must be someone in the Ministry of Works secretly assisting them, and the official's position is not small. "

'High position …'

"Gunpowder is a strategic resource that the imperial court places great importance on. All kinds of security and anti-theft measures are very strict and complete. Without the assistance of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Works, this matter cannot be carried out. "

Her logic was clear and reasonable. Everyone nodded as they listened. They had a whole new level of respect for this female arrester, Lü Qing.

Xu Qi'an noticed that a eunuch beside Eunuch Liu was writing at a very fast speed. He seemed to be taking notes and recording down everyone's conversation.

'… Is this for the Yuanjing Emperor to see?'

'The Emperor is paying much more attention to this case than the tax case … Hmm, that's right. I wonder what the thing that came out from under the Sampo is.'

'If it wasn't something extremely terrifying or important, it wouldn't be sealed under the Sampo.'

Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

Eunuch Liu, who was wearing an official robe, looked at the night watchman and Xu Qi'an. He asked, "Your excellency Xu, don't keep silent. As the chief of the night watchmen, did you get anything?"

The officials of the yamen and the Ministry of Justice looked at him at the same time.