In fact, Li Mu had already investigated Lord Zhang's question.
Other things bestowed by Her Majesty, such as silk and magic treasures, could be dealt with on their own, but not official residences.
Official residences bestowed by Her Majesty or the imperial court could be modified, renovated, or even rebuilt, but they couldn't be sold.
When officials left Shen Du, they had to return the deeds to the house and the land.
In other words, whether it was Lord Zhang's two-sectioned house or Li Mu's five-sectioned house, they still belonged to the Empress and the imperial court.
After hearing this, Zhang Chun sighed and said, "What a loss …"
Li Mu didn't want to discuss the mansion with him anymore. He asked, "What happened to Zhou Chu?"
Zhang Chun shook his head and said, "Even if there are many people from the old party in the Ministry of Justice, I'm afraid they won't be so opposed to the Zhou family. The conflict between the old party and the new party is about the succession of the throne. Other than that, they're actually the same kind of people. They're all privileged people in the Great Zhou. Moreover, Her Majesty's surname is Zhou …"
Li Mu thought for a while and said, "If Her Majesty favors Zhou Chu, then I don't want to be a constable in Shen Du …"
Zhang Chun suddenly became alert and said, "Where do you want to go?"
Li Mu said, "Back to Beijun. Maybe I'll enter The Ancestral Court of Fu Lu School …"
He came to Shen Du to win the love of the people, to obtain psychokinesis, and to obtain cultivation resources from the Empress. All of this was on the premise that Li Mu approved of the Empress.
If the Empress's actions disappointed him, Li Mu would change his mind.
Big love and small love were all love. Being in love with the woman he loved and cultivating both Yin and Yang could not only fulfill the seven emotions, but also speed up his cultivation. Although his cultivation speed might not be as fast as hugging the Empress, at least he wouldn't be bullied.
After hearing that Li Mu was going to The Ancestral Court of Fu Lu School, Zhang Chunming heaved a sigh of relief. After thinking for a while, he said, "Actually, I think that it's much better for you to enter The Ancestral Court of Fu Lu School than to be a servant in Luoyang. Why do you have to be so tired every day? Why don't you just resign? Do you know how to write a resignation letter? If not, I can help you …"
Zhang Chun was very active in urging Li Mu to resign. Li Mu waved his hand and said, "Let's see how it goes …"
Zhou Residence.
The news of Zhou Chu's drunken drunkenness and his execution by the Luoyang Yamen had already reached the Zhou Mansion.
Even the maids and servants of the Zhou Mansion found it hard to believe.
Before Her Majesty became the Empress, the Zhou Family was one of the most prominent families in the Immortal's Capital. It had been many years since something like this had happened to the Zhou Family.
After leaving the Luoyang Yamen, the Luoyang Yamen hurried to the Zhou Mansion and was led by the gatekeeper. After walking for a long time and passing through countless moon gates, he arrived at a courtyard in the Zhou Mansion.
There were many important people in the Zhou Mansion and he was not qualified to meet most of them. Therefore, he went directly to Zhou Chu's father, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, Zhou Ting.
As soon as he entered, Zhou Ting asked, "How did it go?"
The Luoyang Yamen gritted his teeth and said, "That damn Zhang Chun. He's determined to go against you. I was too late. He's already submitted the verdict to the Ministry of Justice for review. I'm afraid we can't get around them."
Zhou Ting's face darkened. He said coldly, "Zhang Chun. I'll remember this name."
He glanced at the Luoyang Yamen and said, "Alright, you may leave."
After the Luoyang Yamen left, Zhou Ting walked out of the room and disappeared under the sunlight.
Ministry of Justice.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Zhong, was flipping through a case file. At a certain moment, he closed the file in his hand and glanced at the door. The two doors slowly closed.
He looked at the empty space opposite him and said, "Aren't you afraid of being criticized for coming to the Ministry of Justice, Lord Zhou?"
Zhou Ting's figure appeared on the chair opposite him.
Zhou Ting picked up the teacup on the table and drank the tea in one gulp. He said, "If you didn't know I was coming, who did you make this tea for?"
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice smiled and asked, "What do you think of the tea?"
Zhou Ting frowned and said, "I'm not here to drink tea. I only want to ask you one thing. What do you want me to do for you to let my son go?"
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice shook his head and said, "Your son was drunk and rode a horse. After killing a commoner, he tried to escape and resisted arrest. His actions were terrible. The Luoyang Yamen sentenced him to death. It's reasonable."
Zhou Ting looked him in the eye and said, "You should know that I have many ways to protect him. Going through the Ministry of Justice is the simplest way. I don't want trouble, but I'm not afraid of trouble either."
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice thought for a while and said, "We want the position of County Lieutenant of Nanyang County."
"No!" Zhou Ting did not hesitate and said angrily, "Don't you think you're asking for too much?"
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice shook his head and smiled. He said, "Does Lord Zhou think that your son's life is not worth the position of County Lieutenant of Nanyang County?"
Zhou Ting was silent for a while and said, "This is not something I can decide."
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice said, "Then let someone who can make the decision talk."
Zhou Ting looked at him and his figure gradually faded. After 15 minutes, he reappeared on the chair opposite the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice.
He said calmly, "The position of County Lieutenant of Nanyang County is yours."
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice threw the file aside and said, "Although he can avoid execution, his actions are too terrible. Even if the victim's family forgives him, he can still be locked up for a few years for killing, fleeing, resisting arrest, and resisting arrest. There shouldn't be a problem for him to hide outside and return to the Luoyang County after a few years, right?"
Zhou Ting said, "No."
Before the Substitution Silver Act was abolished, this case was just a little troublesome and could be settled with silver.
However, now that the Substitution Silver Act was abolished, it was not easy for anyone to settle a murder case in the Luoyang County with simple methods.
He glanced at the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice again and his figure faded away.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Zhong, had the same surname as him, but he firmly supported the old faction of the Xiao family and was the political enemy of the Zhou family.
However, sometimes, the most trustworthy person was the enemy.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice looked at the file sent by the Luoyang County government and shook his head. He said softly, "What will you do?"
The Luoyang County government.
Li Mu was still patrolling outside when he received a message from Wang Wu. The Ministry of Justice had rejected Lord Zhang's request to be executed.
The government had its reasons to execute him, but the Ministry of Justice also had their reasons to reject it.
The reason given by the government was that Zhou Ting was drunk and riding a horse, causing death. Later, he attempted to flee and resisted arrest. His actions were too terrible and he should be sentenced to death for manslaughter.
The Ministry of Justice did not approve it because the Zhou family had compensated the deceased's family with a large sum of money and the old man's family had written a letter of forgiveness.
Under normal circumstances, for manslaughter and unintentional murder, as long as the family was forgiven, the government would give a lighter sentence.
Once Zhou Ting was forgiven by the deceased's family, he would be able to escape death.
This was in accordance with the law, even in Li Mu's later life.
Li Mu returned to the government office. Zhang Chun shook his head and said, "There's nothing we can do. The deceased's family was not well off. The Zhou family compensated them with a large sum of money, enough for them to live the rest of their lives without worry. The deceased's family wrote a letter of forgiveness and the Ministry of Justice decided to give a lighter sentence. Zhou Ting will be sent to Jiujiang County to serve three years of hard labor …"
Wang Wu sighed and added, "Jiujiang County … they are all members of the New Party. Zhou Chu just changed his place to be happy. Jiujiang County is far away from Shendu. Zhou Chu will be more comfortable in Jiujiang County than in Shendu …"
Deputy Constable Sun walked in and said to Li Mu, "Constable Li, there's someone outside who wants to see you."
Li Mu walked to the entrance of the government office and saw a middle-aged couple leading a boy and a girl around seven or eight years old.
Li Mu looked at them and asked, "Who are you?"
The middle-aged couple knelt on the ground. The man looked ashamed and said, "Constable Li, we're not here for the money. You can't beat the Zhou family. Luoyang can live without us, but it can't live without you. Please forgive us …"
As soon as the middle-aged man spoke, Li Mu knew who they were.
They were the old man's family. After receiving the Zhou family's money and writing a letter of forgiveness, Zhou Ting's sentence was changed from death to exile.
Li Mu helped them up and said, "I know you didn't do anything wrong. My condolences …"
He could tell that the couple was sincere and there was no falsehood in their words.
Although Li Mu also hoped that people like Zhou Ting could be executed as soon as possible to prevent him from harming the people in the future, for this family, the dead could not be brought back to life. The current ending was the best ending.
Li Mu was already very gratified that they were thinking of him.
After sending the couple off, Li Mu returned to the government office. Zhang Chun sighed and said, "Don't take it too hard. You've already done a lot for Luoyang and the people of the Great Zhou. If the money for substitution is not abolished, you'll still see him often in Luoyang in the future."
An hour later, people from the Ministry of Justice came and took Zhou Ting away from the government office.
The outside of the government office was filled with onlookers.
Their expressions were indignant. They wanted Zhou Ting to die, but there was nothing they could do.
After staying in the prison for a few hours, Zhou Ting walked out of the government office again.
When he walked in front of Li Mu, he looked at him with a smile and said, "I told you, it's useless …"
Li Mu's expression was calm as he looked at him indifferently.
"We'll meet again. Perhaps it won't take three years. At that time, I hope you'll still be here …" The smile on Zhou Ting's face gradually disappeared. He looked at Li Mu and said, "You're the first person to let me know what the prison in Luoyang is like. It's not easy to meet such an interesting person. I really don't want to leave now …"
With that, he left. The two middle-aged men who went to prison with him also followed behind him.
Zhou Ting took a few steps, then turned back and said to Li Mu, "By the way, after I leave, you have to pay more attention to that old man's family. You have to move out quickly. I heard that they live outside the city. Their house is made of straw mixed with mud. Who knows when it will collapse. They have to be careful on the road. There are many people riding horses outside. It won't be good if one or two people are killed …"
When he said this, he did not lower his voice.
The onlookers widened their eyes. Extreme anger appeared on their faces.
A threat. This was a naked threat!
This person was actually so daring!
He had just killed that innocent old man with his horse. Now he was threatening their family …
Was there no law in Luoyang?
Li Mu clenched his fists, then quickly relaxed them.
Zhou Ting was very satisfied with his reaction. He smiled at Li Mu and said, "I'm just reminding you. I didn't do anything. You have to have evidence before you do anything. Don't accuse a good person. Haha …"
Li Mu said, "Whatever man does, God is watching. God is watching from above."
Zhou Ting smiled disdainfully and said, "God? After so many years, I really want to see what God looks like. If you have the ability, let them come down …"
Li Mu had one hand in his sleeve. He pointed to the sky and raised his head. He shouted, "Damn God, if you have eyes, you shouldn't let good people be wronged. You shouldn't let such evil people harm the world!"
Zhou Ting sneered. When he looked up, his expression suddenly changed.
Boom!
A purple thunderbolt struck down from above.
Puff …
The purple thunderbolt struck Zhou Ting's head. A strange sound came from his chest. A Fu-lu card turned into ashes.
Boom!
After the first thunderbolt, another purple thunderbolt struck Zhou Ting's head.
He was still unscathed, but the green brick under his feet exploded with a loud bang.
At the same time, a substitute talisman in his sleeve burned.
Boom!
The third thunderbolt struck. A jade pendant on Zhou Ting's chest turned into dust.
Boom!
The fourth thunderbolt struck. Zhou Ting's expression changed drastically. His eyes were filled with extreme fear. He cried out in shock, "No!"
This purple lightning completely engulfed his entire body.
In the blink of an eye, only a charred pit was left. Zhou Ting's figure had completely disappeared. It was as if he had evaporated into thin air.
The noisy street suddenly became quiet. Even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
Gulp.
It was unknown who was the first to swallow a mouthful of saliva.
Whoosh!
Everyone turned to look at Li Mu in unison, including the two Divine Ability Protectors around him.
Li Mu was still pointing to the sky. He quietly removed the handprint in his sleeve. He raised his hands and said, "Don't look at me. It has nothing to do with me. You don't think that a Third Realm cultivator like me can release the Heavenly Thunder of Purple Cloud, do you?"
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