Outside the Ministry of Justice, on the streets of Divine Capital.
"You're crazy! You're really crazy!"
"Li Mu, do you know the consequences of your actions?"
"Li, I won't let you get away with this!"
…
The Assistant Minister of Personnel's expression changed from shock to fear. He did not expect Li Mu to attack him on the streets in front of the citizens of Divine Capital.
'Is this lunatic not afraid of the imperial court's punishment?'
The citizens on the streets were also dumbfounded by what they saw.
Who else could it be other than Young Master Li, whose entire body was shining with golden light and was currently chasing after someone?
Upon closer inspection, the person being beaten was wearing a high-ranked official's uniform. He seemed to be the Assistant Minister of Personnel!
The commoners did not know much about the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. They only knew that he held a high position and was an important figure in the old party. Over the past few days, after the inside story of Lord Li's case was uncovered, they found out that this person was the mastermind who framed Lord Li. With that "merit", he had risen to the top and was now sitting in Lord Li's position. It was absolutely detestable!
Seeing Li Mu chasing after him and beating him up, the citizens felt an indescribable satisfaction.
"Well done!"
"This kind of person will only cause trouble if we let him live. Let's just beat him to death!"
"Sigh, if we beat him to death, Li Mu will also get into big trouble. It's better to beat him up to vent our anger."
"Why is Li Mu so impulsive today? Is he also speaking up for Li Mu?"
The citizens did not dare to speak loudly. They could only whisper. Above their heads, waves of Dharmic powers quickly attracted a few figures.
"Stop!"
"How dare you fight here!"
"Stop it!"
A few generals in silver armor quickly flew over. They were about to stop the fight when they were surprised to find that it was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Li Mu from the Secretariat who were fighting in the sky above Luoyang. They did not know how to deal with it.
If two cultivators dared to fight in Divine Capital, they would have been taken down long ago.
But what was the reason for these two important officials to fight in front of so many people? Li Mu, the Secretary of the Secretariat, was still in good condition. Only his hair was a little messy, but Chen Jian, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had a bloody nose and a swollen face.
Seeing the Imperial Guard generals who guarded Divine Capital arrive, Li Mu did not make things difficult for them. He stopped and quietly floated in the air.
The Assistant Minister of Personnel covered his bruised eyes. He was furious. "What are you waiting for? Take him down!"
The Imperial Guard could not deal with the officials fighting. One General looked at the two officials and said, "Sirs, please follow us to His Majesty's side.
Hearing the words' His Majesty ', the Assistant Minister of Personnel's heart skipped a beat. After weighing the pros and cons, he gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it. His Majesty is busy every day. Let's not disturb him over such a small matter. I … I have some misunderstanding with Li Mu.
The Assistant Minister of Personnel was obviously the victim. He did not want to pursue the matter. The generals did not want to wait too long. Just as they were about to leave, Li Mu's face darkened. He said coldly, "It's a misunderstanding. Chen Jian, you cut off my path of cultivation and you want to let it go? Come, follow me to His Majesty!"
Seeing that Li Mu was not going to let it go, the Imperial Guard generals were troubled. The leader weighed the pros and cons and said, "Sirs, let's go …"
Although they did not want to be a busybody, they had to deal with this matter as long as one person did not relent. Otherwise, they would be derelict in their duties. What they could not understand was that the Assistant Minister of Personnel had already decided to let it go, but the culprit was not going to let it go …
In Shangyang Palace, Zhou Yi was listening to the officials of the three provinces report on the state affairs. Mr. Mei walked in from outside and said with a strange expression, "Your Majesty, Chen Jian, the Assistant Minister of Personnel, and Li Mu from the Secretariat request an audience."
Zhou Yi said, "Let them in."
Soon, two figures walked in from outside.
The first to walk in was Chen Jian, the Assistant Minister of Personnel. His clothes were messy, his official robe was untidy, his official hat was askew, and his face was covered in bruises. The officials were shocked. How did the Assistant Minister of Personnel, a master of the Creation Realm, end up like this?
Chen Jian walked into the hall and said with grief and indignation, "Your Majesty …"
Li Mu walked past Chen Jian and walked in quickly. He said with grievance, "Your Majesty, you have to uphold justice for me!"
The Assistant Minister of Personnel was stunned. He stared blankly at Li Mu. He opened his mouth but did not say anything.
He had been an official for many years, but he had never seen such a shameless person.
In front of His Majesty, he dared to complain first …
Without waiting for Li Mu to speak again, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, Li Mu from the Secretariat has disregarded the law and beat up an important official of the imperial court. Your Majesty, please punish him severely and uphold the law!"
In the hall, the officials of the three provinces finally knew that the Assistant Minister of Personnel was injured by Li Mu. Looking at Li Mu's appearance just now, they thought that the Assistant Minister of Personnel had done something to Li Mu …
Zhou Yi looked at Li Mu and asked, "What the Assistant Minister of Personnel said, is it true?"
Li Mu said, "Your Majesty, I have a reason for my actions. Please investigate it."
Zhou Yi said, "No reason can be a reason for you to beat up an important official of the imperial court."
Li Mu raised his head and said, "On the tenth day of the tenth month, the Left Assistant Minister of Personnel, Chen Jian, verbally humiliated me in the Ministry of Personnel, causing me to develop an inner demon. Your Majesty, please show me the scene from that day …"
Zhou Yi waved his hand and sent out a ray of white light. An image appeared above the heads of everyone in the hall.
In the image, Li Mu was about to leave the Ministry of Personnel when the Assistant Minister of Personnel suddenly said, "Lord Li, you may not know this, but the Li Residence you are living in now is the residence of that guilty official. The day before your wedding is the anniversary of the death of that guilty official's family. I wonder if you heard the wails of their ghosts on your wedding night …"
Seeing this scene, the Assistant Minister of Personnel's face paled.
The officials in the hall finally understood why the Assistant Minister of Personnel had met such an end.
Even if it was an ordinary person's wedding, there would still be some good luck. It was very taboo for people to say anything inauspicious.
Who could tolerate such verbal humiliation on the day of someone's wedding?
Moreover, this kind of humiliation had caused the person involved to develop an inner demon. In the cultivation world, this was probably not something that could be settled with a simple beating.
Ruining the path of cultivation was a great enmity that would not rest until one of them was dead …
Zhou Yi looked at the Assistant Minister of Personnel and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
The Assistant Minister of Personnel hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I was muddle-headed at that time …"
Zhou Yi said coldly, "Being muddle-headed is not an excuse for ruining the Dao hearts of your colleagues."
The Assistant Minister of Personnel hurriedly knelt and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive me …"
Zhou Yi said indifferently, "Assistant Minister of Personnel, Chen Jian, humiliated a colleague. The consequences are serious. His moral conduct is lacking. He will be suspended from his duties for a month and his salary will be deducted for half a year …"
The ministers in the hall glanced at the Assistant Minister of Personnel and sighed in their hearts.
Chen Jian really had no foresight. Li Mu was the favored minister of the Empress. Chen Jian dared to drag Li Mu to meet the Empress when he knew that he was in the wrong. Wasn't he walking right into a trap?
The officials of the three provinces still had to report to the political leaders. After the Empress concluded the case of Li Mu and Chen Jian, the two of them walked out of Shangyang Palace.
"Today's humiliation will be avenged in the future!"
Chen Jian took one last look at Li Mu, covered his face with his sleeves, and left in a hurry.
Li Mu walked slowly in the palace, but his thoughts were running fast.
He and Li Yi shared the same residence. According to his original plan, he would take the long view and plan step by step. When the time was right, he would overturn the case for Li Yi and clear his name.
This way, he could minimize the impact on the situation in the imperial court and would not cause too much trouble for the Empress.
As for the person who caused these cases, he could only try his best to save his life. Even if he did not succeed in the end, he had already done what he should have done. Regarding this matter, he did not ask for anything other than peace of mind.
This was the most rational thing to do.
However, when he saw the figure in the prisoner carriage, he threw all rationality and plans to the back of his mind.
The first thing he needed to do now was to get Li Qing out of the Ministry of Justice.
Although Zhou Zhong was in the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Zhong happened to be the person Li Mu did not trust the most.
Li Mu knew very well that Zhou Zhong had actually given up on her just now.
In Zhou Zhong's heart, there was something that he thought was more noble.
After thinking for a while, the only person Li Mu could trust at the moment was Zhang Chun.
The power of the Zongzheng Temple had been further expanded recently. The cases that the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court could handle were handled by the Zongzheng Temple. The cases that the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court could not handle were handled by the Zongzheng Temple.
Li Mu first returned to the Secretariat and drafted an official document with the identity of the Secretariat's Secretary.
After that, he asked Mr. Mei to ask the Empress to temporarily interrupt the debriefing of the officials of the three provinces and put the Empress's seal on the document.
After that, he went to the Zongzheng Temple and handed the document to Zhang Chun, asking him to transfer Li Qing from the Ministry of Justice to the Zongzheng Temple.
Although the Ministry of Justice and the Zongzheng Temple were controlled by the old party, at least Zhang Chun was in the Zongzheng Temple.
In the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Zhong received the document and said to the director of the Ministry of Justice, "Open the prison."
Soon, a carriage drove out of the Ministry of Justice and slowly into the palace, heading in the direction of the Zongzheng Temple.
The Zongzheng Temple mostly dealt with the important officials of the imperial court and the royal family's disciples. In consideration of their dignity, they did not want the people to throw vegetables and eggs at them when they were escorting important people through the streets. The prisoner carriage of the Zongzheng Temple was a modified carriage, sealed and hidden.
In the Zongzheng Temple.
Prince Shou was lying in the courtyard of the Zongzheng Temple, basking in the sun. When he saw the carriage enter the Zongzheng Temple, he asked, "Who committed the crime this time?"
Minister Feng, who was squatting beside him and fanning him, said, "It's Li Yi's daughter. It's said that she killed five officials outside and was brought back to Fairy's Capital by the Office of Worship. She's waiting for trial …"
"Li Yi …" Prince Shou narrowed his eyes, as if he was lost in his memories.
Minister Feng said, "It's that Li Yi who caused a huge ruckus in Fairy's Capital more than ten years ago. Later, his entire family was executed. I didn't expect that there would be one left out. Li Yi from more than ten years ago, and now Li Mu. Why is this surnamed Li not to be trifled with?"
As he spoke, he thought of something and said to Prince Shou, "Your Highness, you have to take care of that Zhang Chun. I don't know what he's thinking, but he arranged for Li Yi's daughter's cell to be the same as the wedding room. Not only did he choose the largest and most spacious cell, he even arranged for people to clean it inside and out. He changed the big bed, brand new bedding, and even a mirror and dressing table. He even locked all the prisoners around that cell elsewhere and hung curtains around the cell. How is this a prison at the Zongzheng Temple? She's clearly a young mistress …"
"I just want to bask in the sun. Why do you have so much nonsense to say?" Prince Shou glared at him and said, "Are you very free? If you have nothing to do, go wash all the toilets. Don't bother me here …"
Minister Feng was stunned and said, "Your Highness …"
Prince Shou said angrily, "Go!"
In the Zongzheng Temple's outhouse, Minister Feng was washing the toilets gloomily. In the courtyard, Prince Shou was lying on a rocking chair with his hands behind his head. He sighed and said, "What a pity. Why are young people so impulsive …"
In the Zongzheng Temple's prison, Zhang Chun stood outside the cell and shook his head. "I didn't expect Constable Li to be Lord Li Yi's daughter. Back then, I also admired him very much …"
Li Mu looked at Zhang Chun and said, "I'll leave the boss to you."
Zhang Chun said, "Don't worry. As long as she's in the Zongzheng Temple, no one will dare to touch her."
He looked at Li Mu and asked, "What do you plan to do? Whether it's to redress Lord Li Yi's grievances or to exonerate Li Qing's crimes, it's not that simple."
At present, Li Qing's matter was naturally Li Mu's greatest concern and also the most urgent matter.
But if he wanted to save Li Qing, he had to redress her father's case first.
If Li Qing's identity was still that of a treacherous official who had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, then what Li Qing did was a complete blow and revenge. She had killed many officials of the imperial court and should be sentenced to death according to the law. If Li Mu insisted on saving her, he would be going against the law and above the law. In this way, what difference would there be between him and those people he despised?
However, if Li Yi's identity was that of a loyal official who was set up by a villain and had his entire family exterminated, then his daughter avenged his family's death. Even if it was against the law, it would still be righteous.
Under the premise that the imperial court had lost its righteousness, there was still mercy outside the law.
After all, the four managers of the Ministry of Personnel were the ones who had directly framed Li Yi. They had framed a fourth-rank official of the imperial court and caused his family to be killed unjustly. These four people were already sentenced to death …
Under such circumstances, Li Mu had a slight chance of saving Li Qing.
And the premise of all this was that he had to redress Li Yi's case first.
Li Mu walked into the cell in front of him. The shackles on Li Qing's body had already been removed and her mana had also been unsealed.
Li Mu walked to her side and sat down. He said, "Give me your hand."
Li Qing slowly handed her hand to Li Mu. His hand emitted a gentle golden light which slowly entered Li Qing's body.
Li Mu said, "I can't get you out right away. I may have to trouble you for a while. Stay here for now."
Li Qing looked around and said, "This should be the best room I've ever stayed in."
Li Mu looked at her and said, "Don't worry, I will investigate the matter of that year as soon as possible and clear Lord Li's name."
Li Qing shook her head slightly and said, "Now I understand that my father doesn't want revenge. He and Uncle Zhou have more important things to do. I hope … you can help my father finish what he couldn't before he died. Don't ruin your future for me."
Li Mu smiled and said, "Only children make choices. I choose both."
He looked into Li Qing's eyes and said, "Someone has already done the first thing. If I can't save you, then the second thing is meaningless to me. Let Zhou Zhong finish his and Uncle Zhou's dreams. At worst, I'll take you back to Fu-lu School. We don't want to stay in Fairy's Capital anymore …"
"Hmm!"
As Li Mu finished speaking, he heard Mr. Mei's voice.
He turned around and saw the Empress and Mr. Mei standing at the door. The Empress looked at him indifferently and turned to leave.
Seeing Mr. Mei winking at him, Li Mu looked at Li Qing and said, "I'll go out for a while …"
After comforting Li Qing, Li Mu hurried out of Zongzheng Temple, but he couldn't see the Empress anymore.
He jogged to the entrance of Changle Palace. Mr. Mei looked inside the palace and gave him a look.
Li Mu walked slowly into the palace and looked at the Empress who had her back to him. He whispered, "Your Majesty."
Zhou Qiong said indifferently, "Why did you come looking for me? Go back to your Talisman School. Being a second generation disciple of the Talisman School is much better than being a subordinate of mine …."
After comforting one, he had to comfort the other. Li Mu wanted to slap his own mouth a few times.
He squeezed out a smile and said, "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I haven't repaid Your Majesty's kindness. How could I leave Shen 'du …"
Zhou Yi said indifferently, "My kindness is nothing compared to a random woman in your heart, right?"
Li Mu said slowly, "She's not a random woman. If it weren't for her, I would've died many times over. I wouldn't be standing in front of Your Majesty now …"
He looked up at the Empress and said, "I want to ask Your Majesty for a favor."
Zhou Yi's back was facing Li Mu. She looked angry. She was still angry, but he was begging her again?
She took a deep breath and asked, "If I don't agree, are you going to take her back to Fu-lu School?"
The Empress was still angry. Li Mu lowered his head and said, "I know I'm wrong."
Zhou Yi turned around and looked at him. Her lips moved, but she couldn't bear to blame him anymore. She asked, "What's your relationship with her?"
Li Mu said, "When we were in Yangqiu County, she was my superior. She saved my life and led me onto the path of cultivation. Her father is Lord Li Yi. I've always looked up to Lord Li Yi as my role model. I can't turn a blind eye to his family's wrongful death. I have to help him …"
Zhou Yi asked, "How do you want me to help you? Give you a death-exemption medallion?"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "If Your Majesty gives me a death-exemption medallion, how is that different from the previous Emperor? I can't frame Your Majesty. I just hope that Your Majesty can allow me to reinvestigate the case and prove Lord Li's innocence."
Zhou Yi said, "Even if I let you reinvestigate, you might not be able to save her. You really don't want me to pardon her?"
Li Mu said firmly, "I only want to reinvestigate the case."
Zhou Yi was silent for a moment. She said, "I promise you, before you find out the truth, no one can touch her for any reason."
Li Mu sighed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty …"
Li Mu left Changle Palace. Mr. Mei came in and said, "Actually, in his heart, he's always been thinking about Your Majesty …"
Zhou Yi snorted and said, "Heartless. I'm afraid he only wants to go back to Fu-lu School. He said he would go through fire and water for me, but it's all fake …"
Mr. Mei knew that the Empress didn't mean what she said, so he deliberately said, "If he didn't think about Your Majesty, he would've asked Your Majesty to pardon the girl directly. Why would he just ask Your Majesty to allow him to reinvestigate the case? In the past, he wasn't afraid of anything and dared to offend anyone. Now, he cares about the court and thinks about Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please don't blame him …"
…
After leaving Changle Palace, Li Mu returned to Zongzheng Temple. He told Li Qing that the Empress had agreed to let him reinvestigate the case of the past.
After feeling his determination several times, Li Qing didn't insist. She just said, "You have to be careful."
Li Mu smiled and said, "Don't worry. I've already offended them anyway. It doesn't matter if I offend them a few more times. You rest well. I'll come see you tomorrow."
He walked out of the cell, but his heart was still heavy.
To save Li Qing was actually more difficult than to reverse the verdict for his father.
At one point, he really wanted to ask the Empress for a death-free gold medallion.
He also knew that as long as he asked, the Empress would give it to him.
But he gave up in the end.
He didn't want to put the Empress in a difficult position, and he didn't want to become the person he used to hate the most.
There was also a very important point. Back then, Li Yi strongly opposed the death-free gold medallion. This was also one of the reasons why he was framed. If Li Mu begged the Empress to use the death-free gold medallion to pardon Li Qing, then the thing that Li Yi swore to fight against back then would become a joke.
Similarly, what Li Mu did in the Divine Capital during this period of time would also become a joke.
"Big!"
"Small!"
"Again! Again!"
…
In the courtyard of Zongzheng Temple, Prince Shou was playing dice with Zhang Chun. He glanced at Li Mu and asked, "Little Li, do you want to play together?"
Li Qing was still in Zongzheng Temple. Li Mu couldn't not give face to Prince Shou. He walked to the side of the two and asked, "What do you want to play?"
Prince Shou said, "Guess big or small. It's very simple. Do you have money? One round is one tael. No credit."
Li Mu took out a stack of banknotes and placed it at the side.
Prince Shou's eyes lit up when he saw the banknotes. He said, "Come, come, come. Let's bet …"
Prince Shou's dice and dice pot seemed to be able to block magic power. Li Mu could only guess blindly. However, his luck wasn't bad. Prince Shou lost ten rounds in a row. He had lost all the money he had.
His eyes were red from losing. He picked up the dice pot and said, "Let's bet again!"
Zhang Chun kept his winnings. He glanced at Prince Shou and said, "Your Highness, you have lost all your money. What are you going to bet with?"
Prince Shou flew into a rage. "How dare you look down on me!"
Smack!
He slammed a gold medal on the table and said, "I still have this!"
The gold medal was the size of a palm. The word "Exempt" was written on it.
Li Mu looked at Prince Shou thoughtfully and said, "Your Highness, this gold medal is very precious. You should keep it well. It won't be good if you lose …"
Prince Shou said angrily, "Even you think I will lose. Let me tell you, when I was invincible in the Immortal's Capital, you were still in your mother's womb. Come, come, come. I still want to recoup my losses …"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "This gold medal is stained with too much blood. If Your Highness dares to lose, we don't dare to take it …"
Hearing Li Mu's words, Prince Shou kept the gold medal and said, "Hehe, I almost forgot. If you guys take the gold medal to save that girl, wouldn't I become a traitor …"
Prince Shou clicked his tongue and said, "What a pity. The only thing that can save that girl is this gold medal. She killed so many officials. No one can save her. Unless you have the ability to reverse the verdict for her father and let His Majesty announce this case to the world. Then, let the people of the 36 counties write a blood letter to plead for her so that the imperial court won't dare to kill her …"
He looked at Li Mu mockingly and asked, "Do you have the ability?"
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