Chapter 357 - 357 324 Who in the hall is accusing this

Chapter 357: Chapter 324: Who in the hall is accusing this official?_2 Chapter 357: Chapter 324: Who in the hall is accusing this official?_2 Killing him would be easy, but the aftermath would be a pile of troublesome issues.

He was decisive in killing, but he wasn’t reckless!

Jiang He had instructed him to handle things neatly, and definitely not at the cost of chaos in Tangshan Prefecture.

“Spare me, my lord.”

Liu Yan lay prostrate on the ground, shivering as he begged for mercy.

If the other party dared to kill a County Magistrate, they wouldn’t balk at killing a mere County Magistrate like him.

“I have evidence of your crimes in my hands. Do you admit your guilt?”

Chen Yuan asked coldly.

“I admit my guilt, I admit my guilt.”

At this moment, even if Liu Yan wasn’t actually guilty, he wouldn’t dare contradict Chen Yuan’s words. If Chen Yuan said he was guilty, then he was guilty, guilty even without guilt!

“I now give you a chance to redeem yourself by performing meritorious service. Do you want it?”

Chen Yuan looked down at Liu Yan with superiority.

“I do… I do… Please speak plainly, my lord.”

Liu Yan said hastily.

“Good. Write down every single crime committed by the Vegetable Knife Gang, and make it as detailed as possible, understand?”

Real murder needed evidence.

This was one of his excuses. It had to be justifiable, and even this would be presented to the Qingzhou Governor in the future.

Upon hearing Chen Yuan’s words, Liu Yan hesitated for a moment. With his head down, he didn’t dare respond; only those in Tangshan Prefecture truly understood how powerful the Vegetable Knife Gang was.

Though their name was unrefined, their presence was real and formidable.

They were certainly one of the most paramount forces in Tangshan Prefecture.

Moreover, the Vegetable Knife Gang was notoriously brutal in their operations. They would dare to kill even the imperial officials, and the Tangshan Government would not react at all,

they might even help cover things up!

These were lessons written in blood.

“How is it… Do you dare not?”

Chen Yuan’s calm voice, to Liu Yan’s ears, sounded like King Yan calling his name.

“Offending the Vegetable Knife Gang might not guarantee your death, but today, if you refuse this chance to atone for your crimes, then you… will certainly die, and die horribly,” Chen Yuan threatened.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll write it now…”

Liu Yan nodded repeatedly.

The Ghost Gold Child, who had been prepared all along, immediately placed the writing materials before Liu Yan.

With clenched teeth, Liu Yan began to write.

The rustling sound of writing was unceasing. Chen Yuan watched the scene with a calm gaze, drew a deep breath, and was now about to officially take up the position of Tangshan Qing!

Suddenly, just as Liu Yan was writing fervently, a commotion erupted from outside. It seemed someone was trying to force their way into the hall, exclaiming:

“Where is County Magistrate Liu, where is County Magistrate Cao? Bandits have dared to attack one of the Vegetable Knife Gang’s branches; send help immediately to suppress them, send help…”

A chill breeze blew through, and the shouting person also barged into the hall.

Dressed in lavish robes with grey hair and whiskers, surrounded by an aura of Gang Condensation Realm cultivation, it was the Vegetable Knife Gang’s spokesman in Lushui County.

As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Yan on his knees writing something, with a large pool of blood nearby, and even some severed limbs mixed in.

For a moment, he was stunned in place.

Chen Yuan’s expression turned serious, he slammed his gavel down forcefully, and shouted authoritatively:

“Who dares to accuse me in this hall?”

The old man with graying hair, upon hearing this, quickly turned his gaze towards the high seat, somewhat puzzled at why the man would say he was accusing him:

“Who are you?”

“Swoosh!”

A flash of blade light swept by. Everyone in the hall involuntarily squinted their eyes. The grey-haired elder had no time to react before he saw his own two arms, now separated from his body.

“Ah…”

He let out a scream, a heart-wrenching bellow.

Liu Yan’s body shivered involuntarily, his eyes catching sight of the two arms, and he began to write his account of the gang’s misdeeds even faster.

He realized that the Green Envoy was determined to deal with the Vegetable Knife Gang.

“Is it I, the Envoy, who was commanded to eradicate the Vegetable Knife Gang, who are you to say… who am I?” Chen Yuan asked, each word heavy with inquiry.

“What… you…” The old man’s face was full of shock and fear.

“Do you dare to attack my Vegetable Knife Gang without fearing death and the extermination of your clan?” The old man, his arms flowing with blood, threatened with a ferocious expression.

“These matters are not for you to worry about, you should be more concerned whether I will exterminate your family,” Chen Yuan said calmly, glancing at him.

Without giving him another chance to speak, a punch was thrown, blood qi surged, and a second blood mist exploded within the hall, staining the floor red.

Liu Yan shivered, stopped his brush, and held the written charges above his head, whispering:

“The charges have been written, my lord, please review them.”

With a single motion, Chen Yuan summoned the sheet of paper with a strong force, skimmed it in a glance, and nodded:

“Very good, County Magistrate Liu is a man aware of the times. Now that Cao Kong is dead, his duties will be yours for the time being. Remember, Lushui County must not fall into chaos.”

“Yes… yes… your subordinate obeys.”

Now, having been frightened by Chen Yuan’s thunderous methods, he dared not harbor the slightest thought of defiance.

Before long, Yue Shan and his companions also returned, triumphant. Not only did they destroy a branch of the Vegetable Knife Gang, but they also seized their assets, reaping a rich profit.

More and more commoners gathered outside, their faces filled with excitement.

The people of Lushui had suffered under the Vegetable Knife Gang for far too long!

Today, they finally saw a glimmer of hope.

Chen Yuan walked out of the County Government, and outside, a throng of commoners knelt down, chanting phrases like “The Azure Skies’ great lord.”

Tangshan may have been famous for valuing martial prowess, but that was among martial artists, ordinary folks still lived in hardship; if only he had extraordinary martial strength.

Otherwise, with Chen Yuan’s single call to arms and such popularity, could he not instantly carve out territory of his own?

County Magistrate Liu Yan, following behind Chen Yuan, witnessed this spectacle of universal obeisance for the first time, his heart inexplicably stirred.

But the feeling quickly faded; advocating for the people might earn one the title of a good official, but… such officials often died young.

In a world where corruption was the norm, probity became criminal.

He thought Chen Yuan might not live for long—how could Shen Yongzhi of the Vegetable Knife Gang let him off? With his current stance, how could the Jianghu of Tangshan tolerate him?

However, he was ultimately mistaken.

Chen Yuan might harbor a sliver of goodwill, but in truth, he was someone who prioritized interest first. The reason for his actions was that Chen Yuan had set his sights on Tangshan Prefecture’s territory.

At the junction of the Three States, it was a place easy to defend and hard to attack, rich in resources, an excellent location for development. With Jiang He backing him, he could possess greater power than Shen Yongzhi!

All of this was to win over the hearts of the people and create a pretext for himself, to lull others into complacency; of course, part of it was his ambition to climb even higher,

For aside from his talent, he also needed a reason for people to trust him.

Advocating for the people… seemed quite suitable.

As for extorting these commoners?

Chen Yuan disdained the idea…

How much could they pilfer?

The real assets were with the major Jianghu powers within Tangshan Prefecture, and his aim was to take what belonged to them into his own hands!

All enemies in his path would be utterly annihilated!

Chen Yuan stepped forward with each step, as if he were an Immortal God, and proclaimed loud and clear:

“I, Chen Yuan, vow not to coexist with evil under the heavens!”

——————

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