socalfunplaces Page 510
Page 510
"Lord Wei, Zhu Chengzhu is breaking the law knowingly. This is a blatant trampling of the law and a disgrace to the night watchman's office. If this trend is allowed to continue, the night watchmen will lose all sense of right and wrong, and will greatly lose the support of the people!"
As soon as Yang Yan finished speaking, Zhu Yang immediately followed up, "Lord Wei, my son never raped that woman from beginning to end. He just wanted to make a show of warning Xu Qi'an and let Xu Qi'an know the rules of obeying superiors."
This statement is somewhat of a sophistry, but since Zhu Chengzhu is dead, we can only let Zhu Yang spout nonsense.
Yang Yan said in a deep voice, "Lord Zhu, isn't that a bit of a sophistry? Using illegal and disorderly conduct to warn subordinates, does it matter what Zhu Chengzhu himself is thinking? Everyone present saw it: Zhu Chengzhu was about to rape the female relatives of a corrupt official!"
Zhu Yang said sternly, "Even so, it should be handled by the government! To put it another way, if my son has insulted a woman, he should only be fined or demoted, at most dismissed."
"But now the situation is that my son did not violate any women; he was killed by Xu Qi'an! The woman who was convicted of the crime is perfectly fine, but my son is dead!"
"Xu Qi'an, as a gong, has committed insubordination, which is obvious to all. Now that my son is dead, he should be buried and compensated as a war dead!"
Xu Qi'an should be executed by being cut in half at the waist and displayed to the public! Only in this way can the law be upheld and the people's hearts be at peace!
This was Zhu Yang's true purpose. No matter what, Xu Qi'an's insubordination and killing of a high-ranking official was an undeniable fact.
Even if Zhu Chengzhu committed a capital crime, he was still a silver gong for the night watchman. What's the big deal about being killed by a bronze gong?
Now that things have escalated so much, many night watchmen in the yamen are watching and waiting. Even if Zhu Chengzhu is guilty, he is certainly not as guilty as Xu Qi'an.
How could a mere female relative of a disgraced official, a lowly person about to be exiled, compare to the life of the night watchman, the silver gong?
Because the facts are already clear, even if Zhu Chengzhu's alleged humiliation of the women is established, Xu Qi'an cannot escape punishment.
"Ha, to humiliate women and then demand the same burial and compensation as fallen soldiers? Zhu Yang, you have no shame, but we do," Nangong Qianrou said sarcastically.
Li Yuchun, who was usually taciturn, suddenly knelt down and slammed his head heavily on the ground, making a loud thud.
"Lord Wei, we will not accept that Zhu Chengzhu, such a scoundrel and madman, should be buried and compensated according to the standards for fallen soldiers!"
For Li Yuchun, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and is stubbornly persistent, this statement came from the bottom of her heart, from her conscience, and was entirely in accordance with her conscience.
Xu Qi'an felt a burning sensation in his chest. He knew this was why Li Chang'an had asked him to come back, because the night watchman hadn't completely died; there was still someone with a conscience.
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Tingfeng, Zhu Guangxiao, and the others knelt down to show their support for their leader.
Zhu Yang was furious when he saw this and was about to rebuke him when Wei Yuan stopped him with a gesture.
Wei Yuan's expression was unreadable, and he quickly made a decision.
"Zhu Chengzhu has broken the law and is no longer a member of this government."
Zhu Yang's expression changed drastically. He suppressed his anger and stared intently at Wei Yuan. He knew there would be more to the story, and Wei Yuan had to deal with Xu Qi'an.
Even the most incompetent official would not protect Xu Qi'an in such a situation, let alone Wei Yuan, who is always fair.
Sure enough, Lord Wei continued, "Xu Qi'an has committed treason and his crimes are heinous. He shall be imprisoned and executed by being cut in half at the waist in seven days."
Wei Yuan's tone was completely calm, and Zhu Yang also shut his mouth. Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou hesitated to speak, and none of the Jinlu dared to say anything, knowing Wei Yuan's temperament.
At this moment, Xu Qi'an noticed that Li Yuchun made a move. Just like he had done after killing Zhu Chengzhu, Li Yuchun took off the gong and sword from his chest and slammed them to the ground.
"Clang!" The gong and the waist plaque fell to the ground with a piercing clang.
Li Yuchun, who was usually low-key and taciturn, was usually conservative, rule-abiding, and stubborn. But at this moment, he erupted, ignoring Wei Yuan's authority and the angry glares of the Golden Gongs.
“Boss…” Xu Qi’an said in a daze.
He knew he probably wouldn't die; Wei Yuan and Li Chang'an had backup plans, but Li Yuchun didn't know that.
Yang Yan, Li Yuchun's superior, immediately rebuked, "Li Yuchun, are you acting recklessly in front of Lord Wei?"
Zhu Yang also cursed, "Like father, like son! No wonder Xu Qi'an is so presumptuous. It turns out that you, the supervisor of the silver gong, are lawless. You dare to abandon your post in front of Lord Wei!"
Li Yuchun stared into Zhu Yang's eyes and said, word by word, "Even outlaws in the martial world fight against evil and uphold justice. Yet a dignified night watchman, who kills a heinous criminal, is sentenced to be cut in half at the waist."
He knew Wei Yuan had to do this; if he favored Xu Qi'an, who would still respect him as the leader? But Li Yuchun couldn't swallow this insult.
“This kind of night watchman’s office is devoid of right and wrong, and justice. I feel ashamed to be with parasites and good-for-nothings like you Zhu family father and son all day long.”
"You! You've committed insubordination! Insolence!" Zhu Yang gripped the hilt of his sword, his anger flaring.
"Lord Wei!" Li Yuchun's voice suddenly rose, his gaze fixed firmly on Wei Yuan.
"This humble servant, Li Yuchun, joined the Night Watchmen's Office sixteen years ago and has always been dutiful and responsible. I take it upon myself to eradicate corrupt officials and serve my country as my goal."
"For sixteen years, I have never neglected my duties or broken the law, never accepted bribes, and never oppressed the good. I thought that my passion would bring about a bright and peaceful world."
"However, over the years, I have witnessed so-called colleagues like the Zhu family father and son oppressing the people, extorting money from merchants, and embezzling silver whenever their homes are raided, as well as raping the female relatives of corrupt officials. This is intolerable!"
"Lord Wei, how can I enforce the law if I am not upright myself? How can I correct others if I am not upright myself? Today, I resign from my post. You may even execute me!"
Li Yuchun's words were resounding, and the Haoqi Pavilion fell silent. Li Yuchun was publicly slapping Wei Yuan in the face and tearing away the night watchman's fig leaf.
Xu Qi'an felt his blood rushing to his head, completely captivated by his usually rigid and silent obsessive-compulsive boss. He realized that there were such upright people in this era.
Zhu Yang said coldly, "Li Yuchun, are you saying that Lord Wei is corrupt and that you are the only good person in the entire night watchman's office?"
"Lord Wei, Li Yuchun is spouting nonsense and making baseless accusations. He should be punished and executed..."
Before Wei Yuan could speak, Yang Yan immediately interjected, "Zhu Yang, should we investigate your Zhu family father and son to see if what Li Yuchun said is true!"
Yang Yan knew that Wei Yuan was in a difficult position. The problem of the night watchmen had been going on for a long time, but he couldn't bear to let Wei Yuan punish Li Yuchun.
As expected, upon hearing Yang Yan's words and glancing at Wei Yuan's increasingly somber expression, Zhu Yang dared not say anything more.
If Wei Yuan really set up an inspection team and used this incident to rectify discipline, he might actually be used as an example.
Li Yuchun bowed to Wei Yuan and Yang Yan, then patted Xu Qi'an on the shoulder, "You did the right thing. If it were me, I would have done the same."
Xu Qi'an didn't know what to say. At this point, Xu Qi'an began to suspect that Li Chang'an often arranged for Li Yuchun to do things not because his home was nearby.
It's not that Chun Ge is a bad person; he really steps up when something happens!
Xu Qi'an was a little excited, and finally managed to squeeze out a line of poetry: "Boss, don't worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world doesn't know you?"
Afterwards, Li Yuchun laughed heartily and strode away.
Xu Qi'an was held back by several gongs. He looked at Wei Yuan and said, "Lord Wei... I am willing to serve the world with all my heart, without seeking any personal gain. This is the truth."
Wei Yuan glanced at Li Yuchun as he walked away, and said, "Of course."
After that, Xu Qi'an didn't say anything more and was taken away by the men with gongs.
After everyone left, only Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou remained by Wei Yuan's side.
"Godfather, we can't really kill Xu Qi'an, can we?"
Wei Yuan sighed, "Can we kill them? If Li Chang'an makes a move, I'm not sure I can stop him."
"Besides, I don't intend to kill him, but to give him a way out, I need a reason."
Then, Yang Yan tentatively asked, "Father, what about the discipline of the yamen..."
Wei Yuan sighed and said, "This is a major event that will cause serious damage. Before, we had to fight with various factions and dared not weaken ourselves too much. Now that we have become the strongest force in the court, it is time to make some changes."
Over the years, the night watchmen, as Wei Yuan's strongest trump card, have indeed tolerated internal disciplinary problems in order to gain a foothold in the court and to strengthen his power.
Li Chang'an's residence.
Looking at Li Yuchun's dark face, Li Chang'an couldn't help but laugh and said, "So, you, the most law-abiding person, publicly humiliated Wei Yuan?"
"You flatter me, sir. I did not act on impulse, but rather because I had been harboring resentment for a long time. Ning Yan's matter has left me utterly disappointed."
Throughout history, those who openly defy their superiors rarely come to a good end, but they all possess a strong sense of pride.
"My lord, I have come here for two reasons. First, to report the situation and ask you to find a way to rescue Ning Yan. Second... I hope to find a job for you."
Li Chang'an said, "This is simple. First, go to Changqing Trading Company and become a security escort team leader. That means you'll be traveling to other places all year round."
"Sir, I'm not afraid of hard work. As long as I can earn money to support my family, that's enough," Li Yuchun said gratefully.
Li Yuchun is very upright, and you can trust him to do things. However, he will eventually have to return to the night watchman's office.
Wei Yuan is facing imminent disaster, and he can't let a good-for-nothing like Zhu Yang occupy the night watchman's office.
"Here's a copy of 'Wind God Leg Technique' for you, to help you catch up with petty thieves."
Li Chang'an gave one of the foundations of the Three-Part Returning to Origin Qi to Li Yuchun. The secret manual he casually took out could be used to kill enemies of a higher level in this world.
Li Yuchun's eyes lit up with surprise as he respectfully accepted the manual, his disappointment at resigning from his public office somewhat subsided.
Li Chang'an knew very well that Li Yuchun was a person who could be put to good use, so he needed to cultivate him as soon as possible.
Three days later, the eldest princess arrived.
Dressed in a blue palace gown, Huaiqing walked into the study with a dignified expression. Upon seeing Li Chang'an, his bright eyes were filled with a smile.
Like a hostess, Huaiqing sat in Li Chang'an's armchair, picked up the tea served by Xu Lingyue, and said with a smile in her eyes and a hint of deeper meaning.
"Mr. Li, you have taught your student very well."
Li Chang'an walked over and sat down beside her, inhaling the refreshing fragrance emanating from Huaiqing, and said, "Your Highness, what are you saying? My disciple is Your Highness's disciple, isn't he?"
Standing to the side, Xu Lingyue's heart pounded wildly. So the relationship between the young master and the princess had reached this point. It seemed that Xu Qi'an would have another teacher's wife.
Huaiqing blushed, glared at Li Chang'an, and then casually said, "Lingyue, you go ahead with your work. Your young master and I have something to discuss."
After Xu Lingyue left, Huaiqing's stunningly beautiful face was radiant with a smile, which was very captivating.
"You smooth talker, your disciples are yours, what does that have to do with me?"
"He has committed insubordination and dared to kill his superior. He will be executed by being cut in half at the waist in a few days. How can Mr. Li save him?"
Li Chang'an seized the opportunity to pull Huaiqing's hand and hold it firmly. "His master can't be saved. I wonder if his master's wife can?"
Huaiqing snorted lightly, "Xu Ningyan has so many mistresses, which one are you talking about?"