Thus You Qian was forced down to kneel beside You Jiang.
Zhao Baozhu sat above watching the two of them, one with an ashen face, the other glaring with eyes like bronze bells, with great enjoyment. His gaze circled over both their faces as he drawled faintly: “Well? Why did you stop talking?”
At this moment Ah Long stood beside Zhao Baozhu. Catching sight of the fake smile that did not reach his eyes, he suddenly shuddered.
Old Master’s aura was becoming more and more terrifying now.
Likely because he had been enraged so deeply by these villains, Ah Long disdainfully glanced toward the hall below. He saw that You Jiang either had not understood the mockery hidden within Zhao Baozhu’s words or simply had not placed Zhao Baozhu in his eyes at all, because he actually began speaking with You Qian right there in front of everyone: “Third, where’s my wife?”
You Qian drooped his brows and eyes. With Zhao Baozhu sitting above, he originally did not dare speak, yet he still held onto one final fantasy, hoping this second brother could descend like heavenly reinforcements and lead them charging out of this county yamen. Thus he quietly said, “Second Sister-in-law and the concubines are all locked in the prison.”
Then he immediately added, “Second Brother, how did you get caught? Where are the thirty-some men you brought?”
Hearing this, You Jiang clicked his tongue and answered with an ugly expression, “They’re all behind me!” With the family home already confiscated, how could he possibly sit still? The caravan hauling goods could not travel quickly, so he had left them far behind.
Upon hearing this, You Qian nearly rolled his eyes back white and fainted from being unable to catch his breath.
If his second brother had read even a little military strategy, he would never have done something as foolish as charging alone into enemy territory!
Now everything was over! He had managed the household for many years and knew perfectly well what kind of people the servants and guards in the You family were. They were all locusts who came for money. As for loyalty, they did not possess even half a shred of it!
This was precisely the shortcoming of families like the You clan that had risen through crooked means. Not only were the descendants poorly educated, their morals were shallow as well. Such clan members naturally attracted crafty servants driven solely by profit, and thus the upper followed the lower. In good times they could sweep away everything before them, but the moment the slightest disturbance appeared, everything collapsed in one great avalanche.
Just as You Qian was on the verge of tears, he heard Zhao Baozhu’s light voice drift down from above: “Thirty men?”
You Qian froze abruptly. Raising his head, he saw sharp light flashing in Zhao Baozhu’s cat-like eyes as he turned and instructed Cheng Wenxiu: “Go compare it with the registry list. Count them all out for me.”
In an instant, You Qian felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. In his panic just now, he had accidentally let it slip! After enduring so many days of torment in prison, You Qian’s spirit was gone and his courage scattered. Now he looked upon Zhao Baozhu as though looking at a monster. Every movement Zhao Baozhu made caused his heart and liver to tremble. Seeing Zhao Baozhu order the names counted, he subconsciously felt Zhao Baozhu was perhaps going to the Hall of Yama to call out names and cross off those people’s lifespans!
Terrified half to death by his own imagination, You Qian immediately bent down and began kowtowing furiously toward Zhao Baozhu: “Spare my life, My Lord! I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong! Spare my life, My Lord!”
Watching You Qian kowtow like pounding garlic, You Jiang was shocked that Zhao Baozhu had frightened his younger brother into such a spineless state, and for a moment hated Zhao Baozhu even more intensely.
Unlike You Qian, who would put anything male or female, rank or foul into his mouth, You Jiang could not appreciate Zhao Baozhu’s beauty. He only felt that after wandering jianghu for so many years, he had actually been tricked by such an unripe brat who had not even fully grown his hair. It was simply a complete loss of both face and dignity.
Zhao Baozhu turned his head and, seeing You Jiang glaring at him like he wanted to devour someone alive, immediately felt a dark fire rise within himself.
This bandit was still so arrogant even in the courtroom. Clearly he had not the slightest intention of reforming. Though he had taken human form in this lifetime, he was no different from a wild beast of the mountains and forests!
Though anger had already risen in his heart, Zhao Baozhu showed none of it on his face. Leaning back slightly, he tapped the table with his hand: “Go on. Why did you stop talking?” He stared at You Qian, cold light flickering in his eyes. “Of your three brothers, two are already here. I only wonder when the eldest brother will also come sit in the yamen, so your whole family can have a proper reunion.”
You Jiang was already boiling with rage. How could he endure hearing this? Glowering at Zhao Baozhu, he barked, “You dog official! Don’t push people too far!”
Today’s interrogation of the You Jiang and You Qian brothers had drawn several times more commoners than before. Nearly the entire county had come. Hearing You Jiang repeatedly call Zhao Baozhu a “dog official,” everyone became furious at once and immediately erupted into shouting.
“You bandit You! Don’t be so arrogant!”
“They should cut out his tongue!”
“Why hasn’t someone stuffed his mouth shut? Just letting him insult My Lord like this!”
In an instant, public fury boiled outside the yamen. Seeing these weak and foolish commoners now acting so arrogantly, You Jiang turned to glare angrily at them, only to suddenly have an egg smashed directly into his face by someone unknown.
“You people!”
You Jiang was instantly furious beyond measure, yet before he could react, another egg hit him square in the face.
From the courtroom, Zhao Baozhu coldly watched the momentary blankness on You Jiang’s face and sneered inwardly. Then he cleared his throat and slightly raised a hand toward the commoners outside the yamen.
The crowd immediately fell silent, and the noisy uproar died down all at once.
Seeing this scene, You Qian felt another wave of shock. Now he had finally come to understand. Ever since Zhao Baozhu took office, every move he made had been carefully planned. Executing Fan Yaosan, confiscating the You estate, burning the silk factory, all of it had pushed Zhao Baozhu’s reputation to its peak. A tiny county magistrate not yet twenty years old had actually won such support from the people!
The words “mandate of heaven” suddenly surfaced in You Qian’s mind, and his body immediately swayed. The fate of their family was probably truly at its end!
At the same time, however, You Jiang lacked this realization. Grinding his teeth, he turned back around, his face covered in bits of eggshell, and glared up at Zhao Baozhu. “No need for your concern. We brothers will naturally have our reunion someday.”
He gave a sinister laugh, the scar on his face twisting together with his expression. “I’ve finally seen it clearly. Right now you’re pleased with yourself, covering the sky with one hand here in Wuya County. Yet you don’t know that there are always greater people beyond others, greater heavens beyond the heavens. Once our eldest brother invites the true Buddha here, let’s see how arrogant you can still be!”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu’s eyes darkened. Naturally he knew who the “true Buddha” You Jiang spoke of was. The eldest You brother had likely also received the news and was now certainly at the prefectural capital pulling strings and smoothing relationships.
Zhao Baozhu’s thoughts turned several times, but before he could continue questioning, You Jiang’s eyes suddenly shifted, and he violently sprang up.
Gathering all his strength in one burst, he actually broke free from Tao Zhang’s restraint and lunged toward Cheng Wenxiu, who was nearby counting the registry.
“Ah!”
Caught completely off guard, Cheng Wenxiu had his ear bitten by You Jiang. In an instant he screamed in agony. You Jiang was exceptionally vicious, he actually bit off nearly half a piece of Cheng Wenxiu’s ear in one bite.
“Ah, it hurts so much!” Frightened out of his wits, Cheng Wenxiu immediately clutched his injured ear and collapsed to the ground.
Tao Zhang and Tao Rui hurriedly rushed forward, pinning You Jiang down from both sides. With a “ptui,” You Jiang spat out the chunk of flesh. Blood still hung from the corner of his mouth, making him look like some beast drinking blood and eating raw flesh, his eyes sweeping one by one across the commoners gathered outside.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden change. For a moment all fell silent, cowed by You Jiang’s brutality.
Yet right then, a rapid burst of footsteps suddenly sounded out. “How dare a rat like you!!”
Filled with towering fury, Zhao Baozhu charged down from the courtroom. He kicked You Jiang hard in the back of the knee, forcing him to his knees, then immediately slapped him across the face.
“Pa!”
Zhao Baozhu had swung that slap with his full strength. Even with You Jiang’s thick skin and rough flesh, his face was knocked sideways.
Zhao Baozhu glared at him, his chest heaving violently in anger and alarm. Turning around, he pulled Cheng Wenxiu’s hand away from his ear to look. Instantly his face darkened black as the bottom of a pot. Turning back around, he gave You Jiang another slap, making the two sides symmetrical.
When had You Jiang ever been slapped like this before? He took two whole moments to process what Zhao Baozhu had done before suddenly his eyes filled with blood. He glared at Zhao Baozhu in disbelief. “You–”
Yet Zhao Baozhu’s rage soared even higher than his. He actually grabbed You Jiang by the collar with both hands and forcibly hauled the eight-foot-tall man two inches off the ground: “I think you’re looking for death!! This official is still standing right in front of you, and you dare bite one of my people! Fine then, since you insist on being a mad dog, this official will first rip out every last one of your dog teeth!!”
Having spoken, he spat in You Jiang’s face and viciously hurled him to the ground. Even Tao Zhang and Tao Rui failed to catch him. You Jiang’s head smashed against the floor, immediately leaving stars bursting before his eyes.
Zhao Baozhu was so furious that his willow brows stood upright. Gathering all his strength, he directly kicked hard between You Jiang’s legs. “AOOOHHH!!!”
No man could possibly endure such a blow. You Jiang’s eyes immediately bulged as he clamped his legs together and rolled across the ground howling in agony.
Seeing such a ridiculous scene, the people outside the yamen instantly exploded in uproarious laughter. Their earlier fear vanished completely. How had they forgotten? In all of Wuya County, who could possibly be fiercer than Magistrate Zhao? With this lord personally taking the field, even gods and demons would have to kneel down and beg for mercy!
Amid the crowd’s roaring laughter, You Jiang’s face flushed red. At this moment his heart was filled with hatred, yet the pain wracking his body left him unable to maintain his imposing posture. Even so, he still refused to yield, glaring at Zhao Baozhu: “You… how much longer can you stay smug? Once Eldest Brother and the Prefect arrive, that’ll be the moment your dog-official head hits the ground!”
Tao Zhang, Tao Rui, Ah Long, and even Cheng Wenxiu, who was shakily climbing back to his feet, all stiffened upon hearing this. Yet Zhao Baozhu showed not the slightest trace of fear. Glowering at You Jiang, he let out a cold snort and slowly said, “If you still refuse to honestly confess, then this very moment will be the moment your head hits the ground!”
You Jiang’s expression suddenly froze. He saw fury blazing within Zhao Baozhu’s eyes as he said word by word: “Don’t worry. I definitely won’t let your journey to the Yellow Springs be lonely. Aren’t your bones hard as iron? Then I’ll send your little brother down to the King of H*ll first so he can scout the road for you!”
Having said that, he abruptly reached out and grabbed the collar of the horrified You Qian, forcibly dragging him before himself. Brows flying upward, he turned his head and shouted loudly: “Bring me a knife! I’m going to carve flesh off him myself!”
The moment You Qian heard this, his bones immediately went limp from terror. A grown man nearing fifty burst into tears and snot beneath Zhao Baozhu’s grip. “My Lord, My Lord spare my life! Please show mercy, My Lord, ”
You Jiang had never imagined this “frail scholar” would actually do such a thing. For a moment he too was stunned on the spot.
Fire seemed to burst from Zhao Baozhu’s eyes as he turned back with a cold laugh. “What? Now you’re anxious? Don’t worry. First I’ll carve flesh off you, then I’ll skin your elder brother alive too!!”
These words sounded in You Qian’s ears like echoes from the underworld itself. Zhao Baozhu’s face reflected in You Qian’s eyes as his pupils shrank violently. A hissing gasp emerged from his throat, then his eyes rolled back white and he fainted on the spot.
Watching such a scene unfold, the corners of You Jiang’s eyes twitched uncontrollably from shock, fury, and the trace of fear buried deep in his heart. Looking at his younger brother collapsed limply in Zhao Baozhu’s hands, he finally belatedly realized that no matter how capable their eldest brother at the prefectural capital might be, right now they themselves were meat on the chopping block. If Zhao Baozhu wished to kill them, it was nothing more than a passing thought away.
The breath he had been holding in his chest loosened, and his complexion instantly turned gray with defeat. In the end, he finally yielded.
***
The interrogation of You Jiang and You Qian lasted an entire day before finally ending at dusk. During that time, the filthy secrets the two exposed left everyone speechless. All those present were shocked one by one by the You family’s outrageous lawlessness. Among the revelations were crimes widely known about, as well as previous unresolved cases, wrongful convictions, and even households that had quietly disappeared without a trace. Counting carefully, more than half of them actually traced back to the You family.
For a time, public outrage boiled over, and even after the court session dispersed, people were still discussing it heatedly.
After the interrogation ended, You Jiang and You Qian were thrown back into the prison. Zhao Baozhu frowned as he sat beside Cheng Wenxiu, watching Cuiniang apply medicine to him. Once the blood was cleaned away and the wound underneath exposed, one could clearly see that a small piece of flesh was missing from the rim of Cheng Wenxiu’s ear.
Seeing it, Zhao Baozhu felt terribly guilty. Sighing, he said, “It looks like it’s going to leave a scar. Wenxiu, I’ve wronged you.”
How could Cheng Wenxiu dare accept such an apology? Turning his head, he frowned and said, “My Lord, you absolutely must not say such things. This is only a minor injury.”
Looking at Zhao Baozhu’s worried face, gentleness welled up in his eyes. Recalling the way Zhao Baozhu had stood in front of him just now, a faint and almost imperceptible redness gradually surfaced on his cheeks as he said softly: “I… I should also thank My Lord for standing up for me.”
“What kind of words are those?” Zhao Baozhu frowned. “You are someone working under me. I absolutely cannot let that bandit bully you.”
Hearing this, a warm current flowed through Cheng Wenxiu’s heart. He only dared glance once at Zhao Baozhu before lowering his eyes again.
Ah Long, standing nearby, also patted his chest and sighed, “Just now really gave me a fright too. Old Master was truly valiant. If it had been me, I definitely wouldn’t have dared rush up there.”
After speaking, he knitted his brows, still shaken with lingering fear. “It’s just that keeping this You Jiang alive is a disaster after all. Who knows what he might do? Old Master had better dispose of him quickly.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu nodded. His expression calm, he said quietly, “Tomorrow morning, execute You Jiang and You Qian.”
The moment these words came out, everyone present was shocked.
Although Ah Long had spoken of dealing with them, he had not expected it to happen so quickly, and for a moment was stunned. Cheng Wenxiu, however, immediately changed color dramatically. With a sudden movement he sprang up from his seat and looked at Zhao Baozhu: “My Lord, this absolutely must not happen!”
Zhao Baozhu seemed to have expected his opposition. Slowly raising his head, he saw Cheng Wenxiu flushed red with anxiety, brows tightly furrowed as he said in a low voice: “At this moment the eldest You brother is at the prefectural capital. The Prefect surely already knows about this matter. If My Lord kills You Qian and You Jiang now, then when the Prefect comes to question the crime later, there will be no room left for maneuvering! As long as we still hold these two men now, even if the eldest You brother and the Prefect together come to accuse My Lord, they must still take the lives of these two brothers into consideration, ”
Zhao Baozhu listened quietly, without the slightest surprise on his face. Only after Cheng Wenxiu finished speaking did he lift his eyelids and say: “Precisely because of that, I must kill them now.”
His eyes were perfectly clear as he looked at the suddenly stunned Cheng Wenxiu and said slowly: “Once the Prefect arrives, these two heads will no longer be possible to cut off.”
Hearing this, Cheng Wenxiu’s expression shook violently. His lips opened and closed several times, yet no words came out.
After a long while, he let out a deep sigh. His body swayed several times before he slowly sat back down on the stool, supporting his forehead.
