fifth form

Chapter 3222 Complex Personnel

Zhang Xuezhou didn't use the new coal to refine elixirs, nor did he go to see the smelting at the Pingyang Marquis's residence. He returned to his mansion and coordinated with Shen Chong to complete the arrangements for the 'festival,' and then stood on the Sima Gate to watch the commotion until midnight.

Fights at night are a dark affair; you can only tell which area is where the brawl is taking place, but you have no idea who is involved.

The people involved in the fight near the Prime Minister's residence may not necessarily have originated from there, making it extremely difficult to catch them in the act.

But conflicts involving emperors are a different matter altogether.

The mansion of Prime Minister Tian Fen had the most retainers in the Imperial City, but the palace undoubtedly had the most experts.

In particular, the palace guards were fully armed, from armor to horses, and had no shortage of weapons such as bows, crossbows, spears, and swords.

As long as they don't encounter top-tier cultivators beyond their capabilities, the Imperial Guards can easily crush ordinary forces.

It took a quarter of an hour to mobilize the guards of Weiyang Palace, but it took the guards two hours to quell the chaos.

The lengthy process was not due to the slow speed of the Imperial Guards; firstly, the area involved in the case was vast, and secondly, the number of people involved was extremely large.

As dawn broke, the number of people bound beneath the Sima Gate tower had reached 2,337.

Zhang Xuezhou counted the people with great interest and even figured out which faction they belonged to.

"The Guan family members are very good at fighting!"

"The Tian family has the largest number of people!"

"The Dou family doesn't have many members, but they were involved in commanding the operation. What kind of nonsense is this, fighting a battle in such a muddled way!"

Zhang Xuezhou counted the number of people, while Shen Chong, the Prefect of Jingzhao, who had been busy all night under Sima Yi's tutelage, was completely overwhelmed.

In this heinous incident, three parties were involved: the royal family, the Prime Minister's residence, and the Marquis of Weiqi's residence. As for the Guan family, they were merely an insignificant link in the chain.

Shen Chong didn't take Guanfu seriously, but the other three parties were giving him a real headache.

This matter is no less significant than the 'Crimson Sword Theft Case' during Zheng's tenure, and it would be extremely difficult to handle it comprehensively.

Of all cases, it is easier to investigate cases at lower levels, but more difficult to investigate cases at higher levels.

Shen Chong was well aware that this matter required the new emperor's satisfaction, but he didn't know to what extent.

He didn't know how to investigate the Prime Minister, who was also his superior. Shen Chong didn't know how to investigate Marquis Wei Qi either, who was someone he used to look up to, and whose marquisate was clearly inferior to Marquis Wei Qi's.

"We have no choice but to target the Guan family!"

Shen Chong pursed his lips, his gaze sweeping over the group of idiots who were completely oblivious to the consequences.

Twenty years ago, Guan Fu was the bravest general in the imperial army, but Chang'an was not a place for mindless charges.

Shen Chong still hasn't figured out the court's attitude towards the theft of the Chixiao Sword, but he knows very well that after Guan Fu's case was settled, the new emperor dismissed Zheng Dang from his position as the Prefect of Jingzhao.

This means that the new emperor is either dissatisfied with how the case has been handled, or he is stalling for time.

Shen Chong had nothing to say about the closed, ironclad case, and he continued his delaying tactics, hoping for a possible overturning of the verdict in the future.

But Shen Chong never expected that the Guan family idiots would actually get into a brawl with the Prime Minister's retainers.

Guan Fu, imprisoned in jail, couldn't possibly keep a low profile. Even if the new emperor and others were willing to let the matter drop later, it would still be very difficult to resolve.

"What? Someone from the Guan family went to break into the prison?"

When the palace official arrived on horseback to report the situation, Shen Chong felt he had roughly figured out how these people thought.

On one hand, they were trying to attract attention by claiming that gang fights were not punishable by law, attempting to incite forces to suppress the riots; on the other hand, they were taking the opportunity to break into prison.

The group had a good idea, but things went awry. During the brawl, they bumped into the new emperor's convoy, which also drew out the imperial guards from the palace.

The personnel from the Jingzhao Prefecture, who were in charge of the Imperial City prison, were not transferred. Instead, they caught the group of guys who were lying in ambush preparing to break into the prison.

Before long, Shen Chong saw ten prison carts coming in a line from afar.

"A prison break is tantamount to rebellion. These people are really afraid that Guan Fu won't die. Who can withstand such heavy penalties!"

Shen Chong quickly found a target for his anger. Regardless of whether Guan Fu was wronged or something else, the other party could only be a punching bag and also needed to take responsibility for this matter.

As for Tian Fen and Dou Ying, they were beyond the scope of Shen Chong's jurisdiction, and Shen Chong could only wait and see how the new emperor would punish them.

"Lock them all up and lock them up. Anyone who dares to resist will have their Achilles tendons severed!"

While he carefully considered how to deal with those above him, his approach to those below him was simplistic and brutal. Whether it was two thousand or three thousand people, or whose retainers they were, they were either ordered to pay ransom or forced into hard labor.

As for those idiots who broke into the prison, they were thrown into jail and will be beheaded when Guan Fu is dealt with.

"Injustice!"

"Sir, I was sleeping when I was dragged here!"

"I don't know anything. I only ran out because I heard someone was coming to kill us!"

"My lord, we are from the Prime Minister's office, and we will be recommended for official positions in the future. We are all in the same profession, so please give us some face!"

"What happened to the rule that the law doesn't punish everyone?!"

"We were just sparring in the mansion, what terrible mistake did we make!"

"Is even sparring and dueling not allowed in Chang'an?"

……

After the review and determination of the nature of the crime, instructions were given.

Many people began to put shackles on their hands and feet, which caused great panic.

Cries for mercy and explanations could be heard from time to time. Many people feared that once the shackles were on them, they would lose their freedom and even die unjustly in prison. Others worried that they would be forced to do hard labor until they died.

Many of the retainers were quite accomplished, and they all came with the aim of becoming officials, while others wanted to find a free patron to eat and drink. No one would have thought that becoming a retainer would turn them into a prisoner.

For a time, some of the retainers struggled and resisted, while others were severely beaten by the imperial guards.

Some people had their hands and feet broken, while others had their Achilles tendons severed, causing a pool of blood to splatter on the ground.

Riots and repressions continued to occur at the foot of the Sima Gate.

"Where did this madman come from?"

Violent clashes stemming from disobedience occurred repeatedly at the Sima Gate, but were quickly suppressed.

This area was not only maintained by the Imperial Guards, but also by more than 500 archers on the Sima Gate tower, bows held high. Few dared to resist.

The constant killing of the chicken to scare the monkey has also made many people obediently bound by shackles.

However, there were some unexpected events during the control process. As Shen Chong continued to patrol and move forward, he suddenly felt a chill on his calves.

He chanted an incantation, and a shuttle hanging from his waist flew out, landing with a sharp point where it pierced a triangular venomous snake covered in gray rings.

The triangular venomous snake fell from the trouser leg, prompting Shen Chong to shout loudly.

Before Shen Chong could even catch the attacker, he caught a glimpse of the triangular venomous snake's body splitting apart layer by layer. The original long snake had turned into more than ten gray venomous insects that slithered around and then frantically crawled into the gaps in his trouser legs.

In just a short moment, the venomous snake that had fallen from his trouser leg turned into more than ten venomous insects that attacked him.

Shen Chong felt a chill run through his body. His magical energy surged down, and he drew a short sword from his sleeve, quickly striking repeatedly with its blade.

Several gray venomous insects were pierced, and an extremely foul-smelling toxic fumes immediately entered the nostrils.

Despite breathing rapidly through the shield, I still felt a bit dizzy.

His exchange of blows took only a few seconds, and only the two guards who had arrested the troublemakers were able to react.

Before the guards could lend a hand, two middle-aged men leaped up and pounced on Shen Chong.

One of the two men had poisonous smoke emanating from his sleeve, while the other held a colorful stick.

Shen Chong's mind was in a daze, and he felt completely blank.

"A spellcaster?"

When the sound came, Shen Chong groggily came back to his senses.

His gaze swept across the scene, and he saw that the two middle-aged men had fallen to the ground, each with at least six arrows stuck in their bodies.

Shen Chong had by then moved at least ten meters away from his original patrol area.

A chill ran through him as he instantly realized that his body had been controlled by the sorcerer in that short period of time.