Speed ​​Pass starts with choosing a hunter

Chapter 405 Someone from the Ministry of Punishment
The news that Zhengyangmen had arrived in Lingzhou spread quickly.

Everyone in the city smelled gunpowder.

On the surface, the Zhengyang Sect said that Deputy Sect Leader Liu Chongde was leading a team to the Tianxuan Sect to compete, but at this juncture, everyone could see that it was clear that they were on the side of the Tianxuan Sect.

Different from the attitudes of the major Buddhist and Taoist sects, the Zhengyang Sect and the Tianxuan Sect were absolutely firm in the last struggle between the imperial court and the martial arts world.

It's the same this time.

The Zhengyang Sect is not the current Tianxuan Sect. It is so powerful that even the imperial court has to be wary of it.

The most crucial thing is that the leader of Zhengyang Sect is a super strong man who has broken into the Tongshen Pass for two hundred years. In addition, there is another Tongshen Grand Master. Strength is the biggest reliance.

Just when the situation in Lingzhou City became delicate, a group of officials from the capital broke the stalemate.

"Your subordinate, respectfully welcomes Lord Han."

Lingzhou magistrate Zeng Shun bowed respectfully to the old man in front of him.

Although the old man in front of him is of the second rank like Bai Yuan, his say in the court is not comparable to Bai Yuan.

Minister of Justice, Han Changnian.

He was in charge of the Ministry of Justice for a hundred years, and his prestige was rare in the empire. He was praised by Emperor Li Chengyuan as the Whip of Xuanyang.

Zeng Shun had already learned about the situation of the Jiumo Stone from Linghu Yang, and knew that the court would not let this matter go, but he did not expect that the Minister of Justice would come to Lingzhou in person.

The last time six ministers came to Lingzhou was seventy years ago.

This is enough to show how much importance the court attaches to this matter.

Han Changnian just glanced at Zeng Shun indifferently.

He lived in the capital all year round, and although he rarely interfered in local affairs, it did not mean that he was unaware of Zeng Shun's situation.

Officials like Zeng Shun are most likely to have connections with local bigwigs.

Of course, this is also the result of mutual compromise between the imperial court and the underworld, and it is not surprising.

After all, without these major clans, it would be difficult for the imperial court to completely govern such a large area as Xuanyang.

Even the current ambitious emperor only wants to strengthen the court's control over the world. Otherwise, if the court has to do everything by itself, the expenses will be unaffordable.

"Censor Bai."

Han Changnian ignored Zeng Shun and bowed to Bai Yuan who was standing in the front yard of the provincial government office.

The fact that an old minister with great experience saluted Bai Yuan showed that in Han Changnian's mind, both parties were of equal status.

Seeing this scene, Zeng Shun couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

Bai Yuan did not act arrogantly and returned the greeting to Han Changnian.

"Master Han, long time no see."

Han Changnian looked at Bai Yuan with some emotion.

Thinking back to the time when Bai Yuan was still in the Censorate, he had some dealings with Bai Yuan. Although not much, he still had some understanding of this young man who was now the most famous in Xuanyang.

But even he did not expect that this boy's progress in martial arts would be so fast.

It is rare in the world.

It is really exaggerated to say that Grand Master Mingxin is less than forty years old.

It would be great if it were one of our own descendants.

The more Han Changnian looked at Bai Yuan, the more he felt that his own disciples were useless.

Because this old minister holds the position of Minister of Justice, he is strict in managing his family. When he returns to the Han family after finishing his business in Lingzhou, the Han family members will probably suffer again, which can be regarded as an unprovoked disaster.

Han Changnian: "Master Bai, please come in and discuss in detail."

He said to Bai Yuan, then turned around and looked at Zeng Shun with dignity: "I have something important to discuss with Lord Bai, and all the people in the state government office must be cleared out."

Zeng Shun didn't dare to refuse even a second when faced with such a senior and experienced official like Han Changnian.

All Han Changnian needs is one word and his position will be in jeopardy.

In just a cup of tea, Bai Yuan and Han Changnian were the only ones left in the Lingzhou government office.

Looking at the empty yard, Bai Yuan sighed inwardly.

I am still too kind when it comes to being an official.

Look at Lord Han, this is what we call style.

In a word, the entire provincial government became his courtyard.

Han Changnian was already accustomed to the current scene.

Being an official doesn't just mean the higher the rank, the more powerful one is. Not to mention that he is a second-rank official in Beijing, while Zeng Shun is only a third-rank local official in the northern border. There is a difference of five steps between them.

For someone like Zeng Shun, even if you want to visit him, you may not be able to find a way.

Han had been an official for a hundred years and was already familiar with the ins and outs of the business.

"Master Bai, I have found evidence that Xia Han paid Jiumoshi to assassinate you."

Bai Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly.

The efficiency of the Ministry of Justice is much higher than he imagined.

It is worthy of being the government office that is best at investigating cases in the world.

The court works slowly because there are too many things to deal with, but if it only focuses on one thing, its efficiency will be the best in the world.

Since the Tianxuan Sect dared to hire someone to kill someone, Xia Han must have done it in an extremely covert way.

But even so, the Ministry of Justice was still asked to find evidence, which shows how clever their methods were.

"It is a blessing for Xuanyang to have Lord Han in charge of the Ministry of Justice."

Bai Yuan flattered Han Changnian without making any expression.

It is still worth making friends with a big shot like Han Changnian, which will make it much easier for him to do things in the future.

Han Changnian waved his hand and said, "No need to flatter me. If it weren't for Lord Bai's martial arts prowess that killed Jiumoshi, I wouldn't have been able to find the evidence so quickly."

Having said that, the expression on old Minister Han's face showed that he was extremely pleased.

It must be very comfortable for an old man like him to be respected by a young junior like Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan: "Lord Han, what instructions does His Majesty have?"

Of course he knew that the Ministry of Justice's pursuit of the Jiumo Stone was not for real purposes. Their real purpose was to deal with the entire Tianxuan Sect and they would not give up easily.

Han Changnian glanced at Bai Yuan and said, "I heard that Tianxuan Sect's deputy leader Xia Han has been missing for many days. Lord Bai should know the inside story."

Bai Yuan was puzzled: "Xia Han is missing?"

Looking at Bai Yuan's expression, Han Changnian laughed angrily: "Master Bai's skills will surely be very popular in the art studio."

He just couldn't believe that Bai Yuan had nothing to do with Xia Han's disappearance.

Bai Yuan blinked.

He was also shocked. The Tianxuan Sect had always kept the matter of Xia Han a secret, but he didn't expect that Han Changnian still knew about it.

There is a reason why the Xuanyang court has been able to rule this world for thousands of years.

This method alone is not something that an ordinary large clan can do.

Han Changnian did not continue to dwell on Xia Han's matter: "Your Majesty ordered me to come here, so of course I have to conduct a thorough investigation. Assassinating an official of the imperial court is a serious crime, and according to the law, the entire clan should be executed."

Bai Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Nine tribes elimination game?
Something interesting.

Emperor Li Chengyuan was clearly taking the opportunity to launch an attack on the Tianxuan faction, but he didn't expect it to be so cruel, with the entire nine clans being killed at the beginning.

However, it is expected that Li Chengyuan would not be so ruthless in the end.

If other major sects saw what happened to the Tianxuan Sect, they would probably end up in a situation where everyone was killed and the net was broken. Even Li Chengyuan would have a hard time ending it. Han Changnian's eyes flashed coldly.

Although Xuanyang seems to be at its peak today, its national fortunes have actually stagnated.

A big reason for this is that the underworld has taken away too much of one's luck.

As a court official, he was also affected by this.

If the national fortune declines too much, even some Confucian masters who have already broken through will fall into degeneration.

Although this process is very slow and he won't be able to see such a scene when his life span ends, it does not prevent him from being prepared for danger in times of peace and protecting future generations.

"Master Bai, how about we go to Tianxuan Sect today?"

"it is good."

The atmosphere in the main hall of Tianxuan Sect was extremely solemn.

A group of Tianxuan Sect masters, including Linghu Yang, were staring at several court officials standing in the middle of the hall.

Linghu Yang slowly said, "Master Han, Master Bai, I wonder why you came to my Tianxuan Sect?"

Although he knew very well why these two people came.

With Han Changnian, who has been in the Mingxin realm for a hundred years and whose fighting power is no weaker than his, and Bai Yuan, a rising star, even he is under great pressure.

Not to mention that the others are also great masters of Mingxin.

He didn't expect the court to be so bold in its first move.

Han Changnian's tone was calm, without any emotional fluctuations.

"Lord Bai was assassinated by bandits from the Western Desert. The nature of the assassination is vile. Your Majesty is furious."

"I was ordered to investigate the case and found that the thief seems to be related to your sect's leader Xia Han."

Linghu Yang smiled slightly: "Our sect has always been loyal and righteous, and would never do such a dirty thing. As for Sect Master Xia, he has been missing for many days, and I don't know where he is."

He had obviously made up his mind to put all the blame on Xia Han.

Anyway, Xia Han is most likely dead, so he might as well make the most of his ability.

Han Changnian sneered, his authority rising suddenly: "What if Sect Master Linghu was confused for a moment?"

Linghu Yang was a man of great character. He would not be shocked by Han Changnian's words. He remained calm and said, "Master Han, you are joking. Everyone in my sect is a law-abiding and kind person."

Han Changnian still sneered, and he took out a palm-sized notebook from his arms.

He swung his right hand and threw the letter to Linghu Yang.

Linghu Yang frowned slightly, he took the letter and opened it with a shake of his hand.

There were densely written words on it, and one of them clearly said that the Tianxuan Sect had given Bai Yuan a longevity pill to kill him.

Han Changnian looked at Linghu Yang with cold eyes: "Master Linghu, this is something we found in Jiumoshi's house in the Western Desert. Do you have anything else to say?"

Linghu Yang looked unhappy.

He now wished he could pull Jiumoshi out of the underworld and kill him again.

What kind of good guy becomes a killer and keeps a diary? ! !

However, he soon realized that the Tianxuan Sect had obviously been tricked by Jiumoshi.

The reason why Jiumoshi left this note was probably so that he could use it to threaten his financial sponsor to rescue him if he got into trouble.

However, Jiumoshi did not expect that he would be killed by Bai Yuan on the spot, and he didn't even have the chance to ask for help.

This left Han Changnian with excellent evidence.

Linghu Yang snorted coldly: "This matter was all done by Xia Han alone, I am not aware of it."

Han didn't take it seriously for many years.

Before going to Tianxuan Sect, he had already expected Linghu Yang to do this.

A scapegoat who is already dead, this is undoubtedly the best solution.

"Master Linghu, according to Xuanyang Law, if you assassinate a second-rank official of the imperial court, your entire clan should be executed."

Han Changnian's words were very powerful.

He was originally the Minister of Justice, which made him even more intimidating.

These words made all the Tianxuan Sect masters present change their expressions.

Kill nine clans. These nine clans include almost all of Xia Han's relatives. You should know that Xia Han is from a large family of the Tianxuan Sect, and more than half of the disciples of the Tianxuan Sect can be related to him. Once the nine clans are really killed, the Tianxuan Sect will be completely finished.

Linghu Yang gritted his teeth and looked at Han Changnian.

Han Changnian met Linghu Yang's gaze with an indifferent expression.

Others were afraid of Linghu Yang, but there was nothing to be afraid of as he was the Minister of Justice.

This time he came here specifically to attack the Tianxuan Sect.

As the two sides were confronting each other, a voice came from outside the door: "Lord Han, long time no see."

Seeing the person coming, Han Changnian sneered even more: "I thought it was someone else, it turned out to be Deputy Sect Master Liu."

The person who spoke was Liu Chongde, the deputy leader of Zhengyang Sect who had arrived in Lingzhou not long ago.

Although Liu Chongde had never entered the hall, he heard everything that happened inside the hall clearly. If the nine clans of Xia Han were really wiped out, the martial arts world would lose a major clan that could be implicated by the imperial court. He would certainly not allow such a thing to happen.

"I was just strolling around and happened to hear what you two were saying, so I wanted to say a few words."

Han Changnian glanced at Liu Chongde.

He had long known that the deputy leader of Zhengyang Sect had arrived at Tianxuan Sect, so his appearance today was also expected.

Liu Chongde smiled, "Emperor Taizu once said that the affairs of the martial arts world are the affairs of the martial arts world. The matter between Sect Master Xia Han of Tianxuan Sect and Lord Bai is a grudge in the martial arts world. As far as I know, Deputy Sect Master Xia took action because of some grudges when Lord Bai was the Sect Master of Lingzhou. It was not aimed at Lord Bai's official position, so he should not be convicted according to Xuanyang Law."

"Punishing the entire clan is really against the harmony of nature. Lord Han, please think twice."

Han Changnian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Liu Chongde’s words surprised him a little.

It is true that Emperor Taizu said this. The imperial court attached great importance to ancestral rules, and the other party's statement about this incident does make some sense.

Moreover, Bai Yuan had indeed served as the leader of the Shenfu Sect in Lingzhou.

According to intelligence from the Ministry of Justice, there was indeed some conflict between the two parties.

Xia Han's action may not be related to this matter, but Bai Yuan's experience became a good excuse for the other party.

With this reason, at most Xia Han would be killed, which would not have much impact on the Tianxuan Sect.

He looked at Liu Chongde who had a warm smile on his face.

Obviously, Zhengyangmen has put a lot of effort into this.

After all, it was Bai Yuan's past experience that gave the other party the opportunity to take advantage of him.

If Bai Yuan was also an innocent scholar, Liu Chongde would not have brushed it off as a matter of affairs of the underworld. However, Han Changnian obviously would not let the matter go just because of a word from the other party.

"Assassinating an imperial official is a serious crime. How can you let him off so easily?"

Seeing this, Liu Chongde still had a smiling face and said, "Master Han, this is wrong. It is clearly just a private fight in the underworld that cannot be put on the stage."

He insisted that the main reason was that Bai Yuan's situation was too special.

There are people who first become the leader of a martial arts sect and then become high-ranking officials.

But the person who was assassinated later was really the first in this dynasty. As a precedent, there is naturally a lot of room for debate.

Just as Han Changnian was about to continue scolding, Bai Yuan, who had been standing silently by the side, suddenly spoke.

"Since this is a matter of martial arts, then I will fight to the death with Sect Master Linghu."

(End of this chapter)