This son-in-law is wicked in a good way!

Before Old Man Li could finish speaking, someone had already shouted in anger.

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

"So what if he's the son of a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel? Does that give him the right to bully people like this!"

Someone else exclaimed, "I know Chen Zhishi! I originally thought he was just a power-hungry official, but I never expected him to be such a man of principle!"

"Even Chen Zhishi, who only wants to become an official, dares to stand up. How can we remain indifferent?"

Some people worried about retaliation, saying, "But the dean and the two great scholars are not here. What can we students do?"

Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhang Ping'an spoke up: "Fellow scholars, before this incident, I had the same concerns as you, worrying about retaliation from the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and about the absence of the elders of the Academy..."

"I also advised Chen Zhishi in the same way, urging him to be more patient. Do you know what he said?"

Zhang Ping'an swept his solemn gaze over the crowd, and the scene immediately fell silent.

Then, with a sorrowful expression, he slowly began to speak.

Chen Zhishi said, "If we can tolerate even such injustice, then what's the point of studying the classics?"

"Some things just have to be done by someone, even if it means getting hurt!"

"We are all scholars, reading the same classics. Can we really let our classmate stand alone against the current Vice Minister of Personnel?"

"If we witness injustice today and dare not speak out out of fear, who will stand up for us when disaster strikes us in the future?"

Those who carry firewood for others should not be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow!

"Although the dean and the two great scholars have not returned, we can go to the Ministry of Justice to support Chen Zhishi and make Sun Xing dare not act rashly."

Zhang Ping'an's words completely ignited the crowd.

Especially the last sentence.

"That's right, those who carry firewood for others should not be allowed to freeze to death in the snow!"

"We've all studied the classics; if we don't even understand the basic principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,' then all that studying has been for nothing!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Ping'an raised his hand and shouted, "Let's go to the Ministry of Justice to support Chen Zhishi!"

"Let's go to the Ministry of Justice to show our support for Chen Zhishi!"

Wu Yuan immediately raised his arms and shouted from the steps, "Let's go to the Ministry of Justice to support Chen Zhishi!"

Hao Shuwen also raised his hand and shouted loudly, "Let's go to the Ministry of Justice to support Chen Zhishi!"

More and more people joined in the shouting, and the crowd was filled with righteous indignation.

Even those who wanted to curry favor with Sun Xing dared not question him at this moment, otherwise they would immediately become the target of public criticism.

At the back of the crowd, Lu Wenhao, who had remained clear-headed, pursed his lips and craned his neck to look ahead.

He felt that the voice that started the commotion sounded familiar, very similar to Zhang Ping'an's voice.

Unfortunately, there were too many people, and he couldn't see them at all.

A group of scholars immediately set off down the mountain in a grand procession. Zhang Ping'an waved to Wu Yuan, and the three of them followed the crowd toward the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice prison.

It was dark and damp, filled with the smell of decay and blood.

Chen Zhishi was dressed in prison clothes and tied to a wooden frame, covered in blood.

Clearly, he had already been tortured.

Sun Xing, holding a wet leather whip, lashed out at Chen Zhishi with a bloodthirsty expression.

"Damn it, you worthless wretch from a run-down academy, you dare to meddle in my business, you dare to interfere in my affairs..."

Snap, snap...

With each lash, a bloody welt appeared on Chen Zhishi's body.

Before long, almost no part of his skin was intact.

However, he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a single bite.

He even takes every opportunity to burst into mocking laughter.

"Young Master Sun, you have set up a private torture chamber and used torture on children with official titles, which violates the laws of the Great Wu..."

Snapped!

"You've violated the laws of the Great Wu Kingdom? Well, I have, so what can you do about it?"

Sun Xing then proceeded to beat the victim again, only stopping to hurl insults when he was exhausted from the beating.

"You worthless wretch, do you think I won't hit you just because you have a title? Your worthless title is worth less than a fart in my eyes."

"If you were really nothing, I might have let you go, hahaha... It's a pity you're just a worthless, stinking pedant, and your dilapidated academy that's about to go bankrupt."

Just then, a servant came to report: "Young master, Vice Minister Guan of the Ministry of Justice requests your presence, saying he has urgent business with you?"

Sun Xing tossed the whip to his men: "Keep beating him until he kneels down and begs for mercy."

"Yes."

The back hall of the Ministry of Justice.

Wearing a third-rank official robe, Guan Tianyou, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice in his forties, was pacing back and forth with a frown.

Sun Xing walked over with a light smile on his face.

"Uncle Guan, what's troubling you? Could your nephew help you out?"

Guan Tianyou was a close friend of Sun Xing's father, Sun Guihua, and made things very convenient for Sun Xing; otherwise, Sun Xing would not have been able to set up his own torture chamber.

"Nephew, something terrible has happened! You didn't do anything to that poor, pedantic scholar, did you?"

Sun Xing sat down without any ceremony, poured himself a cup of tea, and said casually, "It was nothing, just a few lashes to vent my anger."

"That's good. Dozens of students from the academy have gathered outside the Ministry of Justice, all shouting for the Ministry to release the prisoners and severely punish the real culprit..."

"The real culprit? Who is the real culprit?" Sun Xing sneered disdainfully.

"Do I need to ask that? Of course it's you, my dear nephew!" Guan Tianyou rolled his eyes at him.

"Ridiculous! I neither killed anyone nor forced any innocent woman, so how am I a murderer?"

Knowing his spoiled nature, Guan Tianyou said in a deep voice, "In short, you cannot come to the Ministry of Justice prison again until this matter is resolved."

"Keep that person locked up for now. You absolutely cannot use torture without my permission."

"Also, go back immediately and inform your father to find a way to suppress these students at the academy."

"This is the capital city after all. If this gets to His Majesty's ears, it will be a real problem."

Sun Xing scoffed, "I know, they're just a few poor bastards. How much trouble can they cause?"

"Don't worry, Uncle Guan. I'll go back and have my father arrest all those troublemaking scoundrels."

Guan Tianyou glanced at him helplessly, shaking his head with a look of utter disappointment: "Absolutely not!"

"Some of the academy's higher-ups hold considerable weight in His Majesty's eyes. If you arrest so many of them, it will definitely alarm His Majesty."

"Just quickly relay what I said to your father, and leave the rest to his arrangements."

"Okay, I'll go back now."

Sun Xing grinned and left in a nonchalant manner.

Watching him walk away, Guan Tianyou shook his head inwardly: "Alas, how could Minister Sun, a man of such brilliance, have fathered such a wretch?"

Outside the Ministry of Justice.

Zhang Ping'an stood in the crowd, leading the students in chanting slogans.

Every word struck a chord with the Vice Minister of Justice.

"We suspect that the Ministry of Justice has engaged in favoritism and corruption, with officials protecting each other."

"We want to see Chen Zhishi."

"We need to confirm that the Ministry of Justice has not abused its power."

Guan Tianyou, who was hiding in the back room, frowned as he listened to these sounds and summoned his trusted confidants.

"Go tell these people that the Ministry of Justice will handle the case impartially and will never wrong an innocent person. Tell them to disperse immediately, or they will be prosecuted for rioting!"

"Yes, sir!"

His men immediately gathered a squad of constables, who rushed out of the gate and surrounded the students.

Seeing that the Ministry of Justice had sent someone to intervene, the students gradually quieted down.