The Prodigal Son

Boom!

Ge Songtao's head fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The voice struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

Only then did the crowd, still reeling from the immense shock, finally come to their senses.

"what!"

Several timid people screamed in fright and instinctively covered their eyes.

Among them was Xuan Cailing, who was standing next to Jiang Ci.

Hearing Xuan Cailing's scream, Jiang Ci froze for a moment, then suddenly covered her eyes and screamed as well.

Qin Yu observed the two of them closely, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes before quickly returning to normal.

The screams from the scene continued.

Several salt merchants, who already had something to hide, were so frightened that they slid off their chairs and collapsed to the ground.

Even worse, their crotches were completely soaked.

Shi Yi silently observed everything before him, and the truth was already clear in his heart.

Kill the chicken and the monkey!

Qin Yu didn't even bother to interrogate Ge Songtao. He simply told everyone that he already knew everything they had done and there was no need for interrogation!

If anyone wants to cover it up, they can gamble with their own head to see if they've actually found out what they've been up to.

Or, we can gamble on whether he can find out!

At the same time, it also serves as a warning to those who might become the new salt merchants.

Follow the rules!

Otherwise, this is what will happen to them!

"Slap slap..."

Qin Yu clapped his hands, pulling everyone back to their senses, and slowly stood up. "I apologize for startling you all! However, I have no tolerance for injustice; when I encounter someone like this, I only want to kill them as quickly as possible!"

Hearing Qin Yu's words, everyone finally managed to come to their senses.

"My lord, spare my life!"

"I'd rather have one less penalty than four!"

"I have failed the court, and I am willing to accept a reduced punishment of four times the original amount..."

Several salt merchants with guilty consciences knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for forgiveness.

They already knew that the Shi family was going to be penalized four for every one short!

Now, it's their turn!

They didn't want to accept such a heavy penalty.

But Qin Yu's move really scared them.

They were not unfamiliar with beheadings; some of them had even personally chopped off other people's heads.

However, Qin Yu was completely different from the previous imperial officials who inspected salt.

His approach was far too simplistic and brutal!

I won't listen to your explanation!

No trial!

Don't think about the consequences!

Behead him on the spot!

Their previous methods of making excuses and finding scapegoats are all useless now.

They were genuinely afraid that they would be next to lose their heads.

If the historians have already taken the lead in accepting the punishment, how dare they refuse?

Compared to money, life is obviously more important!

Get up!

Qin Yu looked at the group with a smile.

However, no one dared to stand up.

The group looked at Qin Yu with pleading expressions, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

They finally understood that there was no reasoning with someone like Qin Yu, who acted completely unconventionally and commanded a large army.

"Don't be afraid!"

Qin Yu chuckled again, trying to appease everyone, "I am not an unreasonable person. The reason I want to kill Ge Songtao is because he has crossed the line of the court! As long as you have not crossed the line of the court and obediently accept your punishment, I will not do anything to you."

"Thank you... thank you, sir!"

The men's voices trembled as they bowed their heads, their clothes soaked with sweat.

"And don't even mention the 'one less, four less' punishment. The reason the Shi family is being punished four less is because Lord Shi, as an official of the imperial court, knowingly broke the law, and his crime is compounded!"

Qin Yu's gaze swept over the group. "Alright, you'll only need to pay three penalties for each one you don't!"

"Yes, yes..."

The group nodded in agreement.

Now, whatever Qin Yu says goes!

Moreover, it's a good thing to avoid one fine.

"That's settled then!"

Qin Yu smiled casually, as if nothing had happened. "If anyone wants to engage in any kind of double-dealing or to unite with those with ill intentions to raise an army, I welcome it all! Many of my men are simply lacking in military merit!"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

Everyone shook their heads repeatedly, their faces deathly pale.

"Whether I dare or not is irrelevant."

Qin Yu smiled with satisfaction, then turned to Lü Si and Shi Yi and said, "I need to speak with a friend alone. The rest is up to you, Lord Lü and Lord Shi! By the way, who is in charge of the salt administration in Tao Prefecture?"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, everyone's gaze suddenly fell upon the Salt Transport Commissioner of Taozhou.

The Salt Transport Commissioner of Taozhou stood up tremblingly, his body limp. "This humble official..."

"No need to give your name!"

Qin Yu raised his hand to stop him. "I have no interest in who you are! All I know is that you deserve to die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yu suddenly drew Qin Xiong's sword.

brush!

A flash of light, and another head flew off.

The group, who had just come to their senses, were stunned again, their faces turning deathly pale with fright.

"Alright, you guys get back to work!"

Qin Yu sheathed his sword back into Qin Xiong's scabbard and looked at Jiang Ci as if nothing had happened. "Bring your friend along, let's find a quiet place to talk!"

Hearing Qin Yu's words, Jiang Ci nodded as if waking from a dream, and then gently tugged at Xuan Cailing, who was once again stunned.

Xuan Cailing wanted to speak, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something, so she could only hold Jiang Ci's hand tightly and follow behind Qin Yu.

Watching Qin Yu's retreating figure, everyone felt their hair stand on end and their hearts leap into their throats.

madman!

This guy is an absolute madman!

But he's also a madman that no one dares to disobey!

Lu Si saw everyone's behavior and couldn't help but curse inwardly.

I've been tricked by that bastard Qin Yu again!

He will be in charge of intimidating these people, and he and Shi Yi will be responsible for cleaning up the mess.

Yeah, that bastard's done pretending!

Now it's my turn!

It wasn't until Qin Yu's figure completely disappeared that everyone finally came to their senses.

"Cough cough..."

Lu Si coughed twice, then looked at the crowd with a forced smile. "I'm new here, so I don't have much to say!"

"Just a reminder to everyone: if anyone thinks they've done something flawless, that neither Lord Qin nor the Ministry of Justice can find anything, feel free to try!"

"If you think someone can protect you, you can give it a try!"

"To be honest, I also want to cut off two heads!"

As he spoke, Lü Si's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Shi Yi.

Lu Si's gaze wasn't as sharp as Qin Yu's, but it was enough to make someone with a guilty conscience tremble.

They may not know Lü Si.

But they knew about Lü Chunqiu, and they also knew about the relationship between the Lü family and the Empress Dowager.

Although Lü Si doesn't have as much power as Qin Yu, he would definitely dare to take action against them!

They knew in their hearts that the person Lü Si was referring to was Shi Yi!

"Young Master Lü, you don't need to be so sarcastic!"

Shi Yi coldly looked at Lü Si, "I and the Shi family do indeed have some problems, but I have already truthfully explained everything to Lord Qin! If anyone else has anything that involves me or the Shi family, feel free to speak up. I'm right here, ready to confront you in public!"

You little bastard!

Did he think he was Qin Yu?

Qin Yuheng was powerful because he held the authority to oversee military and political affairs across the nine provinces!

What do you, Lü Si, have?

Isn't it just because of his relationship with the Empress Dowager?

What? He's already confessed the truth and accepted the punishment, and he still wants to smear the Shi family?

"I didn't name you specifically, why are you getting so worked up?"

Lu Si glared at Shi Yi, annoyed. "Qin Yu is right. When you throw stones into a pigsty, the ones that scream the loudest are often the ones that get hit!"

"you……"

Shi Yi was furious and glared at Lü Si with eyes blazing with anger.

Lu Si dismissed it, impatiently urging everyone, "Speak quickly if you have something to say! If you don't, I'll take that as you're going to be stubborn to the end!"

Hearing Lü Si's words, the salt merchants, who were already terrified, dared not hide anything any longer and hurriedly confessed their problems one by one...