If you don't bring disaster to the world, what kind of henchman are you to be?

At this moment, Qian Wei was shirtless, covered in sweat, and his arms ached from swinging the iron.

Zhu Qing stood to the side with his hands behind his back, and with a slight gesture, a jailer brought over a basin of cold water and splashed it on Wang Degui.

"Holy crap!!"

In an instant, Wang Degui, who was on the verge of death, gasped for breath, shivering all over, his eyes bloodshot.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Where are your gang's other hideouts?"

Looking at the icy-faced young man in front of him, Wang Degui gritted his teeth, and thick phlegm mixed with blood dripped down his throat.

"You, you're... courting death..."

"How dare you speak to an adult like that!"

Qian Wei lashed out with the whip again, making him scream in agony.

He then snorted coldly and walked to Zhu Qing's side respectfully, saying, "Sir, this old codger is like a rock in a latrine, both smelly and hard."

"I just checked his household registration. This old bastard has an elderly mother, wife and children at home. He must be afraid of retaliation from his accomplices and that his family will be implicated, so he is stubbornly refusing to say anything."

Zhu Qing said coldly, "Does he even deserve to have children? I thought he was childless."

"Should we arrest his family? I refuse to believe he won't talk!"

"No need."

Zhu Qing's response to this suggestion was not out of kindness or soft-heartedness.

Because although the misfortune should not extend to the wife and children, what if it did benefit them?

Wang Degui supported his family with the money he earned from trafficking children, so in essence, there were no innocent people among them.

But the main issue right now is the murder of Song Qinghe; this child trafficking case was just a side effect.

Although they only raided one den and haven't completely eradicated it, that's all Zhu Qing can do for now.

Do your best, but don't force it.

Humph~

Just then, a jailer strode down the stone steps.

"Commander-in-Chief, Xu Lingyun, the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of War, has arrived and says he wants to see you."

Xu Lingyun.

Zhu Qing's eyes widened slightly. The original owner had no memory of this person, obviously having never met him before, though she had heard some rumors about him.

This person is a newly appointed official in the Ministry of War, a third-place finisher in the military examination in the twenty-fourth year of the Jianxin era, a protégé of Grand Secretary Tang, and a member of the Tang Party with impeccable credentials.

Why do I need to see myself?

He walked out of the prison with doubts and met Xu Lingyun in the training ground.

He was a young man of similar age to Zhu Qing, with round eyes and a fair complexion, dressed in official robes. Upon seeing Zhu Qing arrive, he immediately smiled.

"Commander-in-Chief, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Zhu Qing clasped his hands in a respectful greeting: "Lord Xu, may I ask what business you have with me?"

Xu Lingyun brushed the snow off his clothes, his expression calm: "I heard that Commander Zhu destroyed a child trafficking den at Yuexiang Tower today. He has done a great job."

So it was for this very reason.

Zhu Qing understood immediately; he had guessed on the way here that it was mostly related to Wang Degui.

Xu Lingyun then added, "However, you've misunderstood. Manager Wang isn't an accomplice; I heard he's still in prison."

"Commander, I have come here to take him away."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing frowned slightly: "Lord Xu, the crime scene was right at Yuexiang Pavilion, how could Wang Degui be unrelated?"

"You don't understand, do you? I can't explain further. Just release them."

"I do not understand."

"You don't need to understand."

Xu Lingyun looked around, speaking arrogantly, no longer as polite as before.

"Since we've already said all that, let's just be frank and speak plainly."

Seeing Zhu Qing's gloomy face, he sneered, "Commander Zhu, do you think I'm the one behind Wang Degui?"

"That's right. I know everything he's done, and not only do I know, but many others in the court also know."

He gently patted Zhu Qing's shoulder and said in a serious tone, "Don't think I deserve to die. I did nothing wrong."

"Firstly, most of the children of those lowly people will not survive this winter. By sending them elsewhere, I can at least find a way to survive."

"Secondly, those without children also want to enjoy the blessings of having children."

"Thirdly, most of the silver obtained flows into officialdom, and now that the national treasury is empty, this can also help alleviate His Majesty's worries."

"Such a mutually beneficial and win-win situation benefits all people; why not do it?"

His words sounded grand and reasonable, and seemed to make some sense.

But upon closer inspection, it's all utter nonsense.

Zhu Qing asked in a deep voice, "What about those who lost their children?"

"Them? Why should we care about them?" Xu Lingyun was very puzzled.

Seeing this attitude, Zhu Qing understood that in his eyes, ordinary people were not human.

While there are differences between humans and livestock, sometimes the differences between humans are even greater.

"Commander Zhu, this isn't how you run an official."

Xu Lingyun patted his chest, his eyes filled with coldness.

Before Zhu Qing could say anything, she glanced around and saw Qian Wei standing not far away, his expression complicated.

Seeing this, Xu Lingyun released his arm from his.

The latter walked to the side, and Qian Weicai said in a low voice, "Sir, Commander Yang just took Wang Degui away personally."

"What's the reason?" Zhu Qing asked in surprise.

"Without any reason."

Zhu Qing frowned, turned around and walked towards the entrance of the Zhaoyu Prison.

Just then, two prison guards carried Wang Degui out, and two other people were standing there, namely Yang Ting and Guo Zhendong.

"Lord Yang, this man is a serious criminal."

Yang Ting remained expressionless, rolled his eyelids, and stared coldly at him.

Guo Zhendong forced a smile and quickly stepped forward to grab Zhu Qing, holding his wrist tightly.

"How dare you speak to Lord Yang like that!"

"Third Brother, this Wang Degui..."

"What Wang Degui! Shut up!"

Guo Zhendong lowered his voice and gritted his teeth, saying, "Xiao Qi, do you know you've messed up?!"

"Lord Yang is trying to save you, don't be a fool!"

"Congratulations, Commander!"

A sinister voice came from behind.

Yang Ting's gaze was unfriendly as he looked down at him condescendingly: "Do you have any complaints about my actions?"

The silver official robe gleamed with a subtle luster. Even with his Blood Burning Realm cultivation and restrained aura, Zhu Qing still felt a weight as heavy as a mountain and a depth as profound as an abyss.

Guo Zhendong, standing nearby, quickly said with a smile, "No, no, Xiao Qi is just young and ignorant. Please don't take it to heart, Lord Yang!"

"Ha, you don't dare? I think Commander Zhu is very bold; he dares to arrest anyone."

"Even if you're dissatisfied, you'd better keep it to yourself. If it weren't for the fact that the silver you offered today was enough to show your respect, I wouldn't hold your recklessness against your superior against you. Otherwise, this mess would have been enough to drown you."

A higher-ranking official can crush you.

Besides, this is several levels higher than what I've already achieved.

Zhu Qing couldn't be stubborn, so he could only watch helplessly as Wang Degui was helped into the car. As he left, the old man even cast a mocking glance at him.

"Take care of yourself."

Yang Ting turned and left, coldly uttering a remark.

"Deputy Commander Guo, teach your sworn brother a lesson."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Guo Zhendong kept bowing.

Only after he had completely left did Guo Zhendong breathe a sigh of relief and wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He then looked at Zhu Qing and said helplessly, "Xiao Qi, are you stupid or what?"

"If Wang Degui didn't have connections in higher places, could he have managed to run this shady business until now? You could have just turned a blind eye to this kind of thing, instead of deliberately provoking trouble."

Despite being reprimanded by Yang Ting, Zhu Qing remained calm and merely gave a cold laugh: "Congratulations to Third Brother on your promotion to Deputy Centurion."

He knew Guo Zhendong's character very well; he was the type who wouldn't do anything without a reason.

If it weren't for the promise from this commander, he wouldn't have risked offending his superior to appear here.

Guo Zhendong, however, pretended not to care and raised his hand: "It's just a minor promotion, let it go, let's drop this matter, and no one is allowed to mention it again."

"Come on, let's go to Zuixianlou for a drink!"

I'm tired.

"We have to go!"

Guo Zhendong put his arm around his shoulder and said seriously, "Xiao Qi, when you're an official in the court, you have to blend in with the crowd. It's not good to be unconventional."

Zhu Qing felt gloomy; what had just happened really annoyed him.

But what can I do now that my cultivation level and status are not high?

Acting solely on passion will only lead to certain death.

If you want to live without having to depend on others, the only way is to get rich, get promoted, and improve your self-cultivation!