Chapter 339
Chapter 339
Yan Meiyi moved to pick up the heated branding iron again.
“Shen Lang, a pretty face like yours would look especially fine seared, don’t you think? Hahaha!”
Just then, a warrior from the Blackwater Terrace rushed in and whispered into Yan Meiyi’s ear.
“Sir, lightning struck your home and it caught fire. The blaze was so fierce that no one escaped. All fifteen members of your family burned to death.”
Hearing this, Yan Meiyi looked as if he had been struck by lightning himself, unable to believe what he had just heard.
‘Was Shen Lang telling the truth? My parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, my younger siblings… all gone? All of them?’
His eyes turning bloodshot, Yan Meiyi glared at Shen Lang and screamed.
“You’re courting death! I am a man of the Blackwater Terrace. How dare you kill my family? Do you want to die?”
Shen Lang said calmly, “As I said before, it was divine retribution. Lightning struck and your house caught fire. It has nothing to do with me.”
“There must have been an arsonist. Have they been caught?”
The warrior who brought the news replied, “Men from the Grand Court of Revision, Ping'an County, and the Central Commandery all went to investigate, but they found nothing. There were no signs of arson.”
Yan Meiyi roared like a madman.
“Even if it was night, even if they were sleeping, how could not a single person escape? How could they all burn to death?”
The Blackwater Terrace warrior lowered his head and said no more. It was indeed bizarre. No flammable materials were found at the scene, not even firewood or oil. The fire had started suddenly and spread in an instant. Moreover, the flames were green, like a ghostly fire. When neighbors tried to put it out, the flames wouldn't be doused by water. And for all fifteen family members to have burned to death without a single one escaping… it was utterly strange. This led many neighbors to whisper that the Yan family had committed so many evil deeds that vengeful spirits had come for them.
Enraged, Yan Meiyi struck Shen Lang with the whip in his hand.
*Crack.*
The whip landed on Shen Lang’s body, leaving a bloody welt. The pain was so intense it made his vision swim. Shocked, he gasped. He had never been truly whipped before, and this time, he felt an agony he had never experienced. But Shen Lang, who usually cried out at the slightest pain, made no sound. He only glared at Yan Meiyi.
Yan Meiyi said furiously, “What are you looking at? I should burn your eyes out. You dare kill my family? You dare to glare at me? I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Just then, a warrior at his side said calmly, “We sent men to protect your other residence, sir. However, your wife and two young masters went out this afternoon and have not yet returned.”
Hearing this, Yan Meiyi of the Blackwater Terrace froze.
“I didn’t do anything, and I know nothing. But the capital is not a peaceful place. Perhaps your young masters have been kidnapped? Maybe a ransom demand will arrive soon.”
Shen Lang’s tone was incredibly serene, but he had already resolved to kill Yan Meiyi’s entire family. Though his two sons were only a little over ten, he would send them to Gold Mountain Island to toil in the iron mines until they died.
A moment later, a warrior from the Yan family rushed in and handed over a box. When he opened it, he found a woman’s hand and a piece of paper.
Commander Yan Meiyi of the Blackwater Terrace read the note, his entire body trembling.
‘What kind of cursed trick is this? Gao Duhuan only operates in Tiannan Province, when did he come to the capital? And a ransom of one hundred million gold coins? Even if the Crown Prince were kidnapped, the King wouldn't pay a hundred million. He wouldn’t even pay ten million, or even less.’
Yan Meiyi drew his sword, pressing it against Shen Lang’s neck as he roared, “Where are my sons? Where are they?”
“Be careful with that sword. What goes around comes around. You will face the consequences of your actions. For every cut your sword makes on my body, a deeper one might appear on your son’s.”
Yan Meiyi said angrily, “You don’t touch family!”
“Your family has committed all sorts of evil deeds. According to the laws of the State of Yue, they should have been dead long ago. Gao Duhuan claims to be carrying out justice on behalf of heaven. I hear that while his methods are vicious, he doesn’t kill the innocent. Everyone he has killed deserved to die.”
“Damn you, Gao Duhuan!”
Yan Meiyi screamed in fury. He desperately wanted to flay Shen Lang, to pull out his tendons, to inflict dozens of tortures upon him. But with his two sons in the enemy's hands, he didn't dare.
Shen Lang said calmly, “Su Nan is the one who wants me dead. This has nothing to do with the Blackwater Terrace or the Xue Clan, does it? Even Grand Governor Yan was unwilling to bring me into the Blackwater Terrace fortress because he didn't want to be used as a tool for murder. Yet here you are, taking out Xue Li’s anger on me, trying to curry favor with her. Is it really necessary? Isn’t the price too high?”
It was true. Xue Li had previously suffered from a disease in a private area, enduring a fortnight of agony so severe she wished for death. Although there was no proof it was Shen Lang’s doing, he was the only one who could have done it, and even if he hadn't, she would believe he had.
“Yan Meiyi, this is a contest between me and Su Nan. Neither you nor the Xue Clan ever needed to get involved.”
Commander Yan Meiyi of the Blackwater Terrace closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. After a long while, he opened them and said, “Shen Lang, I’m a nobody. It’s useless talking to me. If you’re so capable, why don’t you go find Su Nan? It’s no use even if you kill my entire family. Do you think you can even touch a hair on Su Nan’s head? You might avoid torture for now, but don’t think you’ll leave this place alive. You’re a dead man. The one who wants you dead now isn’t me, but His Majesty. Because you have committed the crime of deceiving the monarch!
Where are the men from the Grand Court of Revision? The Censorate? All of you, come in and conduct the interrogation together!”
The Blackwater Terrace had always been arrogant and domineering; only when he gave the word could the people from the Grand Court of Revision and the Censorate enter. A moment later, the Chief Minister of the Grand Court of Revision, Wang Jinglun, and the Right Grandee of the Censorate, Zhang Chong, entered. This was a Joint Trial by Three Judicial Offices, a grand proceeding reserved only for earth-shattering cases. By the King's decree, the Grand Court of Revision would preside, the Blackwater Terrace would assist, and the Censorate would supervise.
***
Shen Lang was taken to the yamen of the Grand Court of Revision, where the officials of the three offices were seated high on the bench. The joint trial began. A hundred warriors stood ramrod straight on both sides of the court, their expressions imposing and grim. In their hands were not ceremonial staves, but battle-ready swords.
“Are you Shen Lang?”
“I pay my respects to the three lords.”
The Chief Minister of the Grand Court of Revision said coldly, “Shen Lang, you no longer hold any official position. Why are you not kneeling?”
Beside him, Zhang Chong spoke up.
“Lord Wang, Shen Lang may have been stripped of his post at the Court of Imperial Entertainments, but His Majesty has not yet revoked the scholarly honors he bestowed upon him.”
The Chief Minister said, “For a crime as great as deceiving the monarch, all honors should be stripped.”
“For now, Shen Lang is only a suspect. His Majesty has not issued a decree stripping him of his scholarly honors, so they remain intact. He does not need to kneel.”
Hearing Zhang Chong’s words, the Chief Minister of the Grand Court of Revision shot him a cold glare.
‘Zhang Chong, weren’t you just released from prison? Everyone knows Shen Lang has committed a capital crime and is as good as dead. How dare you interfere? Are you trying to die?’
Zhang Chong had already become a sworn enemy of the Grand Court of Revision. For the past six months, he had endured all manner of mental abuse and torment there, and had even come close to dying in their prison.
The Chief Minister said coldly, “Fine. So be it. Shen Lang, do you know what crimes you have committed? Deceiving the monarch, and cursing and slandering the Crown Prince. Either one is a capital offense. Confess now, and do not bring disaster upon your family.”
Just then, several warriors from the Blackwater Terrace rushed in.
“My lords, three warriors from the Jin Clan’s villa left the capital in a hurry, heading toward Tiannan Province. We have apprehended them. We suspect they were on their way to report the situation to the Marquis of Xuanwu’s Estate.”
A moment later, three warriors from the Jin Clan were dragged in. They were covered in wounds and soaked in blood, a clear sign they had been captured after a fierce battle. The leader was Jin An. He had been on his way to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate to deliver a message from Jin Mucong. Jin Mucong had told him to inform the Marquis of Xuanwu of everything that had happened in the capital and to tell his father to rebel if Shen Lang was killed. It was a naive, childish idea. A messenger had already been dispatched to the Jin Clan before Shen Lang was even arrested.
Shen Lang sighed. He had already told Jin Mucong not to do anything and to just stay in the study and copy books. But the fatty couldn't help himself and had done this anyway. The fatty was truly like a child. But he had done it out of worry for Shen Lang; he was a good kid, no doubt.
The Chief Minister of the Grand Court of Revision asked coldly, “What is your name?”
“Jin An.”
“What is your position?”
“A warrior of the Jin Clan.”
“Why were you in such a hurry to return to Xuanwu City? Who ordered you to go back and report? Was it to urge the Marquis of Xuanwu to rebel?”
“No. We were returning for our regular guard duty rotation at Raging Tide City. I was also carrying a personal letter from the young master for the Lord Marquis. If you don’t believe me, you can examine the letter.”
A warrior took a letter from his robes. It was indeed a letter from Jin Mucong to Jin Zhuo, begging his father to let him come home.
The Chief Minister of the Grand Court of Revision asked coldly, “How audacious. You didn’t leave earlier, you didn’t leave later, but you chose to leave right after Shen Lang’s arrest. What conspiracy is this? Who instructed you? What were you supposed to say to the Marquis of Xuanwu?”
It seemed they were not just trying to kill Shen Lang, but to drag Jin Mucong and the Jin Clan down with him. Given the King’s suspicious nature, they would surely pin the crime of intended rebellion on the Jin Clan.
Jin An replied, “I was returning to my post. And I was delivering the young master’s letter. I know nothing else.”
The Chief Minister’s eyes grew cold, and he said slowly, “It seems you won’t speak without being persuaded. Attendants, bring the instruments!”