He Whom the Ministry of Punishment Dares Not Kill, Shall Be Slain by the Demon-Suppression Office

The men of the Tiqi Division were also swept by waves of fear.

That was Ji Bing, their squad leader.

Just days ago, they were drinking and eating meat together, boasting and chatting about everything under the sun. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he was executed by this Demon Suppression Division?

They did not even leave his corpse intact?

Was not the Demon Suppression Division being far too tyrannical?!

However, this tyranny ensured that the crowd did not dare to say a word.

The members of the Demon Suppression Division all hailed from the border army and possessed formidable combat strength. Now, with Ren Tianye backing them, their authority in the entire capital could be considered absolute.

They were just small fry who absolutely dared not provoke their sharp edges.

Who is Du Tao?

Atop her fine steed, Su Jin increasingly exuded the aura of a female general. Her naturally charming eyes now shot forth a cold, murderous intent as her gaze swept icily over the crowd.

Seeing this posture, Chen Liang knew things were bad.

Du Tao was doomed today.

However, he did not have much desire to save him.

On one hand, he lacked the ability.

On the other hand, he truly wished this Du Tao would just die and get it over with.

How did a perfectly good Tiqi Division end up producing so many monsters and freaks?

But at this moment, Du Tao was not afraid in the slightest.

He stepped right out and said, I am Du Tao.

It is you?

Su Jin appraised him coldly.

This man's father had been a royal guard for the late Emperor and possessed something she wanted. Yet, this man had courted death by violating the laws of the Demon Suppression Division, so he could not be spared.

Men, seize him!

As soon as the words fell, two men immediately rushed forward.

Without giving the Tiqi riders any time to react, they directly and thoroughly tied Du Tao up.

These movements were incredibly fast.

Du Tao was stunned for a moment, and by the time he recovered his senses, he was almost tied up like a rice dumpling. Terrified, Du Tao immediately shouted, What are you doing? How insolent!

Even the Ministry of Justice would not dare touch me easily, yet you dare to be so arrogant? What the hell is your Demon Suppression Division?

Let me go, let me go now!

Smack!

A horsewhip lashed down. Though neither the force nor the angle was particularly good, it still struck Du Tao solidly on the face.

To hit a man, strike his mouth first; the blow left Du Tao only able to mumble, unable to shout.

Su Jin retracted her whip, and only then did her voice leisurely ring out.

You ask what our Demon Suppression Division is? I will tell you right now!

The Demon Suppression Division was appointed by Duke Ren, and its status is far above that of the Ministry of Justice.

From now on, the matters the Ministry of Justice does not dare manage, our Demon Suppression Division will manage.

And listen well, the people the Ministry of Justice does not dare kill, our Demon Suppression Division will kill; the matters the Ministry of Justice does not dare manage, our Demon Suppression Division will manage!

In a word, what the Ministry of Justice can manage, our Demon Suppression Division will manage!

What the Ministry of Justice cannot manage, our Demon Suppression Division will manage even more!

Execute first and report later, Duke Ren's special authorization!

This is the Demon Suppression Division. Is that clear enough?

These words were spoken with an incredibly imposing aura.

It completely suppressed all the men of the Tiqi Division present.

One must know, their own duties included the right to assist in managing affairs, but hearing the special privileges of this Demon Suppression Division, it was simply dwarfed in comparison; they were not even on the same level.

Especially this Su Jin before them.

A mere woman, yet her words were sharp as a blade, chilling people to the bone.

The men of the Tiqi Division were already afraid, and now almost all of them were so terrified they did not even dare lift their heads.

The affairs of the Demon Suppression Division had already spread throughout the capital. People had only heard that their methods were ruthless, but this was their first time handling a case publicly, and the crowd had finally witnessed it for real.

These people, damn it...

They were a bit too fierce!

Silent as winter cicadas!

Su Jin continued, Du Tao, as a squad leader of the Tiqi Division, you have wallowed in brothels, lost yourself in lust, and violated the ethics of a martial official. The sentence is...

Immediate execution!

Pausing, she added, Men, bring that brothel woman here too. Daring to seduce Du Tao with her beauty and disrupt our military discipline is a crime tantamount to treason. The sentence is...

Immediate execution!

Boom!

It was as if another clap of thunder had exploded!

The minds of those Tiqi riders were all blown away.

Another execution?

This time they were not even letting that brothel woman go?

The Demon Suppression Division truly was far more ferocious than the Ministry of Justice!

However, Du Tao, who had not reacted strongly even upon hearing he was to be executed, suddenly began to struggle violently, No, no, you cannot execute her! She is a pure and innocent angel descended to the mortal realm, rising from the mud unsoiled. She is so beautiful, how can you execute her?

You cannot...

But evidently, Du Tao's shouts earned him nothing but the whip and were completely useless. He could only watch helplessly as two riders detached from the Demon Suppression Division's ranks and headed toward the brothel.

Du Tao completely lost his patience.

That item was meant to guarantee his family's safety in the Great Yu Dynasty for generations to come.

But how could family matters be greater than her?

He suddenly yelled, I have an item bestowed by the late Emperor in my hands! Who among you dares to act rashly?

Everyone, stop!

These words were no less than another clap of thunder.

The men of the Demon Suppression Division all paused slightly!

Seeing the situation brought under control, Du Tao shouted, The item bestowed by the late Emperor is right here in my robes. Let me go so I can take it out...

Because of the weight of the words late Emperor, the two soldiers loosened their grip slightly. Du Tao struggled free, breathing a sigh of relief in his heart.

Yesterday, Yunniang wanted to see this item bestowed by the late Emperor, so he had deliberately brought it along to show her when they met later. He never expected it would come in handy at a time like this.

And as he took the item out, everyone got a clear look at it.

It was a specially made box, intricately carved and painted. One look was enough to tell it was extraordinary and definitely an item from the palace.

But what Su Jin saw was different from the rest.

On that box... was a lover's knot!

That unique kind of lover's knot!

Her heart felt shock, then joy, mixed with a bit of impatience. She looked at Du Tao, curious to see what kind of item from the late Emperor he could pull out of that box.

Of course, having received Duke Ren's orders early on, she did not care in the slightest whether the item taken out was actually bestowed by the late Emperor. After all, the late Emperor was gone. With just their words, whatever they wanted to claim would be decided by the Duke and their Demon Suppression Division.

And then...

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Du Tao carefully opened the box, revealing...

A rock?

Su Jin frowned slightly.

No, why would the late Emperor bestow a rock upon you?

And such an ugly rock at that?

My lady, to this subordinate, it looks more like a roof tile! Xie Changfeng, standing beside Su Jin, said. Look at that thing. It is grayish-brown and black, shriveled and wrinkled, and it seems to be missing a corner on the edge. It really looks like a tile!

Chen Liang also stole a glance at this moment.

After all, he was also quite curious about an item bestowed by the late Emperor.

Since it acted as a token of authority, it should at least be fine jade or something similar.

But upon looking at it, he was bewildered. From his angle, he could clearly see it was circular and covered in a layer of grayish-white moldy dust... What on earth was this thing?

Du Tao, however, was very proud. He held it up high and declared loudly, This was given to His Majesty by the late Empress. His Majesty valued it immensely, cherishing it deeply and carefully preserving it for a full twenty years. Seeing it is like seeing the late Empress herself.

It was only because my father had merits in saving His Majesty's life that the late Emperor later bestowed it upon him, and this...

Is exactly...

A mooncake... personally made by the late Empress!

A... a mooncake?

These two words left everyone who saw the contents of the brocade box completely dumbfounded. Was this really a freaking mooncake?

However, upon closer inspection, it did look like a mooncake.

It was just... severely weathered, completely devoid of oil, and the icing had clumped and turned white. Just one look gave people the urge... to vomit!

Several men from the Mounted Escort Division couldn't hold back their urge to throw up.

Damn it!

Brother, you never seemed this perverted normally. The late emperor kept a mooncake for twenty years, and your family freaking kept it for another dozen years? Were you planning to pass it down as a family heirloom?

If we had known you were this outrageous, we wouldn't have called you a brother on a daily basis.

With it looking like this, the brothers really couldn't stomach it!

Du Tao, however, was still looking immensely proud of himself. "Did you see that? Bestowed by the late emperor! Hmph, if you people from the Demon Suppression Division are willing to let Yunniang go, I am willing to present this mooncake to Lord Ren..."

Su Jin wanted to crack her whip, but her churning stomach made it hard for her to bear it for a moment. Fortunately, Xie Changfeng could still hold on, and he immediately charged forward on his horse.

Upon getting close, he delivered a flying kick.

This kick was heavy and powerful.

With a loud crack, Du Tao's ribs fractured, and his body was sent flying through the air. The mooncake also went flying.

While still in mid-air and before hitting the ground, Du Tao frantically lunged toward the mooncake. "A mooncake bestowed by the late emperor! You dogs, how dare you show disrespect to an item bestowed by the late emperor?!"

"We wouldn't dare!" Xie Changfeng reined in his horse and said indifferently, "How would we dare disrespect an item of the late emperor? It's just... you claim it is an item bestowed by the late emperor, but does that make it so?"

"Do you have any proof?"

"That moon..." Xie Changfeng truly couldn't bring himself to call this thirty-year-old treasured item a mooncake in front of him, so he corrected himself, "Can that thing be proven to be an item of the late emperor?"

"Or, do you have any witnesses?"

Du Tao froze. This thing... he had no way to prove it!

After all, there was no seal, it wasn't an item unique to the late emperor, and it wasn't even a palace item. As for witnesses, that was even more impossible. After all, so many years had passed.

"Hmph!" Su Jin finally recovered a bit and gave a cold snort. "To think you dare use such a filthy object to impersonate an item bestowed by the late emperor. You are truly... guilty beyond forgiveness!"

"Men, take him back to the dungeon and interrogate him thoroughly!"

And so, amidst Du Tao's cries of injustice, the Demon Suppression Division came and went like the wind, taking Du Tao away. Chen Liang was left to lead the remaining mounted escorts to clean up this mess.

Yet, an endless sense of apology surged in his heart.

An endless apology to Pei Jingzhi.

Originally, he could have provided Lord Pei with the entire force of the Mounted Escort Division. But now... out of the three squad leaders, one was planted by Ren Tianye's people, one named Ji Bing had his head chopped off, and one, Du Tao, was taken away and would likely be beheaded before long!

Out of three squad leaders, he couldn't keep a hold on a single one!

...

Yihong Brothel!

It was originally a scene of peace and prosperity with singing and dancing, where many high officials and nobles mingled in the extraordinary bustle. Suddenly, there was a chaotic commotion outside the door.

Someone was heard shouting, "The people from the Demon Suppression Division are here!"

Boom!

It sounded like a clap of thunder.

The crowd immediately scattered like birds and beasts, running as far away as they could.

After all, the fearsome reputation of the Demon Suppression Division had already spread. Especially with Ren Tianye backing them, the division's prestige was growing by leaps and bounds. Anyone in the capital with some connections knew the gist of it.

Among these people, there were bound to be those with power and influence, but they absolutely did not want to casually clash with the sharp edge of the Demon Suppression Division.

They all ran as far as they could.

And hid as well as they could.

However, the members of the Demon Suppression Division clearly didn't care about them.

Xie Changfeng, who was leading them, swept his cold gaze over the crowd and asked, "Who is in charge?"

"I, I, I am in charge."

"You are the madam here."

"Yes, yes, sir. What, what has happened here?"

"Is it your place to ask what happened?" Xie Changfeng didn't give the madam any face at all, directly stating, "There is a woman named Yunniang. Is she here?"

"She is, she is."

"Tell her to get out here."

The madam didn't dare to delay. Before long, she brought out a woman.

This woman's looks weren't considered top-tier, but she possessed a gentle charm unique to the water towns of Jiangnan. Her brows and eyes were filled with a pitiful and endearing look that made one feel tender towards her.

She also knew her advantages very well. After coming out, she put on a sickly appearance, which made her possess a bit of the charm of Xi Shi. This actually caused the hearts of many onlookers hiding around to flutter.

"This humble woman, Yunniang, greets you, sir."

"May I ask what business you have with this humble woman, sir?"

Xie Changfeng looked her up and down and gave a cold sneer. "Du Tao, you know him, right?"

"I-I know him."

"Good that you know him. As a squad leader of the Mounted Escort Division, Du Tao indulged in brothels and neglected his duties, violating the laws of the Demon Suppression Division. His crimes warrant execution!"

"And you..."

Xie Changfeng's tone grew colder. "Using your beauty to bewitch an official, enticing Du Tao to disrupt our military discipline, your crime is akin to treason. You are sentenced to immediate execution alongside him!"

Boom!

Like a falling thunderbolt, Yunniang's face instantly turned pale.

She had only thought Du Tao was easy to coax and possessed an item from the late emperor, which was why she put effort into him. How... how did it result in her having to die?

She wanted to defend herself.

Unfortunately, a Sigma male like Xie Changfeng wouldn't give her a chance at all.

"Save whatever you have to say for the dungeons of my Demon Suppression Division!"

"Men, take her away!"

...

Duke Ren's Mansion!

Ren Tianye sat upright in a grand armchair, while Su Jin half-kneeled on the ground to report, "Lord Duke, that Du Tao has been executed, and his lover has been executed as well. The information we got from his mouth regarding the late emperor and the late empress is only this much!"

Ren Tianye frowned slightly.

His mind, however, grew increasingly puzzled.

From Du Tao, his impression of the late emperor Xiao Jingyuan and the Prostitute Empress deepened. Wasn't this just a freaking relationship between a goddess and her simp?!

And a freaking ultimate evolved simp at that!

To freaking treasure a single mooncake for twenty years!

This was even more perverted than keeping a soda given by a goddess for several years!

"What kind of god-tier genetics does the Xiao family freaking have?"

Ren Tianye complained inwardly, but his curiosity toward the Prostitute Empress grew even stronger.

No matter what, the late emperor Xiao Jingyuan held the supreme status of an emperor. Even with his simp nature, he was used to seeing countless beauties and even had his own first love, yet he could actually be played to such an extent by the Prostitute Empress.

No matter how you looked at it, this Prostitute Empress was not simple.

Far from simple!

But...

How could someone like that end up wandering into a brothel?

Was she just naturally inclined to that lifestyle?

That didn't make sense, did it?

Furthermore... Ren Tianye rested his gaze on the brocade box, where the true-love knot looked increasingly glaring.

Xiao Mingzhao knew about this kind of true-love knot, and Xiao Jingyuan knew about it too, yet there were absolutely no records of it within the palace... Where on earth did this true-love knot come from?

...