Beg Your Highness, the Duke, for a Chance for this Guilty Minister

At Su Jin's command.

Xie Changfeng, the Commander of the Emotion-Severing Department, let out a cold laugh and charged forward with his men.

As the Commander of the Emotion-Severing Department, he was responsible for arrests, torture, and executions. The motto of their department was precisely: "One blade to sever emotions, clearing the ledger of life and death!"

This kind of work suited him perfectly.

Xie Changfeng felt absolutely no pity for Madam Liu and her three children. On the contrary, his heart was filled with irritation and violent urges; he had long wanted to test whether her eloquence was sharper, or the blade in his hand.

Thus, he gave a rough wave of his hand.

The men of the Emotion-Severing Department pounced like hawks catching chicks, instantly pinning Madam Liu and the three children to the ground.

Madam Liu and the three children immediately revealed expressions of sheer terror.

Their faces drained of all color.

Watching this unfold, Pei Jingzhi felt a twisted sense of gratification surge within him. The veins on the hand gripping his sword suddenly bulged, and then...

He turned and dropped to his knees with a heavy thud in front of Ren Tianye.

"Du-Du-Du-Duke..."

Wang Ming gave a helpless, bitter smile and slapped him on the back again.

Pei Jingzhi coughed, then shouted loudly, "Lord Duke, I, the guilty official Pei Jingzhi, am willing to serve you. I beg the Lord Duke to disregard past grievances and take this guilty official in."

"This guilty official still holds the common people in his heart, and still wishes for the peace and prosperity of the nation. I can still be of use. I still want to be of use..."

"Most importantly, this guilty official harbors hatred in his heart."

"I beg the Lord Duke to give me a chance."

Ren Tianye's gaze was ice-cold. He did not immediately accept this great talent he had long desired and who had finally delivered himself to his doorstep.

Instead, he said coldly, "I know your talents, and I gave you so many opportunities, yet you cherished none of them. Now that you've been beaten down, you suddenly realize my worth?"

"It's too late!"

"Where in the world are there so many good things just waiting for you?"

Pei Jingzhi suddenly let out a tragic laugh.

His face was filled with sorrow.

His heart churned with the ultimate remorse of self-denial.

He had dedicated his life to the country, only to find out that Xiao Mingzhao was not the legitimate ruler.

He had dedicated his life to Madam Liu, only for Madam Liu to cuckold him!

He had dedicated his life to his children, only to discover none were his own flesh and blood.

Now he finally understood the errors of his past, but there was no way back!

Standing to the side, Wang Ming was momentarily left speechless.

He suddenly felt that some people were simply too honest for their own good. Once they hit a wall in areas they weren't skilled at, they immediately fell into a psychological trap of self-pity, never truly analyzing the current situation.

Much less knowing how to take action to break the deadlock!

"Forget it, forget it. Who told me to always be so soft-hearted?"

With that, Wang Ming snatched the sword from Pei Jingzhi's hand. But just as the sword reached his grasp, he suddenly fumbled, and the sword clattered to the ground.

Wang Ming let out an "Ouch" and said, "This sword of mine rarely leaves its sheath, but when it does, it must draw blood. It hasn't tasted blood today, so it simply refuses to be put away."

"How disobedient."

Draw blood?

These words pierced through Pei Jingzhi's muddled brain. As if realizing something, he whipped his head around to look at Madam Liu and those three bastards not far away.

The court wasn't worth his loyalty anyway, and Ren Tianye refused to take him in. He had lived his life as a joke, so at the end of this joke, he might as well risk it all just once!

He bent down, picked up the sword, and suddenly charged forward.

Sprinting straight toward Madam Liu.

Strangely, not a single one of the elite personal guards filling the courtyard moved to stop him. They all just watched as Pei Jingzhi rushed right up to the members of the Demon-Suppressing Department and the Emotion-Severing Department.

Su Jin, the Vice Envoy of the Demon-Suppressing Department, and Xie Changfeng, the Commander of the Emotion-Severing Department, acted as if they hadn't reacted in time, deliberately stepping aside.

Allowing the flash of the blade to fall.

With a squelch.

The blade sank directly into Madam Liu's body.

"You... you... you..."

Madam Liu's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe that Pei Jingzhi—the man who had doted on her, spoiled her, loved her, and sworn to care for her his entire life—had actually thrust a sword into her body.

Madam Liu went limp and collapsed to the ground.

Blood flowed from the wound, but the strike wasn't fatal.

This entire scene had been anticipated by both Su Jin and Xie Changfeng.

Especially by a skilled veteran like Xie Changfeng.

From the moment he saw the direction of Pei Jingzhi's blade, he knew what would happen. After all, he was well aware that Madam Liu's earth-shattering remarks about the Female Emperor Xiao Mingzhao meant she absolutely had to be taken back for thorough interrogation.

They could let Pei Jingzhi vent his anger a bit.

But they couldn't let him kill her outright.

Otherwise, how would he explain it to the Lord Duke later?

Therefore, seeing that Pei Jingzhi's aim would severely injure but not kill, he felt confident enough to just stand aside.

However, now that Madam Liu had fallen, the matter couldn't simply be left at that.

Naturally, this required Su Jin to handle the situation.

Su Jin immediately barked a cold reprimand: "Pei Jingzhi, what audacity! This is a prisoner of my Demon-Suppressing Department. You tried to execute her before her crimes were even formally declared. My Demon-Suppressing Department is the most law-abiding place in the world. By doing this, aren't you trying to frame us as ruthless and unjust?"

The blood splattered on Pei Jingzhi had cleared his head a little. He hurriedly replied, "Although Madam Liu's crimes have not been read out, her deeds were committed in front of everyone. How can she deny them?"

"If the Demon-Suppressing Department arrests people based merely on planted charges, how can it function?"

"The Demon-Suppressing Department must have its own laws!"

This topic played exactly to Pei Jingzhi's strengths, and his thoughts instantly flowed like a spring: "Since the Demon-Suppressing Department exists to capture these lust-crazed demons of the world, it must establish laws."

"Those who indulge in romance and neglect their own duties shall receive twenty strokes of the cane and have their assets confiscated!"

"Those whose illicit affairs disrupt moral teachings, shake family honor, implicate their clans, and harm their elders shall receive fifty strokes of the cane, be exiled three thousand miles to the bitter cold lands, and have their relatives implicated."

"Those whose private affairs endanger the state, disrupt the court, cause neglect of government affairs, result in dereliction of duty, collude with the enemy, leak secrets, or frame the loyal and good shall face death by a thousand cuts, be chopped in half at the waist, or be granted suicide! The main offender's relatives within three generations shall be entirely executed, their assets confiscated, and their crimes broadcasted throughout the whole nation as a warning to others!"

At this point, Pei Jingzhi glared fiercely at Madam Liu, who was still conscious and staring wide-eyed, as well as the three children trembling in fear. His tone was firmer than ever before.

It was as resolute as the clash of swords and spears.

"These people have corrupted court officials because of their illicit affairs. They must be subjected to this punishment!"

Madam Liu and the three children were completely dumbfounded.

Pei Jingzhi didn't just want to kill them?

He wanted them sliced to pieces and chopped in half!

He wanted their entire family within three generations executed, their assets confiscated, and the news broadcasted to the whole country!

This was a fate worse than death!

This performance made Su Jin nod in approval. He immediately knelt before Ren Tianye and said, "Lord Duke, this Pei Jingzhi injured my key prisoner. He must be made to compensate for it."

"Right now, our Demon-Suppressing Department is newly established and still lacks a clerk capable of drafting regulations. I see that this Pei Jingzhi is capable. How about letting me take him away so he can atone for his crimes through good service?"

Ren Tianye glanced at Pei Jingzhi, then replied, "A clerk is too easy on him. Let him be an ordinary guard of the Demon-Suppressing Department—a guard who can hold a sword and kill!"

"Yes, sir!" Su Jin agreed respectfully.

...