Two Possibilities

Wu Zhe looked respectable, despite being in his forties or fifties.

As a fourth-rank high official who had long held a prominent position, he appeared aged but his complexion was fair, and he sported a long, wispy beard reminiscent of a western willow.

He carried himself with a certain vigor.

It was clear that in his youth he must have been handsome and dashing.

Though Yang An did not know this man,

he was certain that his brother-in-law wouldn’t know him either. That left only one possibility: this Deputy Commander was a reinforcement sent by Princess Anle.

“So the damn woman really came to save me,”

Yang An couldn’t help but feel a flicker of gratitude toward her.

Had he not been poisoned by the “Five-Day Heartbreaking Powder,” his gratitude would have been far deeper.

The iron frame used for torture was removed.

Yang An quickly clasped his fists in thanks, saying, “Thank you, sir, for coming to my aid. May I ask your name?”

Seeing that Yang An did not recognize Wu Zhe,

Sun Ming’s heart, which had been hanging on the edge of a cliff, suddenly began to beat a little faster. He thought to himself: Could it be that Wu Zhe had mistaken the person? Was he not here to save Yang An?

A misunderstanding?

He hurriedly reported to Wu Zhe about Yang An’s crime of murder.

“Sir, this Yang An is a villain! He killed fourteen people at the Wang family’s bank — a heinous criminal!”

After speaking, he scolded Yang An harshly: “This is Wu Zhe, Deputy Commander of Yunzhou! You scoundrel, kneel down!”

You want him to kneel to me?!

Do you know which god stands behind him?

Are you trying to make sure I die without a grave?!

Wu Zhe’s heart trembled at those words.

If it weren’t for years of cultivating his inner energy, he would have burst out cursing. Anger surged through him, and with a raised hand, he slapped Sun Ming hard across the face.

The slap was delivered with full force.

Sun Ming spun several times in midair before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Half of his face was instantly a bloody mess.

He spat out a mouthful of teeth mixed with blood.

“How dare you! Who gave you the right to speak here?” Wu Zhe shouted angrily at Sun Ming, then immediately switched to an extremely gentle smile. He clasped Yang An’s hands tightly and spoke warmly, “Young sir, don’t listen to this scoundrel’s nonsense about kneeling or not. I am Wu Zhe, Deputy Commander of Yunzhou.”

After taking that slap,

Sun Ming immediately sobered up. Realizing that Wu Zhe had come specifically for Yang An, he dared not say another word and retreated to the side, trying to escape. But the entire prison chamber was surrounded by silver-armored soldiers, sealed off so tightly that escape was impossible.

Li Yan, standing nearby, was also somewhat stunned.

He didn’t understand why this fourth-rank official had come to rescue his brother-in-law. He hurriedly bowed, “Your servant Li Yan, a Yunzhou constable, pays respects to Deputy Commander!” At the same time, he signaled Yang An not to be disrespectful.

Yang An followed his brother-in-law’s lead and bowed.

Wu Zhe did not dare accept Yang An’s bow. He quickly supported the arms that were about to bend and said repeatedly, “Under my jurisdiction, to have a meritorious man like Young Sir Yang suffer such injustice at the hands of villains is my fault. I have no face to accept your bow.”

Every word Wu Zhe spoke was clear to Yang An.

But when strung together, it became incomprehensible.

Meritorious man?

Me?

What merit do I have? Supporting the princess?

Yang An was a bit confused.

Wu Zhe glared coldly at the retreating Sun Ming and said, “You’re the one who arrested Young Master Yang, aren’t you? It’s disgraceful that Yunzhou has someone like you who bullies the people and harms loyal and meritorious men! You deserve death!”

His tone was filled with murderous intent, chilling and ruthless.

Sun Ming shrank his neck in fear.

Sun Ming hurriedly raised his voice in protest, “My lord, I am innocent! I did not harm any meritorious officials! As for Young Master Yang, it is true that he killed fourteen people at the Wang family’s Qianzhuang!”

“Looks like you, dog official, really won’t give up until you’re dead—won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin!”

With a sharp rebuke from Deputy Wu,

a young man who bore some resemblance to Wu Zhe strode out from among the soldiers of the Yin family army.

With a rustling sound,

the young man sneered and threw out stacks of papers from his sleeve.

They scattered like snowflakes onto the floor before Sun Ming.

Sun Ming lowered his head to look.

His eyes suddenly narrowed. These papers were nothing less than wanted posters—exactly fourteen of them!

The portraits on them were unmistakable.

They were of Wang Gou'er, Zheng Huaiyi, and a host of other notorious bullies. Beneath each portrait, four large characters were written in vermilion ink: “Dead or alive!”

Sun Ming felt as if he had fallen into an ice pit, trembling all over.

How had Wang Gou'er suddenly become wanted?

When did this happen? Why had he never heard a word about it?!

But the scariest thing was not knowing anything at all.

Gradually, Sun Ming began to understand—he had hit a brick wall. Yang An was no down-and-out scholar at all!

It was all a lie, a deception!

Yang An’s background was far greater than he had ever imagined!

Deputy Wu said to Sun Ming, “Now you understand the crime you’ve committed, right? Attempting to murder a meritorious official is punishable by exile. And since you yourself are an eighth-rank military officer, knowingly breaking the law is an even graver offense. Prepare to be executed!”

At the mention of execution,

Sun Ming’s face turned pale, sweat pouring down as if it were free. He begged Wu Zhe, “My lord! I had no idea about these wanted posters. If I had even a thousand guts, I wouldn’t have dared to arrest Young Master Yang. Besides, I wasn’t the one who arrested him!”

Seeing that the situation was untenable,

Sun Ming decisively shifted the blame onto Liu Mang. “My lord, it was him—the one called Liu Mang. He quarreled with Young Master Yang and took revenge by having him arrested and thrown into the grand prison. I knew nothing of it. I beg you to be lenient!”

Since Deputy Wu and the others had entered the prison,

Liu Mang, who had been trembling and kneeling on the side, now shouted angrily, “You pin everything on me, Sun Ming? How cruel you are!”

He also reported Sun Ming’s misdeeds to Wu Zhe.

“My lord, it was all Sun Ming. He was the one who brought Young Master Yang to Yunzhou Grand Prison! Everything was under his orders!”

“Liu Mang! You’re talking nonsense!”

“You’re the one talking nonsense!”

Just as the two were about to come to blows,

Wu Zhe laughed, “No worries, neither of you will get away. Both will be executed.”

Liu Mang was desperate.

He pounded his head on the ground repeatedly, begging for mercy.

He pounded so hard that blood splattered everywhere.

Though drenched in sweat, Sun Ming still had some courage and said, “My lord! I am a student of the Imperial Academy! The High Ancestor Emperor once said: Students of the Imperial Academy are the Emperor’s own disciples! If they break the law, their crimes must be reported to Chang’an for the Emperor’s personal judgment!”

“You cannot sentence me directly!!!”

Sun Ming nearly shouted this out loud.

Wu Zhe’s expression stiffened. He really hadn’t expected Sun Ming to have such a status.

Being a student of the Imperial Academy,

he indeed could not be judged directly. Wu Zhe found himself in a bit of a bind.

Sun Ming stretched out his hand and said, “Lord Wu, please imprison me.” He glanced at Yang An, the shadow of malice lurking in his eyes, thinking to himself: As long as there’s no trial, there’s still room to maneuver! You have your backers, and so do I. This isn’t over! When I get out, I’ll make you pay!

And just then—

Keke, who had been sticking close to Yang An ever since they met again, her face wearing a silly smile, suddenly perked up at the mention of the words “Imperial Academy.”

Her ears twitched sharply.

She stepped away from Yang An and glanced at Sun Ming, who was short and stout like a pig, with a black mole on his face.

Extremely ugly.

She scrunched up her little face and said, “You bullied Big Brother! You’re a bad person! Our Imperial Academy doesn’t want bad people like you. From today on, you’re no longer one of us.”

Sun Ming: ?

He laughed angrily, trying to suppress his fury, “You’re just a little girl who hasn’t even grown a single hair. Do you really think you can represent the Imperial Academy?”

“I can’t represent it, but my lady can.”

With that, the little girl opened her small hand, revealing a jade token.

The moment Sun Ming saw that jade token—

His whole body stiffened.

This was the exclusive jade token of a dean! Whose token was this? How could it be in the hands of a little girl?

And when he made out the character “Jiang” on the token—

Boom!

It was like thunder exploded in Sun Ming’s head. Everyone in the Imperial Academy knew about the “Jiang” token!

The Imperial Academy was structured just like a sect.

Besides the Literature Academy,

there were also six other academies: Body, Military, Law, Alchemy, Craft, and Formation. Each academy had a dean, ranking just below the chief instructor. Jiang Chunxi, the dean of the Jiang Academy, was the only one in the Imperial Academy’s history to hold three dean titles simultaneously.

Holding Jiang Chunxi’s jade token,

Keke was blatantly using it to intimidate him, saying, “When we arrived, my lady said to expel you from the Imperial Academy. From today on, you’re no longer one of its students.”

“Did you say that, or did your lady say that?”

Yang An looked at Keke suspiciously.

Keke turned her serious little face toward Lord Wu and said, “The skinny old grandpa, he’s no longer connected to our Imperial Academy. You can judge him however you want.”

When Wu Zhe had arrived at the gates of Yunzhou Prison, he saw the carriage Keke was riding in. Not only was it pulled by a Cloud-Stepping Divine Deer, but the carriage was also engraved with the character “Jiang.” The little girl was definitely closely connected to Dean Jiang—at the very least, a trusted confidante.

Believing her words, Wu Zhe’s face immediately darkened as he ordered the silver-armored soldiers, “Drag him down and behead him!”

Sun Ming’s legs went weak with fear.

He collapsed to his knees with a thud, fully aware that neither this mysterious little girl nor Wu Zhe were here to save him—they were here to protect Yang An. At this moment, begging Yang An was his only chance at survival!

He crawled on the ground to Yang An’s side.

Without saying a word, he began furiously slapping his own face.

His blows were heavy.

Each slap landed with a wet, whip-like “smack,” his already swollen cheeks quickly turning into a bloody mess.

Even the black mole on his face was beaten into a bloody red.

Tears streaming down his face, he cried out desperately, "Young Master Yang, I was wrong! I'm nothing but a beast, a lowly wretch! Please, have mercy and just let me go like a fart in the wind! I swear I’ll never show my face before you again! I beg you, spare me!"

"Young Master Yang! Have mercy! I still have an eighty-year-old mother to support and a three-year-old daughter to raise. Please, spare me this once! I beg you!"

"What a pathetic sight. Drag him away and kill him immediately!" With a single command from Commander Wu, several silver-armored soldiers moved to pull Sun Ming aside.

Yang An said calmly, "Commander Wu, hold on a moment."

At these words, Wu Zhe's expression shifted slightly.

Sun Ming thought Yang An was softening.

Grasping at this lifeline, he begged even more hoarsely, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, Young Master Yang, for sparing my life!"

Wu Zhe hastily objected, "Young Master Yang, this corrupt official must not be let off!"

Let him go?

What a joke!

For those who dared to harm his family,

Yang An would not spare a single one!

Without a shred of emotion, Yang An said, "Commander, may I use this interrogation room to question him and Liu Mang first? Afterward, I will have them executed."

Sun Ming: !

Commander Wu chuckled, "Please, Young Master, do as you wish."

He led his men out of the cell.

Now, only Yang An, Li Yan, and the two men—Sun Ming and Liu Mang—bound to the iron frame remained inside.

Yang An wasted no time.

He grabbed a glowing iron rod and pressed it before Sun Ming’s face, his voice cold and sharp: "Where exactly did you hear that the Wang family’s money house case was orchestrated by me?"

Yang An still hadn’t figured it out.

That night at the Wang family money house—

He had killed everyone who could be killed, and paid off the rest to ensure they’d be trapped on the same sinking ship, too afraid to report him.

So how did Sun Ming know the case was his doing?

As for Sun Ming’s claim that it was Wang Gou'er’s wife who informed on him—

Yang An didn’t believe a word.

"Speak quickly!"

He pushed the iron rod closer.

The searing heat radiating from the rod distorted the very air around them. Sun Ming tried to recoil, but bound to the iron frame, he couldn’t move—only turning his face sideways with great effort.

Sweat broke out across Sun Ming’s face instantly.

His eyes were filled with terror.

Having often used such torture devices on others, he knew all too well how terrifying they were.

His lips trembled violently, voice quivering: "I-I’ll tell you... maybe... maybe you’ll spare me?"

Yang An replied coldly, "If you talk now, I’ll let you die quickly. If not, I’ll torture you until you’re willing to speak, then kill you."

Sun Ming realized he was doomed either way.

He broke down, crying and begging, "Didn’t you say one should leave a way out for others, so they can meet again someday?"

Yang An smiled coldly, "You know about leaving a way out?"

He pressed the glowing iron rod forward.

Yang An drove straight into Sun Ming’s left eye socket. With a sharp crack, black smoke erupted instantly, scorching Sun Ming’s left eye to a ruin. A heart-wrenching scream echoed out from the prison.

Li Yan, who often interrogated prisoners, was present.

Seeing Yang An strike with such ruthless brutality, even Li Yan couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Half an hour later.

The two of them walked out from the prison.

Yang An wiped the blood from his hands, his face expressionless.

Inside the cell, Sun Ming and Liu Mang—

Not only had they lost all semblance of humanity, but there wasn’t even a trace of life left in them.

Frowning, Yang An spoke to Li Yan, “Based on their testimonies, Sun Ming wasn’t lying. He really did learn from Wang Gou’er’s wife that I was behind the massacre at the Wang Family’s bank. But when I killed those people, Wang Gou’er’s wife was definitely not at the Wang Family’s bank.”

Li Yan helped analyze, “There are only two possibilities. The first is that Wang Gou’er’s wife really was at the Wang Family’s bank, but you simply didn’t notice her.”

“The second is that someone informed Wang Gou’er’s wife beforehand, prompting her to accuse you of the crime, while Sun Ming was merely a pawn they used.”

Yang An thought the same.

The first possibility was somewhat manageable—it meant Sun Ming’s matter was just an accident, and now that he was dead, it was over.

But if it was the second...

Yang An narrowed his eyes, a cold sense of being outmaneuvered creeping over him.