Chapter 98: Don’t Just Bite People Right Away
The darkness inside the posthouse was instantly so thick it felt like it couldn’t be dissolved.
In ancient times, there was no such thing as light pollution. Once the courtyard torches were extinguished, without any other light source, it became purely, pitch black.
Especially tonight—although the temperature was mild, the moon was merely a sliver of a waxing crescent, providing negligible light. Influenced by this atmosphere, the commoners held their breath. Consequently, there was not only no light but also no sound; even the insects fell silent.
In the darkness.
Wei Wanlan could hear his own shallow breathing.
The absolute darkness made him a little uneasy. He reached out, wanting to grab onto something, but sitting in the main seat, no one could get close to him. He had to find something to fiddle with to occupy his hands, his little dragon claws tightly gripping a ceramic brush rest.
What is the Valiant Warrior up to?
Just as his confusion was about to make his dragon head explode, and he was so depressed he wanted to scratch someone with his claws…
Suddenly, like a spark dropped into a barrel of oil, a brilliant, magnificent burst of firelight exploded around the posthouse!
—The soldiers had suddenly relit the four courtyard torches simultaneously!
The intense light instantly pierced everyone’s eyes.
Eyeballs stung with pain from the sudden glare.
Everyone’s simultaneous reaction was to shield their vision with their arms. The soldiers, the commoners, and Wei Wanlan all raised their sleeves in unison. Wei Wanlan furrowed his brows, tears nearly streaming down his face.
It took a long time for everyone to adjust to the blinding light.
When the people’s gaze returned to the case within the posthouse, they saw that the upright back of the Ruyang Sheriff had finally collapsed. His muscular face began to turn pale and weak, sweat pouring down, his lips trembling.
Xiao Ji asked him, “Sheriff of Ruyang, you are responsible for arresting criminals and judging cases. You must have seen many instances of false testimony. You have experience, you bribed the witness and your superior, yet you forgot that when people in the dark suddenly see light, they reflexively defend themselves?”
When people see a sudden flash of light, they close their eyes.
They wouldn’t look at others, let alone notice details on someone else’s body. It was impossible for them to have “seen clearly immediately,” as the Zhang family guard claimed. The testimony could not stand.
Wei Wanlan suddenly understood. He nodded internally, secretly praising himself for using this person well.
And Xiao Mengshi, the chief judge he had hand-picked, was indeed capable and tactful. He knew this was to pave the way for the Little Emperor’s “Complaint Drum” system.
He hurriedly maximized the Little Emperor’s reputation:
“Corrupt officials and villains! This testimony is full of holes. As local officials, instead of seeking welfare for the people, you engage in acts that distort the truth! If not for His Majesty’s concern for the people’s livelihood and his personal intervention to uphold justice for the Zhang woman, how much longer would you have preyed upon the villagers?”
Before Xiao Ji could even rouse the atmosphere further…
The woman, Zhang, knelt down first and performed several grand kowtows: “This common woman… this common woman is grateful to the Son of Heaven for upholding justice for my late husband. The Son of Heaven is wise…”
“The Son of Heaven is wise” acted like a trigger phrase.
As soon as the words were spoken, a chain reaction swept through the entire Luoyang Posthouse. Like a tidal wave, the cheers rolled from inside the posthouse to the outside, and a deafening roar rang in Wei Wanlan’s ears:
“Long live my Emperor! The Son of Heaven is wise!”
“Long live my Emperor! The Son of Heaven is wise…”
The firelight illuminated Wei Wanlan, dressed entirely in gold.
Although it wasn’t a dragon robe, clothes make the man. Wearing this shimmering gold outfit made him look divine and separate from the mundane, exuding an extreme sense of authority.
Wei Wanlan coughed lightly a few times. He was actually feeling a bit guilty inside, but he held his voice steady and spoke firmly:
“Fellow folks and elders.”
“We have decided to establish Complaint Drums in various locations.”
“They will be in every prefecture and county, and also in Our palace. We will send personnel specifically to collect everyone’s reports against court officials. From now on, the court has a system to supervise the officials, and We also entrust all of you to supervise them. If you have a grievance with nowhere to voice it, you may beat the local Complaint Drum and communicate with Us.”
—Come and help Us do the mission!
Wei Wanlan thought to himself.
But to the outsiders, the Little Emperor’s speech was infinitely shocking.
Everyone said the world belonged to the Emperor’s family. Throughout history, no emperor had ever used the word “entrust” with the common people. How could an emperor ask favors of commoners?
In that moment, the people felt as if this world actually belonged to the public, and the little emperor before them was a new head of the household trying hard to manage the family well.
They had the Emperor behind them. Someone was backing them up. Now, no matter if another Yuan Xizai or Fang Xizai appeared, or any other injustice occurred, they would no longer be afraid.
What a wonderful Complaint Drum!
The people were moved to tears.
Cheers of “Long live the Emperor, long live, long live” echoed through the courtyard.
At the same time, the system notification sound rang in Wei Wanlan’s ear.
【Ding——】
A brilliant golden, semi-transparent screen automatically appeared in front of the desk.
A system dialogue box popped up.
【Congratulations, Host. You have consecutively triggered achievements: Appointing the Meritorious, Mirror High Suspended (Justice Served), and Optimizing the System. You have continued to advance Mission Two significantly. You may receive another system reward.】
【One day of vacation.】
【We hope the Host continues to work hard and completes the second main mission as soon as possible.】
Va-ca-tion.
It’s a vacation!!!
This was Wei Wanlan’s favorite system reward, bar none. Wei Wanlan was so excited he nearly fainted. As expected, Mission One was immovable. Mission Two is My home turf, wuwuwu…
Ever since that separation at the Imperial Villa, the Regent King’s troops had guarded him tightly, so much so that Wei Wanlan had no chance to leave the Regent King’s control. With this vacation, no matter what, he had to see Fu Jun again.
Thinking of this, an inexplicable sweetness sprouted in Wei Wanlan’s heart, fuzzy and ticklish like a budding plant.
For the time being, no second commoner came forward to beat the Complaint Drum.
Wei Wanlan decided to close up shop.
With a wave of his little dragon claw, he ordered the soldiers on either side: “Men, take the County Magistrate, the Sheriff, the false witnesses, and the others away.”
Handling them was a matter for the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice.
This system encouraged him to discover talent and assign specialists to specific tasks. So, as long as the big picture was under control, he could let go of the trivial matters.
Nice! I’m really starting to feel like a wise ruler!
The Great Wei Emperor was carried away with success.
The burly Sheriff, knowing his fate was sealed as he was dragged away, remained silent despite his ashen face.
In contrast, the muddled Magistrate looked much more wretched. His official robes were in disarray, and his black gauze hat had fallen off his head. It seemed that entering the posthouse had been an ill omen from the start.
The Magistrate stared blankly, reaching out for the hat that had rolled to Wei Wanlan’s feet. But he was dragged further and further away, unable to reach it…
The reaction of the false witnesses was much more intense.
The timid night watchman shouted repeatedly for mercy.
The Zhang family guard yelled wildly as he was dragged away, his vulgar words echoing through the entire posthouse:
“Your Majesty, I really saw a black mole on Master Zhang’s penis! If you don’t believe me, dig up his coffin and check! I really saw him trying to commit that illicit act with the Sheriff’s concubine. The concubine’s clothes were torn, and Master Zhang was gnawing on her…”
That voice abruptly cut off.
Then, blood appeared on the ground. Beads of blood slid down the corner of the false witness’s mouth. Someone had forcibly silenced him.
The posthouse courtyard suddenly fell into silence.
An invisible pressure spread through the courtyard like vines, sharp tips piercing chests and gripping everyone’s hearts.
The Big Bad Villain always brought a sense of apocalyptic doom when he appeared.
Su Jingzhi stood with his hands behind his back. Unknown to anyone, he had strolled into the courtyard. He stood at the other end, facing Wei Wanlan across dozens of feet.
He was dressed in dark colors, his figure solid, his appearance cold and imposing. The chill around him was like wind blowing across a snowy plain.
Wei Wanlan’s throat bobbed. He unconsciously stood up from his chair.
They looked at each other like this.
For some reason, he clearly thought the Regent King was very angry right now. And inexplicably, he felt that it was inappropriate for him to discuss, behind the Regent King’s back and in public with so many people, certain parts of a man that shouldn’t be mentioned.
But he just didn’t know where this sense of inappropriateness came from.
The Big Bad Guy looked like he was about to ooze black water (evil)!
Save, save me…
The little puppet trembled secretly.
But as the Son of Heaven, Wei Wanlan certainly couldn’t act cool one second and then bury his head in the sand like an ostrich in front of everyone the next.
So Wei Wanlan had to struggle to save himself.
He approached the Regent King, leaned in, and hurriedly busied himself around the Regent King—removing his sword and squeezing his rough hand, calloused from habitual sword-wielding.
“Are you tired? Have you had dinner?”
The Regent King didn’t buy the sugar-coated bullets. He answered expressionlessly: “Headache.”
Wuwuwu, he has a headache QAQ.
That means he’s going to go crazy again, doesn’t it? QAQ
Someone is going to bite people QAQ.
Wei Wanlan’s whole body tensed up.
The other party’s bullying behavior in the Zichen Palace was still fresh in his memory. When a certain Regent King went crazy, he was irresponsible and could do whatever he wanted without control.
So Wei Wanlan hurriedly feigned compliance: “Then, it won’t hurt, We will cure you.”
“Mm.”
The Regent King walked into the posthouse.
He didn’t care who was watching. Acting willfully and going his own way, he passed through the crowd and went upstairs, his steps heavy and slow.
But Wei Wanlan didn’t dare stay in the courtyard a moment longer.
This is a Big Bad Guy! A Big Bad Guy about to go crazy!
So the monarch and minister disappeared from the courtyard.
The commoners were dumbfounded:
“Didn’t they say the Regent King bullies the Little Emperor??? So their relationship is actually this good???”
“The rumored iron-blooded Regent King is so clingy to the Little Emperor??? And the Little Emperor cares for and respects the Regent King so much???”
Possessing both generals and ministers, monarch and subjects in harmony.
The Little Emperor is truly not simple; at such a young age, he knows how to win people’s hearts.
With such an aura of a wise ruler, the resurgence of the Great Wei empire is hopeful!
“Woo.”
The Lord of Resurgence sat down on the bed with a thud. His eyes were teary.
The Regent King in front of him was so gloomy.
Wei Wanlan felt even more guilty.
For a moment, he didn’t know where to start coaxing; his feigned compliance was clueless. He wanted to choose a safe topic to break the ice. But the Big Bad Villain suddenly smashed him into the bed, like a collapsing jade mountain.
Wei Wanlan’s ears trembled violently. Shaking like a panicked little rabbit.
In the unlit bedroom, he was pressed into the Big Bad Villain’s arms. His eyes sore and soft, he pressed close to the Big Bad Villain and begged grievously:
“Wuwuwu, don’t just bite people right away QAQ.”
The tip of his nose bumped repeatedly against Su Jingzhi’s chest.
He suddenly remembered that grabbing Su Jingzhi’s clothes could cure all illnesses.
So he grabbed them readily.
But in that moment of peaceful snuggling, he keenly sensed that the Big Bad Villain was trembling.
“What’s wrong?”
The Big Bad Villain didn’t speak.
His breath was scorching hot. Although he hadn’t gone crazy, he seemed to be on the verge of losing control. If Wei Wanlan had to make an analogy, it was as if he had been hit by something or was seriously ill.
Very painful.
Not just the pain of a simple headache.
Wei Wanlan looked up from his embrace, blinking his doe-like eyes unbeknownst to anyone.
Fearing he would go crazy, Wei Wanlan didn’t dare move.
But now he could feel cold sweat constantly seeping from the Regent King’s body. The sweat wasn’t hot; it was wet and cold.
Wei Wanlan was startled.
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