Chapter 94: Little Wan Presides Over the Court
Wei Wanlan hadn’t heard that system notification sound in a long time.
For a moment, he thought 404 was back online, and his heart leaped with joy, his doe-like eyes suddenly sparkling.
But 404’s brisk electronic voice didn’t reach his ears. Instead, a dialogue box appeared before his eyesâpale gold and translucent. He hadn’t even opened the system; it had popped up on its own.
He had triggered a system reward:
ăCongratulations! The host has significantly advanced the progress of Mission Two. You have received a reward from this System: One opportunity to reuse a prop. We hope the host will continue to work hard and complete all main missions soon.ă
Then, a small red dot appeared in the bottom right corner of Wei Wanlan’s field of vision on the system interface.
It looked a lot like a game notification.
If he clicked this small dot, he could open the props folded within the system.
Normally, the props from the Wise Ruler Development System could not be reused.
This was an “Item Encore.”
having finally obtained such a rare chance to reuse an itemâwhat should he get back?
This question swirled in Wei Wanlan’s mind.
Just then, a breeze blew past carrying fallen flowers, but mixed within the floral scent was the tang of blood.
Wei Wanlan’s pupils constricted; he was very sensitive to smells.
“What is that smell?”
In the time it took Wei Wanlan to frown and wonder, the Regent of Great Wei had already walked through the square piled high with treasures, hands clasped behind his back, entering the main hall of the Governor’s Office.
Wei Wanlan only saw his back, looking straight ahead, as if the piles of jadeite cabbages, seven-foot coral trees, and massive South Sea pearls along the way… were completely invisible to him.
Su Jingzhi walked straight into the main hall but didn’t take the main seat; he sat in the secondary seat.
He left the main seat for Wei Wanlan. Without slapping the gavel, he announced the opening of the session in a voice void of ripples. Below the hall stood not yamen bailiffs, but his own elite soldiers. The soldiers didn’t chant “Mighty,” but dressed in armor and bearing blades, their towering figures were mighty enough on their own.
“Bring in the prisoners from Luoyang Prison!” a soldier bellowed, his voice echoing off the beams.
Although Wei Wanlan’s upper body was straight and proper, looking the part, his little dragon claws were hidden behind the desk, carefully resting on his legs as he played with the gavel. He had seen county magistrates in period dramas rely entirely on this block of wood for authority, but the Big Bad Guy didn’t need it; the Big Bad Guy was authoritative without being angry.
So, the Regent needed to bring the little puppet along to handle government affairs again?
…Were they still dealing with the aftermath of the Yuan Xizai case?
Actually, given the Regent’s temperament, he should have already struck down many corrupt officials based on Yuan Xizai’s ledgers.
But perhaps the case implicated too many people, and even the Regent couldn’t completely clean up the aftermath within two days?
Hehe, the Big Bad Guy’s work efficiency hasn’t been high these past two days! Even the Big Bad Guy slacks off sometimes!
Thinking of this, since the Big Bad Guy was overseeing things anyway, Wei Wanlan felt he could just leech off the mission progress. He didn’t plan to speak; he planned to sit back and enjoy the results.
So Wei Wanlan played with the gavel even more enthusiastically with his little dragon claws, lowering his eyes to steal glances at it. The gavel was shiny and heavy…
But at this moment, the Big Bad Guy suddenly spoke:
“Although Yuan Xizai is dead, aside from corruption, he committed other atrocities. We absolutely cannot let it end with his death; this case must be investigated to the very bottom.”
“Your Majesty is the key that brought this massive corruption to the surface. It is only right that Your Majesty presides over the trial.”
The scent of blood in the main hall grew heavier.
Wei Wanlan’s little dragon claws, clutching the gavel, paused.
Hearing the Regent’s meaning, he wanted to hand the presiding power over to him. Slacking off was no longer an option; this was a bit tricky.
Nowadays, a certain Regent had become smarter. In the past, the Regent would take on everything himself, but now he was quite astuteâhe watched others do the work.
Fine. I’ll judge if I have to.
After all, I’m doing my own mission; it’s only right that I do it myself.
This little dragon claw was just itchy to play with this gavel, and now it’s actually coming in handy, wuwu QAQ…
Wei Wanlan slammed it downâSmack!
“Court is in sessionâ”
The “prisoners from Luoyang Prison” were brought in at that moment.
What appeared in Wei Wanlan’s line of sight were several soldiers carrying stretchers.
The stretchers creaked as the soldiers walked. They were covered with white cloths, and seeping through the white fabric were mottled bloodstains, blooming like flowers.
The soldiers set the stretchers down.
A soldier reported:
“The prisoners have been brought! Reporting to Your Majesty, these prisoners involved in the Yuan Xizai case are all people who once opposed Yuan Xizai, or commoners who wanted to report his many crimes…”
“They were privately thrown into prison by the traitor Yuan for torture and retaliation. Most of them are now dead.”
“There are some who, by the time they were carried here, were already gone, but they insisted on entering the main hall, determined to breathe their last breath inside the Governor’s Office.”
The soldier’s tone was as flat as possible, fearing he might influence the Son of Heaven’s judgment. But his eyes were like cold stars, faintly revealing a righteous indignation and a strong sense of justice.
Wei Wanlan’s gaze swept over them.
Indeed, under the several white cloths, the figures were completely motionless.
However, the bloody scent permeating the Governor’s Office grew even stronger.
The smell of blood was like sniffing a piece of iron frozen through in winter. It was also as if the spirits of the deceased were intentionally using this physiological discomfort to trigger Wei Wanlan’s emotions, to attract his attention.
Wei Wanlan blinked his doe-like eyes a few times. Since the Big Bad Guy wanted him to judge, he asked in a small voice:
“For Yuan Xizai’s crimes, should we also add ‘setting up private prisons and illegal detention’?”
He didn’t actually expect the Big Bad Guy to answer.
He just wanted to say it out loud to sort out his thoughts. He felt it was something like that, but he wasn’t entirely sure.
The Big Bad Guy looked straight down at the hall: “The Luoyang Prison has long existed. It is not ‘setting up private prisons,’ but ‘abusing torture and disregarding the law’.”
Wuwuwu, how does the Big Bad Guy know exactly what to say!!!
Because the Big Bad Guy gave him that hint, Wei Wanlan didn’t embarrass himself. He slapped the gavel and announced the crime, sounding very professional:
“Yuan Xizai ‘abused torture and disregarded the law.’ Has everyone in this Luoyang Prison been tortured to death by him? Are there only corpses left to voice their grievances?”
The wrath of the Son of Heaven, combined with the sound of the gavel, carried an imposing aura.
People in the main hall cooperated to build the atmosphere: “Your Majesty, quell your anger! Your Majesty, quell your anger!” First, one person knelt, and then the whole hall knelt down.
Wei Wanlan blinked his eyes behind his bangsâhe felt his acting was spot on, very much like a judge.
Just then, among the soldiers who had gone to fetch the witnesses, one who had fallen slightly behind suddenly strode into the main hall and reported to Wei Wanlan and Su Jingzhi:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Highness. We found a special death row cell in the prison, containing a prisoner captured by Yuan Xizai.”
“He’s a tough nut to crack. When we found him, he was already a bloody man, stabbed multiple times, with a severed arm. He was thrown into a dark cell only five feet high, making it impossible for him to stand up or sit down.”
“But he is still alive. He hasn’t breathed his last.”
Wei Wanlan vaguely felt that certain information seemed to match up.
This person…
He was a little anxious to see this witness who could expose more of Yuan Xizai’s secrets. Unconsciously, he stood up from his chair.
The man with the severed arm was not only covered in wounds but also wrapped in iron chains as thick as a child’s arm.
The chains were specially made; the links were not smooth. They might have been intentionally soaked in water to create layers of reddish-brown rust. When the prisoner wore these iron chains, rust flakes would fall into his flesh and wounds, preventing them from healing and causing unbearable itching and pain.
This brought inhumane torture to the person.
Yet, even with only one breath left, when the man was supported into the main hall of the Governor’s Office, his eyes remained tightly closed, his fists clenched, his lips bitten tight, his face covered in blood and grime.
When the Regent saw the man, his body momentarily leaned back and went rigid. He steadied himself, stepped down from his seat, and stood beside the man.
Wei Wanlan, somewhat tentatively, squatted on the man’s left side and called out in a voice neither loud nor soft:
“…Xi Yan?”
The tough man’s eyes suddenly snapped open!
His expression was one of eyes splitting with rage. It was as if someone had taken the thing most important to him and was using it to threaten him.
Previously, he had been disdainful of the outside world, refusing to cooperate, existing on the edge of survival by instinct and impending collapse. Now, he had a violent reaction.
He shook his long arm with a boom, the chains all over his body vibrating!
The commotion created by this man caused the eaves of the main hall to hum in resonance, shaking dust down from the walls.
He was clearly not much different from a corpse, yet who knew where he found the strength to shout:
“My son Xi Yan! My son Xi Yan! You dog of a thief, you will surely be executed by the laws of the country… The traitor Yuan must be executed! The traitor Yuan deserves ten thousand deaths!”
The chains clattered loudly.
Wei Wanlan was nearly struck by the iron chain swung by the man.
How could the Son of Heaven be injured by a prisoner in full view of everyone? It would be a slap in the face to the Great Wei military.
But ultimately, the Regent was faster than everyone else.
Su Jingzhi moved, squatting down and pinning the man. Because his strength was immense and the opponent’s resistance was fierce, two powerful forces collided. The thin floorboards couldn’t withstand it and hummed, the stone tiles cracking open.
The “bloody prisoner” was firmly controlled by this force.
The pupils in his eyes trembled, as if retracting his emotions from the intense excitement. He gradually saw clearly the person controlling him:
“Youâ”
The Regent stepped aside at this moment.
He left the “bloody prisoner,” who had completely dispelled any thought of attacking, to Wei Wanlan.
Wei Wanlan was stunned for a moment. Realizing there was no danger, he dared to poke his head into the center of the storm and asked in a small voice, “Xi Yan’s father?”
When they traveled to Douhe Village, they had met Xi Yan, who planned to lie in wait and assassinate Yuan Xizai. Xi Yan had seen his father clash with Yuan Xizai’s men and thought his father had died in the chaotic fight after having his arm cut off.
But judging by the current situation…
Xi Yan’s dad hadn’t died.
Instead, because he disobeyed Yuan Xizai, he was captured and taken back to Luoyang Prison. The traitor Yuan intended to torture him until he wished for death. This was Yuan Xizai’s sicknessâwanting to be superior to others, wanting to dominate them.
Wei Wanlan bit his lip.
Good and evil truly have their rewards. The arrogant Yuan Xizai probably never imagined that Xi Yan’s father, whom he had tortured to his last breath, would become the key witness to add to his crimes and expose even more of his evil deeds to the public.
Xi Yan’s father said in a deep voice:
“This commoner is… Xi Antai.”
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