CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 90: WITH OFFICIAL HONORS, NO TORTURE ALLOWED!

A qiu dashed out in a hurry, but ended up bumping into Mrs. Li Zhou on her way back.

Mrs. Li Zhou used to cherish this youngest son of hers, but now her face was cold: "Where are you going?"

"I..."

A qiu was frightened by his mother’s icy demeanor and shrank his neck back, while Mrs. Zhang, coming out from inside, quickly said, "He’s going to betray us, telling that little beast we’re plotting against him!"

"Slap!"

A crisp sound echoed in the air, and A qiu held his reddened and swollen cheek, looking at his fierce mother, and burst into tears, "Mother—"

"You ungrateful little brat, siding with outsiders, what is Li Qingmu to you that you feel compelled to tip him off? He has cut ties with our family, yet you still shamelessly cozy up to him? Useless thing!"

"Mother... sob, this is harmful... Third Brother will die... sob sob sob..."

"Shut up! What Third Brother? He’s not your Third Brother! You better remember this, he’s nothing but a thankless wretch! You all, what are you standing around for? Quickly bring this little thing inside and watch him closely, don’t let him get out to report!"

"Mother, mother, no, sob, sob..."

A qiu cried out, but his mouth was immediately stuffed with a cloth by Mrs. Zhang and then shut in the woodshed.

If Mrs. Li Zhou said she wasn’t nervous about this matter, it would be a lie. After all, this was slander and once the truth came out, she wouldn’t fare well either, but the contract was signed, and now there’s no turning back.

She glared fiercely at the family members and said coldly, "Make sure each of you seals your lips tight; we are all in this together now. If this rope breaks, we’ll all fall to our deaths!"

"Mother, don’t worry, this matter is known only to the heavens and the earth, to you and me. If anyone dares to spill it, I’ll be the first to strangle them!"

Mrs. Zhang’s eyes never left those silver taels. She was quick to flaunt her loyalty, hoping for a little extra allowance in the future.

The others chimed in one after the other. Mrs. Li Zhou realized she had to give them some peace of mind, so she said, "Once this business is over, every household will get ten taels of silver!"

"Oh, Mother, you truly are our dear mother!"

Everyone praised her, and Mrs. Li Zhou felt a sense of euphoria...

...

"Cough cough cough!"

At the Xiang Mansion, Li Qingmu wore a troubled expression, his throat sore and itchy. That night he had overextended himself with his wife Long Yue, catching a chill, but fortunately, after a few days of medicine, the illness was under control.

Just then, Long Yue entered with a bowl of pitch-black medicine, her face as cold as ice: "Drink it!"

Li Qingmu furrowed his brow, looking distressed and pitifully asked, "Wife, can’t I skip it?"

Drinking medicine every day, while tonic is bearable, this cold medicine looks incredibly unpalatable.

"Bang!" Long Yue placed the medicine on the table with force, saying coldly, "If you don’t drink it, never lay a finger on me again in your life!"

"..."

The punishment was too harsh, and Li Qingmu had no choice but to comply.

The good medicine tasted bitter, as was the nature of such cold medicine, which was incredibly bitter. Li Qingmu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and downed the bowl in one gulp, after which Long Yue gave him a piece of candied date.

"Why the act? You can handle such bitterness yet can’t stomach a bowl of medicine?"

Long Yue looked at him with disdain, thinking that indulging this man was why he developed these bad habits!

Indeed, she ought to be stricter with him.

As she was thinking, urgent footsteps were heard outside, and Xiang Yin burst in hurriedly, looking very pale: "It’s bad, A Mu, sister-in-law, the government officers are here!"

Today was the eighth day, just after the first lunar month, and the government office reopened, only to take on such a big case on their first day. The government officers were coming frequently.

"Bang!"

The Xiang family faced disaster; the main gate was kicked open by a head arrest officer, and a dozen government soldiers poured in.

"The government is here to arrest people, anyone who dares to resist will be executed without mercy!"

"Where is the suspect, Li Qingmu?!"

The sword-wielding head arrest officer stood in front of the courtyard, shouting, and the little government officials immediately rushed into the house to take the person into custody, causing chaos in the Xiang family.

"Suspect? How could my husband suddenly become a suspect? What on earth is the government doing?"

Long Yue and Li Qingmu came out of the room, casting disdainful looks at the head arrest officer, with Long Yue especially outraged!

"Humph!" The arrest officer sneered coldly, pulling out a government document, "There has been a report from Qingtian County, claiming you’re the posthumous son of a traitor from the Rebellion of the Seven Princes. The Emperor ordered back then to exterminate the traitor’s families involved! To comply with the imperial order, you must be taken back to the office for interrogation! If you resist, you’ll be executed on the spot! Clang clang clang..."

Upon finishing his words, long swords were drawn, and the Xiang Mansion was instantly engulfed in the glint of blades!

Li Qingmu looked at the soldiers surrounding him and suddenly chuckled softly. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, donned a Big Hat, and said calmly, "Since the government doubts my identity, fine, I’ll cooperate with the investigation!"

"Humph, at least you know what’s good for you! Otherwise, you’d be hacked to pieces!"

The arrest officer snorted coldly, waved his hand, and immediately a government officer came up holding shackles, ready to put them on Li Qingmu.

"Wait!"

Li Qingmu looked at the shackles so close to him, his gaze deepening, and he spoke softly, "I, Mr. Li, am a newly ranked scholar. With my current status, I cannot be subjected to punishment, and I am not obliged to kneel before officials!"

As he spoke, he held down those shackles, sneering, "So these shackles... might be unnecessary!"

With a push, the soldier holding the shackles almost fell to the ground.

"You..."

The arrest officer was taken aback, didn’t expect to encounter such a cunning character, and was extremely annoyed, but what Li said was true. A person with scholarly merit can only be "invited" by the government for questioning; they cannot be subjected to shackles or punishment.

Punishment is not inflicted upon scholars, nor is courtesy applied beyond the commoners, this is the principle!

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and with cold eyes, said, "Consider yourself lucky! But once you’re in the government office, we’ll see if you can still act so arrogantly! Take him away!"

The way he spoke, it was obvious the government had been bribed by Zhou Zhiqin, and going there would be walking into a trap.

Was there an alternative? No!

Breaking the game is just one aspect, but it’s the general who holds the real power!

The couple exchanged a glance, said no more, and followed along.

Meanwhile, in Qingtian County government office, County Magistrate Zhang Bingwen was meeting with a woman in the back of the court.

"Mr. Zhang, these are the instructions from the noble in Capital City. Her father is the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, so as long as you handle this well, promotions and such are no problem, and the noble might even have you transferred to the capital if she’s pleased. You wouldn’t have to guard this small Qingtian County for life; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"Hehe, I understand, I understand! Miss Zhou can rest assured, once the brat sets foot in this court, he’ll have no control over himself! I guarantee what is white will be turned into black, and black into gray..."

"Sir, the suspect has been brought in, should we begin the trial?"

Mr. Zhang was speaking enthusiastically when a government official’s voice came from outside. Mr. Zhang and the woman exchanged a look, then stood up and shouted, "The suspect has arrived, open court for trial!"