Ch. 539 - Xu Kun

Officials above the fourth rank in the Capital were mostly in their forties or above, and the wives of the family, who were worthless, naturally had already passed the age of having children. Even if occasional old trees were blooming, they mostly came from young and beautiful concubines.

Therefore, it was perfectly normal for Sun Shaozu to be at the top of the list.

Besides him, there was only one official with a wife of fourth grade or above who was pregnant, the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple.

Even the fifth and sixth-rank officials, there were only 5 on the list, and most of them were second-generation who were sheltered by their ancestors.

Only at the level below the seventh grade did the number of people begin to surge, and among them, the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Academy, which were filled with successful candidates, accounted for a considerable proportion.

However, by the eighth grade, the quantity began to plummet again.

Because most of the lower-ranking officials have obtained the status of successful candidates of the Imperial Examination through their qualifications, they have to wait until they age and have no hope of passing the Imperial Examination before choosing to become a ninth-rank official.

Sun Shaozong roughly scanned it first and then selected several key suspects from top to bottom. Since they were the ace spies that the White Lotus Sect had high expectations for, they should at least have one of these three types: a high position, authority, and a great future.

Speaking of this, the suspicion on his Big Brother has increased even further, with a list of over forty people. It seemed that he was the only one who could truly be called a *’high authority with a great future.*

And upon careful consideration, the Sun family and the court have a *'father-killing grudge!'*

In addition, the two brothers were once in a difficult situation, and the cost of bribing seemed not to be very high…

***Tch!***

He checked and checked, wouldn’t it really hit him, right?!

As he was struggling, he heard footsteps coming nearby. Sun Shaozong instinctively looked up and saw Lu Hui walking in with a gloomy expression on his face.

Sun Shaozong immediately restrained his worries and handed the *'list'* to Lu Hui. He said as if he had nothing to do, "This was just delivered. Please take a look at it, Pacifier."

At the end of the day, Sun Shaozong still trusted his Elder Brother and believed that he wouldn't have done such a thing.

Lu Hui took over the list but did not rush to read it. Instead, he asked, "Have you ever traced who the real traitor is?"

After receiving a negative answer, his expression seemed to have worsened. He rolled up the list, tapped it in his palm a few times, and suddenly said decisively, "At this very moment, we can’t care about being kind to women. Bring Zang Liang and Xu Kun's family over quickly!"

This was clearly a plan to torture and extract confessions directly from the two people, regardless of their circumstances!

But didn't he say before that he would wait until the mole was discovered and use the other person's family as a trump card?

"Your Excellency."

Sun Shaozong couldn't help but wonder, "Why do you need to be so anxious? Is there another mistake?"

"The Old Thief Ge Zhan!"

Just now, Lu Hui went to interrogate Ge Zhan with Insence Master Wang.

Originally, it was through the betrayal of Insence Master Wang that he worked hard to pry open Ge Zhan's mouth.

Unexpectedly, Ge Zhan spoke up, but the information he revealed greatly disappointed and even angered Lu Hui.

According to Ge Zhan, when he hurriedly led his team to the Capital, he knew that this mission was near death. Therefore, before leaving, he discussed with the sect leader and several elders. After he left the northwest, the addresses, contact information, and secret code incisions of each branch would be replaced on a large scale.

In other words, Incense Master Wang's seemingly powerful confession was actually like waste paper!

Moreover, even prying open Ge Zhan's mouth might not necessarily yield much useful information.

For Lu Hui, who was eager to make achievements to save face and was trusted by the court, it was like a blow to his head. No wonder he suddenly became agitated and eager to uncover the traitor.

Of course, this was also because Zhao Jiayi and others, who were the leaders, had already cleared their suspicions, leaving only two small officials from the sixth and seventh grades. Even if they were unjustly killed, it would still be a routine *’loss’* within the scope of the Northern Town Governor's Office, which was not enough to cause harm to others.

To put it simply, scenery and risk were always two sides of the same coin. The Dragon Guard, who usually wielded immense power, would only end up worse than others if they were to make a mistake.

Although Sun Shaozong had the intention to persuade, judging from Lu Hui's resolute appearance, he was afraid that he would not easily change his mind.

Moreover, from those confessions, it was difficult to discern the true traitor for a moment, and he didn’t dare to accept all the blame.

Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to bow his hand, saying, "Pacifier, there is still one of our own brothers inside. Why don't you let me give it a try in words first? If it doesn't work, it's not too late to execute again."

Although it was a routine loss, it would be best if one could distinguish the true traitor without resorting to torture.

So Lu Hui didn't even think about it, so he entrusted the initial trial work to Sun Shaozong. As for the later stage, if it was really beyond his ability, Sun Shaozong could only choose to be invisible.

At least, Sun Shaozong was thinking this way at first.

Until…

He saw Zang Liang's daughter!

It was not like the *'Since the moment I saw you'* series. That little girl was around one year old, tightly held in her mother's arms, with a pitiful and thin expression that immediately touched Sun Shaozong, who had just become a father.

Who did this little person provoke again?

With a deep sigh in his heart, Sun Shaozong lifted his spirits and called out to Yang Licai to give orders in his ear. When he was ready to stop, he led Xu Kun's parents and wife into the interrogation room.

Speaking of Xu Kun's wife, she was also innocent. She married Xu Kun only after he entered the Capital. Who would have thought that within half a year of getting married, she would be involved in such a trivial matter?

As it was a continuation marriage, this woman was the daughter of a commoner. How could she ever see the gloomy battle in this dungeon?

Before entering the interrogation room, she was trembling with fear, and tears welled up. When she saw dozens of terrifying torture tools in the room, she collapsed at the door with a thud, refusing to move any further.

The two old men, on the other hand, had some courage and snuggled together into the interrogation room. They were both frightened and hopeful, asking, "Your Excellency, Xu Kun from our family..."

Sun Shaozong did not answer. Instead, Yang Licai, who had been waiting inside for a long time, waved his hand, and several Dragon Guards immediately approached, inexplicably locking the old couple, along with their paralyzed daughter-in-law, to the wall.

"Your Excellency, spare my life, spare my life!"

When the two old men saw this, they immediately lost all their energy. However, Xu Kun's wife woke up and immediately screamed, "I just married him a few days ago. I have no idea what he has done, My Lord!"

The high-pitched scream echoed in the interrogation room, while at the same time exuding a hot smell, indicating that the woman was already scared out of control.

Yang Licai furrowed his brows and shrugged his nose. His right hand, which was tucked in his sleeve, moved around, probably wanting to take out a handkerchief to cover it. However, in front of Sun Shaozong, who was calm and obedient, he still managed to hold back. As a subordinate, how could he dare make a fuss?

However, he couldn't help but suggest, "My Lord, why don't we stop this woman's mouth?"

"No need, just let her shout."

As he spoke, he heard the clattering of iron chains outside, followed by a skinny man with a fierce face breaking in.

Seeing the three people hanging on the wall, he immediately knelt and snatched his head off the ground, saying, "I’m unfilial. You two have suffered!"

After speaking, he straightened his body and glared at Sun Shaozong, saying, "Inspector, I, Xu Kun, joined the Northern Detective Department at the age of nineteen as a member of the martial arts examination. I have been going through ups and downs for fourteen years, and even if I don't have any credit, there will still be hard work. You haven't figured out everything right now. How could you implicate my parents?"

This guy was originally squinting his eyes, but now his eyes were wide open. When he spoke, his chest rose and fell like a mountain. Behind him, the iron chains with both hands on his back made a clattering sound, indicating that he was extremely angry.

From the expression alone, it didn’t seem like there was guilt in his heart.

However, it couldn’t be ruled out that he possessed the acting skills of an actor. After all, if he were a spy, he would be using his life to perform now.

"How do you know we haven't figured it out?"

Sun Shaozong casually asked a question and then sneered, "After investigation, someone threw a note through the wall close to 11 a.m. and reported it to the thieves inside. At that time, there was a chance to approach the backyard of Liyue Residence, only you and Zang Liang are possible."

At this point, he slightly lowered his body and stared at Xu Kun with a burning gaze, saying word by word, "And just now, Zang Liang has proven his innocence!"

Upon hearing these words, Xu Kun immediately looked like he had opened a grocery store, and he had been a Dragon Guard for over a decade. He, too, was clear about what it meant to become the only person who couldn't prove his innocence!

"No... that's impossible!"

Immediately, he roared. He panicked and furiously shouted, "I have been following the Pacifier in Jiangnan. How could I possibly have any connection with the White Lotus Sect?"

"Let's put it this way."

Sun Shaozong stared intently at him and asked, "Was it the White Lotus Sect who instructed you behind your back?"

"I..."

Xu Kun was speechless for a moment, lost in thought, and then angrily said, "No one has instructed me at all. I, Xu Kun, have never done anything wrong to the Pacifier or the Northern Governor!"

From the subtle facial expressions, there was still no flaw, especially the momentary confusion. Even with early preparation, it might be difficult to express it so naturally.

So it seemed that Zang Liang's suspicion might be…

Although there was some progress, Sun Shaozong couldn't be happier. He sighed and stood up straight, giving a glance to Yang Licai on the side.

Yang Licai immediately brought people forward to liberate Xu Kun's family.

At the same time, the Guard responsible for escorting Xu Kun also rushed forward to unlock the chains on his body.

This sudden change completely confused Xu Kun. Subconsciously, he rubbed the bruise on his wrist and hesitated, saying, "Your Excellency, this is..."

"Actually, Zang Liang has not been able to clear his suspicion yet. If you want to prove your innocence, please cooperate with me to perform a scene."

Comments