Chapter 52
Unrivaled Power: Saying You're Guilty! [Bonus Chapter for Donations]
Chuzhou, Luoxia City.
Pingzhun Administration Office.
A refined and upright man was speaking eloquently in the government office. He wore a double-bridled official hat and an official robe embroidered with egrets. He was none other than Sima Chongguang, the fourth son of the Sima clan.
The officials listened quietly, occasionally clapping and cheering.
suddenly.
One of them came in and announced:
"My lords, the valiant cavalry of the East Temple have arrived with a group of sword-wielding men."
Sima Chongguang's voice stopped abruptly. He sneered and calmly walked back to his seat.
A moment later, a figure dressed in black xiezhi robes stepped into the government office, followed by a large group of twenty knife handlers, all of whom had been transferred from the government office.
"Sima Chongguang." Gu Lin stared at the refined man.
Sima Chongguang frowned deeply:
"You're Gu Lin... Gu... Gu something again, right? Are you here to interrogate me?"
He opened the drawer, took out an official document, handed it over, and said with a smile:
"The Equalization Administration has the duty to supervise commerce in Chuzhou. Your father was detained because someone reported him. The Equalization Administration has cleared your father's name. As a filial son, you should be grateful."
Before Gu Lin could speak, Yan Shouxu angrily said:
"Is torture by prison guards considered part of the investigation?!"
"Insolence!" Sima Chongguang roared in fury, pointing at him and cursing:
"According to the hierarchy, you have no right to yell at me."
After saying this, he composed himself and smiled at Gu Lin:
"There should be no such thing as torture to extract confessions. If there is, it is only because the jailers acted on their own. If Gu Xiaoqi has any grievances, he can go to the prison to arrest people for investigation. If it is found that I authorized it, I will go to the prefectural government office to confess my crimes."
He did all these things according to procedure, so it's impossible for the person surnamed Gu to find any fault with him.
As for taking it out on the prison guards, let Gu do it; it will only make Dongsi look bad.
For a sacred place to seek revenge on a few prison guards is both incompetent and laughable.
"To be punished in the prefectural government office?" Gu Lin suddenly laughed, his voice resounding:
"You should go to Dongsi Temple to confess your sins!"
Sima Chongguang's expression turned cold, and he retorted sharply:
"What do you mean by that? Is Gu Xiaoqi going to throw a tantrum in public? Your questioning tone is already an overreach of authority. What do you intend to do to me?"
He concluded that the man surnamed Gu could only be driven to impotent rage.
Who is he?
A powerful official in the sixth-rank government office in Chuzhou!
The direct descendants of the fourth branch of the Sima clan!
He wasn't some ignorant fool from a small town who acted as if the sky had fallen the moment he saw a holy land. The four holy lands had Daoist discipline offices and various checks and balances!
"What are you going to do with me?" Gu Lin roared angrily, "Take me away!"
Yan Shouxu, Wei Xuan, and the other three stepped forward, while the others who were holding the knife hesitated to move. This was completely overstepping their bounds, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Outrageous behavior!" The officials of the Pacification Commissioner's Office roared in fury, "Guards! Guards!"
It's utterly absurd and laughable. If a lowly soldier from the Holy Land could seize a sixth-rank official with real power, then Chuzhou would be thrown into chaos, and all order would be out of control.
"Calm down." Sima Chongguang showed no fear, but instead calmly reassured his subordinates with a smile, saying:
"I'll go with him."
"Bind me with the chains from Dongsi Temple!!"
He even stared at Gu Lin with a slightly provocative look.
This should satisfy and make my niece Zhishu grateful.
Given how outrageous Gu's actions are, how can he expect to have a good end?
He was indeed a reckless and impulsive madman. Once provoked, he became utterly reckless and courted his own destruction!
The other officials persisted in stopping him, using this as a way to express their loyalty to their superior; they certainly knew that Lord Sima was absolutely safe and sound.
In the Divine Dynasty, nothing can be accomplished without rules. How could a mere elite cavalryman possibly capture a powerful sixth-rank official? This elite cavalryman will surely pay a devastating price!
Seeing that the group of executioners remained motionless, while only Yan Shouxu and the other two took out iron chains to restrain Sima Chongguang, Gu Lin turned around and slowly took out a document from his sleeve.
Sima Chongguang remained all smiles. He even thought that this Gu fellow was hopelessly stupid. Your official documents may be law to others, but this is the Pingzhun Administration Office!
However, upon seeing the official document, the group of ghostwriters clasped their hands in salute and surrounded Sima Chongguang.
The moment the officials saw the official document, their faces turned terrified.
This change left Sima Chongguang bewildered and uncertain.
Gu Lin turned around and unfolded the official documents.
Sima Chongguang immediately looked at the stamp.
Upon seeing the three red characters on the seal, he felt as if struck by lightning, and his face turned extremely pale.
It wasn't Gu Lin.
It is "Cao Qingzhi"!
This is a document from the centurion! This is a document from the centurion!
Gu Lin sneered:
"Can I investigate you now?"
Sima Chongguang's face turned ashen, and he was instantly choked, unable to utter a single word.
Gu Lin looked around at the group of officials and said sternly:
"Can I take him with me? Am I overstepping my bounds?"
All the officials bowed their heads in silence, their eyes filled with horror.
The head of the Eastern Temple naturally had the right to investigate officials of the sixth rank in the government.
Gu Lin said in a chilling tone:
"Pass on my order: seize all commercial documents handled by Sima Chongguang, not a single one! Anyone in the Pingzhu Bureau who does not cooperate will be considered to have defied the Dongsi Temple!"
"Yes, sir!!" the group of assistants replied decisively.
After waiting for an hour, Gu Lin personally supervised the process until all the documents were taken away before leading his men away.
Sima Chongguang didn't say a word the whole time, only looking bewildered.
......
The Zhao residence.
Sima Zhishu and Zhao Can each secluded themselves in their quiet rooms to cultivate.
Upon learning the devastating news of his uncle's detention, Sima Zhishu's refined face was filled with rage, and he angrily rebuked:
"How dare that Gu fellow act so recklessly! If even a single hair on my uncle's head is stolen, the people of the Holy Land will report him to the Daoist Discipline Office, and he will pay a heavy price!"
Zhao Can was overjoyed upon hearing this, but he couldn't show it in front of Sima Zhishu, so he pretended to be angry.
The opportunity is coming!
Lord Zhou, the commander of the Martial Peak Hall, had promised him that he would definitely help if he seized the opportunity.
Moreover, there's the entire Sima clan!
That beast will surely be driven out of the holy land this time, and then it will be a wild dog to be slaughtered at will!
A junior official from the Equalization Administration cautiously said:
"This is the official document from the investigation of the Hundred Households of Toji Temple."
Sima Zhishu's expression changed drastically.
Zhao Can, standing to the side, felt no joy whatsoever; his anger slowly built up.
The two looked at each other.
Oh no!
The investigation by the Toji Hyakuho was entirely compliant and within the scope of their duties!
"Let's go." Zhao Can strode away.
Sima Zhishu was extremely anxious and quickly followed.
......
On Mount Luoxia, the East Temple oversees the office of the knife-wielding men.
Many members of the Sima clan had already arrived upon hearing the news.
There were elite cavalrymen from the Wendao Academy dressed in lotus-patterned robes.
There were elite cavalrymen from the Martial Peak Palace dressed in robes of three-legged golden crows.
There were also those from Dongsi and Tianxuanwei.
As for the people who wrote the scripts for each of them, there were quite a few.
This is only a small portion of the Sima clan in the sacred land.
After a long wait, a figure dressed in black mythical beast robes slowly stepped out.
He spotted Zhao Can in the crowd and the woman in the elegant dress beside her.
"Gu Lin!" The man in black robes, dressed as a mythical beast, stepped forward from the East Temple and sternly rebuked him.
"Are you really going to arrest Sima Chongguang, the head of the Equalization Administration, today? You're new to this holy land; there's no need to make an enemy of the Sima clan, is there?"
The matter was already settled, and no one present questioned any procedural overreach; they just wanted Mr. Gu to release the person.
Facing so many members of the Holy Land and their assistants, Gu Lin cupped his hands towards the sky and said respectfully:
"To be loyal to the Divine Dynasty is to fulfill one's duties. Since someone has reported this, shouldn't we investigate it thoroughly? If Sima Chongguang is innocent, I will apologize to him and prove to the Pingzhun Bureau that Sima Chongguang is innocent."
A cavalryman from the Wendao Academy, dressed in a lotus-patterned official robe, stepped forward and said coldly:
"What exactly do you mean by this? Are you deliberately provoking the Sima family?"
Gu Lin laughed, his tone unusually cold:
"My father ran a security escort agency. The Pingzhun Bureau detained my father in jail on the grounds of irregularities in the escorting of goods. He was severely tortured and interrogated. If the security escort agency had not been so clean, my father would have been a corpse long ago."
"Now that someone has reported a high-ranking official in the Equalization Fund, shouldn't I be doing my job properly?"
He paused slightly, then spoke each word deliberately:
"Who bullied the weak first?"
A deathly silence fell over the surroundings, and the many clansmen looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting this to be the case.
To put it bluntly, it's about personal revenge.
A newly promoted member of the Holy Land actually dared to retaliate against the powerful clans.
The Tianxuan Guard's elite cavalryman, clad in a Qilin robe, suddenly spoke up:
"Gu Lin, right? I also have the right to thoroughly investigate your father, anytime, anywhere."
Gu Lin remained expressionless and nodded slightly.
"Tianxuan Guard and Dongsi certainly have the right, and it's all legal and compliant."
"I can also thoroughly investigate your father, your grandfather, and all your relatives!"
"Come on, I, Gu Lin, came all the way from a remote little county to Luoxia Mountain with just my parents. Do you think I'm afraid of your powerful family? Go ahead and do whatever you want now, unless you own the Holy Land, you can expel me from the East Temple right now!"
The Tianxuan Guard's cavalrymen had stiff expressions, staring intently at Gu Lin without saying another word.
As a member of the second wife's family, she would never mess around with Gu Lin for the sake of the fourth wife's family. To put it bluntly, her parents' status and bloodline were far superior to Gu Lin's parents!
All the members of the Sima clan had grim expressions. They never expected this newcomer to be so domineering, seeking only momentary pleasure without considering his future survival.
Sima Zhishu's face was gloomy, and his eyes were fixed on Gu Lin with a venomous look.
Gu Lin smiled silently and said calmly:
"What exactly is everyone in such a hurry for?"
"I will personally review all the documents and affairs handled by Sima Chongguang, and I will not miss any details, after all, I want to clear his name."
"Please trust in the character of the officials of the Pingzhun Administration, and please trust in the determination and character of the members of Dongsi Temple in fulfilling their duties."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Innocent?
Would I let him go unpunished?
We're willing to risk everything, we're ready to fight you head-on!
If we compromise, there will be endless oppression from now on!
Even if I completely offend the Sima clan, as long as I can shine in the Holy Land Competition and get promotion rewards and training from the East Temple through my performance, I will be even less afraid of the Sima clan!
Dare to play? I'll play with you to the very end!
Gazing at the figure in black robes, the Sima clan members were all furious, but none of them dared to force their way into the office of the executioner.
Everyone is part of the rules of the Holy Land, and everyone is following the rules. But the one surnamed Gu is also adhering to the rules.
Pingzhun Administration Office.
A refined and upright man was speaking eloquently in the government office. He wore a double-bridled official hat and an official robe embroidered with egrets. He was none other than Sima Chongguang, the fourth son of the Sima clan.
The officials listened quietly, occasionally clapping and cheering.
suddenly.
One of them came in and announced:
"My lords, the valiant cavalry of the East Temple have arrived with a group of sword-wielding men."
Sima Chongguang's voice stopped abruptly. He sneered and calmly walked back to his seat.
A moment later, a figure dressed in black xiezhi robes stepped into the government office, followed by a large group of twenty knife handlers, all of whom had been transferred from the government office.
"Sima Chongguang." Gu Lin stared at the refined man.
Sima Chongguang frowned deeply:
"You're Gu Lin... Gu... Gu something again, right? Are you here to interrogate me?"
He opened the drawer, took out an official document, handed it over, and said with a smile:
"The Equalization Administration has the duty to supervise commerce in Chuzhou. Your father was detained because someone reported him. The Equalization Administration has cleared your father's name. As a filial son, you should be grateful."
Before Gu Lin could speak, Yan Shouxu angrily said:
"Is torture by prison guards considered part of the investigation?!"
"Insolence!" Sima Chongguang roared in fury, pointing at him and cursing:
"According to the hierarchy, you have no right to yell at me."
After saying this, he composed himself and smiled at Gu Lin:
"There should be no such thing as torture to extract confessions. If there is, it is only because the jailers acted on their own. If Gu Xiaoqi has any grievances, he can go to the prison to arrest people for investigation. If it is found that I authorized it, I will go to the prefectural government office to confess my crimes."
He did all these things according to procedure, so it's impossible for the person surnamed Gu to find any fault with him.
As for taking it out on the prison guards, let Gu do it; it will only make Dongsi look bad.
For a sacred place to seek revenge on a few prison guards is both incompetent and laughable.
"To be punished in the prefectural government office?" Gu Lin suddenly laughed, his voice resounding:
"You should go to Dongsi Temple to confess your sins!"
Sima Chongguang's expression turned cold, and he retorted sharply:
"What do you mean by that? Is Gu Xiaoqi going to throw a tantrum in public? Your questioning tone is already an overreach of authority. What do you intend to do to me?"
He concluded that the man surnamed Gu could only be driven to impotent rage.
Who is he?
A powerful official in the sixth-rank government office in Chuzhou!
The direct descendants of the fourth branch of the Sima clan!
He wasn't some ignorant fool from a small town who acted as if the sky had fallen the moment he saw a holy land. The four holy lands had Daoist discipline offices and various checks and balances!
"What are you going to do with me?" Gu Lin roared angrily, "Take me away!"
Yan Shouxu, Wei Xuan, and the other three stepped forward, while the others who were holding the knife hesitated to move. This was completely overstepping their bounds, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Outrageous behavior!" The officials of the Pacification Commissioner's Office roared in fury, "Guards! Guards!"
It's utterly absurd and laughable. If a lowly soldier from the Holy Land could seize a sixth-rank official with real power, then Chuzhou would be thrown into chaos, and all order would be out of control.
"Calm down." Sima Chongguang showed no fear, but instead calmly reassured his subordinates with a smile, saying:
"I'll go with him."
"Bind me with the chains from Dongsi Temple!!"
He even stared at Gu Lin with a slightly provocative look.
This should satisfy and make my niece Zhishu grateful.
Given how outrageous Gu's actions are, how can he expect to have a good end?
He was indeed a reckless and impulsive madman. Once provoked, he became utterly reckless and courted his own destruction!
The other officials persisted in stopping him, using this as a way to express their loyalty to their superior; they certainly knew that Lord Sima was absolutely safe and sound.
In the Divine Dynasty, nothing can be accomplished without rules. How could a mere elite cavalryman possibly capture a powerful sixth-rank official? This elite cavalryman will surely pay a devastating price!
Seeing that the group of executioners remained motionless, while only Yan Shouxu and the other two took out iron chains to restrain Sima Chongguang, Gu Lin turned around and slowly took out a document from his sleeve.
Sima Chongguang remained all smiles. He even thought that this Gu fellow was hopelessly stupid. Your official documents may be law to others, but this is the Pingzhun Administration Office!
However, upon seeing the official document, the group of ghostwriters clasped their hands in salute and surrounded Sima Chongguang.
The moment the officials saw the official document, their faces turned terrified.
This change left Sima Chongguang bewildered and uncertain.
Gu Lin turned around and unfolded the official documents.
Sima Chongguang immediately looked at the stamp.
Upon seeing the three red characters on the seal, he felt as if struck by lightning, and his face turned extremely pale.
It wasn't Gu Lin.
It is "Cao Qingzhi"!
This is a document from the centurion! This is a document from the centurion!
Gu Lin sneered:
"Can I investigate you now?"
Sima Chongguang's face turned ashen, and he was instantly choked, unable to utter a single word.
Gu Lin looked around at the group of officials and said sternly:
"Can I take him with me? Am I overstepping my bounds?"
All the officials bowed their heads in silence, their eyes filled with horror.
The head of the Eastern Temple naturally had the right to investigate officials of the sixth rank in the government.
Gu Lin said in a chilling tone:
"Pass on my order: seize all commercial documents handled by Sima Chongguang, not a single one! Anyone in the Pingzhu Bureau who does not cooperate will be considered to have defied the Dongsi Temple!"
"Yes, sir!!" the group of assistants replied decisively.
After waiting for an hour, Gu Lin personally supervised the process until all the documents were taken away before leading his men away.
Sima Chongguang didn't say a word the whole time, only looking bewildered.
......
The Zhao residence.
Sima Zhishu and Zhao Can each secluded themselves in their quiet rooms to cultivate.
Upon learning the devastating news of his uncle's detention, Sima Zhishu's refined face was filled with rage, and he angrily rebuked:
"How dare that Gu fellow act so recklessly! If even a single hair on my uncle's head is stolen, the people of the Holy Land will report him to the Daoist Discipline Office, and he will pay a heavy price!"
Zhao Can was overjoyed upon hearing this, but he couldn't show it in front of Sima Zhishu, so he pretended to be angry.
The opportunity is coming!
Lord Zhou, the commander of the Martial Peak Hall, had promised him that he would definitely help if he seized the opportunity.
Moreover, there's the entire Sima clan!
That beast will surely be driven out of the holy land this time, and then it will be a wild dog to be slaughtered at will!
A junior official from the Equalization Administration cautiously said:
"This is the official document from the investigation of the Hundred Households of Toji Temple."
Sima Zhishu's expression changed drastically.
Zhao Can, standing to the side, felt no joy whatsoever; his anger slowly built up.
The two looked at each other.
Oh no!
The investigation by the Toji Hyakuho was entirely compliant and within the scope of their duties!
"Let's go." Zhao Can strode away.
Sima Zhishu was extremely anxious and quickly followed.
......
On Mount Luoxia, the East Temple oversees the office of the knife-wielding men.
Many members of the Sima clan had already arrived upon hearing the news.
There were elite cavalrymen from the Wendao Academy dressed in lotus-patterned robes.
There were elite cavalrymen from the Martial Peak Palace dressed in robes of three-legged golden crows.
There were also those from Dongsi and Tianxuanwei.
As for the people who wrote the scripts for each of them, there were quite a few.
This is only a small portion of the Sima clan in the sacred land.
After a long wait, a figure dressed in black mythical beast robes slowly stepped out.
He spotted Zhao Can in the crowd and the woman in the elegant dress beside her.
"Gu Lin!" The man in black robes, dressed as a mythical beast, stepped forward from the East Temple and sternly rebuked him.
"Are you really going to arrest Sima Chongguang, the head of the Equalization Administration, today? You're new to this holy land; there's no need to make an enemy of the Sima clan, is there?"
The matter was already settled, and no one present questioned any procedural overreach; they just wanted Mr. Gu to release the person.
Facing so many members of the Holy Land and their assistants, Gu Lin cupped his hands towards the sky and said respectfully:
"To be loyal to the Divine Dynasty is to fulfill one's duties. Since someone has reported this, shouldn't we investigate it thoroughly? If Sima Chongguang is innocent, I will apologize to him and prove to the Pingzhun Bureau that Sima Chongguang is innocent."
A cavalryman from the Wendao Academy, dressed in a lotus-patterned official robe, stepped forward and said coldly:
"What exactly do you mean by this? Are you deliberately provoking the Sima family?"
Gu Lin laughed, his tone unusually cold:
"My father ran a security escort agency. The Pingzhun Bureau detained my father in jail on the grounds of irregularities in the escorting of goods. He was severely tortured and interrogated. If the security escort agency had not been so clean, my father would have been a corpse long ago."
"Now that someone has reported a high-ranking official in the Equalization Fund, shouldn't I be doing my job properly?"
He paused slightly, then spoke each word deliberately:
"Who bullied the weak first?"
A deathly silence fell over the surroundings, and the many clansmen looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting this to be the case.
To put it bluntly, it's about personal revenge.
A newly promoted member of the Holy Land actually dared to retaliate against the powerful clans.
The Tianxuan Guard's elite cavalryman, clad in a Qilin robe, suddenly spoke up:
"Gu Lin, right? I also have the right to thoroughly investigate your father, anytime, anywhere."
Gu Lin remained expressionless and nodded slightly.
"Tianxuan Guard and Dongsi certainly have the right, and it's all legal and compliant."
"I can also thoroughly investigate your father, your grandfather, and all your relatives!"
"Come on, I, Gu Lin, came all the way from a remote little county to Luoxia Mountain with just my parents. Do you think I'm afraid of your powerful family? Go ahead and do whatever you want now, unless you own the Holy Land, you can expel me from the East Temple right now!"
The Tianxuan Guard's cavalrymen had stiff expressions, staring intently at Gu Lin without saying another word.
As a member of the second wife's family, she would never mess around with Gu Lin for the sake of the fourth wife's family. To put it bluntly, her parents' status and bloodline were far superior to Gu Lin's parents!
All the members of the Sima clan had grim expressions. They never expected this newcomer to be so domineering, seeking only momentary pleasure without considering his future survival.
Sima Zhishu's face was gloomy, and his eyes were fixed on Gu Lin with a venomous look.
Gu Lin smiled silently and said calmly:
"What exactly is everyone in such a hurry for?"
"I will personally review all the documents and affairs handled by Sima Chongguang, and I will not miss any details, after all, I want to clear his name."
"Please trust in the character of the officials of the Pingzhun Administration, and please trust in the determination and character of the members of Dongsi Temple in fulfilling their duties."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Innocent?
Would I let him go unpunished?
We're willing to risk everything, we're ready to fight you head-on!
If we compromise, there will be endless oppression from now on!
Even if I completely offend the Sima clan, as long as I can shine in the Holy Land Competition and get promotion rewards and training from the East Temple through my performance, I will be even less afraid of the Sima clan!
Dare to play? I'll play with you to the very end!
Gazing at the figure in black robes, the Sima clan members were all furious, but none of them dared to force their way into the office of the executioner.
Everyone is part of the rules of the Holy Land, and everyone is following the rules. But the one surnamed Gu is also adhering to the rules.