Chapter 63 I Want to Report to the Authorities

Liang Jin walked all the way through the crowd.

The surrounding believers of the Peace Sect bowed to him one after another.

Liang Jin's expression was impassive, his stride heroic and powerful, as if nothing in the world could block his path.

This imparted an immense sense of oppression to Qiu Zhuo.

Even as Liang Jin drew near, Qiu Zhuo involuntarily took a step backward.

At last.

Liang Jin reached the very front of the Yellow Turban followers and came to a halt.

Miao Yuanzheng stood behind Liang Jin with a saber at his waist, holding an umbrella for him.

At the entrance of the magistrate's office, Zhang You offered Liang Jin two apologetic smiles, then secretly tugged at Qiu Zhuo's sleeve.

Startled back to his senses, Qiu Zhuo hurriedly asked in a mild tone:

"Grand Preceptor, what is the meaning of this..."

Liang Jin answered in a ringing voice:

"Magistrate, we are here to report a crime."

Before Qiu Zhuo could recover his wits, Liang Jin waved his hand.

Following the gesture, the Yellow Turban followers carried out more than a dozen corpses.

They laid these bodies out in a neat row right at the entrance of the government office.

And these very corpses were none other than the masked men who had previously ambushed Liang Jin.

"Magistrate, a moment ago, some miscreants attempted to assassinate me."

"Regarding this matter, Magistrate, you must give me an explanation."

Liang Jin spoke in a deep tone.

Gazing at the sea of corpses, Qiu Zhuo felt a chill strike deep into his heart.

He knew all too well who these people were.

Immediately, wearing a solemn expression of absolute assurance, Qiu Zhuo declared:

"Rest assured, Grand Preceptor, eradicating violence and bringing peace to the people is an obligation this official cannot shirk."

"I shall dispatch men to investigate this thoroughly at once, and we will surely unmask these scoundrels who dared to attempt the murder of a man of virtue."

When Qiu Zhuo finished speaking, Liang Jin did not respond, merely looking at him with a half-smile.

The scene fell silent once more.

A silence so profound it was suffocating.

The heavy rain fell ceaselessly, and the fresh blood flowing from the corpses on the ground mingled with the rainwater, snaking away in crimson rivulets.

After a moment, Liang Jin continued:

"I have already uncovered the identities of these individuals."

"Numerous eyewitnesses can testify that these men are bodyguards of the Yang family."

As Liang Jin finished speaking, quite a few people stepped out from the crowd.

Most of them were ordinary townsfolk, but there were even a few city gate guards among them.

Clearly, they were the witnesses.

Seeing this, Qiu Zhuo felt a wave of panic wash over him.

He had not expected this affair to implicate the Yang family after all.

Qiu Zhuo could only manage an awkward smile:

"Rest assured, Grand Preceptor. Since the Yang family plotted to harm you, naturally this official will not sit idly by."

"However, the Yang family is a prominent clan of the prefectural province, residing beyond my jurisdictional boundaries."

"Yet you need not worry; I shall draft a letter to the prefectural yamen right away, requesting a thorough investigation by the provincial authorities."

Qiu Zhuo knew full well that the prefectural yamen would not do anything to the Yang family either.

The Yang family was deeply rooted in Qingzhou Prefecture; this was not something that could be overturned by a simple charge of attempted murder.

Furthermore, the intended victim was merely a commoner—though this commoner wielded immense influence in Taiyang County, that was the extent of it.

Qiu Zhuo would do what was expected of him just to pacify Liang Jin for the time being.

As for how those higher up chose to handle it, that was beyond his control, and Liang Jin could not pin the blame on him.

Liang Jin gave a faint smile:

"Since the Magistrate is so impartial and incorruptible, I ask that you inspect the weapons used by the assassins."

As his voice trailed off, the Yellow Turban followers produced several more items and placed them at the threshold of the county office.

They turned out to be powerful military crossbows!

These were the hand crossbows the masked men had used when assassinating Liang Jin.

Upon seeing these lethal crossbows, Qiu Zhuo's complexion changed drastically, and his heart leaped wildly in his chest.

Liang Jin, however, had already begun to recite:

"According to the Great Qian Code: illegally possessing one set of armor and three crossbows carries a sentence of two thousand miles of exile; possessing three sets of armor and five crossbows is punishable by hanging."

Hearing this, Qiu Zhuo could not help but swallow hard.

While the laws of the Great Qian were indeed written thus, it all depended on whether one chose to enforce them strictly.

Swordsmen often transgressed the law through martial prowess.

Among martial artists, those who secretly hoarded armor and military crossbows were by no means rare.

Most of the time, the officials turned a blind eye to such matters.

If one insisted on splitting hairs, however, with more than ten crossbows laid out here, the crimes of the Yang family would be catastrophically grave.

At this moment.

The Yellow Turban followers who were searching the Yang family's carriage convoy cried out in discovery:

"Grand Preceptor! We found crossbow bolts inside this carriage!"

"So many crossbow bolts, entirely filled with crossbow bolts!"

Following closely behind, the Yellow Turban followers hauled crossbow after crossbow out of the carriage compartments, hoisting bundles upon bundles of arrows out with them.

These crossbows and arrows were piled up right at the yamen's entrance, presenting a truly staggering and alarming sight.

Liang Jin glanced at them and remarked:

"There are at least fifty military crossbows here. By law, this constitutes treason, punishable by the execution of three generations of one's kin."

"Magistrate, would you not agree?"

Qiu Zhuo clenched his teeth tight, not daring to answer.

Internally, he could only curse the Yang family for being utterly arrogant and overbearing—what on earth were they doing hoarding so many crossbows?

Yet Qiu Zhuo did not dare utter those curses aloud.

He was merely a petty county magistrate; where would he find the audacity to pin a charge of treason on the Yang family?

Although Yang Jingye was dead, the members of the Yang family were still alive, and their influential patrons still stood behind them.

Reporting a case of treason upward was entirely different from reporting a murder.

A murder case could be overlooked by the prefectural yamen.

Once treason was reported, however, the implications were too vast; the prefectural yamen could not ignore it even if they wanted to.

When that time came, the Yang family might not necessarily fall, but Qiu Zhuo knew his official cap would be gone for good.

His expression shifting through a myriad of emotions, Qiu Zhuo ultimately stepped out from beneath the eaves of the county office and braved the heavy rain to approach Liang Jin.

He lowered his voice and said:

"Grand Preceptor, this matter is far too grave."

"You may not know this, but the head of the Yang family, Yang Jingye, was just killed inside the county office by someone from the Return-to-One Sect. Your grievance has already been avenged by another."

"As for the details, they cannot be explained clearly in a short time."

"I implore the Grand Preceptor to condescend and step into the inner hall, so that this official may discuss the matter with you in detail."

His first priority was to invite Liang Jin into the yamen, safely away from prying eyes and ears.

Once inside, Qiu Zhuo would naturally use various conditions to negotiate with Liang Jin, even making massive concessions if necessary.

Otherwise, if this commotion continued in front of so many Yellow Turban followers, the situation would soon spiral completely out of control.

Liang Jin, however, flatly refused:

"Qiu Zhuo, as a magistrate, your duty is to enforce the law impartially."

"If you have reservations, then my Peace Sect shall back you up."

"I shall lead tens of thousands of the Peace Sect's followers, bringing you along with us to voice our grievances at the prefectural yamen."

Several stalwart Yellow Turban followers immediately stepped forward and surrounded Qiu Zhuo tightly.

Reaching out with large, powerful hands, they seized Qiu Zhuo by the arms, looking fully prepared to drag him away by force.

This frightened Qiu Zhuo out of his wits.

If tens of thousands of Peace Sect members really marched him to the provincial prefecture to cause a scene, everyone would hold Qiu Zhuo responsible as the ringleader.

By then, Qiu Zhuo would not merely lose his official position—he might even lose his head!

Panicking, Qiu Zhuo turned his head toward Zhang You and the gathered bailiffs:

"Master Secretary! Master Secretary!"

Though a crowd of bailiffs stood right behind Zhang You, not a single one of them made a move to rescue Qiu Zhuo.

While the bailiffs had not all joined the Peace Sect, they were acutely aware of what they were doing.

With so many members of the Peace Sect present on the opposite side, a single spit from each of them could drown the yamen guards.

Furthermore, evil men were trying to murder the Grand Preceptor and cut off the lifeline of all sick patients!

If the magistrate chose to harbor such villains and act as an accomplice to tyranny, then a magistrate like that was not worth protecting.

Zhang You could only attempt to look for the city garrison troops.

Yet after scanning his surroundings, not only did he fail to see any garrison troops coming to the rescue, but he also spotted quite a few soldiers among the ranks of the Peace Sect.

As for the other officials in the county office—such as the chief of constables or the assistant magistrate—they had no idea where they had gone into hiding, and not a single one dared to show their face.

This left Zhang You with no choice but to sigh softly, shaking his head at Qiu Zhuo to indicate his utter helplessness.

At this, Qiu Zhuo fell into absolute despair.

He could only gaze pleadingly at Liang Jin:

"Grand Preceptor..."

Liang Jin, however, raised his hand and pointed toward several carriages within the Yang family's convoy.

From atop these carriages, large chests were being unloaded one by one by the Yellow Turban followers.

When the chests were cracked open, they were found to be completely filled with silver ingots!

Qiu Zhuo knew that these were the funds the Yang family had prepared for their commercial ventures in Taiyang County.

Yet Liang Jin stated:

"The moment the Yang family arrived at the county office, the Magistrate treated them as honored guests, and then dispatched bodyguards to assassinate me."

"Could these chests of silver perhaps be used to bribe you, Magistrate?"

Hearing this, Qiu Zhuo felt the accusation was absurd.

These silver pieces looked to amount to at least one hundred thousand taels!

How could a petty county magistrate like himself ever warrant being bribed with such a staggering sum?

"This money was clearly meant by Elder Yang for acquiring..."

Before Qiu Zhuo could finish his sentence, he abruptly clamped his mouth shut.

He dared not embroil himself in this affair, nor could he let Liang Jin suspect that he had been an accomplice to the scheme.

Thus, he hurriedly changed his tune:

"This silver was brought by the Yang family for doing business! It has nothing to do with this official!"

Liang Jin naturally knew that Qiu Zhuo had nothing to do with this silver.

However, the truth was unimportant.

With a flick of his wrist, he pointed toward the countless Yellow Turban followers behind him:

"You might as well ask everyone here whether they believe you."

The members of the Peace Sect glared at Qiu Zhuo with burning fury in their eyes.

They roared in unison:

"Corrupt official!"

The sound shook the heavens and the earth, more terrifying than a thunderclap amidst the clouds!