sbdcsierra Chapter 506 Retreat Immediately!
Chapter 506 Retreat Immediately!
Mu Xin Nuan remained silent. She knew that Duanmu Chu Ze was familiar with all high-ranking officials of the second rank or above in the court. Even if he had never met them, he knew their family backgrounds perfectly well. But now, this Xue family member had actually allied himself with the Wang family in the capital, and even had connections within the Ministry of Personnel. No wonder the Xue family was so audacious!
"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, the Xue family could be punished for falsely claiming kinship with the emperor." Lu Shaofeng was seething with hatred at this moment. What kind of arrogant people were these, coming to him to show off their power? There was truly no law.
"Minister Lu did a good job this time, very good! What does Minister Zhao think?"
Duanmu Chuze looked at Zhao Zihe beside him. Throughout this whole affair, he hadn't said much, but every word he uttered was sure to make the other party furious. So, Zhao Zihe was indeed a straightforward person by nature.
“Your Highness, this method is inappropriate. Such a crime sounds serious, but it won't convince those powerful figures. Besides, the Xue family does indeed have a daughter who married into the Wang family, and the Wang family is indeed the Empress's maternal family. If someone were to interfere and ultimately render this crime untenable, wouldn't that prove that the Xue family is indeed related to the imperial family? In that case, I'm afraid we would only be helping the Xue family.”
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. Lu Shao Feng, who was standing to the side, was slightly taken aback, but then he understood. "It was all because I didn't think things through."
Duanmu Chuze waved his hand, “I know your difficulties. You and Zihe are both upright people and my capable assistants. To be honest, I am very happy that Zihe agreed to stay this time. Putting aside your talent, your character alone is enough to make me admire you greatly.”
"My lord, you have given me the reward."
Mu Xin Nuan picked up the conversation, "Brother Zi He, there's no need to be so modest. If it weren't for you back then, Huayang County would probably be a desolate wasteland with corpses strewn everywhere by now."
Duanmu Chuze's eyes flickered slightly. "Let's talk about the Xue family first. Now that they've managed to get people from the prefectural government involved, they probably have other tricks up their sleeves. Let's wait and see. Tonight, let's drink until we drop."
The group exchanged glances, all guessing the prince's intention. One Second Young Master Xue was not enough to shake the entire Xue family, but if he were to be accused of breaking into prison and harboring a wanted criminal, things would get really out of hand.
If the Censorate wants to investigate however it wants, or what it wants to investigate, then it's perfectly reasonable, and no one can do anything about it!
Mu Xin Nuan and Duanmu Chu Ze did not stay here for long and went back to rest early. The rest of them gathered in the restaurant and ordered a lot of wine, but they did not touch it. They all stared at the Censorate across the street without blinking.
The next morning, Mu Xin Nuan muttered something and turned over, but felt an itch on her nose. She waved her hand impatiently, but the other person wouldn't stop. Mu Xin Nuan could only say irritably, "Stop it, I'm sleepy."
"Ah Nuan, are you sure you want to sleep and not go to the play?"
With just one sentence, Mu Xin Nuan immediately perked up and sat up.
Early in the morning, the Xue Mansion, the largest and most luxurious building in Huayang County, was surrounded by people. There weren't many soldiers, but they were all dressed in official court robes and carrying weapons, which showed that the people coming were serious.
Lu Shaofeng and Zhao Zihe stood with their hands behind their backs outside the gate. At this moment, all the gates of the Xue family mansion were wide open. At the main gate, the Xue family patriarch looked at the two outside with an arrogant and stern expression. "What are you doing? Even if you are from the Censorate, you can't force your way into a private residence without solid evidence. Besides, you should find out what kind of family the Xue family is before you take action. Don't end up getting yourselves killed here without even knowing why."
"Old Master Xue, we were only here to apprehend a wanted criminal. Last night, your Xue family actually joined forces with bandits to break into the prison! Old Master Xue, no matter what your family's background is, daring to break into a prison is a capital offense. I advise you to act quickly and not waste my time. If we find that Xue Er in your residence, don't blame me for being ruthless and bringing you all to justice."
"Heh, young man, you've got quite the nerve! I've lived all these years and I've never been in prison before. What, you're going to take me away? Fine, I'll go with you then."
As soon as Xu Yin finished speaking, a group of people behind him rushed over to stop him, "No! Old Master, you are the backbone of our Xue family. Your aunt and uncle came back to visit you before the New Year. You are of noble status. How can such a place be a place for you?"
Lu Shaofeng snorted coldly, "Men, search the mansion."
"Yes, my lord."
"Insolence!" A very authoritative voice rang out, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice. They saw a dignified and imposing carriage stop not far away, and a group of people riding tall horses in front of it quickly dismounted.
"When the Prefect arrives, everyone kneels to welcome him."
Mu Xin Nuan raised an eyebrow. "It's just a minor prefect, yet he's making such a big fuss. It's like the emperor is going on a tour."
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Chuze nodded and said seriously, "Hmm, this could be used as a pretext to impeach the prefect." As he spoke, his eyes glanced at Xu Hai.
Xu Hai chuckled twice and nodded. It seemed that his career as a prefect was likely over. The size of the operation wasn't the issue; the key problem was that he shouldn't have interfered in the Xue family's affairs. This showed that he had been protecting the Xue family quite a bit over the years.
"I was unaware of your arrival, Your Excellency. I apologize for not greeting you properly. However, I have official duties to attend to. May I ask what advice Your Excellency may offer?"
The slightly overweight prefectural magistrate alighted from his carriage and glared angrily at the group in front of him. “Nonsense! Why are you trespassing on the Xue residence so early in the morning? Are you tired of living? Order the troops to withdraw immediately. If you have anything to say, go back to the yamen first.”
As he spoke, the prefectural governor gave them another disgusted look, then turned to leave.
Lu Shaofeng and Zhao Zihe exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. They didn't move, but instead straightened their postures even more. This time, they had finally implicated a prefect. It seemed that the gains this time were considerable, and the prince should be satisfied.
"Please forgive me for being unable to comply."
The smug old man, Mr. Xue, froze completely on the face after hearing Lu Shaofeng's words, his smile still lingering.
"How dare you! I am your superior, and you don't even listen to me?"