Chapter Eighteen: Confrontation in the Courtroom, An Imposter Magistrate

Shao Qiang, sitting in a tea shed, was savoring his tea while admiring his latest artwork: a seal carved from a single piece of Hetian jade. Pleased with himself for having hit upon the perfect gift to suit Cheng Qian’s known fondness for jade, his self-satisfaction was abruptly shattered by the hurried arrival of a bailiff.

“Magistrate, it’s bad! Something has happened!”

“What is it? Why the rush?” Shao Qiang frowned slightly. As the local magistrate in this corner of Huyang, he was the one who issued orders, not the other way around.

“A group of soldiers has arrived.”

“So they’ve arrived—just pay them off with some silver to send them on their way,” Shao Qiang said dismissively. “Why make such a fuss over a bunch of beggars looking for a handout?”

“Magistrate Shao has a high opinion of himself, though I assure you, we are not here for handouts this time.” Chen An’s clear, resonant voice rang out from outside. “We are here to ask Magistrate Shao to uphold justice.”

Three corpses landed on the sandy ground with a dull thud. The teacup in Shao Qiang’s hand clattered to the ground, and he didn't even notice the scalding tea splashing onto his official robes. He stared at the dark, dried bloodstains on Chen An’s boots, his throat working convulsively. The three men were dressed in bailiff uniforms, and the holes in their chests were still slowly oozing blood; they were clearly his own trusted subordinates.

“Who are you! How dare you show such insolence!” Shao Qiang’s voice trembled like a withered leaf in an autumn wind, his fear and rage boiling over in front of the onlookers. “To execute imperial bailiffs in broad daylight—do you know this is a crime punishable by the extermination of one’s entire clan?”

Chen An calmly brushed the dust from his cuffs, his gaze sweeping over the terrified bailiffs nearby. “Magistrate Shao, instead of worrying about charges, you should look at what these three did.”

Seeing Shao Qiang was at a loss for words, Chen An continued, “When you were busy writing reports about your administrative achievements for the Governor, did you ever once listen to the cries of the people?”

Shao Qiang’s face turned the color of a pig’s liver, but his attempt to slam his hand on the table and rise froze mid-air.

Chen An stepped forward, his dagger almost pricking the tip of Shao Qiang’s nose. “You indulged corrupt bailiffs in harming the people, failed to clear the banditry, and left the city filled with the starving. Magistrate Shao, does that official hat of yours not feel heavy?”

The whispers of the bailiffs pierced Shao Qiang’s ears like needles. To him, the death of one or two people was of no consequence, but having his authority challenged was completely unacceptable.

Shao Qiang slammed his chair. “Audacity! Seize this lawless madman! Chen An! Your arrogance and disregard for the law have gone on long enough!”

The portly, jowly Shao Qiang glared at Chen An with his beady eyes. “As a soldier, you dare to interfere in local government affairs? You have no regard for the law! Qiao Dafang is incompetent for raising a monster like you!”

Shao Qiang spat as he spoke, twisting the truth with practiced ease. Just as he tried to stand, a hand like an iron clamp pressed him back down. Chen An’s thumb idly stroked the hilt of his blade, and Shao Qiang felt a sharp, searing pain in his shoulder.

In the deathly silence of the hall, Chen An sneered, “Save your strength, Magistrate, lest you have no breath left to scream when the beating begins.”

“Boy, just you wait! I’m going to report you!”

Chen An laughed in cold fury, his eyes flashing with a chilling light. “Fine. Since the heavens won’t take you, I shall act on their behalf!”

“I am an official of the Imperial Court! How dare you kill me!”

“Is that so? Let’s find out!”

Before the words had even faded, his movement was like lightning. Before anyone could track his path, a cold flash of steel accompanied a shrill, piercing scream from Shao Qiang. He collapsed to the ground, his lower body drenched in blood. The single strike Chen An had delivered had effectively turned Shao Qiang into a eunuch.

*Since you are lecherous, I shall cut off your desires!*

The wailing inside the shed sounded like heaven to the ears of the laborers suffering outside. By the time Chen An left, he could clearly see that the way the laborers looked at him had changed. Shao Qiang, beaten beyond recognition, crawled out of the shed, pointing at Chen An’s retreating back and muttering incoherently.

Just as Chen An was about to leave, a figure in the distance caught his attention.

“Wang Jiuyang?” Chen An murmured. “What is he doing here?”

“What did you say?” Facing Zhang Xiaojing’s question, Chen An offered no explanation. He simply made up an excuse, telling Zhang Xiaojing to lead the men to find a campsite while he attended to some private business.

“Do you want me to send a few men to follow you?”

“No need, I’ll be right back.”

Chen An did not want anyone to follow him, firstly to avoid alerting his quarry, and secondly because he wasn’t entirely sure the man was indeed Wang Jiuyang.

Following the trail, Chen An arrived at a canyon. It was dense with tall trees, jagged rocks, and riddled with caves. It would be no problem to hide dozens or even hundreds of men here.

As the gravel crunched softly underfoot, Chen An quickly dropped low. As the clouds parted to reveal the moonlight, he spotted a stone cave hidden behind thick vines. Over a dozen muscular men were moving in and out, carrying wooden crates that reflected a cold, metallic glint in the gaps.

As a torch illuminated one of the crates that had tipped over, Chen An’s pupils constricted—the crates were neatly stacked with hundreds of sets of armor and weapons!

“Shao Qiang, it seems your dirty secrets are truly numerous.” Chen An’s nails dug deep into his palms.

He had been suspicious of Shao Qiang’s motives from the start. Even if it were for Cheng Qian’s birthday, there was no need to go to such great lengths to mine jade. It now appeared that Shao Qiang had used the excuse of the birthday gift to open the mountain, forge weapons, and line his own pockets. And Wang Jiuyang was likely Shao Qiang’s biggest client.

The night wind carried the sound of hooves as Wang Jiuyang’s chestnut horse trotted over the gravel. Chen An held his breath, watching as the man who had betrayed his country to the enemy pulled a gold ingot from his sleeve and tossed it to the leader of the thugs. “Tell your Magistrate: move them to the Black Pine Forest for the handover tomorrow at the hour of the Tiger.”

Chen An gripped the secret report in his tunic, his throat dry. He was alone, and there were at least thirty thugs in the cave. Knowing this was a matter of grave importance, it would be too dangerous to rush in alone. He quietly memorized the location and turned back.

But as soon as he returned to Huyang Pass, Chen An was stunned by what he saw. Xiao Gui was tied to a post, surrounded by soldiers holding weapons, ready to carry out an execution.

“What is going on?” Chen An asked in a low, dangerous voice.

A soldier replied, trembling, “Centurion, it’s Shao Qiang... he sent men here to lodge a false accusation, claiming you interfered with local government affairs and that Xiao Gui killed his bailiffs. He demands he be dealt with by military law.”

Chen An’s eyes turned icy, and a terrifying aura radiated from his body.

“Very well, Shao Qiang. I didn't seek you out, yet you come looking for death yourself.”

“Everyone, stand down!”