Phi-Fic Chapter 507 Locked Up Back in the Censorate!
Chapter 507 Locked Up Back in the Censorate!
The magistrate's face, already contorted with anger, looked even more irritating at this moment.
“My lord, it is not that we are disobeying your orders. It is just that our Censorate has always been independent in handling cases and is directly under the command of the Prince. If a Censorate is established in Yanzhou, then we will naturally be under the command of the Censor-in-Chief, not other officials.”
The Prefect narrowed his eyes. "So, my words no longer carry weight?"
At this moment, besides the soldiers from various mansions, a considerable number of commoners had gathered inside and outside, all desperately peering inside, clearly wanting to see if this newly established government office had the ability to touch the Xue family.
Lu Shaofeng glanced around at the situation. The number of men brought by this prefect was quite large, and judging from their appearance, they seemed determined not to give up until they achieved their goal.
"My lord, it is not that I intended to offend you, but you have truly put me in a difficult position. I was ordered to come here on official business, but you have repeatedly obstructed me. Yesterday I was your subordinate, and today you have come in person. My lord, I would like to ask you this: do you think that because the Censorate has only recently been established, we can bully you at will and let you do whatever you want? Abducting prisoners from the Censorate is a serious crime. At the very least, it shows disrespect for the Censorate and disregard for the Prince's decree. At worst, it is a violation of the imperial court's explicit orders."
The prefectural governor sneered and lowered his voice, saying, "Lord Lu, I know you are the eldest son of the Lu family in Yanzhou, and I also know you are highly regarded by the prince in Yanzhou. But let me give you a piece of advice: this is not Yanzhou. No one from the Lu family is protecting you, and no prince is shielding you. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Why should Lord Lu risk his life?"
Lu Shaofeng's eyes darkened, and Zhao Zihe, who was standing next to him, obviously understood as well. He immediately pulled Lu Shaofeng behind him and looked at the person in front of him with a clear gaze.
Such a blatant threat was blatant disregard for these two high-ranking officials, and even more so, a disregard for the prince's edict.
"My lord, please be careful with your words. If these words were to be spread by someone with ulterior motives, they might think you are threatening us. My lord, we still have a case to handle, so we will not keep you company any longer," Zhao Zihe said coldly.
The prefect was startled, not expecting another young man to emerge. Moreover, judging from his aura, he was in no way inferior to Lu Shaofeng from before. Furthermore, if he was not mistaken, the young man before him should possess some martial arts skills.
"Someone, accompany the people from the Censorate inside. Remember to keep a close watch and make sure no one harms the young masters and ladies of the Xue family, and absolutely do not deliberately damage any of the Xue family's property."
The prefect glanced at the two of them, then smiled and said, "Since Lord Lu insists on searching the mansion, I have nothing to say. But there is one thing: if you find anything, you can take the person with you. If you don't find anything, you'd better watch out. My impeachment memorial is right here in my hand. What happens next depends on your fate."
As he spoke, he deliberately pointed to his sleeve, indicating that he was going to talk about the official hats on their heads.
Upon hearing these words, the prefect's expression darkened further. He then stopped looking at them and instead walked into the courtyard hand in hand with Old Master Xue, letting them do as they pleased.
Lu Shaofeng hadn't expected him to give in so easily. And since there had been some movement from Old Master Xue, it was impossible to hide it from his men. He exchanged a glance with Zhao Zihe, clearly convinced that they had already moved Xue Er.
However, before the two could give the order to officially search the mansion, a constable whispered a few words in Lu Shaofeng's ear. The two glanced in a certain direction, smiled, nodded slightly, and then raised their hands to give the order to search the mansion.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the bailiffs from the Censorate dragged out Xue Er, who was disheveled.
Now, Xue Er is quite the scoundrel. After being rescued last night, he calmed down for only an hour before becoming arrogant again. He was already mingling with several maids. Just now, Old Master Xue ordered someone to send him out through the secret passage, but unexpectedly, he was intercepted halfway there.
Before leaving, he was already in a hurry, so now he was naturally disheveled and inappropriately dressed.
"Let me go! What kind of people are you? Do you know who my aunt is? Let me tell you, my aunt is the Empress's sister-in-law, she's family with the Empress, she's the Crown Prince's maternal aunt, and she's also the Prince of Chang Le's maternal aunt. Let me go now!"
Hearing his constant cursing, Lu Shaofeng's brow furrowed. "Guards, gag him! Impersonating a member of the royal family is a capital offense."
The last two words were emphasized, and his eyes were fixed on Old Master Xue standing to the side.
Old Master Xue was a little embarrassed. His daughter had married into the Wang family and was indeed the Empress's sister-in-law, albeit a distant cousin.
"Men, lock up the entire Xue family and take them directly to the Censorate."
"Yes, my lord."
"Wait! Lu Shaofeng, what are you doing? You wanted to take Xue Er, and now you've got him. Why are you making things difficult for the others?"
"Your Excellency, are you out of your mind? How did Xue Er get back to the Xue residence? I explained it all to you beforehand. The Xue family dared to lead a prison break, which means they are making an enemy of the Censorate and the laws of Yan. Your Excellency, you should think this through. Now that the facts are so clear, are you still going to protect the Xue family?"
The prefect was taken aback, his face turning somewhat grim. He then looked at Old Master Xue, wondering why they had found him at the manor again.
Old Master Xue didn't understand either; what was going on?
Before he could even figure things out, his hands were already shackled. Now, things were really getting complicated.
The Prefect immediately sent a message outside. Lu Shaofeng and Zhao Zihe saw it but pretended not to know. Instead, they smiled at each other and led a group of people back to the Censorate. They also sent other people to surround the Xue residence tightly, allowing people to enter but not leave.
The Prefectural Governor left in a hurry, clearly to return and discuss countermeasures. Mu Xin Nuan put down her teacup, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Wasn't it said that his advisor was a member of the Xue family? Why hasn't he shown up?"
Duanmu Chuze snorted coldly, "That's his shrewdness. To be able to use a fourth-rank prefect so skillfully, it seems this advisor is no ordinary person."