Rumble—
The dark clouds hung low over the city, and bean-sized raindrops fell outside the main hall of the Black Yamen. The chief constables on standby were seated on both sides of the hall.
Two constables stood in front of the hall, both with dark circles under their eyes, clearly having been punched a few times.
Behind the main desk, Dongfang Liren was dressed in a silver python robe, sitting upright with a straight back. She looked at the injuries on the constables' faces, a hint of hidden anger in her eyes:
"What happened?"
The two constables were obviously afraid. The slightly older one of them lowered his head and said:
"Today, when we were patrolling in Zhujie Street, we found a homicide case. The deceased's appearance was very strange, and it was clearly a major case at first glance. I and Xiao Wang discovered the case first and were examining the body. The people from the Six Gates came later and directly drove us out..."
Smack—
Dongfang Liren tapped the gavel on the desk:
"Then you started fighting? How many times have I told you not to fight with the people from the Three Judicial Departments? When something happens, come back directly and find the chief constable..."
The older constable lowered his head and replied: "We didn't mean to start a fight at first. We were just shouting at each other at the door. But I don't know what was going on in Xiao Wang's head. He said, 'I'll stab you to death with a 'Back Door Bar'!'..."
"Cough cough..."
She Long, who was sitting upright, choked on his breath when he heard this. His face turned red, and he coughed a few times, almost suffocating.
Shang Jianli's expressionless face also twitched a few times.
Only Dongfang Liren looked confused:
"What does that mean?"
Constable Xiao Wang said pitifully: "I didn't know what it meant at first. Lao Liu said it was a profound spear technique for attacking from the rear, which was very powerful, so I just blurted it out. The people from the Six Gates laughed at me, and then I understood. I got angry out of embarrassment and..."
Dongfang Liren was puzzled: "What on earth does 'Back Door Bar' mean?"
She Long forcefully suppressed the churning feeling in his chest, waved his hand:
"Go and treat your injuries. You're embarrassing yourselves."
"Yes."
The two constables quickly ran away.
She Long faced Jingwang and said respectfully:
"It's vulgar street language, and it's unworthy for Your Highness to hear it. Our people started the fight first, so we're in the wrong. They probably got beaten up for nothing, and we probably won't be able to get the case back either."
Seeing that all the male and female chief constables in the hall had strange expressions, Dongfang Liren knew it wasn't something good and didn't ask anymore.
The Black Yamen didn't even have a signboard. Theoretically, it was the private guards of Jingwang Manor, and with the imperial power's special permission, it could handle anything. However, its powers and responsibilities seriously overlapped with those of the judicial yamen.
There were only so many cases in the capital. The constables and officials all needed achievements. For this reason, there were great differences between the two sides, and conflicts often occurred.
The salaries of the constables of the Black Yamen were allocated from Jingwang Manor, and Dongfang Liren had to ask the Ministry of Revenue for money. Without achievements, the Ministry of Revenue wouldn't allocate funds. Therefore, small cases such as theft could be given up, but they had to participate in cases involving homicides.
Dongfang Liren was just about to assign a rather fierce subordinate to go to Zhujie Street and forcefully claim some credit when she heard rapid footsteps outside.
Tap tap tap—
She looked up and saw Wang Chihu, dressed in a young master's robe, running in from outside with an umbrella:
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
"This is an important place of the yamen. It's improper to be dressed sloppily and make a loud noise. What kind of behavior is this?"
"It's not that. Young Master Ye is back."
"Hmm?"
Dongfang Liren's angry expression paused. She looked outside the yamen but didn't see the trace of Ye Jingtang:
"Where is Ye Jingtang? Ask him to come over. I have something to arrange for him."
Wang Chihu went outside the main hall and said excitedly:
"Young Master Ye just smashed a gambling house in Wutong Street and beat someone half to death. Then he turned and went to the Western Market. He's probably going to beat up the brother-in-law of Minister Wang. Does Your Highness want to go and watch the fun?"
Dongfang Liren was puzzled. She originally wanted to stand up, but it wasn't very appropriate for her status. So she tapped the long desk:
"Presumptuous! Brawling in public under the under the feet of the Son of Heaven, meaning in the capital, do you still have the law in your heart? I'll go and take a look. You all stay in the yamen."
The chief constables who were just about to follow and watch the fun sat back resentfully...
——
Whoosh—
It was pouring rain outside the building, but inside Sanyuan Tower, it was bustling with activity. The sons of wealthy families were throwing large amounts of money at the gambling table, accompanied by beautiful women. The scene was worlds apart from the smoky and disorderly gambling dens in the marketplace.
"Come on, open it! Four, five, six, big!"
"Good!"
"Sigh, bad luck..."
...
Wutong Street was a well-known den of iniquity in the capital. Although Sanyuan Tower wasn't the top establishment on the street, it had a very strong background. The major owner was Cheng Bao, the Second Master Cheng, who was rooted in the Western Market.
Second Master Cheng came from Tiefo Ridge, a major sect in Yunzhou. His elder brother was the sect leader, and his sister married into the Wang family in Yunzhou. He was related by marriage to important officials of the current dynasty. With such a background, in both the official and underworld circles, no one dared to touch him.
Cheng Song, who was in charge of Sanyuan Tower, was the eldest son of Second Master Cheng. He usually had a good relationship with the young dandies in the capital.
At noon, in an elegant private room of Sanyuan Tower facing the street, several young masters from Wendu Bridge were playing pai gow at the table, and Cheng Song, dressed as a wealthy young master, was accompanying them.
Because the martial spirit was very strong in the Great Wei Dynasty, matters of the martial arts world were a topic of conversation after meals and tea no matter where they were. The young masters at the table casually chatted while squandering money:
"Master Cheng, I heard that the leader of Shuiyun Sword Lake was killed?"
Cheng Song, dressed in a white young master's robe, pushed the silver ingots in front of the table with his folding fan and smiled amiably:
"Master Li is well-informed. It's said that Zhou Huaili went to the city to kill someone in the middle of the night and was caught by the people from the Black Yamen. He was directly dealt with."
"Then what will happen to this matter?"
"What else can be done? In the eyes of the imperial court, from beggars to the Eight Champions, they are all 'common people'. The Black Yamen killed according to the law. If they're not satisfied, they can go to the judicial yamen to file a lawsuit. Because of Zhou Chiyang's special status, the imperial court treats him with great courtesy and specially appointed Lin, the most impartial minister of the Ministry of Punishment, to preside over the trial. Minister Lin is someone who dares to arrest and sentence even the imperial relatives. He has also impeached Jingwang several times because of the unclear powers and responsibilities of the Black Yamen..."
"Jingwang is known for being protective of his subordinates. Since he dared to let Lin Tie Tou (Lin Tie Tou: Iron Head Lin, a nickname for Lin, the impartial minister) try his own people, it must be an ironclad case. Even the King of Heaven can't reverse it... Has the Sword Saint Zhou Chiyang come?"
"Who knows how many lives are on Zhou Huaili. If Zhou Chiyang comes, won't he bring trouble upon himself? If the Zhou family voluntarily gives up pursuing the matter and accepts the judgment, and then Zhou Chiyang goes to seek revenge from the people of the Black Yamen, he'll be a hypocrite who pretends to obey but actually disobeys; but if he doesn't seek revenge, he'll be heartless and unrighteous. It's quite unlucky to have such a stupid elder brother..."
When Cheng Song said this, he seemed to remember something and continued:
"The Zhou family is in this trouble now. They definitely don't dare to cause trouble again and have a conflict with Honghua Tower. Baoyuan Sect in Guangji has also taken over the property of Honghua Tower. I guess Honghua Tower will go after Li Hunyuan next..."
"Then Master Cheng can sit back and reap the benefits, right?"
"Hehe..."
Tiefo Ridge, behind Cheng Song, and Baoyuan Sect both established their sects in Yunzhou. It was impossible for them to stay out of each other's business.
If Baoyuan Sect was taught a lesson by Honghua Tower, in the fight between the snipe and the clam, the fisherman would benefit. Naturally, Tiefo Ridge would indirectly benefit from this.
Cheng Song smiled and said: "The martial arts world is just like this gambling table. Luck is more important than wealth and power. When luck comes, you can even get windfalls while sitting still..."
Whoosh—
While they were talking, suddenly, the sound of doors and windows breaking and exclamations came from downstairs outside the window:
"Who is it?"
"What's going on?!"
...
The private room fell silent, and several young noblemen looked slightly puzzled.
Cheng Song frowned and got up to look out of the window.
Wutong Street was the most prosperous street in the capital. Even though it was raining heavily, there were still many carriages and horses coming and going. At this time, they had all stopped.
In front of Sanyuan Tower, there stood a young master holding a black umbrella and wearing a water brocade robe. His face couldn't be seen because of the umbrella.
Behind the young master in the black robe was a wealthy young master wearing a brocade robe. The umbrella in his hand fell to the street, and his mouth was wide open, his eyes full of shock.
The subordinates who had originally stood at the door of Sanyuan Tower had disappeared. Without a doubt, they had been kicked into the door.
Pei Luo?
Cheng Song recognized this big client from Tianshui Bridge. He thought Pei Luo had brought thugs to cause trouble and said:
"Excuse me for a moment."
As he spoke, he jumped out of the window on the second floor of Sanyuan Tower, his figure graceful and agile.
The young dandies present were all fond of excitement. They also knew Pei Luo, the somewhat famous wealthy young master in the capital. Seeing that there was something exciting to watch, they didn't care about the gambling game on the table anymore and all looked over curiously.
Several young noblemen had originally thought that Cheng Song would go down and talk to the eldest young master Pei in front of the door.
But to their surprise, as soon as Cheng Song jumped out of the window, a loud bang came from below:
Bang—
The young master in the black robe outside the building didn't even move the oil-paper umbrella to look up. He spun around and lifted his leg, delivering a fierce side kick directly at Cheng Song who had jumped down from the second floor.
This kick was as fast as thunder, and white water mist burst out around his right leg.
Cheng Song didn't expect the other party to be so unethical. His eyes were filled with shock and anger. If this kick landed on his groin, he might become half a woman for the rest of his life. Before he landed, he pressed his hands down in the air.
Boom!
In an instant, the boot hit his pressing hands directly!
Cheng Song, who hadn't landed yet, flew back up several times faster and directly smashed the plaque of "Sanyuan Tower" to pieces.
Whoosh—
Then he hit the wooden beam and let out a muffled cough:
"Cough—"
He lost his balance and fell down in the air, directly hitting the steps outside Sanyuan Tower.
Plop—
Both inside and outside Sanyuan Tower fell into silence.
Pei Luo, who had come to help Ye Jingtang settle the matter, was stunned when he saw this scene. He raised his hand and stammered:
"Sigh... Jingtang... That... What..."
Ye Jingtang didn't respond. He held an umbrella and walked up the steps.
"Cough cough cough—"
Cheng Song was dazed from the fall. He tried to get up, but his arms couldn't exert any strength. He could only grit his teeth and look angrily at the person outside the door:
"You..."
As soon as he spoke, the person came and stepped on his chest.
Crack—
"Cough—"
There was the sound of bones breaking accompanied by a muffled cough.
Cheng Song was firmly stepped on the steps by the boot. His face immediately turned red, and he slapped the shoe hard.
Slap slap slap—
Such a scene made several exclamations come from both inside and outside Sanyuan Tower. The thugs of the gambling house who came to reinforce also stood there in shock.
As a scholar, Pei Luo's face turned pale with fright. He ran over in a panic and pulled Ye Jingtang's arm:
"What are you doing? Are you crazy? This is the capital, under the feet of the Son of Heaven..."
Cheng Song was also a tough guy. His eyes were bloodshot, and he forced himself to speak:
"My father..."
Crack—
Another kick landed.
Cheng Song's words stopped abruptly. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and couldn't even make a sound. His eyes were filled with horror, and his body was trembling. He pushed hard against the boot that was almost stepping into his chest.
Ye Jingtang looked down at him. When Cheng Song's face turned purple and his eyes became unfocused, and one more step would probably suffocate him, Ye Jingtang slightly relaxed his strength.
"Ugh—cough cough cough..."
Ye Jingtang retracted his foot to avoid getting blood foam on his boots:
"Do you know why I'm beating you?"
Cheng Song covered his chest and kept coughing. He didn't dare to speak and nodded vigorously.
Ye Jingtang didn't say anything more. He held an umbrella and turned to leave.
Pei Luo's eyes were dull. When he found that Ye Jingtang had left, probably afraid that he would be beaten to death by the thugs of the gambling house, he quickly caught up with Ye Jingtang:
"Are you crazy? A gentleman uses his words, not his hands..."
Ye Jingtang walked a short distance and then turned his head to look at Pei Luo:
"Didn't you tell me not to speak?"
"I..."
Pei Luo was stunned: "I told you not to speak, so you just started hitting him?!! You... Second Master Cheng is a big shot in the Western Market, with hundreds of thugs under his command. Come on, I'll take you to the government to surrender. Hide in the prison and pay a sum of money. Maybe this matter can be resolved... Eh, where are you going?"
"To talk business with Second Master Cheng."
"Ah?!! You beat his son like this, and now you're going to talk business. He'll definitely beat you up... No, no, no. Listen to me, my brother. Things in the capital are done according to the rules. If you act so recklessly, Third Aunt will definitely hang you up and beat you when she finds out. I don't dare to speak up for you..."