NFBE Chapter 279: Obtaining the Imperial Seal
Chapter 279: Obtaining the Imperial Seal
I heard that this is the renowned Prince Jinglie.
There's hope! Suzhou is finally saved!
Seeing this, the resentment in Prefect Su's eyes intensified.
These lowly people dared to humiliate him like this. Once this storm has passed, he'll make those who were the happiest suffer a terrible death.
After showing the two of them and casually appeasing the public, Prefect Su led a group of people back.
He felt angry just looking at Lin Rusi's face, but his expression softened a bit when he saw that the two of them were respectful to him as usual after entering the mansion.
"From now on, you two will be in charge of dealing with the refugees in Suzhou."
He sat casually in the armchair, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Do you know what to do?"
"Please enlighten me, sir." Li Jingyang bowed respectfully, his tone extremely humble.
"To think that I, the lord, would offer advice on such a trivial matter is truly as stupid as a pig."
Looking at such a face, even casually cursing would give Prefect Su a sense of pleasure: "As long as you ruin the reputations of these two people, you can do whatever you want with them."
"Understood, thank you for your guidance, sir." Li Jingyang lowered his eyes slightly, the killing intent in them growing stronger.
Lin Rusi wanted to stab Prefect Su whenever she saw him, so she suppressed her temper and followed Li Jingyang without saying a word as they walked out together.
"Have you found out?" With no one around, Lin Rusi approached Li Jingyang and asked quietly.
She couldn't hold back any longer. Allowing a parasite like Prefect Su to live even a second longer was an injustice to the people of Suzhou.
"Not at the moment."
Li Jingyang frowned slightly: "The mansion seal is hidden very well. Judging from the secret chambers of the past two days, there should be quite a few hidden compartments and passages in this mansion."
“Our people shouldn’t show themselves directly. If we want the seal of the prefecture, we’ll have to get him to hand it over himself.” The two walked outside the prefecture, and Li Jingyang looked at the deserted streets of Suzhou, struggling with his inner conflict.
"This is the only way."
Lin Rusi held his hand and whispered, "Let's try to be as quick as possible and involve as few people as possible."
That noon, Lin Rusi and her companion went to the yamen and arrested all the people who had come to accuse Prefect Su with high hopes.
The people of Suzhou were stunned. This important person from the capital didn't ask a single question and directly protected the Suzhou prefect.
With officials protecting each other, even the legendary Prince Jinglie is like this. Is there really no way for the people of Suzhou to survive?
This farce caused quite a stir, with countless people who had gathered at the government office hoping for a chance to hurl insults.
The princes from the capital are all from the corrupt prefect's side. What chance do they have to survive? Since they're going to die sooner or later anyway, they might as well spit on this blind world before they die.
Lin Rusi and the other woman felt distressed, so they closed the yamen early and returned to their residence to tell Prefect Su about the matter.
"My lord, those lowly commoners simply don't respect us at all!" Li Jingyang angrily cursed the Suzhou people, looking furious at their insults. "If the official seal were here, I would have sentenced those troublemakers directly."
The implication was that they hoped Prefect Su could lend them his official seal.
What they saw today, the miserable state of the people of Suzhou, made it impossible for them to postpone their plans any longer.
Prefect Su's face darkened.
The matter of the official seal was clearly a taboo subject for him.
"My lord." Lin Rusi, who was usually quiet, suddenly stepped forward: "I think his method is excellent."
Prefect Su's gaze fell on her, scrutinizing her from head to toe, making her extremely uncomfortable: "What kind of good method is this?"
Lin Rusi suppressed her nausea: "He is now Prince Jinglie. Prince Jinglie holds the seal of the Prince's mansion. If he does something heinous, what can you do, sir?"
“Prince Jinglie is cruel and tyrannical. In just a few days since he arrived, he has plunged the people of Suzhou into misery and committed countless wrongdoings.”
"Sir, as an official who serves the people, I am powerless to help you. However, if someone from above investigates, they will surely discover your good intentions."
Her words were loaded with hidden meaning, and Prefect Su, a man of many tricks up his sleeve, immediately understood the implication.
With the official seal in Li Jingyang's hands, the current dire state of Suzhou could very well be his doing.
Anyway, since Prince Jinglie and Princess Jinglie have already "died a violent death," even if someone from above comes to deal with him, Prefect Su, he can still get all the messes he used to make by fooling around.
That really absolved Prefect Su of all responsibility.
Upon hearing this, Prefect Su was completely shaken.
After thinking for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's settled then. You can come and pick up the official seal first thing tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir, I will certainly teach those lowly people a lesson." Li Jingyang feigned great joy and quickly bowed before taking his leave.
"My lord, are you really so at ease...?" The seal of the government office is no small matter.
"Keep a close eye on them. Once this matter is settled, deal with it immediately." Prefect Su's cold gaze lingered on the departing figures of Lin Rusi and the other woman. "It reminds me that the deaths of Prince Jinglie and his consort also need a reasonable explanation. The people rioted, and in their anger, they committed this heinous act. I will arrest these two and execute them on the spot. Only then will things be clean."
"That's quite a... great achievement." The teacup was gently placed on the table. The voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down the spines of everyone present, causing them all to shudder.
The next morning, Lin Rusi accompanied Li Jingyang to the residence of Prefect Su.
The prefect was unusually early, carrying a heavy box in his hands: "This is the prefectural seal. You must take good care of it. If anything goes wrong, it will be a serious matter."
"Yes, sir." Li Jingyang reached out and took it, opened it, and saw a bronze seal of the government quietly placed in the box.
Li Jingyang picked it up, examined it briefly, and a smile appeared on his lips.
Lin Rusi knew it was true.
It's only been one night, he wouldn't go so far as to make a fake one overnight.
"Thank you for your trust, sir. I will take care of it right away." Having received the seal of office, Li Jingyang's mood improved significantly. He was too lazy to deal with Prefect Su anymore and simply turned and left.
Now that the official seal has been taken out, it won't be so easy to get it back.
The Suzhou prefect, seeing his behavior, did not suspect anything and assumed that he was just eager to deal with the rioters causing trouble at the government offices, so he let him be.
With the official seal in hand, it became much easier for Li Jingyang to issue official orders.
One notice after another was issued from the government office and posted on the notice board at the entrance of the government office.
The people of Suzhou, who had long since lost hope in the corrupt system of official collusion, were not interested in any notices at all. However, seeing that the notices were posted one after another on the entire notice board, they couldn't resist their curiosity and went over to take a look.
So many people had been arrested just the day before, and the people assumed that the notice would contain a list of those people to be beheaded. But a quick glance revealed that it was nothing like what they had imagined.