Chapter 822 Case against the Chen family (3)

Chapter 822 Case against the Chen family (3)

"Good, you can step back now.." Yang Qing said as he straightened himself up.

Chen Zian acknowledged with a polite cupping of his fists as he stepped back to the crowd to where his anxious clan members were.

Some of them seemed to want to say something to him but held off when their nervous glances fell on Yang Qing and the Red Flaming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion proprietor.

"Now, let's begin with the proceedings..." Yang Qing said, plunging the courtroom into an even more desperate atmosphere.

"Like I said earlier, each of you who stands accused will have a chance to defend yourself, and should you wish to, your clan patriarch can speak on your behalf. Of course, whether he does it is entirely up to him. Patriarch Chen Zian, you're not obligated to do that, if you do not wish to, there will be no penalties for refusal, and should you wish to speak up at their behest, what you choose to say is also entirely up to you.

Is it clear to everybody present?" asked Yang Qing to which everyone nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Okay.. Now let's go to the two charges brought forth against you. Usually with the cases that we deal with, someone files the complaint while the other defends themselves against the complaint, and we act as the arbiter between the two sides, but your case is different..."

Yang Qing paused as his gaze narrowed on everyone present causing a few to take nervous gulps.

"The one serving the complaint this time is us. About two months ago I passed through Purple City and noticed a few things that prompted me to have a thorough investigation conducted in Purple City and the Red Maple Empire as a whole.

When it came to human cauldrons, they differed from their counterparts, the pill slaves, in that they were not an ingredient, but were instead the furnace through which all of the ingredients were brewed, in place of a cauldron. Other than concocting potions, they would also be used to nurture spiritual herbs.

One could be careless with pill slaves but the same could not be said about human cauldrons.Nurturing one required considerable effort and resources which was an investment that would be repaid several times over provided you were successful in nurturing one.

The investigation showed that the Chen family had already nurtured twenty-three of them.

"The investigations unearthed the following in regards to the charges. Your farms in Cherry Blossom County, Spiritwood County, Blacktear County, and Misty Caldera County were found to have pill slaves and human cauldrons.

The total number of pill slaves and human cauldrons was 78 to 23 respectively. Inquisitor Yu Gen please inform the Medical Valley to have them delivered.." Yang Qing said to Yu Gen, who nodded as he took out his communication talisman.

"He seems surprised?"thought Yang Qing as his gaze fell on Chen Zian who quickly tried to conceal the shock in his eyes as Yang Qing mentioned the four counties.

It came as no surprise that all counties were in the territory owned by the Chen family, and of those counties, Cherry Blossom County and Spiritwood County were the largest spiritual herb-producing territories under their control and the reason for that was the two counties fell under the territory the red maple spirit controlled and had thus been baptized by its aura, unlike the other places which they gained when they expanded the kingdom.

Yang Qing could only guess the reason for his surprise was the presence of pill slaves and human cauldrons in those two locations. Considering the significance of those two locations, it would be a given for the Clan Patriarch to monitor them closely.

Why wouldn't Chen Zian have the look of someone who had just eaten a fly when he discovered that someone had pulled one over him and he was none the wiser about it?Folloow current novÊls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m)