Chapter 121

Chapter 121

"I never expected that a scholar and officials from the Ministry of Justice would share such a peculiar predilection."

"The locations of their tattoos are uncannily coordinated."

Xiao Yunzhou frowned as he looked at the two pale-faced elders and the trembling young officials from the Ministry of Justice in the prison cell.

"Will you confess in the Ministry of Justice's prison, or in the Imperial Censors' interrogation chambers?"

Xiao Yunzhou turned and sat down on a chair brought over by the guards.

The four men froze, their gazes crisscrossing.

Everyone could see it clearly - the character "rebel" tattooed in a similar size on the lower right shoulder blade of each of them.

Such a damning coincidence, coupled with the ominous word "rebel," could hardly occur simultaneously on officials and commoners.

If it did, it was bound to arouse suspicion!

"I... I'll confess!" Zhao Yunlei, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was the first to buckle.

"Nonsense, do not implicate me! I don't know you!" The imprisoned elder tried to deny it.

But the young Zhao Yunlei, unable to withstand the pressure, trembled as his gaze met the calm Emperor Xiao Yunzhou and the Imperial Censors.

"Your Majesty, I confess, I belong to the Earth and Moon Sect!"

"!"

"??"

"!!"

All the officials in the Ministry of Justice's prison were stunned.

What... what sect?

It didn't sound like a legitimate Taoist sect.

Zhang Wei, the Minister of Justice, turned ghastly pale.

"But I was coerced. I'm an orphan, raised by them. If I didn't obey them, they wouldn't feed me and would beat me. Many have been beaten or starved to death."

"Because I was literate and attained an official rank, they valued me. They threatened my wife and children, forcing me to get tattooed and use the tattoo to blackmail me into continuing to work for the Earth and Moon Sect, passing messages! Otherwise, they could use the tattoo to accuse me before the court at any time!"

Zhao Yunlei instantly betrayed the Earth and Moon Sect, confessing everything.

The tattoo was not only a pledge of loyalty but also a means of coercion.

The officials from the Ministry of Justice were appalled.

A heretical sect, this was a heretical sect!

Xiao Yunzhou snorted coldly, "Tell us how many of their bases you know. The Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Justice will conduct a joint investigation!"

The lamps in the Ministry of Justice burned through the night.

The interrogation lasted the entire night.

Finally, at the crack of dawn, the sweat-drenched Minister Zhang Wei and Minister Yin Moqiao of Justice ran to the Emperor with a thick stack of confessions.

"Your Majesty, those two elders... turned out to be elders of the Earth and Moon Sect!"

"One of them was even the Deputy Sect Leader."

"They... they intended to overthrow your reign and restore the previous dynasty."

"They are remnants of the former imperial family."

Zhang Wei, the Minister of Justice, had a flushed face.

But before he could finish, Xiao Yunzhou slammed the table, cutting him off.

Xiao Yunzhou's expression changed, "There's no need to mention that assassin! I am well aware of him!"

Ha, the assassin Jiu Xiao, the little tea-serving eunuch with a martial arts skill of 99, was the subject of Xiao Yunzhou's reform efforts for over half a month.

It wasn't easy to successfully reform Jiu Xiao and gain approval from the immortal realm, allowing him to become one of the 108 elite talents in the 'Jing Country Talent Atlas.'

If the Ministry of Justice continued investigating and angered Jiu Xiao, causing his allegiance to waver, wouldn't Xiao Yunzhou's efforts have been in vain?

Xiao Yunzhou put down his tea cup resolutely, his expression grave, "You will all act as if you are unaware of the assassin Jiu Xiao's identity, and never mention it again."

"!"

"?"

Zhang Wei, the Minister of Justice, and Yin Moqiao, the Minister of Justice, were stunned once more.

Even Wei Zheng looked puzzled and concerned, "Your Majesty, this concerns your safety..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Wei and Yin Moqiao gave him disdainful looks.

Wei Zheng was being foolish.

Didn't the Emperor's meaning seem clear?

This assassin, the Earth and Moon Sect thought he was one of their own, but in reality, he was Xiao Yunzhou's man!

Zhang Wei, the Minister of Justice, was stunned by Xiao Yunzhou's tactics at this point.

"No wonder Your Majesty knew the Earth and Moon Sect elders were in the tea house, it turns out you had planted a mole in the Earth and Moon Sect!"

Xiao Yunzhou was taken aback.

Huh?

"It's no wonder Your Majesty knows their every move inside out, including the backstabbing, it turns out our court had people within the Earth and Moon Sect."

Ah.

That's really not the case.

There was only one little princess.

Xiao Yunzhou cleared his throat softly, his ears slightly flushed, "Those Earth and Moon Sect bases—"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, we can launch an attack on them at daybreak. Would you like to review the locations they confessed to, to make sure there are no omissions?"

"..."

Ah.

What did he know?

Xiao Yunzhou's lips twitched, and he looked at the Minister of Justice who made such a suggestion with deep sorrow, "Minister Yin, you're no longer a three-year-old child."

Minister Yin Moqiao: "...?"

"It's time for you to grow up and handle cases independently."

"!"

"Alas, with you all acting like this, it's really difficult for me."

Xiao Yunzhou clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"If word gets out that I'm better than the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, how would that look?"

"..."