Chapter 905: Intercepting Letters

Editor: Henyee Translations

Lou Ze nodded, “All right.”

Several claimed they were coerced and Lou Ze let them go, but a few huddled in the corner couldn’t bring themselves to speak, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at Lou Ze.

Lou Ze approached them, his eyes cold, and asked indifferently, “Why do you assist those people and perpetrate evil?”

One of them replied, “He would pay me a lot of money. I needed the money.”

Lou Ze frowned, “There are many ways to make money. Does earning money this way not bother your conscience?”

“If we don’t do it, others will, and the outcome will not change.”

Angered, Lou Ze responded, “Very well, since that’s the case, let me tell you this: if others don’t do it, see, now it’s you who are dying, not someone else.”

Chu Qingzhi slapped the man’s crown, causing blood to stream from his seven orifices, killing him instantly.

This scene terrified the others, who had dreamt of leaving with treasures to enjoy themselves, not dying here without cause.

“Please, great hero, spare us!”

“We beg you, we won’t dare again, never again!”

Lou Ze asked coldly, “There are many out there who beg for mercy like this, but who spares them?”

Drawing his dagger, Lou Ze tossed it into the air. It spun around and returned to his hand, and the men before him were all silenced by a single cut to the throat.

Zeng He, standing at the doorway, watched this unfold with shock. How advanced must Chu Qingzhi’s martial arts be to control a dagger through the air like that?

These men deserved no pity. Lou Ze turned and walked towards Zeng He, “Let’s go.”

Zeng He nodded, not daring to contradict, and followed Lou Ze’s steps out of the small mountain village.

Shortly after their departure, the remaining houses were consumed by fire, all traces turning to ash.

…

In the military camp, a tent used for holding prisoners.

Wen Juncheng had been detained here for four or five days. During this time, no one spoke to him, only bringing him food and water.

He didn’t know what he would face next, anxious and filled with regret.

Had he known this would happen, he definitely wouldn’t have listened to that person and attempted to assassinate Chu Qingzhi. Now he was trapped, likely without a way out.

“Let me out, let me out!”

“I’m innocent, let me go, I won’t dare again!”

“I was framed, it wasn’t my idea, I was deceived!”

Tang Jinghong lifted the tent flap and entered, “Who deceived you? What did they deceive you about?”

He had stood outside for a while before entering, having heard everything Wen Juncheng said.

Wen Juncheng instantly became alert, worried about what he might have inadvertently revealed in his outbursts.

Meng Shengdong grabbed Wen Juncheng’s collar, speaking fiercely, “The general is asking you a question. Don’t play dumb!”

Panicking, Wen Juncheng pleaded, “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I spoke without thinking, don’t take it seriously, please.”

Meng Shengdong threw Wen Juncheng to the ground, kicking him repeatedly, “Are you going to talk, or should I break your ribs today?”

Wen Juncheng curled up in pain, “Is this how your military extracts confessions?”

Meng Shengdong scoffed coldly, “For someone like you who harms the people, this isn’t about extracting a confession. It’s about giving everyone some justice. I advise you to confess honestly; otherwise, if you end up paralyzed and we let you go, what kind of life would that be?”

After another beating that left Wen Juncheng crying out, a kick to his spine made him lose feeling in his lower body. He finally knew fear, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk.”

Meng Shengdong commanded, “Speak!”

Sweating profusely, Wen Juncheng said, “Half a month ago, I picked up a man by the roadside. It was he who suggested it, otherwise why would I foolishly go after Chu Qingzhi?”

Tang Jinghong asked, “Where is this man now?”

Wen Juncheng gasped, “He went with me to capture Chu Qingzhi, but he disappeared as soon as I was captured.”

Frowning, Tang Jinghong inquired, “Did this man have any distinguishing features?”

Wen Juncheng thought for a moment, “Yes, he wore an eye patch as if one eye was blind. He was very grateful to me for saving him, and that was his way of repaying me.”

Meng Shengdong was incredulous, “Didn’t you think he might be setting you up?”

Regret filled Wen Juncheng, “How was I supposed to know he’d repay kindness with malice?!”

Tang Jinghong said, “We’ll investigate this matter later. For now, let me ask you, how much do you know about your older brother?”

Wen Juncheng was unaware that the person impersonating his brother was someone else, “What’s going on with my brother?”

“This is your brother!” Tang Jinghong turned towards the tent flap as the Magistrate walked in. “You can’t even recognize your own brother, and you’ve been helping a fraud!”

Wen Juncheng stared at the emaciated man approaching, stammering, “B-brother?”

“Recognizing a thief as a brother.” The Magistrate slapped Wen Juncheng across the face, his voice filled with rage, “I’ve always taught you to learn good things, yet you always align yourself with the dregs of society, and now you even help tyrants. You deserve to die!”

Wen Juncheng’s face twisted with the slap, and he quickly realized the gravity of the situation, “Brother, how was I supposed to know you were being impersonated?”

The Magistrate was nearly driven to fury by his incompetent brother, “We’ve lived together for decades. Can’t you see that your brother was different?”

Wen Juncheng groaned, “Brother, even if things were different, I never imagined you’d be impersonated!”

The Magistrate was exasperated, “Enough, let’s not talk about this now. Tell General Tang everything you know about the impostor.”

Wen Juncheng looked towards Tang Jinghong, “General, I don’t know much, really. The impostor often left early and returned late, rarely staying in the mansion.”

“A year ago, I got up in the middle of the night and happened to follow him. He went to the docks.”

“The docks?” Tang Jinghong prompted.

Wen Juncheng nodded, “He waited there for about fifteen minutes, then a boat arrived. It was large but very plain, with no identifying marks.”

“A young man in a black robe disembarked from the boat, looking very much like the third prince of Dongling. They spoke briefly, mentioning the urgent need to expand the plantation area for raw materials, and then he left.”

“The impostor returned to his room and immediately started writing letters, sending three in quick succession.”

“I intercepted one of those letters.”

Tang Jinghong raised an eyebrow, impressed by this detail.

“The letter said to instruct the military governor to gather labor to clear three hundred acres of land outside Yang City for cultivation at full capacity.”