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Chapter 126: Chapter 87: I Still Prefer Your Defiant Look

These three are all traitors who have deceived the Emperor?

And you’re going to behead them?

Without the slightest warning, those completely emotionless words spilled from Zhao Ci’s lips.

Throughout this whole process, Zhao Ci hadn’t even bothered to verify their identities.

And yet, he delivered his conclusion with unwavering certainty.

Deceiving the Emperor?

Beheading?

This posture made it clear: this was now a fight to the death!

Zhang Delv’s expression stiffened slightly. ”Your Highness...”

Zhao Ci gripped his long spear and used its tip to lift Maoju’s chin, revealing the man’s weathered face.

He looked at Zhang Delv and said with a smile, ”Lord Zhang, you must admit, these criminals are incredibly sloppy. To think a man with the face of a twenty-eight-year-old would dare to pass for eighteen. Tell me, isn’t that an insult to your intelligence?”

Zhang Delv was left speechless.

He had wanted to find people under eighteen, but the population of the Northern Three Prefectures wasn’t concentrated in the cities. Finding people to make fraudulent claims wasn’t actually that easy.

After all, Zhao Ci’s requirements were that they had either developed Qi Sensitivity or were afflicted by a severe illness. Both conditions were easy to verify, making them difficult to fake.

In order to find enough people for the fraudulent claims, the age limits were bound to be stretched.

And it just so happened that the people at the end of the list had the greatest age discrepancies.

In that moment, Maoju’s legs went so weak with fear that he subconsciously tried to kneel.

’I was just hired to fraudulently claim some pills, why am I about to be beheaded?’

He tried to kneel.

But with the spearpoint pressed against his neck, he didn’t dare move an inch.

Seeing Zhang Delv’s dark, silent expression, Zhao Ci couldn’t help but let a cold smirk grace his lips as his voice suddenly rose an octave. ”Lord Zhang! I have already helped you root out the criminals. As the Prefect, are you going to do absolutely nothing?”

His voice was loud, reaching the ears of everyone present.

The crowd instantly erupted in an uproar. All those who were waiting to fraudulently claim their pills began to panic.

They had all thought things would go smoothly, but in the blink of an eye, someone was about to be executed.

The hair on their necks stood on end, and they were rendered almost speechless.

Zhang Delv’s expression was as dark as it could be. He couldn’t fathom how Zhao Ci had made his move so suddenly.

’But hadn’t he already let his guard down?’

’So how could he so accurately identify these three as impostors?!’

No!

’It’s not just these three!’

’Just now, he’d had Huang Duzhe hand out a large batch. Added to those who had already received theirs, the total was about two thousand five hundred people.’

’In other words, Zhao Ci knows exactly who is legitimate and who is fake!’

’Making excuses is completely pointless!’

’How... how did he do it?’

Even though Zhang Delv had witnessed his fair share of major events, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a bizarre situation—and it had to happen under these exact circumstances!

’This is big trouble!’

’Killing him is out of the question!’

’If I kill this one...’

’...then there would be no reason not to kill all the others!’

The conflict between officials and the common people in the Northern Three Prefectures was already significant. As the Prefect, he always felt like he was dancing on a razor’s edge trying to balance the two sides. By skillfully employing the ”boiling the frog” method, he had managed to keep the people of the Northern Three Prefectures full of grievances, but always just below the threshold of open rebellion.

But if he were to kill someone now...

...it would surely incite turmoil in the Northern Three Prefectures. When that happened, he wouldn’t just lose his official’s post; he would lose the head that wore the official’s hat.

But if he didn’t execute him, how could he explain this man’s presence?

Fine beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

Gritting his teeth, he barked, ”Who was responsible for adding this man to the register?”

Upon hearing this, all the officials present were startled.

’This is bad!’

’He’s looking for a scapegoat!’

The Junior Official who had recruited Maoju instantly turned ashen. He had just been following orders and stood to gain very little from the scheme. If such a heavy crime were pinned entirely on him, his life wouldn’t be worth a damn.

At that thought, his knees began to knock together.

He didn’t dare take a single step forward.

Zhang Delv’s face grew even darker. ”What? You have the guts to do such a filthy thing, but not the guts to admit it? I’ll give you three breaths. I suggest you use that time to think about your wife and children!”

The Junior Official’s face went white as a sheet. ’He’s threatening me with my family’s safety!’

But Zhao Ci just chuckled. ”Lord Zhang, what’s the point in looking for them one by one? There are thousands of criminals here. If you try to trace them all back to their source, it will take an eternity!”

A smile played on his lips. Though he’d spent the last few days putting on a show of being pointlessly busy, his efforts had not been entirely without reward.

At the very least, he had discovered that the bureaucratic system of the Northern Three Prefectures was rife with internal conflict. The officials at or above the Physical Body Realm and the junior officials below it were two distinct classes, and oppression was certainly part of their dynamic.

Zhang Delv’s reaction had just made that abundantly clear.

Zhang Delv’s expression grew even more grim, but he forced a smile. ”Your Highness must be joking. How many people are receiving pills in total? How could thousands of criminals have possibly infiltrated the group?”

”Oh? You don’t believe me, Lord Zhang?”

Zhao Ci grinned. ”If you don’t believe me, then I will have to prove it to you.”

With that, he withdrew his long spear.

Maoju could barely stand. The moment he saw Zhao Ci withdraw the spear, he collapsed to his knees. ”Your Highness! Your Highness! I was wrong! I truly didn’t mean to deceive the Emperor, I beg you, Your Highness...”

Zhao Ci chuckled. ”Of course I know you wouldn’t dare to intentionally deceive the Emperor. Don’t be nervous. Did you think I was really going to kill you?”

”Your Highness...”

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope sparked in Maoju’s eyes.

Zhao Ci gave a faint smile. ”I’ll give you fifteen minutes to think it over. After fifteen minutes, identify the official who put you up to this, and I’ll spare your life.”

Maoju hurriedly replied, ”Your Highness! I don’t need fifteen minutes! I can tell you right now...”