A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu spent a day to get the situation under control and become familiar with the case. She also examined Su Ran’s body.

After the autopsy, Zhang Yuelu did not rush into action. Instead, she spent another day carefully checking the historical account books and compiling files of Ecstasy Paradise. Then she invited Eighth Tianyang to join her in interrogating Liu Futong in Ecstasy Palace.

Zhang Yuelu did not care about the lavishness of Ecstasy Palace. Instead, she paid special attention to the painting of the Ascension of the Heavenly Preceptor on the screen. After all, the Heavenly Preceptor in that painting was her ancestor.

She asked someone to set up a table in front of the screen. She sat in the main seat behind the table while Eighth Tianyang sat on her left. There was a smaller table on the right for Mu Jin, who was responsible for transcribing the interrogation.

Since there was no gavel, Zhang Yuelu simply slapped the table with her hand. “Bring out Liu Futong.”

Two Daoist priests escorted Liu Futong out. Su Ran had ordered Liu Futong to put on a special prisoner’s suit to seal his cultivation. Since he was not a Martial Arts Practitioner, he did not have much resistance against the two Daoist priests.

A Daoist priest grabbed Liu Futong’s left wrist and held it behind his left shoulder, while another did the same to his right hand. His arm joints clicked due to the unnatural position.

Liu Futong was forced to bend forward, his face flushed, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. Looking up, he could see Zhang Yuelu sitting behind the table and Eighth Tianyang next to her.

Zhang Yuelu was a little dissatisfied to see this. She said, “He hasn’t been convicted yet. Why are you all treating him like a convicted criminal? Let go!”

The two Daoist priests immediately let go of Liu Futong and stood with their hands on their sides.

Liu Futong was finally able to breathe, so he looked at Zhang Yuelu again with gratitude.

At this time, Liu Futong no longer acted arrogant. He was unafraid and calm.

Zhang Yuelu had experience in both Beichen Hall and Tiangang Hall, known as the most ruthless among the Nine Halls. Thus, she had a strong killing aura, but her eyes were not as stern as usual. They were calm and expressionless at the moment.

Liu Futong was a veteran of the Daoist Order. He left the Wanxiang Daoist Palace at the age of 20 and became a ninth-rank Daoist priest. He took 20 years to advance from the ninth rank to the fifth rank. After clinging to the right backer, he joined the ranks of fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters and became the superintendent of Ecstasy Paradise.

He was fully aware of all the rules and secrets in the Daoist Order. At this time, he thought he would be reprimanded by Zhang Yuelu, but he did not expect this proud woman to be indifferent.

Although she was far from approachable, she did not have the self-righteousness of those pampered women from prestigious families, nor was she arrogant and condescending. She would not stand on moral high ground to criticize others.

This made Liu Futong feel a little nervous.

Liu Futong understood that the higher-ups asked Zhang Yuelu to handle this matter so that she could gain field experience. Their intentions were obvious. Perhaps in a few years, Zhang Yuelu would be put in charge of a local Daoist mansion or palace for training as a Chief or Second Deputy. After she could take charge on her own, she would be transferred back to Jade Capital and poised for greater heights.

As for whether she could become the Deputy Grand Master or the Grand Master in the end would depend on her luck.

Zhang Yuelu motioned to the Daoist priest to bring a chair for Liu Futong.

Liu Futong hesitated for a moment before sitting down.

Zhang Yuelu finally said, “Superintendent Liu, before Ziwei Hall’s formal order of your dismissal, I will still address you by your position. I hope that you will answer my questions truthfully. That way, it’ll be easier for everyone.”

Su Ran, Qi Xuansu, and Eighth Tianyang stopped calling him Superintendent Liu as soon as they caught him in the act. Zhang Yuelu was the only one who still showed him respect, which moved him. But it also made him wary of her.

This woman was certainly difficult to deal with.

“Sure,” Liu Futong responded.

Zhang Yuelu took a file. “The reason Superintendent Su imprisoned you is due to your illicit relationship with Yue Lian, the manager of Ecstasy Paradise. Yue Lian and Senior Major Eighth have testified to this. Do you plead guilty?”

“Yes.” Liu Futong muttered.

He had already thought about it. Among the various crimes, this was the one with the least consequences. As long as he pleaded to this crime and denied the rest, he might still have a chance of survival.

“Good.” Zhang Yuelu nodded. Without her instruction, Mu Jin had already begun to take notes. In addition to written records, there were also special voice-recording and image-capturing formations.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Is it true that you and Yue Lian were caught having sex in Ecstasy Palace?”

Liu Futong nodded. “It’s true.”

Zhang Yuelu turned the page. “Who allowed you to use this Ecstasy Palace?”

Liu Futong hesitated for a moment before replying, “No one gave me permission. I used it privately.”

“How many times have you done this?” Zhang Yuelu’s tone was still calm.

Liu Futong kept mum.

Zhang Yuelu deepened her voice. “Answer me.”

Liu Futong replied, “Only once.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “You’ve only done this once, but you were caught redhanded. It seems that you’re quite unlucky, Superintendent Liu. But there is one problem. Yue Lian’s confession and your answer do not match up. I wonder, who among you have lied? Do you want to confront Yue Lian about this?”

Fine beads of sweat surfaced on Liu Futong’s forehead.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Also, according to the records of Huasheng Hall, you have taken away medicine worth 9,000 Taiping coins, which include scar removal medicine, aphrodisiacs, and sexual enhancers. We happened to find some of the remaining medicine in the side hall of Ecstasy Palace. Superintendent Liu, what do you have to say about this?”

Liu Futong had no choice but to admit it. “I’ve done this about a dozen times. I can’t remember clearly.”

Mu Jin kept writing notes.

Zhang Yuelu stated, “So, you are abusing your power.”

Liu Futong’s face turned pale as he subconsciously said, “No, I’m unjustly accused!”

“Unjustly accused?” Zhang Yuelu sneered. “Didn’t you admit that you’ve done this more than a dozen times? Are the accounts of Huasheng Hall false? Why did Yue Lian devote herself to you? I have Yue Lian’s confession here. Do you want to read it?”

Liu Futong was rendered speechless.

Zhang Yuelu’s eyes had been fixed on the case file in her hand. At this time, she suddenly turned her attention to Liu Futong. Since they were both seated, they were looking at each other at eye level.

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Superintendent Liu, do you still think that you’re unjustly accused? If so, please list them one by one to defend yourself, or you can confront the witnesses in court. I am unbiased, and I will only look at the facts.”

Liu Futong dared not meet Zhang Yuelu’s sharp gaze. He lowered his head and mumbled, “I’m not unjustly accused...”

Zhang Yuelu put down the file and took out another account book. “This account book was found in the secret compartment of your office. I browsed through it and found the income and expenditure details of Ecstasy Paradise in the past three years. I think you owe me an explanation, Superintendent Liu.”

Liu Futong only felt that his heart had been struck with a hammer. His vision became blurry, and he sat there in a daze.

Zhang Yuelu pressed on. “Superintendent Liu, do you have nothing to say about this?”

Liu Futong raised his trembling hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He was in the Guizhen stage, yet his hands were shaking and he was sweating. Even if his cultivation had been sealed, he should not have such reactions.

Zhang Yuelu noticed this. She continued, “Since you don’t want to speak, let me do it for you.”

“You have invested about 14% of Ecstasy Paradise’s annual net profit into the Yanqing Merchant’s Association, which is engaged in maritime trade. Like you, Yanqing Merchant’s Association has suffered a streak of bad luck, suffering losses every year with multiple shipwrecks. But you have been persistent in your investment anyway. In just three years, you’ve lost about 250,000 Taiping coins.”

Liu Futong took a deep breath and managed to calm down. “The weather is unpredictable, and there are ups and downs in business. Only the heavens know for certain if a business will do well.”

Zhang Yuelu questioned, “Since you can’t be sure it will do well, why do you still want to invest money in them? Who forced you to do so?”

Liu Futong kept mum again.

Zhang Yuelu raised her voice. “Answer me!”

Liu Futong had no choice but to answer her question. “No one forced me. I just thought of making more money for the Daoist Order. I’m just too eager to make contributions.”

Zhang Yuelu sneered. “That’s a good excuse. Do you think that all will be forgotten just because of your eagerness to make contributions to the Daoist Order? Do you plead guilty to neglecting your duties and abusing your power?”

Liu Futong dared not reply, so he lowered his head and remained silent.

Zhang Yuelu scoffed. “I see that you don’t dare to admit this. Well, let me help you.

“In addition to the account books, we also found various land and property deeds. I have already conducted a thorough investigation at Wuxu Palace and the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. According to the investigation, you purchased more than ten residences in Shimen County, Longmen Prefecture, Xijing Prefecture, and some other places. These properties have a total value of approximately 90,000 Taiping coins.

“The residents of these properties are beautiful women, each claiming to be your lover. Two of them are pregnant, and two others already have children. These women are lavishly dressed, wearing gold, silver, and a head full of pearls. They also had servants. Their daily expenses are much more than a fourth-rank Daoist priest like me.

“Taking into account these expenses, it costs about 100,000 Taiping coins or more. I roughly calculated that a fourth-rank Daoist priest like you would have a monthly salary of 200 Taiping coins. Including some subsidies, it would be about 300 Taiping coins.

“Considering that you usually spend time in Ecstasy Paradise, with everything provided for you, you can save up all of your salary, which is 3,600 Taiping coins a year and 36,000 Taiping coins in ten years. It will take at least 30 years for you to save so much money. So, where did you get the money for all these properties and women?”

Liu Futong’s head lowered further. His chest and abdomen were rising and falling as his breathing became labored.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Superintendent Liu, do you plead guilty to embezzlement and misappropriation of about 250,000 Taiping coins?”

Liu Futong’s expression changed dramatically. He abruptly raised his head and defended himself. “I will repay however much I took from the accounts, but I have never embezzled such a huge amount, Deputy Hall Master Zhang! I only took a total of 100,000 Taiping coins in three years, and I used it to buy houses and support my women.”

Zhang Yuelu’s tone was still calm as she asked, “Then where are the remaining 150,000 Taiping coins?”