Chapter 123: Collecting Interest

Chapter 123 Collecting Interest

"Ironclad proof lies before you, Gu Xi, yet you still dare to quibble and sophisticate, attempting to deceive your superior—this is truly a crime compounded!"

Gu Xi treated Wu Gong's reprimand as if unheard, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on Zhang Xian.

Feng Huang, stunned for a long while beside them, finally came to his senses and hurriedly shouted: "This is all Wu Gong's deliberate frame-up, My Lord, you must see clearly!"

Zhang Xian raised a hand and pressed down, cutting off Feng Huang's words directly, "Gu Xi, this evidence is recorded with such blazing clarity, how do you explain it?"

"Replying to my Lord, this student dares speak thus because he naturally has his irrefutable reasons!"

Gu Xi rose to his full height, first cupping his fists towards Pei Xingpu in salute, only then speaking in a clear voice:

"First, Wu Gong and I compete for this recommendation quota; it is common knowledge throughout Chengdu Prefecture. A pity his intentions are impure—instead of devoting himself to the Confucian classics, he has repeatedly dispatched underlings to attack this student's enterprises during this period."

"Not long ago, Wu Gong even bribed the infamous Chuan-Yu Gambling Guild of Chongqing Prefecture to blow up the headquarters of my Shudao Logistics Group, causing dozens of innocent casualties."

"How can a man who disregards law and discipline, ferocious by nature, produce anything that serves as evidence?"

*Thump thump~~*

Yao Chongli drummed his fingers on the table, letting out a cold laugh, "Stick to the facts, don't shift concepts. Using the alleged character of another to infer the authenticity of evidence—which school of thought teaches this?"

"Master Yao, let him finish first."

Zhang Xian held the scales even, allowing neither Feng Huang nor Yao Chongli to speak.

In contrast, the head of this inspection team seemed more inclined to watch Gu Xi and Wu Gong duke it out personally.

"Furthermore, the Great Ming Code explicitly stipulates that adjudicating whether a court official has accepted bribes requires both witness testimony and physical evidence; lacking either, neither can serve as grounds for conviction."

Gu Xi pointed a finger at the projection above, "Now, based solely on this electronic file of unknown origin, you claim I bribed Lord Feng Huang—if this isn't a trumped-up charge, what is?"

"Mount Tai crumbles before him yet his countenance does not change—this Gu lad is rather interesting."

Pei Xingjian, seated by the door, had a sharp glint flash in his eyes; his puffy, loose eyelids drooped, his eyes half-open, half-closed, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The old man's minute shift in expression went unnoticed by anyone else, but Zhang Xian caught it all, his brows twitching slightly as he nodded with deliberate gravity.

"Gu Xi makes sense. As the saying goes, 'catch the thief with the stolen goods'; this bit of physical evidence alone is indeed insufficient to prove Gu Xi bribed Master Feng."

Zhang Xian looked at Wu Gong, "Unless you can produce a witness."

"A witness? Naturally there is one!"

"This evidence came from Li Jun, the Security Chief of Shudao Logistics. True or false, bring the man here and a question will reveal all!"

Wu Gong, by now seething with pent-up rage, snarled before the crowd: "Gu Xi, do you dare?!"

The hands hidden in Gu Xi's sleeves suddenly clenched tight, yet his face remained calm and composed.

"The pure are pure of themselves; what have I to fear?"

"Then I ask County Lieutenant Huang to send men to seize this Li Jun; this official wishes to interrogate him personally."

"Your humble servant obeys!"

Huang Yaozong rose and strode rapidly out of the courtyard, facing the approaching guards and ordering in a deep voice: "Muster all guards of the Garrison Bureau, seal every vital exit, apprehend Li Jun!"

At the same moment, the flock of birds circling beneath the night sky suddenly scattered, shooting off toward every corner of Chengdu County.

The Gu Manor.

In the deep, winding corridor that seemed to have no end in sight, Qian Hai strode with great strides, eyes bloodshot, a murderous aura roiling off him like a furious twilight lion.

Just moments ago, an encrypted message had popped up on his comms terminal: "Li Jun colludes with Wu Gong, execute immediately!"

The characters were blood-red, shocking to the eye.

And the sender was none other than Gu Xi, currently receiving the inspection team at the Chengdu County yamen!

For Qian Hai to have stood firm within the aristocratic clans for so many years, his mind had long been honed to exquisite clarity; with but a moment's thought, he deduced the whole sequence of events seven or eight parts out of ten.

For Gu Xi to issue a 'kill on sight' order, Li Jun's life or death likely determined the success or failure of this recommendation.

It might even implicate something far more serious.

But what enraged Qian Hai more was that he, who prided himself on judging men with unerring accuracy, had failed to see the treachery behind Li Jun's ears this time, and had even partnered with him in business.

"This damnable Li Jun, he actually dares to bite the hand that feeds him—he's ruined me this time!"

Qian Hai cursed in a rage, the hatred in his words nearly piercing the bone.

The dignified Security Chief of Shudao Logistics actually turned traitor; next, Shudao Logistics would surely face a thorough purge.

By then, not a single one of Li Jun's men would escape, and even the little tricks he himself had played during this period would likely be dug up entirely.

Knowing Gu Xi as he did, if Gu Xi learned he and Li Jun had colluded to embezzle funds, he feared there would be no good end for him either.

"Most crucially, I haven't even gotten my damn share of the money yet!"

Thinking to this point, Qian Hai's mood grew ever more depressed.

A few days prior, Qian Zhongxiao had reported that the dividends offered up by the subsidiaries below had been delivered, but Qi Zhu had seized them all.

No matter how Qian Zhongxiao urged, she never distributed them, instead running them through the underground black market—a completely superfluous move.

At the time, he had even praised Li Jun for his caution; now it seemed the other party had long harbored the intent to swallow it all.

He had even wasted breath cursing Qian Zhongxiao, lecturing him that since he chose to ally with Li Jun, he must trust his own judgment and trust his partner.

And deep down, Qian Hai was dead certain that his own share, Li Jun absolutely would not dare touch.

These matters now played out vividly before his eyes, each like a stinging slap across Qian Hai's face, burning hot and raw.

Qian Hai took a deep breath, striving to tear the rage from his mind.

Things having come to this, dwelling on them further was useless.

The priority now was to find Li Jun; only by personally executing Li Jun could he perhaps redeem himself and survive this calamity.

"Where would this son of a bitch be right now?"

"Shudao Logistics? Unlikely—staying there is suicide, Li Jun probably isn't that stupid. But that Qi Zhu..."

"The Teaching Workshop? He frequents that courtesan, Du Shisan Niang."

"Nine Dragons Street? Li Jun seems on good terms with that little thug, Kuang Qingyun."

"And that doctor on Ghost Street."

"Li Jun, you don't look like a heartless, cold-blooded man," Qian Hai muttered to himself, "don't you dare abandon these people and run."

Mortal enemies though they were, they had become a lifeline at this moment.

*Clang!*

Just then, a sliver of cold light suddenly flared in the depths of the corridor.

Qian Hai's steps halted abruptly, a look of surprised delight appearing on his face, "Body harboring crimson blood nurtures the wrathful flood dragon—brainless martial brute, you actually dare come knocking to deliver yourself to death?"

In the shadows behind him, dense figures swayed.

Li Jun shouldered his ink-black saber, tilting his head with a smile: "I've been your blade for so long—how could I not come collect a little interest?"