Luo Tianlin had waited all night, but Ah Hu and the others still hadn't returned, which left him feeling a bit uneasy. It wasn't until someone reported that the Taihe Teahouse was closed today, seemingly due to some incident, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Ha! Ah Hu must have succeeded."
Inside the Demon-Slaying Bureau's prison, Chong Heihu said, "Young Master, at this point, we can only look for an opportunity to escape. That corrupt official has ulterior motives; he might be plotting something." Jiang Ming nodded, but he knew it was a pipe dream for the two of them to escape from the Demon-Slaying Bureau.
From the legends he had heard as a child to what he had witnessed himself, the Demon-Slaying Bureau was immensely powerful. Even the most ordinary Demon-Slaying Guards were martial artists of the ninth rank.
"We can't rely on ourselves; we need to pull some strings," Jiang Ming said. Earlier, he had given money just to test the waters, but the other party hadn't even bothered to send him a message, clearly indicating they wanted him dead.
Having his gourd taken away, he now had no means to resist. He couldn't rely on his seductive abilities to charm these men, after all. If the Demon-Slaying Guards had been women, it might have worked, as the number of men who preferred other men was ultimately quite small.
Fortunately, he hadn't been entirely unprepared. Last night, under the pretext of needing to relieve himself, he had quietly released an Iron-Beaked Eagle to send a message to Uncle Fu, but he didn't know how that was going.
Today, the Taihe Teahouse was unusually closed and had only posted a notice saying they were temporarily closed due to family matters. The elderly man and the young man who regularly came to listen to stories saw the notice and could only shake their heads in disappointment as they left.
Uncle Fu had arrived at the Demon-Slaying Bureau early in the morning, but he was told that Jiang Ming didn't exist and was promptly driven out.
"What on earth happened? The Young Master's notes can't be fake. It seems I need to find those old geezers," he muttered to himself.
Inside the Demon-Slaying Bureau, Baihu Zhang Gang finished his breakfast and casually asked, "What happened to those two captured last night?"
Niu Zongqi quickly replied, "Boss, they're locked up in the prison. I've already had their confessions written, and I've sent someone to have them sign it."
"Good. Let's hope there's no trouble."
"There won't be any trouble. The kid claimed he's the young manager of the Taihe Teahouse and not from some noble family," Niu Zongqi added.
"Taihe Teahouse? Is that the one that's been gaining a bit of fame in the Eastern Capital recently? What a pity."
Just then, a Demon-Slaying Guard entered to report, "Baihu, Sir, the patrol officer, Li, sent someone to ask if you've captured a person named Jiang Ming?"
Before Zhang Gang could respond, another person entered: "Baihu, Sir, the garrison officer, Hu, sent someone to inquire if you've caught a person named Jiang Ming?"
Before long, more military officials came in. Although they weren't high-ranking, the highest among them was a patrol officer, and the lowest was merely a hundred-man captain, but they came from various factions within the Eastern Capital's military.
At this moment, Zhang Gang's face darkened. He shot a furious glare at Niu Zongqi. This was the trouble you said wouldn't happen?
"Reply to them that I'm still unaware of the situation and need to verify," he ordered.
"Understood." The officials exited, leaving only Zhang Gang and Niu Zongqi.
"Boss, it was my oversight. I didn't expect that Jiang Ming had some connections. But we need not fear him. Once he signs that confession, it will be set in stone. No one can interfere with the affairs of the Demon-Slaying Bureau."
Zhang Gang immediately barked, "Then why haven't you gone to check on the situation?"
"Right away!"
Niu Zongqi hurried to the prison, only to hear loud slapping sounds coming from within. Jiang Ming and Chong Heihu were tied to pillars, being tortured.
"How's it going?"
The guard, who was currently wielding a whip, paused to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Niu Zongqi, these two are incredibly stubborn; they refuse to sign."
Damn it! He was now in a difficult position. Grabbing Jiang Ming by the collar, he growled, "Since you refuse to sign, don't blame me for what happens next!"
Although Jiang Ming usually trained his body, the one whipping him was a ninth-rank martial artist, and at this moment, his whole body was on fire, his consciousness becoming a bit foggy.
Looking up at Niu Zongqi, he forced a smile. "Sir, can you give me a chance?"
Niu Zongqi was even more enraged, but the task at hand was crucial. He ordered the guards to bring the confession, which not only implicated Ah Hu in several deaths but also included charges of intentionally sabotaging the Demon-Slaying Bureau's operations.
He pressed Jiang Ming's hand down to sign it.
Seeing the thumbprint pressed down, Niu Zongqi chuckled, "Take them away."
Jiang Ming and Chong Heihu were dragged away by four Demon-Slaying Guards and thrown into a cell.
"Young Master, this time we've suffered without cause. It seems heaven is warning us not to let our guard down," Chong Heihu suddenly said.
Jiang Ming gently wrung his clothes, the fabric separating from his skin, causing a sharp pain that made him hiss. "A warning from heaven?"
Perhaps it was a warning, after all. He had set out to hunt demons but had ended up captured and branded a criminal with baseless charges.
"Uncle Fu must have gone to seek help from my father's old associates, but as they say, when people move on, the tea cools. It's uncertain how much help they can offer," Jiang Ming thought silently.
Meanwhile, Niu Zongqi took the confession to show to Zhang Gang. Upon seeing the thumbprint, Zhang Gang's brow furrowed slightly. The founding emperor of the current dynasty had ordered that, to prevent wrongful convictions from coerced confessions, no confession should be accepted without witnesses and material evidence, unless the prisoner signed their name.
"Forget it, we'll go with this."
Rules are fixed, but people are adaptable. Where flexibility was needed, they would adjust. He only needed a scapegoat; this wasn't an investigation.
"Baihu, the record keeper of the Education Administration, Ji, is here," someone announced.
Zhang Gang was momentarily taken aback. How did the civil officials get involved?
The Great Jin had a strong martial culture, but that didn't mean the scholars were weak. On the contrary, civil officials often wielded much more power than military leaders.
This was undoubtedly a strategy by the emperor. Martial artists are often rebellious and have big tempers. If they weren't kept in check, the Great Jin would soon be overrun with rebels.
Moreover, the term "scholar" didn't imply that they were weaklings; some were exceptionally gifted, and you might not only lose an argument with them but even in a fight.
The Education Administration was responsible for evaluating and certifying scholars, issuing degrees. Every civil official in the court was linked to the Education Administration.
In contrast, the Demon-Slaying Bureau was established specifically to deal with demons within the realm and was quite powerful, but it also faced many restrictions. All officials were always on alert, knowing that if anything went wrong with the Demon-Slaying Bureau, it would be a significant issue.
Even though Ji was only a minor record keeper, Zhang Gang, as a Baihu, dared not dismiss him lightly and immediately sent someone to invite him in.
Soon, a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe entered. He wore a carefree cap, a jade pendant hung at his waist, and had streaks of gray at his temples and a few strands of blue at his chin. He bowed slightly, saying, "I am Ji Nian here to disturb you, Baihu Zhang, please forgive me."
Zhang Gang smiled and returned the gesture, "Not at all. I'm curious about the purpose of your visit, Sir Ji."
Ji Nian got straight to the point. "I heard that my student was captured by your Demon-Slaying Bureau, so I came to inquire."
Zhang Gang's heart dropped. "Your student is...?"
"Jiang Ming. Baihu Zhang, do you have him?"
Zhang Gang immediately turned to Niu Zongqi and asked, "Is he here?"
Niu Zongqi felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Taking a deep breath, he replied, "To report to you both, we do have him. Jiang Ming disrupted our operations last night, and we captured him for assault and murder. Here's his confession."
Ji Nian took the confession, glanced at it, and then sneered, ripping it to shreds.
"Sir Ji, you..."
"Ha! My student Jiang Ming is a scholar. Do you think he can't read? Signing with a thumbprint? Baihu Zhang,
surely there's been a misunderstanding here!"
A scholar?
Zhang Gang hadn't expected that the kid would have credentials. The Great Jin didn't have an imperial examination system, but it had the Education Administration's assessments. Passing those assessments granted one the qualifications to hold an official position.
The lowest rank was a scholar, followed by recommended students, successful candidates, and grand scholars. This meant that Jiang Ming could potentially hold at least a ninth-rank official position if he wished to fill a vacancy elsewhere.
"Baihu Zhang, does the Demon-Slaying Bureau have the right to question or even convict a scholar?" Ji Nian shouted.