I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

Among all the emperors, Aisin-Gioro Hongli, the "Perfect Old Man" who made six trips to the south of the Yangtze River, was the most suspicious. He not only heavily relied on the Manchu group, but also swept away the Han officials promoted by his father. He truly deserved his title as the creator of the first literary inquisition in history.

Naturally, these Han Chinese groups were also relegated to a separate category. It was already considered an act of imperial grace that Chen Shoutin was appointed Marquis of Baili in Guangzhou.

Chen Shoutin once considered himself a renowned official. Since being appointed magistrate of Nanhai County, he had received three consecutive excellent performance evaluations. Logically, he should have been promoted long ago, but he actually endured four terms in Nanhai County, transforming from a spirited young man into a stagnant middle-aged bureaucrat. Even the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi couldn't bear to see him like this and promoted him to assistant prefect of Guangzhou—fortunately, the location was close enough that the assistant prefect's office was only three miles away from the Nanhai County government office.

After years of hard work, Chen Shoutin had come to terms with it, giving up any thoughts of promotion or making money. He simply collected gifts during holidays and amassed a fortune in this prosperous land.

As for criminal cases and defense, which were matters within the jurisdiction of the Assistant Magistrate, he was too lazy to bother with them. He invited a few old scholars from Shaoxing and then washed his hands of everything, displaying a somewhat docile and incorruptible style.

At this moment, a great commotion broke out outside. Chen Shoutin, dressed in a blue robe and a small hat, looking like an ordinary scholar, remained calm and waved his hand at Feng Renying, who had a white beard in front of him: "Why panic? If Taoist priests and hermits really had supernatural powers, they should have been serving the emperor in front of the Forbidden City long ago. Putting aside everything else, they should first put down the arrogance of those lamas."

"To be honest, it's just a smokescreen; those are ignorant country bumpkins."

Feng Renying gave a heavy laugh: "It's hard to say."

But in his heart, he was calculating the enemies he had offended.

However, the game of chess was indeed impossible to continue. A few minutes later, four strong servants carried in Feng San, who was barely breathing with both legs broken. Behind them was a servant who held Feng San's legs, which were severed at the root, in his arms. The cut surfaces were as smooth as a mirror, and both the bright red flesh and the pale bone fragments were clearly visible.

"Oh!"

Chen Shouting was so startled that he knocked over his teacup. Feng Renying glanced at him coldly, suppressed her anger, and gritted her teeth as she said to the old scholar Chen Shouting had brought, "My son has made a fool of himself, which has made you, Lord Chen, laugh. Please go to the guest room to rest first."

The old scholar surnamed Gu also turned pale and dared not look at her for long. He nodded slightly to Feng Renying and led the already immobile Chen Shoutin away.

After Chen Shoutin left, Feng Renying's face turned completely gloomy, and a bluish aura rose from his face: "You bastard!"

With that angry shout, the ivory chessboard on the table fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, the black and white pieces becoming a jumbled mess.

"Have you taken the medicine yet?!"

"Reporting to Master, the medicine has been administered," said the servant who was holding Feng San's legs. "However, it seems that Young Master Feng San is being held on by something... No matter what medicine is used, his condition will not improve."

"really?"

Feng Renying's face darkened further.

"Yes, sir," the servant nodded. "Moreover, sir, that Taoist priest has also detained the second young master. He has also gathered a large group of troublemakers and is blocking the main gate."

"Damn it!" Feng Renying slammed his fist on the stone table, leaving a shallow dent. "Someone, go and bring Chen Tongzhi back!"

431 Your Majesty, do you still remember the flower-picking incident of the thirty-third year of Qianlong's reign?

Feng Renying was planning to invite Chen Shouting back to preside over the event, but after walking a short distance, Chen Shouting immediately opened his eyes and grabbed Master Gu.

"Old Gu, hurry up, it'll be too late if we're late."

"Sir, what's wrong...?"

Master Gu looked at Chen Shoutin, whose eyes were clear, with suspicion, wondering what this Guangzhou magistrate was up to.

"You're so foolish, Lao Gu!"

Chen Shoutin pinched his chin and simply said, "The case of the 'rebel party' in the thirty-third year of Qianlong's reign!"

"...Your Majesty, it's clear."

Master Gu's forehead was instantly covered with a dense layer of sweat, and he felt a chilling sensation lingering on his neck.

He had served as an advisor to many people, so he naturally knew about the major case that affected the officialdom in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places.

During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, what he feared most was someone using religion as a pretext for rebellion. While Emperor Yongzheng still possessed some of the refined spirit of a scholar who discussed Zen and Taoism, Emperor Qianlong was inherently overly defensive and sensitive. Apart from those lamas living in the lavish and extravagant Mongolia and Tibet, he naturally harbored a distrustful attitude towards anyone from Han China, whether a monk or a Taoist priest.

In Emperor Qianlong's eyes, only the lamas of the Yellow Sect were considered his own people, while most Taoist priests and monks were Han Chinese. Whether the Manchu nobles were close to scholars or associated with monks and Taoists, it would touch a sensitive nerve in Qianlong's heart.

If anyone uses the name of gods, Buddhas, or religion to gather people, then regardless of whether they have rebellious intentions, they should be executed directly.

During the thirty-third year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, rumors suddenly spread in the Zhejiang area that some wandering Taoist priests and monks would cut off the braids of passersby to seduce souls and seduce beggars.

—In fact, such rumors about seducing beggars still exist in the 21st century, which only shows that the ignorant men and women have not made any progress in the past two hundred years.

Logically speaking, such baseless rumors could be resolved simply by local officials issuing a notice and arresting a few rumor-mongers. However, the "soul-snatching beggar" story failed to move Emperor Qianlong, while the phrase "cutting off the queue" struck a nerve with his fragile heart, which was based on the "Great Divide between Manchus and Han Chinese."

Consequently, the governors and viceroys of the thirteen provinces, under imperial decree, launched a massive investigation, arresting and severely interrogating countless wandering monks and Taoist priests. What began as mere rumors in the countryside transformed into a widespread panic that swept across the entire country.

Ironically, a year passed, and although many wandering monks and Taoists had been arrested, none of the legendary "demon gang" had been found. The final conclusion of the Grand Council scholars was that the so-called "demon gang" was nothing more than a lie fabricated by the arrested monks and Taoists who couldn't withstand the beatings, and it was completely fictitious.

In the end, Emperor Qianlong had no choice but to issue an edict to stop the investigation, and incidentally, to exonerate all the officials in charge of the matter on charges of "incompetence," stripping some of their official hats and even their heads. This was merely to save face for the Empress Dowager.

Thinking of this utterly absurd case, even Master Gu couldn't help but feel fear: "Yes, sir, you're right. Let's hurry and leave."

It seems Feng Renying has really bitten off more than he can chew this time. If someone with ulterior motives makes a fuss about this, not only will the Feng family's Five Tigers faction be wiped out, but even the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi will have to be stripped of his official hat.

The two quietly slipped out through the side door, hoping to take this opportunity to escape, but found that the doorway was blocked. They could only crawl out by crouching down through a small hole in the wall.

Chen Shoutin hesitated, thinking to himself, "I'm just a fifth-rank official..."

"My lord, hurry and go, do not hesitate." Master Gu gestured for himself to keep watch, and let Chen Shoutin climb first.

"Fine, I'll crawl!"

Chen Shouting's lips trembled, he closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and crawled out onto the ground.

Everything went black for a moment, then a white light appeared, accompanied by a curious voice.

"Hey, why is someone crawling through a dog hole?"

Chen Shoutin raised his head as if his heart had turned to ashes and saw Li Lin looking at him curiously.

In fact, Li Lin wasn't the only one; dozens of people around him were curiously observing this Guangzhou magistrate who had half his body stuck in the dog hole.

Chen Shoutin, who was enjoying the death of his family, was stunned, then slammed his fist on the ground in a fit of despair: "I am the Assistant Magistrate of Guangzhou, quickly drag me out!"

"Really? I don't believe it." Li Lin retorted instinctively, "Why would you, the Guangzhou magistrate, crawl through a dog hole and have Feng Renying open the door and escort you out? Shouldn't that have been the proper way?"

Chen Shouting was taken aback, then fell into thought.

It seems so.

Then came endless regret. Damn it, if it weren't for the witchcraft case in the thirty-third year of Qianlong's reign that clouded his mind, how could he have ended up in this state of death?

"And didn't you bring any attendants with you? Why did we have to drag you along?"

Li Lin delivered the final blow, making Chen Shoutin, whose heart was already riddled with wounds, want to bang his head on the ground in despair.

"In short, it was my negligence..." Chen Shoutin raised his head dejectedly, "Please bring me out first..."

"How can you guarantee you're not an informant sent to the magistrate's office to report?" Li Lin pressed on, then, to demonstrate his democratic stance, asked those around him, "Do you know him?"

Chen Shoutin looked up at the crowd with hope in his eyes.

To his disappointment, almost everyone shook their heads – after all, these ordinary civilians rarely had the chance to see him, their local official.

Suddenly, a sliver of color returned to Chen Shoutin's pale face. He excitedly pointed at the constables and Young Master Feng, who were jumping around in the crowd: "Chief Wang, Nephew Feng! Quickly pull me out!"

"Yes, yes, it's Master Li," Constable Wang, sweating profusely, urged from the side, "This is truly our Assistant Magistrate!"

"You say so, so it is?" Li Lin scoffed dismissively. "What magistrate would dress like that?"

"Stop talking..." Chen Shoutin was both amused and exasperated. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt a force pulling him backward. He panicked and braced himself against the wall with both hands. "Pull me out! Pull me out quickly!"

Without even asking Li Lin's permission, Constable Wang and Young Master Feng grabbed Chen Shouting's arms from both sides and wrestled with the other side of the wall.

On the other side of the wall, the old master Gu, who was originally used as a lookout, was gagged and held in the corner. Feng Renying, with a gloomy face, stood by the hole in the wall with his arms crossed, watching Chen Shoutin's half-body stuck in the hole.

"Pull, pull it back for me!" Feng Renying gestured to the two burly servants to pull harder.

Not only that, he also shouted to those outside the wall: "I am Feng Renying. If you know what's good for you, let go immediately, or don't blame me for not showing mercy with my bronze cudgel!"

Feng Renying was known as the one who could suppress the two provinces with his copper staff. It was with his long staff that he was able to turn the Five Tigers into white after decades of fighting.

Upon hearing Feng Renying's name, both Young Master Feng and Constable Wang outside the wall simultaneously released their grip—after all, they had no grudge against Feng Renying.

Only Chen Shoutin, pale-faced and in despair, was dragged into the cave.

Until Li Lin reached out and grabbed his collar.

boo——

With a sharp crack, Chen Shoutin was pulled out of the hole in the wall by Li Lin.

At the same time, Li Lin pointed his finger at the wall.

What followed was a continuous series of collapses—it seemed to have triggered some indescribable chain reaction. Smoke billowed up, and then the entire magnificent Feng Mansion collapsed amidst the shaking.

The angry curses, screams, and shouts were all buried in the sudden collapse.

The Guangzhou magistrate, still in shock, collapsed to his knees at Li Lin's feet as he watched the disaster unfold right behind him.

Chen Shoutin, still shaken, looked up at the distinguished-looking Taoist priest before him, who seemed to have stepped out of an ancient painting, his lips trembling: "You, who exactly are you?"

A smug look of knowing satisfaction appeared on Li Lin's face: "To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter."

432 True Martial White Deer

Although it was said to be resolved in the next chapter, Li Lin knew that keeping people in suspense for too long would turn him into a riddle-maker, and riddle-makers are always the most hated, and Li Lin also deeply despised them.

The main reason is that he himself is not good at telling riddles.

If it's possible, I believe he will say so.

Li Lin, oblivious to everyone else, put his arm around Chen Shoutin's shoulder and said, "I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'll keep it short. You know about the sorcery case in the thirty-third year of Qianlong's reign, right? It was actually true."

If Li Lin hadn't caught Chen Shouting, he would have collapsed to the ground by now.