Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Shen Lang? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before. Oh right, you wouldn't happen to be Shen Lang, one of the three sons-in-law chosen by His Majesty, would you?"

Xie Bao suddenly realized what was happening and took another careful look at Shen Lang.

"and then?"

Shen Lang kept spinning and playing with the dagger in his palm, looking at Xie Bao with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot.

"Commander Shen, since you've stepped in, I, Xie Bao, should logically give you some face. But your subordinates owe me money, and it's only right to pay back debts, isn't it?"

Xie Bao rubbed his hands together and laughed.

"If Commander Shen can repay this money for her, then things will naturally be peaceful from now on..."

Shen Lang turned to Su Yun and asked, "How much money do you owe him?"

Su Yun lowered her head and whispered, "Five hundred taels, with a monthly interest of ten taels. I've been paying it back for a whole year."

Shen Lang nodded and said to Xie Bao, "Bring me the IOU."

"Okay."

Soon, Xie Bao ordered someone to fetch Su Yun's IOU.

"Commander Shen, look at this! It's all written in black and white, and it even has your subordinate's signature. She..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Lang snatched it away, crumpled it into a ball in front of everyone, and then threw it into the fire pit to burn it to ashes.

The series of movements were so fluid and smooth that it left no time for anyone to react.

"Commander Shen! What do you mean by this?"

Finally, Xie Bao, realizing what was happening, became furious and began to question him repeatedly.

"Give me some face and let's just let this go. Maybe you'll thank me later for making such a wise decision today."

Shen Lang replied indifferently.

Even if Xie Bao were to be very polite, he would still lose his temper if he saw this attitude.

"Fuck you! Fine? You dare to mess with me? I'll make sure you get what's coming to you today... ah... my hand~ ah~"

Before he could finish howling, Xie Bao's left palm, which was resting on the table, was pierced through by Shen Lang's dagger, and the tabletop was also pierced through, pinning Xie Bao firmly to the table.

"Come on, curse me again?"

"Ah~~"

Shen Lang twisted the dagger in his hand slightly, and Xie Bao was in so much pain that he almost lay face down on the table.

"You dare to run your business after I've given you a hard time? You surnamed Xie, a down-on-his-luck gangster, dare to challenge those who live off the government? Do you have connections in high places?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Bao gritted his teeth and said, "You bastard surnamed Shen, you're fucking dead! If you have the guts, kill me today, or I'll definitely find a chance to kill you!"

puff-

As soon as he finished speaking, the dagger on the back of Xie Bao's hand suddenly rose up, turning into a perfect arc and leaving a bloody mark on his neck.

His pupils contracted, and he stared at Shen Lang in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that this guy would actually dare to attack him.

Even the Karami standing nearby were so shocked by this scene that they all took several steps back.

"you……"

"Since you ask me to kill you, how could I not grant your request?"

"If I don't kill you, you'll kill me. Since we're both in a dead end, you're the only one who can die."

Shen Lang chuckled lightly, then his expression darkened.

"Xie Bao plotted rebellion and has already been executed! Who else wants to be his accomplice!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room, from the karami to the prostitutes, knelt down and trembled.

In extreme pain, Xie Bao's neck suddenly spurted blood, and then he collapsed and died.

"Come with me."

After dealing with Xie Bao, Shen Lang shoved the stunned Su Yun and turned to leave.

Zhao Ang, watching from the shadows, trembled uncontrollably.

He really didn't understand why Shen Lang wasn't afraid at all, and even if someone died, he still seemed indifferent.

Xie Bao's background is entangled with the imperial court in a complicated and unclear way, so he is not worried at all about the retaliation from Xie Bao's backer.

But after the initial shock, he quickly calmed down.

"Shen Lang, as a candidate for the Di family's son-in-law, how could you have an affair with a female subordinate?"

"Hmph, just you wait, I will definitely report this to His Majesty! I will make sure you are punished for your indiscretion."

……

“You’re useless. You have no backbone whatsoever from the Jingwei Guard. Come with me.”

After leaving the brothel, Shen Lang led Su Yun to a restaurant two streets away from the scene of the incident.

Seeing the constables from the yamen heading to handle the murder scene, Shen Lang couldn't help but yell at Su Yun, who was still shaken.

Su Yun finally realized what was happening and burst into tears.

"Cry, cry, cry! What are you crying for! Do you think I'd be a good boss and comfort my subordinates?"

If you can't handle this job, submit your resignation now, and I'll pass it on to the commander.

The dignified commander of the Jingwei Guard was actually threatened by a local thug who ran a brothel.

"Aren't you afraid of losing face if this gets out?"

While continuing to berate Su Yun, Shen Lang poured a little vinegar into the bowl of noodles in front of him.

Su Yun then stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and said, "Commander Shen, thank you for helping me get rid of a major hidden danger."

"You were originally a man of the martial world, why did you decide to take a job serving the imperial court?"

Shen Lang slurped up a mouthful of noodles and casually asked a question.

"My mother contracted lung disease and relied entirely on honeysuckle to alleviate her symptoms, but honeysuckle is very expensive."

I heard that serving the government offered a stable income, which is why I pledged my loyalty to the court. It wasn't until a little over a month ago that I was exceptionally admitted to the Jingwei Guard.

Shen Lang nodded: "So, you asked Xie Bao and his group to borrow money to buy medicine?"

“Yes.” Su Yun nodded. “I just didn’t expect the interest they were asking for to be so high. I really can’t afford it anymore.”

Shen Lang chuckled lightly: "When you borrow money at a high rate, how can you expect low interest? How is your mother's illness?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yun's expression immediately darkened: "It hasn't improved much, and the amount of medicine needed is increasing."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang put down his chopsticks and bowl.

Then Xing took out the stack of silver notes that Jiang Mengxuan had given her that morning from her bosom.

He originally intended to give a hundred or two taels of silver to get rid of him.

The problem was that the face value was all in the thousands of taels, which made Shen Lang extremely conflicted.

But for the sake of saving face, he still endured the excruciating pain and pulled out a thousand-tael silver note, slapping it in front of Su Yun.

At the same time, feigning generosity, he said, "Look, if you ever need money, just tell me. Whatever I have..."

"You won't lose out; take this thousand taels to buy medicine for your mother."

God knows how much his heart bled when he said those words.

Su Yun quickly declined, "No, I can't accept it, I really can't accept it, Commander Shen..."

"Take it! It's not free!"

Shen Lang stopped her from making excuses.

"You have to do something for me. If you do it well, your mother's medicine money will no longer be a problem."

Upon hearing this, Su Yun stopped making excuses: "What do you need me to do?"

Shen Lang revealed a playful smile...

The following day at noon, in a private room on the top floor of Zhiya Garden, the most upscale restaurant in the East District.

In this private room, Zeng Qian, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, Yang Xiong, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and Wei Donghai, the Left Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, sat upright in their respective seats.

Zeng Qian, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, was seated first on the left. He wore a blue official robe embroidered with crane patterns, highlighting his high status.

His face was serious, and his eyes were deep and sharp, giving him an air of authority.

As the Prefect of Jingzhao, he was responsible for the security and administration of the capital, wielding immense power.

Yang Xiong, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was seated first on the right. He wore a green official robe with a golden pheasant pattern embroidered on his chest.

He was about forty years old, with a dignified appearance and refined demeanor. He was in charge of the country's financial revenue and expenditure and had a thorough understanding of the country's economic situation.

Wei Donghai, the Left Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, sat in the middle, wearing a red official robe embroidered with a qilin pattern.

Wei Donghai was a bit older, with graying temples, but he was still vigorous and had bright, piercing eyes. He was in charge of judicial trials and upheld the principles of fairness and impartiality, earning him deep respect from the people.

These three officials held prominent positions and wielded great power; their every move could affect the entire court's situation.

At this moment, they gathered here, but they were invited to have dinner with Shen Lang, who was at the table.

"My lords, why aren't you eating? The food at Zhiya Garden is truly exceptional."

Unfortunately, my salary is meager, and I only have a few opportunities to try it a year.

"We were able to invite several distinguished guests this time thanks to His Majesty's favor."

Shen Lang leisurely sipped a bowl of shredded chicken stew, occasionally picking up a piece of salt-baked chicken from the table and chewing it contentedly.

Upon seeing this, Zeng Qian was the first to lose his composure: "What exactly do you want from us?"

We are high-ranking officials of the court, and we are very busy with official duties. If you were not the emperor's son-in-law, it would be impossible for you to even see us.

If you're hoping to make friends with us, forget about it. Our aristocratic families will not associate with you. Come back when you've become the emperor's son-in-law.

After saying that, he prepared to get up and leave, showing no respect to Shen Lang whatsoever.