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

How serious would the consequences be if the rally got out of control?

In just one day, thousands of shops in Jinling City were damaged to varying degrees, and more than a hundred houses were deliberately set on fire.

Furthermore, the storm also affected innocent civilians, with rape, robbery, murder, and theft occurring almost constantly in the city.

As if overnight, this once civilized city regressed to a primitive society, and no trace of the rule of law could be found anymore.

Driven to madness and incited by certain individuals, the mob even stormed government offices. It is known that more than 20 government officials have been beaten to death by the rioters, and hundreds have been injured.

Faced with the surging crowds, the patrol and inspection offices responsible for maintaining order on the streets completely collapsed, with all the patrol officers hiding inside the government offices, keeping the doors and windows tightly shut and not daring to peek out.

Since the incident, these so-called public opinion actions have completely changed their nature, becoming merely a platform for mobs to vent their emotions, and they have long forgotten their original purpose.

The entire city seemed to be shrouded in a thick layer of haze.

As night fell, the crowds gradually dispersed after a day of turmoil.

However, tens of thousands of people were still scattered throughout the city's streets and key intersections so that the "petition movement" could continue at a designated time the following day.

In a dark alley, two black-clad warriors recounted the day's battle results.

"These commoners are really stupid. They were easily provoked with just a few words. They have no brains at all."

"If they had any brains, how would we be able to fool them?"

"Haha, how are you feeling today?"

"How comfortable! You slept with two women and burned three people to death. What about you?"

"Almost there. Let's continue tomorrow and try to break through the palace gates. I've heard the palace maids inside are all very beautiful..."

"Hahaha……"

The two men laughed lewdly and walked side by side toward the end of the alley.

Suddenly, a white figure rushed in front of them.

"You are……"

Before they could ask a question, the white-clad figure rushed forward and struck their pressure points.

Immediately afterwards, two more Jingwei officers put two black burlap sacks over the heads of the two men.

"Take him away and hand him over to Commander Shen for punishment."

Jiang Chaoyun casually waved his hand, and the two martial artists were immediately escorted by the Jingwei Division's flag bearers towards Chenglou.

"Next targets: Huang Yuheng of Tengshan Academy and Chen Zishan of Kunlan Academy. Act immediately."

At Jiang Chaoyun's command, the Jingwei Division's junior officers immediately split into three teams and dispersed into and out of the alley.

……

"Who are you people, and why did you bring me here?"

"Behave yourself and sit down!"

Inside a dark room, three hooded scholars with their hands tied behind their backs were pinned down on a wooden stool by two guards.

The moment the hood was removed, a blinding light shone so brightly that he could barely open his eyes.

Before him stood a young military officer in a cloak, his face cold and aloof, earnestly carving something on a piece of wood.

"call……"

Suddenly, Shen Lang blew away the wood chips and asked without looking up, "What's your name?"

"Who are you people? Why are you arresting us? Don't you know this is illegal?"

Shen Lang was met with a rousing barrage of questions.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang glanced at an officer beside him.

He was another captain under Shen Lang's command, named Wang Rui.

"Yes, my lord."

Wang Rui understood immediately and rushed to the scholar who had spoken, sternly saying, "Behave yourself, what are our superiors asking you?"

Just answer honestly, don't try to argue, do you understand?

Upon hearing this, the scholar became even more arrogant: "Are you threatening us? I think you're all Shen Lang's lackeys!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Shut up!"

Wang Rui pointed at the scholar's nose with a stern face.

"Are you familiar with the idiom 'disaster comes from the mouth'?"

"What, you dare to torture us? According to the laws of the Great Chu, scholars do not kneel before officials. They are of a superior status, and even if they break the law, they cannot be subjected to private torture."

As soon as he finished speaking, a copy of "The Laws of the Great Chu" was thrown directly at the scholar's face.

"Come on, find me the rule you just mentioned about the superior status of scholars. Where in the laws of the Great Chu Dynasty is it stipulated that you bunch of trash have a superior status? Hmm?"

"You spouting nonsense! Do you really think you're superior just because you've read a few books? You dare to act so arrogantly towards me? It seems you have no idea what we're capable of."

Shen Lang's voice, like a chilling aura from the depths of hell, permeated the entire secret room, sending a shiver down one's spine.

The scholars looked at each other in bewilderment. They had only heard the saying that scholars of the Great Chu had a superior status from the aristocratic families who sponsored their studies.

As for whether it was included in the "Great Chu Laws", they really hadn't verified it.

But this didn't stop the scholar from continuing to be arrogant: "What exactly do you want with us here?"

"Tell me your name first."

"Hmph, don't try to fool me. This is not a courtroom. How could I be threatened by scoundrels like you?"

"After I leave, I will definitely report you to the authorities and have you arrested, you lawless scoundrels."

Wang Rui immediately raised his hand as if to strike: "How dare you! Do you know who's sitting here? This is..."

As a result, the scholar turned his cheek to the side and said, "If you have the guts, then try it. I want to see if you have the audacity to abuse your power!"

"you……"

Wang Rui's hand, suspended in mid-air, twitched incessantly, but he dared not bring it down.

"Alright, you can leave now. I'll take care of this."

Shen Lang patted Wang Rui on the shoulder, signaling him to step aside, and then faced the scholar directly.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me your name."

The scholar snorted coldly: "Let me tell you, I..."

Bang~

A crisp roar echoed, and before the scholar could react, Shen Lang slapped him away.

The slap was both fierce and accurate, causing his ears to ring and his vision to blur.

"Cough cough..."

He coughed several times, and then spat out a mouthful of bloody teeth.

"You, you dare..."

Bang~

Shen Lang raised his leg and kicked him in the stomach again, interrupting his stubbornness.

As the scholar bent over in pain, Shen Lang suddenly grabbed his hair and lifted his head high.

"Listen up, if you hadn't done something wrong, you wouldn't be in my hands. Why are you the only ones they're targeting, and why aren't others being arrested? You should know what you've done."

If you know what's good for you, you'll cooperate and suffer less. But if you insist on forcing it, what I just experienced was merely an appetizer.

Now, you should understand your situation.

The scholar was startled: "What exactly do you know?"

"You took advantage of the riots to rape and murder your teacher's wife, am I right?"

"No! You're lying! I didn't!"

"hehe!"

Shen Lang sneered, then slammed his head hard onto the ground.

An echo of bones cracking reverberated in the sealed room.

"Ah~"

The scholar, his head bulging, groaned in pain on the spot.

"Wang Rui!"

Shen Lang roared, then untied his cloak, rolled up his sleeves, took a hollow steel pipe from Wang Rui, rushed to the scholar, and swung it down without saying a word.

"Fuck you, you even went after your teacher's wife, huh? You're a complete beast! You're not leaving here alive today, get up!"

After saying that, he swung the steel pipe directly at the rapist, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Ah~ No~ Please spare me, sir~"

"No, I was wrong~ I was really wrong~"

"My lord, ask away, I'll tell you everything!"

"Ah~ My lord, I only saw my master's wife bathing and couldn't help myself~ Please forgive me this time~"

However, Shen Lang ignored his explanation and continued to smash the steel pipe against him.

The hollow steel pipe smashed into the scholar, tearing his skin and flesh. He screamed in agony, writhing on the ground like a maggot.

"Did you seduce and murder your teacher's wife? What a waste of your education! You idiot, you don't deserve to live! Stop playing dead! I'll smash you to death, you piece of trash!"

Until the final blow landed on his forehead, the scholar's eyes rolled back, and he stopped crying and making a fuss, his whole body convulsing.

"Drag him out and see if he's dead. If he's dead, chop him up and feed him to the dogs. If he's not dead, continue treating him like before. This kind of scum doesn't deserve to live!"

Shen Lang casually pointed and threw the steel pipe to the ground.

A junior officer immediately brought a basin of water and, trembling, came to Shen Lang to help him wash the back of his hands.

A short while later, two guards from the Jingwei Division carried the scholar out of the hut.

This scene was witnessed by the other two Confucian scholars who came with the scholar.

Seeing Shen Lang dry his hands and glance at him for a moment...

"Sir, we'll confess! We'll confess everything!"

"Someone instructed us to do this—"

The two immediately knelt on the ground and confessed in detail what had happened that day.

That night, many important figures involved in the riot in Jinling City mysteriously disappeared, and they were all brought to the interrogation room where Shen Lang was located by the Jingwei Division.

Soon, after seven or eight stubborn individuals who refused to admit their wrongdoing were beaten to death by Shen Lang and the rest of the Jingwei Division members, a long list of crimes was laid out before Shen Lang.

"Well, it's about time to close the net. This way, we have a legitimate reason to do so."

After reading the list, Shen Lang immediately stood up.

"Notify the Imperial Guards (New Army) outside the city to await orders at midnight in the south of the city, and to enter the city to quell the rebellion at dawn!"

A deadly catastrophe is about to engulf the "volunteer team".

However, all of this did not attract the attention of Zeng Qian and others, as well as the fanatical radicals.