The Cold-Hearted Princess Who Transmigrated Here

After being scolded, Ling Daquan regained his senses. Setting fire to the mountain was no small matter and he couldn't act rashly.

He eventually withdrew the order and kindly ordered people to bury the body on the spot, because he was also afraid that the strong smell of blood would attract wild animals.

In the end, the Ling brothers returned home empty-handed and dejected.

Upon returning to the government office, Wang Xijie kept a close eye on Ling Daquan's every move.

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it or get around it, Ling Daquan could only force himself to sit in the courtroom and wait for the servants to bring up the bandits for further interrogation.

When the others arrived, Wang Xijie's expression turned serious. Before Ling Daquan could speak, he asked the question directly.

"Tell me, have you been extorting money from ordinary people for years?"

The bandits initially wanted to shake their heads, but considering their past actions and the torture they had endured on the mountain, they could only obediently nod. Perhaps confessing their crimes sooner would bring them relief sooner.

"Are you acting so recklessly because you have officials backing you up?"

The bandits all looked up at Prefect Ling, unsure how to respond.

Some of the money they plundered through violence was indeed given to the people working for the government office.

Seeing an opportunity, Wang Xijie immediately seized the chance.

He looked at Ling Daquan in shock. "Lord Ling, they're all looking at you instinctively. Does that mean you're their biggest backer?"

Ling Daquan once again experienced the bitterness of being unable to speak out. These low-ranking figures were truly unworthy of being associated with him, but he had no way to prove his innocence, so he could only cry out that he was wronged, "This humble official does not know them at all; they are framing me."

Wang Xijie snorted in disbelief, then pressed his advantage on the group below, asking, "You'd better tell the truth, or you'll face the death penalty."

Wang Xiyue promptly delivered paper and pens to each of the bandits.

Wang Xijie added, using both threats and inducements, "Write down all the officials you usually give gifts to, regardless of their rank, list them all clearly, otherwise..."

"If you confess more, you will suffer less and your guilt will be lessened."

These people were able to act arrogantly and disregard human life in the past because they were driven by profit, and it was also true that they had people in the government secretly helping them.

Now that they are at a critical juncture of life and death, in order to protect themselves, they will surely attack each other, wishing they could drag as many people down with them to save their own lives.

Because of the ties that bind them together, the consequences of such a break would be quite dire.

The bandits weren't fools. This young man didn't even dare to offend the prefect, which meant he had a powerful backer. Now, if they didn't want to die, they had no choice but to tell the truth, or even exaggerate.

Just now they were worried that if they pointed out corrupt officials, the prefect would settle scores with them later, but now that they have a stronger backer to vouch for them, they naturally have no more worries.

Thus, amidst the shock and disbelief of Ling Daquan and Ling Erping, and witnessed by Wang Xijie,...

These "bandits" eagerly filed reports, each listing at least three officials, and some even including the guards and servants of the government office who had been bribed with several taels of silver.

Looking at the densely packed fourteen lists in front of him, Ling Daquan felt a surge of panic and anger.

He felt dizzy and as if he was about to faint, but he suppressed his emotions and roared at the bandits in front of him: "You damned bastards! Are you being threatened by the Prime Minister's Mansion to accuse me here?"

Upon hearing this, the bandits were taken aback at first, then shook their heads very quickly and in unison to deny it.

They looked completely bewildered, having no idea what a prime minister's residence was.

In fact, they had absolutely no connection with the Prime Minister's office.

The Prime Minister's residence was far away in the capital, an unreachable place for them.

More importantly, they knew that they had already offended the Ling family, and if they offended the Prime Minister's family as well, the consequences would be unimaginable.

They were already guilty, and now they had angered the Ling family. If they were to provoke another powerful force, they would likely face certain death.

Therefore, they shook their heads in denial without hesitation.

Wang Xijie was very satisfied with their answer, but when his gaze turned to Ling Daquan, the expression on his face instantly turned extremely gloomy, as if he had become a terrifying Yama.

"What do you mean by this, Lord Ling? How dare you slander the reputation of my Prime Minister's Mansion without any reason? Who gave you such audacity? How dare you, a mere fourth-rank official, arbitrarily criticize a first-rank minister of the court? Is there no law at all?"

"However, if you are upright, you have nothing to fear. These people have already made it clear that they have nothing to do with my Prime Minister's Mansion."

"Now that the matter has been investigated and clarified, let's close the case here!"

"Guards, make these prisoners sign and put their fingerprints on the document."

With the help of Wang Xiyue, a super assistant, and the active cooperation of the prisoners, Wang Xijie successfully obtained a series of seemingly true but vague confessions.

After collecting the indictments, Wang Xijie glared at Ling Daquan and said coldly, "I advise Lord Ling not to oppose me anymore, otherwise you will be going against the Emperor."

Ling Daquan stared at Wang Xijie with a gloomy expression, his heart filled with resentment and anger, but he knew that he was at a disadvantage and could not fight against Wang Xijie.

Wang Xijie continued, "I was personally appointed by the Emperor and have the responsibility to supervise you. If you persist in your ways and do not repent, then you can only wait for the Emperor to punish you."

Ling Daquan gritted his teeth, barely suppressing his anger, and said, "You...you're going too far!"

Wang Xijie smiled and said, "Excessive? This is just the beginning. Also, I have already informed my father about this case where corruption has led to rampant banditry. The court will probably send even more people to interrogate you."

Hearing this, Ling Daquan's face turned even uglier. He knew that if things escalated, it would be a disaster for him.

Wang Xijie looked at Ling Daquan's changing expression and laughed smugly. He then continued, "I advise you to think carefully about how to report to the Emperor and how to report to Lord Ling."

After saying that, Wang Xijie turned and left, leaving Ling Daquan with a grim expression.

Wang Xijie knew that his threats had pushed Ling Daquan and Ling Erping to the brink of anger and impatience. If he weren't the heir of the Prime Minister's mansion, he might have been torn to shreds by now.

However, he also understood that once the two sides started fighting, they would definitely not be able to withstand the attack of a thousand men. Therefore, he decided not to delay any longer and quickly fled the scene.

Seeing Wang Xijie leave so decisively, Ling Erping was so angry he almost crushed the armrest of his chair. He gritted his teeth and asked Ling Daquan, "Brother, are we just going to let them go like this? Shouldn't we send troops to hunt them down?"

After a moment of contemplation, Ling Daquan replied, "Do not act rashly for the time being."

“But that kid is too arrogant!” Ling Erping said angrily. “Why don’t we kill all these bandits, and then I’ll lead the troops to wipe out those people from the Prime Minister’s residence? That way, all the evidence will disappear.”

Hearing this, Ling Daquan finally raised his head and stared sharply at his brainless younger brother. He sighed inwardly, thinking that his brother was a complete idiot who didn't know how to hide his emotions at all.

He always acts like a martial artist, and only knows how to solve problems by killing people.

Ling Daquan gave a cold snort, a hint of disdain and anger flashing in his eyes. He knew that this matter had escalated, and if it couldn't be resolved, it would likely have a very negative impact on their Ling family, a branch of the family.

However, he quickly came up with an idea: rather than letting others find fault with him, he should take the initiative and shift the blame onto someone else.

"So be it. Anyway, the massacre at Sun and Moon Manor was carried out by my foolish second brother. Wang Xijie already knows the inside story and has probably already sent the message to the Prime Minister." Ling Daquan thought to himself, but a gentle smile appeared on his face.

In the Emperor's eyes, the second brother was probably already a dead man at this point, so he made him take the blame for failing to protect the formation with the Marquis!

Even if the investigation comes down to it, he would at most be guilty of failing to manage his subordinates properly. If the Ministry of Justice were to be lenient, even if the crime was serious, he would only be demoted and have his salary reduced. It wasn't some heinous crime like murder or robbery. He wasn't facing certain death yet, so he had to be patient.

He still has a way out, and a chance to turn his life around.

-

Once Wang Xijie returned to the inn with his sister, everyone quickly and tacitly packed their luggage, preparing to flee.

After a stick of incense had burned, the group had already left from the west entrance of Shancheng.

Only now has the entire treasure hunt plan finally been successfully completed.

They got the goods, saved the beggar, found a scapegoat, and even took care of a henchman of the Ling family.

This can be considered as killing four birds with one stone.

Xuan Yi, who plays the bandit leader, suffered many external injuries despite playing a self-inflicted injury, so he can only rest in another carriage now.

Because Mingri and Mingyue were too young, and Wang Xiyue had to travel around, she left the two children at Riyuetang, where Li Xiong arranged for a young couple to take care of them.

If the children are well-fed and watered, have no illnesses, and have playmates, they will no longer be so dependent on her as a temporary mother.

Moreover, these two children experienced the harsh realities of life at a very young age, so they are easy to coax and very sensible.

Because An Ying and the people from the Prince Xian's Mansion had put in so much effort, Wang Xiyue generously gave them two boxes of jade and two boxes of gold and silver.

The pills that were commonly used and could be carried around were divided equally between the two prefectures.

-

After that, of course, it was up to the Prime Minister to handle the aftermath for his children.

Although there was no direct evidence of Ling Daquan's crimes in the massacre at Riyue Manor, the fact that his younger brother led the massacre is sufficient proof of his dereliction of duty.

Furthermore, the testimonies of a group of bandits clearly pointed out his crime of lax management of his subordinates, which led to widespread corruption and embezzlement among officials in the government office, allowing bandits to run rampant and commit murder and arson everywhere.

Such a serious crime cannot be let off easily. Such major cases usually require interrogation and trial by the Ministry of Justice.

However, the final reward or punishment, or the determination of guilt, is not something the Ministry of Justice can decide.

As the highest authority in the imperial court, the emperor held the final decision-making power. Only the emperor could make the final ruling on such an important case and determine the appropriate punishment. Therefore, this case still needed to be reported to the emperor and await his decision.

Of course, the exact role played by the Linghou Mansion in all of this is still undetermined.

Cases with such a large number of casualties will take at least six months to resolve, and if someone interferes, it could drag on for a year or two.

Therefore, Wang Xijie and his sister cannot foresee the final outcome for Ling Daquan and Ling Erping.

The brother and sister's act of helping the beggar was praised by many local people, and this good deed naturally reached the emperor's ears through the prime minister.

The emperor also gave a small reward as a token of appreciation, to set an example.