Xia Tingfeng furrowed his brows and shook his head. "No..." "I may be dull, but this set of swordsmanship contains even more profound elements. It’s impossible to learn it by merely watching it once. Please, Your Majesty, keep your promise and grant me the Sword Manual!" He once again knelt to beg. Zhao Junyao was shocked! Indeed, if he had been surprised before, now he was truly astonished. "You... you could actually tell?" Xia Tingfeng was startled for a moment, then nodded. "Yes!" Zhao Junyao suddenly looked up at the sky. An ancient saying goes, "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it always first frustrates his spirit and will." It seems it really isn’t wrong! "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhao Junyao waved his hand. Not far away, Li Shengan, having received the order, hurried into the house. A moment later, a Sword Manual was handed to Xia Tingfeng. "If you can master it before I leave, I will give you an opportunity. How about it?" Xia Tingfeng was very excited. "What opportunity?" Zhao Junyao raised an eyebrow and, without continuing, turned and left. Embracing the Sword Manual, Xia Tingfeng looked it over from every angle. Finally, tucking it into his chest, he somersaulted away. After his morning meal, Zhao Junyao was just about to take Li Shengan out for a stroll when, unexpectedly, County Magistrate Xia suddenly arrived. "Your humble servant... greets Your Majesty..." Zhao Junyao, having nothing better to do, asked, "How goes the investigation?" County Magistrate Xia suddenly knelt, his body trembling with fear. "To report to Your Majesty, your servant... your servant..." Googlᴇ search noᴠelfire.net Zhao Junyao was somewhat impatient. "Magistrate Xia, is this case really so frightening to you?" County Magistrate Xia’s body shook even more violently. "No... it’s not, Your Majesty... it’s... it’s..." "What is it?" Zhao Junyao frowned, sensing something was amiss. He glanced at Li Shengan, who understood and stepped forward. "Lord Xia, need not be afraid. With the Emperor here to see to matters, you only have to speak!" Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Xia’s heart was slightly comforted. He spoke more fluently, "Your Majesty, I dispatched men to investigate for two days and found similar cases in various places!" Zhao Junyao seemed not at all surprised, simply asking, "How many exactly?" After all, he had noticed it upon his arrival. County Magistrate Xia hesitated for a moment, then said with his head bowed, "Your servant deserves death... there are... sixty to seventy!" "What?!" Zhao Junyao was slightly shocked. County Magistrate Xia continued, "Your Majesty, there’s another matter that is somewhat peculiar." "Speak!" Zhao Junyao’s gaze had already sharpened. County Magistrate Xia reported, "Recently, many children in Zhuoshui County have been contracting a strange illness! At first, it was only one or two, but gradually the numbers increased. To date, there are several hundred! At night, the afflicted children have nightmares and cry, unable to sleep soundly! No matter what medical treatment is sought, there is no improvement! Then, rumors spread that Qingan Temple in Dingzhou has amulets that have been blessed, claiming that wearing them can ensure the children a long life, immune to evil spirits. Many commoners, upon hearing this, would spend all their possessions just to obtain such an amulet! What’s even more peculiar is that the sick children truly recovered after that! From then on, the commoners held an unshakable belief in these amulets..." The more Zhao Junyao listened, the deeper his brows furrowed. Eventually, he interrupted County Magistrate Xia and asked, "Dingzhou?" County Magistrate Xia knelt on the ground and nodded hurriedly. Zhao Junyao didn’t need to think twice before he stood up, a cold smile on the corner of his lips. "Zhuoshui County is subordinate to Dingzhou?" Zhao Junyao then laughed. "There must be something fishy behind this affair! What does County Magistrate Xia think?" Old Master Xia was no fool. He immediately knelt down to show his determination. "Your Majesty, your humble servant is willing to work like a dog or horse for you!" Zhao Junyao stared at him for a while and then waved his hand. "Go. Remember, I want solid, ironclad evidence!" Old Master Xia’s eyes lit up completely. "Thank you, Your Majesty!" After saying this, he struggled to his feet, bowed, and then left. Zhao Junyao sat in the inn, taking a sip of cool tea. Watching the sun gradually rise outside, his heart was very calm. Having traveled this far and seen so much, he had come to terms with things. Corruption is like wild weeds growing rampant in the fields. Wildfires cannot burn them all. They regrow with the spring breeze. If there are many weeds, it means the land is fertile. If one day the land can’t even grow a single weed, then what good is that land? So sometimes, turning a blind eye is more appropriate than being overly critical. This time, you unlucky one, you bumped right under my very nose. You can’t blame me for this. Your way of snatching silver was too unsightly. I have to deal with you! Having received the Emperor’s command, County Magistrate Xia was full of zeal! He hadn’t known about the child trafficking before. But he did know about the matter of the protective amulets. They were found not just in Zhuoshui County, but throughout Dingzhou. Who was behind it? He wasn’t foolish. How could he not know? So, when the clues in the child trafficking case also pointed to Dingzhou’s Prefect, Prefect Liu, Old Master Xia did not hesitate to bring down his superior. Within a day or two, all the collected and listed charges were presented. It wasn’t that he was extremely competent. Rather, Prefect Liu, accustomed to the remoteness of his position and the Emperor’s distance, had been sloppy in his dealings. No one had dared to investigate before, so there were flaws everywhere! One didn’t even need to investigate; any clear-eyed person could tell who was behind it! In Jiangnan, which official didn’t have a bundle of dirty secrets? Even Old Master Xia himself might not be completely clean. However, he usually had the inclination but lacked the guts, not daring to cause such a big disturbance. Zhao Junyao had several monks from Qingan Temple involved in the matter arrested and brought in. They were interrogated in the county yamen. Seeing that the one presiding over the trial was a mere county magistrate, the monks became extremely arrogant. "We are humble monks; how can you torture us without fearing Buddha’s punishment?" Zhao Junyao, Chen Juzheng, and others were seated at the back, listening. Hearing this, they all looked at the Emperor simultaneously. Zhao Junyao curved his lips slightly, remaining silent. These are clearly... fake monks... Would real monks talk ? With powerful backing, Old Master Xia’s courage swelled. Never mind the Prefect; he would dare to interrogate even the Prefectural Governor himself if he came! Immediately, he glared and slammed the gavel. "Not confessing? Men, give each of them fifty heavy strokes of the paddle!" The government officials pressed the monks to the ground, not even bothering with chairs, and started beating them right away! The cries of agony rose one after another. The monks, who had just been putting on a respectable appearance, were now crying for their parents, wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves! They still dared not confess. If they sold out the Prefect, who knew if the tiger bench awaited them next?