Chapter 1545: Chapter 788: Jinling Mysteries Unveiled (Part 2)

The letter also mentioned the names of several nearby villages that similarly worship the "Silkworm Goddess" and detailed how he was coerced to use a specially made bell to summon "Lin Zhongweng" to murder Households Commander Tian, clearly indicating that this was to silence him and prevent him from further investigating the Lin Family case’s suspicions!

These bloody pieces of ironclad evidence were swiftly sent to Jinling City.

The atmosphere in the hall gradually became subtle.

Households Commander Zheng looked at the evidence in his hands, feeling a wave of fear, and spoke harshly:

"Lord! Lord Governor! The death of Households Commander Tian is indeed the work of a cult to silence him! Zhou Dayong’s suicide note pointed directly at someone pulling the strings from behind, intending to obstruct the truth of the Lin Family case! This is no ordinary criminal case, but a major calamity of cults disrupting the state, shaking the foundation of society!"

"The responsibility of the Captain Bureau lies here, earnestly requesting the government office to immediately communicate with the surrounding counties to thoroughly investigate the cult strongholds! Meanwhile, the Lin Family’s Trading House case is full of doubts and must be re-examined!"

"It is entirely reasonable and lawful for Mr. Li of the Qiankun Academy to be involved!"

"Whoever dares to obstruct is harboring ghosts in their hearts and sheltering demons!"

He was also anxious; if this case isn’t clarified, he will probably end up in shackles himself.

Looking at this evidence, coupled with Households Commander Zheng’s murderous expression, cold sweat dripped down the forehead of the Jinling Prefect, and his previous momentum was gone.

The two major aristocratic families are indeed difficult to offend, but all these major cases happened in Jinling’s territory, not to mention the demon chaos in Tai Lake. If not handled well, it could be considered dereliction of duty, allowing cults to grow, or worse, colluding with the Demon Army internally.

At that time, extermination of family and clan would be the least of it!

Just then, urgent and orderly footsteps were heard from outside the hall.

A Government Official stumbled in, with a hint of panic in his voice: "Report—! Reporting to the Lord! From... from the Capital’s Xuan Sacrificial Officer Chief of Criminal Punishment Mr. Qiu, and Captain Bureau Northern Town Guard Assistant Lord Chu, carrying the imperial edict and Ministry of War command, have arrived outside the government office!"

Everyone in the hall was suddenly shocked.

Before they could go out to greet them, they saw two officials in dark black robes, their presence deep and profound, stride into the back hall with great strides.

The leader had a jade-like face, a long beard, and eyes that seemed to flash with lightning, with the ferocious Bi’an beast pattern embroidered on the corner of his robe, and a Jade Plate engraved with cloud and thunder runes hanging from his waist.

It was none other than the Xuan Sacrificial Officer Chief of Criminal Punishment Qiu Mingyuan.

The Assistant beside him was burly, with a face as stern and hard as iron, wearing the Mystic Iron Scale Armor unique to high-ranking Military Officers of the Captain Bureau, exuding a bloody aura from the battlefield, and a heavy black Tiger Talisman hanging from his waist!

Qiu Mingyuan’s gaze was like lightning, scanning the people in the hall, pausing briefly over the table full of evidence and on Li Yan, then announced loudly: "Xuan Sacrificial Officer Qiu Mingyuan, carrying the imperial edict and Ministry of War transfer order, have come to Jinling to supervise the ’Silk Cocoon Sect’ demon chaos and pirates’ remnants!"

"All levels of Jinling Prefecture must fully cooperate without error! Anyone who is negligent, evasive, or obstructive will be considered an accomplice and executed without mercy!"

At the same time, the Ministry of War’s Command Token was held up in Lord Chu’s hand, glinting coldly.

The words "executed without mercy" struck like a heavy hammer on the hearts of all the officials in Jinling.

The Prefect and Lord Governor’s faces instantly turned as white as paper, devoid of any blood, their bodies trembling slightly, with none of their previous firmness and evasion remaining.

They hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply: "This subordinate... this subordinate will comply! We will fully cooperate with Mr. Qiu, Assistant Lord Chu, and Mr. Li to eradicate the demon and clear the sky!"

The atmosphere in the back hall changed abruptly.

Qiu Mingyuan and Chu Zhenyue acted swiftly and decisively, immediately taking over all the evidence from Locust Tree Village, and listened to Li Yan’s concise report on the tragic situation in Locust Tree Village, the cause of death of Households Commander Tian, and the association of the Lin Family case with the cult. Both wore extremely grave expressions.

The two had set out from the Capital because of the death of Households Commander Tian, igniting the anger of Lord Zhao Wujiong, and compounded by the demon chaos in Jinling.

On the way, they received the message Li Yan entrusted to the Golden Swallow Sect and accelerated their pace.

With their involvement, Li Yan was no longer passive in Jinling.

After completing the handover, upon arriving at the Captain Bureau wing room, Qiu Mingyuan looked at Li Yan and, in a gentle tone with a hint of negotiation, said: "Young Hero Li, your methods are brilliant and your contributions to society are remembered in the hearts of the Xuan Sacrificial Officer and Captain Bureau."

"But the current situation in Jinling, I believe you are aware, the demon Lai Yin possesses the Yangzhou Tripod, gathering the Demon Army at Tai Lake, threatening Jinling directly! The city is also in a precarious situation. The ’Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony’ is imminent, and Jinling City must not undergo further turmoil!"

Li Yan cast a faint glance and remained silent.

Seeing this, Qiu Mingyuan took a step closer, lowered his voice, and said, "Let me be frank, the Lin Family case is intricately connected, involving prominent Jiangnan gentry and even some officials, it’s not something that can be resolved overnight."

"If pursued deeply now, it will undoubtedly cause upheaval in Jinling, alarming the public, and could even be exploited by the cult to disrupt the ’Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony,’ undermining the morale of the frontline troops, which would be a painful outcome for our loved ones and a joyous one for our enemies!"

"My intention is to have the Lin Family’s Trading House personnel temporarily under the custody of the Captain Bureau to ensure their safety. The irrefutable evidence regarding Locust Tree Village, the murder of Households Commander Tian, and suspicious aspects of the Lin Family case that you have uncovered, will be directly reported to the throne by myself and Assistant Lord Chu with utmost urgency."

"Once the ’Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony’ is successfully concluded and the demon chaos in Tai Lake resolved, the court will undoubtedly dispatch capable imperial envoys, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice, to thoroughly investigate this case, vindicate the innocents, and eradicate the corrupted and treacherous completely! What does Mr. Li think?"

Li Yan’s eyes slightly narrowed, instantly understanding Qiu Mingyuan’s intention.

It was simply because the roots of the two major aristocratic families were still too deeply entrenched to cause trouble at this time.

After all, the ’Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony’ is the most important matter at present.

"Let it be as Mr. Qiu says." Li Yan cupped his hands and said: "The safety of the Lin Family and others, I leave in your hands. All I hope is that when the demon atmosphere is dispelled and the Tripod is restored, those who died unjustly will not hold grievances, and those who are corrupt will not go unpunished!"