"What?" The man's expression froze. After a moment, he reacted, glaring at Feng Jin. "You designed to trick me!"
Feng Jin snorted coldly, sat opposite him, and said dismissively, "If you had nothing to hide, why would you try to be clever and expose yourself?"
"This is all your design to frame me. I didn't do it!"
Seeing him stubbornly refuse to admit guilt, Feng Jin's last shred of patience wore thin. "If you didn't do this, you wouldn't have fallen into the trap. This is all your own doing, you can't blame anyone!"
"The dagger is still on him. Lu Shi, search him."
"Yes, Madam."
The guards held him firmly on either side. Lu Shi stepped forward and searched the dagger hidden on him. "Madam, we've found this."
Feng Jin pulled the dagger aside. Indeed, it was stained with dried blood. "The evidence is conclusive. What more do you have to say for yourself!"
"This... this thing isn't mine... it's not mine!"
The man denied it outright. As long as he didn't admit it, he figured they wouldn't dare do anything to him.
"The evidence is conclusive. Denying it is useless," Feng Jin said coldly.
"You dare do anything to me? My father is an Imperial Censor. If you dare do anything to me, my father will not let you go."
Imperial Censors were responsible for advising the Emperor, correcting his mistakes and those of officials. Their power was considerable, and sometimes even the Emperor could not deal with them.
"Imperial Censors are just those who only know how to spout the words of sages, babbling like village gossips about others' faults. Do you really think I'm afraid of him?"
She was very confident in dealing with those who only knew how to wag their tongues.
"As for you, you probably won't live to see your Imperial Censor father rescue you. Since he didn't teach you how to behave, I'll make the effort and act on his behalf to educate you properly."
Feng Jin approached step by step, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure. The man trembled with fear, unable to speak clearly.
"You... what do you want? I warn... I warn you, my father is... Ah!"
With a shout, it was followed by the sound of bones breaking. The man clutched his right leg, writhing in pain on the ground. Sweat streamed down his forehead, his features contorted in agony. It was clear from his expression how much pain he was in.
"You... you..."
Gu Beichen watched his tragic fate and silently prayed for him in his heart. How pathetic...
Why couldn't he choose who to provoke? He had to provoke Feng Jin. Wasn't that asking for trouble?
"What 'you'? You can't even speak properly now. I've injured one of your legs today, so our grievances are settled. If your father wants justice, let him come. If he wants to come to my doorstep or make a fuss before His Majesty, I'll accompany him to the end. Don't forget to tell your father that it was I who injured you!"
Feng Jin squatted down to be at his eye level, her aura alone completely crushing him.
The man was already too weak from the pain to speak, but his gaze remained defiant, fixed on Feng Jin without wavering.
"Lu Shi, find two people to send him home. Remember to explain the situation clearly to the Imperial Censor. If he wants revenge, I'll be ready."
"Your subordinate obeys. Come, carry him away."
Lu Shi called out towards the tent entrance. Two people entered with a stretcher, and they carried the man away.
"You truly have great authority. You handle cases with such ease and power. I'm impressed!"
Gu Beichen gave Feng Jin a thumbs-up. His words were from the bottom of his heart. Feng Jin's methods were swift and decisive, and even he was impressed.
Feng Jin ignored him, merely giving him a hard glare. Talking to him was a waste of time. She then turned her attention to the silent Ling Mohan. "Disperse the soldiers."
The matter was investigated. It was inappropriate to keep people detained any longer, especially since these ladies and gentlemen were all delicate and tender-skinned and couldn't endure hardship. If they were truly frightened, it would be a disaster.
"You're just letting them go like this?" Gu Beichen asked, blocking Ling Mohan's path.
"None of those outside are simple folk. If you detain them, they'll hold a grudge, and if you release them, they'll hold a grudge. We need to think of a proper way to at least silence their gossip."
Gu Beichen spoke eloquently. He had some experience in dealing with such social matters. If they weren't given a satisfactory explanation this time, it wouldn't end there.
Don't underestimate those ladies and gentlemen. Although they appeared dignified and understanding on weekdays, when trouble arose, they were formidable, not even losing out to street harridans.
Feng Jin glanced at Gu Beichen. "Since you have a way to deal with them, it would be troublesome for you to go handle it."
"This... this young lord naturally has a way, but..."
"Speak, what are the benefits?"
Feng Jin saw through Gu Beichen's intentions at a glance and asked directly.
"Since you've said it, it would be impolite for this young lord to refuse. If this young lord doesn't ask for any benefits, you surely wouldn't feel comfortable letting this young lord work for you for nothing. Speaking of which, this young lord is doing this for your own good."
Gu Beichen put on a show of considering Feng Jin's well-being, saying reluctantly, "I won't make it too difficult for you. Just erase all the debts you have with this young lord from when I was staying at the Ling mansion some time ago. Then, we'll be even."
Feng Jin's ledger had always been his bane. Taking this opportunity to clear the debt would lighten his burden, resolving this major concern.
"What, you disagree? If you think about it, you're the one who benefits. You must understand that offending these people cannot be offset by such a small amount of money..."
Seeing that Feng Jin hadn't agreed for a long time, Gu Beichen said impatiently, as if trying to force Feng Jin to agree.
Feng Jin sat on the chair, her gaze calmly falling on Gu Beichen. This fellow had gone to such lengths, all for this moment.
After a long pause, Feng Jin finally said slowly, "As you said, you deal with those people outside, and your debts to me will be settled."
"It's a deal!" Fearing that Feng Jin might go back on her word, Gu Beichen quickly agreed. "I'll go and deal with them now, and I'll make sure it's done beautifully for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Beichen scampered away.
Feng Jin looked at Gu Beichen's pathetic appearance and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't worry about those people. I can handle them."