Chapter 120: So Ruthless, He Even Scolds Himself
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The gathered young masters were fuming, their rage palpable in the air. One particularly hot-headed young man, his face red and trembling, bellowed, “You corrupt official, are you blind?! These people kidnapped so many innocents, turning these poor children into cripples to use as tools for their profits. When their deeds were exposed, they even tried to kill to cover their tracks!”
The man in the official uniform sneered coldly, “Nonsense!”
“We saw it with our own eyes!” the furious youth shot back.
But the official merely turned his back, ignoring the protests, and ordered, “Take them away!”
These young masters were notorious troublemakers in the capital, known for their wild antics when boredom struck—brawling, betting, stirring up all sorts of chaos. They had done it all, targeting peers of their own rank. Yet now, faced with a small-time county official acting insolent before them, their patience snapped. With a wave of his hand, the leader declared, “If one dares to challenge me, I’ll knock one down! If two dare, I’ll flatten them both! I want to see what kind of petty bureaucrat dares side with such heartless scum!”
“Hit him! Even if the sky falls, I’ve got it covered!” he added with a ferocious grin.
The fathers of these so-called scoundrels held titles of no less than fourth rank in the imperial court. Meanwhile, the official in his eighth-grade uniform could only serve as a lowly deputy in Gaoliang County. To these privileged sons, he wasn’t even worth a second glance.
Yu Zhi Yi sighed quietly.
Their courage was commendable, as was their desire to do the right thing. But they faced one glaring issue: they were commoners. Despite their fathers’ high status, they themselves held no official rank. If they laid a hand on this deputy official, even with justifiable cause, they would be held accountable under the law.
“Stop,” Yu Zhi Yi said. Her voice, though not loud, carried a quiet authority that made both sides freeze in their tracks.
The blue-dressed girl beside her visibly exhaled in relief. She had tried to intervene before but had been too soft-spoken to be heard amidst the chaos.
The young masters, however, were less pleased. “What are you doing? This man is clearly no good, and you’re defending him?”
It was the talkative one again: Si Shao Ting, the son of Count Yin Nan. Known for being detestable even among the elite, he was well aware of his reputation and never denied it. Today, he had finally decided to do something noble, only to be thwarted repeatedly. His irritation boiled over.
To make matters worse, it was Yu Zhi Yi who stopped him—the very person who had brought them here and revealed the plight of those poor souls.
Yu Zhi Yi’s tone turned frosty. “Assaulting a government official? Do you have extra heads for the executioner’s axe? Or are you hoping your father hasn’t already worked hard enough cleaning up after you, so you can add losing his title to the list? Would that make you happy?”
Si Shao Ting frowned and fell silent. The other young masters also hesitated, the weight of her words sinking in. Their indulgent, reckless lives had made them forget one key fact: their power came not from themselves but their fathers. And under the laws of the Great Sheng Empire, striking an official, no matter how lowly, was a grave offense—potentially punishable as treason.
Realizing this, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. Yet someone muttered, “So we just let it go?”
Their attempt at righteousness had been stifled, leaving a bitter sense of defeat. Doing good was proving far more difficult than being a rogue. Being a scoundrel, at least, came without strings attached.
The official in uniform, however, turned pale the moment Yu Zhi Yi mentioned Count Yin Nan. Though he didn’t know the count personally, the word “Count” alone sent a chill down his spine. If this young man was truly a noble’s son, the consequences could be catastrophic. His career, and possibly his life, would be forfeit if this wasn’t handled carefully.
Even as he scrambled for a plan to defuse the situation, Yu Zhi Yi’s soft but commanding voice echoed again. “You may not lay a hand on him, but I can.”
The official barely stifled a laugh. Who did this woman think she was? Did she imagine herself a princess?
Then her next words struck like lightning: “As a fifth-rank official of the Ministry of Justice, I hereby request your assistance in breaking up this major trafficking ring. If we succeed, I will personally submit a memorial to the emperor to ensure you are rewarded.”
The young masters gawked. The blue-dressed girl gasped.
“We will do everything in our power to assist Official Yu!” they declared in unison, their eyes alight with newfound purpose.
With an official mandate, hesitation evaporated. They charged forward as one, righteous fury propelling them onward. Si Shao Ting singled out the uniformed official, kicking him to the ground. “You scoundrel! Did you think we were blind to your collusion with those kidnappers?”
The official, stunned by the turn of events, stammered, “N-No… you cannot touch me! I am a government official!”
Si Shao Ting sneered, “A mere eighth-rank lackey! Official Yu here is a fifth-rank officer personally appointed by the emperor—and from the Ministry of Justice, no less!”
Still seething, Si Shao Ting raised his foot again, aiming for the man’s chest. But Yu Zhi Yi intervened. “Don’t kill him.”
He paused, then shifted to slapping the man instead. Blow after blow fell until the official’s face swelled grotesquely.
But Si Shao Ting’s words cut deeper than any strike. “Do you even know what the Ministry of Justice does? We deal with scum like you—corrupt officials, the dregs of humanity!”
Yu Zhi Yi’s lips twitched as she listened. The irony wasn’t lost on her. After all, the young master’s past deeds weren’t exactly pristine. He’d done plenty to qualify as “human scum” himself—though, admittedly, he’d never caused a death.