Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Make You Yield

The constables did not know who the famous Official Yu was. Seeing You Bing Yue inside with a man locked under her arm, they assumed she was Yu Zhi Yi and bowed together: “Greetings, Official Yu.”

Yu Zhi Yi said nothing.

You Bing Yue blinked, then shot Yu Zhi Yi a look full of disdain.

After the day Yu Zhi Yi cleared the Malevolent Spirit for the Empress Dowager, she had asked for a few more days of leave for overexertion. She still had not reported to the Ministry of Justice. It was normal that the ministry people did not recognize her.

Wu Shan followed the constables in, squeezed through the crowd, and hurried to Yu Zhi Yi’s side: “Master.”

The constables realized they had saluted the wrong person and felt awkward. They could not help grumbling in their hearts: they had been called to catch a thief. A suspected thief was on the floor, and the one holding him was the one who had called them. That made sense. This Official Yu looked like an ordinary inner-courtyard lady, while the other woman looked bold and sharp. No wonder they got it wrong.

A middle-aged constable stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked Yu Zhi Yi: “Lord Official, why did you summon us?”

In a flash, Yu Zhi Yi made up her mind and said: “Take this heinous serial killer back to the Ministry of Justice.”

The crowd burst into noise.

The man jerked up his head. A cold, vicious light flashed in his eyes. In the next instant, it turned into weak, pitiful fear as he cried: “I am innocent!”

Old Man Zhang was stunned and asked: “Miss… no, Lord, is there some mistake?”

He still could not accept that Steward Ma wanted to kill him. For what gain?

People around them whispered: “Women make poor officials. How can she call him a serial killer? Look how skinny he is. Who could he even kill?”

The constables did not move.

They already disliked this parachuted fifth-rank official. If she were truly skilled, fine. But rumor said she was a notorious backyard woman. She had hardly arrived and was already giving them a wild order. They were not fools. The man was thin as a bamboo pole. Who could he kill? A baby?

In the last hundred years, the laws of the Great Sheng Empire had grown more complete. There were still flaws, but the system did protect people’s rights to some degree. If they jailed someone without evidence and later proved him guilty, that was one thing. But if they never found proof and had to release him, he could sue them in return. This new Official was the chancellor’s daughter-in-law. If it turned into a wrongful case, she might be fine. They, the small constables who made the arrest, would be thrown out as scapegoats.

So no one wanted to act.

Yu Zhi Yi’s face cooled as she said: “Still not moving? Are you defying orders?”

The middle-aged constable coughed lightly and said: “Lord Official, our Great Sheng Empire has sound laws. To seize a person, we need an arrest warrant. If it is a sudden arrest, that is not impossible, but the order must come from a properly appointed fifth-rank or higher Ministry of Justice official, or the person’s crime must already be clear or in progress.”

He spread his hands and said: “Right now, neither condition is met.”

Yu Zhi Yi’s expression grew colder. This was another reason she had wanted to catch the thief red-handed. She had not yet reported for duty. She could use her token to call them here, but without clear evidence she might not be able to command them. Still, their refusal had no good excuse.

She said: “Arrest this man and you can claim a third-class merit. Are you sure you will not act?”

The constables exchanged looks. They clearly followed the lead of the middle-aged one. Since he did not move, the younger ones did not either.

Yu Zhi Yi said: “I, the official, have not yet reported to the Ministry of Justice, but I am still a fifth-rank Official appointed by His Majesty. That fully meets your second condition. When I do report to the ministry, I will ask the minister whether constables have the special right to overrule the ministry’s rules and slight His Majesty’s decree.”

Since these men did not wish to act, they should not come begging her later.

The constables finally panicked and called out: “Lord Official…”

But Yu Zhi Yi no longer looked at them. She turned to Du Zi Heng and said: “Tie him up and take him to the Ministry of Justice. I will submit a memorial for your credit.”

Du Zi Heng said: “There is no need for a memorial.”

Seeing the richly dressed young master truly step forward with a cord, Steward Ma began to struggle hard and shouted: “I am wronged! I did not kill anyone! Even if you are high officials, you cannot trample human life!”

Most common folk feared constables and officials. But Steward Ma was not a normal man. He was a serial killer. His nerves were steady and his heart was hard. In a moment like this, he still tried to turn the tables and talk his way out. [As long as they don’t lock me up today, I can run. I hid for ten years. I can hide for ten more.]

Du Zi Heng was about to tie him when You Bing Yue suddenly struck a palm toward him. Du Zi Heng cried out: “Bing Yue, what are you doing?”

You Bing Yue said coldly: “You do whatever that woman says. Did she put you under a spell?”

She stared at the prisoner and said: “Even if he looks like a bad person, calling him a killer still needs evidence, right?”

She raised her voice and said: “If the laws of the Great Sheng Empire allow arrests without proof, who will trust the law to give them justice in the future?”

She cut a sharp glance at Yu Zhi Yi and said: “I have reason to suspect the law has already become a tool for some people to make a name for themselves.”

Steward Ma blinked in surprise: “?”

He did not know why this woman spoke for him, but he would not ruin a good thing. He shouted at once: “This young lady is right. I did not kill anyone. If you drag me away today, you only want to force a confession!”

He cried out: “In the past there was Dou E’s injustice with snow in June. Today I, Ma Bocai, am wronged, and there will be thunder in September!”

Yu Zhi Yi flipped her wrist. Three copper coins lay quietly in her palm as she said: “Thunder in September is not rare.”

She looked at him and said: “A villain like you is not worthy to be compared to Dou E.”

She closed her fingers over the coins and said: “Since you refuse to accept it, I will make you yield.”