175: Chapter 0175 Just an individual

Lin Xiao took a look; there were still bloodstains in many places near the Marquis Mansion.

Clearly, some fighting had occurred just now.

It seemed the Marquis of Linyuan had dealt with Inspector General Jiang Shengyuan's soldiers himself and was safe and sound.

As expected of the most prominent noble in Cang Province, he still had a few capable people by his side.

It was indeed wise of him not to listen to Jiang Shengyuan's nonsense; otherwise, he would have ended up looking like a clown instead.

"The Marquis is very thoughtful, but this General has just entered the city and has official duties to attend to. Once the proper business is finished and I have some leisure time, we shall drink then!"

If he were to go straight to the Marquis Mansion to drink as soon as he entered the city, if word got out, people would think he placed great importance on the Xie Family!

To others, the Marquis of Linyuan was a 'figure,' but in Lin Xiao's eyes, he was merely a 'human.'

The Old Butler watched Lin Xiao lead his men away in a hurry, left standing in the cold wind in a state of complete confusion!

What was the situation!?

The Marquis of Linyuan invited you to drink, and you are the future son-in-law by imperial decree, yet you won't even give him this face!?

Inside the Marquis Mansion, Xie Juner paced back and forth nervously, clutching an embroidered handkerchief, glancing outside the mansion gates from time to time.

"Look at how anxious you are. If you wanted to meet him this badly, why didn't you go see him in Baishui?"

Marquis Xie Shang sat behind the wine table, teasing his daughter with a smile.

"How can that be the same? If I had taken the initiative to see him and word got out, wouldn't I be a laughingstock?"

Xie Juner huffed delicately, "Besides, things are different now. He is currently only one step away from taking over the entire Cang Province."

"For the sake of the Marquis Mansion and the Xie Family's businesses, I naturally have to take this seriously."

Xie Shang didn't puncture his daughter's little scheme; her heart was clearly set on him, yet she still insisted on saving face.

"Speaking of which, although I guessed that Yangquan could not be held, I didn't expect the city to fall so quickly."

"Lin Xiao has indeed shown the bearing of a formidable hero. You must take this marriage seriously and can no longer be headstrong!"

Xie Shang said with a serious expression, "When he comes in later, I will set a wedding date with him to be married within the year. Be mentally prepared!"

Xie Juner's pretty face flushed red as she nodded shyly, "I will follow Father's arrangements..."

Sister Wansha, fate works in mysterious ways; I am truly sorry...

But come to think of it, you wouldn't refuse me becoming part of the family, would you?

I wonder what kind of peerless heroism he displayed when he took the city alone; just hearing about it makes one's heart race!

What will he say when he sees me? My looks shouldn't be inferior to Su Wansha's, right?

Xie Juner's thoughts wandered, her heart fluttering, the blush on her face refusing to fade...

Just then, Butler Huang Xu ran in hurriedly, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Why have you come in? Where is Lin Xiao?" Xie Shang asked.

Xie Juner was also full of confusion.

"Gen... General Lin said he is busy with official duties... and will drink with the Marquis another day..."

Huang Xu finished speaking tremulously, not daring to lift his head.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

Xie Juner felt dejected; a massive psychological gap made her eyes turn slightly red.

Lin Xiao's move seemed to be a rejection of the Linyuan Marquis Mansion's initiative to show goodwill, but in reality, it was also a slap in the face to her, his fiancée!

Xie Shang's eyes twitched. He poured himself a cup of wine and drained it in one gulp.

It felt as if someone had kicked him hard in the chest; a thousand emotions could only turn into a long sigh in the end...

At the same time.

Lin Xiao made his way to the Provincial Governor's Office, where a group of officials were waiting, shivering in the winter cold.

It wasn't that they weren't terrified; it was because Jiang Shengyuan's head was currently hanging at the city gate!

"Cang Province Chief Clerk Xu Zheng, along with the officials of Cangzhou Prefecture, pays respects to General Lin!"

A middle-aged man in his forties with a nervous expression spoke tremulously.

[Xu Zheng, 43 years old, Cang Province Chief Clerk, Aptitude: yellow grade]

[Traits: Shipmaster (Special), Carpenter, Capable Official]

Lin Xiao was stunned. How was this guy even more outrageous than General Wu Jinzhe?

He suddenly thought that the warships of the White Kings Army back then were indeed exquisitely crafted.

And the Qin Water side didn't have similar ships. Could it be...

"Chief Clerk Xu, what do you think of those ships of the White Kings Army?"

Asked this by Lin Xiao, Xu Zheng turned pale with fright and prostrated himself directly on the ground!

"General! General, have mercy!! Although I was responsible for overseeing the construction of the White Kings Army's warships, it was truly within my duties and not an intentional act of hostility against the Zhenbei Army!!"

As expected!

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Chief Clerk Xu, there is no need to panic. I do not intend to blame you; I only hope that in the future, you will also put your heart and soul into building ships for the Zhenbei Army."

Xu Zheng was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "If the General commands it, I will surely do my utmost!"

Lin Xiao then looked at the other officials. After a brief observation, he sighed inwardly...

As expected of the provincial capital Yangquan, many of these officials possessed special traits.

For example, 'Impartial and Selfless,' 'Meticulous Planner,' 'Skilled Craftsman,' and so on...

It seemed that most capable people still gathered toward more central locations.

Of course, there were also some negative ones, such as 'Evil Official,' 'Criminal Record,' 'Corruption and Malfeasance,' 'Slacker,' and so forth.

There were too many officials; if he killed them all directly without evidence, it would certainly be detrimental to the future rule of law.

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and pointed directly toward the back at an unremarkable man with thick eyebrows and a bitter expression.

"You, what is your name?"

The man's expression was somewhat dazed, as if he hadn't expected Lin Xiao to call on him.

"Reporting to the General, his name is Chang Youkui. He is a records manager in the provincial government office, a minor official of the ninth rank!"

A tall and sturdy man introduced from the front.

"And who are you?" Lin Xiao asked.

"I am the Judicial Officer, Lu Yuan, and I am his superior!"

Lin Xiao nodded: "Good. From now on, the Judicial Officer shall be Chang Youkui!"

"Ah!?"

Lu Yuan looked stunned, and the officials nearby also looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chang Youkui, on the other hand, frowned deeply, without much emotional fluctuation.

"General Lin... then... then what about me?" Lu Yuan asked expectantly.

Lin Xiao didn't say it directly but looked at Chang Youkui instead.

"Chang Youkui, I will give you a chance. If you were to interrogate your superior, Lu Yuan, what crime would you charge him with?"

The entire place was in an uproar!

Letting a ninth-rank minor official who manages records judge a seventh-rank Judicial Officer? Wasn't this insubordination?

However, some who knew Chang Youkui knew that this man was upright and of good character, and he had great insights into criminal interrogation and case-solving.

It was just that he was always offending people, plus his unattractive appearance, which was why he had been unable to be promoted.

This General Lin had actually picked out Chang Youkui to be the Judicial Officer at a glance? Could it be that he knew how to read faces or tell fortunes?

Chang Youkui looked straight at Lin Xiao, neither humble nor arrogant.

After a few breaths, he spoke two words: "Capital crime!"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan burst out in a curse: "Chang Youkui! Stop talking nonsense! I am law-abiding; where would a crime come from?!"

"Law-abiding?"

Chang Youkui said with a face full of disdain: "In the third year of Hongde, Lord Lu sat on the position of Judicial Officer by bribing the former Chief Clerk, You Jinshan."

"In the fourth year of Hongde, in the Guiyu Tower blood case, you received ten thousand taels in banknotes from Squire Zhou and insisted it was a murder by bandits, having nothing to do with his son."

"In the seventh year of Hongde, Inspector General Jiang ordered you to silence three officials in prison who opposed increasing taxes. Their names... do I need to report them?"

Lu Yuan was so scared his legs went weak, and he collapsed directly to the ground. "You... you're lying! Do you have evidence?!"

"Given just one day, I can find all the evidence!"

Chang Youkui had a dark face, his eyes sharp with intensity.

His originally somewhat ugly appearance instead carried an aura of stern righteousness!

"Good!"

Lin Xiao thought to himself that as expected of the dual special traits 'Impartial and Selfless' and 'Fiery Eyes,' wasn't this sending him a Bao Zheng?

"I will give you one day. If you can uncover the truth, it will prove you are worthy of being the Judicial Officer!"

"I will assign you a team of elites; how you want to search and investigate will be up to you!"

A flicker of excited fire ignited in Chang Youkui's eyes as he cupped his fists and knelt on one knee.

"Chang Youkui will surely not fail the General's expectations!"

Lin Xiao shook his head: "Do not fail the common people!"

Chang Youkui's expression turned solemn, his scalp tingling as he nodded vigorously.

Just then, Chen Chuan came to Lin Xiao's side with a depressed expression.

"General, there's a problem at the storehouse that needs you to take a look..."