Shen Hao almost choked on Wang Jian's last sentence.
What do you mean by "Households Commander Jiang has also accepted Li Family's gifts"? Is that something you can just say out loud?
Luckily, the door was shut; no one else heard the conversation—otherwise, there'd be hell to pay.
"Who else has seen this confession?"
"Only Zhou Tao and Yang Lin, the new guys handling the interrogation. Don't worry, they know their limits and won't go blabbing."
"Make sure you warn them again: after seeing it, forget everything. If anyone dares to say even half a word, they're asking for death!"
"Rest assured, General Flag, I'll make it clear to them. But do you think this confession is still usable?"
Wang Jian wasn't stupid. He knew Wu Sanhe spilled the Li Family's secrets only because he couldn't withstand the torture. He hadn't expected it to implicate so many officials in Fengri City; the nature of the case shifted, violating the principle of "controlling the spread." One wrong move and things could spiral out of control.
Shen Hao pondered deeply.
"Lock Wu Sanhe up tight. From meals to supervision, it must all be our own people. No outsiders allowed to visit without my permission. Every single item given to Wu Sanhe—even a bamboo shard for wiping his ass—has to be checked! I want you to guarantee that until I give the nod, Wu Sanhe stays alive and well!"
"Understood. Even if the King of Heaven shows up before you behead him, I'll make sure he lives!" Wang Jian quickly pledged, then immediately turned and hurried off, heading straight to the dungeon to arrange personnel.
Wang Jian left, but Shen Hao didn't. His thoughts were racing. Wu Sanhe's confession was a double-edged sword: used well, it could settle a pile of problems once and for all—and bring hefty gains; used poorly, it spelled big trouble.
He read through the confession twice, focusing on the brief list recording Li Family's payments to various officials in Fengri City. The more he looked, the more his eyelid twitched.
"This is an opportunity—there won't be a better opening in the short term. But... I can't let this sit in my hands; it's too hot. I need someone tougher to hold it steady."
Shen Hao instantly thought of the biggest boss in the Li City Guard Station.
...
Tang Qingyuan didn't know why his eyelids kept twitching since early morning—all the way to afternoon, the unease lingered.
When he saw Shen Hao knock and come in holding a document, Tang Qingyuan realized why he'd been so unsettled.
"Are you sure my head can handle something like this?!"
He'd seen bold—never this bold. This was playing with fire, and Shen Hao was roping him in. For a moment, Tang Qingyuan wondered if choosing Shen Hao as Black Banner Battalion's chief was too hasty.
"Sir, it's not just about risk—you have to look at the reward as well. If we handle this my way, the risk is big but the reward's just as big. And the risk is still controllable."
"... There are four surviving Li Family nobles, the highest is an eighth-grade viscount! I have to bow to those people! You know how terrifying their connections are—yet you really... want to erase their whole clan?!"
Shen Hao hadn't expected Tang Qingyuan to react so strongly, but once he started, he couldn't back down. In fact, after careful consideration, he believed this was the safest solution.
"Sir, the Li Family's been throwing money around Fengri City, privately recruiting so many officials— even Households Commander Jiang has accepted their gifts. This isn't just 'maintaining relationships,' is it? If we dig deeper, charging them with 'forming factions and private collusion' isn't overreaching, right?"
And Li Bing dared to falsely accuse, slander, and murder court officials over a handful of silver coins, destroying entire families. That kind of blatant disregard for the law can't be brushed off as 'neglect of duty' or 'greed.' Pinning them with 'treason' is hardly unreasonable, right?"
Forming factions and private collusion?!
Treason?!
Tang Qingyuan's first reaction: was Shen Hao nuts? But after serious thought, his expression grew complex.
According to current Jingjiu Dynasty law, both "forming factions and private collusion" and "treason" are judged by a "one-size-fits-all" principle—to leave no room for luck and to nip problems in the bud. There are no subdivisions on these charges.
Is it valid to frame Li Family's 'bribery' as forming factions and colluding privately? Of course! It works!
Is it okay to frame Li Bing's abuse of law as treason? Absolutely! The victim was a bona fide court official—one governing the region, no less.
"It's not hard to pin these two charges on Li Family. Just dig into the loopholes in the Yunyang smuggling case. Later, raid Li Family's place—I bet you'll find account books and records."
Also, sir, Li Family is powerful. Since there's no turning back, why not go all the way and eliminate future trouble?"
Tang Qingyuan sat back down, his gaze at Shen Hao now tinged with subtle wariness.
Thought he was a dog—turns out he's a wolf.
This was Tang Qingyuan's mood now. He had to admit, Shen Hao's idea was solid. Since they'd crossed Li Family, they couldn't hesitate: either don't act or act thoroughly.
"How confident are you?"
"Seventy percent!"
"All right, I'll bet with you. Li Family has flaunted their power in Li City for far too long—it's time to restore clarity. Go ahead and do it. If you need anything, say it now."
"Manpower and experts! I need skilled men to handle Li Family's potential retaliation or escape. You know how dangerous it is to let anyone slip through the cracks, so I hope you'll give me a command arrow and authority to mobilize all warriors in the garrison and every garrison soldier in towns under Li City's jurisdiction!"
Shen Hao was asking for temporary command authority—the greatest tool available to a Hundred Households Officer of Xuanqing Guard in his territory.
Tang Qingyuan narrowed his eyes, uncertain: "Is it necessary?"
"I believe it's better safe than sorry. If I give the order, you'll have cover when dealing with the higher-ups." The implication: if there's backlash from above about the commotion, he's willing to shoulder some blame for Tang Qingyuan.
With that, Tang Qingyuan nodded and signed an order slip on the spot, handing it to Shen Hao.
"Remember, only use this order slip at the most critical moment. If the operation fails, I'll deny ever giving it to you."
"I understand. You can rest assured, sir."
"Alright, now get going. Report the case progress at all times."
"I'll take my leave then, sir."
"Mm."
...
That afternoon, Shen Hao made a trip to the arsenal and collected all talisman allocations for the Black Banner Battalion from the past three months in one go.
Including fifteen Thunder Charms, sixty Summoning Talismans, thirty Divine Travel Talismans...
After collecting the talismans, Shen Hao kept three Thunder Charms and two Divine Travel Talismans for himself, and distributed the rest to his men overnight.