Chapter 967: Chapter 967

"Anyone who steps out of the room, dies!"

After Zhao Douan softly uttered these words, the entire office suddenly fell silent.

Peng Wenliang’s footsteps abruptly stopped, his right foot remained suspended mid-air, unable to fall.

The blade against his neck conveyed a chilling coldness, causing this fourth-rank Imperial Censor’s forehead to bead with sweat.

The surrounding officials watching were also completely silent.

He truly dared to kill!

A single thought fiercely surfaced in everyone’s minds; the unmistakable Killing Aura couldn’t be feigned.

Following closely was bewilderment:

When did the Imperial Court welcome such a reckless, flamboyant Arresting Officer?

At this moment, if not for everyone being certain that Zhao Douan was stationed at Taicang and couldn’t have returned to the Capital, they would almost believe the infamous "Zhao Yan" had returned.

"Mr. Yuan has arrived!"

Amidst the dead silence, a loud voice suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard, awakening the officials present. The most update n0vels are published on 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙

The crowd in the courtyard parted like waves, Zhao Douan finally lifted his head, his gaze traversing the windows, people, and branches hanging down in the courtyard.

He saw at the back of the crowd, a familiar Green Robe walking as if stepping on clouds.

The person wore a dignified official robe, a black yarn hat on his head, gray at the temples, eyes conveying a sense of deep time, indicating his young handsome appearance, yet having been worn down by years in officialdom, still possessed a distinct aura billowing around his sleeves.

"Greetings, Mr. Yuan!"

"Mr. Yuan has finally arrived."

A group of Imperial Censor officials bowed their heads to greet, faces showing joy or surprise.

With the blade against his neck, Peng Wenliang’s eyelid twitched, fear in his eyes dissipated, replaced by joy, as he coldly snorted and turned his head to look down at Zhao Douan from above, saying blandly:

"Mr. Yuan is here, surely won’t let you act recklessly."

The people from Lihua Hall frowned, looking towards Zhao Douan, posing a questioning stance.

Seeing Zhao Douan gently wave his hand, Hou Renmeng reluctantly sheathed his sword.

Yuann Li stepped over the threshold, entering the room, his gaze swept over Peng Wenliang and several others from Lihua Hall, then turned to the "White-faced Arresting Officer" seated inside who hadn’t stood up.

Behind him, the Imperial Censor previously hinted by Peng Wenliang to seek help was full of self-importance.

Yuann Li’s lips subtly moved: "What is causing such a commotion?"

Before Zhao Douan could speak, Peng Wenliang rushed to complain:

"Reporting to Mr. Yuan, this group of government officers suddenly barged in without any arrest warrants, wanting to take me away to prison, further accusing me of colluding with rebels, which I refused, and then this person tried to resort to violence!"

Yuann Li quietly listened, then looked at Zhao Douan: "Is it as he says?"

A laugh echoed from underneath Zhao Douan’s mask: "What Mr. Peng said is correct."

Yuann Li’s expression remained unchanged, suddenly raised his right hand and waved: "You all leave first."

Peng Wenliang and several Imperial Censors inside the room hesitated, not daring to object, immediately stood and walked out.

Zhao Douan casually leaned back in his chair, turned his head and gestured, a group of government officers from Lihua Hall followed closely behind.

Yet the people in the courtyard didn’t manage to leave, still blocked from the exit, temporarily detained in the courtyard.

They only moved farther from the room, making it hard to hear the conversation inside.

When only the two of them were left, Yuann Li ambled over to Peng Wenliang’s "workspace", casually sat down.

His eyes fixed on Zhao Douan, saying faintly:

"Since I have taken charge of the Imperial Court of Supervision, you’re the first to boldly burst in to make arrests."

Zhao Douan was completely unafraid: "Seeking to ease Your Majesty’s burdens, eliminating treachery for the court, naturally requires boldness."

Yuann Li scrutinized this white-faced man, mocking: "Is that so? I can’t stand people who hide their true selves. If unafraid, why not reveal your true face?"

Zhao Douan smiled contentedly, wholly unmoved by the taunt, saying:

"Mr. Yuan speaks unreasonably. Scholars act by principle, also valuing self-preservation. How does serving the country by removing traitors relate to one’s identity?"

Yuann Li looked at him unexpectedly:

"Seeing your actions, I almost mistook you for a simple, rash military man. Since you speak reasonably, why wield a knife against Peng Wenliang?"

Zhao Douan replied matter-of-factly:

"Peng Wenliang is a rebel, the knife is justified. Mr. Yuan is not, hence treated with courtesy."

Yuann Li’s voice suddenly lowered, imposing authority surging:

"So-called courtesy, without a warrant, is there solid proof of Peng Wenliang’s treachery?!"

Zhao Douan pondered: "There’s some, but not conclusive."

Then he chuckled again:

"But once detained, it’s like throwing a stone into a pond, fish will panic and scatter, at that time, the evidence will surely surface."

"Surely?" Yuann Li let out a surprised laugh, suddenly increasing his volume, displeased he said:

"I preside over the Imperial Court of Supervision, how can I allow you to arrest on a mere ’surely’? Think only the Imperial Court can resort to force?"

As the words fell, a large group of government officers suddenly emerged from outside the courtyard; based on their attire, surprisingly arresting officers from the government office, led by the Capital’s top detective, who upon storming in, grabbed their sword hilts, confronting the people from Lihua Hall!

The crowd was in turmoil.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Douan withdrew his gaze from the window, looking at Yuann Li, said:

"Mr. Yuan knew we would come?"

Yuann Li replied indifferently:

"A new Arresting Officer emerges from Lihua Hall, how could I not pay attention? However, your boldness in being the first to storm the Imperial Court did surprise me."

At this moment, Zhao Douan suddenly recalled when he wanted to topple Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Cheng, he sought help from Yuann Li.

The latter spent just one night to open various government offices, providing a batch of old dossiers for him to peruse, without Zhou Cheng, who was a prominent member of the Li Party, nor Li Yanfu’s attention being drawn away.