Without speaking, Zhang Kaitai rushed back to the front hall first. Xu Qi'an also wanted to follow him, but he wasn't as fast as Zhang. When he arrived at the front hall, he saw Zhang Kaitai using his finger as a sword to cut the last paper person in half.

At this moment, there were many paper scraps on the ground, and nearly ten paper people were scattered around. In addition, there were two young men lying on the ground, their throats cut open and blood splattered everywhere. They were already dead.

"What's going on?" Xu Qi'an was shocked.

"These two suddenly had many paper people crawl out of their bodies, trying to kill and silence people. We stopped them," the silver gong responsible for guarding the prisoners replied, but he was answering Zhang Kaitai.

"How are the prisoners?" Zhang Kaitai asked, looking towards the middle-aged man in a brocade robe who was curled up in a corner and protected by several bronze gongs.

He was crouching with his head in his hands, facing the wall, so no one could see his face.

"Hey, it's over," a nearby bronze gong kicked him, and the middle-aged man collapsed to the ground.

The faces of the crowd changed slightly. The silver gong responsible for guarding rushed over, checked his breathing and neck, and his face turned ugly. He anxiously apologized, "I failed to protect him. Please punish me, sir."

Zhang Kaitai suddenly became very gloomy. His forehead bulged with anger, and he was silent for a few seconds before slowly exhaling and saying, "It's not your fault."

He walked to the side of the body, grabbed the middle-aged man's collar, and gently shook it. With a tearing sound, the clothes shattered into pieces.

The middle-aged man's naked body was exposed to everyone's eyes. There was a red mark on his chest.

"This is the curse of the witchcraft. It uses hair, blood, nails, and other things from the victim, along with their birthdate, to kill them invisibly," Zhang Kaitai shook his head.

This was unpreventable, especially for martial artists who only excelled in violence.

"What about the paper people?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Zhang Kaitai squatted beside the body, pondering for a long time. "These paper people made me think of something. The methods of the God of Witchcraft are unpredictable. They have curses, dream killings, and the ability to manipulate ghosts and corpses. These paper people are possessed by ghosts and are controlled by the practitioner."

Xu Qi'an, a smart person, instantly understood Zhang Kaitai's meaning and exclaimed, "The well in the backyard is...a place where the God of Witchcraft raises ghosts."

This could also explain why it was sealed instead of completely purified.

"That witch is likely nearby."

"But he has already left. Our sudden attack caught him off guard, so he hid nearby and used his curse to kill and silence people. Now that the person is dead, he won't stay nearby," Zhang Kaitai said.

"Zhang Kaitai, you couldn't even sense these paper people? You didn't even notice that they were hidden on these young men just now," Xu Qi'an asked.

"First, a martial artist's divine sense can only warn them of things that pose a threat to themselves. Second, paper people are both possessed by ghosts and sealed, so they can shield perception. Third, paper people don't have strong killing power. They are usually used to do things, not kill enemies."Xu Qian suddenly exploded in anger, cursing and drawing his black gold long knife. The sharp blade cut through the ceiling beams of the hall, causing the wooden and tile debris to fall down with a loud crash, frightening the women and children to run away screaming.

In the shadows across the street, a person hiding there coldly chuckled at the commotion and then fell silent.

...

Ministry of Works.

The chief minister of the Ministry of Works, who had not remarried after his wife's death many years ago, was sound asleep with his concubine in his arms.

A paper man drifted into the courtyard with the night wind, landing softly on the ground. After a few seconds, it struggled to stand up and squeezed through the crack in the door.

It carefully avoided the charcoal basin and walked with awkward steps to the bedside, then used a gust of wind to float onto the bed and landed next to the chief minister's pillow.

The paper man wobbled on the pillow, then gathered its strength and headbutted the chief minister in the face.

The chief minister, who had been sleeping lightly, frowned and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw the paper man on his pillow, he suddenly became wide awake.

After observing his concubine to make sure she was sleeping soundly, he picked up the paper man and went to the table. He lit a candle and unfolded the paper, squinting to read the small text.

Not long after he finished reading, the chief minister's face suddenly changed, and his beard trembled. After he finished reading, he breathed a sigh of relief, regained his composure and calmness.

After burning the paper man with the candle, the chief minister returned to the bed and looked at his sleeping concubine. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly picked up the pillow and covered her mouth and nose...

...

The next day, Ministry of Justice.

The chief minister of justice, who had risen early, went to the prison and personally inspected the Nightwatchers who were being held there.

There were a total of forty-six Nightwatchers involved in the embezzlement case, from Jinluo to Tongluo, all of whom were detained in the Ministry of Justice.

According to the rules, each of the three yamens should have held a part of them and interrogated them separately. However, the Wang faction had lost two core members in the tax and silver case and the Sangpo case, and was at odds with Wei Yuan. The Ministry of Justice was more enthusiastic about taking advantage of the situation than the Dali Temple.

"Do you think you can escape the law by keeping silent? I have already investigated your properties and made a list. After His Majesty has reviewed it, none of you will be able to escape. Of course, I am still willing to give you a chance. Who instructed you to embezzle the silver and oppress the people? Was it Wei Yuan?"

No one answered him.

Suddenly, someone sneered, "Embezzlement? Chief Minister, please tell me how much silver I embezzled? I have been a Nightwatcher for more than ten years and have never taken a single penny."

Hmph, still trying to argue... The chief minister of justice walked over to the man and was not looking at the man himself, but the neat prison cell that caught his attention.

All the stolen goods and dry grass on the ground had been swept into the corner, and the cobwebs in the corners were gone. The straw mat was still tattered, but it was neatly laid out on the bed, with every detail in order.The Minister of Punishments was puzzled as he scrutinized the man speaking. He was a Nightwatcher with a solemn expression, dressed in prisoner's clothing, but he exuded a clean and neat feeling. His hair was combed neatly, and his rolled-up sleeves were extremely symmetrical.

Watching this man and the prison cell, several officials from the Ministry of Punishments, including the Minister himself, inexplicably felt a sense of relief...

"What's his name?" Minister Sun stood with his hands behind his back.

"Li Yuchun."

"How much money did he embezzle? How many houses does he have in the inner city?"

The officials opened the book and looked at it for a while without speaking. After being glanced at by Minister Sun, they spoke softly:

"He has a simple small courtyard in the inner city, an old mother and a pregnant wife at home, and... the Ministry of Punishments only found fifty taels of silver at his home."

"Fifty taels of silver?" Minister Sun was shocked. A Nightwatcher only had fifty taels of silver.

"How did you investigate?" Minister Sun felt that the officials of the Ministry of Punishments were careless.

The officials whispered in his ear for a while, and after listening, Minister Sun fell silent and seemed to be too lazy to deal with this clean man anymore, turning around and leaving.

In the quiet prison cell, Jiang Lvzhong leaned against the wall and sighed.

"Old Jiang, any plans?" The Nightwatcher next door knocked on the wall and asked.

"What plans can I have? After being dismissed, I'll find another way to make a living. I won't become a spy. My wife and children are in the capital." Jiang Lvzhong said irritably.

"Hey, I have no children, so I can go out and wander around. I'm tired of staying in the capital." The Nightwatcher said.

"Nonsense." Jiang Lvzhong sneered, "You said you were planning to marry and settle down in the capital a while ago. I hate that I haven't collected more money over the years. I only took some small profits. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in prison for no reason."

"Heh, then you can become a bandit after you're released."

"Get lost."

The worst result was being dismissed. At least his life was not in danger. A high-level martial artist, as long as he did not commit a major mistake, the court would not impose the death penalty.

A high-level martial artist who went crazy was not to be underestimated.

"Ah!" Another sigh, followed by a long silence.

Leaving the prison cell, the Minister of Punishments asked, "Why didn't I see that guy named Xu?"

"He seems to have escaped." The official replied.

"Have you issued a wanted order?"

"It's already drafted. We just need to get the seal from the government office to release it."

Minister Sun nodded in satisfaction, "How much money did that kid embezzle?"

"We sent people to search the Xu Mansion yesterday, but only found a few hundred pieces of silk and satin, and not much silver." The official said.

"Hmm." Minister Sun said, "Put those silk and satin away for now. When we understand the situation, we'll give them to the officials in the yamen."

"We... we didn't dare to confiscate those things." The official said in a low voice.

Minister Sun's gaze sharpened, "Hmm?"

The official smiled bitterly, "Those were gifts from the Emperor. No one dares to take them. If Xu Pingzhi files a petition..."

"... I heard that he often goes to the Official Brothel Sector?" Minister Sun looked for another breakthrough."Yes, we sent someone to inquire with the old madam of the Official Brothel Sector. In just two months, a man surnamed Xu slept with eight courtesans and is in a relationship with Fu Xiang, the top courtesan of the Shadow Plum Pavilion."

"That's it then." Sun Shangshu felt a little excited. "So all the money went to women's bellies. The testimonies of those women from the Official Brothel Sector can also be used as evidence."

The official said with difficulty, "But the testimonies of those women are very consistent..."

Sun Shangshu looked at him with a questioning gaze, and the official said angrily, "Those women claimed that they admired Mr. Xu's talent and served him voluntarily without receiving a single penny."

Sun Shangshu's body trembled, almost having a heart attack.

"That bastard! If there are no loopholes, then create one for him. If he has no money, then give him money!" Sun Shangshu said in a deep voice, "I will never let this little bastard go."

He angrily returned to the hall, took a sip of warm tea, and before his butt even warmed the seat, the clerk hurriedly came in and reported, "Lord Shangshu, the palace sent a message. The emperor wants to see you."

Sun Shangshu looked at the water clock in the corner. The morning court had already ended at this time. The emperor's summoning could either be due to something important or a small court gathering.

A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Why was the emperor so diligent? He summoned his officials for discussions every three days... The Minister of Justice nodded and said, "Go and attend!"

PS: I haven't asked for monthly tickets in a long time. I'm catching up from behind, so please give a few chapters of monthly tickets and let this book stay in the top ten of the monthly ticket rankings for the first month. It's an achievement that I haven't gotten in my years of writing. Please help me out.