"I am the Minister of Rites, who dares to arrest me?"
Wu Sheng shouted, trying to intimidate the soldiers in front of him with his official position.
It did have an effect. At least the Five City Patrols were unsure if they could arrest him, and they froze.
But the Imperial Guards, disguised as the Dark Division, ignored official positions. They only knew to obey Chu Chen.
With a indifferent expression, they rushed forward without a word. Two people grabbed Wu Sheng's hands, and two others took out ropes and put them on Wu Sheng.
"You, you dare to arrest this official! I want to report to the Emperor! I want to see His Majesty!"
Wu Sheng trembled with anger, shouting, but his eyes kept signaling to the other ministers.
Unfortunately, as soon as they saw that Chu Chen's men dared to arrest someone, none of the accompanying ministers of the Ministry of Rites dared to save him.
Those household guards were just trying to make a living. Their hands holding swords trembled, and they didn't dare to step forward to rescue their master.
Only a few gritted their teeth and rushed forward, but they were no match for the Dark Division Imperial Guards and were immediately killed on the spot.
The smell of blood permeated the surroundings. The household guards were scared, their swords trembled and fell to the ground.
The ministers of the Ministry of Rites who followed were also scared and wanted to escape, but they were blocked by the Dark Division Imperial Guards.
Minister of Rites Wu Sheng was also scared. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, his lips were pale, and his dim old eyes were wide open.
The people from the Five City Patrols around were stunned. They never imagined that there would be a death, even if it was just a few household guards, the household guards of the Minister's mansion!
"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. If you resist again, you will all end up like this!"
Chu Chen looked at them indifferently and warned them loudly.
Then he waved his hand and said, "What are you waiting for? Tie them all up and escort them to the Imperial Guard prison!"
"Yes!"
This time, the Five City Patrols dared not drag their feet. They quickly took out ropes and tied up all the important figures from the Ministry of Rites, whom they had never even had the right to speak to, including the household guards.
Then, led by three Imperial Guards, they escorted them back to the Imperial Guard headquarters.
At the Imperial Guard headquarters, nothing else was ready, only the prison cells were slightly modified from civilian houses, creating dozens of rooms.
"Let's go, follow this Prime Minister to search the house!"
Chu Chen watched the annoying ministers of the Ministry of Rites being escorted away, and entered the Zhang mansion with the Dark Division Imperial Guards, while the Five City Patrols remained outside the mansion.
Chu Chen did not trust these guys and dared not let them participate in the search, otherwise, how much money and treasures would be missing.
"What do you want to do now?" The noblewoman, who was sitting in the pavilion, drinking tea with a sullen mood and thinking of a countermeasure, shouted in horror when she saw Chu Chen and his men approaching.
Chu Chen smiled slightly and pointed to the others around the noblewoman.
The Dark Division Imperial Guards quickly stepped forward, knocked them all unconscious, and then left a few people. The rest were divided into two groups. One group took the unconscious people out of the mansion, and the other group bypassed this place and went to the cellar.
This time, Chu Chen brought enough carriages, enough to load all the valuable items in the Zhang mansion.
"You, you!" The noblewoman did not expect Chu Chen to be so brutal, knocking out her servants as soon as they met, regardless of gender.
And now, only she and Chu Chen were left around the pavilion, which made the noblewoman think of something and point at Chu Chen uneasily.
Chu Chen walked forward slowly, watching the noblewoman retreat step by step, until she was pushed against the railing of the pavilion, with nowhere to retreat. Then he strode forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.
He said in a low voice, "Did you hear the commotion outside just now?"
"So, so what?" The noblewoman blushed and her teeth chattered.
"The evidence of your husband, Lord Zhang Guojin, being corrupt and taking bribes has been completely obtained by this Prime Minister, with both human and material evidence. And outside just now, there were accomplices of your husband who came to expose your husband in order to protect themselves, and they even offered money to bribe this Prime Minister, wanting this Prime Minister to resolve this matter easily."
"So, Madam, I believe you also don't want your husband to lose his official position and his head because of this matter being exposed to His Majesty, do you?"
Chu Chen looked down at her with a charming smile, his expression deliberately greedy and lecherous.
"You, you, what do you want?"
The noblewoman's thin lips parted and closed again, asking with a face full of shame.
Chu Chen's handsome face had added a lot of points in the noblewoman's heart, but in her mind, she was already thinking of some unspeakable things.
"Don't you know what this Prime Minister wants, Madam?"
After speaking, Chu Chen deliberately touched her face with his hand and then looked down at a certain place.
At this moment, the noblewoman completely understood that the other party really wanted her purity.
"I, I can't be sorry for my husband..."
"No, no, no, you are not sorry for him, but saving him. You know, if his life is gone, then he will truly have nothing, won't he?"
Chu Chen shook his head and said with an evil smile, "Moreover, I promise that no one else will know about what happens between us. I will be very discreet."
After a moment of silence, the noblewoman knew that if she didn't do this, those charges would really lead to her husband's utter destruction.
With teary eyes, she looked at Chu Chen and asked, "Then, then if that's the case, will you let my husband go?"
"This Prime Minister cannot openly release him, but His Majesty trusts this Prime Minister very much. I will persuade His Majesty to exonerate him. Whether he will be released depends on His Majesty. Of course, it also depends on your performance."
"...I, I understand."
After speaking, the noblewoman, with shame and a hint of tears, closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly, waiting for something to happen.
"Do you want to do it in a place like this? How about going to your husband's room?"
Chu Chen's lips curved slightly, and he made a suggestion.
The noblewoman glared at him with shame and indignation, pushed away Chu Chen's hand on her shoulder, and led Chu Chen to Zhang Guojin's room.
Then she closed the door, sat on the bed, and closed her eyes.
"Madam, have you misunderstood something?"
Chu Chen looked at her like this, suppressed a smile, and said earnestly.
"What?" The noblewoman opened her eyes in confusion, and then was ashamed and annoyed, thinking, does she have to take off her clothes herself?
"Where is the ledger?"
"What ledger?"
Chu Chen suppressed his smile and said, "The ledger of your husband's corruption and bribery records. Don't tell me Madam doesn't know. Without that thing, how can I exonerate your husband before His Majesty for you?"
"Ah?" The noblewoman was stunned. Wasn't he looking for that? Why was he asking for the ledger?
She looked at Chu Chen back and forth several times and finally confirmed that the other party wanted the ledger, not her.
The noblewoman walked angrily to a certain place in the room, touched it, opened a hidden compartment, and took out the ledger.
Before she could hand it to Chu Chen, he snatched it away.
After a brief inspection, Chu Chen smiled with satisfaction, "Don't worry, I will do what I promised you. Wait for your husband to return tonight, all clean."