Looking at the tragic state of the yamen leader, the other yamen runners who had offended Jiang Chen also knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.

They were terrified that the Emperor's wrath would burn them.

"Your Majesty, this dog who offended your holy presence is from our yamen. Please, for the sake of Lord Su, allow this humble official to take him back for disposal."

"This humble official guarantees that he will be severely punished in front of everyone in the yamen as a warning to others!" Zhao Lufeng wiped the sweat from his brow and asked boldly.

His direct superior was Su Wen, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a favorite in the Emperor's eyes.

Remembering this connection, Zhao Lufeng had an idea, hoping that Jiang Chen would let the matter drop for the sake of his capable subordinate… That way, at least the Zhao family and his disappointing nephew would have a chance to survive.

However, Zhao Lufeng did not understand Jiang Chen at all.

These words of exoneration not only failed to achieve the desired effect, but also accurately hit Jiang Chen's sore spot again.

"Su Wen? You are actually an official under him!"

Jiang Chen laughed in anger, "Good, forming cliques for private gain, officials protecting each other – is this what my Court of Judicial Review is? Is this the highest law enforcement agency of Great Wei?!"

"Are you worthy of the official robes you wear?!"

Zhao Lufeng was instantly terrified by the angry gaze directed at him. He knelt on the ground, trembling all over, "Your Majesty, this lowly one knows his mistake, this lowly one knows his mistake, please forgive me!"

"Lord Su is honest and upright and has never engaged in any illegal activities. This lowly one was blinded by greed and spoke recklessly…"

"You still dare to quibble!"

With a loud roar, Jiang Chen raised his right foot and kicked Zhao Lufeng in the chest: "You eat the Emperor's food and share his burdens. You dogs don't even understand such a simple principle. What use do I have for you?!"

"The people pay taxes to the court every year, providing corvée labor. The money they hand over is not to support you useless officials who bully and oppress them!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the pale female corpse on the ground: "You are a clerk in charge of criminal law, but from the moment you arrived until now, have you ever glanced at this pitiful woman?"

"She is a subject under your jurisdiction, in the prime of her life, with a bright future ahead of her, yet she was cruelly murdered and thrown into the cold lake because of your negligence."

"As a local official, do you not feel any self-reproach or pity?"

The cold questions silenced everyone present.

Even Jia Yao'er, who was being protected by the Imperial Guards and was about to turn back home, stopped and looked back in astonishment.

Her eyes stared straight at Jiang Chen's back!

She never imagined that the lofty Emperor would become so angry for the sake of an insignificant commoner.

No woman could resist such a wise and benevolent Emperor who cherished his people.

At this moment, her heart was completely in turmoil.

But as the targets of the Emperor's stern questioning, Zhao Lufeng and the others were so frightened that they prostrated themselves on the ground, unable to speak clearly: "Your, Your Majesty, this lowly official knows his mistake, this lowly official will definitely correct himself in the future!"

Jiang Chen, however, was too lazy to listen to these guys' excuses. He snorted coldly and raised his hand to the Imperial Guards behind him.

"Drag these dogs down for me, strip them of their positions, and throw them into the Ministry of Justice prison!"

"Also, tell that bastard Su Wen to thoroughly investigate the people under him, especially this clerk named Zhao Lufeng, and those around him."

"Anyone found to be involved in corruption, selling offices, or dereliction of duty will be punished three times as severely according to the law, so that the entire criminal justice system will remember this lesson!"

The cold voice, like a death knell, rang in the ears of several people.

Any one of the things they had done, if discovered, would be a crime punishable by the confiscation of their entire family property, not to mention being punished three times as severely according to the law.

This would cost the lives of their entire families!

Zhao Lufeng and the yamen runners were completely panicked, their eyes filled with horror: "Please, Your Majesty, this lowly official is willing to confess his crimes, please spare my family…"

Kneeling and crawling to Jiang Chen's feet, they begged and wailed, thinking that their actions would move Jiang Chen, but instead aroused even deeper disgust.

"Spare your families? When they were squandering the people's hard-earned money, did they ever think of those oppressed commoners? I will not be soft-hearted towards these accomplices and accessories!"

"My Great Wei will not tolerate bureaucrats like you who rely on power to bully others and commit all kinds of evil!"

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes, and he turned his head and said, "What are you waiting for? Quickly drag these dogs down for me."

Hearing this, the Imperial Guards dared not delay any longer, and a small team was dispatched to guard these criminal officials.

Because His Majesty was traveling incognito this time, and the number of people he brought was limited, they did not dare to leave easily.

Seeming to see their concerns, Jiang Chen did not urge them further. He looked up ahead, becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the efficiency of the Ministry of Justice.

There had been no movement for so long, were they treating his words as wind in their ears?!

Just as the atmosphere was gradually becoming heavy, Su Wen, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and a group of officials in charge of criminal law finally arrived at full speed, followed by a large number of soldiers.

Su Wen had learned the whole story on the way and cursed his bad luck in his heart. He had been implicated by a minor official who was completely unrelated to him.

When he met Jiang Chen, his tone was particularly cautious: "Your Majesty, this humble official has failed in his supervision and was unaware that such vermin had emerged under his command. Please punish me!"

"As for this female corpse, this humble official had already investigated its origins before setting out. It is most likely the only daughter of Zhang, a wealthy merchant who owns a cloth shop."

As he spoke, he carefully raised his head, assessing Jiang Chen's expression. He noticed that it was no longer as gloomy as before, and he knew that he had made the right bet and hit the Emperor's preferences.

He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Your Majesty, the frequent disappearances of women during this period have aroused great concern in the criminal justice system. This humble official and his colleagues have dispatched a large number of people to investigate and have achieved preliminary results."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's expression eased slightly, and he cast a sidelong glance at him, "You are still somewhat useful. Quickly explain the situation in detail."

Su Wen wiped the sweat from his head and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, according to reports from the lower-level yamen, the cases of missing women began five days ago, and the women's organs showed signs of being gnawed."

"According to the coroner's examination, these marks came from various insects."

"In addition, according to a few eyewitnesses, before those women disappeared, people dressed in strange clothes, who seemed to be barbarians from beyond the borders, had appeared near them."

From beyond the borders! Poisonous insects!

It must be that Gu Master!

Realizing this, Jiang Chen's face instantly became ferocious.

"Su Wen, take your men and conduct a full investigation for me, especially in those places where women have disappeared. Focus your search there!"

"Before sunset, you must find the location of the murderer!"

"I will be stationed in the yamen to supervise the entire process. If you can't do it, you can replace the hats on your heads!"

Hearing the determination in the Emperor's words, everyone trembled and their eyes showed fear.

They knew Jiang Chen's character, that he kept his word and was never soft on his ministers.

If they could not handle this assignment well, their careers would probably come to an end.

Daring not to delay any longer, a group of officials moved quickly…