"Oh ho, Lord Li, such immense authority! As a mere staff officer of the Transport Circuit, you now presume to dictate to the Ministry of Punishments?"
As soon as Li Yan finished speaking, Han Mo couldn't resist retorting.
"You!"
Li Yan was naturally furious at Han Mo's arrogant attitude, but the Ministry of Punishments' bailiffs standing nearby simply ignored him.
Not a single one of them spared him a second glance from beginning to end, as if he were invisible.
"What are your names? Who is your superior? I shall impeach all of you!"
Li Yan was so enraged he felt his lungs might explode. His gaze upon the bailiffs was like that of a starving wolf that hadn't eaten for days.
"To let Your Lordship know, we are bailiffs of the Ministry of Punishments. We are here on official business in Neihuang under the orders of Minister Fan of the Ministry of Punishments. If Your Lordship has any complaints, you may submit them in writing to the Ministry of Punishments. By the way, my name is Jiang Laoqi!"
Jiang Laoqi paid no mind to Li Yan's threats.
They were seasoned officials in the six ministries and knew very well who to curry favor with and who to sideline. Fan Zhixu was the Minister of Punishments and a confidant of Cai You. Since they had pledged allegiance to him, they naturally had to maintain a distance from the Crown Prince's faction. Before coming here, Fan Zhixu had given them specific instructions, and at the very top of the list of those absolutely not to interact with Han Mo was Tang Ke. They also knew the names of Tang Ke's trusted confidants.
Originally, they had intended to use force against Han Mo, but after Han Mo produced the imperial sword, they immediately backed down. After all, with an imperial sword on his person, it would be asking for trouble if they still tried to use prisoner carts and attire against him. Because of this, they had all swallowed their frustration. Fortunately, Han Mo had not made things difficult for them either. Besides bringing a personal attendant and a carriage, he had no other excessive demands, so they could only endure it grudgingly.
Just as they were about to leave the Neihuang boundary, Li Yan suddenly appeared, acting so provocatively. Jiang Laoqi naturally had no pleasantries for him.
"Good! A truly incorruptible County Magistrate Han! Very well, Lord Tang of the Hebei Circuit Transport Command is waiting ahead. Let us go, Magistrate Han!"
As Li Yan spoke, he looked at Han Mo with a cold smirk, his smug demeanor making Xu Fengnian grind his teeth in hatred.
"My apologies, sir, we are under orders to escort Magistrate Han back to Bianliang. Minister Fan has explicitly instructed that no officials from the Hebei Circuit are to meet with him to prevent any collusion!"
Before Han Mo could speak, Jiang Laoqi immediately objected.
"How dare you! Are you trying to use Minister Fan to pressure my lord?"
Li Yan was instantly enraged. What a joke! He was specifically ordered to bring the man back for questioning. If they blocked him like this, how could he face Tang Ke again?
"You see, Lord Li, Han Mo is unable to assist. Please make way."
Han Mo gave a cold laugh and then climbed back into his carriage.
"Let's go!"
As Jiang Laoqi spoke, he led his guards around Han Mo's carriage and swaggered towards the official road.
"This is too much! Too much!"
Only after they had gone a considerable distance did Li Yan finally roar in fury. However, now that they were far away, no matter how angry he was, he was powerless.
"My lord? Shall I take men to show them some force!"
Seeing Li Yan's murderous expression, his attendant whispered.
"Show them what? Kill them and then start a rebellion?"
It was better for them to remain silent. Before his words were even finished, Li Yan unleashed a torrent of curses.
"Then..."
The bailiffs looked embarrassed. Their flattery had backfired, leaving them speechless.
"Let's go, we need to report back!"
These actions were a direct provocation to Tang Ke. Although Li Yan felt ashamed, he had no idea how to proceed now other than to return and report.
"You say those Ministry of Punishments officials treated him with such courtesy?"
Half an hour later, in an inn by the official road, upon hearing Li Yan's account, Tang Ke's brow furrowed.
"Those people even said that officials from the Hebei Circuit were not allowed to interact with that fellow to prevent collusion! My lord, this is clearly an insult to you!"
Li Yan became increasingly indignant, his gritted teeth making Tang Ke frown.
"Enough, I suspect those people were not acting willingly!"
After a brief period of contemplation, Tang Ke said with a frown.
"But, my lord, are we just going to let this matter go?"
They were still within Hebei's borders. If this incident were to spread, wouldn't Tang Ke lose all face?
"Calm down. Young man, don't get so angry. Think carefully, the information we received was about apprehending him, so why is it now a request to escort him?"
Compared to Li Yan's impatience, Tang Ke's composure was far greater.
"My lord, what do you mean?"
"Don't you remember he has an imperial sword and a Ruyi scepter protecting him?"
Indeed, as expected of an old fox, Tang Ke immediately guessed Han Mo's strategy.
"But if he's this high-profile, wouldn't he be asking for trouble if he ends up in the Ministry of Punishments' prison?"
Li Yan was stunned and immediately realized.
"Unless this fellow has something else to rely on!"
"You mean? Someone will vouch for him? Or does he possess something crucial?"
Li Yan's brow furrowed.
So many people had died in the prison, and some of them had been sent from the military camp by Zhong Shidao! Even without Tang Ke's subtle instigation, the matter itself was significant. After all, there were Liao spies involved, and even Tong Guan had sent people to demand them. Under such circumstances, for this young man to still be so calmly arrogant, confronting the Ministry of Punishments' bailiffs with imperial items, if he didn't have something substantial, he'd be seeking death!
"Perhaps not entirely inaccurate!"
As Tang Ke said this, a hint of wariness appeared in his eyes.
"Then what should we..."
"Never mind, let's go! This matter has nothing to do with us anymore!"
After taking a deep breath, Tang Ke lost all desire to meet with Han Mo. However, it was precisely because of today's events that he made up his mind. If the Crown Prince couldn't win Han Mo over, they would have to eliminate him at all costs while he was still in his nascent stage! For a young man under twenty to possess such terrifying composure was truly beyond his belief.
"Yes!"
Although Li Yan was somewhat unwilling, at this point, even he was helpless. He could only turn and order his subordinates to prepare for departure.
When they returned to the Bianliang territory, it was three days later.
"Magistrate Han, ahead is the Bianliang territory. What do you say?"
As they were not far from Bianliang city, Jiang Laoqi cautiously approached Han Mo's carriage and said in a lowered voice. If those Ministry of Punishments officials saw them acting as Han Mo's escort for the entire journey, they wouldn't fare well! After all, they had been bribed by Fan Zhixu, and the two vice-ministers were now glaring at them, looking for any fault.
"We're here already?"
Looking at the familiar scenery outside, Han Mo couldn't help but let out a long yawn. Inside the small carriage, three large ice basins were placed daily, along with cushions nearly half a foot thick. Han Mo had slept incredibly comfortably. As a result, he barely felt the several hundred li journey, and they were almost at their destination.
"Magistrate Han, we are merely subordinates who follow orders. Although you have imperial items, if you truly got into a serious conflict with the important figures in the Ministry of Punishments, it would also make things difficult for His Majesty, wouldn't it?"
Even Jiang Laoqi felt aggrieved, but when facing Han Mo, he had to be cautious. Besides the imperial items on his person, this young official Han also had a formidable wife! Thinking of Zhe Yourong's murderous gaze when she spoke to them, Jiang Laoqi still felt his legs tremble.