Chapter 287: Exposure

Chapter 287: Exposure

Lian Wujing flicked his sleeves and left. The cold tea spilled on the ground was like an icy period, drawing a line under the last shred of hypocritical calm between the two.

Cheng Ge stood still, his gaze deep and profound, watching the back disappearing into the corridor.

He knew that from the moment Lian Wujing walked out that door, he was running out of time.

"Ling Feng!" Cheng Ge suddenly turned around, his voice resolute and decisive.

Ling Feng, who had been standing by in the shadows awaiting orders, immediately appeared: "Sir!"

"Round up all our reliable men and follow me out."

Cheng Ge spoke rapidly, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. He had to act before they could react.

"Yes!"

In the night, a troop of men, like an unsheathed sword, headed straight for the Zhao mansion.

Zhao Yuanliang was drinking and having a good time with his newly acquired concubine, with strings and wind instruments playing, quite merry.

Suddenly hearing a servant scrambling in to report that Censor Cheng had barged in with a large group of men, he was so shocked that the wine glass in his hand fell to the ground.

"He... what does he want?!" Zhao Yuanliang, both shocked and angry, hastily straightened his robes and went out to meet him.

However, Cheng Ge didn't bother to waste words with him. With a clear target, he charged straight for Zhao Yuanliang's study with his men.

His familiar manner, as if returning to his own home, left Zhao Yuanliang momentarily stunned.

This practiced ease did not seem like a first visit at all.

"Censor Cheng! What’s the meaning of this? Barging into an imperial official’s home, you..." Zhao Yuanliang tried to step forward to block him.

With a single look from Cheng Ge, two guards immediately stepped forward and firmly restrained Zhao Yuanliang from both sides, no matter how he struggled and cursed, it was useless.

"Search!" Cheng Ge gave the order, and his men immediately began to ransack the place.

Soon, hidden account books and correspondence were found in secret compartments in the study, the interlayer of the bed, and even under the rockery in the garden.

Cheng Ge looked expressionlessly at the shocking evidence, a deeper chill growing in his heart.

He did not delay any longer, leaving some men to guard the Zhao mansion to prevent news from leaking.

He himself, taking the core evidence and elite men, used the same tactic and raided the residences of several other key officials in Yuanzhou City.

Some officials had clearly gotten wind of it. When Cheng Ge's men burst in, they were frantically burning letters and account books.

"Trying to destroy evidence?!" Cheng Ge's eyes sharpened. He took a quick step forward and precisely pinched the jaw of an official who was about to stuff a paper ball into his mouth, with such force that it nearly crushed his bones.

"Wufeng!" Cheng Ge shouted coldly.

Wufeng beside him immediately understood and stepped forward to mercilessly pry open the official's mouth.

Wufeng forcibly pried out the paper ball that was already wet with saliva and crumpled. The official's face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the ground limp.

That night, Yuanzhou City was destined for sleeplessness. Like a thunderbolt, Cheng Ge turned the Yuanzhou officialdom upside down, bringing back mountains of evidence to the Censorate.

Working late into the night, Cheng Ge, Wufeng, and others sorted through the evidence.

If he hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have known. But upon seeing it, even though Cheng Ge had been mentally prepared, he couldn't help but gasp in shock, a chill running down his spine.

This was no ordinary corruption! Salt and iron, strictly controlled resources of the imperial court, had been turned by them into a massive smuggling chain.

The amounts involved were enormous, and the buyers were clearly neighboring enemy states. This wasn't just corruption – it was treason!

If this matter was confirmed and presented to the emperor, never mind losing his official post, even wiping out his entire clan wouldn’t be too harsh!

In addition, there were casinos they controlled for huge profits, and even worse, they ran a long-term human trafficking ring.

They kidnapped little girls and forced them into jar confinement training and domestication from a young age.

When they grew up, they were sold to brothels under their control or given as gifts among officials for sexual pleasure!

Previously, it was not that no one had reported this, but the commoners who dared to speak out were instead framed and imprisoned, some even tortured to death! The list of crimes is endless!

And this vast black network was no longer limited to just Yuanzhou City; it covered almost the entire Chengping Province.

From the prefectural government to county offices, countless officials were implicated.

Just as Cheng Ge was busily sorting evidence, the news of his night raids on the residences of multiple officials spread like wildfire throughout Yuanzhou City.

The next morning, the usually deserted gate of the Censorate was crowded with a throng of people.

Most of them were ragged, gaunt, and sallow, the poorest and most destitute people of Yuanzhou City.

"Your Honor! Lord of Justice! We want to file a complaint!"

"Censor Cheng, we beg you to get justice for us!"

"My son died unjustly!" Cries and pleas for justice mixed together.

A white-haired old woman knelt shakily before Cheng Ge, tears streaming down her aged face.

"Honorable Censor, please get justice for me and my poor son!

My son died in battle at the border. The imperial court clearly issued a notice saying there was a sum of consolation money...

But when we old couple went to claim it, the officials said there wasn't a single cent.

My husband didn't believe it and went to argue with that notice, but they...

They said he was deliberately causing trouble, threw him in jail, and tortured him until he died!"

Funiang, beside her, listened to this heart-wrenching story, couldn't help wiping her tears with her sleeve and sobbed quietly: "What a crime... truly a crime..."

And this was only the tip of the iceberg. More commoners came, accusing officials of bullying the innocent, seizing farmland, and killing without cause.

Someone lamented: "A few years ago, another imperial censor came. We thought there was hope and went to report, but it turned out they were in cahoots!

The people who went to complain all vanished without a trace. Censor Cheng, we people of Yuanzhou have no hope left!"

Looking at the expectant faces before him, listening to every outrageous crime, rage burned in Cheng Ge’s chest.

He took a deep breath, then helped an old farmer to his feet.

His eyes swept over the crowd, and his voice, quiet but carrying undeniable strength, clearly reached every ear:

"Fellow villagers and elders, I, Censor Cheng, accept your petitions!"

I will thoroughly investigate every injustice you have suffered and report it all to the Emperor.

He paused, then made a resolute promise: "As long as there is solid evidence, I swear here and now that I will do my utmost to get you justice!"

The crowd fell silent instantly, then erupted into even louder wailing, kowtowing, and shouting thanks.

...

The city of Yuanzhou appeared to have returned to its normal order on the surface, but behind the scenes, officialdom was churning with hidden currents and fear.

"Lord Lian! You've got to do something! That Cheng Ge... he's a madman!"

"He must have gotten his hands on a lot of damning evidence!" A fat official wiped cold sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling.