Chapter 86: Establishing Authority Part 3

Before Gu Huaiyu could finish a single cup of tea, the Prefect returned with seven or eight burly men.

The soldiers hadn’t gone far after their free meal. They were sitting in a small tavern waiting for the stewed duck to go with their wine when they were caught red-handed and hauled over.

On the way, the Prefect had dropped multiple hints: Confess honestly before the Chancellor, take a few strokes of the cane, and the matter will be settled.

Who knew that when these brutes heard they were meeting the Chancellor, they actually became energized? They were illiterate, knowing only that the Chancellor was the highest official below the Emperor.

So what? If their heads were cut off, it would only leave a scar the size of a bowl. What could he do to them?

As soon as the old man saw the pot of duck being brought over—the feathers all plucked clean—he began beating his chest. “You cursed convict-soldiers! Give me back my duck!”

The lead thug, who had a tattooed arm, stood there drunkenly with his palms open. “Old man, you’re talking nonsense! We bought this duck with our own money!”

The other soldiers also began to shout, their stories suspiciously consistent and detailed.

The Prefect paced in circles, frequently stealing glances at Gu Huaiyu.

Gu Huaiyu set down his teacup and asked faintly, “Truly, you did not eat for free?”

The tattooed man finally looked at him properly. He froze for a second, then broke into a lewd smirk. “The Chancellor must be our advocate!”

“This old man is slandering us. We’re the soldiers who are going to fight the Eastern Expedition for you, Chancellor. Shouldn’t you be protecting us?”

Just because they were uneducated didn’t mean they were stupid. They knew perfectly well that if the Chancellor wanted them to risk their lives on the battlefield, he would have to act like those other civil officials—putting on an act of being “courteous to the wise and humble to the brave.”

The soldiers, who had been timid at first, saw that Gu Huaiyu was so beautiful and lacked the legendary aura of majesty. Their courage swelled. One by one, they stared at him shamelessly, their gazes lewd enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Fury flared in Pei Jingyi’s heart. He rested his hand on the hilt of his blade, his thumb slowly brushing the guard.

Seeing this, the old man wailed even louder, throwing himself toward the shade. “Lord of the Clear Skies! They ate my eggs and now they’re lying about it!”

Gu Huaiyu raised his hand slightly, and the Iron Eagle Guard immediately helped the old man up.

He said unhurriedly, “Elder, tell me the sequence of events one more time, in detail.”

Seeing how gentle the Chancellor was, the old man gathered his spirits and recounted the encounter from start to finish.

“So you are saying—” Gu Huaiyu accurately extracted several key pieces of information, asking thoughtfully, “Four hours ago, they ate your duck eggs without paying?”

The old man nodded frantically, wiping tears as he sobbed. “The Chancellor is wise! Every word I say is the truth!”

Gu Huaiyu finally turned his gaze back to the soldiers.

These thugs didn’t take him seriously at all, still grinning and smirking.

The tattooed man swung his shoulders, grinning like a rogue. “This old man is full of lies! We always pay for what we get!”

The other thugs chimed in:

“We really didn’t eat them!”

“It’s a frame-up! The Chancellor must do us justice!”

They acted as if they were certain the Chancellor could do nothing to them.

Gu Huaiyu found it amusing. He lifted his cup and took a sip, his brow furrowing slightly as if he were stumped by the problem. “It truly sounds bad if soldiers are eating for free. I do not wish to wrong you, but how should we prove it?”

He set down the teacup and suddenly looked at Pei Jingyi. “I have an idea.”

Pei Jingyi immediately understood his meaning and raised an eyebrow. My little ancestor, are you really going to do this?

Gu Huaiyu gave a slight nod and looked at the gloating men. “You should recognize General Pei. His archery and saber skills are among the best in the Northern Frontier Army.”

Before they could react, the Iron Eagle Guard stepped forward and pinned them down firmly. They stripped the tattooed man’s clothes clean.

The tattooed man was a true scoundrel; unable to break free, he began to scream, “The Chancellor is a murderer! Murder!”

Gu Huaiyu remained composed, a very faint smile touching his lips. “I am not going to kill you. I merely want to prove your innocence. Didn’t you say you didn’t eat any eggs?”

His fingers, white as jade, made a slight pinching motion. “It has been four hours. The eggs should still be in the stomach. If we cut it out, we’ll have our evidence. If not—”

His finger tapped the teacup. “I shall penalize myself by drinking a cup of tea.”

The soldiers, who had been shouting moments ago, instantly turned ashen. they didn’t fear death in battle, but the threat of being cut open alive would make anyone’s legs turn to jelly.

Pei Jingyi didn’t want to dirty his own blade. He casually snatched a melon knife from a nearby fruit stall.

Before the tattooed man could beg for mercy, the blade sliced across his belly. With a wet sound, pinkish intestines mixed with blood spilled across the ground.

The street instantly erupted into chaos. Commoners shrieked, the timid covered their eyes, and those with weak stomachs turned away to vomit.

Pei Jingyi stole a glance at Gu Huaiyu. Seeing that the man remained seated as steady as a pine tree, he curled his lip.

He reached his hand into the bloody abdominal cavity, forcibly pulling out the stomach and tearing it open—

The mangled remains of duck eggs were clearly visible.

How could the remaining thugs dare to be stubborn now?

One by one, their faces turned deathly pale. They thudded to their knees, crying and kowtowing for mercy, wailing repeatedly: “Chancellor, spare us! We’ll never do it again!”