Chapter 1120: Great Official Power

The carriage sped along, raising clouds of dust, and soon stopped in front of the gate of Andong Protectorate.

Lin Lang took Gao Baoyuan's hand and got out of the car first, followed by Princess Pyongyang, Son Ye-jeong, Gao Nanfu and others.

The soldiers guarding the gate saw that the group of people coming were quite large and quickly stepped forward to stop them: "Who are you? This is a protected area of ​​the Protectorate, and you are not allowed to trespass!"

Lin Lang's eyes flashed, and he immediately produced the imperial gold medal that read "As if I were here in person" and shouted, "Open your eyes and see, I am the General who protects the country in the west, the sworn brother of the current emperor, Emperor Lin Lang of Shanghai. How dare you stop me?"

When the soldiers heard that it was the current emperor's sworn brother, holding the imperial badge that read "As if I were here in person," they turned pale with fear and quickly knelt in salute: "We were blind and did not recognize a great man. Please forgive me, General Lin!"

When Princess Pyongyang saw this scene, her back straightened even more, and her eyes looked at Lin Lang even softer.

Gao Baoyuan, who was only nine years old, saw how powerful his uncle was and vaguely realized that Lin Lang was a big shot.

Lin Lang snorted coldly and led everyone straight into the Protectorate.

At this time, Xue Jinzhou was handling official business in his mansion. When he heard that the Emperor Lin Lang of Shanghai had suddenly arrived, he was startled and exchanged glances with his subordinate Zhou Lianhai.

"What's going on? Why did your Majesty's brother suddenly come to Anton?"

Chief Clerk Zhou Lianhai was an official of the fifth rank and was responsible for the daily administrative affairs of the Protectorate.

His little eyes rolled around, and he immediately replied, "Sir, Shanghai Emperor Lin Lang is a favorite of His Majesty. Come, come and welcome Shanghai Emperor. Don't be negligent!"

Xue Jinzhou quickly straightened his clothes and went out to greet him.

Zhou Lianhai followed closely behind.

"Your humble servant Xue Jinzhou pays homage to General Lin. I didn't know that you were coming, and I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person. Please forgive me!" Xue Jinzhou saluted with a big smile on his face, very respectfully.

Lin Lang looked at him coldly and said, "Xue Duhu, get up. I came here today for two things. Do you know?"

Xue Jinzhou was nervous, but he pretended to be calm: "I don't know what the general is referring to. Please explain it clearly."

Lin Lang cleared his throat, took out the imperial sword from his personal space, and lied, "The first thing is that there is a secret report that the Andong Protectorate is suspected of corruption and embezzlement of public funds."

"My brother the Emperor is furious and has issued a decree appointing me as an Inspector General to monitor the Protectorate of Andong. If I am found guilty, I will be executed first and reported to the emperor later. I will punish you severely."

Xue Jinzhou's face changed instantly after hearing this, and he trembled with fear. In ancient times, as a leader in a place where the emperor was far away, there were few honest officials who would not abuse their power for personal gain.

Shocked to hear that Lin Lang had come to Andong as an imperial envoy to investigate corruption, Xue Jinzhou was so frightened that he hunched over like a shrimp, sweating profusely as he said weakly, "Your humble servant is terrified. This is a false accusation. Someone must have made a false accusation!"

"I, your humble servant Zhou Lianhai, am here to see General Lin. General, please take a seat. There must be some misunderstanding." As he said this, he ordered the servants in the mansion to serve tea.

Lin Lang walked like a tiger, striding towards the main seat.

His bony hands pressed hard against the back of the chair, and as he sat down, he created a gust of wind.

The plaque with the words "A Bright Mirror Hangs High" hanging above the main hall cast a half shadow on Lin Lang's head, but it was not as intimidating as the cold light in his eyes.

Lin Lang's eyes flashed like lightning as he swept over the frightened Xue Jinzhou and Zhou Lianhai in the hall. His voice was like a bell, shaking the beams and pillars. "The emperor has decreed an inspection tour on his behalf. Protector Xue, will you confess your crimes voluntarily, or wait for this imperial envoy to torture you?"

Xue Jinzhou banged his knees hard on the blue brick floor, and cold sweat oozed out of his back under his official uniform.

He stole a glance at Lin Lang's hand on the hilt of his sword, his face mournful, his voice trembling as he said, "I am wronged! Since I took office as the Protector General of Andong, I have worked day and night, not daring to slack off even for the slightest."

"The situation on the border is complex. I work tirelessly every day to stabilize the border defenses and mediate conflicts among the various ethnic groups. I was even unable to return home to visit my seriously ill father..."

Xue Jinzhou wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand, his Adam's apple rolling violently. "The treasury's money and grain are allocated according to the rules, and the monthly income and expenditure details are all available in the account books. It must be that the traitor is jealous of my achievements in Andong, so he framed me and slandered me!"

Zhou Lianhai, who was standing by, also knelt down upon seeing this, his head banging against the bricks making a loud noise: "General Lin, you are very perceptive!"

"Under Lord Xue's rule, the people of Andong live and work in peace and contentment, with merchants coming and going constantly. Last year during the autumn harvest, they even spontaneously erected a monument to commemorate your merit!"

"If you're talking about corruption, I'm willing to guarantee with my own life that it's absolutely not true!"

Zhou Lianhai stole a glance at Lin Lang's expression and added, "A few days ago, a former member of the Goguryeo army spread rumors in the market, saying that the Protectorate was embezzling money. I guess he was instructed by the thieves!"

Princess Pyongyang frowned slightly and was about to ask a question, but she saw Lin Lang raised his hand to signal for silence.

He stroked the gilded hilt of the sword bestowed upon him by the emperor and sneered, "What a face of loyalty to the emperor and love for the people."

"Since that's the case, please have Protector Xue submit the account books for the past three years immediately, and then summon the officials in the government for a face-to-face confrontation. This imperial envoy wants to see which enemy spy is so capable of turning black into white."

Before he finished speaking, Lin Lang slammed his palm heavily on the table. The "bang" sound scared Xue Jinzhou so much that his face turned pale.

Xue Jinzhou trembled as he ordered, "Quick! Go to the accounting office and get all the account books for the past three years. Don't miss a single receipt. Then, have everyone summon all the officials back to the government office within half an hour to cooperate with the investigation."

"Yes, sir." Zhou Lianhai stumbled back, the back of his robe soaked with cold sweat.

The guards stood in the corridor with spears in their hands. The green swords cast murderous shadows on the light in the corridor, and the entire Protectorate was shrouded in suffocating silence.

Seeing Lin Lang's great official power and Andong Protector Xue Jinzhou kneeling in front of Lin Lang like a dog, Gao Nanfu had to re-examine the consequences of his act of poisoning Lin Lang in the wine during the dinner. He wondered whether the Gao family could withstand the wrath of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, after the loss of his brother.

Before Gao Nanfu could think too much, he heard Lin Lang clear his cough in a dignified manner without any anger.

"Master Xue, regarding the second incident, my nephew was beaten at Anton Academy, leaving his face bruised and his cheeks swollen. Shouldn't Master Xue take charge of such an evil act?"

After hearing this, Xue Jinzhou immediately looked up and said, "How could anyone dare to bully General Lin's nephew in Andong's territory? Once I investigate, I will not let the perpetrator off lightly."

"It's just... I didn't know General Lin had such relatives in Andong!"

Princess Pyongyang pulled Gao Baoyuan in front of her and pointed at the bruises on his face. She said, "Master Xue, this is your youngest son's fault! Is this how you discipline your own child? Do you allow him to bully others by taking advantage of his power?"

Xue Jinzhou caught a glimpse of Gao Baoyuan's swollen right face with a horrible purple hue, and thought to himself that something was wrong: Oh no, could it be that Shu'er is in trouble again?

Lin Lang said sternly, "Open your eyes! I took the Goguryeo Princess Pyongyang as my concubine. Isn't her nephew my nephew?"

Before he finished speaking, Gao Nanfu angrily said, "Master Xue holds a high position of power in An Dong, yet he allows his children to bully the children of our Gao family. How can he be so cruel?"

Xue Jinzhou was struck by lightning, and said weakly in a slightly flustered voice, "Uh... this... if this official is incompetent in disciplining this child, I will definitely punish this rebellious son severely and give General Lin and the Gao family an explanation!"

He secretly raised his eyes and saw that Lin Lang's fists were clenched with veins bulging. He knew that if he couldn't handle it properly today, the entire Xue family would be doomed.

After all, Lin Lang lied about his identity as an imperial envoy, and by making up a random crime, he could turn Xue Jinzhou from the Protector General of Andong into a prisoner.

Xue Jinzhou's heart tightened when he saw the wound on Gao Baoyuan's face. He asked tentatively, "Master Gao, may I ask how did you get that wound on your face?"

After hearing this, Gao Baoyuan looked up at his aunt, Princess Pyongyang.

"Yuan'er, you can't hide it. Your uncle will take care of it for you. Tell me bravely who bullied you and who was the one who beat you up like this?" Princess Pyongyang gave her nephew strength with a gentle look.

Gao Baoyuan said aggrievedly, "Today, while I was studying at the private school, during recess, Li Hu got jealous of my academic performance. Not only did he find fault with me and tear up my books, he also said I was a slave of a conquered nation and unworthy of studying in the same school as them."

"I was so angry that I started a fight with Li Hu. After Li Hu lost, he went to ask for reinforcements. Xue Kaishu relied on his status as the son of the Andong Protector General and said no one dared to mess with him in the school. He stood up for Li Hu and brought people to beat me up like this."

After hearing this, Xue Jinzhou felt cold sweat dripping down his cheeks. He knew that his youngest son often bullied others by taking advantage of his power and liked to hang out with Li Hu, the nephew of Deputy Protector General Pei Yong.

Under Lin Lang's pressure, Xue Jinzhou could only bite the bullet and say, "If what Master Gao said is true, I will give you an explanation. Come, bring the rebellious sons Xue Kaishu and Li Hu here immediately for a face-to-face confrontation."

"Yes, sir." The servants in the mansion hurriedly did as they were told.

Xue Jinzhou looked at the sullen Lin Lang and said with a bitter smile, "General Lin, please wait a moment. Once we verify that this rebellious son is bullying others by taking advantage of his power, I will not tolerate it. I will definitely break his legs and help Master Gao vent his anger."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Yong hurried over and knelt tremblingly to pay his respects. "Your humble servant, Pei Yong, the Deputy Protector of Andong, pays homage to the Imperial Envoy."

Xue Jinzhou was furious when he saw his deputy Pei Yong. He cursed and yelled, "How dare you come here? Do you know that your nephew Li Hu got into big trouble today, and even brought my son into trouble with him?"

Pei Yong knelt on the ground and raised his head slightly, looking bewildered and surprised. "I don't know what disaster my nephew Li Hu has gotten himself into. I hope you can explain it to me."

Gao Nanfu kicked over the stool beside him and said angrily, "Your nephew Li Hu is bullying others by taking advantage of his power. Together with Master Xue's youngest son Xue Kaishu, they beat my Yuan'er like this in the school, and you still dare to play dumb?"

As he spoke, he pulled his son Gao Baoyuan over and thrust the boy's swollen, purple face in front of Pei Yong.

Pei Yong looked at Gao Baoyuan's horrific injuries, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. He recognized Gao Nanfu, the crown prince of the fallen Goguryeo, at a glance, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

broken!

Gao Nanfu's sister, Princess Pyongyang, is the concubine of Emperor Lin Lang of Shanghai. Isn't his son Lin Lang's nephew?

My nephew Li Hu injured the nephew of the imperial envoy Lin Lang. Doesn’t he want me to die?

After reading it, Pei Yong, who was frightened and turned pale, turned his head tremblingly to look at Xue Jinzhou, but saw that his boss looked as pale as death, and even his usual official authority was gone.

"Your Excellency, please spare my life!" Pei Yong suddenly slammed his head against the blue brick floor, blood instantly oozing from his forehead. "That evil creature, Li Hu, has been naughty since childhood. Although he is my nephew, his misdeeds are the fault of his father and not of his son's proper conduct. I have nothing to do with him!"

Pei Yong is really an expert at shifting the blame, and he kept himself out of the matter right from the start.

"Shut up!" Xue Jinzhou suddenly shouted, his neck veins bulging. "You're still trying to shirk your responsibility after all this. Are you saying that I, as a father, failed to discipline my son? And Li Hu took advantage of your uncle being the Deputy Protector General of Andong to injure Young Master Gao, so you don't have any responsibility?"

"Uh...I dare not!" Pei Yong realized that he had said the wrong thing and was so scared that he knelt on the ground and trembled.

At this moment, hurried footsteps came from afar, and two boys about eleven or twelve years old were brought into the hall by guards.

"Dad, I was having fun in the backyard. Why did you ask someone to call me over?" Xue Kaishu was shaking his head as he walked, holding a katydid cage in his hand, and he didn't realize the seriousness of the problem at all.

Li Hu followed Xue Kaishu like a little follower. He was not tall but fat and had big ears. He looked like a playboy.

When Gao Baoyuan, with a purple face, saw the two of them, he hid behind his aunt Princess Pyongyang in fear, with obvious fear in his eyes.

"Don't be afraid, Yuan'er. Your aunt and uncle will take care of it for you." Princess Pyongyang looked at the two bullies angrily.