Chapter 130: Unforgivable Crime
King Xiang sighed softly, then said, "Duke Fang, the southern region is in a unique position, and conflicts with the northern region are inevitable. Can you spare Magistrate Li's life for my sake?"
Fang Chen glanced over at Magistrate Li and shook his head slightly. "King Xiang, I'm afraid I can't do that. He must die."
King Xiang didn't try to dissuade him anymore, but his son, Xia Song, wasn’t very pleased with that, and he said in a deep voice, "Duke Fang, there are laws in this country. Magistrate Li is a high-ranking official of the second rank. Even if he is to be sentenced to death, it cannot be done by you."
Fang Chen only smiled. "There are indeed laws in this country, but I have my own principles. From the day I was born until now, Grand Xia has never been my top priority.” He glanced at the king. “I believe King Xiang understands what I mean."
King Xiang didn’t erupt with anger at Fang Chen’s seemingly such preposterous words, but instead nodded lightly.
Xia Song and the others appeared shocked at that. They found what they’d heard hard to believe.
"But Magistrate Li's crime still doesn't warrant death," added King Xiang.
When Magistrate Li saw how the king was trying to save his life, gratitude appeared in his eyes.
Xia Song also said, "Even though Magistrate Li has failed in his duties and caused chaos to break out in the Southern Region, the consequences of that mistake have already been resolved. Aside from that, he hasn't committed any grave offense."
Fang Chen didn’t say more, instead, he turned to Jue Panshi. "Commander Jue, it's your turn," he said, smiling.
Jue Panshi nodded slightly, then took out a book and started reading aloud.
"In April of this year, Magistrate Li punished seventeen maidservants through beating. They were all girls who were sent to his manor because they couldn’t afford rent. The land of their families also belonged to Magistrate Li. Maidservant A was beaten to death simply because the water she had brought to wash his feet was too cold to his liking. Maidservant B who accidentally broke a vase belonging to Magistrate Li’s concubine was hung from the beams and exposed to the scorching sun for several days, dying of dehydration. Maidservant C...
“In addition, during Magistrate Li's years in Southern Immortal Prefecture, more than a thousand people had died because of him. Every three days, there would be small massacres, and major ones every seven days. His crime is unforgivable!"
Fang Chen shook his head slightly. "A thousand people? Even if I lead ten thousand soldiers to war, there wouldn’t necessarily be a thousand casualties.”
Magistrate Li’s eyes constricted with disbelief. His most trusted subordinates had actually betrayed him. His face turned pale, and, terrified, he broke out in cold sweat.
King Xiang was dumbfounded, as were his consort and children.
Seeing that Jue Panshi had finished speaking, Xia Song couldn’t help but ask, "Is this true? Magistrate Li doesn't seem like such a cruel person..."
King Xiang looked at Magistrate Li, his eyes showing how let down he was. "You have disappointed me greatly."
"It's not true, not true, Your Highness! Please don't believe his words. He is a commander of the Valiant Saber Guards. His words are not to be trusted!" barked Magistrate Li, attempting to defend himself.
King Xiang sighed lightly. "If Duke Fang did not have solid evidence, he would not have come to my palace. Don't try and argue."
With that, King Xiang clasped his hands toward Fang Chen. "Duke Fang, how do you intend to handle him? I won't interfere anymore."
"As Your Highness said, the southern and northern regions are different, each with its own unique geographical conditions. However, this is not a reason for martial artists to rebel. Even if the rebellion succeeds, what means does Your Highness have to change the situation in the southern region? Do you realize that joining forces with martial artists will ultimately make you their puppet? They will not give up on their gains so easily, and the structure of the southern region will only worsen,” said Fang Chen indifferently.
King Xiang's expression slightly changed and his consort subconsciously looked at him, her eyes somewhat anxious.
Xia Song and the others clenched their fists in secret, exchanging glances and looking toward Linghu Xu.
Linghu Xu hailed from the Carefree Palace and was a general under King Xiang, possessing formidable martial skills. At that moment, they could only rely on him for a miracle.
"As for that matter..." King Xiang sighed softly. "I was confused. I was tempted by the Carefree Palace and didn't consider the implications carefully before making such a decision. It has nothing to do with my family, I hope you can show mercy."
"Your Highness!?" Linghu Xu looked astonished. "How can this matter be related to the Carefree Palace? My seniors have always been indifferent to worldly affairs and would never concern themselves with the matters of the martial world. How can you say that the Carefree Palace was involved in this?"
King Xiang shook his head slightly. "You only know what’s on the surface, not what’s hidden."
"Alright, I will visit the Carefree Palace. As for Your Highness... I hope you will pay more attention to the livelihood of the people in the future. If you need assistance, you can find me near the spiritual spring outside the city. I plan to build the Fang Manor there in the future, residing at the crossroads of the northern and southern regions,” said Fang Chen. With that, he smiled and turned to leave with his company.
King Xiang's consort and the others were somewhat surprised. They had expected Fang Chen to take action against them today, but he just chose to leave unexpectedly.
"Father, the Fang Family... is planning to move into our southern region?" Xia Song looked shocked. "Is he out of his mind? Why would he leave the prosperous capital city and come to this desolate place? The climate alone in the southern region is extremely harsh to ordinary people!"
"It seems that the Fang Family has decided to use the strength of their clan to stabilize the chaos between the two regions. In the future, anyone wanting to cause trouble will have to consider them," King Xiang muttered to himself with a hint of shock in his eyes. He hadn't expected the Fang Family to cut off their roots; they had chosen to abandon the prosperity they had in the capital city and moved to the southern region to keep it in check.
Linghu Xu's face was wreathed in hesitation "Your Highness..." he called uncertainty.
"You have been away from the Carefree Palace for many years, don't bother with this matter. They’ve indeed been the ones inciting this mess from behind the scenes. I was only planning to use this to establish a new order in the southern region, indirectly benefiting the northern region. I just didn't expect Magistrate Li to be so brutal. Moreover, he is just one of them, they probably have many more of such people. I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to identify them all. By Fang Chen taking charge from here, it can be considered as saving me.” King Xiang sighed deeply, a smile appearing on his face.
He turned to Xia Song and the others and said, “The Fang Manor will now be located outside Feiguang City. The younger generation should visit them more often.”
"...Yes," responded Xia Song and the others responded, their faces conflicted.
"Your Highness, are we safe now?" asked the consort softly.
"In theory, we should be safe. However, from now on, just live honestly and be more tolerant of the servants. I’m afraid Duke Fang is someone who won't tolerate any injustice," advised King Xiang. His consort slightly shivered and committed his words to her heart.
Outside the King's Manor, Jue Panshi wore a strange expression. He had understood that in the upheaval in the martial world, the Giant Sword Sect's sect master, Xian Wuchang, was just a pawn. It was unfortunate that the person himself was unaware.
However, why did Fang Chen spare King Xiang, who was probably one of the people behind the scenes?
"Duke Fang... aren't you afraid that by not dealing with King Xiang, similar incidents might happen again..." Jue Panshi couldn't help asking. He wanted to understand Fang Chen’s train of thought.
"The Fang Manor will be staying right outside Feiguang City in the future. Do you think such incidents will still happen?" asked Fang Chen with a faint smile. "Dealing with him would only bring harm and no good. Even if I don’t care, there would be a lot of criticism from the capital.
“Moreover, such things are inevitable in the southern region. Only by cutting off the root will the illness be cured. And that root is naturally those martial artists with dissenting hearts."
Jue Panshi instantly understood. The martial sects in the southern region's nine prefectures would need a cleansing, with the Carefree Palace being the first target.
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