Chapter 48: Go Ahead, Kill Me!
Ye Ning hadn’t figured out the situation yet, but he wasn’t blind. He saw a burly man, dressed in the black official uniform of the Supervision Institute, swinging a knife at an old man lying on the ground.
What a shocking scene!
“Brother Ye!”
Cai Xianggao almost burst into tears upon seeing Ye Ning. He was still inexperienced. Despite his literary talent, he had no idea how to handle such a situation.
“So this is the new censor?”
The others looked at Ye Ning with scrutinizing eyes. Most of them had a look of disdain, thinking he was just another weak scholar.
They believed scholars were all talk and no action.
Ye Ning strode forward, aiming directly at the drunk man.
The drunk man, still in the knife-wielding stance, glanced at Ye Ning with contempt, showing his attitude clearly.
But Ye Ning didn’t care at all.
He raised his hand and slapped the drunk man hard across the face.
Smack!
The loud slap shattered many preconceived notions about Ye Ning.
Some people instinctively opened their mouths in shock.
“This isn’t good. Vice Commissioner Wei has a bad temper!”
The drunk man was Vice Commissioner Wei.
The slap didn’t hurt him much. Despite Ye Ning’s effort, it felt like a mosquito bite to him.
But he was furious.
Because Ye Ning had slapped his face.
In front of everyone, being slapped in the face like this was humiliating.
“You dare hit me?” His already fierce eyes turned bloodshot in an instant.
Smack!
Ye Ning switched hands and slapped him again.
“You beast!
“I wish I could beat you to death!
“As an official, you dare point your blade at the people? You deserve to die!”
Ye Ning was genuinely angry this time.
He had no affection for the decaying Great Zhou dynasty.
But as a human, he had an innate sense of empathy.
An official, a strong man, swinging a knife at an elderly, defenseless man — this was beyond the line of human decency.
“You’re courting death!” Vice Commissioner Wei’s face turned red with anger, gripping his knife so hard it creaked.
“Do you believe I won’t kill you?”
Ye Ning laughed.
Is there really such a good opportunity?
His impression of Vice Commissioner Wei even improved.
Fine, if you really dare to kill me, I’ll consider you a hero!
He extended his neck, pointing to the back of his head.
“Go ahead, strike! Right here!”
The system didn’t stop him, indicating that it considered Ye Ning’s actions reasonable and within the rules.
This made Ye Ning overjoyed.
Come on, kill me!
I admire people like you who act without regard for consequences.
However, Vice Commissioner Wei wasn’t as reckless as he appeared. Despite his anger, he had no intention of striking.
His initial impulse had been curbed by Ye Ning’s audacity, leaving him in a bind.
Gritting his teeth, he said, “If you weren’t my superior, I would definitely kill you today!”
He found an excuse.
Because you’re higher-ranked, I can’t kill you.
If I kill you, I’ll die too.
Ye Ning laughed again.
He quickly took off his official robe, stood in the snow in his white clothes, and threw away his official hat, then extended his neck again.
“I’m not an official now. This position means nothing to me. You have no scruples now. Come on, strike!”
This move was so unexpected that the officials were stunned.
Cai Xianggao was speechless.
Only the mute girl, seemingly inconspicuous on the side, was actually ready to act at any moment.
If Vice Commissioner Wei dared to strike, he would be the one to die.
But Vice Commissioner Wei still didn’t dare.
His face flushed, whether from anger or the slap.
Could he kill Ye Ning?
The answer was no.
Who was Ye Ning?
Even if he didn’t pay much attention, he couldn’t be unaware of Ye Ning’s name.
The day Ye Ning caused three anomalies, even a sage’s projection appeared.
Such a person was not someone a mere vice commissioner could kill.
If he really dared to act, wouldn’t the enraged scholars tear him apart?
“Coward!” Ye Ning was disappointed.
“I thought you were someone, but even when I offer myself, you still don’t dare kill me.” Ye Ning truly looked down on him.
You’re a brute, and you’re drunk. I’ve bullied you this much, yet you still don’t dare kill me?
Aren’t people like you supposed to kill in a fit of rage?
If Vice Commissioner Wei knew Ye Ning’s thoughts, he’d feel utterly wronged. He just looked brutish, but wasn’t truly a brute.
In fact, he was quite smart.
Not knowing Ye Ning’s thoughts, he only felt endless humiliation, gritting his teeth hard.
“We have no enmity, and we’ll be colleagues. For such a trivial matter, you humiliate me for a mere commoner. Isn’t this excessive?”
A mere commoner?
Ye Ning was stunned.
He looked at the old man on the ground, eyes full of fear and despair.
He laughed out loud.
“What is this place?” he asked loudly.
No one answered, not knowing what Ye Ning was up to.
“This is the Supervision Institute! Theoretically, the most just and strict judicial body of the Great Zhou!” Ye Ning said seriously, word by word.
“But what did I hear? A vice commissioner of the Supervision Institute calls the people ‘commoners.’ If you see people as high and low, how can you judge cases? How can you administer justice?”
Ye Ning’s question made everyone’s faces stiffen.
“A thousand years ago, the founding ancestor wrote two lines, hung as a couplet at the door.”
“Deceiving people is like deceiving Heaven, don’t deceive yourself.”
“To betray the country is to betray the people, how can you bear it?”
“Today, I give you more words.”
Ye Ning took a deep breath, his righteous energy surging with his emotions, bursting forth with his words.
“Your salary and rank come from the people’s toil.
“Oppressing the people is easy; deceiving Heaven is hard!”