When the suspect finally speaks, everyone perks up.

  Henwell turns to the eunuch. “Sir, I dare to ask for your decree: if this man confesses, his family will be spared.”

  The eunuch smiles and nods. “Eradicating every st one isn’t the goal—it’s about rooting out evil. I am Cheng Da, Chief Eunuch. I’m here overseeing the interrogation with the emperor’s special authority. As long as you tell the truth and answer honestly, the court agrees to spare your family.”

  The clerk demands, “I want an imperial edict!”

  Cheng Da sneers, then waves at Henwell. “Henwell, kill his son.”

  “At once!”

  The clerk shouts, “Wait! I’ll talk!”

  Cheng Da chuckles. “Heh... Think carefully. You have no choice but to trust us. We only want the intelligence you have. Whether your family lives or dies means nothing to us. But if your information is useful, they’ll survive.”

  The clerk speaks bitterly, “My superiors are from the Ministry of Justice...”

  After a whole afternoon of interrogation, the Court of Judicial Review officials obtain the confession and plenty of information.

  Though the mastermind remains hidden, many others are implicated.

  Chen Bo’an tells Henwell, “Henwell, now with my seal, go down the list and capture everyone. Not a single one must escape. You command the court’s soldiers and locksmiths, move fast, don’t let the criminals catch wind.”

  Henwell takes the order and spends the whole night making arrests.

  Sometimes they run into other departments’ squads, then it’s a race to see who grabs the target first.

  If Henwell misses the suspects, he takes their family members instead, he can’t return empty-handed.

  The next morning, Henwell returns his house and finally gets a chance to rest.

  Sui Luqing arrives carrying a jug of wine. “You’ve worked hard all night, Henwell. This one’s on me.”

  After chatting for a while, Sui Luqing sighs. “Everyone thinks you’re cold and ruthless, willing to kill even the old, weak, and children. But really, you just don’t want them to suffer. Most of that clerk’s family wouldn’t have survived anyway. Better to let them go quickly than endure endless inhuman torture.”

  Henwell takes a sip. “Let’s hope they find peace in their next life, living as ordinary folks.”

  “Ah... who knows how many heads will roll because of this.”

  Now, all departments are stuck. Though they caught some big fish, the trail runs cold.

  Everyone knows the mastermind is still out there, but no one can reach them.

  Henwell has pieced together the general picture from scattered clues but doesn’t bother worrying about it.

  Whether the emperor lives or dies doesn’t concern him. His focus is getting Lucy back on the path assigned from above.

  In the following days, Cao Mingzhi helps Henwell secure a low-priced mansion.

  It’s a five-courtyard estate, formerly owned by a disgraced official whose property was confiscated and managed by the Ministry of Works.

  Now, it’s sold to Henwell at a bargain, worth tens of thousands of gold normally, but sold for a fraction.

  This sprawling estate sits in a noble district, covering over a thousand square meters. Even at full price, it’s hard to come by.

  The interior is exquisitely decorated, fully furnished, basically move-in ready by modern standards.

  Now that Henwell works with the Court of Judicial Review, he’s allowed to carry his weapons into the city.

  Back at his rural manor, he transfers all his gear to the new mansion.

  His butler, Number Eight, moves in with over a dozen mute guards.

  As for maids and servants, Henwell buys them from the sve market.

  With so many officials falling from grace, the high-end bor market is flush with talent.

  During that assassination at the city gate, one mute guard died, and the others were all bruised and battered.

  Henwell has them resting and recovering at the estate.

  He also applies to the Court for precious medicinal herbs and pills to aid cultivation and breakthrough.

  Even though he knows the mute guards are keeping an eye on him, Henwell doesn’t intend to mistreat them.

  His principle is simple: as long as you work, you get your fair reward.

  One evening, a week after Henwell buys the mansion, Lucy comes to see him.

  She looks exhausted, her eyes filled with resentment as she stares at Henwell. “Did you do this on purpose?”

  Henwell knows exactly what she means, he’s ruined the Seventh Prince’s pn.

  Yes.

  The mastermind behind the assassination is the Seventh Prince.

  In recent days, Lucy has been busy distancing herself as much as possible, trying not to get tangled up.

  This whole affair is led by the Seventh Prince, Nangong He, with Lucy pying a minor role.

  Nangong He’s hidden faction has taken a serious hit, but it barely affects Lucy.

  She’s mostly been helping Nangong He behind the scenes.

  When she learns Henwell is involved, her heart skips a beat.

  She’s already aware of Henwell’s ruthless methods and fears he might turn against them.

  After a few tense days, she sees Henwell fully dedicated to his work at the Court of Judicial Review, not meddling much in this matter.

  Relieved, Lucy finally gathers the courage to confront him.

  Henwell’s reply cuts deep: “Honestly, if I’d known Nangong He was the mastermind, things wouldn’t have ended up like this. I wouldn’t have pyed it so simply. Your lover might already be on his way to a death sentence from his own emperor father.”

  Lucy’s face flushes with anger, but Henwell presses on.

  “Don’t worry. We’re colleagues after all. I won’t just watch you fall into the fire. If I were to go after Nangong He, I’d make sure you have a safe exit, nothing would touch you.”

  Henwell’s calm expression and confident tone leave Lucy speechless.

  She wants to argue but finds no words.

  She knows Henwell isn’t bluffing. If he says it, he can do it.

  Henwell didn’t use her money or influence, he simply seized the opportunity and, in just a month, built a fortune worth a hundred thousand gold.

  He also secured a position at the Court of Judicial Review.

  Lucy has heard rumors that the Court pns to create a new department for armed arrests.

  And the head of that department is very likely to be Henwell.

  It’s only been a short time.

  Lucy feels that if given a few years, Henwell might even “climb” to the emperor’s side.

  The thought weighs heavily on her, making her regret recruiting so many ruthless people.

  Now, she can only ask helplessly, “Henwell, what exactly do you want?”

  Henwell shrugs. “Finish this mission, then leave you some inheritance. You’re the only woman among us doing reasonably well. Whether it’s out of care or the will from above, I don’t want to see your avatar in the chat group fade away one day.”