The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 200

"Lord Zhou, what brings you here? I wonder what you have to say?"

Cui Wenkui looked at Zhou Chu, who was leading his men, and forced himself to remain calm.

In reality, he was terrified. He never expected Zhou Chu to be so audacious. After cleaning him up like that last night, he would bring people over this morning to interrogate him.

If Zhou Chu were to recklessly overturn the table, Cui Wenkui would be completely helpless. These civil officials are good at playing games under the table, but once the table is overturned, they are more cowardly than anyone else when they are face to face.

If it weren't Zhou Chu, but someone else, Cui Wenku might not have been so afraid, and might even have tried to intimidate him. But it was Zhou Chu. Cui Wenku had vivid memories of Zhou Chu's past deeds. He hadn't felt anything when he heard about those things before, but now that he was facing him, he realized how terrifying it was.

Xia Yan, standing to the side, was in no better shape. He glared at Zhang Cong, who remained calm and collected, wishing he could kill him. If it weren't for this guy, he would already be on his way back to the capital, instead of facing Zhou Chu, this living devil, like this.

"Lord Zhou, it has been a long time since we parted in the capital. You are even more dignified than before."

Xia Yan also chickened out and subtly flattered him. As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face, and flattery will get you everywhere.

"Greetings, Lord Cui and Lord Xia. I merely wish to inquire with you both: what is happening in Jiangnan Province? What is happening in Suzhou Prefecture? Is this still the realm of the Ming Dynasty? Is this still the Emperor's Ming Dynasty?"

Zhou Chu looked at Cui Wenkui and Xia Yan in front of him without giving them a kind look, and immediately launched into a barrage of questions.

Standing behind Zhou Chu, Chen Zhao watched as these two, a high-ranking official and the Minister of Rites, acted like grandsons in front of his superior, not daring to utter a sound. He felt a surge of satisfaction. Thinking back to how he used to be like a grandson in front of Cui Wenkui, Chen Zhao felt even more triumphant.

I used to live such a miserable life. Lord Zhou is simply the savior of the Jinyiwei in Suzhou Prefecture.

"Why do you say that, Lord Zhou?"

Cui Wenku wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said in a low voice.

He had originally planned to be tougher in front of Zhou Chu, but the pressure he felt from Zhou Chu was far greater than he had imagined. After all, it would be difficult for anyone to be tough when facing a madman who could take their life at any moment.

"A large group of Japanese pirates appeared in Suzhou before, plundering the people of Suzhou Prefecture and even killing Prefect Wang Zan. This is absurd, outrageous and heinous. Last night, another group of bandits appeared, numbering four or five thousand, and directly robbed dozens of wealthy merchants and officials in Suzhou Prefecture."

"It's already unbelievable that something like this has happened once, but now it's happened a second time. I'd like to ask you, Governor, are you completely unaware of these thousands of people?"

As Zhou Chu spoke, he stared intently at Cui Wenkui, making Cui Wenkui's hair stand on end. It felt as if he were being stared at by a ferocious beast ready to devour him.

"Is there still this?"

Cui Wenkui pretended to be shocked.

"This is simply outrageous! Lord Zhou, rest assured, I will have someone thoroughly investigate and restore justice to Suzhou Prefecture."

Cui Wenkui had served as an official for many years, and he could come up with slogans on the spot.

"I don't think it's very useful for Lord Cui to hold military power. He couldn't even quell a few hundred Japanese pirates, and now he's caused such a commotion. People who don't know the situation might think that these people were sent by the governor. If the people find out, what will they think?"

Zhou Chu completely ignored Cui Wenkui's nonsense and continued to mock him.

"Your Excellency, this is too much of a burden. I dare not accept it. Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will have a thorough investigation conducted and will certainly give you an explanation."

Cui Wenkui is now focused on how to keep Zhou Chu calm and get through this hurdle first.