Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 483

Of the three best friends, only Yan Yan stayed until the end. Seeing that everyone else had left, she winked at Qiu Tu and quickly followed.

Soon, only Qiu Tu and his group remained at the scene.

Seeing this dramatic scene, Qiu Tu smiled and then casually stepped out of the elevator, followed closely by Tao Yaoyao, Shen Lingshuang, and the guards.

Seeing this, Guan Xiao, who was not far away, also put his gun back in its holster and walked towards Qiu Tu.

After Guan Xiao returned to Qiu Tu's side, Qiu Tu walked forward while saying without looking at her, "You were a bit reckless just now."

Guan Xiao was no longer the ruthless woman she had been moments before. Beside Qiu Tu, she smiled alluringly and whispered, "A subject should die for his lord. I was just a little angry, Speaker, please don't be upset."

Qiu Tu smiled.

Guan Xiao wasn't angry. On the contrary, she was very smart and calm.

Xue'er is domineering and has a yandere personality, but she has been pampered since childhood and has never experienced hardship or life-or-death situations. How could she possibly hold out until the very end?

Therefore, Guan Xiao knew from the very beginning that she would win. That's why she dared to stand up and confront Xue'er head-on.

Moreover, and more importantly... Qiu Tu even doubted Guan Xiao's motives: Did she really do all this to force Xue'er to apologize?

Why... does Qiu Tu feel that Guan Xiao is deliberately provoking Xue'er, trying to arouse Xue'er's interest in him and her?

Could it be... that she also discovered the key to winning over Huang Shangzong was his daughter?

So you want to deliberately use your "strengths" to break out of this predicament?

Thinking this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but glance at Guan Xiao.

Perhaps she had acquired many "true scriptures" last night, for Guan Xiao appeared exceptionally beautiful, as delicate as a peach blossom...

'Guan Xiao is quite an interesting woman...'

'Looks like I should try out more challenges when I have free time.'

.....

Meanwhile.

Just as Qiu Tu was quietly analyzing the situation...

Xue'er lowered her head, covered her mouth, and rushed into a small office.

There was clearly someone working in this office, but Xue'er ignored it and pointed directly at it, shouting angrily, "Get out!"

Those who work on the top floor are either the speakers or their secretarial departments. Xue'er was running towards Huang Shangzong's office, so those working there are naturally Huang Shangzong's confidants.

These trusted followers might not recognize others, but they were certainly familiar with Xue'er, their ancestor. So upon hearing Xue'er's words, they dared not ask any questions and quickly got up and ran out!

As they ran outside, Ellie and Yan Yan rushed in as well.

A moment later, the office door closed, guarded outside, and only the three best friends were inside.

Ellie hugged Xue'er worriedly and comforted her, "Xue'er, it's okay, it's okay, don't be afraid."

Yan Yan, as pure as an angel, watched from the side, seemingly guessing what was going on, but remained silent.

Sure enough, the next second, Xue'er slowly lowered her hand, and then she looked at Ellie with excitement, her pupils seemingly unfocused.

"Scared? What are you talking about, Ellie?"

"I'm excited!"

"She, she, tried to shoot me in the head!! Ellie!"

Xue'er trembled with excitement. She reached out and grabbed Ellie's hand, then said with a slightly distorted expression, "Not just her, but Qiu Tu too. Ellie, and Qiu Tu too!"

Her eyes were unfocused, and her voice was slurred, "Ellie... Qiu Tu really tried to have me killed just now."

"He, and she... madmen, they're all madmen. Hahahaha!"

Ellie:...

Yan Yan:...

When Ellie saw Xue'er like this, she was so frightened that she quickly hugged Xue'er and gently comforted her, "Xue'er, Xue'er, calm down."

"Ellie," Xue'er said excitedly, "I'm very calm. Really. I haven't been this calm in a long time!"

"I suddenly understand why Qiu Tu was able to kill that good-for-nothing Jia Shu!"

"So, he and his subordinates are quite interesting!"

She pointed to her face and exclaimed dramatically, "Who am I! I am Huang Shangzong's daughter! They aren't even afraid of the consequences of killing me!"

As she spoke, she seemed to realize something and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "No, no, they even dared to go against my father, so what wouldn't they dare to kill me?"

After saying that, Xue'er broke free from Ellie's embrace, grabbed Ellie's shoulders and shook her violently, "They're crazy, they really are crazy, Ellie!"

"They're just as crazy as me! We're the same kind of people!"

Ellie:...

Ellie's twin ponytails swayed incessantly with her movements. But she was already too preoccupied to care, because she was feeling a headache coming on.

She didn't know if Qiu Tu and Guan Xiao were crazy. But she knew that Xue'er had probably gone mad again.

When others wanted to kill her, she actually became excited and interested.

Moreover, before today, she kept calling him "Brother Jia Shu" and said she wanted to avenge him. But now, Jia Shu has suddenly become a useless person.

Did Jia Shu, now in the afterlife, know that his identity had changed so quickly?

Or is it that... all yanderes are this crazy?

Just then, as she was thinking this, Yan Yan, who had been quietly watching the two of them the whole time, smiled and asked, "Xue'er, would you... like to reconsider going to the courtroom with me?"

"You heard it too. Qiu Tu is going to the courtroom later."

Upon hearing Yan Yan's words, Xue'er was stunned for a moment, then suddenly raised her head and looked at Yan Yan with excitement, "Great! I also want to go see Qiu Tu and that...that..."

"Guan Xiao?" Yan Yan reminded her with a pure smile, like an angel.

Xue'er nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Guan Xiao!"

She was visibly more excited. "It's her, it's that madwoman."

Ellie, who was standing nearby, heard the entire conversation between the two... and her head started to ache even more.

My two best friends are like this: one a yandere, the other an innocent damsel in distress; one crazy, the other naive; one dares to give reckless advice, the other dares to listen. I'm so worried about them...

Moreover, I don't know if it's just my imagination.

She had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

She had been sacrificing herself and trying to protect her two best friends, but why were her two best friends getting closer and closer to Qiu Tu?

The feeling was as if an invisible hand was pulling the three best friends toward Qiu Tu.

'Is it just my imagination?'

'Probably...? Otherwise, why would anyone scheme against us for no reason?'

Although she was thinking this, just to be on the safe side, Ellie's mind raced, and she coughed before advising, "Xue'er, I also think you should go to the courtroom with Yan Yan and observe Qiu Tu further."

"You never had any feelings for him before, so why are you suddenly so infatuated with him this time?"

"Go see him again, and you might find that he's not as 'charming' as you think..."

......

Qiu Tu instructed Tao Yaoyao to issue the notice to the court at 9 a.m.

An hour and a half later, at 10:1 a.m., Qiu Tu and his men arrived at the courtroom as scheduled.

The presiding judge, Yan Chen, and forty or fifty judges with ranks were all waiting there.

To be honest, when they heard that Qiu Tu was coming, all the judges were a little apprehensive.

After all, everyone knows that Qiu Tu, the vice speaker who rose through the ranks from the bottom, is a ruthless killer. While he's incredibly kind to his close associates, he's ruthless and decisive in dealing with anyone who stands in his way!

So, if you're lucky enough to catch his eye, congratulations, you'll rise to great heights. But if... he sees you as an enemy or gets in his way, the consequences will be dire.

After all... isn't the one who suffered the most now the highest-ranking official in their courtroom?

Thinking of this, the judges couldn't help but steal glances at Yan Chen, who was bowing and humbly clasping Qiu Tu's hands.

Yan Chen was only in his forties, but he looked like an old man on his deathbed, with wrinkled skin like old tree bark.

When facing Qiu Tu, he bowed very low and clenched his hands tightly, saying, "Welcome Speaker Qiu to inspect the courtroom."

His humble demeanor was completely different from the arrogant and domineering Yan Chen, one of the three tycoons of the New Territories City that Qiu Tu had once met.

'Is it the air of officialdom that makes one complacent? Or... is the old man playing psychological warfare again?'

While thinking to himself, Qiu Tu smiled and reached out to shake Yan Chen's hand, tentatively saying, "Old leader, there's no need to be so polite. I owe everything I have today to your guidance."

Hearing Qiu Tu's slightly sarcastic words, Yan Chen's expression remained unchanged, but the judges behind him were all starting to lose their composure.

Those who are familiar with the changes in the political arena of the New Territories know that Qiu Tu was a political monster created by Yan Chen after he went too far, and that he eventually turned the tables on Yan Chen. Therefore, Qiu Tu's words have a feeling of killing someone's spirit.

However, Yan Chen seemed not to understand. He waved his hands repeatedly and said humbly, "Speaker Qiu is exceptionally capable. Even without me, he would still be able to soar to the heavens. So I dare not take credit for him."

Hearing Yan Chen's words, Qiu Tu's smile deepened.

"You're too kind, old leader. Come, tell me about the courtroom."

As he spoke, Qiu Tu patted Yan Chen on the shoulder with a smile, and then walked hand in hand with Yan Chen into the courtroom.

With Yan Chen's introduction, Qiu Tu gained a general understanding of the courtroom.

The Dongye State Tribunal is still in its initial stages of establishment. Although a group of judges trained in the asylum have been brought back, there is still a shortage of manpower.

In order to implement the guidelines for shelters and to fully promote the rule of law, Yan Chen is currently working on two main aspects.

First, we select and train grassroots staff from four major departments: the military, the investigation department, the city hall, and the security bureau, who have clean backgrounds, a sense of justice, and a strong moral compass.

Second, we should try to cooperate with the investigation department system and implement a trial system.

The former approach is proving quite effective so far, having recruited over 130 judges who are currently undergoing training.

The latter, however, was blocked by the fact that Liu Xiongyuan and Yan Chen were mortal enemies, and that taking back the "judgment power" to the court would weaken the investigation bureau system.

Originally, this matter should have been coordinated across departments by Speaker Huang Shangzong. However, a few months ago, Qiu Tu, through Yu Zhengyi, submitted the recording of Yan Chen letting Jia Shu die to Huang Shangzong, which completely offended Huang Shangzong.

This deprived Yan Chen of crucial support. As a presiding judge who wasn't even a member of parliament, he was no match for the vice-speaker, and so... the courtroom became a place neither the grandfather nor the uncle cared for.

After learning about the current situation in the courtroom and Yan Chen's plans, Qiu Tu gave Yan Chen a deep look.

It must be said that Yan Chen is quite capable.

Although he was sent to the courtroom, he keenly sensed the great opportunities it held.

Just as Qiu Tu analyzed before.

With the stabilization of the regime, the Eighth Sanctuary is becoming increasingly formalized, making the implementation of the rule of law in the planned area a necessary process.

In this context, the importance of the courtroom will inevitably rise steadily.

At that time, Dongye State will not only have a state court, but should be built with "city" as the smallest unit.

In other words, once the "state courts" are established, the next step will definitely be to establish "city courts" in each city, and then completely separate the power to handle cases from the power to adjudicate.

This is a job system with enormous development potential, not only with countless new positions, but also with the possibility of supporting a powerful deputy speaker, much like the Security Bureau.

Yan Chen's ability to see this clearly and his efforts to achieve it demonstrate his exceptional qualities.

Unfortunately... Qiu Tu arrived, and everything he had done during this time was destined to become Qiu Tu's stepping stone...

Because Liu Fuping was out on fieldwork today and not in the courtroom, Qiu Tu briefly inspected the courtroom, visited it, and observed the judges' loyalty to him before leaving.

It was better than he had expected.

Whether it was because of his higher position or because his kindness to his subordinates and his reputation for never making empty promises had spread to Dongcheng City, in any case, most of the judges in his sight had a loyalty rating between 35 and 40.

Among them, two female judges had a loyalty level of around 45, which is quite high without any contact with the judges.

However, Qiu Tu was only there to make an appearance today and did not intend to develop his own power or infiltrate the court immediately. So after the inspection, he did not stay long and left the court directly.

After he left, some of the judges were happy, some were disappointed, only Yan Chen stared at Qiu Tu's retreating figure for a while, and finally sighed softly...

Meanwhile, in a cubicle in the presiding judge's office, the three women who had witnessed Qiu Tu's entire inspection were chattering amongst themselves.

Ellie asked Xue'er excitedly, "Xue'er, after meeting Qiu Tu and Guan Xiao this time, did you feel bored?"

"They behaved perfectly, very seriously. Neither crazy nor eccentric."

"He can greet even his enemies with a smile."