Don't ask where people go

Chapter 1996 What to Do
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Zou Hongqi's voice was filled with anger, but he deliberately lowered it a few notches. "If it were Lord Fang, would he need to go to such lengths? Those powerful and influential people above us can kill their subordinates as easily as killing an ant. Why would they do something like this that invites trouble?"

Qian Qian lowered his head after being scolded, but still couldn't help asking, "Then what do you mean, sir?"

“Intuition.” Zou Hongqi put away his serious expression and said in a somewhat mystical low voice, “After handling so many cases over the years, I always have an intuition for judging people.”

Qian Qian looked incredulous, while Zou Hongqi gave him a disapproving look. "You've been with me all these years, how come you haven't made any progress?"

"My lord, intuition is too mysterious..." Qian Qian had barely finished speaking when he met Zou Hongqi's gaze and fell silent.

Others' intuitions may be mysterious, but the intuition of this Minister of Justice has never been wrong, like the crescent clouds before the rain, the low-flying swallows, and the noisy croaking of frogs, all as omens.

"It's going to rain." Zou Hongqi's voice drifted over, pulling Qian Qian back to reality. He muttered, "Summer is almost over, why is it still raining?"

"One autumn rain brings one chill." Zou Hongqi's sigh puzzled Qian Qian. "Sir, it's not autumn yet."

"Just you wait and see," Zou Hongqi said, seemingly to himself. "This autumn in the capital will probably be three degrees colder than in previous years."

Fang Zilan was puzzled. Logically speaking, Pei Jinqing had been in officialdom for many years and had no reason to make things difficult for her over such a matter. After all, dragging it out would make everyone look bad. However, no matter how much she thought about it, the Ministry of Revenue remained unmoved. After two days of delay, they finally received the documents, but there was still no follow-up.

She waited for news from the Ministry of Revenue while meticulously calculating the days ahead. Unexpectedly, she received neither news; instead, she received news that the people of Miluo were launching an attack.

"Old Cao, what did you say? The people of Miluo are launching an attack?" Fang Zilan was startled, and the document in her hand fell to the ground without her noticing. "Why so suddenly?"

"The Emperor of Miluo has passed away, and a new emperor has ascended the throne. In order to establish his authority and avenge his defeat, he has launched an invasion." Deputy General Cao said anxiously, "The people of Miluo came with great force, catching our army off guard."

"To establish authority? To avenge their defeat?" Fang Zilan's expression hardened, and she made up her mind. The chaos in the southeast had just stabilized, and the new emperor of Miluo was trying to take advantage of the situation. How wishful thinking!

Zhuge Yu then asked, "Who is the commander-in-chief of Miluo?"

Deputy General Cao replied, "Murong Xun, the Loyal and Righteous King of Miluo, is the commander-in-chief, leading an army of 100,000 straight towards the southern border of our Great Capital."

"One hundred thousand? When did Miluo have so many troops stationed there?" Fang Zilan's expression was inscrutable. Zhuge Yu said solemnly, "Loyal and Righteous King Murong Xun, it was actually him."

"Is Prince Zhongzheng, Murong Xun, the uncle of the new emperor of Miluo?" Fang Zilan looked at Zhuge Yu, who nodded. "Not only that, Murong Xun has always been known as the God of War of Miluo. The former commander of Miluo, Murong Chen, was his disciple. However, he has not been on the battlefield for more than ten years in order to protect his wife's health. I didn't expect him to personally lead the troops this time."

"Murong Chen, is he the one who died at Lord Wei's hands?" Fang Zilan's voice was very soft, but Zhuge Yu still heard it. His voice was somewhat low, "That's right, it's him." As he spoke, his shoulders trembled slightly. Fang Zilan suddenly thought of Zhuge Shan, immediately bit her lip, and turned to Deputy General Cao to ask, "What's going on in the palace?"

Deputy General Cao hurriedly said, "His Majesty, upon hearing the news, urgently summoned Lord Wei to the palace. Before entering the palace, Lord Wei sent someone to find me, asking me to inform you and the boss, so that you would be aware of the situation."

"Lord Wei is very thoughtful; I really need to thank him properly when I have the chance," Fang Zilan sighed softly. "A battle with Miluo is inevitable; I just wonder who His Majesty will send to fight?"

"Inevitable? I don't think so." Zhuge Yu composed himself and said calmly, "Sister Lan, you and I have only recently returned from the southeast. No one knows the situation there better than you and me. This battle may not be something that Dajing can afford to fight."

“But if we don’t fight, can we just sue for peace?” Fang Zilan said coldly. “If we keep backing down and letting ourselves be slaughtered, we won’t even have any bargaining chips left.”

Zhuge Yu analyzed carefully: "General Shen of the Southeast Camp has been pacifying the refugees. Now that he has heard the news, he will have to reorganize his troops before he can rush to the southern border, which means he has already lost the initiative. The Dugu family's garrison in the western border cannot move rashly, and the northern border is too far away, so the Huangfu family will definitely not be able to catch up. Lord Wei of the camp in the suburbs of the capital has fought with the Miluo people before, so he should know them best. However, he is now responsible for protecting the capital, so he is probably too busy to deal with them."

"Hearing what A-Yu says, only I, the Duke of Yue who can fight, am leisurely and capable of doing something." Fang Zilan's lips curled slightly. "However, the one His Majesty urgently summoned to the palace was Lord Wei."

"If a battle truly must be fought, it will be extremely dangerous. Lord Wei, leading the troops, has a better chance of success than you do," Zhuge Yu said bluntly. Fang Zilan simply smiled. "Then, in A-Yu's opinion, how much better are you?"

Zhuge Yu did not answer, but Vice General Cao couldn't help but whisper, "Actually, it's about the same."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zilan and Zhuge Yu's gazes simultaneously fell on Deputy General Cao. He boldly said, "When Murong Xun led the troops, Lord Wei was still a child and had never fought against him. In this respect, Boss and Lord Wei are about the same."

“But Lord Wei is the one who decisively defeated Murong Chen, so he has a better chance than I do.” Fang Zilan said casually, but Deputy General Cao disagreed. “Boss, you are the one who conquered Liujin City, the first in the capital. How can you be so self-deprecating?”

Fang Zilan's expression froze for a moment, then she laughed and said, "Old Cao, you're quite something. You even know how to use the phrase 'self-deprecation' now. You really have changed a lot in just a few days."

Zhuge Yu was also taken aback. How could he have forgotten that the person beside him was the only general in all these years to have conquered Liujin City? Did he think her chances of winning were less than Wei Mao's simply because she was a woman?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. "That's true, maybe you, Sister Lan, are actually more confident."

Fang Zilan remained silent. In truth, she was conflicted. On one hand, she was willing to fight the Miluo people, but on the other hand, she hoped that Li Shengxuan would not come after her, since she might not be able to survive the battle given her current physical condition.

"Boss?" Deputy General Cao called her tentatively. She composed herself and said, "Everything is arranged by His Majesty. We just need to obey orders."

Zhuge Yu turned his head to look at her, secretly shaking his head. When did she become someone who only obeyed orders?