The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Xue Shao forced Cao Rong to appear.

His master bedroom's secret compartment was stolen, and so many of his men were arrested. If he doesn't show up soon, the Cao family might really be raided.

Cao Rong was not entirely reckless; he did not want to rebel, so he had to seek other solutions.

Talk to Xue Shao first; it would be best if they could resolve this peacefully. If not...

A cold glint flashed in Cao Rong's eyes. If he couldn't find a solution through literature, then he would have to resort to force.

He didn't want to rebel, but the officials forced the people to rebel. If His Majesty were to punish him, it would be Xue Shao's fault, not his.

If Xue Shao hadn't pushed them too far and left them no way out, how could they have ended up at the end of their lives?

When Cao Rong dismounted and looked up at the plaque of the prefectural government office, he remembered his elderly mother, wife, and children who were left in the capital.

A look of sorrow flashed in his eyes. It was all Xue Shao's fault. If they wanted to blame someone, they should blame Xue Shao.

Cao Rong tightened his face and stepped into the prefectural government office.

At this moment, Xue Shao had finished interrogating the five people. The yamen runners were carrying buckets of water to wash the main hall. They probably didn't expect the commander to come, and stood there helplessly with their buckets in hand.

Xue Shao, who was sitting up reviewing the statements, looked up when he heard the commotion, smiled slightly, and put down the evidence in his hand: "Commander Cao is here. Someone, please invite Commander Cao to sit in the back room and serve tea."

Xue Shao casually tidied up the things on the table and handed them to the third brother who was waiting beside him, then stood up.

Cao Rong took three steps at a time, wading through the puddles in the lobby to quickly reach forward and grab the thing in Lao San's hand.

The third brother's expression changed, and he raised his hand to block them. The two exchanged four or five blows in an instant.

Cao Rong's hands were as hard as iron, and his strikes and grips made a series of loud thuds. When Lao San tried to block, it felt like he was being smashed by a block of iron. After seven or eight moves, he was unable to defend himself and was forced to take a half step back. Suddenly, a hand supported his lower back.

A slender, fair hand reached out from the side and precisely blocked Cao Rong's punch amidst a dazzling exchange of blows. Then, with a twist of the wrist, it grabbed the opponent's wrist in return.

Cao Rong tried to shake off his wrist with a tremor, but found that his palm turned with his force, and with a loose grip, it was able to firmly hold his wrist.

An invisible force bound Cao Rong's hands.

He looked up at Xue Shao in surprise.

Xue Shao stood to the side and behind the third brother, a slight smile on his face. He nodded gently at the man and said, "Commander Cao, my guards are not very skilled in martial arts, so I'm afraid they can't satisfy you."

Cao Rong stared intently at him: "Guards? Guards in flying fish robes?"

Xue Shao: "The guards were given by His Majesty."

Cao Rong was speechless and shook the wrist that was being tightly gripped by him.

Xue Shao smiled slightly and released his hand at the right moment.

Cao Rong's eyes turned cold as he said in a low voice, "He's no good, but I think Imperial Censor Xue's martial arts are not weak. Why don't we have a spar?"

Xue Shao refused: "I am a civil official, not skilled in martial arts."

Cao Rong laughed in anger, raising his bruised wrist: "Not skilled in martial arts?"

Xue Shao nodded without changing his expression: "It's just that I'm a bit stronger."

He turned to the third brother and said, "Go down."

The third brother immediately took his belongings and left.

Cao Rong's gaze followed the object in the third brother's hand. Only after the man had descended the steps did he look up at Xue Shao, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "Imperial Censor Xue, you have some skill. But I wonder when a court official turned into a thief?"

"A traitor?" Xue Shao smiled slightly and asked, "A traitor to the people or a traitor to the country?"

He pointed at the third brother who went behind the screen to the back hall and said, "What he's holding is evidence of the crimes of a traitor. Commander Cao, guess where I got this?"

Cao Rong stared intently at Xue Shao. Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Song Hao burst out from behind the screen, laughing heartily. "Commander Cao, your presence is an honor! It's an honor to have you here! Come quickly, this main hall is quite dirty, please come to the back hall and take a seat." Ignoring the awkward atmosphere between the two, he rushed forward and squeezed between them, warmly greeting Cao Rong and then Xue Shao. "Imperial Censor Xue, you must be hungry and tired after a busy morning. I've had some tea and snacks prepared, please come to the back hall and have some."

Xue Shao smiled, stepped aside, and extended his hand, saying, "Commander Cao, please."

Cao Rong snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and walked past the two men into the back hall.

Xue Shao followed behind with a smile.

Song Hao breathed a sigh of relief behind the two, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and quickly followed.

The third son, holding the evidence, turned around the screen and saw the dignified prefect eavesdropping through the small door to the back hall. He didn't even try to hide when the third son entered. Only when the atmosphere outside became tense did the prefect rush out in a hurry.

The third brother thought that civil officials were indeed full of tricks and that even mediating disputes was a long and drawn-out affair. He snorted and quickly left through the back door.

He pulled out a piece of paper from the bottom, with a token on top of it.

He immediately took the items and went to find An Chen: "Boss, Lord Xue has ordered us to raid your house."

An Chen took the paper, which contained Xue Shao's handwritten order to confiscate the Cao family's property, and was stamped with Xue Shao's official seal at the end.

The token was for calling upon the local garrison, a privilege granted to him by the emperor. It was originally intended to deal with the people in Jiangnan, but unexpectedly, it was used first in Guangzhou.

But Cao Rong is the Commander-in-Chief, why is he mobilizing his troops here?

An Chen instantly understood Xue Shao's plan. He turned his head and asked, "Where is the Imperial Advisor?"

"Did she go to see her eldest nephew?"

No one expected that Pan Yun would run into Wang Cong here, and even more unexpectedly, Wang Cong, who held the title of Imperial Preceptor, was still bullied like that.

As expected, the emperor is far away, and Cao Rong is indeed like a local tyrant here.

An Chen said, "Let's go find Wang Cong."

"Ah, aren't we going to see the Imperial Advisor?"

"It would be better if the Imperial Preceptor were here, but if not, Wang Cong and his party are sufficient."

Wang Cong, who was enthusiastically introducing his washing tub to someone, sneezed twice in a row.

His heart tightened, and he waited for the third sneeze, but it never came.

He didn't think it was a cold, so he figured someone was thinking about him.

Who is it?

Thinking about someone in broad daylight is really interfering with his work.

Even if a customer isn't interested, Wang Cong still enthusiastically sees them to the door. As soon as he turns around, he sees a pair of Imperial Guards standing at the alley entrance—oh, no, two Imperial Guards.

Wang Cong silently met their gazes.

Fifteen minutes later, Wang Cong saw off all the clients, closed the door, and left with all his brothers and An Chen.

An Chen led them back to the prefectural government office, opened the armory directly, and let them choose their own swords and spears.

The warehouse clerk standing by turned a blind eye, all thanks to the prefect's special permission.

Song Hao dared not send anyone, much less side with Cao Rong. So, he pretended not to be involved, but secretly provided Xue Shao with weapons and made all sorts of favors.

He even made it easy for him to summon the military households that were under guard from outside the city, allowing the county magistrate to take those military households out of the military camp under other pretexts, and then hand them all over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In the evening, Cao Rong had drunk a bellyful of tea but still hadn't received a definite answer from Xue Shao. Just as he was about to get angry and leave, Xue Shao persuaded him to stay for dinner.

Xue Shao softened his tone and said, "It's not that we can't talk, it's just that Commander Cao is too impatient." (End of Chapter)