Catching Monsters

Chapter 276: The Slave is Suffering
The letter read: The Zhenchi Army mutinied, killed Duan Xing, and Qin Ziliang appointed himself as general.

They claimed that there were treacherous ministers around His Majesty and that they wanted to attack the capital and purge the emperor's side.

"Asshole! Asshole!"

With a loud bang, Xiao Yuzheng slammed his hands on the table. With anger in his eyes, he said, "Qin Ziliang actually dared to kill the commander I sent. He is rebelling!"

After saying that, Xiao Yuzheng sat on the chair with a gloomy look in his eyes.

Feng Yu beside him didn't even dare to breathe and waited quietly.

After a long while, Xiao Yuzheng finally calmed down and said in a deep voice: "What on earth is going on? How could the Zhenchi Army mutinied for no reason?"

After Xiao Yuzheng calmed down and thought about it, he also felt that this matter was a bit strange. After all, the Zhenchi Army had been in the hands of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion for many years since its establishment, and such a thing had never happened before.

The young eunuch kneeling on the ground also shook his head and claimed that he didn't know.

"Someone, send someone to investigate immediately! I want to know what is going on."

Feng Yu at the side also said: "Your Majesty, no matter what the reason for the mutiny of the Zhenchi Army is, it must be resolved as soon as possible. The Hu people have already entered Jianchi Pass..."

"If the Zhenchi Army is in chaos now, I'm afraid the Hu people will take advantage of the situation to rob us."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng nodded slightly and asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

Feng Yu opened his mouth slightly, but he knew that this was a bit taboo, so he said in a deep voice: "After all, the Zhenchi Army has been under the command of the Duke of Zhenguo for many years, and the generals from top to bottom are all loyal to the Duke of Zhenguo."

"At this time, if we let Xu Xiaogang go back, we might be able to stabilize the situation."

Xiao Yuzheng frowned and said in a deep voice: "I just transferred Xu Xiaogang back to the capital, and now I'm in a hurry to send Xu Xiaogang to quell the rebellion. Doesn't this mean that I did something wrong?"

Feng Yu said anxiously: "Your Majesty, now is not the time to think about this."

Xiao Yuzheng clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and then slowly said, "Go to the Zhenguogong Mansion later to visit the Zhenguogong and see if he is doing well in the Ministry of War."

This is the step he gave.

"Yes." Feng Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

The news that the Zhenchi Army had mutinied and had already set out towards the capital quickly spread throughout the capital.

In an instant, all the civil and military officials in the court, including the common people, were in an uproar. No one had expected that such a thing would happen in the Zhenchi Army.

Many wealthy businessmen have already asked their families to pack up their valuables and send them out of the capital...

In the evening, Feng Yu arrived outside the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, looked up at the plaque on the door, couldn't help but shook his head slightly, forced a smile, and walked forward.

Soon, Butler Wu came over and said, "Eunuch Feng, what brings you here?"

Feng Yu took a deep breath and said, "I'm here to see the Duke of Zhenguo."

"Please come in." Wu Chi welcomed Feng Yu in with a smile on his face. Xu Xiaogang had originally instructed that he would not see any guests today.

But the person who came was Feng Yu, who had a high status and position, so Wu Chi couldn't really turn him away.

Soon they arrived outside a study in the Duke's Mansion.

Wu Chi knocked on the door and said, "Master, Eunuch Feng is here to see you."

"Enter."

Xu Xiaogang's voice came from inside the house.

Soon Feng Yu pushed open the door and looked inside. Xu Xiaogang was sitting on a wooden chair with a calm expression, making tea.

"I have a lot of good tea. I'll bring some back for the Duke."

Feng Yu said with a smile, then slowly sat in front of Xu Xiaogang. Seeing that Xu Xiaogang didn't say anything, he took a deep breath and asked indirectly, "Your Majesty cares about the Duke and asked me to ask if the Duke is doing well in the Ministry of War. If there is anything you are not used to, you can tell me."

To put it bluntly, as long as Xu Xiaogang claimed that he was not doing well in the Ministry of War, they could take the opportunity to transfer him back to the Zhenchi Army.

Xu Xiaogang took a sip of tea and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am doing a very comfortable job in the Ministry of War. I look at documents, drink tea, and meet with the officials every day."

"These days are much more comfortable than being in the army."

Feng Yu showed a bit of embarrassment on his face, then he took a deep breath and said, "Duke, you should have heard about today's news. It's like this..."

"If Eunuch Feng wants me to return to Zhenchi Army, then please go back. His Majesty asked me to return to the capital. I am deeply grateful for the emperor's grace and do not want to return to Zhenchi Army anymore."

Earlier, Xu Xiaogang received a letter from Qin Ziliang, which detailed how Jiang Yubo was forced to death by Liu Muyun and Duan Xing.

Qin Ziliang had no choice but to lead his troops to kill Duan Xing and seize power.

After reading the letter, Xu Xiaogang felt sad for Uncle Jiang's death. If he were in the army, he might have done the same thing as Qin Ziliang.

So he didn't blame Qin Ziliang.

Jiang Yubo can be said to have watched Xu Xiaogang grow up. This can be seen from the fact that when Xu Xiaogang was in the Zhenchi Army, he always called him Uncle Jiang.

The relationship between the two is also quite unusual.

"Duke, this is not the time to act on impulse." Feng Yu wanted to persuade him again.

Xu Xiaogang shook his head and said, "Eunuch Feng, I can't do this. Your Majesty, please ask someone else."

"see a visitor out."

Having lived in the capital for many years, Feng Yu had rarely been turned away or sent away like this.

After walking out of Xu Xiaogang's house, he realized that there was an old acquaintance in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

I asked someone and found out that Jiang Yun was at Sanqing Temple.

He hurried to Sanqing Temple.

……

Three Pure Views.

Jiang Yun was sitting cross-legged in the hall, when suddenly Qin Shujian rushed in from outside: "Master, Master, something big has happened." "What big thing has happened?"

Jiang Yun slowly opened his eyes and looked.

"I heard that the Zhenchi Army rebelled."

"Hey, I thought the other three Taoist temples came to challenge us. What does this have to do with us?"

Qin Shujian said in confusion: "Doesn't the Zhenchi Army have a close relationship with the Zhenguogong Mansion?"

"Master's wife is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion."

Jiang Yun shook his head and said, "The Duke of Zhenguo has been dismissed..."

Just then, there was a sound of footsteps outside the Taoist temple. Jiang Yun had sharp hearing and realized that someone was coming.

He quickly stood up, walked out of the hall, and immediately smiled: "Eunuch Feng, how come you have time to come to Sanqing Temple today?"

Feng Yu glanced at Qin Shujian, and it was obvious that he was asking who this person was?
"My apprentice, one of us." Although Jiang Yun said this, he still waved at Qin Shujian, signaling him to step aside.

After Qin Shujian walked away, Feng Yu said, "Have you heard about the mutiny in the Zhenchi Army?"

"I just heard about it."

Feng Yu took a deep breath and said slowly, "It's like this. I was going to persuade the Duke of Zhenguo to return to the Zhenchi Army, but he seemed to have a lot of complaints about your majesty dismissing him from his post and was unwilling to go."

Jiang Yun nodded and said, "Isn't this what should be done?"

"Eunuch Feng, let's be honest. He is doing a good job. Why are you replacing him?"

"Let Duan Xing go up instead. Something has happened now. Oh, I remember him. It would be strange if he would give me a good face."

Feng Yu felt bitter. He had advised His Majesty at first, but it was of no use.

He sighed and said, "You and Xu Xiaogang have known each other for such a long time and have a close relationship. You have to help me persuade him. If this is accomplished, you will definitely benefit from it."

Jiang Yun: "Eunuch, I just want to worship the Three Pure Ones. How can I get involved in this war? I don't understand it, right..."

Feng Yu rolled his eyes at Jiang Yun, knowing that this guy was a shrewd man. He took a deep breath and whispered, "You Jiufang was killed by you, remember? The Eastern Demon Country has secretly sent people to investigate. If they find out that it's you, ten lives will not be enough for you to die."

Jiang Yun's voice became a little softer: "Eunuch... he was clearly killed by the thunderbolt himself..."

Feng Yu said in a deep voice: "Help me persuade Xu Xiaogang. If the people from the Eastern Demon Country come, I will find a way to save your life. How about that?"

"Okay." Jiang Yun nodded and agreed without hesitation.

If the persuasion fails, there is no loss.

Seeing this, Feng Yu quickly turned around and left.

Soon, all kinds of news about the front line were reported back to the capital. In short, all the news added together created a mess.

Some say that Qin Ziliang was ambitious and wanted to rebel, and had already colluded with the Hu people.

There are also reports that Qin Ziliang was forced to rebel.

There are also rumors claiming that this is a conspiracy of the Zhenguo Mansion, in order to allow the Zhenguo Duke to return and take charge of the Zhenchi Army.

Of course, there are always some outrageous folk rumors.

For example, the girl who was Qin Ziliang's childhood sweetheart was forced to marry into the palace. Qin Ziliang was furious and wanted to take his woman back.

Soon, news came from the front line that the Zhenchi Army had set out and was heading towards the capital.

Along the way, no one in the provinces and prefectures dared to stop them. Qin Ziliang also ordered all provinces and prefectures to collect food, otherwise they would attack the cities to seize food.

In order to avoid disaster, wealthy people all paid grain.

At this rate, it would only take half a month for the army to reach the capital.

In the court, Xiao Yuzheng had a gloomy look on his face, and the civil and military officials below also had grim expressions.

"Issue an order that any provincial governor or prefect along the way who dares to provide food to the rebels will be treated as traitors." Xiao Yuzheng's face was gloomy.

The Minister of War Du Huaian hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible! At this time, the Zhenchi Army is only claiming to purge the emperor's side, not to rebel..."

"If the Zhenchi Army runs out of food, I'm afraid they will rob and kill people along the way, and the people will suffer."

The Minister of Rites beside him said in a deep voice: "No matter what, we can't let the rebels become powerful. Even if they rob us, the Hu army is following behind, watching us eagerly."

"If they don't rob, the Hu people behind them will do so."

"If they rob everything, the Hu army will have nothing to rob! Let these Hu people starve to death."

The Minister of War said in a deep voice: "According to the report from the front line, the Hu army has sufficient food supplies this time, and they have not robbed the people."

The Minister of Rites frowned and cursed: "Where did these barbarians get so much military rations? It's a mystery."

Xu Xiaogang, who was standing in the court, yawned and said, "Someone gave it to the Hu people. Where else could it have come from? Did it appear out of thin air?"

"Duke Zhenguo, what do you mean? Why don't you just tell me?"

Xu Xiaogang hasn't spoken yet.

Suddenly, a shrill cry was heard outside the court.

"Your Majesty, I am finally back alive to see you!"

Liu Muyun!
Everyone present was shocked that this man actually escaped alive.

Liu Muyun was dressed in rags, as if he had been begging all the way back.

He rushed into the hall and fell to the ground crying, "I am suffering! Your Majesty, please help me!"

(End of this chapter)