The Prodigal Son

Before dawn, the situation in Xining Prefecture had already changed.

The Baojing Division mobilized overnight, and Wei Chongshan's faction and their families were all detained.

The defenses of Xining Prefecture were entirely taken over by the Chenzhou Garrison.

After a thorough investigation that lasted all night, no more of Wei Chongshan's accomplices were found among the garrison's thousand-strong force, but nearly ten were found among the hundred-strong force.

These people are all Zhao Yi's men, planted by Chen Xian and his group using various means.

Unfortunately, they were wiped out before they could even be of any use.

When Qin Yu and his group returned to the governor's mansion, the Ministry of Justice had already searched and confiscated it.

Looking at the chests full of gold and silver treasures, Qin Yu couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

No wonder so many people are racking their brains to benefit the people!

Overwhelmed with emotion, Qin Yu then asked Meng Zhangping, "How much gold and silver treasure is there?"

Meng Zhangping replied, "Roughly estimated, it should be around twenty-five taels of silver."

"Only 250,000 taels?"

Qin Yu frowned, his expression turning unfriendly as he looked at the officials from the Ministry of Justice. "Wei Chongshan confessed that his assets were at least five or six hundred thousand taels of silver! Could it be that you've embezzled the rest?"

"Lord Qin, you mustn't say such things carelessly!"

Meng Zhangping's eyelids twitched. "When we searched this place, the people from the Baojing Division were watching the whole time! Who would dare to embezzle it?"

"Where did the rest of the gold and silver go?"

Qin Yu frowned, and as he looked around, his gaze fell on Lü Si.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Lu Si retorted indignantly, "With so many eyes watching, don't even think about framing me!"

You bastard!

Not only did he make me owe him money, but he also wanted me to owe the national treasury hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

He's gone mad with the desire to ruin himself!

"Look at you! I was just bluffing!"

Qin Yu grinned, ignoring Lü Si's hateful gaze, and turned to look at the group of women who were crying their eyes out.

Wei Chongshan should be well aware of "the self-cultivation of corrupt officials".

On the surface, he only had one wife and one concubine.

In reality, the dozen or so women in front of him, each with a different appearance, were all his playthings!

With so many women, it's no wonder Wei Chongshan is still so thin despite guarding so much gold and silver.

Nine times out of ten, it's caused by overwork!

Qin Yu secretly guessed, his gaze gradually falling on the mature and alluring woman.

She was the woman who led Wei Chongshan astray.

"I must say, she really is a stunner! No wonder Wei Chongshan couldn't resist her charms."

Qin Yu looked him up and down and couldn't help but admire him.

The mature woman's aura that emanated from her made Qin Yu take several more glances.

It seems Wei Chongshan is also a womanizer!

It is said that those bastards of the Holy Fire Cult tried their best to win over Wei Chongshan, but they tried every means to kill him.

Why don't you send someone to seduce me?

I don't accept seduction. You can try to kill me if you want!

They have absolutely no sense of perspective!

"What, you're interested in her too?"

Xu Wan glanced at her sideways, a half-smile on her face, and asked, "Want her to warm your bed?"

"I was just stating the facts!"

Qin Yu was dissatisfied, "My greatest strength is that I never shy away from praising the strengths of others, whether they are enemies or friends! Take Lü Si, for example, although he's stupid and foolish, he knows how to seize opportunities!"

"I……"

Lu Si, who was standing to the side, froze on the face and couldn't help but curse in his heart.

That bastard!

You even managed to bring yourself along!

never mind!

That bastard now has the imperial gold medal in his hand; it's time for him to get his way!

Arguing with him now will not do you any good.

I will endure!

"I think you're just as annoying as Lü Si!"

Xu Wan glared at Qin Yu with a smile, then turned to her subordinate and asked, "Has this woman been interrogated?"

"It's been approved."

The subordinate replied, "This woman was originally a famous courtesan in Juzhou. Later, she was taken as a concubine. Last year, she was sent to seduce Wei Chongshan and was responsible for monitoring him! In order to win over Li Quan, Wei Chongshan even had her seduce Li Quan..."

Hearing his words, Qin Yu couldn't help but curse inwardly.

A toad crawling on a frog, dressed simply but playing extravagantly!

Just then, the people from the Baojing Division led Wu Chi in.

Pei Du called out to everyone, "Now that everyone's here, let's get down to business!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately sat down in turn.

Qin Yu, the "holy envoy," finally took the top position.

"Your Majesty, shall we make these arrangements, or shall I?"

Pei Du looked at Qin Yu, making a symbolic inquiry.

Qin Yu simply said, "You make the arrangements first, and we can discuss it further if there's anything I feel is inappropriate!"

After saying that, Qin Yu buried his head in examining the map of Chenzhou.

"OK!"

Pei Du didn't mince words, "Before we talk about the arrangements, let me tell you about the current situation!"

Then, Pei Du explained the current situation and showed everyone the intelligence they had intercepted.

Looking at the contents of the note, Wu Chi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, the holy messengers arrived in time!

Otherwise, he would most likely lose his life to Wei Chongshan and his gang.

That's the situation.

Pei Du's expression was grave. "Although the situation at Qingxi Camp is still unclear, a rebellion is highly likely! We must head to Lingqiu by dawn. The Ministry of Justice and General Wu will be in charge of Xining Prefecture..."

The Ministry of Justice and Wu Chi must ensure that no unrest occurs in Xining Prefecture and the surrounding areas.

At the same time, this case must be thoroughly investigated, and no one who colluded with Zhao Yi and the Holy Fire Cult should be let off the hook!

After daybreak, Wu Chixu immediately led the garrison to seize the Shuimoshan area, which was fifty miles southwest of Xining Prefecture.

If a rebellion breaks out in the Qingxi camp, we must stop the rioters in the southwestern part of Chenzhou!

"this……"

Wu Chi looked troubled and said with a wry smile, "If the soldiers of the Qingxi camp really rebel, even with the advantage of terrain, I'm afraid my small force won't be able to stop them!"

This wasn't him being self-deprecating; rather, he had self-awareness.

The garrison forces were far inferior to the border troops in terms of combat strength.

Moreover, the border troops outnumbered them by a great deal.

If he could still hold the barrier of Shuimo Mountain under these circumstances, he felt he could be called a famous general.

"This is just the worst-case scenario."

Pei Du said, "After dawn, we will report the situation in Chenzhou to His Majesty as quickly as possible and request that His Majesty dispatch troops from Longzhou to provide support! Longzhou has eight thousand elite cavalry, and they can arrive in five or six days at the earliest!"

"Given the current situation, reinforcements from Longzhou are unlikely to arrive in time!"

Meng Zhangping frowned deeply. "It will take at least ten days for the news to reach the capital and for His Majesty to send reinforcements from Longzhou!"

"I believe we should fortify our city and hold it!"

"As long as we hold out until reinforcements arrive, the rebels won't be able to cause much trouble!"

Hearing Meng Zhangping's words, everyone began to ponder.

Normally speaking, it is better to defend the city than to advance troops to the Shuimoshan area for defense.

However, once the city is fortified and defended, the initiative will be handed over to the rebels, and the area south of Xining Prefecture will fall into their hands.

The area around Shuimoshan was occupied by the rebels. Once the imperial court sent troops to quell the rebellion, the rebels could rely on the terrain of Shuimoshan for defense.

In this way, suppressing the rebellion will certainly require a greater price to pay.

Qin Yu remained silent, his gaze constantly shifting back and forth across the map.

As he looked around, Qin Yu's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Report..."

Just then, a member of the Baojing Division rushed in with a small letterbox.

"Urgent military situation!"