The Prodigal Son

The next day at noon, Qin Yu and his men set off from Yunhuai, escorting a large amount of gold, silver, and prisoners.

A large group of people were traveling in a grand procession, with hundreds of prison vans used to transport the prisoners. Many of these vans were crammed with several people, except for the main culprits, Shi Yi, Shi Wang, and Lao Gui, who were given separate prison vans and were personally watched by guards.

Qin Yu was too lazy to ride a horse, so he spent the rest of the journey with Xu Wan and Nan Que'er, hiding in the carriage and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

However, Qin Yu did not indulge in the pleasures of love all day long.

He often reads various military books.

Some are military treatises from Da Ning, while others are military treatises from the states of Yan, Chu, and Bei Qi.

These were all collected and preserved by historians as historical artifacts.

However, these military treatises have now come to Qin Yu's aid.

Inside the carriage, Qin Yu sat rather undisturbed, with his legs draped over Xu Wan and his head resting on Nan Que'er's lap, while holding a military treatise from Bei Qi in his hand.

"Snapped!"

Nan Que'er slapped Qin Yu's hand away and scolded, "If you're going to read, then read properly!"

"It won't affect anything, it won't affect anything!"

Qin Yu laughed and stretched out his hand again.

Xu Wan lightly pinched Qin Yu's calf and chuckled, "If the Duke of Wei saw you like this, he'd definitely hang you up and whip you!"

"Why did he hit me?"

Qin Yu chuckled dismissively, "You can't think of this as me being affectionate while reading; I'm being affectionate while reading!"

"What kind of twisted logic is this!"

Xu Wan couldn't help but laugh.

"How can this be called fallacy?"

Qin Yu laughed heartily, "Is repeatedly losing the same as repeatedly fighting despite repeated defeats?"

Hearing Qin Yu's absurd reasoning, the two women couldn't help but exchange a smile.

He can come up with any kind of twisted logic.

"Alright, alright!"

Qin Yu sat up. "You guys talk! I'll go discuss the contents of this military treatise with Yuan Dingguo and the others."

As he spoke, Qin Yu lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out, then changed into another warhorse.

Just as he was about to call for Yuan Dingguo and the others, he saw Lü Si, who was on horseback, approach a prison cart.

Lu Si somehow obtained a foot-long steel needle, gave the Shi family members in the prison cart a devilish smile, and immediately stabbed the needle into their legs.

"what……"

The Shi family members inside the prison van screamed in agony as they were stabbed, drawing the attention of the guards around them.

However, seeing that Lü Si only stabbed the Shi family member's leg and not his vital organs, they didn't bother to stop him.

Looking at Lü Si, who was engrossed in making the decorations, Qin Yu couldn't help but feel a chill.

This grandson is a spitting image of Rong Momo (a notorious female villain in Chinese folklore).

……

They traveled at a relatively fast pace throughout the journey.

In just eight days, they arrived at the capital.

Upon arriving at the capital, Yuan Dingguo immediately led his troops back to Dieguan for reorganization and training.

Now, news of the historians' plot to murder the crown prince has spread throughout the entire capital.

As their escort team entered the imperial city, countless people flooded the streets.

"Smash them to death!"

"These treacherous villains have killed so many people!"

"Smash it, smash it harder..."

The people threw rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs into the prison van.

Some people even threw clumps of horse manure and cow dung at the prison van.

Instead of dodging, Shi Yi, inside the prison van, continued to grin maliciously as the objects were thrown at him.

He appeared to be smiling happily, but his heart was trembling uncontrollably.

He knew, of course, what awaited them upon arriving in the capital.

Torture!

Absolutely all kinds of torture!

At this point, survival is absolutely impossible.

But wanting to die a quick and painless death is also a luxury.

How much Zhao Luan and the Empress Dowager hated them, these two women would surely make them suffer endless torment, slowly dying in endless pain and agony.

When they arrived at the palace gates with gold, silver, treasures, and a group of prisoners, they saw Zhao Luan and the Empress Dowager standing there with a group of officials.

As their procession entered, the chill emanating from Zhao Luan and the Empress Dowager seemed to lower the surrounding temperature.

"Traitor!"

"Kill these traitors!"

"Shi Yi, I'll fuck your grandma..."

Before they could even get close, a group of officials roared and charged forward.

Even Su Yu, the top scholar of the Great Ning Dynasty, disregarded his manners, cursing the ancestors of the Shi family with foul language while rolling up his sleeves and rushing forward with tears streaming down his face.

The historians did not only murder one crown prince!

Instead, it almost destroyed the fate of the nation of Daming!

Moreover, at this point, whether the hatred is real or feigned, one must charge forward.

Don't be afraid of being disrespectful in front of the Emperor!

Let His Majesty and the Empress Dowager see their attitude first!

Seeing the assembled officials rushing towards him, Guo Yang immediately waved his hand and coldly ordered, "Stop you, my lords!"

At Guo Yang's command, his men immediately stepped forward and stopped the agitated ministers.

"Get out of my way!"

Gao Yibei roared angrily, "I can't sleep soundly until these treacherous villains use my cane! Get out of my way, or don't blame me for being impolite..."

Gao Yi roared and brandished his cane.

He looked as if he was about to fight his way through Guo Yang's men.

However, those people refused to back down at all, no matter how Gao Yi's cane fell on them.

"All of you, get out of my way!"

A furious shout abruptly brought the chaotic crowd to a halt.

Upon hearing Zhao Luan's angry shout, the group of ministers reluctantly stepped aside, but they still gritted their teeth and glared at the Shi family members in the prison cart.

Gao Yi's eyes were bloodshot, and he almost broke the cane in his hand.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager!"

At this point, Qin Yu, Zeng Guan, and others stepped forward to pay their respects.

"My esteemed subjects, you may dispense with the formalities!"

Zhao Luan raised his hand slightly, his gaze fixed on the prison cart behind him. His face was frosty as he growled, "Men, throw all the prisoners into the Heavenly Prison and keep them under strict guard! Tell the people in the Heavenly Prison that if they dare let these prisoners die, I will take their heads!"

As Zhao Luan spoke, he gently patted the Empress Dowager's hand again.

The Empress Dowager's body trembled incessantly, her eyes chillingly cold, as if she wished she could devour the Shi family alive.

She also longed to personally kill these traitors to avenge her son.

However, she can't do that now!

She couldn't let these traitors die too easily!

"yes!"

The imperial guards in golden armor quickly obeyed the order and stepped forward to take all the prisoners away from the prison cart.

"Mother, we have plenty of time to avenge my elder brother!"

Zhao Luan whispered something to the Empress Dowager, then instructed again, "Shangguan, take men and accompany the Ministry of Revenue personnel to inventory and inspect all the property. Once the inspection is complete, deposit it into the national treasury!"

"yes!"

Shangguan Youyi accepted the order.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu immediately ordered two boxes to be brought over and handed over to Shangguan Youyi, saying, "These are all account books."

"Um."

Shangguan Youyi nodded slightly and ordered someone to take the two boxes of account books.

Zhao Luan glanced at Qin Yu and the others, forcing a smile. "My esteemed ministers, you have all worked hard. It is getting late, so please go back and rest. Tomorrow evening, I will host a banquet in the palace to thank you all! Qin Yu, Lü Si, you two stay!"

Qin Yu and Lü Si exchanged a silent glance, then simultaneously accepted the order…