The Prodigal Son

After being beaten, Lü Si became much more obedient due to the circumstances.

There was no other way; Qin Yu was protected by three ninth-realm experts, and even the people from the Treasure Mirror Division dared not provoke him, let alone the people from the Ministry of Justice.

Of course, Lü Si cursed Qin Yu in his heart a lot along the way.

He kept making wishes, hoping that the Holy Fire Cult would kill Qin Yu, and also hoping that the imperial city would send someone to take over the power in Qin Yu's hands as soon as possible.

Qin Yu also knew that Lü Si harbored deep resentment towards him.

Therefore, the price of his medicine was raised again.

The amount used per use has increased from thirty taels of gold to fifty taels.

Lu Si had his own ulterior motives, and although he grumbled and cursed, he still accepted it.

There was no other way; we were rushing all the way here!

These bastards are even traveling at night!

In a day, one can easily travel two or three hundred miles.

There weren't enough horses to replace them, otherwise, these bastards would probably be running like they were on an urgent courier service!

His inner thighs were covered in chafing wounds, and without the special healing medicine, he simply wouldn't have survived.

Because they traveled day and night, they entered Chenzhou territory half a day earlier than originally planned.

Not long after entering Chenzhou, Pei Du ordered the troops to halt.

Qin Yu spurred his horse forward and asked Pei Du, "We've only traveled thirty-odd li, why did we stop?"

He had completely adapted to riding horses for long periods of time, and now he just wanted to give that brat Lü Si a good beating.

"Waiting for someone!"

Pei Du gave a simple answer.

"Waiting for whom?"

Qin Yu asked instinctively, "Besides us, are there any other people coming?"

Pei Du raised his eyes, his face showing displeasure. "Do you even know what the situation is like in Chenzhou right now? Don't you need to wait for the intelligence to be gathered? Entering Chenzhou so rashly, aren't you afraid of leaking information? If you keep fighting like this, you'll ruin a million-strong army!"

"..."

Qin Yu was speechless. "Fine, you're fucking right, it's your turn to be fierce!"

I did overlook this problem.

However, Pei Du's words still made him somewhat unhappy.

I need to find a chance to establish my authority in front of him!

Otherwise, he would have really treated the old man's warrant as a blank piece of paper!

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, a hint of surprise flashed in Pei Du's eyes.

That's rare!

He didn't even bare his teeth at me?

"Don't think you're something special just because you have a warrant! If you want people to respect you, you have to show real skills!"

Pei Du spoke again, in a lukewarm tone.

"OK!"

Qin Yu readily agreed, "However, you'd better show me what you're capable of!"

You'll see!

Pei Du nodded slightly. "Instead of wasting time arguing with me, you should think about how to keep the people in the Ministry of Justice in line!"

"The people from the Ministry of Justice must have been exhausted from all that running around; they must resent you!"

"I reckon they're all holding back a lot of energy right now, and once they find an opportunity, they'll definitely try to trip you up."

They traveled day and night. Although Lü Si suffered the most, those pampered officials in the Ministry of Justice were not having an easy time either.

Although he made the decision to travel day and night, everyone knew that the final decision rested with Qin Yu.

Now no one resents him; they all resent Qin Yu.

Qin Yu's actions can be seen as helping to share the burden of the attack.

"They dare!"

Qin Yu scoffed, "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to make an example of two people as a warning to others?"

If Meng Zhangping, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, is hard to deal with, then aren't those lower-ranking officials in the Ministry of Justice just as easy to deal with?

"If you wouldn't dare do it openly, wouldn't you dare do it secretly?"

Pei Du looked at Qin Yu as if he were an idiot: "If you're going to trip someone up, you'll do it openly?"

"..."

Qin Yu was speechless once again.

Damn it!

That bastard's words are really infuriating!

But the key point is that what he said makes sense!

Yes, we really need to think of a way to make those people in the Ministry of Justice not only dare not cause trouble, but also fully cooperate with the Precious Mirror Division!

Pei Du didn't bother to say anything more to Qin Yu and simply rode his horse to the side.

Looking at Pei Du's retreating figure, Qin Yu couldn't help but show a hint of doubt.

A short while later, a spy from the Baojing Division rushed over to report.

After preliminary investigation by the Baojing Division, it was confirmed that some officials in Chenzhou were indeed colluding with the Holy Fire Sect.

Who are they?

A cold glint flashed in Pei Du's and Xu Wan's eyes at the same time.

Although this outcome was within their expectations, a murderous intent still arose in their hearts after confirming the matter.

The messenger replied, "The confirmed appointments include the Prefect of Lingqiu Commandery, the Military Advisor of Chongyi Commandery, and several county magistrates belonging to the two commanderies."

"In addition, there are several powerful clans in Chenzhou, the two largest of which are the Wu clan of Lingqiu and the Yuan clan of Chongyi..."

Hearing the words of the newcomer, the cold glint in their eyes intensified.

Both the Wu and Yuan clans were former officials of the already destroyed Lang Kingdom.

The ancestors of the Yuan family also served as the prime minister of the Lang Kingdom.

When the late emperor sent troops to destroy the Lang Kingdom, the Yuan family was spared because they surrendered in time.

Unexpectedly, the Yuan family has now colluded with the Holy Fire Cult!

Do they really think that a mere cult can accomplish anything significant?

Qin Yu was also secretly alarmed upon hearing this.

Both of these prefectures are close to the southern border and are key outposts of Chenzhou!

If these two counties turn against us, the enemy in the southern border region can directly invade Chenzhou.

Things seem to be getting a bit serious!

After a moment's thought, Meng Zhangping immediately asked the visitor, "Are there any problems with Shen Jue and Wei Chongshan?"

The situation is indeed somewhat urgent.

But as long as Shen Jue, the commander of the Qingxi camp, and Wei Chongshan, the governor of Chenzhou, are safe, those people won't be able to cause any major trouble.

When Meng Zhangping asked the question, the man did not answer, but instead cast an inquiring glance at Pei Du.

Only after Pei Du nodded slightly did the visitor reply, "Currently, we haven't found anything wrong with Wei Chongshan, the governor of Chenzhou, but there are some suspicious things about the Qingxi camp."

Pei Du's eyelids twitched, and he immediately asked, "What happened?"

The messenger replied, "Shen Jue is obsessed with pleasure, spending his days with wine and women, and rarely inquires about military affairs. Currently, the military affairs in Lingqiu are basically handled by his deputy, Zuo Jiangyue."

Everyone tensed up.

Qingxi Camp is located roughly between Lingqiu and Chongyi.

Shen Jue's 30,000 elite border troops are the core force for defending the southern border!

If Shen Jue has a problem, things will get really serious!

"Immediately send more men, and spare no effort, to investigate the situation at Qingxi Camp."

Pei Du gave the order, then looked at Xu Wan: "Do you think Shen Jue might have a problem?"

Shen Jue once worked under Xu Huben, the father of Xu Wan.

In the past, when the Lang Kingdom was destroyed, Shen Jue also led his troops to make great contributions.

Faced with Pei Du's question, Xu Wan couldn't help but fall into thought.

After a moment, Xu Wan said worriedly, "I'm willing to believe Shen Jue, and his family is all in the capital. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't be colluding with the Holy Fire Sect!"

"But now, the officialdom of Chenzhou has been infiltrated too much by the Holy Fire Sect, so I dare not make any rash judgments!"

Even Xu Wan has lost faith in Shen Jue!

This made everyone's expressions even more serious.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Lu Si hurriedly said, "We must quickly report to His Majesty and request that he transfer troops from Longzhou to prevent any unforeseen circumstances!"

"What kind of troops are you calling in?!"

Pei Du rebuked, "If Shen Jue really has a problem, the moment the Longzhou army moves, Shen Jue will realize it's aimed at him and will inevitably take desperate measures!"

"Then let's report the situation to His Majesty first!"

Lü Si made the suggestion again.

"How should we report this?"

Pei Du asked irritably, "We haven't even investigated the situation ourselves, and you're already writing a fabricated report for His Majesty? Did your father teach you to write reports like this?"

Hearing Pei Du fiercely criticize Lü Si, Qin Yu felt much better.

Hmm, it seems Pei Du isn't targeting only himself.

He couldn't stand all the spoiled brats.

Lu Si was rendered speechless by the rebuttal, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Qin Yu secretly smiling.

Lu Si was displeased and said sarcastically, "Lord Qin, don't you have the power to make decisions? Hurry up and make a decision!"

As Lü Si finished speaking, everyone turned to look at Qin Yu…