The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

In front of the government office, Xue Jiling's stern questioning echoed throughout the streets and alleys.

Xue Yuanshang stood on the steps, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

Just a little bit more...

Unfortunately, when the moment came, the eunuch on the other side still managed to figure it out.

If the other party hadn't questioned him, Xue Yuanshang could have gotten away with it.

However, now that he had asked, he could no longer keep it a secret.

Sensing the questioning gazes from those around him, Xue Yuanshang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly took a step to the side.

Subsequently, several young figures dressed in eunuch robes appeared in the government office.

At the same moment they appeared, Xue Jiling's pupils shrank, and his voice became deep.

"Ximen Jixuan?"

Indeed, the one who came out at this moment was Ximen Jixuan, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Depot, along with two other commanders, Wang Wengan and Li Shengrong.

Ximen Jixuan took two steps forward, slightly behind Xue Yuanshang by half a body length, and then bowed slightly to Xue Jiling, saying.

"Greetings, Lieutenant."

"How did you end up associating with the Prefect of the Capital?"

Xue Jiling's sense of unease grew stronger, but he forced himself to remain calm and asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Ximen Jixuan remained silent, only glancing at Xue Yuanshang beside him.

Seeing this, Xue Yuanshang took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and said.

"The Emperor has issued an edict hereby: the case of Chang Lin and others, subordinates of the Seventh General of the Right Shence Army, who committed murder in the street, is to be jointly investigated by the Prefect of the Capital and the Eastern Depot. Officials from the Secretariat and the Chancellery shall supervise the investigation. All criminals and witnesses shall be handed over to the Prefect of the Capital for detention and interrogation..."

"Lieutenant Xue, this imperial edict is in the Emperor's own handwriting, and it bears the signatures of the prime ministers of the Secretariat and the Chancellery. Would you like to see it for yourself?"

With a cold face, Xue Jiling gestured for his attendant to step forward and take the imperial edict from Xue Yuanshang.

But actually, it doesn't make much difference whether you watch it or not.

The appearance of Ximen Jixuan has already explained everything.

At this moment, Xue Jiling realized that he seemed to have acted too impulsively.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xue Yuanshang's repeated provocations were intended to further enrage him.

With the imperial edict in hand, Xue Jiling's legitimacy in demanding the person was completely negated.

In this situation, if he is provoked by the other party and does something excessive, he will have no room for explanation afterward.

But... is it really going to just disappear like this?

Xue Jiling's eyes flickered as he looked at the large group of commoners and officials gathered in the distance, feeling conflicted.

If things have escalated to this point, and he really leaves like this, how will he, as the Shence Lieutenant, maintain his position in Chang'an?

A mere Prefect of the Capital Prefecture dared to trample on his dignity like this, even turning his back on him when he personally came to demand the person back.

In the future, who in the court will still take him seriously?

Xue Jiling held the imperial edict in his hand, and after only a moment, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"Let's go!"

After much hesitation, he ultimately decided to swallow his anger for the time being.

After all, while saving face is important, it's not as important as one's own life.

However, Xue Yuanshang clearly did not intend to stop there. Seeing that Xue Jiling was about to leave, he narrowed his eyes and spoke.

"Lieutenant, wait!"

Xue Jiling turned around, his tone extremely impatient: "What do you intend to do?"

Xue Yuanshang smiled slightly, pointed to Zhang Chongwen beside him, and said.

"The lieutenant can do as he pleases, but he cannot leave!"

"This person is involved in an imperial case. According to the Emperor's decree, all those involved must be detained by the Jingzhao Prefecture. Therefore, we request that the Lieutenant hand this person over..."

"Xue Yuanshang!"

Xue Jiling's temples were throbbing with veins, and his voice was uttered through clenched teeth.

Clearly, his patience had been completely exhausted.

"Don't think that just because you have an imperial edict in hand, you can do whatever you want. I'll say it again, the people of the Shence Army are none of your business as the Prefect of the Capital."

After saying that, he lost interest in talking to Xue Yuanshang and turned to leave.

"Let's go..."

However, at that moment, hundreds of eunuchs from the Eastern Depot, dressed in black robes, suddenly emerged from the surrounding streets and alleys, adding another layer of encirclement to the Shence Army.

Xue Jiling was taken aback at first, and then a surge of anger welled up inside him.

"Ximen Jixuan!"

He turned around, stared intently at the eunuch in charge of the Eastern Depot who had already taken two steps forward, and rebuked him sharply.

"Are you going to oppose me too?"

However, faced with such harsh words, Ximen Jixuan simply bowed slightly and said.

"Lieutenant, please forgive me. I was only acting under imperial orders. The Emperor decreed that the Eastern Depot should assist the Prefect of the Capital in handling the case. If Magistrate Xue says the prisoner cannot leave, then he cannot leave. Please hand him over, Lieutenant. I will personally apologize to you at your residence another day."

Unlike Xue Yuanshang, whose tone and demeanor were always firm, Ximen Jixuan's tone was much gentler, but his attitude was equally resolute.

"What if we insist on taking people away? Do you really think your rabble can withstand my five hundred Divine Strategy Warriors?"

At this moment, Xue Jiling was completely blinded by rage.

Moreover, he realized that the other party was only there to provoke him.

Even if he were willing to let things go, these people would never let him leave so easily.

So Xue Jiling simply stopped backing down, mounted his horse, raised his right hand high, and spoke in a cold voice.

"Issue my military order: whoever dares to lay a finger on any of my Shence Army generals today will be killed without exception!"

Having said that, he ignored the reactions of Xue Yuanshang and Ximen Jixuan on the other side, tightened the reins, and led his Shence Army to forcefully break through the encirclement of the Eastern Depot.

However, at that moment, another heavy thud of hooves sounded.

Under the heavy dark clouds, in the distance, another troop of armored Shence Army soldiers slowly approached from the streets and alleys, forming an even tighter encirclement around the Eastern Depot in almost an instant.

It was only at this moment that Xue Yuanshang and the others in front of the government office breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Jiling was a smart man. He was able to react quickly and realize that Xue Yuanshang was trying to provoke him and force him to take drastic action so that he could leave him with leverage.

But what he didn't know was that from the moment he led his troops out of the palace, his fate was already sealed.

What Xue Yuanshang really wanted to do was simply stall him.

A path parted in the crowd, and a small squad of fully armored Shence Army soldiers rode up on horseback. The leaders were none other than Liu Hongyi, the Left Army Lieutenant, and Yang Qinyi, the Privy Councilor.

Xue Jiling's face was gloomy, and he had already vaguely guessed what was going on, but he still held onto a sliver of hope and said.

"Lieutenant Liu, Commander Yang, what brings you here?"

However, the two people opposite him didn't bother to exchange pleasantries with him at all.

After dismounting, Yang Qinyi took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and said coldly.

"By imperial decree, Xue Jiling, Right Army Lieutenant, receive this order!"

Xue Jiling's face showed a struggle, and for a moment, a crazy idea even flashed through his mind.

However, seeing the Shence Army now surrounding the area in layers, he had no choice but to dismount and bow respectfully.

"Your subject Xue Jiling receives the imperial decree..."

Seeing this, Yang Qinyi unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and said loudly.

"By imperial decree of the Great Tang Emperor: Xue Jiling, Lieutenant of the Right Army of the Shence Army, has displeased the Emperor by arbitrarily deploying troops out of the camp without imperial authorization. He is hereby ordered to immediately surrender his military seal and return to the palace to atone for his crime. All officers of the Right Army of the Shence Army who have left the camp without authorization shall immediately return to their camp and await further orders, without fail..."

"This order is hereby issued!"

"Lieutenant Xue, receive the imperial decree..."

Xue Jiling was stunned when he saw the imperial edict handed to him, clearly not quite ready to react.

It wasn't until Yang Qinyi started urging him impatiently that he hurriedly said it.

"Minister Yang, there must be some misunderstanding. I, I..."

He wanted to explain, but for a moment, he couldn't think of any reason.

Seeing this, Yang Qinyi said, "Lieutenant Xue, don't worry. The Emperor has only taken away your command authority and hasn't taken any other action. After returning to the palace, you will have the opportunity to meet the Emperor and explain yourself. As for now, Lieutenant, you should obediently accept the decree and come with me..."

"Or perhaps..." Yang Qinyi's tone rose slightly as he looked at the five hundred Shence Army soldiers behind him, his voice suddenly turning cold: "Lieutenant Xue, do you intend to defy the imperial decree?"

"No, I wouldn't dare."

At this moment, Xue Jiling's heart sank to the bottom.

Although he didn't know exactly how many people Liu Hongyi had brought, just from what he could see in front of him, it was at least several times more than what he had brought.

Moreover, the left wing is stronger than the right wing. If a fight breaks out, he might lose his life on the spot.

Moreover, if he were to actually do that, it would be an undeniable crime of treason, and then there would be absolutely no hope left.

Swallowing hard, Xue Jiling tremblingly accepted the imperial edict, glanced back at the Shence Army he had brought, and finally, with a pale face, stretched out his hands.

Immediately, attendants stepped forward from behind Yang Qinyi, fastened the chains that had been prepared beforehand to his hands, and took him away.

Afterwards, Yang Qinyi stepped forward to take over the Shence Right Army brought by Xue Jiling, and everything was finally settled.

However, just as they were about to leave, Xue Yuanshang, who was supposed to leave, suddenly spoke up.

"Lieutenant Liu, Chief Clerk Yang..."

The two turned around, their eyes filled with confusion.

Xue Yuanshang bowed to them and said, "His Majesty has decreed that the Jingzhao Prefecture, in conjunction with the Eastern Depot, is investigating the case of the Shence Army beating civilians. This Zhang Duyu is an important criminal. Please transfer him to the Jingzhao Prefecture for safekeeping."

This request made both of them frown.

It's important to understand that the reason this case has become such a big deal is to deal with Xue Jiling.

Now that Xue Jiling has been arrested, why is Xue Yuanshang still holding onto this case?

Yang Qinyi looked at Liu Hongyi beside him and hesitantly called out, "Lieutenant Liu, look..."

Liu Hongyi did not answer immediately, but stared coldly at Xue Yuanshang opposite him, who did not flinch in the face of his gaze.

After a moment, Liu Hongyi chose to compromise.

He gestured with his right hand, and his men immediately understood, sending Zhang Chongwen, who had already been tied up, over.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Xue Yuanshang cupped his hands in greeting again, his attitude polite.

However, Liu Hongyi only gave him a deep look before turning around, mounting his horse, and saying.

"Withdraw the troops and return to camp!"