His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

Seeing Gao Yan, who had just been so arrogant, now too afraid to speak, Mu Yuan gave him a mocking smile, then focused his gaze on Ma Chengwu and continued their conversation:

"Lord Ma, let's continue the interrogation. Don't let a small matter ruin the bigger picture."

Ma Chengwu nodded and began questioning Zhou Quan again: "You say you're not a foreign spy, but a citizen of our Great Qian Dynasty. Do you have any evidence?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan was left speechless with frustration.

In the past, he could prove his identity by using the waist tag of the Western Army.

Now, he has become a prisoner, and not only has his waist tag been removed, but even his military household registration has been erased from the military register.

How else can I prove my identity?

More importantly, he is now unable to prove his identity and faces a crucial decision.

He could either identify Ma Chengwu on the spot, claiming that the Gao family had bribed him, and also implicate the other bribed individuals, thus facing the wrath of the entire Western Army.

They would either be mistaken for foreign spies and executed on the spot.

Zhou Quan remained silent for a long time, which finally roused Ma Chengwu, who shouted:

"I'm asking you a question, why are you delaying like this!"

Zhou Quan was also questioned and scolded by Ma Chengwu, which made him somewhat annoyed.

Damn it, you bribed me, and you can't even remember my name, and now you're interrogating me like I'm a foreign spy.

Since that's the case, let's die together!

Growing angrier the more he thought about it, Zhou Quan, prepared to die with them, retorted, "Sir, don't you have any idea why I've been delaying?"

Ma Chengwu was taken aback at first, then his face filled with indignation:

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do you mean?" Zhou Quan sneered, "Have you forgotten what you did in private with the Gao family father and son?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chengwu and the Gao family father and son were both taken aback.

Fearing he would be silenced, Zhou Quan quickly added, "How many brothers in the army have taken bribes from you to help you spread rumors within the army? What? Still trying to deny it?"

As Zhou Quan finished speaking, the soldiers present erupted in uproar.

It's no secret that all sorts of rumors have been flying around the entire Xifu Army these past few days, but the fact that the mastermind behind it all is the dignified Governor of the Southwest and the Gao family is truly jaw-dropping.

"Stop making baseless accusations!"

Gao Song was the first to react, angrily rebuking Zhou Quan: "You barbarian from beyond the border, you are truly cunning! It's one thing to slander me, but you even dare to slander the governor! Your intentions are extremely malicious!"

Gao Song originally planned to interrogate foreign spies to learn about the movements of enemy troops abroad and get a share of the spoils.

Unexpectedly, the blame has now fallen on him and Ma Chengwu.

In his anger, Gao Song felt more and more uneasy.

How did this end up backfiring on me?

"No matter how vicious I am, I'm not as vicious as you and Lord Ma!" Zhou Quan said recklessly. "Your Gao family is a prominent clan in the Southwest, and one of your members is a high-ranking official sent by the imperial court. You've secretly rallied a large number of soldiers in the Western Army. In terms of viciousness and shamelessness, I'm no match for you!"

"How dare you! Shut up!!!!"

Ma Chengwu slammed his fist on the table and ordered Zhou Quan to shut up.

It wasn't that he was provoked by Zhou Quan's words, but rather that he was worried that if he let Zhou Quan continue talking, he might say something even more detrimental to himself.

He was, after all, a high-ranking official in charge of a region; if Zhou Quan were to blurt out everything he knew...

From then on, wherever he went, this powerful regional official would be talked about behind his back, losing face and all his authority.

"You think I'll shut up just because you tell me to? I'm going to die anyway, and before I do, I'll expose your hypocrisy and let everyone know what you're really like!"

Compared to Ma Chengwu, who was hesitant and cautious, Zhou Quan felt no burden at all. In fact, he became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, and felt a strange sense of satisfaction from revenge.

Ma Chengwu's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

He, a high-ranking official in charge of a region, was not only publicly insulted by an unknown nobody, but his private affairs were also ruthlessly exposed by the other party.

"Utter nonsense! I'll kill you!"

Unable to suppress his killing intent, Ma Chengwu strode up to a soldier beside him, snatched the long sword from his hand, and charged at Zhou Quan with the sword.

Just then.

Mu Yuan rushed forward, grabbed Ma Chengwu's shoulder, and said with a smile:

"Lord Ma, why are you so angry that you're willing to kill someone to vent your anger? If you really kill him, it will be seen as murder to silence a witness!"

"It's you!" Ma Chengwu stared fiercely at Mu Yuan.

At that moment, he understood everything.

The so-called banquet was just a pretext to invite me over, so that Zhou Quan could make things public.

"What do you mean, 'me'?" Mu Yuan pretended to be confused. "I don't quite understand what Lord Ma means."

Stop pretending to be stupid.

Having lost face, Ma Chengwu had abandoned his usual pretense of humility and politeness, now exuding a fierce aura: "You invited me to this banquet with ulterior motives!"

Mu Yuan wanted to say "we're in the same boat," but he could only mutter these words silently in his heart. Aloud, Mu Yuan continued to pretend he didn't understand.

"Last time, when Lord Ma hosted a banquet, I thought it would be a good deed to invite you to the banquet to interrogate the foreign spies and share the credit. How did that become me having ill intentions?"

Ma Chengwu was furious, his teeth clenched. Last time, he had joined forces with various factions to besiege Mu Yuan.

They thought that by cutting military pay, the strength of the Western Army would be greatly reduced, putting them in a passive position.

Unexpectedly, several days passed and the Western Army remained calm and peaceful.

Therefore, he had to secretly join forces with the Gao family father and son, taking advantage of the Xifu Army soldiers' rest and absence to win over a large number of Xifu Army soldiers and spread rumors.

Now, the rumors are indeed spreading within the Xifu Army. I thought Mu Yuan would investigate this matter for a long time, and I've been having a headache for days.

Unexpectedly, he was able to find out the truth so quickly, and now he's subtly mocking me.

One can imagine Ma Chengwu's feelings at this moment.

"Lord Ma, I advise you to calm down. The show is not over yet. Besides, this is the Xifu Army's garrison."

Mu Yuan deliberately emphasized the words "Xifu Army's garrison" to remind Ma Chengwu that this was not a place where he could carry a knife.

After reminding Ma Chengwu, Mu Yuan snatched the long sword from his hand and threw it to a soldier nearby.

"Lord Ma, the interrogation is not over yet. I will now conduct the interrogation. Please return to your seat and listen quietly!"

Ma Chengwu was filled with a mix of emotions, but this was ultimately Mu Yuan's territory, and no matter how unwilling he was, he had to lower his head and behave himself.

Suppressing his displeasure, Ma Chengwu returned to his seat and sat down.