ng Qianqian and Lu Yuan buried Yin Hu and returned to Feng County.
From Qing Shuang, ng Qianqian learned that after she left the military camp, Lu Yuan wasted no ti and rushed to Feng County’s Governnt Office. In just one day, he solved a case that had been troubling the border for more than a month.
The people of Beiliang truly suffered this ti. They initially thought the court had sent a civil servant who had never been on the battlefield, believing victory was assured for Beiliang. Little did they know they had run into a steel wall.
Lu Yuan might not excel in military strategies, but investigation and interrogation were his strong suits. In his hands, no case remained unsolved, and every closed mouth could be pried open.
He was bold, rciless, unafraid of capturing the wrong person, and fearless of killing the wrong one.
"From where did the Grand Commander start?"
ng Qianqian was quite curious about the details of the case.
Qing Shuang replied, "The County Governnt. The Grand Commander arrested the County Magistrate’s family and tortured them for confessions. The Magistrate couldn’t hold out and confessed—he had hidden the gold, and apart from a few crucial envoys, all of the thousand people had infiltrated the Rebel Army."
ng Qianqian suddenly understood, "It was a case of ’the culprit hiding under the lamp.’ No wonder we couldn’t find them despite searching for so long."
She knew that Beiliang had sent soldiers to infiltrate the Rebel Army, but she hadn’t expected all one thousand of them to join.
This outco was only possible because Lu Yuan was there; anyone else at the border might not have outmaneuvered Beiliang.
Two days later, Lu Yuan and Beiliang’s King Qi arranged to et in a valley ten miles outside Yun Pass for negotiations.
After the disappearance of the Beiliang envoy group, King Qi led his army south, demanding Great Zhou hand over the people. If they failed to do so, he would attack Yun Pass.
Each side led thirty thousand troops, standing battle-ready in the valley.
Lu Yuan brought ng Qianqian into the negotiation tent.
Lu Lingxiao frowned, "With only two guards, is it enough? King Qi brought four experts!"
Although he didn’t get along with Lu Yuan, the bigger picture took precedence. If Lu Yuan were killed at the negotiation table, it would only harm Great Zhou.
Zhang Feihu slung an arm around his shoulder and patted him, saying, "Relax, Little Nine is amazing! She’s just doing this by herself—otherwise, given her achievents, she could easily earn the rank of Junior General!"
Lu Lingxiao didn’t believe a word of it.
He acknowledged that ng Xiaojiu’s skills were impressive, but engaging in battlefield combat wasn’t about reckless bravery. The dynamics of war changed rapidly, making it entirely different from individual duels.
Among so many soldiers, she was likely the sole female guard, so everyone probably protected her, exaggerating her accomplishnts!
"Why is Little Nine wearing a mask again?" Zhang Feihu stroked his chin, glanced at Lu Lingxiao, seed to realize sothing, and asked suspiciously, "Every ti you’re around, Little Nine wears a mask. What have you done to her?"
Lu Lingxiao responded, "How would I know her? I haven’t done anything!"
Inside the tent.
Lu Yuan and Beiliang’s King Qi sat across the table from each other.
The Emperor of Beiliang was old, and King Qi was his third son, now over thirty years of age.
This man was highly warlike. He had masterminded the envoy group incident and covertly supported the Rebel Army.
Having his tens of thousands of Rebel Army troops defeated by a civil servant was undoubtedly humiliating.
Thus, he had co early in the day, eager to see the man who had dealt him such a heavy blow.
He unapologetically assessed Lu Yuan and sneered, "Such an imposing presence from Grand Commander Lu!"
Lu Yuan remained expressionless as he said, "Yu Zichuan."
Yu Zichuan escorted a man into the tent and casually tossed him to the ground.
The man trembled and didn’t dare lift his head.
Lu Yuan smirked, "County Magistrate Zhong, eting an old acquaintance, aren’t you going to greet him?"
Yu Zichuan grabbed his hair, forcing his face toward King Qi.
King Qi’s expression instantly shifted.
Lu Yuan grinned arrogantly, "King Qi seems quite surprised—is it displeasure upon seeing a nephew by marriage?"
If King Qi had managed to maintain composure initially, the ntion of a nephew by marriage completely shocked him.
King Qi’s cousin had chosen a minor noblewoman from the branch family to gift as a concubine to County Magistrate Zhong.
This secret had been kept even from his brothers. How could Lu Yuan have uncovered it?
County Magistrate Zhong crawled to King Qi’s legs, clutching them and crying, "King Qi, Uncle! Save ! Please save !"
County Magistrate Zhong was already over forty, older than King Qi himself, yet still managed to utter "Uncle" without sha.
King Qi kicked him away, "Do you even have the right to call uncle?"
A guard beside him drew his sword to stab County Magistrate Zhong but was intercepted by Yu Zichuan.
The guard was about to engage Yu Zichuan when King Qi barked, "Stand down!"
The guard sheathed his blade and stepped back to stand beside King Qi.
Lu Yuan spoke flatly, "Serve tea."
ng Qianqian reached out for the teapot on the table.
Lu Yuan gestured lightly to stop her, "Not you."
ng Qianqian withdrew her hand.
King Qi turned a frigid gaze on Lu Yuan, his chest heaving a few tis before instructing the guard next to him, "Serve tea to the Grand Commander!"
The guard circled the table to pour a cup of tea for Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan chuckled faintly, "If King Qi remains unsatisfied, I can deliver those ministers and your nephew-in-law to the Emperor of Beiliang. I wonder how he would regard your acts of treason, deception, and instigation of conflict between two nations?"
King Qi sneered, "You think my father would believe you?"
Lu Yuan smiled, "I rely need to spread the information. Whether he believes it or not is irrelevant to . Naturally, soone will ensure they are safely presented to your father. Even if he is skeptical of , could he really doubt your rival siblings?"
The struggle for Beiliang’s throne made Great Zhou’s court politics pale in comparison.
King Qi clenched his fist, "At worst, I’ll claim that my grievances compelled to avenge Uncle Rong’en! My father adored Uncle Rong’en even more than his sons. He wouldn’t bla !"
Lu Yuan smirked, "But the one who killed Uncle Rong’en was none other than you, King Qi."
King Qi shot to his feet, pointing a finger at Lu Yuan and roaring like thunder, "What nonsense are you spouting? It was Great Zhou’s General who killed Uncle Rong’en!"
Lu Yuan’s mocking smile deepened, "Had you not first poisoned Uncle Rong’en and later revealed his whereabouts to Lu Lingxiao, how could Uncle Rong’en have t such a tragic end?"
King Qi’s face flushed red, "You slanderous snake!"
Lu Yuan lifted the tea cup, "Want to bet whether I can produce evidence of your sche against your uncle?"
King Qi’s fists cracked audibly as they clenched.
After a long while, he exhaled heavily and sank back into his chair, "What is it you want?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Withdraw your troops."
King Qi gnashed his teeth, "Fine, I agree."
"But I’m not finished speaking."
"What else do you want?"
Lu Yuan grinned, "Originally, I only intended to demand the withdrawal of your troops. However, I find myself feeling like raising the price."
"Lu Yuan, don’t get too arrogant!"
King Qi slamd his fist against the table, prompting one of his guards to draw his sword and lunge at Lu Yuan. Before the blade reached him, ng Qianqian had already kicked the guard out of the tent!
Lu Yuan lazily stretched out two slender fingers like jade, "Add twenty thousand taels of gold, and I want your Seventh Prince sent to Great Zhou as a hostage."
King Qi glanced at ng Qianqian, a flicker of caution flashing in his eyes. He refrained from striking the table again, "You’re outright robbing ! Besides, my father would never send my Seventh Brother to you!"
His father’s most cherished loved ones were the late Uncle Rong’en and the Seventh Prince, born to Consort Yu.
Twenty thousand taels of gold—he could pay that himself. But the Seventh Prince... If he dared agree, his father would surely have his head when he returned!
Lu Yuan sighed, his tone heavy with feigned sincerity, "A tiger doesn’t eat its cubs; your father won’t kill you. At most, he’ll distance himself from you for a while. Honestly, doing this might not be a bad thing for you, King Qi. You could take the opportunity to recede into the background, hide your strength and bide your ti, letting your other brothers fight over the throne. When they’re locked in combat, you can sweep in as the fisherman scooping up the prize—wouldn’t that be delightful?"
Cornering soone, then offering them a lifeline—even if it’s made of thorns—they will still bite down and grasp it.
ng Qianqian cast a gaze toward Lu Yuan.
When it ca to manipulating the human heart, no one could compare to him.
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