"It's better to do it today than today. Let's go to the area in batches and have them wait in front of the dense forest. There's no need to hide."

"Starting the war today?" Bai Yan frowned. "Isn't it a bit hasty? The High Priest just passed away, and the Southern Gu King is searching the entire city for you. This is the time to be on high alert..."

“That’s when he’s happiest.”

Jiang Zhiyu took over the conversation and said, "The death of the high priest makes him happy. So even if there's a city-wide manhunt, at least now he is the most relaxed. This is one reason."

"Secondly, from the very beginning, when we entered Nan Gu, we acted as if there were only two of us. Even if he later found out that the person in the embroidery shop was my mother, how many people were there? At most, there were only ten. Would he be afraid?"

"Third, and most importantly, even if he's alert, what good does it do? Does he really think a few poisonous insects can stop a large army?"

【Isn't this funny?】

Bai Yan was speechless.

There was still a clear glint of stupidity in the eyes of the young high priestess.

"After bringing everyone here, I won't ask where you and her go from now on. I can also guarantee that Emperor Tianqi will never send anyone to track down your whereabouts."

Bai Yan took a deep breath and said, "Fuck!"

[Hmm? Is this guy scolding me?]

Jiang Wenjing: "..."

…

On the other side, the Minister of Rites hurried into the palace. He had obviously just gotten out of bed and his belt was tied backwards.

As soon as he entered the imperial study, he kicked Gao Zilun first, then knelt down and apologized to the emperor.

The kick was delivered mercilessly towards Gao Zilun's back, and Gao Zilun was unable to get up for a long time.

"Your Majesty, it was my failure to discipline him that allowed this rebellious son to act this way! But Your Majesty, you can see clearly that this rebellious son is at most lustful and daring, and he would never dare to harbor the intention of treason!"

His wails were so loud that they could almost break one's eardrums.

Jiang Sulan didn't care about whether it was impolite or not. She covered her ears tightly with both hands and looked at the emperor with admiration.

He is worthy of being the emperor. He remains calm even when facing a crisis. Look at the corners of his mouth, they are still raised!

The emperor's smile froze on his face, and he silenced the Minister of Rites's wailing with a single sentence: "You, this rebellious son, are so daring and lustful that you have no intention of betraying your country. What about you?"

The Minister of Rites's cloudy old eyes suddenly widened: "Your Majesty! I have watched you grow up. Your loyalty is evident to all!"

"Loyalty is witnessed by heaven and earth? What do you think of Lian Qisheng, the governor of Jinzhou?"

Lian Qisheng?

Jiang Sulan thought for a while before digging this person out of her memory.

Lian Qisheng's daughter was Prince Yu's concubine. When Prince Yu rebelled, his family and friends were naturally implicated.

At that time, my uncle was jointly attacked by Lian Qisheng and Liu Zhijie. Liu Zhijie was killed by Zhiyu, and Lian Qisheng was killed by my uncle himself. All the charges were handed over to the emperor.

Now it seems that Lian Qisheng is actually colluding with the Minister of Rites?

A thin layer of cold sweat appeared on the Minister of Rites' forehead. The sweat flowed down his cheeks like a stream, wetting the strands of hair at his temples and sticking to his cheeks.

The corners of his mouth twitched slowly.

Lian Qisheng has been identified as Prince Yu's man, and he must not have anything to do with him!

He was about to retort when the emperor said, "It was you who recommended Lian Qisheng, wasn't it?"

"Back then, Jinzhou had ample food and gold, silver, and iron mines. It was a truly valuable land, and the governor's position was a lucrative one. I've always wondered how such a good piece of land, once in Lian Qisheng's hands, became a land of rampant bandits, destitute livelihoods, and poverty. Can't even afford to eat?"

"It turns out he took it all away!"

With a loud bang, the emperor threw a small memorial at the Minister of Rites: "Take a good look! The person you recommended had a breakfast of 128 dishes! But what about the people in Jinzhou?! They can't even afford a steamed bun!"

The Minister of Rites became more and more frightened as he read through the book.

He was sweating profusely and didn't dare to look up.

Gao Zilun snuggled beside him, and he forced himself to suppress the tiny whimpers.

You can hear a pin drop in the imperial study.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the emperor finally spoke again: "How can the Minister still claim to be loyal after recommending such a man?"

The Minister of Rites clutched the hem of his clothes and lowered his head dejectedly: "Your Majesty, I acknowledge my guilt."

Gao Zilun's eyes widened: "Dad?!"

"Since you have confessed your guilt, I will deal with you impartially. Gao Zilun disregarded my order and trespassed into the Xu residence. He is guilty of treason and will be imprisoned first. The Minister of Rites is not good at judging people and raising his children. However, considering your contributions to Tianqi over the years, your merits and demerits offset each other, and I will allow you to retire and return home."

The Minister of Rites took off his official hat with trembling hands and gently placed it aside: "I obey your order."

The Jinyiwei who had been waiting outside the door for a long time rushed in, carried Gao Zilun away, and his shrill screams echoed in the imperial study. The Minister of Rites never looked back.

After the sound could no longer be heard, he slowly stood up, bent his body and walked out. He seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant.

Silence returned to the imperial study. Fuping stepped forward and put the small memorial back on the table. The Jinyiwei had not returned to reply, so the emperor could not let Jiang Sulan and Ah Fu return home.

He looked at Ah Fu and asked, "Is this your guard?"

"Your Majesty, no, his name is Ah Fu. He is my eldest brother's bodyguard and grew up with him."

Emperor: "He escorted you alone? He seems quite skilled."

Jiang Sulan chuckled: "Yes, we encountered a few ambushes along the way, but we managed to dodge them. In terms of skills, they are certainly not as good as the emperor's Jinyiwei."

Jiang Sulan was nervous in her heart, but she replied calmly.

Why did he ask Ah Fu so many questions? Could it be that he saw Ah Fu as a good person and wanted to recruit him as a Jinyiwei?!

If the emperor takes it, how will she explain to her eldest brother when he comes back?

The emperor saw her nervous look, and a hint of ridicule flashed across his eyes: "I think my Jinyiwei can't compare. It's been so long, and they can't even deal with a few masked men."

Jiang Sulan was considering how to respond when she heard the voice of the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside.

emperor:"……"

Jiang Sulan: “!!!”

Yay!

But this was such a coincidence, they came back just as the emperor finished speaking.

The emperor sighed helplessly, and Fuping shouted loudly.

Immediately afterwards, the Jinyiwei came in with the masked man's body.

There are six in total.

Arranged neatly.

Fuping's eyelids twitched wildly, and he was about to yell, but he saw that the emperor had already stood up and walked towards the corpse.

"Your Majesty, there were five of them initially, armed with poisoned crossbows, launching a surprise attack. After Miss Jiang and Gao Zilun were taken away, they tried to pursue them, but were stopped by us. These men were highly skilled in martial arts and nearly broke through the formation several times. After we stopped them, they knew there was no hope of escape, so they simply bit the poison hidden in their mouths."