Yuan Qing, the strategist, and Sun, the military doctor, were punished by being made to sweep the stables.

The charge was to discuss royal secrets.

The people of Tongzhou didn't actually have that much reverence for the royal family. In fact, who became emperor wasn't important to them; what mattered was whether the emperor could provide them with a peaceful life.

Tongzhou is located on the border and experiences a major war every few years. Before Xiao Changqi came to Tongzhou, many people moved away because they were afraid that the war would spread to their homes. Most of those who stayed were elderly people who couldn't bear to leave their roots, and those whose children were filial stayed with them.

Therefore, the vast Tongzhou had only a few thousand residents, most of whom were elderly, weak, sick, or disabled. The strong young people either left Tongzhou to find another way out or joined the army.

Therefore, they were unaware that discussing royal secrets was a capital offense in the capital.

Although Sun Jianchou was a doctor in the army, he would sometimes treat the common people, so the people were very grateful to him and even gave him the title of "Divine Doctor Sun".

Although Yuan Qing was visiting Tongzhou for the first time, he was a strategist in the army and unlike the pedantic scholars in the capital who constantly used classical Chinese phrases, the soldiers in the army respected both of them.

Now that they've been punished to sweep the stables, even the soldiers responsible for cleaning them don't dare let the two of them do it. They even rush forward as soon as the two of them pick up the brooms, saying, "Medic Sun, Strategist Yuan, this is not something you can do. We'll do it, we'll do it."

So, Sun Jianchou and Yuan Qing would only go to the stables once a day and then come back.

Upon learning this, Xiao Changqi waved his hand and threw the two men into the kitchen. He then ordered that anyone who disobeyed him again would be dragged out and given twenty lashes.

Thus began Sun Jianchou and Yuan Qing's days as cooks.

Fortunately, Xiao Changqi had previously seized grain from the Li Dan nobles, and now the Li Dan army was also temporarily without food supplies, so they had to call a halt and temporarily cease hostilities.

At the same time, Xiao Yan also received a reply from his spies.

"Your Highness, the Censor is someone sent by His Majesty. He can kill even the Prince Gan without hesitation. You must be careful," his confidant warned.

Xiao Yan sat in the seat of honor, his expression indifferent: "The censor-in-chief colluded with the prefect of Shuzhou to embezzle military rations and should be executed."

"But it's Gan Wang..."

Xiao Yan glanced at him indifferently and warned, "You only need to tell me about the situation in the capital."

The confidant's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head respectfully, saying, "The Crown Prince has already received news of the censor's murder, and he will definitely take the opportunity to impeach Prince Gan at tomorrow's morning court."

His Majesty already harbors great fear of Prince Gan. If he were to learn that the Censor-in-Chief had been killed by Prince Gan, he would surely become suspicious and resentful of Prince Gan. What do you think…?

"Seventh Prince does act too impulsively at times, but the crimes committed by the Censor are comparable to treason and collusion with the enemy, and he should be executed. Tell Lord Lin and the others to reveal the truth to the Emperor."

The confidant hesitated for a moment, but finally obeyed: "Yes, Your Highness."

...

The Prince Gan's Mansion.

Although Xiao Changqi was not in the capital, the affairs of the court were reported to the old chief steward almost every day.

On New Year's Day, he spent the whole day by the old steward's side, and of course he heard about how the Crown Prince impeached Xiao Changqi for killing the censor during the morning court session.

"Chirp chirp??"

Why did Xiao Changqi kill the censor?

Yuan Dan only hesitated for a few seconds before remembering that the original novel mentioned the censor colluding with the prefect of Shuzhou to embezzle military rations. Although the original plot had broken down, some parts were still the same as the original.

It is likely that Xiao Changqi learned of the collusion between the censor and the prefect of Shuzhou, and in a fit of rage, he beheaded the man.