"The riot in Zhangjia Village had a wide impact, with large areas of villages joining in. This was mainly because Siming Prefecture is located in the border area, which used to be one of the border defense posts of the Imperial Guard."

"The news that the Imperial Guards, in collusion with local gentry and wealthy merchants, exploited the peasants, leading to a riot that killed more than 20,000 people, was unknown even in Qinzhou."

"As for Yongzhou, the central area of ​​Guangnan West Road, it was completely unknown to them. In order to protect his own position, the prefect of Yongzhou chose to suffer from amnesia!"

Yue Fei's face had turned ashen. If that were true, he felt that every bite of rations his army ate was the blood and flesh of the people.

"Why not report it to the imperial court?" When Yue Fei said this, he knew he had asked in vain.

Since no one in Qinzhou has heard about this, it must have been handled very cleanly.

The southwest is too far from Tokyo. Let alone ordinary people reporting it, even a rich young master like Ning Cuishan, with a chivalrous heart, would be blocked by layers of bureaucrats if he wanted to report it. He would probably be stopped by the county magistrate, and the person who reported it would be beaten to death.

Let alone reaching the judicial authorities, Tokyo was out of the question.

Yue Fei then said, "What about the Provincial Judicial Commissioner? He's in charge of the judicial affairs of a region on behalf of the Emperor!"

Ning Cuishan sighed and said, "Guangnan West Road is like a big dye vat. I don't know if people are clean before they come in, but if they want to survive here, they must paint themselves with a layer of color."

"You mean the Chief Justice is also one of their people?"

“It’s not that they’re the ones who are in charge, but that everyone has something on them and they all have to step down. To protect Wu Sha, everyone is cooperating with each other.”

Yue Fei washed his face with water and said, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Ning Cuishan was silent for a moment, then said self-deprecatingly, "Do you believe there is still a conscience in this world?"

Yue Fei was slightly taken aback, and instantly felt a sense of awe and respect for Ning Cuishan.

Ning Cuishan continued, "Not many people know about this matter. I want to tell you so that you can report it to the imperial court and ask the emperor to uphold justice for the people of Guangnan West Circuit!"

"Aren't you afraid that I might end up like them?"

Ning Cuishan laughed and said, "Someone like you doesn't even know how to play along at a dinner table. How could you be like them? I had heard of your reputation before and admired you, but after meeting you, my admiration for you is beyond words."

Yue Fei had become much more sober and didn't pay much attention to Ning Cuishan's flattery.

Now all he can think about is getting out of here as soon as possible; he feels uncomfortable staying any longer.

He wasn't a civil official who needed to curry favor at banquets; he was just a military general whose job was to conquer the territory entrusted to him by the emperor.

"I will report this matter to Lord Zong truthfully, and Lord Zong will naturally investigate it thoroughly."

Zong Ze was the Pacification Commissioner of the Southwest, wielding great power over military, political, civil, and judicial affairs. If the Imperial Guards of Guangnan West Circuit had indeed massacred villages and plundered the people, Zong Ze would naturally intervene.

After speaking with Ning Cuishan, Yue Fei returned to the banquet. The banquet was still not over, and someone suggested a second half.

But Yue Fei refused outright.

Each of these people stood up to persuade him to stay, saying that their admiration for him was like a never-ending, surging river.

Then, one after another, beautiful women walked in carrying plates, each plate containing a thick stack of receipts.

The documents on the paper included land deeds, property deeds, and even contracts for the sale of beautiful women—you name it.

Zhou Chuanli pulled over a man named Xie Kunshan and said to Yue Fei, "Pengju, let me introduce you. Master Xie is from a prominent family in Siming Prefecture. He has long admired you and is willing to marry his daughter to you as a concubine."

Upon hearing the words "Siming Prefecture," Yue Fei's expression immediately changed. He completely ignored the rest of the conversation about concubines and asked, "Master Xie is from Siming Prefecture?"

Xie Kunshan smiled obsequiously and said, "Yes."

Have you ever heard of Zhangjia Village?

As soon as Yue Fei mentioned Zhangjia Village, Xie Kunshan's smile froze instantly, and Zhou Chuanli, who was standing to the side, almost jumped up.

Upon seeing this reaction, Yue Fei immediately pulled Zhou Chuanli aside.

"Sir Zhou, according to rank, you are higher than me, but I have heard that something big has happened in Zhangjia Village, you must know that, right?"

"Pengju, don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Knowing some things won't be good for you."

"Of course I won't ask questions I shouldn't ask, but if it involves the army or our army's supplies, then I will ask. If I don't ask, then I'm derelict in my duty."

“Pengju, trust me. I will not mistreat the new army. I will not shortchange them a single grain of food. Even if Cao Xingyun has a problem with you, he would not dare to deliberately play tricks on the food. This matter is under my jurisdiction.”

Yue Fei did not believe him, just as Ning Cuishan said, Guangnan West Road was a big dye vat.

Just then, the sound of arguing came from outside.

Yue Fei and Zhou Chuanli rushed out and found that a captain from the New Army and a captain from the Imperial Guard had entered and were arguing with each other.

Yue Fei rushed over: "Chen Ke, what happened?"

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, we have captured a group of vagrants at the gate. They wish to meet with the Chief Justice."

"The Chief Justice isn't here. Find one of your men to guide them and tell them to leave quickly."

"But they also said they wanted to find Cao Xingyun, the commander!"

Yue Fei frowned slightly. The head of the Imperial Guard said, "A bunch of unruly people. I told them to leave, but you're stopping me. If they're spies sent by the Jiaozhi rebels, they'll ruin everything!"

Yue Fei asked, "What exactly happened?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!