Anotha is 1.9 meters tall, with a dark face and thick lips. Even dressed in a scholar's robe, he looks like a nouveau riche.

He seemed to have anticipated this, and readily knelt down with a flick of his robe. "Nothing can be hidden from Your Highness. These bandits were indeed brought here by my men, in order to expose the crimes of Xiao Renyi, the villain from Mengzhou."

"This Xiao Renyi has been running rampant in the south for twenty years, and his crimes are heinous. We beg Your Highness to do justice for the people of these five counties and eliminate this corrupt official!"

Xiao Zhixing pointed out the truth, "It was Acai who made you do this, wasn't it?"

Anotha knew the itinerary she was on, and so did Asai, the governor of Namon County.

Anotha chuckled dryly, “Your Highness is wise. My father instructed that even if you blame him afterward, he must seek justice for those innocent people who died unjustly.”

Xiao Zhixing said coldly, "Are you trying to frame me for something unjust? This matter should be reported to the court and dealt with by His Majesty's decree, not made me the one to overstep my bounds."

She was just passing by; she wasn't an imperial envoy inspecting the entire country, so she had no right to investigate and kill corrupt officials.

Anotha smiled bitterly, "Your Highness, my father reported this to the court six years ago, but unfortunately, the report was ignored. As a result, my father was not promoted for eight years. Who exactly was hindered by this? And who turned a blind eye behind the scenes?"

Seeing that Xiao Zhixing remained unmoved, he said excitedly, "That man is of such high status... yet he allows villains to harm the people. How can he live up to the trust placed in him by the late Emperor Yin?"

"Insolence!" Xiao Zhixing interrupted his treasonous words. "Get out and kneel at the tent entrance."

Anotha clenched his fist, his face flushed, and walked out to kneel at the tent entrance.

The others emerged from their tents and looked at each other in bewilderment upon seeing the scene.

When it was time for dinner, Lin Rushu came to dine with her and casually said, "I heard from his servant that six years ago, Anotha's birth mother and sister died in a bandit attack, and his father almost died as well. It seems that Mengzhou is in some chaos."

Xiao Zhixing put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands, and tossed aside his handkerchief before saying, "All the officials in the Six Ministries pretend this matter doesn't exist. Can I openly expose their shortcomings?"

The Six Ministries didn't care, Xiao Xin didn't care, and even the Emperor didn't care. Given this situation, could she act openly?

She does have an impatient persona, but she can't really be impatient.

So even if she wanted to get involved, she could only do it secretly.

Lin Rushu smiled, "Then let them get up. If they keep kneeling, their knees will break."

Xiao Zhixing hummed in agreement, seemingly lost in thought.

Anotha limped in, cupped his hands, and said with a pale face, "Your Highness, I was inappropriate."

Xiao Zhixing glared at him irritably, "Some things are better left unsaid."

You can't say it out loud and give others a handle to use against you.

Anotha should be watching her expectantly.

Xiao Zhixing said calmly, "We will set off tomorrow and travel swiftly to Tongchuan County."

She added, "Once you leave the southern counties, have your father come to see me."

This matter needs to be discussed with someone who can make the decision.

It would be good to take advantage of this incident to win over Asai and bring him into our ranks, so that we can take over Montgomery as our granary in the future.

"Yes, I will contact my father immediately!" Anotha said happily as he turned to take his leave.

Xiao Zhixing said to Lin Rushu, "I'll take care of this for you. You will personally lead Jiang Tan, Anotha, and Mu Wan to handle it."

"Remember, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and you have a legitimate reason to fight back."

It can be considered a kind of experience.

Lin Rushu knew that this was to establish his prestige, so he gladly accepted it and memorized the words carefully.

Seven days later, they left the five southern prefectures and entered Tongchuan County.

Some people who had been following their journey breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had just gotten rid of a plague.

However, they failed to notice that two thousand refugees had mysteriously disappeared.

Xiao Zhixing and his group arrived in Tongchuan County and stayed at the post station this time.

After she finished washing up, Bai Mei led in a man dressed in a low-key manner.

"Your humble servant Asai greets Prince Yuansheng."

The newcomer immediately bowed deeply, and looked about 80% like Anotha.

"Get up. Enough with the small talk. Did you bring anything useful?"

Asaye respectfully took out a stack of letters, and Xiao Zhixing understood what was going on after reading them.

She didn't beat around the bush, "This matter is within my jurisdiction. Lord Asai is a wise man; he should know that there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Asai bowed and said, "In the future, Anotha will do his best to assist Miss Lin in managing Mengzhou."

Xiao Zhixing asked in surprise, "Why is Lord Asai so decisive? Doesn't he even consider it?"

She thought it would take some effort to win him over, but he got close to her so easily, and she felt something was off.

A slight smile appeared on Asay's charcoal-black face. "This humble official is ordered to assist Your Highness in controlling Mengzhou. I will have no regrets even if I die."

After seeing Asay off, Xiao Zhixing frowned.

Ordered? By whose orders? And is this true or false?

However, she stopped thinking about it. Once something was in her hands, no one could take it away.

They stayed in Tongchuan for two days before continuing their journey north.

On the third night, a horrifying incident occurred at the Pantou County government office.

The county government office was attacked by bandits and set on fire, with flames shooting into the sky, shocking the entire county.

The bandits, chanting slogans like "Officials are forcing the people to rebel" and "Kill the corrupt officials," stormed into the county government office and wreaked havoc.

County Magistrate Xiao Renyi was seriously injured, and countless members of his family and subordinates were killed or wounded. By the time the local garrison arrived, the government office had been burned down.

The bandits had already fled and their whereabouts were unknown.

Meanwhile, bandits in the other five counties in southern Mengzhou also began attacking county government offices and the residences of wealthy merchants and nobles, rising up in rebellion.

The messenger arrived at Zhao Yunqi's desk that afternoon, and all the officials learned of the matter.

There's no way to hide something like this.

A small assembly was convened quickly.

*Smack*

Zhao Yunqi slammed down the memorial, his face full of anger, "You scoundrels, you prey on the people, you treat human life like dirt, leading to the people's rebellion by the officials."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!