The main camp at the East Gate, the general's tent.

"Reporting to General Wu, Commander Ye Lin outside the tent requests an audience."

The guard bowed his head, clasped his hands in a fist and reported, awaiting Wu Guangping's instructions.

Wu Guangping's expression hardened, and he put down the broadsword in his hand. "Let him in."

"Yes!" The guard acknowledged the order and left.

Seeing the guards return, Lin Ye quickly stepped forward, lifted the tent flap, and entered General Wu's tent before the guards could speak.

The young guard standing on the other side looked at the swaying tent curtains and asked the guard who had just reported, "Brother, what is the background of this Commander Lin?"

He's been running to General Wu's camp every few days, and before you've even given him permission to enter, he's already come in on his own."

The guard who had just come out sighed almost imperceptibly, "You're new here, don't ask questions you shouldn't!"

We're just lowly soldiers under the general; we're lucky if we can even keep our lives!

"You want such a lucrative guard post? There are plenty of people waiting in line behind you!"

The young guard pursed his lips, not daring to reply. Everyone knew that guarding outside the general's tent was a lucrative job, and he didn't want to be replaced.

Inside General Wu's tent, Lin Ye walked up to General Wu and whispered a few words in his ear. After speaking, he took a step back.

Wu Guangping's large nose twitched slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Is the information accurate? Are you sure those three commanders didn't confess?"

Lin Ye knew that this matter could not be taken lightly, so he specially sent people to investigate twice. After confirming that the information was correct, he came to report it without delay.

He said, "The information is accurate. The three commanders have already sent their families out of the border city. They must know that this matter is of great importance and dare not reveal what they are planning."

Meanwhile, the Shadow Guards have already apprehended Deputy General Gu and imprisoned him in the Dark Prison; he is likely being interrogated under torture.

Upon hearing that the Shadow Guards had already identified Deputy General Gu as the person who orchestrated this matter, Wu Guangping no longer took the three commanders seriously.

Vice General Gu was the Second Prince's man, and he never knew the reason behind it. Even if he used all 180 kinds of torture in the Dark Prison to force a confession, it would all be in vain.

After a moment, Wu Guangping flicked his nose with his right index finger and ordered, "Once the dust settles, eliminate all the families of the three commanders. We must nip them in the bud!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye's shoulders tightened, and he then accepted the order and withdrew.

Wu Guangping thought about the pine torch he had lit on the East Gate city wall, and realized it was time to take it down.

Previously, the Tatars who had infiltrated the city were sent to the labor service department, and now there are two thousand of them, all of whom are elite generals selected by the Tatar king.

Now, the grain revenue of Dongcheng has decreased drastically. The emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty is incompetent and foolish. The soldiers on the border will surely have difficulty getting through the winter due to lack of clothing and food.

When the Tatar king launches his attack, the city gates will fall without a fight.

At that time, he could become a regional king, enjoying tens of thousands of lands and beautiful women!

......

While Wu Guangping was still indulging in his grand dreams, from the other side of the dark prison, a series of agonizing screams, like those of a raging inferno, could be heard from time to time.

The voices were heart-wrenching, filled with incessant curses.

Inside the innermost torture chamber of the dark prison, a man bound to a wooden frame had his sweat-soaked hair plastered messily to his face.

His head was drooping as he had fainted, and his white undershirt was soaked with sweat.

His left hand was tied to a wooden frame and he couldn't move. Blood dripped from the tips of his five fingers and fell onto the dark, damp floor, making a dripping sound.

An Yi followed Song Yanqing and quickly entered the torture chamber.

When Xing Zhi saw the Crown Prince coming in person, he bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

Song Yanqing sat imposingly in his armchair, looking at the prisoner before him with an unchanging expression. "Well? What have you confessed to?"

Upon hearing this, Xing Zhi handed over the booklet containing the records of the crime during the interrogation.

An Yi took the book and presented it to Song Yanqing with both hands.

In just one page, everything the interrogator confessed was recorded.

Song Yanqing closed the book and asked, "What do you think?"

This question was posed to Xing Zhi alone, so naturally he should be the one to answer it.

Xing Zhi recalled the details of the interrogation and replied, "Your Highness, I deduced that Deputy General Gu was completely unaware of the grain camp matter."

Before detaining the man in the dark prison, Song Yanqing already knew, otherwise Vice General Gu would not have been subjected to such a light punishment as the removal of his armor.

Song Yanqing said, "Take the man under control and begin interrogating him about the Second Prince's purpose in sending him to the border city."

"yes!"

After Xing Zhi received the order, Song Yanqing led An Yi out of the dark prison.

The sudden appearance of light in the darkness is so bright that it makes one want to close their eyes.

An Yi quickly ordered his men to bring the two warhorses to the gates of the Dark Prison.

Song Yanqing mounted his horse, and the two then headed towards their next destination.

At this moment, An Shi had already brought along a guard from the Labor Service Department to the place where laborers were imprisoned, where they craned their necks and waited for their master to arrive.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, An Shi checked his own attire and glanced at the guard's uniform. Once he was sure there was nothing wrong, he felt relieved.

The two men, who had come galloping up, pulled on the reins to stop their horses, and then dismounted one after the other.

An Shi ran forward obsequiously and reached out to take the reins from the prince's hand.

After the four entered the Labor Bureau, they arrived at a dimly lit room, which required a lamp to see clearly even in broad daylight.

Led by An Shi, Song Yanqing stepped into the house.

To the left of the door was a large desk with seven or eight stacks of registers piled on it.

It was all from the Department of Labor Service, a list of convicts who had been sent for labor service in the past three years, with a record of what crimes they had committed and were punished for.

With An Shi around, An Yi would never have to do something like pulling a chair.

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