Jiangcheng, outside the city gate.

As the capital of Jiangyang County, Jiangcheng not only closes the city at set times and imposes a curfew, but also has very strong defenses at its city gates. There are patrol teams on both sides of the city walls, guards at the gates, and archers on the city towers on standby at all times.

Two soldiers stationed at the city gate watched the crowds coming and going and began to discuss among themselves.

"Have you heard? Miao Shang massacred the entire Jiangde Village."

"This kid has been playing with fire for so long, I knew he'd get burned one day."

"I wonder if the prefect will punish him?"

"Governor Qi's style of handling things is such that the more it involves his brother-in-law, the more seriously he will investigate. But we cannot rule out the possibility that..."

"What's possible?"

"After Miao Shang learned that the massacre of the village had been exposed, he hid outside and did not return to Jiangcheng. This way, Prefect Qi could also relieve the pressure. He sent people to look for Miao Shang in a perfunctory manner. As they searched, the heat of the matter died down and the matter was forgotten."

"Fourth brother, you're really good at figuring people out! I think this is the most likely possibility!"

As the two were talking, a group of people walked towards the city gate.

The situation of this group was unusual. A dozen or so people were driving about thirty people, whose hands were tied together. They were disheveled and in disarray, but they could still be seen wearing the standard armor of the Great Jing Dynasty. As a result, their appearance attracted the attention of the guards.

Many of the garrison soldiers were in a daze, their first thought being: Had the Jing Army been captured by the pirates?

"It's Miao Shang!" The garrison only realized what was happening after a soldier pointed to Miao Shang in the crowd.

What's going on?

News of Miao Shang's massacre of the village had just arrived, and he was captured and brought back in the blink of an eye?

Who are these people?

Could it be someone from the Qi prefecture?

Seeing that something was wrong, the guards quickly went up to stop them.

Miao Shang shouted, "These people attacked the soldiers! Arrest them immediately!!!"

Xu An showed no mercy, kicking Miao Shang in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel down.

"Trying to pull some tricks as soon as he gets back?" Xu Anchong said to the guards, "This fellow slaughtered the village outside, and we just happened to run into him. He claimed to be your prefect's brother-in-law, so we sent him to your prefect!"

The guards looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.

Miao Shangchong shouted at the two men in front of him, "Ge Laosi! Cheng Heizi! What are you waiting for? Arrest them! My brother-in-law is the governor of Jiangyang County. Why are you afraid of these outsiders?!"

Upon hearing this, the guards pondered for a moment and then gripped their sword hilts tightly.

Heng Wenhao sneered, stepped forward, pulled out his waist token, and said sternly, "I am Heng Wenhao, personally appointed by His Majesty as the Imperial Bodyguard. The man behind me is the Prince Consort of the Great Jing Dynasty. Who dares to be disrespectful?!"

boom!

Upon hearing this, not only were the guards stunned, but Miao Shang was also dumbfounded.

What?

The Prince Consort?

"What are you so surprised about!" Xu An slapped Miao Shang on the head and said, "I already told you about our identities. Oh... you have the memories of a goldfish."

Miao Shang tried hard to recall, then murmured, "Prince Consort, Zhao Cheng, Zhao...you're the Young Prime Minister?!"

“Xu An…” Miao Shang looked at Xu An again.

Xu An put his hands on his hips and laughed, "You guessed right, it's me."

Miao Shang said, "I've never heard of that name before."

Xu An slapped him again, angrily saying, "My father is Marquis Qingdong, Xu Shouli!"

Miao Shang felt that the injuries he had sustained from Xu An's beatings along the way had worsened, but that was nothing compared to the shock he felt at this moment.

The son of the Right Chancellor, the young Chancellor.

The son of the Marquis of Qingdong, the young marquis.

What kind of shit did I step in to run into these two spoiled brats?

He suddenly understood what Xu An had said before the fight: he wanted to see who was just unlucky...

This is more than just bad luck; this is a serious case of being sent away!

Sure enough, once his identity was revealed, the guards dared not make any rash moves.

Zhao Cheng put his hands behind his back and strode into the city, saying, "To see the prefect, lead the way!"

Prefectural Governor's Office.

Qi Bainian looks to be in his forties, with deep eyes, a kind face, and resolute features, showing that he was very handsome when he was young.

He sat upright in the main seat, listening quietly as Zhao Cheng and Xu An recounted the massacre of Jiangde Village, never interrupting them once.

Miao Shang knelt obediently in the hall, while the others knelt in the courtyard outside the hall.

After Zhao Cheng and Xu An finished speaking, Qi Bainian finally said, "The young prime minister and the young marquis are of noble status and have no grudge against Miao Shang, so naturally they wouldn't deliberately fabricate a story to slander him. However, this matter is of great importance, and if it is found to be true, the impact will be extremely negative. Please give me time to verify the facts, and I will definitely give you both an explanation, an explanation to the innocent villagers who were killed, and an explanation to the people of Jiangyang County and Jiangcheng!"

Zhao Cheng said, "This matter is not difficult to investigate. None of the thirty-odd survivors outside are tough guys... I look forward to good news from the Prefect."

Qi Bainian said, "Then please stay at the Prefect's residence for the time being."

Zhao Cheng politely said, "Wouldn't it be too much of a bother for us to stay here? We can stay at an inn outside."

"No."

Qi Bainian said in a serious tone, "Since the young prime minister knows about the relationship between Miao Shang and me, it would be better if you did not leave the prefectural governor's mansion. Only by keeping a close eye on me can you know that I have not abused my power."

"Prefect Qi is joking. I dare to entrust the man to you because I trust you!"

Whether you believe it or not is your business; how you do it is my business.

Although Qi Bainian had a kind face, he kept a straight face from beginning to end and said, "Someone, prepare a good room!"

After Zhao Cheng and his group left the hall, Miao Shang crawled and knelt down to Qi Bainian's feet and grabbed Qi Bainian's ankle.

"Help me, brother-in-law! You have to save me, brother-in-law!!"

Qi Bainian closed his eyes and remained silent for a while, then pulled his foot away, stood up, and slapped Miao Shang hard across the face, making his face red and swollen.

*Smack!!!*

After smoking, Qi Bainian left without pausing or saying a word.

"Brother-in-law!!!" Miao Shang collapsed to the ground, limp.

night.

The backyard of the prefectural governor's mansion.

A woman's crying could be heard coming from inside the room.

Miao Shaohua was a woman who had just turned forty. Although her beauty had faded, she was still refined. When she cried out, she did not act like a typical rural woman. Her every move carried a touch of nobility.

Although the Miao family of Jiangcheng did not have the same profound heritage as the Lu and Tu families, they were still considered a middle-class family in Jiangcheng. Especially after Qi Bainian became the prefect, they rose to the upper-middle class, second only to the Lu and Tu families.

"Qi Bainian, if you don't save Miao Shang, who else can?"

"No one can save him!"

Qi Bainian angrily said, "The evidence for his crimes is irrefutable. The witnesses and physical evidence were presented to me before nightfall. Is there any hope for him?"

Miao Shaohua rushed to Qi Bainian, her face contorted with grief, and said, "He's my only younger brother! He's a top-notch martial artist, and the family has high hopes for him. His life can't be ruined like this!"

"His life is a lifetime, but other people's aren't?"

Qi Bainian pointed out the window, frowning, and said, "Weren't those villagers he slaughtered human beings?!"