There were few people at the gate of Ren County. The few soldiers guarding the city looked listless, holding their swords and yawning from time to time. It was much quieter than a prosperous city like Ningzhou.

“I don’t know whether my mother-in-law and her family have arrived in Ren County.”

"Let's go in and take a look."

At the city gate, a soldier was holding a portrait in his hand and looking at people. His attitude was very perfunctory, and he just glanced at them and let them pass.

The two of them successfully got in.

From a distance, I saw Shi Shaowen.

He was sitting under a big rock, and when he saw Gu Wei and Xie Ling, his face was full of surprise.

He ran over while waving, "You guys are here so soon!"

Gu Wei nodded, "When did you guys arrive?"

Shi Shaowen walked in front to lead the way. "Just three days ago, Brother Xu was afraid that you couldn't find us, so he asked me to wait at the city gate."

Ren County is small, and after walking two streets, the three of them arrived at their accommodation.

It's not an inn, but a small courtyard.

Shi Shaowen explained: "The inn in Ren County is too dirty and shabby, so Brother Xu rented a yard, which is very clean."

As he said that, he pushed the door open.

The yard is not big, but it is clean, paved with neatly arranged pebbles, and there is a small well.

It was morning, and the bright sunlight shone into the courtyard, giving a feeling of peace and tranquility.

As soon as Xu Xingzhi saw Gu Wei, he immediately walked over and pulled him to a corner to talk.

"What do you think of Ren County?"

Gu Wei raised his eyebrows, "Do you want to settle down in Ren County?"

Xu Xingzhi nodded.

Gu Wei patted Xu Xingzhi on the shoulder, thinking that he was indeed his confidant, as they had exactly the same ideas.

Gu Wei's first thought when he came to Ren County was that this place was suitable for settling down.

The location is remote, far away from the imperial power. The people of the whole county are simple and honest, and the officials and soldiers do not oppress the people.

If it weren't for the documents given by Su Qu, he might really want to settle down here.

Xu Xingzhi muttered like an old lady: "Yesterday I went to see a few large manors. They are very large and connected to the back mountain. They should be able to accommodate the Gu family.

I have rented this yard for half a month. Please see if it is okay. If it is, I will extend the stay with the landlord. The landlord is also very easy to talk to. We can recuperate here for a few years and then..."

Gu Wei raised his hand to stop Xu Xingzhi from speaking, and took out the document, "Look at what this is?"

Xu Xingzhi took it and read it, his chest heaving up and down, suppressing his ecstasy, "Where are you from?"

Gu Wei gave a brief explanation that was very effective.

"Great! With this document of appointment, all problems are solved! We can raise troops and have real power. We will set off to Lingnan the next day!"

Gu Wei raised his hand to stop Xu Xingzhi's restlessness, "Since we have rented for half a month, let's stay for half a month before leaving. Go out from Ren County, and then pass Jiaozhou to reach Lingnan. It's very close, let everyone rest for a while."

Xu Xingzhi turned around and excitedly announced the news.

Ren County is truly a peaceful small county with a suitable climate and simple folk customs.

After being exhausted from the journey and traveling thousands of miles for such a long time, we finally got to rest. After spending the most comfortable half month, we didn’t want to walk anymore.

And during this half month, a major event also happened in Beijiang.

The second prince's rebels were finally defeated, and the emperor died after lingering on for so long. The Prince of Beijiang ascended the throne in the midst of the storm.

But before the new emperor could even get comfortable on the throne, bad news arrived.

Refugees are everywhere in Beijiang, the rebels are growing stronger and stronger, and now they have occupied three major cities!

Given the court's inaction, riots by refugees are inevitable.

The new emperor had expected this long ago. Which dynasty didn’t have a few refugee rebellions every year?

So he didn't take the group of refugees seriously at first, but he didn't expect that they were so brave and could grow so strong!

Beijiang Court.

As soon as the sun showed a ray of light in the sky, and the new emperor hadn't even uttered a word, the officials were arguing in a mess. The whole court was buzzing, saliva was flying, and they were eager to start a fight.

"Your Ministry of Revenue always says that you have no money and need to provide disaster relief as soon as possible. Is this the case?"

"I think we should blame the Ministry of War. They raise soldiers for a thousand days and use them for a moment. What is Beijiang doing with tens of thousands of mouths? How come they can't even beat a few peasants at the critical moment?"

"Master Chen is so easy to talk about. Those refugees are desperate. They didn't see your Chen family when they donated silver, but now they come here to accuse you."

………

On the high platform, the new emperor finally couldn't stand it anymore, and cursed, "Shut up! If you keep making noise, drag me out and beat me to death!"

The court suddenly became quiet.

"If you have something to report, report it. If you don't, leave the court."

"Report, I have it!"

"I have one too!"

"And the minister!"

…….

"The Hanlin scholar has something to report!"

"The Ministry of Rites has many matters to attend to, so of course the Ministry of Rites will come first."

"My Ministry of War hasn't spoken yet, what dare you do?"

The new emperor's forehead throbbed and his breath was stuck in his throat again.

He reasonably suspected that his father did not die of illness, but was angered to death by facing these officials in court every day!

He pointed at someone at random and said, "General Sun, you go first."

General Sun stepped out and said loudly, "Your Majesty, when my men were searching for refugees near Jinguan, they seized a batch of weapons.

What's strange is that the weapons came from the Imperial Palace Sword Forge, and they were engraved with your Majesty's personal seal when he was still the Crown Prince. So I wonder if your Majesty's guards rebelled, or if their weapons were lost?"

The new emperor was furious and slammed the dragon throne hard, "Are you telling the truth?"

"I dare not hide it."

The new emperor felt like he was going to be mad to death!

He guessed immediately that it was the group of personal guards he sent to assist Chen Daoyu in assassinating Gu Wei.

Naturally, they did not dare to rebel, so the only possibility was that the weapons were lost.

The new emperor almost broke his teeth and wished he could smash the throne to pieces.

What a bunch of losers! They even threw away their weapons!

He didn't dare to say explicitly that he was the one who sent that group of people to assassinate Gu Wei. After all, there were still many old ministers in the court, and this would discourage them.

How should he explain it now?

As soon as General Sun finished speaking, discussions broke out in the court, with many different opinions.

A veteran of three dynasties stood out with a clear gaze and sharp words.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, why did your personal guards go to Jinguan City?"

The new emperor was anxious and missed the time when Chen Daoyu was still alive.

If Chen Daoyu were still alive, the court would not be so chaotic.

The situation is so chaotic right now, why don’t we call Chen Daoyu back?