Tang Huan sneered, "Let me explain. It's not that I want to fight Cui Renshi, but that he overestimates himself and tries to fight His Majesty. You probably don't know yet, but the property in Qihuai County now belongs not only to me, but also to His Majesty."

"Ridiculous!" Lord Jiang burst into laughter. "Do you think I would believe that?"

Tang Huan shook his head indifferently, "I don't need to care whether you believe it or not. As long as I have your corpse, I already have a reason. If His Majesty is unwilling to turn against Cui Renshi for my sake, then I'm just unlucky."

Tang Huan gripped the knife tightly in his hand.

Behind them, Gongyang Tingbai and Qin Yuyang stood on the left and right respectively.

Li Daikui was eager to pull out the gun from his chest, and the mercenaries were equally ready to attack without hesitation.

Lord Jiang was stunned by this scene and shouted, "How dare you!"

His only response was the sound of a gust of wind.

No, that's not the sound of the wind.

It was the sound of a knife slicing through a neck.

Blood splattered on Tang Huan's face, making him look like a demon.

Rong Shanhai was shocked. "Tang Huan, have you gone mad!"

"Am I crazy?" Tang Huan laughed, standing with his sword at the ground.

Xie Wu was equally incredulous. He had killed the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in public. Now, even if His Majesty wanted to protect him, he probably couldn't.

In the deathly silence, a rapid clatter of hooves broke the stillness.

A man riding a tall horse named Chicken Wings came along the official road in the distance. When he saw Tang Huan, he was taken aback and asked, "Lord Tang, what are you doing here?"

Tang Huan was also somewhat surprised and asked in astonishment, "Young Master Shen?"

Ignoring the bloodstains on Tang Huan's face and the corpse on the ground and the crowd around him, Xiao Shen strode forward and took something out of his pocket.

"The imperial edict has arrived."

Rong Shanhai and the others were the first to obediently prostrate themselves on the ground.

Next up was Xie Wu.

After Tang Huan knelt down properly, the people of Qihuai County slowly knelt down as well, even Gongyang Tingbai and Qin Yuyang knelt on one knee.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The magistrate of Qihuai County has resolved the disaster in Kuizhou, and his teaching at the Imperial Academy has been meritorious. Furthermore, he has helped Daqing win the competition against the Northern Region. His hard work and merits have won the Emperor's favor. Therefore, he is hereby granted a certificate of merit and honor. It is hoped that Tang Huan can work together with His Majesty to create a prosperous era for Daqing."

Tang Huan's lips curled up as he looked at Rong Shanhai and the others who were crawling on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

He said in a voice that everyone could hear, "I'm sorry, but His Majesty still calls the shots in Daqing. Cui Renshi is not qualified!"