More than 300 officers and soldiers were secretly competing with each other, none of them wanting to be worse than others, wishing they could get up earlier than the chickens and go to bed later than the dogs.

With Sheng Lingwei supervising the construction, they didn't dare to do anything superficial.

Sheng Lingwei was extremely gratified by this.

They even made a special commendation board for them, which only had the names of those who performed well written on it, along with the rewards they received and a few words of encouragement.

In this mode.

The officers and soldiers gradually became engrossed in it, forgetting their original duties and treating themselves like workhorses.

Every day, all they think about is work, working hard, working non-stop, working non-stop. They feel uneasy if they don't work for a day.

It has to be said that Sheng Lingwei is the one who won the bamboo shoot competition.

——

On the other side, after five days of rapid progress...

The leading officer, barely able to breathe, finally returned to the prefectural governor's mansion in Nanchang County. His legs gave way, and he fell off his horse.

The two guards at the gate frowned and immediately shouted, "Buddy, this is not a place for you. Get out of here, or don't blame us for being rude."

The leading soldier, lying on the ground, exhaled a breath of stale air. His face was bruised and swollen, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Screw you! I'm Wang Er! Take me to see the prefect right now!"

"Wang Er?"

The two guards suddenly raised their voices.

He quickly approached Wang Er, circled him, looked him up and down, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, Wang Er, you were just doing a mission, how did you end up like this? Did you get robbed?"

"That's right, even the beggars on the street are cleaner than you. Tell me quickly, what exactly happened to you?"

"You, you all..." Wang Er was furious. He had rushed back without stopping, and he was exhausted, hungry, and in pain. He could no longer hold on to his last breath.

His eyes rolled back, and with a snap, he passed out completely.

The two guards were startled.

"My goodness, why are you so easily angered? You just said a few words and you fainted from anger. What a useless thing you are."

"Forget it, his position is still higher than ours. We shouldn't offend him too much, lest he make things difficult for us in front of the prefect."

Indeed, although they were not Wang Er's subordinates, Wang Er enjoyed the deep trust of the prefect, which they could not compare to.

That's why they became jealous.

The two exchanged glances.

One of them was defeated.

Reluctantly, he dragged Wang Er into the prefect's mansion, then eagerly approached Prefect Luo, clasped his hands in greeting, and reported.

"My lord, Wang Er has returned from his mission, but his condition is very bad; he is currently in a coma."

The prefect of Nanchang Prefecture was named Luo Xinkai.

Tall and slender, with thick eyebrows, triangular eyes that gleamed with a fierce light, and a sinister smile hidden at the corners of his mouth.

As the saying goes, one's appearance reflects one's heart; he gives off an impression of being ruthless, vicious, and heartless.

Luo Xin raised an eyebrow and stared intently at the unconscious Wang Er, his expression gradually darkening.

You're saying he's Wang Er?

"Yes, sir, he said himself that he is Wang Er. I carefully observed his appearance, and it is indeed him."

Luo Xinkai's expression darkened. "Bring the imperial physician over to treat him, and then invite Lord Luo to come and discuss important matters."

The guard hurriedly and respectfully accepted the order, "Yes, sir."

Before long, the imperial physician and Luo Yang arrived at the hall.

Luo Yang is the magistrate of Gancao County. He is only in his twenties, but he looks weak and worn out by wine and women.

His clothes were disheveled, and there were still lipstick marks from a young woman on his face. You could smell the perfume on him from a distance.

Luo Yang squinted and glanced at the situation in the hall, then pouted unhappily. "Father, what brings you here? I have important business to attend to. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

Yes.

Luo Yang is indeed Luo Xinkai's illegitimate son.

Ever since the prefect's wife's family was imprisoned, Luo Yang has been extremely smug, practically wagging his tail in the air.

He openly and blatantly called Luo Xinkai "father," his smug and self-satisfied demeanor infuriating the prefect's wife to the point of bedridden illness, yet she was powerless to do anything about it.

Luo Xinkai sighed, looking at Luo Yang with a loving yet helpless expression, and advised again, "Yang'er, how many times have I told you? You are still young, you must not be obsessed with beauty. If you continue like this, your body will be hollowed out sooner or later."

Luo Yang was extremely annoyed and said impatiently:

“Father, you’ve said this so many times, I really don’t want to hear it anymore. If you keep lecturing me, I’m not staying at the Prefect’s residence anymore.”

"you……"

Luo Xinkai shook his head helplessly, "Fine, fine, I won't say it then, but don't threaten me with that."

At this point, Luo Xinkai narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "Yang'er, although you are my most beloved son, you know that I don't only have you as my son."

Luo Yang suddenly felt a jolt, his eyes darted around, and he quickly walked behind Luo Xinkai, smiling as he massaged his shoulders and back, his tone affectionate and ingratiating.

"Father, what are you saying? You are my own father, the only person I admire and respect in my life. My dear father, please don't hold it against your son, okay?"

Luo Xin sneered, his tone cold and indifferent.

"Yang'er, everything you have is given to you by me. If you don't listen to me, I can take back everything I gave you at any time."

Luo Yang's body stiffened, and his face gradually turned pale.

Oh no, he must have been too reckless lately and forgotten that his father is a ruthless man.

"Father, I promise you, I will never talk back to you again. Please be magnanimous and don't be angry with a good-for-nothing like me, okay?"

Luo Xinkai squinted and remained silent for a long time, which frightened the imperial physician and Luo Yang so much that they broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that they might be punished if they were not careful.

After a long while, Luo Xinkai finally spoke.

"Physician, how is Wang Er?"

The physician hesitated for a moment as he took Wang Er's pulse, then quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Excellency, Wang Er is physically exhausted, overworked, and severely deficient in qi and blood. He also has many superficial injuries all over his body and needs a period of recuperation to recover."

Luo Xinkai's eyes darkened, and he ordered the physician, "Wake Wang Er up for me."

"Yes, sir."

The physician shuddered, quickly pulled out a silver needle and inserted it into Wang Er's body, sighing inwardly: "The prefect is becoming more and more gloomy and frightening. It seems he should make plans for himself in advance."

To avoid losing my life one day.

It's laughable, really.

If the governor can be so ruthless to his wife, with whom he shares a bed, and his legitimate son and daughter, how could he possibly care about such a nobody?

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Wang Er cried out in pain and suddenly opened his eyes.

Upon seeing the familiar physician, he couldn't help but get excited, but as the physician kept reminding him with his eyes, his heart sank to the bottom of the sea.

"Wang Er." Luo Xinkai's deep voice sounded softly.

"Your subordinate is here."

Wang Er's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly endured the soreness in his body, got up, and knelt down on the ground.