Knowing what he was up to, Shen Shi stared intently at Gu Yuanbai and asked, "What important matter do you have to report?"

Upon hearing Chen Shi's question, Gu Yuanbai replied excitedly.

"Yesterday, I unexpectedly encountered an envoy from the Qiang Kingdom in the city. After some twists and turns, I have now successfully gained his trust."

When his subordinates made contributions, Chen Shi never hesitated to praise them.

"Well done." Even though he knew Gu Yuanbai was acting, he was happy to play along.

However, Gu Yuanbai's overly dramatic expression still made Shen Shi frown slightly.

Immersed in his own world, Gu Yuanbai was completely unaware: "From my observation, the Qiang envoy seems to have come to the capital only to participate in the Wanchao Conference."

Perhaps sensing the dubiousness of his words, Gu Yuanbai lowered his head after speaking, not daring to look at Chen Shi's expression.

This is really treating him like a fool.

"Really? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?" Shen Shi laughed angrily.

"Your subordinate is foolish..." Gu Yuanbai immediately apologized upon realizing something was wrong.

"That's right, I think you're quite dull-witted," Shen Shi agreed with a sarcastic remark.

Knowing that this explanation was not convincing, Gu Yuanbai had no choice but to do as instructed in order to gain Mu Tu's trust.

He believed he was mentally prepared, since even if it was tough, it would only be a few days.

After this is done, let's see how arrogant this prince will be.

"Please punish me, Fifth Prince," Gu Yuanbai said respectfully, kneeling down, but his eyes blazed with barely concealed anger.

Shen Shi knew very well that Gu Yuanbai had already secretly communicated with the Qiang people, and the person who contacted him was likely Mu Tu.

Thinking of the seventh prince of the Qiang Kingdom, Shen Shi had to admit that he was indeed a troublesome fellow.

If she were to be easily fooled by Gu Yuanbai, it would only arouse his suspicion.

Shen Shi even suspected that Gu Yuanbai's perfunctory words came from him, and that this was very likely Mu Tu's test.

"Go out and receive ten lashes!" Shen Shi said to Gu Yuanbai below him without any politeness.

"Yes!" Gu Yuanbai gritted his teeth.

Then he went outside, and the sound of whipping and faint groans could be heard outside the study.

A moment later, Gu Yuanbai walked in with a hunched back.

The executioner was Shen Shi's confidant, so naturally he showed no mercy. After receiving ten solid lashes, Gu Yuanbai felt pain even in his breathing.

"Your subordinate failed to grasp the bigger picture; the Fifth Prince's reprimand is correct." But at this moment, he still had to kneel down to thank Shen Shi for his punishment.

"Good to know!"

Shen Shi raised his chin, threatening in a sinister tone: "The Qiang Kingdom cannot remain inactive. If they cannot gather usable intelligence before the start of the Grand Assembly, your fate will be dire!"

Seeing Shen Shi's firm attitude, Gu Yuanbai immediately said, "Understood!"

The process is almost complete.

"Go!" Shen Shi waved to him.

After Gu Yuanbai left, Shen Shi inevitably thought of the Qiang Kingdom and the Seventh Prince Mu Tu.

Mu Tu was born to the Qiang king and a woman from the Central Plains.

This woman was abducted and presented to the Qiang king. Because of her outstanding appearance and obedient nature, she was very much liked by the Qiang king.

However, after giving birth to the seventh prince, this woman disappeared without a trace, and the Qiang Kingdom sent people to search for her for more than a year without success.

As the saying goes: what you can't have always seems more desirable.

After this woman left, the Qiang king missed her even more, and her seventh son became the most favored prince in the Qiang kingdom.

The Qiang king once wanted to make this son the crown prince, but the fact that he was of Central Plains descent drew unanimous opposition from the Qiang people.

The Qiang Kingdom had no choice but to give up and instead groom the fifth prince as their successor.

Mu Tu, who always considered herself superior, could not accept this result.

He wanted to silence the Qiang people with a major victory.

What could be better than defeating a long-time rival?

Is it a greater feat to severely injure the Qi state, which was superior to them?

The answer is no.

The strength of the State of Qi has declined considerably compared to twenty years ago.

The only force that could instill fear in the Qiang people was the army led by the Marquis of Zhenbei, which was stationed in the border city.

It was the first obstacle that led the Qiang people's iron hooves into the Central Plains.

It's not realistic to directly send troops to eliminate the Marquis of Zhenbei.

The attacking side would suffer enormous losses, which the resource-poor Qiang Kingdom could not afford. What they needed to do was to win a quick victory.

The best way is to dismantle it from within.

According to intelligence from the Qiang Kingdom, the emperor of Qi had long harbored suspicions about the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Eager to make a name for himself, Mu Tu volunteered first, confidently assuring the Qiang king that he could dismantle the power of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

The Qiang king remained hesitant about whether or not to send troops to the Qi state.

On the one hand, the territory of the Qiang Kingdom was indeed unfavorable, with almost no harvest of grain and other crops every year. However, in recent years, it has been able to barely survive by plundering some neighboring small countries.

If we rashly send troops to the State of Qi, we will be happy if we win, but if we lose, we will have to cede territory and pay reparations, which is not worth it.

But Mu Tu, with his exceptional eloquence, successfully persuaded the Qiang King.

He promised Mu Tu that if he could remove the thorn in Zhenbei Marquis's side, he would personally lead his troops south, aiming his sword straight at the heart of the Central Plains.

Based on the events of the previous life, Mu Tu's scheme will come true.

At this critical juncture, the clueless Shen Tunan actually believed that the Marquis of Zhenbei had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, and immediately issued an edict to dismiss him on the spot.

Upon hearing this news, the Qiang king was overjoyed and immediately mustered 100,000 troops to march south.

What he didn't expect was that the Marquis of Zhenbei, who had been accused of treason, still vowed to defend the city to the death.

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