The sudden death of the late emperor aroused his suspicion. The late emperor had always been in good health, and even the imperial physicians said that he would live to a ripe old age.

Meng Wei felt there must be something hidden about this matter, so he secretly investigated and indeed found some clues. A few days before the late emperor's sudden death, the emperor frequently entered the palace and stayed for a long time. After that, the late emperor's health deteriorated, which must be related to him.

Meng Wei immediately decided to rebel, but was dissuaded by civil and military officials. He realized that this was not something that could be reversed by one person alone, so he endured hardship and came to Feng County, hoping to have a chance to take revenge.

"I also discovered you during my investigation. You clearly harbor resentment towards the Emperor. You should have me on your side, so why are you still working for him!"

Xie Qianzhong had endured hardship and humiliation for many years in order to restore his country. His desire was even stronger, which is why he was so convinced that he could not make a mistake and that now was not a good time to break ties with the emperor.

"No matter what, I am determined to fix the waterway. If you continue to obstruct me, I don't mind keeping you locked up forever." With that, Xie Qianzhong returned to his room and stayed inside, not coming out until the next day. Song Tangxue was worried about him, so she specially prepared some pastries for him.

Xie Qianzhong rarely drank, but he couldn't handle drinking this much. Song Tangxue couldn't bear it any longer and snatched the wine pot from his hand: "Stop drinking!"

Xie Qianzhong narrowed his eyes slightly and saw who it was: "You've come. Let's have a chat."

Xie Qianzhong was filled with mixed feelings. The current emperor was incompetent in governing the country, and many small countries around him had launched wars against Yongfeng Kingdom. According to the agreement, as long as there was a battle, brothers would inevitably die. He clearly did not take the soldiers seriously.

Although it was a great victory, it affected the strength of the army. The emperor was numb and ignorant, still complacent, and even took the initiative to provoke battle. If this continues, the army will definitely not be able to hold out for long.

Now, many countries are dissatisfied with Yongfeng Kingdom. It is said that the countries have joined forces to deal with this future threat. His Majesty may not know this, yet he holds a high position but does not think about the dangers ahead.

"I really don't know what to do. According to my plan, I shouldn't have clashed with the court so soon, but when I think about these things, I wish I could rebel right now."

Xie Qianzhong closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He couldn't afford to clash with the imperial court right now; he had to calm down and secretly develop his own power.

"No matter what happens in the future, I will always be by your side." Song Tangxue gently embraced his waist, resting her head on his body. Besides the smell of alcohol, there was also a hint of osmanthus fragrance, which made people feel at ease.

...

The repairs to the waterway went very smoothly over the next few days and were finally completed seven days later. They planned to return to the capital the next day and had something to do tonight.

The atmosphere at the Tiger Gang was heavy today. Tiger Brother had gathered everyone together to discuss the important matter of dealing with Xie Qianzhong. They would be leaving soon, and then it would be too late.

"That lord seems to have not returned yet, and Xie Qianzhong has a powerful expert by his side. Perhaps we should strike at Song Tangxue first. I see that the two of them are very close, so they must have a very good relationship."

"But the two of them are inseparable, what should we do?"

Xie Qianzhong is now in power in the court, and naturally has experts by his side to help him. If we join forces with others to break them up, we can then make our move.

"I'd like to see how you plan to make your move."

With a shout, two figures stepped into the doorway. The figures were backlit and their appearances were not clear, but their voices should be recognizable as Xie Qianzhong.

"Xie Qianzhong..." He's getting bolder and bolder, barging directly into the Tiger Gang. Does he really think the Tiger Gang is helpless?!

Tiger slammed his hand on the table, and it cracked instantly. It was clearly made of expensive gilded wood, but he didn't seem to care much.

"I'm about to leave Feng County. It's time to eliminate this threat." Last time, we only used half our men to block him. This time, he's so arrogant that he's barged right into the Wei Hu Gang's territory. It's utterly ridiculous. Do you think all the brothers are afraid of just a few of them?

A hundred men stood behind Tiger, each with a knife in their hand, surrounding the two of them. Xie Qianzhong, however, remained calm and even had the mood to laugh at this moment.

"You don't think I came here unprepared, do you?"

Xie Qianzhong clapped his hands, and several men in black descended from the sky. They were the same men that Tiger had encountered. They were all quite strong, each capable of taking on ten men at once. But don't forget that there were over a hundred of them on their side.

"We're just as dissatisfied with the Emperor who's far away in the capital. If we can kill you all this time, it'll be a relief to him." Tiger Brother's tone was quite arrogant. He had already foreseen Xie Qianzhong being slain by his blade. Xie Qianzhong was just a civil official. No matter how capable he was, he couldn't compare to those of them who licked blood off the edge of a knife every day.

They came from all over Yongfeng Kingdom and were all outlaws. The emperor did not tolerate them, so they established their own sect. They could barely survive on the help of the common people. If they didn't have some skills, they would not have survived until now.

"You're all just good at talking. If we really fight, you're no match for me. Don't come looking for me to argue when all your brothers are dead under my sword."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Tiger was enraged and charged forward first. Xie Qianzhong drew his sword and fought back.

Tiger thought to himself that he had never expected him to be so strong. He was even more skilled than when they last met. Could it be that someone among his entourage was teaching him all the time?

Xie Qianzhong's injuries had mostly healed, so he was able to unleash his full strength. After more than a hundred moves, the outcome was decided, and Tiger was defeated.

Tiger Brother's knife fell to the ground, while Xie Qianzhong remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't been the one who had just fought.

Xie Qianzhong endured hardship and bided his time. Having been selfish for many years in Yongfeng, he would not have neglected his martial arts skills. In addition to reading exam papers, he secretly practiced martial arts in his spare time. If the Weihu Gang members were a group of desperate people, he was willing to risk his life.

"What are you all standing there for? Get up here now!" The Tiger Gang's gods dared not step forward. They had already witnessed Xie Qianzhong's strength, and those men in black were certainly no pushovers either.

"I'm the boss! You don't even listen to me anymore? Believe me or not, I'll kill you all right now!"

The group then moved forward, but their expressions were much more hesitant than before. Tiger staggered to his feet and said, "There are only twenty of them!"

They suddenly realized that no matter how strong Xie Qianzhong was, he couldn't compare to their group of over a hundred people. Taking down these twenty people would be a piece of cake.

The scene instantly descended into chaos. Song Tangxue hid to the side, while Tiger quietly picked up a crossbow bolt and aimed it at Xie Qianzhong.