Chapter 129 Trouble at the Prefectural Governor's Residence

It turned out that this guy was the governor of Jizhou. Zhu Mingyue observed him quietly. The old man had a long beard and a serene face, with an air of otherworldly elegance, but his shrewd and piercing eyes ruined his beauty.

He seemed to have anticipated this, and was now drinking tea, completely calm and relaxed.

The governor personally poured a cup of tea, pushed it to the other side of the tea table, and gestured, "Have a taste."

Xie Pei didn't move, his cold gaze sweeping over the scene before his thin lips parted slightly: "Lord Wang, you have quite the refined taste. It seems there's nothing left to deal with in this vast Jizhou."

The governor's hand holding the cup froze, and he forced a smile: "General, you jest. It's just a moment of leisure in my busy schedule."

"Oh?" Xie Pei said coldly, "In that case, don't be idle."

Upon hearing this, a dark glint flashed in the governor's eyes, and his relaxed face suddenly tightened, clearly angered by Xie Pei's attempt to save face.

Bang--

The teacup was slammed back onto the table; in Zhu Mingyue's opinion, it was more like it was smashed than placed.

Despite the other party's anger, Xie Pei remained unmoved, the smile on his lips seeming both mocking and derisive.

"What does Lord Wang mean by this?" Xie Pei still used that infuriating tone.

However, the other party was truly enraged, his chest heaving violently, and he spoke through gritted teeth: "I would like to ask General Xie what this means? Coming to my residence to cause trouble in broad daylight."

Zhu Mingyue thought to himself, "So he knew Xie Pei's intentions were not good. Why was he pretending just now? Seeing that Xie Pei wouldn't give him face, he knew he was angry, so he took the initiative to make his point clear."

Xie Pei lifted his eyelids: "I'm sure Lord Wang understands what I mean."

The governor stubbornly insisted, "I don't know."

He thought that Xie Pei wouldn't be able to do anything to him?

That's a huge mistake. Xie Pei wasn't one to play games with people, so he immediately said, "I've come to reclaim the army's provisions and the men who transported them."

"Huh?" The governor seemed to find it a joke. "You came to my residence to beg for grain?"

Xie Pei: "My lord, please do not be nervous. It was the soldiers in the army who saw the bandits enter the governor's mansion. It is only reasonable for me to come and arrest them."

The governor's face turned ashen: "Why should I be nervous? Search if you want, but if you find nothing in this prefecture, don't blame me for writing to the court and impeaching you before the Emperor." With that, he flung his sleeves back and sat back down at his desk.

Fifteen minutes later,

The governor's mansion was turned upside down.

Not a single grain of grain could be found.

A bunch of people were arrested.

"You call these bandits?" The governor finally couldn't hold back any longer, and laughed angrily: "You're saying the granary clerk in my office is a bandit? General Xie, I think you've really lost your mind!"

Even with the soldiers holding him down, the warehouse manager remained restless, his face flushed as he cursed, "That's pure slander! My job is to manage the granaries and storage; why would I do such a thing for your meager grain?"

Sun Kan picked at his ear. "Oh? You mean the granaries are free to use, so they're not precious?"

He was interrupted by the governor with a frown before he could finish speaking.

Si Cang belatedly realized that he had been tricked, broke out in a cold sweat, and said gruffly, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext!"

“I am but a lowly granary official, and I do not know why the general has condescended to make such a big fuss just to punish me.”

Sun Kan smiled and said, "You think you're just a lowly warehouse manager?"

Governor: "So what exactly do you mean, General? I, the granary official, am always diligent and conscientious. I would never do anything like banditry. Thank you, General. You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just arrest people randomly."

Xie Pei gave him a cold glare: "Does Lord Wang mean that I'm arresting people arbitrarily?"

The governor was so angry that he trembled all over. He had been sent from the capital to Jizhou, and everyone who saw him had to give him the utmost respect. He had never been treated so disrespectfully before.

"The general has no evidence whatsoever; isn't this just arbitrarily arresting people?"

Xie Pei: "Evidence? If I say I saw it with my own eyes, that can be considered evidence."

Sun Kan followed closely behind: "I saw it too."

The other soldiers echoed, "We saw it too."

Sun Kan: "No wonder we couldn't find any grain. It's likely that the granary has already stored the grain away."

The clerk was so frightened by this scene that his legs trembled, and he was so panicked that he could only look to his superior for help.

But the governor couldn't care less about him anymore.

We have to swallow this bitter pill, whether we like it or not.

Talking about grain is undoubtedly hitting his weak spot.

This time he was careless. He didn't expect that old scoundrel Guan Shao would not come himself, but instead sent Xie Pei.

Xie Pei is notoriously ruthless and unyielding; anyone who gets his eye on will be skinned alive.

He felt remorseful, realizing he shouldn't have tolerated his subordinates' arrogance.

The granary official was not one of those who looted the grain; those being held captive by the soldiers were all people who had not participated.

Those people who stole the grain naturally wouldn't deliver it to the governor's mansion.

He knew Xie Pei was just randomly convicting someone. It didn't matter who stole it; what mattered was that they arrested his people and slapped him in the face.

Xie Pei frowned, clearly not wanting to linger there, and gave the order: "Take these people back to camp and interrogate them thoroughly."

The warehouse keeper panicked. "It wasn't me!" He was utterly humiliated, kicking his limbs wildly. Even as he was being held tightly, he still tried to grab at his last straw: "Your Excellency, save me! I didn't rob any grain! Your Excellency, save me!"

The dungeons in military camps are not ordinary prisons; they don't keep idle people inside. Anyone who goes in will either die or be severely injured.

Seeing that his lifeline was unmoved, Sicang was desperate and tried to find another way to defend himself: "You are all framing me. You were not even there. How would you know whether I robbed the grain or not?"

Zhu Mingyue asked, "If you didn't rob the grain, how did you know we weren't there?"

Idiot! You're only making things worse!

The governor simply flicked his sleeves and said, "If you've done something wrong, you should tell the truth. If you really robbed their grain, I will empty my own coffers to make up for it and send it to Jizhou camp. There is a way to make amends. Don't be so desperate. Think more about your wife, children, and elderly mother while you're in jail."

Si Cang froze for a moment, then collapsed as if all his strength had been drained, letting others do as they pleased.

Zhu Mingyue focused her attention on her nose and her mind, and soon she understood the key to it.

However, seeing that the situation was already fait accompli, they had no choice but to release the warehouse keeper as a scapegoat. They were afraid that the scapegoat would betray them and use their wives, children, and elderly parents as leverage.

"The grain transport team that's being held in prison?"

The governor was taken aback, then gave a forced smile, "Don't worry, I will release him immediately after I have investigated the matter."

"This governor of Jizhou is truly a seasoned actor, he really knows how to perform." He walked beside Xie Pei and muttered to himself.

Xie Pei asked with great interest, "What does 'drama queen' mean?"

Zhu Mingyue scratched her head, unsure how to explain, and finally could only weakly say, "She's just very good at pretending, and she never tells the truth."

"By the way, these people weren't actually the ones who robbed the grain, were they?" How would Xie Pei know what the people who robbed the grain looked like? They weren't even at the scene of the crime.

Xie Pei nodded, his face frank: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter who it is."

Zhu Mingyue thought about it and realized it made sense. There were no surveillance cameras, and with Xie Pei's status, he could just order whoever he wanted around.

He clicked his tongue. Sure enough, rank really does give you the upper hand. Once you have leverage over someone, you can arrest whomever you want. He'd been through that before and knew it all too well. He even looked at the warehouse manager with a hint of pity.

Xie Pei seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, "There's no need to pity him. The governor's mansion is a big cesspool now, and most people are just going along with it."

Zhu Mingyue was horrified when she heard this.

This is the governor's mansion!

With the internal corruption so severe, I can't even imagine how the people of Jizhou have been persecuted...

In the end, Wang Zongxiu got a half-day trip to prison and was released from his cell when it got dark.

The jailer opened the door, his attitude relatively mild: "You can leave now."

Wu Shan stood up, somewhat pleased: "Someone came to bail us out?"

The jailer gave him a look that seemed to say nothing, opened his mouth, and said, "You'll find out when you get out." Then he ignored them and left on his own.

"Brother, brother?" A head popped out from next door. It was the man who had been chatting with them earlier. "Why were you released so quickly?"

Guan Jing was also baffled. "Perhaps they realize they've arrested the wrong person."

The man next door wailed, "Who wasn't wrongly arrested!"

Once the people here were released, the grain naturally followed and was delivered to the military camp.

Guan Shao had already heard about this and was immediately furious.

"This Wang Huaizhen dares to rob the grain delivered to me. I think we've been spoiling him for too long. He's gotten so arrogant and doesn't know what's good for him!"

The desk was slammed shut with a loud thud.

"Xie Pei, tell me, should I hold this in?"

Xie Pei said without much emotion, "Soon."

Guan Shao's hand hovered in mid-air before slowly lowering it: "Is it really coming soon?"

"Hmm." Xie Pei nodded, then sent a message: "Wang Huaizhen has resumed communication with them."

"Good, good, good!" Guan Shao breathed a sigh of relief. "I've put up with him for a long time. I can't stand his lawless behavior anymore. He's almost riding on my head."

"By the way, send a message over there quickly; it's time to get ready."

"It's been delivered."

Guan Shao was completely speechless. He slumped in his chair, looking at Xie Pei with satisfaction. Xie Pei had done such a thorough job that there was not a single flaw to be found. He was simply impeccable.

"Alright, you've been busy all day, go back now! Spend more time with your sweetheart, she's come all this way."

"Please thank Mingyue for the grain. He's so shy, he'll definitely feel uncomfortable if I thank him to his face. When we return to the capital, I'll give him a big gift."

The guard twitched his lips. Being poor is fine, being poor but wanting to save face is fine too. Not being able to give a return gift but making the excuse sound so elegant and refined.

Fortunately, Xie Pei didn't care at all; all he could think about was Zhu Mingyue, who was still sitting in the tent waiting for him to return.

A stove was lit outside the tent, and Zhu Mingyue was chatting with Sun Kan.

Sun Kan added a piece of firewood to the stove. "The war situation isn't too tense right now, so why don't you stay at the Jizhou camp a little longer, Young Master Zhu?"

The firelight illuminated Zhu Mingyue's face, revealing her subtle embarrassment.

Sun Kan: "What's wrong?"

Zhu Mingyue shook her head: "It's nothing." She was just planning to stay in the military camp a little longer because of Xie Pei.

The two men were warming themselves by the fire when they saw a figure approaching from a distance. They only realized who it was when the figure got closer.

Zhu Mingyue smiled and waved to him.

When Sun Kan saw Xie Pei arrive, he felt it inappropriate to linger any longer. He whispered a few words in Xie Pei's ear, then turned and said goodbye before leaving.

Zhu Mingyue blinked: "You've come at the perfect time, the water's boiled."

Xie Pei worked tirelessly to pour him water and help him wipe his body.

Zhu Mingyue's fair skin was like flawless white jade. Perhaps because she didn't exercise much, although there wasn't much excess fat on her waist, it wasn't very firm. It felt soft and squishy to the touch, which was quite addictive.

"Fine, you can wipe me down, but if you mess things up again, you're not allowed to wipe me anymore," Zhu Mingyue warned fiercely.

Xie Pei took the opportunity to rub his waist, lingering there for a long time.

"You're still pinching me!" Zhu Mingyue got angry. His waist was very sensitive, but Xie Pei, shamelessly, refused to take his hand off once it was on it.

"Okay, I won't pinch anymore." Xie Pei's hands calmed down, but he buried his head in Zhu Mingyue's neck and shoulder and didn't move.

The warm breath fell on Zhu Mingyue's skin, tickling her and making her want to reach out and scratch it unconsciously.

However, Xie Pei beat him to it, planting delicate kisses on his neck. As if he felt it wasn't intense enough, he parted his teeth and gently kissed him.

Zhu Mingyue could feel a slight stinging sensation, like an electric current spreading throughout his body. It wasn't serious, but the just-right force made him tremble all over.

Having been single for so long, Zhu Mingyue was suddenly aroused by this provocation, but he still had some sense of reason and wanted to push Xie Pei away.

But Xie Pei, like a hungry wolf that has successfully caught its prey, held him tightly in his arms, making it impossible for him to move.

If force doesn't work, then a gentler approach will do. Zhu Mingyue turned her head and kissed him on the chin.

The stubble that had sprouted made his lips feel a little numb. Zhu Mingyue pursed her lips, then tiptoed slightly to kiss his cheek.

"Alright, you've gotten your bargain. Go wash up and go to bed! This is a military camp, don't think about anything else."

Xie Pei's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "I can't sleep."

Zhu Mingyue asked in bewilderment, "Why can't you sleep? Aren't you tired after a long day?" With his workload, he would fall asleep almost immediately.

Before he could say anything more, Xie Pei hugged him tightly and pressed herself against him.

A subtle touch came from behind, and Zhu Mingyue instantly fell silent, her whole body stiffening.

Half an hour later, a muffled groan blended into the night. Zhu Mingyue sat on the bed, wiped the stickiness off her hands, and with a flushed face, silently chased the person out of the tent.

Night had fallen, and apart from the soldiers on patrol, there was no one else around. Xie Pei quietly returned to his tent under the cover of darkness.

My body was satisfied, but my heart was filled with resentment.

He could have slept in the same bed with Zhu Mingyue, but due to his status, even doing something intimate had to be treated like an affair.

The urge to make their relationship public was almost breaking free of its constraints, and though it was restless, Zhu Mingyue suppressed it time and time again.

Xie Pei curled his fingers, his possessiveness undisguised, like a typhoon that could tear everything apart.

Meanwhile, Zhu Mingyue's eyelashes trembled slightly as she drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day,

Zhu Mingyue was awakened very early by the sound of running outside the tent.

After a quick wash, the soldiers brought me breakfast: a bowl of rice porridge and a small dish of dried vegetables with little to no salt.

Zhu Mingyue sipped the porridge after it cooled down, but barely touched the dried vegetables.

Thanks to Xie Pei, he had a cut on the tip of his tongue and his lips were burning. He couldn't eat dried vegetables, and even drinking rice porridge hurt.

Thinking about it now, it still seems unbelievable. He was so indulgent towards Xie Pei that he had no bottom line.

Zhong Kai rushed over, seemingly having something urgent to report. Seeing Zhu Mingyue looking sullen, he hesitated for a second before asking with concern, "Young Master Zhu, is the food in the camp not to your liking?"

Zhu Mingyue denied it: "It's true."

Zhong Kai lowered his gaze, sweeping over the untouched dried vegetables, clearly disbelieving. But his attention was quickly drawn to something else.

"Oh dear, Young Master Zhu, what happened to your mouth?" He seemed perfectly fine when we met yesterday. Could it be that the young master is having trouble adjusting to life in the camp and is suffering from acclimatization issues?

Zhu Mingyue quickly covered her mouth, feeling a little guilty: "No...nothing happened!"

After saying that, he added, trying to cover up the truth, "I just bumped into something, and it's a little swollen."