Liu Qi's gaze swept silently over the crowd.

"Who forced us to lose our family and our lives?"

"It's those corrupt officials!"

"If you're willing to be used by those corrupt officials, fine, but don't use the name of the Liu brothers."

Liu Qi smirked and looked at Zhao Sui.

"Brother Zhao is a scholar, capable and resourceful."

"Those who are willing to follow Brother Zhao can follow him from now on; Liu Qi will not stop them."

"Just one condition: if you continue to act in the name of the Liu brothers, you will be punished like this!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Liu Qi drew his knife and cleaved the table in front of him in two.

Everyone present was stunned.

Liu Qi was highly skilled in martial arts, and was deeply respected by everyone because of his generosity, chivalry, and magnanimity.

Back then, whether it was dealing with the government or trading horses, it was all arranged by Liu Qi.

Liu Qi was, in a sense, their spiritual leader.

He publicly severed ties with Zhao Sui, clearly indicating that the conflict was irreconcilable.

Zhao Sui softened his tone and asked sincerely, "Why do you say that, Seventh Brother?"

"Zhao Sui is willing to obey Seventh Brother's orders. From now on, whatever you say, we will do!"

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang are prosperous. If we go south to Jiangnan, there will be silver everywhere waiting for us to pick up. Why would we be afraid of not having a good life?!"

Many people's eyes lit up.

Many people are discussing it.

"Women from Jiangnan are so tender and delicate!"

"The government offices in Shandong are too poor; there's not much to be made of. It's better to go to Jiangnan!"

"Brother Zhao is right, why does Seventh Brother insist on contradicting him?"

Liu Qi clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Gentlemen, if you are going to Jiangnan, I will not stop you. I will not see you off. From now on, we will meet again!"

After saying that, Liu Qi ignored everyone's reactions and walked straight out.

The heroes spontaneously made way for Liu Qi and watched him leave.

Of course, Liu Qi's die-hard friends who came from Bazhou back then still followed him.

Zhao Sui clenched his fists, watching Liu Qi lead the group away, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Yang Hu hesitated.

He didn't know whether he should go with Liu Qi or stay.

Zhao Sui patted Yang Hu on the shoulder and sighed, "Seventh Brother is probably still waiting for the imperial court to offer him amnesty. Do you also want to be offered amnesty?"

Yang Hu's body stiffened.

He shook his head and said, "I killed Li Dongqian's only daughter and let someone humiliate her. Even if I surrender, I won't get away with it."

Zhao Sui nodded in satisfaction: "I have no hope in the imperial examinations. Now that I've embarked on this path, I naturally want to make a name for myself. How could I possibly accept the offer of amnesty?"

"We're brothers, why don't we become sworn brothers, sharing both good times and bad?"

Yang Hu finally made up his mind, clasped his hands and said, "Brother Zhao's words are exactly what I think. We should follow the example of Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei back then!"

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei are heroes among the martial arts world!

His words stirred the crowd's blood, and they immediately set up a wine table and incense burner, intending to discuss seniority and seating arrangements.

...

Just after the Lantern Festival holiday ended, Lu Xingjian appointed Wei Bin as the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

At the same time, eunuchs were redeployed to guard the various battalions of the Beijing army.

They were all people he had carefully selected from Xiaoyuan before the Spring Festival, people who were loyal and devoted to him.

New eunuchs were also dispatched to guard important passes around the capital, such as Zijing Pass and Juyong Pass.

As a result, Zhang Yong's strength in the Beijing army was weakened.

Li Dongqian sighed deeply:

"Whether it was quelling the Ningxia rebellion or executing Liu Jin, Eunuch Zhang deserves the most credit. It is truly lamentable that he has been relegated to this position."

Zhang Yong narrowed his eyes. "What makes you say that, Your Excellency?"

Li Dongqian smiled and said, "Eunuch Zhang should be promoted further; the position of Grand Chancellor is rightfully yours."

Zhang Yong glanced at him briefly, "Your Excellency, please be careful with your words."

Li Dongqian said meaningfully, "Back then, when we cooperated, we were able to overthrow even the emperor. What's there to fear from a mere Wei Bin?"

Zhang Yong lowered his eyes and remained silent.

He knew that he had already been severely punished in the emperor's eyes for assisting the empress in forging an imperial edict last time.

Getting promoted is incredibly difficult.

unless……

Zhang Yong's jawline tightened, and he lowered his eyes to conceal the coldness in them.

Seeing this, Li Dongqian remained calm and composed.

...

Liu Liu caught up with Liu Qi: "Seventh Brother, what are you really thinking?"

"Zhao Sui was a learned man who strictly enforced military discipline, only killing corrupt officials and never harming the common people."

"Aren't these exactly the things we want to do?"

Why must we part ways with him?

"How long can we survive this life of living on the edge on our own?"

Liu Qi looked at her brother with a complicated expression.

Although his brother didn't understand him, he still followed him out.

This truly shows that blood is thicker than water.

“There must be someone behind Zhao Sui, using us brothers as a pawn. Every crime they commit will be attributed to us.”

"So, you still want to work with Zhao Sui?"

Liu Liu was stunned.

...

After breakfast, Yan Ge'er stood at the door, eagerly waiting for Lu Xingjian to take him to Xiaoyuan.

He had long been tired of staying in Kunning Palace.

Fortunately, his father has been taking him out more often lately.

Yan Ge'er looked at Yan Ge'er with envy.

He had to go to Dongyuan to study.

Fortunately, I can take a break after finishing this month's reading.

Mr. Yang is going to take the imperial examination next month, so I won't have time to teach him for at least several months.

Su Wanwan brought over a set of exquisite and beautiful leather armor for Yan Ge'er to change into. The leather armor was inlaid with dense small patches.

Yan Ge'er carefully examined the leather armor: "Do we have to wear this to fight?"

“How could that be?” Lu Xingjian said. “Many border troops only have red mandarin duck-patterned padded jackets; only a few have iron armor.”

Yan Ge tilted his little head: "Why?"

Su Wanwan was speechless, recalling the story of "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

The child has little experience of human suffering and doesn't know how hard it is to earn money; it's time to let him see the world.

Yan Ge'er replied, "They have no money, they're too poor, so they can't afford to wear armor!"

Yan Ge'er became even more curious: "Do we have to prepare our own armor?"

Lu Xingjian's handsome face flushed slightly.

"The imperial court implemented a hereditary system for military households and exempted their families from taxes and grain."

"The requirement is that you bring your own clothes when you join the army."

"However, if the court wants to train an elite army, it will inevitably have to invest a lot of money to build equipment and weapons, and even equip them with warhorses."

"These are all very expensive."

"So whatever you do in the future, the first thing you need to do is get enough money."

For an emperor who was passionate about military affairs, he was always plagued by financial difficulties.

Yan Ge'er and Yan Ge'er both nodded as if they understood.

Su Wanwan frowned: "Still trying to make money? There's a recent memorial saying that eleven prefectures along the Yangtze River are suffering from floods, and the court is requested to provide relief."

Lu Xingjian's expression turned cold. "It's the dry season now, how can there be a flood?"

"Without Liu Jin's tough measures, Jiangnan doesn't want to hand over even a single grain of tax!"

Liu Jin may act excessively, but his ability to amass wealth is still outstanding.

The enormous wealth confiscated from Liu Jin's family allowed him to live without worrying about money for a while.