9. I just want military power.

"You don't deserve it."

Rewinding to the morning, inside a private room at Xingyuan Restaurant, a man wearing a veil to conceal his face asked Xiao Pingchuan, "You said Zhu Xiegebo is trying to win you over?"

"Um."

What do you think?

"Zhu Xie Zhikun is probably not going to make it."

The person opposite pondered for a moment, then asked, "You mean the Shatuo are about to change the dynasty?"

“Well, Zhu Xie Zhikun is arrogant and would never instruct Zhu Xie Gebo to bow down and win me over,” Xiao Pingchuan continued. “However, I do hope he takes the throne. He’s not smart enough. If he does, the destruction of the Shatuo will be just around the corner.”

"I understand what you mean, but... I don't have any money."

Xiao Pingchuan remained silent.

How could he not know?

The Black Flag Army's inability to receive its rations and pay wasn't solely due to interference; the national treasury genuinely lacked the funds.

"How long can the food supply in the North last?" the man opposite asked again.

Xiao Pingchuan paused for a moment, then said, "Half a month."

“Alas,” the man sighed, “I’m currently busy making arrangements for my departure, and I simply don’t have any extra money.”

Xiao Pingchuan stroked the teacup on the table, lowered his eyes and said, "You've bet the Crown Prince's fortune on Shen Suqiu for two years, and you haven't earned much money back for her."

"It's alright. Two years ago, Jinyunfang only had three or four stores, but now it has more than ten. That's not bad. Besides, who can I rely on in the court? Yang Du, that old fellow, only listens to the old man. He's useless."

"Sometimes I wonder, with all this fuss and jumping around, can we really save Daliang?"

Xiao Pingchuan stared at him intently, then lowered his voice and said, "You're the Crown Prince, why are you asking me?"

Crown Prince Shi Ye removed his veil, revealing his gentle and handsome features, and gave a self-deprecating smile, "What kind of crown prince am I?"

Two years ago, the Black Flag Army drove the Shatuo out of the pass. Shi Ye strongly advocated pursuing the victory, and Xiao Pingchuan did indeed lead his troops to the Shatuo capital.

But at the last minute, the old emperor forcefully pulled him back with an edict for peace talks. Because he opposed the matter, Shi Ye was placed under house arrest by Emperor Jingkang in a villa in the western suburbs for two years.

Currently, the old man has become so centralized in his power that he has lost his mind, even daring to plot against the Black Flag Army. Coupled with the widespread suffering among the people, the Crown Prince can no longer sit idly by and has secretly contacted court officials, preparing for his return to power.

At this point, Shi Ye paused for a moment, "You should know that the quickest way to force the old man to take back his military power is to defy the imperial decree and refuse the marriage. Besides, you are a great general, and it would be a disservice to you to marry a village girl."

If the command of the Black Flag Army were to change hands, Xiao Pingchuan would have a way to persuade the old emperor to let the crown prince take over the command. This was another major reason for his trip south.

"Why make things difficult for a young girl? I have my own way of getting His Majesty to act quickly."

"Then... that Shen Suqin, do you still find her acceptable?"

Xiao Pingchuan had a sachet that Shen Suqin had given him on the day they first met, hidden in a secret pocket at his waist. Hearing this, his waist felt slightly hot. "She's very good."

"If you really can't get along with her, once things have calmed down, I can arrange for you to divorce your wife and marry someone else."

"That's not urgent. What's important right now is to find someone to make a mistake so that His Majesty can have something to hold against me."

The two were silent for a moment, then said in unison, "Liangzhou!"

Lei Sheng, the governor of Liangzhou, is the son-in-law of the Marquis of Anping. This time, Liangzhou's attempt to seize military power must have been at the behest of the Marquis of Anping.

"Then let's find a way to start by targeting the Marquis of Anping's residence," Xiao Pingchuan said.

After leaving Xingyuan Restaurant, Xiao Pingchuan planned to take Xu Youcai directly to Cangshuang Restaurant.

Chai Shun has been busy these past few days, as he has been secretly inspecting the capital's defenses on Xiao Pingchuan's orders.

This was also what Shi Ye confessed.

As for the reason, it's simply to prepare for his comeback.

The two walked side by side on the road.

Xu Youcai suddenly spoke up: "Just now, hundreds of scholars gathered at the entrance of the Shen residence, clamoring for Miss Shen to apologize for the matter of 'Dongliang Fu'."

He overheard the conversations of the other diners while he was waiting in the restaurant.

Xiao Pingchuan stopped and asked, "Did she apologize?"

"No."

Xiao Pingchuan continued walking, "That's something she would do."

"But she is going to have a talk with Zhan Boyan three days later."

"Hmm?" Xiao Pingchuan frowned.

Even Zhan Boyan, who was far away in the north, had heard of his great name, which shows that the reputation of this great Confucian scholar was well-deserved.

The reason Shi Ye approached Shen Suqiu was because she was Zhan Boyan's only student.

"How dare she be so bold?"

"We were forced into this situation; they were practically blocking our door," Xu Youcai said.

"Send someone into the Shen residence to protect her."

Xu Youcai clicked his tongue, "I don't think it's necessary. I heard that Miss Shen often beats people in the Shen family, and she's quite ruthless. They call doctors every few days, and the servants avoid her when they see her."

"You saw it with your own eyes?"

Xu Youcai shook his head vigorously: "No, not at all."

“It’s a lie if she doesn’t. She’s petite and frail; she must have suffered a lot in the countryside,” Xiao Pingchuan thought, a headache forming in his mind. “The Shule River garrison doesn’t even have a roof over its head, and meals are often irregular, sometimes we go hungry. If she comes with me to the northern border…”

Xu Youcai remained expressionless. The other man had a well-proportioned figure, a rosy complexion, and even his clothes were decent and presentable. How come he was not doing well at the general's place?

As the two were talking, a group of people suddenly appeared, drove their horses and surrounded them. The horses' warm breath almost hit Xiao Pingchuan's face.

Xiao Pingchuan's face immediately turned cold.

“Isn’t this Princess Changtai’s future husband?” said one of the young men at the head of the group.

Xiao Pingchuan: "Who are you?"

"Oh right, General, you don't recognize me, do you? I am Wei Gu, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Anping."

Xiao Pingchuan raised an eyebrow, his expression relaxing slightly: "Is Liangzhou Governor Lei Sheng your brother-in-law?"

Wei Gu raised his chin and said arrogantly, "Exactly."

Xiao Pingchuan's lips curled slightly. He had just been worrying about how to beat up the Marquis of Anping's mansion for no reason, but he didn't expect them to deliver themselves to his doorstep.

He looked at Xu Youcai and subtly raised his finger in the shadows, signaling him to attack.

Xu Youcai immediately drew his axe from his waist, slammed it into the stone slab under his feet with a bang, and said in a deep voice, "It's true that even the most timid toads dare to come out and jump around."

"You!" Wei Gu's henchman roared, "Who do you think you are, daring to speak to our young master like that?"

"I'm your grandfather."

"Damn, you want to fight, huh?"

"I'm going to hit you, you little brat!"

Seeing that the other side was about to jump up in anger, Wei Gu, being a smart man, pressed his follower down and only used words to provoke them: "You've lived in the wilderness for so long, you should really broaden your horizons now that you've come to the capital. By the way, I heard that the Black Flag Army is short of food. General Xu, you don't know that, do you? If it weren't for your general's greed for power, you would have been eating long ago."

"Food? It's probably just grass roots and tree bark."

"Fighting for food with animals, hahahahaha."

"General!" Xu Youcai couldn't stand it any longer and grabbed his axe to go and chop people down.

Xiao Pingchuan waved him away, then stepped forward and said, word by word, "You say this general covets power?"

"Yes. I wasn't wrong, the sooner you hand over military power..."

Xiao Pingchuan said leisurely, "So the young master covets the military power of the Black Flag Army."

Wei Gu was anxious. Although everyone wanted military power, if it were brought up in the open, he would become the target of everyone's criticism.

Therefore, he dared not admit it: "You, you're talking nonsense."

Xiao Pingchuan twirled the wolf bone pendant between his fingers and said coldly, "I heard it with my own ears."

"I don't!"

"Oh, so you dare to say it but not admit it? It seems the Heir Apparent of Marquis Anping is quite a coward. You clearly want it, but you don't dare to say it. What do your brothers think of you? A spineless coward?"

Wei Gu couldn't stand such provocation, and immediately changed his tone: "Yes, I want military power, so what?"

Xiao Pingchuan smiled faintly and said, word by word, "You're not worthy."

Wei Gu was furious and was about to dismount and attack the man.

Xiao Pingchuan took a step back, and after he got down, before he could even get into a fighting stance, he grabbed Wei Gu by the back of the neck, lifted him up, and mocked, "The Marquis of Anping's mansion is nothing special."

In his hands, Wei Gu was like a little chick.

I miscalculated. How come I didn't realize Xiao Pingchuan was so tall and burly when I was on horseback? He was a whole size bigger than me.

"Put me down!" Wei Gu roared in a fit of rage.

"Put the prince down."

"Let go."

Several of his henchmen nearby also shouted anxiously.

Xiao Pingchuan shrugged, threw the man away violently, and said, "As you wish."

Then, Wei Gu lay sprawled on the ground like a pile of rotten flesh, his hands and feet in abnormal positions, looking as if they were broken.

By now, several circles of onlookers had gathered around, and they all gasped in surprise at what they saw.

Those henchmen were trembling with fear and didn't dare to step forward at all.

Only Xiao Pingchuan walked over step by step, his tall shadow completely enveloping the man. He looked down at the man's frightened eyes and said slowly, "A mere Marquis of Anping is nothing to me, Xiao Pingchuan. However, I admire your courage. You know, the last one who dared to provoke me was the second prince of the Shatuo. Old Cai, come here and tell me what happened to Zhu Xiegebo afterward?"

Marquis Anping is a hereditary title, and he has been protected by his ancestors' merits in supporting the emperor all the way to the present day. He himself has no real ability.

"His leg was broken by our general and he was thrown into the river."

This can be considered as sparing his life and letting him go back. As for whether he can actually go back alive, that depends on how tough his life is.

Xiao Pingchuan squatted down.

Wei Gu was so frightened that he tried to crawl backwards on all fours, but Xiao Pingchuan grabbed his leg and dragged him back.

"Go back and tell Marquis Anping to stop coveting what isn't his, or he might have the life to covet it but not the life to enjoy it," Xiao Pingchuan said coldly.

Wei Gu stiffened his neck and remained silent.

Xiao Pingchuan sneered, and with a forceful twist, Wei Gu's leg bone snapped with a "crack".

The onlookers were too frightened to open their eyes, and some even covered their ears.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Wei Gu cried out in pain, sweating profusely.

Xiao Pingchuan stood up, kicked him twice, and then said to his pale-faced henchmen, "Take him and get out of here."

Those men, in a panic, lifted Wei Gu up and stumbled away.