The rising sun quietly illuminates the dense forest.
Shen Hanshan strode out of the princess's residence, where someone was already waiting with a horse at the gate. He mounted his horse and rode straight to the Chaoyang Garrison Camp with Du Heng. Before leaving, he instructed the messenger to have Xu Hui go directly to the garrison camp to find him. The messenger dared not delay and hurriedly returned to the prefect's residence.
Inside the prefectural governor's mansion, Xu Hui was yawning as he played chess with Zhao Shouzhen, who had gotten up early. He held a white piece between two fingers, placing it absentmindedly. The next moment, his hand was struck, and his drowsiness vanished instantly.
"My dear teacher!" Xu Hui said, feeling wronged.
"You dare to lose focus while playing chess with me?" Zhao Shouzhen scolded playfully.
As he spoke, he placed a black piece. "Look, you've lost so quickly. You played this game too carelessly! You look so sleepy, did something difficult happen?"
Xu Hui scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "No, I'm just a little tired lately."
"Hmph, don't give me that crap, kid." Zhao Shouzhen glared at him. "Speak, what is it?"
Xu Hui hesitated for a moment, but still told Zhao Shouzhen what had happened. It turned out that while they were drinking outside the previous night, they had overheard some rumors about the Chaoyang Garrison. It was said that the soldiers there were lax in their training, undisciplined, and some were even gambling and engaging in prostitution. These rumors shocked Xu Hui, and he decided to investigate personally.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shouzhen frowned. He knew Xu Hui was a responsible person, but he was also worried that he might offend some people because of this. After all, the Chaoyang Garrison was the imperial army, and if there were any problems, it would be no small matter.
"Here's what we'll do. Go investigate the situation first. If there's a problem, be sure to report it to me immediately. Remember, don't act impulsively, and be careful to protect yourself," Zhao Shouzhen instructed.
Xu Hui nodded and said, "Yes, teacher. I'll go to Chaoyang Garrison Camp right away to see the details."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Zhao Shouzheng standing there in deep thought.
Zhao Shouzhen watched Xu Hui's departing figure and shook his head slightly. His student was still hiding something from him.
His intuition told him that something must have happened in the garrison, and it wasn't something as trivial as lax discipline. He stroked his graying beard, lost in thought. Chaoyang County was Zhizhi's fiefdom, and the garrison was the bulwark of Chaoyang County; if something happened there, Shen Hanshan would naturally not ignore it.
But right now, Zhao Zhi is the empress of the Yun Dynasty, and he can't fathom what Emperor Zhao Yi, who is far away in Lingyang City, is thinking.
Zhao Shouzhen even began to suspect that these anomalies were deliberately created by Zhao Yi.
After all, he had served this young emperor for over a decade and knew his character well. He knew that Zhao Yi valued his reputation highly; otherwise, he wouldn't have burned all the concubines and monks alive in a fit of rage because they had cheated on him.
In addition, Zhao Yi was very vengeful. Otherwise, he would not have used the empress Qin Sheng, who had betrayed him, as bait to wipe out Song Jin's entire family and exile or sell Qin Sheng's clan into official positions.
Thinking about this, Zhao Shouzhen felt increasingly uneasy.
Zhao Zhi was also Zhao Yi's sister, but she rejected Zhao Yi's offer before the new year and instead accepted the invitation from another of her brothers.
This behavior was undoubtedly a slap in the face to Zhao Yi, making him lose face completely.
Given Zhao Yi's personality, he would find it difficult to swallow this insult, so someone would inevitably have to bear the brunt of his anger.
But who exactly is this person? If something really happened to the Chaoyang Garrison...
Zhao Shouzhen jumped to his feet, his face filled with anxiety, and hurriedly chased after Xu Hui. By the time he reached the door, Xu Hui had already ridden away, and he hadn't even caught a glimpse of his back.
"Go to the stables and fetch me a horse!"
He turned and gave instructions to the gatekeeper.
He was filled with remorse and quickly turned to the gatekeeper, ordering, "Go to the stables and fetch me a horse!"
Everyone in the prefectural governor's office knew that Zhao Shouzheng was the former chief minister of the Great Xuan Kingdom and also their prefect's mentor. Furthermore, having received instructions from Xu Hui, they obeyed Zhao Shouzheng's orders without hesitation.
Before long, someone led out of the stable a chestnut-colored, robust, and glossy horse. The horse had well-defined muscles, sharp eyes, and powerful hooves that seemed ready to gallop away at any moment.
When Zhao Shouzhen saw the fine horse, a hint of excitement and anticipation flashed in his eyes. He strode quickly to the horse, patted the chestnut horse affectionately, and said gently, "Good boy, you are so handsome."
The chestnut horse seemed to understand him, lowered its head, and nuzzled Zhao Shouzhen's hand with its long mane.
The next moment, he gripped the reins tightly with one hand, used the saddle lightly with the other, and then nimbly leaped up, completing a neat somersault in the air and sitting steadily on the horse's back.
"Chaoyang Garrison, your old haunts, let's go!"
The chestnut horse seemed to sense its master's urgency, and before the whip cracked, it galloped off towards the Chaoyang Garrison.
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