"I am Her Highness the Eldest Princess's man. Since I have not received a reply for so long, I naturally have to ask. Moreover, Her Highness the Eldest Princess once saved my life, so I dared to ask this question. Prime Minister Shen, rest assured, I dare not have any improper thoughts about Her Highness the Eldest Princess. In Bai Ze's eyes, Bai Ze is just a knife in her hands, and she has no intention of overstepping her bounds."
Bai Ze stared at Shen Jinchen in shock, then bit his lip and gave an unwilling explanation.
"That's good! Go down! Keep an eye on those people, and wait for the main army to arrive tomorrow."
Shen Jinchen and Bai Ze exchanged glances, but Shen Jinchen didn't intend to delve any further. He chuckled and accepted the matter.
He knew very well that the problem between him and Cen Xi was not something a mere subordinate could interfere with.
"yes!"
Bai Ze gave a military salute, then turned and left.
Shen Jinchen was dozing off in the royal tent where Di Rong was holding a meeting. He had been traveling for days and was very tired. He hadn't had a proper rest and couldn't hold on any longer, so he didn't care about the place.
As he predicted, the army pursued their victory the next day, annihilating the Di Rong army and leaving no survivors. Many soldiers surrendered, as people are afraid of death, and with no food and hunger, surrendering became a natural course of action.
After the army arrived, Shen Jinchen made several adjustments, leaving 100,000 troops to garrison the area, and then left Di Rong with the group of Peng family confidants.
Before he left, he did one thing: he tied up Park Yusai and sent him to Touman, so that he could kill the man himself.
When Touman saw that the man's anger was burning to the core, he immediately grabbed a large knife and hacked him to pieces.
Still not satisfied after that, he kicked Park Yu-se in the head hard.
If it weren't for this person coming here, the Di Rong would still be the dominant powers in the north. When would they have to suffer such humiliation, ultimately leading to the loss of their race?
Shen Jinchen saw all this but said nothing. In the end, he simply asked Touman to hand over his queen and concubines and told him to wait obediently for the princess from the Central Plains to marry him before leaving with his men.
Thus, a massive war in the north came to an easy end.
Not only did the Di Rong not gain anything, they also lost their most precious possession.
Half a month later, at the Peng family's old residence, the Peng family patriarch nervously welcomed a person in. This person was none other than Shen Jinchen, who had returned victorious.
Moreover, as soon as they entered, Patriarch Peng invited Shen Jinchen to the main seat.
For more than a month, they have been completely under house arrest here. They have tried to resist and contact the outside world through special means, but all their efforts have been in vain.
Their methods were completely insignificant in the eyes of this Prime Minister. Instead, their backup plans were exposed and eliminated one by one.
Having suffered heavy losses and no longer able to resist, what else can we do but compromise now?
Shen Jinchen didn't hold back; this was exactly the result he wanted—to make them fear him and have a sense of awe.
The Peng family, the most powerful family in the north, has both advantages and disadvantages in occupying this place.
He wanted to use the advantages he had, so he didn't do anything to them, but instead came to the Peng family in person to deal with them.
"Patriarch Peng, you should know why I've come, right?"
After sitting down, Shen Jinchen asked to himself.
"I am unaware of this; please enlighten me, Prime Minister."
The head of the Peng family, Peng Deshan, with a kind and benevolent expression, looked at the person sitting in the main seat and answered the question.
He had actually guessed a bit, but dared not draw any conclusions. Besides, there were some things he shouldn't have said, so he decided to play dumb.
"I have a list of crimes here, and the people listed are basically members of the Peng family or their closest relatives. Patriarch Peng, tell me, how should they be dealt with?"
Seeing that the other party was pretending to be confused, Shen Jinchen had no choice but to be blunt.
"Dispose of them as they should be. The court has laws, and the Prime Minister has the right to deal with them. I dare not interfere!"
Peng Deshan's pupils contracted slightly. He knew this day would eventually come, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.
That's enough. He's already in dire straits, so there's no point in trying to salvage the situation.
"What a fine way to deal with it! You eat the emperor's food and are loyal to the emperor. Tell me how you are loyal to the emperor and love your country? A large family, entrenched in one place, doesn't care about leaving a name for future generations, but instead indulges its members in corruption, bribery, arson, murder, and looting. You have become local emperors. When have you ever put the imperial court in your eyes?"
Shen Jinchen slammed his fist on the table and began to curse. The things he had brought out were enough to warrant the execution of ten generations of his family according to the laws of the Grand Banquet, but this man casually replied that he could do whatever he wanted with them.
His original intention to take advantage of the situation instantly fell through.
Never mind, it was just his assumption.
Since the other party wants to die, why not let them have what they desire?
"Prime Minister, please calm down! It is my fault for not disciplining my descendants properly, which has brought shame to the court. I am responsible for everything. As long as you do not implicate innocent people, we will do whatever you want without question."
Peng Deshan was a shrewd person, and he obviously understood the implied meaning in these words. He immediately responded to see how Shen Jinchen would react next.
Seeing that the old fox was on the right track, Shen Jinchen's thoughts, which had been dormant a moment ago, became active again. He wanted to consolidate his power in the north, but killing people now was not appropriate, especially against the Peng family, who had been entrenched in the north for a long time.
Therefore, he needs to first intimidate, then utilize, and completely integrate the entire north to eliminate any potential threats.
The powerful and influential families are ultimately driven by profit and fame. As long as this is understood, the current predicament may not necessarily be a predicament at all.
"I've heard that your family has a young master who is well-read and often disagrees with you. He is an upright gentleman. Would you be so kind as to invite him out for a meeting, Patriarch Peng?"
Shen Jinchen always liked to plan ahead, and if we were to say who in the Peng family would take power in the future, it would undoubtedly be Peng Hecheng.
An investigation revealed that he was the only relatively upright person in the Peng family. He had been at odds with his parents since childhood, and his thoughts and actions were completely out of step with the Peng family.
He has saved many people and sponsored many scholars. He has compassion, but he is not purely virtuous. He is the most suitable person to manage the entire north in the future.
"Him...? This child is unorthodox and should not be entrusted with important responsibilities. I urge the Prime Minister to reconsider!"
Peng Deshan's expression changed when he thought of his youngest son's temperament. If he were to become the head of the household in the future, what would become of him?
"If you want your Peng family to have a chance to live, go and invite him here. As for whether he can shoulder the heavy responsibility, I have my own judgment."
Shen Jinchen chuckled lightly, gave the old man a meaningful look, and spoke in a tone that left no room for refusal.
"this…!"
Peng Deshan was in a dilemma because he really couldn't hand over the person, or rather, Peng Hecheng was indeed inconvenient to come out and meet people.
Because he is currently imprisoned in a water dungeon and has not yet been released.
He was imprisoned two months ago. At first, Peng Deshan didn't know. It was only later that Ninth Aunt cried and shouted in front of him every day, saying that his son had disappeared.
He then set out to find the person, and after searching around, he found out that his eldest son had imprisoned him in a water dungeon.
Because what he did was indeed excessive, he has been detained and has not been released until now.
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