"Pah! You little wench!"
Standing behind Zhao Qianhu, Wei Qianhu watched Lu Qiqi ride away on horseback and couldn't help but spit out his breath.
Upon hearing the insults, Zhao Qianhu's apologetic smile gradually faded.
Although he didn't want to flatter anyone, he had no choice but to do so at the moment.
The beans in the granary sprouted, but the prince did not punish them for it. Instead, he ordered them to sprout all the remaining beans.
What seemed like a confusing operation, in his eyes, would have been punished without the encouragement of the Kang Le Township Lord.
He said sarcastically, "Wei Qianhu's expression changes so quickly; even the actors in the restaurant probably don't have your acting skills!"
The head of Kang Le Township clearly helped them. This Commander Wei is truly a short-sighted old fool who can't see the disadvantage he's in.
When Commander Wei heard Commander Zhao point his finger at him and call him an actor, his face instantly darkened.
He was about to question Commander Zhao about whether he had delivered the message to General Wu when he noticed that the guards around them were all looking at them.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's go back and see what our plans are."
Upon hearing the word "plan," Commander Zhao looked up at the figure that had disappeared outside the grain camp, then turned and strode back to his room.
Lu Qianhu closed the door, and the room instantly darkened.
The three sat around a round table, and it was Zhao Qianhu who finally broke the silence.
He said, "The guards who were sent out to deliver the message have been assassinated and thrown into a mass grave."
These words almost made the other two jump up in surprise.
"What do you mean?!" Commander Wei could hardly believe his ears. "Who assassinated him? Or has the Crown Prince found out something?"
Commander Lu also looked anxious, focusing his gaze on Commander Zhao, eager to know the answer.
Commander Zhao, thinking of his wife and children who had already been sent out of the border town, sighed deeply and said, "It means exactly what it says. The guards who delivered the message were assassinated before they even saw the person."
Upon hearing this, Commander Wei and Commander Lu nearly lost their balance and almost fell to the ground.
He was assassinated without ever seeing anyone, so it's likely that only his own people knew that the guard was there to deliver a message.
In that case, those three commanders were just discarded pawns!
Commander Wei's eyes blazed with fury, instantly turning red. He said, "General Wu can't just discard someone after he's done his work. Isn't he afraid we'll expose his collusion with the Second Prince?"
If he doesn't save us, I'll expose all the filthy things they ordered us to do!
Only now did Commander Zhao realize how wrong he had been. It was no wonder that he couldn't accomplish anything by trying to do things with such a reckless man!
On the other hand, Commander Lu, sitting to the side, was already drenched in sweat, with large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
Commander Zhao had no idea how someone so cowardly and afraid of death could have become a commander!
The three had known each other for many years and had worked together in the grain camp for a long time.
Commander Zhao didn't want them to die without descendants, so he said, "If even a word of what we've done is revealed, it's a grave crime against the barbarian tribe. Not only will our wives and children die, but our brothers and parents will also be beheaded!"
Upon hearing this, Commander Lu's face turned from pale to white, and beads of sweat on his forehead grew larger and larger.
Upon hearing his analysis of the pros and cons, Commander Wei immediately deflated, saying, "If we keep our mouths shut and risk our lives, can we really ensure the safety of our families?"
He was actually saying this to himself.
He tried to negotiate with a tiger for its skin, but unexpectedly, he was caught off guard and ended up being smashed to pieces.
Commander Zhao said, "Let's arrange for someone to take my wife and children to a safe place first."
He didn't give a direct answer, but all three people present understood the reasoning behind it.
Commander Lu was the first to react; he quickly pushed open the door and ran out.
Perhaps he was too scared, because he actually tripped and fell on flat ground. After quickly getting up, he limped out of the yard.
Although Commander Wei was a rough man, when he heard the news, his first thought was of his eldest son, who was weak and sickly. He had to get him out of the city as soon as possible!
They simply hadn't anticipated that the Shadow Guards would act so quickly.
Before they could even get home, they had already kidnapped all the people from the three households.
When they returned home, they were immediately detained.
When Zhao Qianhu was tied up, he was relieved that he had learned of the situation in advance and sent his family away.
Otherwise, he would suffer the same fate as the other two commanders, which would be an indelible death!
To his surprise, he and two other commanders had the black cloth in front of them ripped off at the same time, and they saw their families trapped in front of them.
Zhao Qianhu stared wide-eyed at his wife, her mouth stuffed with burlap, tears streaming down her face.
The son was sprawled on his wife's lap, his fate unknown!
What's going on?
Didn't he send them out of the city? Why are they still here?
As time passed, Commander Zhao closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate.
Since there's no way out for us, let more people be buried with us!
......
The main tent of the military camp.
"Your Highness, An Jiu reports that all three commanders of the grain garrison have confessed."
An Yi's words instantly drew Song Yanqing's attention away from the map.
He looked up at An Yi, "What did you confess to?"
An Yi recalled An Jiu's report and repeated, "According to the testimony of three commanders, General Wu was instructed by the Second Prince to find an opportunity to reduce grain reserves."
We will find evidence that you, Your Highness, have stockpiled grain and troops, and thus expose you.
They were also promised that when the second prince ascended the throne, they would be granted the title of princes of different surnames, and be assigned to govern a territory.
Song Yanqing almost sneered after hearing An Yi's words.
They actually believed such a lame promise!
Regardless of how the Second Prince might have tried to frame him, his ambition to amass military power, and his intention to rebel by hoarding grain, the Second Prince's promise alone made it impossible for him to do so.
When the late emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty was young, the military strength of the various vassal kings was comparable to that of Xinjing (the capital city).
After going through countless hardships, the vassal territories were finally recovered. Since the new emperor ascended the throne, he has paid close attention to the movements of aristocratic families and nobles, and has always been wary of their ambition to establish their own vassal states.
The second prince, having inherited the emperor's true teachings, would never agree to them establishing themselves as kings and enjoying their own territory.
That's utterly delusional!
Therefore, the problem lies with General Wu.
The crimes committed by the three commanders were enough to convict their entire families.
However, their mere accusations were not enough to bring down a general or a favored prince of the court.
This would only alert the enemy.
Thinking of this, Song Yanqing instructed, "Before executing the three commanders, make them write down their crimes, and then send their wives, children, parents and children away."
The information was leaked, letting them know that the three commanders were keeping their mouths shut.
Everyone involved in this matter will be punished severely!
An Yi accepted the order and left the camp.
He looked up at the sky above the camp and saw a dark cloud suddenly appear. He knew that the grain corps was about to undergo a major reshuffle!
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