Come on
"Coach!"
Along with Sun Wanrong, the Khitan rebels' banner also fell to the ground.
With their commander dead, the Khitan army panicked from the inside out. Even a pig would know to seize this opportunity. The King of Hanoi immediately led his troops to charge, "Sun Wanrong is dead. Soldiers, follow me!"
The Khitan army was quickly defeated and shattered. Those who survived either surrendered on the spot or fled. The war ended just like that.
The soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty dug out Sun Wanrong's body from the pile of dead bodies, cut off his head, and were about to put it in the box when they felt something was wrong. They shook the head in their hands and heard the sound of shaking water - Xiao Wan'er's thing had completely pulverized Sun Wanrong's brain into pulp.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Xiao Wan'er, who was sitting on the side in a daze, felt the soldier's frightened gaze. She looked back in confusion, and the soldier immediately looked away.
"So what happened?" Xiao Wan'er asked puzzledly.
The expedition was over and the army was about to return to the capital. The governors of Jizhou and Zhaozhou went to find Xiao Wan'er together.
"I am only following orders. There is no need for you two gentlemen to do this."
"Why not? If it weren't for the little immortal's intervention, our Zhaozhou and Jizhou would have been conquered by the Khitan, and there would have been devastating loss of lives. The immortal saved the people of the two states, and as the governors of a state, how can we two not be grateful?" The governor of Zhaozhou insisted, and the governor of Jizhou beside him nodded repeatedly.
Xiao Wan'er fiddled with her fingers, pondering for a moment. Then, smiling, she said to the two governors, "Then I will respectfully obey your orders. Could you two gentlemen give me a sharp sword?"
How could the two governors refuse? After leaving the military tent, they contacted the skilled craftsmen from the two states as quickly as possible, picked out the best knives and sent them over.
Xiao Wan'er took the knife and returned to the capital with the army.
On the day the army returned to the capital, the empress and her ministers met outside the city gates to greet them. Upon seeing the empress in her bright yellow dragon robe, the commander immediately dismounted and quickly walked up to her to salute.
"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled your mission." His deputy general immediately presented the box containing Sun Wanrong's head.
"Good, good, good!" The queen said good three times in a row, helped the commander up, and went into the city with him, with the generals following behind them.
After the reception, the King of Hanoi and Lou Shide reported to the palace. The other officers dismissed for rest, and Xiao Wan'er also prepared to return home. Walking down the street, the city of Shendu lacked much joy in welcoming the triumphant army. Instead, the atmosphere was tense, with every household keeping their doors and windows closed, afraid to see anyone.
Xiao Wan'er bought some cherries and cherries in Nanshi and brought them home. Sure enough, the house was empty. In the afternoon, her master, fellow apprentices, and students all left their shifts early and returned with news.
"Hurry up and get dressed. His Majesty will host a banquet in the Mingtang this evening to entertain all the ministers and celebrate the victory of the expedition."
Xiao Wan'er swallowed her doubts, changed into her formal attire, and followed Liuyun into Taichu Palace. As they reached the entrance to the Mingtang, a female official dressed in a female official's uniform and with red plum blossom makeup on her face approached and bowed to Liuyun.
"Deputy Captain Xiao is a hero in this campaign. Your Majesty is sending Deputy Captain Nuyin to the front line."
Xiao Wan'er looked at Liuyun, and Liuyun said, "Go."
Xiao Wan'er was following behind the female official when a gentle voice suddenly came from the front: "I have long heard from Your Majesty that there is a disciple of the Immortal Master Liuyun with the same name as me, a young genius. Today I finally get to meet him."
The female official was already beautiful, and her words of praise were soft and gentle, so Xiao Wan'er felt a little shy.
"Master Shangguan, thank you for your compliment. Wan'er had heard of your talent before I entered your sect. I feel deeply honored to have the same name as you."
"I am a mere palace maid, fortunate enough to have earned His Majesty's favor. How dare I address myself as Your Majesty?" Shangguan Wan'er said this, her voice still tinged with obvious amusement. "I've arrived. I'll take my leave. I hope to see Deputy Captain Xiao more often in the future."
Xiao Wan'er sat at the table. The banquet hadn't begun yet. With nothing else to do, she silently surveyed the entire Mingtang. Officials gradually took their seats, all of them beaming with joy, as if the solemn atmosphere she'd experienced during the day was merely an illusion. However, some officials she'd seen at the earlier tripod offering ceremony were absent.
Just as he was thinking about it, the queen appeared and the banquet officially began.
Since this was a banquet celebrating a successful campaign, it was natural to reward meritorious officials. The commander-in-chief, already the King of Henei, hadn't received any promotion, so the rewards were mostly in the form of money and property. The deputy commander-in-chief was promoted from Wuxian Baron to Qiaoxian Marquis. The third recipient of the reward was Xiao Wan'er.
"Emperor Yizong wrote to me, saying that Xiao Aiqing, following his orders, strangled the Khitan cavalry and beheaded the bandit leader, and played a great role in this battle. Such a meritorious official deserves a high reward."
Since Xiao Wan'er's official position could not be promoted for the time being, the empress gave her 100 taels of gold and made her a county lady.
"I thank Your Majesty for the reward." Xiao Wan'er was very happy to be promoted to the fifth rank and to have made a fortune. She also stopped criticizing Wu Yizong in her heart.
After rewarding the soldiers, they enjoyed a delicious meal. By the time they returned home from the banquet, it was already the evening hour. Xiao Wan'er gave the knife to Liu Mingyin.
"This is a thank-you gift from the Governors of Jizhou and Zhaozhou. I saw that you enjoy using knives, so I gave it to you as a present."
Liu Mingyin took the knife, unsheathed it, and ran into the courtyard to brandish it. The moonlight shone on the blade, reflecting a cold gleam. The blade danced with it, and the light shifted constantly. After testing it, Liu Mingyin sheathed the knife, holding it tightly and reluctantly.
"Thank you, Senior Sister. I like it very much."
"So where are the gifts from your master and your senior brother?" Xiao Wan'er smelled a pungent smell of vinegar.
"Master, you know, the war is intense, and I'm surrounded by princes and high-ranking officials. I don't have time to buy gifts. Even this knife was given to me at my whim." Xiao Wan'er walked over to Liuyun, grabbed his sleeve, and shook it. "Next time I leave Shendu, if I have the chance, I will definitely bring gifts for each of you. Please don't be angry this time, Master."
Liuyun was not angry, and changed the topic to the expedition.
"Your Majesty said that you were ordered by the King of Hanoi to kill the Khitan cavalry. Is that true?"
Xiao Wan'er stopped shaking Liuyun's sleeves.
"Master, how do you know it's not true? Just forget it?"
"No," Liuyun sneered, "Master, I know how to read faces, and the King of Henei is not the type of person with great talent and strategy."
"Indeed. The truth is, he decided to retreat to Xiangzhou after learning of the Khitan cavalry's invasion. Only after my disciple volunteered and signed a military order did he reluctantly agree not to retreat."
Liuyun's face suddenly turned dark.
"That's too much! Those who rise to power by relying on nepotism are certainly not good people!"
"Master, forget it. I'm a county lord now, after all. He's the nephew of Her Majesty the Queen," Xiao Wan'er said, thinking of the strange atmosphere in the Divine Capital. She changed the subject. "When I entered Divine Capital today, I saw that every household had their doors and windows shut tightly. Even the civil and military officials at the banquet seemed to be forcing smiles. What happened?"
"Think carefully, is there any high-ranking official who didn't attend the banquet tonight?"
Following Liuyun's hint, Xiao Wan'er recalled carefully and finally found the clue.
"Something happened to Lai Junchen?"
"He first fabricated charges against the Wu princes and Princess Taiping. After the Fengming Guards verified that they were false accusations, he then falsely accused the two heirs of conspiring with the Northern and Southern Courts to rebel. The princes and princesses then jointly exposed his crimes."
"Is he crazy?" Xiao Wan'er murmured. "What does he want by telling everyone?"
"Who knows? In the past few months since you were away from the Divine Capital, the Fengming Guards have been investigating all the things he did. This is a serious matter. His Majesty has ordered the Fengming Guards to interrogate Lai Junchen. He is currently in the Fengming Guards' dungeon," Liuyun said seriously. "You will accompany me on duty tomorrow morning."
Xiao Wan'er nodded subconsciously in shock.
The next morning, Liuyun took Xiao Wan'er straight to the Fengmingwei dungeon. Lai Junchen was imprisoned in the deepest cell, his limbs chained and surrounded by a formation.
"Deputy Commander Liuyun, you've already interrogated me, why are you still here?" Even though he was already behind bars, he was still arrogant.
Liu Yun ignored him and said to Xiao Wan'er, "Show me how well you have mastered the art of divination."
"Liuyun, you are so outrageous! When His Majesty releases me, I will make sure that everyone in Biyun Temple pays with their lives!"
Seeing that he had become a tool to test the cultivation results of others, Lai Junchen was so angry that he started to curse, but was interrupted by Xiao Wan'er: "Don't worry, Master Lai, you will not be released."
After Xiao Wan'er finished speaking, she ignored him and told Liuyun all the crimes he had committed over the years according to divination. After receiving a completely correct evaluation, she returned to Team A1.
On the other side, Liuyun looked at Lai Junchen sarcastically.
"Don't worry, sir. Just based on what you just said, I will never give you the chance to leave."
Holding the organized confession, he walked into the hall leisurely.
The petition to execute Lai Junchen was on the table. The empress read the confession over and over again, but still could not make up her mind.
"Lai Junchen has made great contributions to the country after all, so I still need to consider it."
"Your Majesty, Lai Junchen is cruel and cunning, greedy and tyrannical. He is a great evil to the country. If he is not eliminated, the court will be shaken." The ministers who were invited to the Mingtang bowed their waists and begged the empress to execute him.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the people of Shendu are now wondering why Lai Junchen has not been beheaded yet." Another minister also advocated the execution of Lai Junchen.
The Queen became even more conflicted, and her original intention to save him began to change.
"Your Majesty," Liuyun stepped forward, adding fuel to the fire, "I divined last night that if Lai Junchen is not brought to justice, Her Highness Princess Taiping may be in danger in the future."
The Queen raised her eyes to look at Liuyun. Liuyun looked back at her calmly, without a trace of guilt, and the balance in the Queen's heart finally tilted.
"Is what the Immortal said true?"
"Your Majesty, I have been practicing divination for over eighty years and have never told a lie," Liu Yun took off his official hat and bowed. "If Your Majesty does not wish to believe me, I will withdraw from this case."
"My Lord, you've misunderstood. You've contributed so much to the Great Zhou since entering the mortal realm. How could I not trust you?" the Empress immediately offered reassurance. Liuyun's excellent credit record had convinced the Empress, and the secret letter from Huai Ming, delivered directly by Yuan Kong, further solidified her resolve. In front of the ministers in the Ming Hall, she personally sentenced Lai Junchen and his entire family to execution.
"Such wicked individuals should have their entire families exterminated and their property confiscated to appease the people's anger!"
Liuyun returned home with the good news. After closing the door, he finally gave up and spat out a mouthful of blood. He leaned against the wall, panting and slumped on the ground. After a full moment, he stood up and used the Cleansing Technique to clean up the bloodstains.
On the third day of the seventh month, Lai Junchen was beheaded in the West Market. Crowds of people, young and old, men and women, filled with hatred for him, rushed forward to rip his flesh and crush his bones, leaving no trace of his body. Celebrations filled the streets of the capital.
"Finally, I can sleep with my back against the mat!"
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