Nearly a month after the Guangning defense battle ended, the imperial court finally rewarded them. Han Zhaoxing personally led his soldiers to the East Gate to welcome the envoy. Yuan Sikong and Yuan Nanyu ran up the city wall again, just like they had peeped at Feng's army that day, looking forward to the moment when their father would be promoted and rewarded.

The city wall is being repaired, and ruins can be seen everywhere. Under the light snow, the dried bloodstains are dark blue. Standing on it, one can still recall the cruelty of the battle that day, which still makes people feel uneasy.

The convoy of carriages and horses from the capital had already arrived at the city gate, and officials such as Han Zhaoxing, Qian Anrong, and Yuan Mao went out of the city to greet them.

An envoy jumped off the carriage. He had a mustache, drooping eyebrows, narrow eyes, and a nose like an eagle hook. He looked like a difficult person to deal with. He straightened his robes, exchanged greetings with the officials, and said without further ado, "I am Yu Shige Zhong from the Censorate. I am here to inspect Liaodong on the order of the emperor to commend the meritorious soldiers who defended Guangning City."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, and felt that something was fishy. The inspectors were sent by the emperor to inspect the local conditions and promote or demote officials. If there were major cases in the local area, the inspectors would also be sent to correct the situation. Since they were rewarding the soldiers, why did they send an inspector?

Qian Anrong was the first to speak: "Master Ge must be tired from the long journey. The post station has prepared some wine..."

"No need, colleagues, please accept the imperial edict first." Ge Zhong stretched out his hand, and the followers immediately respectfully presented the imperial edict with both hands.

All the officials knelt down immediately.

Ge Zhongzhan opened the imperial edict, and Lang Sheng read it: "The foundation of the world is the people. He personally used tolerance and benevolence to suppress disasters and chaos, and controlled the military of the barbarians. He cultivated rituals and music and established the constitution. It cannot be said that the truth is not true. However, the barbarians broke their promises and destroyed the alliance, and disrupted our territory. Therefore, there is a dispute between the barbarians and the Chinese. Their nature is beastly. Han Zhaoxing, the general of Liaodong Prefecture, garrisoned the border for seven years, reorganized the army and governed the system, devoted himself to the cause, and was loyal. Although he lost the Huangshui River, he later secured Guangning, drove back the Jurchen barbarians for thousands of miles, saved the people, and restored the prestige of our Dasheng. His merits outweighed his faults, so I give him a special reward..."

Yuan Sikong listened in a daze as Ge Zhong's voice echoed in the wind, and he even doubted his own ears.

"Second brother?" Yuan Nanyu pushed Yuan Sikong hard, "What's wrong with this guy? Why did the emperor reward Han Zhaoxing? He has done nothing except losing battles."

Yuan Sikong pricked up his ears and listened carefully to Ge Zhong reading out the emperor's reward. He had already read out the names of Chen Yulong, Hu Baicheng, and Liang Huiyong, but he did not hear Yuan Mao's name.

Yuan Mao knelt on the ground, his expression could not be seen clearly, but his stiff back clearly expressed his doubts.

Yuan Nanyu was anxious: "Where is Dad? The credits this man mentioned were clearly Dad's, how come they became Han Zhaoxing's?!"

Yuan Sikong took a deep breath and said bitterly, "...Maybe, Dad's contribution is the greatest, so he should be mentioned last."

Yuan Nanyu was skeptical: "Really? That would be best..."

Ge Zhong finished reading the long list of awards, but Yuan Mao and Yuan Shaoxu's names did not appear from beginning to end. He closed the imperial edict and asked loudly, "Where is Yuan Mao, the commander of the Guangning Garrison?"

"Ah, it's Dad's time!" Yuan Nanyu patted the wall excitedly.

Yuan Sikong couldn't laugh, because he saw that Ge Zhong had a sullen face the whole time, which didn't look like he was going to announce the award.

"Your humble servant is here." Yuan Mao said in a deep voice.

"Ge, following His Majesty's order, is investigating the case of Guangning Garrison Captain Yuan Mao abusing his power, killing and seizing military tokens, and plotting to murder Liaodong Governor Li Boyun. Come, arrest Yuan Mao!"

It's a bolt from the blue!

Yuan Mao suddenly raised his head, looking dejected.

"What?" Yuan Shaoxu's voice was trembling. "Lord Yu Shi, where did this accusation come from? My father is innocent!"

Yuan Sikong's heart felt like being hit by a flying rock, and he instantly forgot to breathe.

The Guangning soldiers were also panicked, shouting in confusion: "Lord Ge, this must be a misunderstanding."

"Master Ge, Master Yuan must have been wrongly accused..."

Ge Zhong shouted: "Capture this man!"

The guards on both wings were all from Guangning. They looked at each other in hesitation.

Ge Zhong said angrily: "What? Are you going to disobey the imperial order? It seems that in this Guangning area, the imperial edict is not as effective as Yuan Mao."

The guards were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they had to step forward and restrain Yuan Mao.

Han Zhaoxing stood aside, looking as if it had nothing to do with him, but his eyebrows were slightly raised and his eyes were filled with viciousness.

Yuan Mao had calmed down. He looked deeply at Ge Zhong and said in a hoarse voice, "Master Yu Shi, how did this humble official commit this crime?"

"I'll let you know soon." Ge Zhong said, "Lock him up first."

"Brother..." Yuan Nanyu cried in fear. He grabbed Yuan Sikong's hand tightly. "Brother, what happened? Why was Dad arrested? Didn't Lord Li die bravely? Why would Dad want to kill him?"

Yuan Sikong trembled and said, "Dad... Dad was wronged, Dad..." The huge fear swallowed him up like an irreversible darkness, and his mind was in a mess. Not to mention the abuse of power, the two charges of killing and seizing the military seal and murdering the court officials were serious crimes punishable by death!

"I know that Dad must have been wrongly accused. What should I do?" Yuan Nanyu cried, "What should I do, second brother?"

"I..." Yuan Sikong felt his head getting hot and confused. He slapped himself twice and his cheeks swelled up immediately. He came to his senses and stared at Yuan Nanyu with red eyes. "Dad was framed. It must be Han Zhaoxing who did it. Let's go find my eldest brother and Lord Qian... We must also find a way to see Dad..."

Yuan Nanyu wiped away his tears and pulled Yuan Sikong up: "Second brother, let's go."

The two of them ran down the city wall and headed for Yuan Mao's government office. There, they found Yuan Shaoxu and a room full of Guangning officials, all of whom were apparently plotting something for Yuan Mao.

"How could Lord Yuan be framed like this? Lord Li wanted to go to the Jin army camp in person that day, and we were all there."

"Yes, we are all here, we can all testify, how can Lord Yuan be accused of murdering Lord Li?"

"Yes, that military token was also given to Lord Yuan by Lord Li. Where did the word 'murder and plunder' come from? It's simply slanderous!"

"Hey, what's the point of you discussing here? The key is to make the inspector believe it."

Yuan Sikong looked around and saw Yuan Shaoxu sitting in a chair in the corner, holding his head with his hands, not saying a word. He and Yuan Nanyu ran over and shouted anxiously, "Brother."

Yuan Shaoxu raised his face. He was originally a young man, but now he looked old and his eyes were dim.

Yuan Nanyu sniffed: "Brother, is Dad locked up? What should we do?"

Yuan Shaoxu said tiredly, "I'm thinking of a solution. You guys should stop getting in the way here and go home to accompany mother. Don't let her know."

Yuan Sikong pleaded, "Brother, what can Kong'er do?"

Yuan Shaoxu said coldly: "You can't do anything, go back."

“Brother…”

"Master Qian, Master Qian is back!"

Yuan Shaoxu stood up and went to greet him, and asked anxiously, "Master Qian, what news have you heard?"

Qian Anrong sighed: "Oh, Lord Ge told me that he has a secret letter written by Lord Li to a friend. In the letter, he denounced Yuan Mao for coercing him, taking away the military token, and forcing him to die in the Jin camp. For the safety of his family in Guangning, he can only..."

Yuan Sikong was so angry that he was shaking all over: "Nonsense!"

Everyone shouted, "Impossible. You and I both know what kind of person Lord Yuan is. Guangning was in danger at the time. The city could be destroyed at any time. What use would he have if he could only dispatch 3,000 troops?"

"Yes, this is clearly a frame-up. Who is so malicious?"

"Do I need to ask? Who would be most dissatisfied with Lord Yuan taking the military order? It must be that..."

Before the man could finish his words, his colleague covered his mouth: "We have already learned from the previous experience of Lord Yuan, so please shut up."

Qian Anrong sighed repeatedly: "I don't believe Yuan Mao would do such a thing. Lord Ge will start investigating the case today. He has already ordered people to go to Lord Li's house to move the letter for handwriting comparison. He will also have to personally interrogate Yuan Mao later. This matter... is troublesome."

Yuan Sikong clenched his fists tightly, and his heart was filled with hatred for Han Zhaoxing. Han Zhaoxing must have set up a trap to frame Yuan Mao in order to avenge Yuan Mao's seizure of power and to gain credit. This idiot who lost Qingzhou, Liaobei, and Huangshui was still alive. It was simply God's blindness!

Yuan Shaoxu knelt on the ground and choked up, "Master Qian, please save my father."

"Master Qian, please save Master Yuan."

A few months ago, the then prefect of Liaoning retired due to illness, and the court had not yet appointed a new prefect, so Governor Li Boyun temporarily served as prefect. Now that Li Boyun has died, Guangning prefect Qian Anrong can be regarded as the most powerful civil servant in Liaoning and the only one who has a say.

Qian Anrong helped Yuan Shaoxu up from the ground: "Shaoxu, your father and I are from the same hometown and serve as officials. We have been friends for many years and will definitely help you. I believe in his character and we will definitely find a way to clear his name!"

"Yes! We must not let the thieves harm Lord Yuan!"

Yuan Sikong held Yuan Nanyu's hand tightly. In the cold winter, their palms were sweaty. He whispered in Yuan Nanyu's ear and comforted him, "Yu'er, don't worry, we will definitely rescue Dad."

Yuan Nanyu stared with red eyes and nodded vigorously: "Dad is a good man and a loyal minister. Lord Yu Shi will definitely investigate it thoroughly."

Yuan Sikong's lips trembled slightly, and his heart sank as if it were filled with lead, almost draining all the strength from his body.

He was afraid, he hated, he was angry, but he felt even more at a loss. Looking at a room full of adults who were in a state of panic, he...what could he do?

No, no matter what I do, Dad, I will rescue you!