Chief Secretary Xie knew perfectly well that this was the proper course of action, but if Bai Jiwu were to seal off the city again, it would be too late for Guard Qi to leave.
He said in a hoarse voice, "This matter is my fault. I never expected that Bai Jiwu would be so heartless and insane."
By torturing and murdering the prefect's yamen runners, Bai Jiwu probably never intended for Ke Liangyi to live!
"This isn't your fault." Gu Yuzhi stepped forward and patted Xie Changshi's arm. "It's all because this Bai Jiwu is too wicked!"
Teacher Shu was right after all. Bad people do bad things with a clear conscience, while good people blame themselves for not planning ahead.
He snorted, "Why should I?"
He didn't want Xie Changshi and the others to blame him for this!
Once he arrested Bai Jiwu, he locked him in the same cell where Prefect Ke had been imprisoned, forcing him to kneel and beg for mercy every day in the direction where the previous yamen runners had been tortured.
Having understood what happened, the next step is to find a solution.
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head, his face scrunched up: "But, but how do we solve this?"
His fiefdom is indeed in the northern desert, but that doesn't mean he can interfere in matters within the military camp.
He's not a child anymore; he knows perfectly well what he can and can't do.
Chief Secretary Xie hadn't considered ignoring the matter, but he needed to think carefully about how to handle it.
Because once the control is overstepped and those people in the court find out, they won't care whether the young prince is a child or not, they will definitely impeach him one by one.
The council chamber was initially extremely quiet, but after a while, people began to discuss it in hushed tones.
The discussion then grew louder and louder, to the point that it felt like the roof of the council chamber was about to be blown off.
Gu Yuzhi felt like his eyes couldn't keep up, constantly looking at this and that.
He felt that everyone's points were valid and their concerns were justified.
But at this moment, he couldn't think of any good way to solve the whole state's problems at once.
The discussion lasted a long time, and Mingli and his servants changed the tea several times. Gu Yuzhi felt that he had drunk his fill of tea.
It wasn't until Granny Xu came to see him from outside the door that Gu Yuzhi exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, it's already dark!"
Governor He and his entourage looked up at the door and, sure enough, the moon had risen into the sky.
They hurriedly took their leave, thinking only of going back to think things through carefully, determined to come up with a foolproof plan to capture Bai Jiwu and his gang without firing a single shot.
Gu Yuzhi, who had just felt full from drinking tea, suddenly felt hungry again when he saw Granny Xu.
He patted his flattened belly and called out, "Governor He, please have a meal before you leave. Granny Xu's cooking is excellent; you can try it and see how it differs from what you get at the inn."
Hearing the little prince's clear and childlike voice, everyone present couldn't help but stand up straight.
They felt a gentle breeze blowing in their faces, instantly relieving most of their fatigue.
This is truly an amazing thing!
Only after everyone had left did Huo Qiyuan stand in front of Gu Yuzhi again, listening carefully to Xie Changshi talk about the affairs of Quanzhou.
Gu Yuzhi couldn't help but yawn, his eyes becoming hazy.
I didn't sleep at noon, and then we were discussing things all afternoon.
Teacher Shu said that excessive mental exertion leads to fatigue, and he felt that he was indeed overusing his brain.
Gu Yuzhi's little head bobbed up and down, and he was about to drift off to sleep.
The next moment, Huo Qiyuan said in a low voice, "Chief Secretary Xie, I have an idea."
He stared at Chief Secretary Xie and said, word by word, "I'm going to Quanzhou!"
"Based on my understanding of Bai Jiwu, although he is stubborn and self-willed, he is actually very cautious."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been trapped in the Xinliang Iron Mine for so many years without being allowed to make a move.
“His position is not secure, so he doesn’t dare to offend all my old subordinates easily. The military’s defenses must not have changed much. As long as I get in and find people I trust to unite with, we can catch Bai Jiwu off guard.”
All the yamen runners in the northern desert, plus Gu Yuzhi's personal guards, numbered only a little over a thousand, so they had no way of using force to threaten Bai Jiwu into putting down his steel knife.
It's impossible to ask the emperor for help.
Firstly, because the journey was long, by the time the emperor's reinforcements arrived, more than half of the people in the prefecture might have died or been injured.
Secondly, Quanzhou dared not make any major moves. If the Northern Di people noticed something was wrong, they would definitely not let the opportunity pass and launch a large-scale invasion.
So when Huo Qiyuan learned about this, his first thought was to go.
Only he could persuade his old subordinates to rebel against Bai Jiwu!
"No way!" Chief Secretary Xie objected without even thinking.
Gu Yuzhi was startled by Xie Changshi's low growl and opened his eyes groggily, his gaze shifting blankly between Xie Changshi and Huo Qiyuan.
Seeing that the two of them looked strange, Gu Yuzhi's drowsy state dissipated considerably.
He rubbed his eyes, still a little sleepy, and his voice sounded more childish than usual: "Chief Secretary Xie, Mr. Huo, what are you arguing about?"
As soon as Gu Yuzhi spoke, Xie Changshi's cold face finally softened a lot, and he said in a low voice, "Your Highness, Mr. Huo wants to go deep into Quanzhou to persuade the Huo family army to cooperate from the inside and outside to take down Bai Jiwu."
As soon as Xie Changshi finished speaking, Gu Yuzhi's drowsiness vanished instantly. He looked up at Huo Qiyuan and shook his head vigorously, "No, no, Mr. Huo. That Bai Jiwu did so many things just to capture you. You can't go to Quanzhou!"
He hurriedly jumped off the chair, grabbed Huo Qiyuan's hand, and continued, "Even if Quanzhou isn't under lockdown right now, that bastard Bai Jiwu must have sent a lot of people to stay in the city. As soon as you appear, he'll definitely spot you immediately!"
Gu Yuzhi shook his head as he spoke, clearly disagreeing and refusing to agree no matter what!
Huo Qiyuan knew that going there was very risky, but he couldn't think of any other good way.
Gu Yuzhi's eyes darted around, but he gripped Huo Qiyuan tightly, as if if he let go, Huo Qiyuan would run to Quanzhou and be caught by Bai Jiwu.
Xie Changshi looked at Gu Yuzhi holding Huo Qiyuan's hand for a long time before speaking: "Mr. Huo, I remember you said that Huo Liangyao also grew up in the Northern Desert Army."
Huo Qiyuan nodded at Gu Yuzhi, then realized what he meant and said, "That's right, I can send Liang Yao."
“Liangyao is my eldest son. He has been greatly influenced by me. Many soldiers in the Northern Desert Army have held him and watched him grow up.”
If Huo Liangyao were to appear in person to persuade people, although the effect might not be as good as if he went in person, he could definitely persuade quite a few people.
Most importantly, Bai Jiwu was not very familiar with Huo Liangyao's current appearance!
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