Feng Jixing's face was full of respect as he held the golden imperial edict in his hands and walked up the stone steps of the governor's manor. Behind him, a group of high-ranking Imperial Army generals followed closely. Among them was a general with a face full of beard and two gold stars on his collar. His military rank was very high and he was the deputy commander of the Imperial Army, Si Kongfan. He was a powerhouse at the first level of Heaven Realm.
Su Muyun, Su Qin, Lin Muyu, and the others knelt on one knee on the cold stone floor and said in unison, "We accept the imperial edict!"
Feng Jixing smiled and unfolded the scroll, "The fate of the Great Qin is decided by the Heavens and by the Emperor. The Emperor has ordered that General Su Qin will be rewarded with ten thousand hectares of fertile land and one hundred thousand Jinyin coins for his contribution in quelling the rebellion. General Lin Muyu escorted Her Highness Qin Yin to Muyu City with the imperial edict and was rewarded with one hundred thousand Jinyin coins. Today, the Commander of the Imperial Army, Feng Jixing, will lead his troops to Wugu City to take over all the military and political power. The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army, Si Kongfan, will be appointed as the Governor of Cangnan Province and will be in charge of all the military and political affairs in the province. The Flying Cavalry Battalion that Lin Muyu controls will be handed over to Feng Jixing to bring back to Lanyan City. I have not seen General Yun for a long time. Please, General Yun, Su Qin, Su Yu, Her Highness Qin Yin, and Lin Muyu to return to Lanyan City together with me. All the troops of Muyu City must return to their camps within three days without any delay."
"I accept the imperial edict!"
Su Muyun slowly stood up and took the imperial edict from Feng Jixing's hands.
Feng Jixing took a step forward and held Su Muyun's arm. He smiled and said, "Duke Yun is old, but you are still able to work hard for the country. His Majesty has instructed before that Duke Yun is to go to Lanyan City with the etiquette of a duke. There's nothing you don't need."
Su Muyun cupped his fists in gratitude and said to the West, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
Su Qin said, "General Feng, it's been a long journey. Let's rest in Five Valleys City tonight. Let's set off for Lanyan City tomorrow to meet His Majesty. What do you think?"
"Of course." Feng Jixing smiled. "I will listen to your arrangements."
"Alright! Tonight, I'll set up a banquet at the Governor's Mansion. Don't leave until you're drunk. "
"Yes!"
…
At dusk, the heavy snow had stopped. The setting sun brought with it a faint warmth as it shone on the administrative hall of the Governor's Mansion. Qin Yin was lazily lying on the chair beside the huge office table. She pushed away the documents on the table and stretched her body. At this moment, her demeanor was peerless and intoxicating. Lin Muyu, Feng Jixing, and Si Kongfan swallowed their saliva at the same time.
"Big Brother Yu, come here …" Qin Yin smiled and beckoned.
Lin Muyu stood up from the chair in front of the desk, hugged the silver helmet, and asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Yin?"
"Come here and help me take a look."
"Okay."
He came to Qin Yin's side. Qin Yin naturally took his hand and said with a smile, "Look at this military report. Five Valleys City originally had 120,000 soldiers. Now, there are only 60,000 soldiers?"
"Yes."
Lin Muyu nodded. "In the battle outside Five Valleys City, the 70,000 soldiers led by Su Qin and Long Qianlin's garrison suffered losses on both sides. That night, Long Qianlin commanded the garrison to escape with his family. Tens of thousands of people were chased and killed. In addition, more than 10,000 people from the Flying Mount Camp have been removed from the provincial army. So, Cangnan Province can be said to be short of soldiers and generals."
"I see …" Qin Yin blinked and looked up at him. She suddenly smiled warmly and said, "Uncle has a violent temperament. This matter … has wronged you. Yu, don't be angry. Uncle is not a heinous person. It's just that sometimes his loyalty to the Empire makes him unable to distinguish right from wrong."
"Yes, I know."
At this time, Feng Jixing coughed and said, "Your Highness, this time, it's all thanks to Yu's strong obstruction. Otherwise, once General Yu massacred the city, it would definitely shock the world. You should know … there hasn't been such a thing in the Empire for decades. If it wasn't for Yu, I'm afraid His Majesty would inevitably be labeled as … a tyrant by the world."
Qin Yin smiled slightly. "Yes, I also understand this. Things have changed with the passage of time. Some of the laws and rules of the Empire are obviously no longer in line with this era. After returning to Lanyan City, I will talk to my Imperial Father and let him issue a national edict to strictly abolish the law of massacring the city."
"Yes."
Feng Jixing cupped his fists. "Then, I will first thank Your Highness for your kindness on behalf of the world!"
Si Kongfan also smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness is wise and brilliant!"
Qin Yin chuckled. "Don't praise me, it's useless. General Si Kongfan, I don't have the power to promote your military position and status. Besides, after the battle of Wugu City, Cangnan Province is in chaos. There's a shortage of soldiers. Although Yu has worked hard to maintain it for many days, it still hasn't reached its original level. In the future, you still have to rely on yourself to manage it. General Si Kongfan, you must replenish Wugu City with more than 100,000 soldiers as soon as possible. After all, this city is one of the seven major cities of the Empire. It won't do without enough defenders."
Si Kongfan cupped his fists and said respectfully, "This subordinate obeys. Si Kongfan will not disappoint Your Highness!"
"That's good."
Qin Yin stood up and looked Lin Muyu in the eye. She smiled and said, "Brother Yu, I'll have to trouble you during the banquet. Later … Xiao Yin will accompany you to apologize to Uncle and ask him to forgive you for your previous disrespect, okay?"
Qin Yin held his hand tightly. There was a wronged expression on her beautiful face. She was acting cute and coquettish. Naturally, Lin Muyu couldn't say anything. Besides, Qin Yin's action was indeed reasonable and appropriate. It was indeed what she should do. Lin Muyu also understood that since she came to this world, she had to learn to follow the rules of this world. At least, she had to do so before she had the power to overturn this world.
"Yes, okay, let's go and apologize together."
"Okay, okay."
Qin Yin smiled sweetly, but it made Feng Jixing and Si Kongfan so envious that they touched their noses together. They looked at each other and smiled. Everything was said without words.
…
The banquet was very grand. About 100 people attended. Qin Yin sat in the host seat, accompanied by Su Muyun, Su Qin, Feng Jixing, Si Kongfan, and the others. Lin Muyu's position was slightly lower, so she could only sit with Zhang Wei, Luo Lie, and a few other Imperial Army Chiliarchs. General Zhennan belonged to the fourth rank of the Empire's military system. Naturally, he couldn't sit with Su Qin, who was the first rank. No matter how great Lin Muyu's contributions were, this rule couldn't be broken.
Five Valleys City was rich and populous, so there was naturally a lot of food and wine stored in the city. In addition, there were many beautiful women in Five Valleys City. Even the maids who held the wine jug were quite beautiful. Zhang Wei and Luo Lie chatted happily, but Lin Muyu held her wine cup and drank cup after cup. She looked at Su Qin, Si Kongfan, and the others from afar and felt a little disgusted.
After three rounds of wine, when everyone was a little tipsy, Qin Yin held a jade cup in one hand and lifted the hem of her skirt with the other. She walked to Lin Muyu's side and said with a smile, "Brother Yu, let's go and apologize!"
"Okay."
Lin Muyu untied his sword and placed it on the table. He picked up his wine cup and stood up. Qin Yin naturally held his arm, looking like a brother and sister.
The two of them came before Su Qin. Qin Yin's face was filled with a bewitching, sweet smile. She said, "Uncle! Brother Yu and I have come to apologize to you. I hope you can forget the unhappy things that happened in Five Valleys City, okay? "
Su Qin was stunned. He quickly cupped his fists and said, "I dare not, Your Highness."
Lin Muyu held the cup with both hands and said, "General, I have offended you before. I hope you can forgive me!"
"Yu, don't be so polite. I was indeed a little impulsive at that time. Since we are family, let's not talk too much. Come, let's drink this cup of wine and pretend that nothing happened."
"Yes!"
The wine was very sweet.
Su Qin drank this cup of wine and put it down. He raised his eyebrows and once again cupped his fists and bowed to Qin Yin. He said with a smile, "Xiao Yin, I did not go to Lanyan City to see His Majesty empty-handed!"
"Oh? Did Uncle bring a gift for Imperial Father? "
"Of course."
Su Qin chuckled and said, "Does Xiao Yin want to see it?"
"Of course, show it to me quickly."
"Okay!"
Su Qin clapped his hands and said loudly, "General Zhang Santong, bring the gift here."
"Yes!"
Zhang Santong walked in from outside with a silver box. His dark blue cloak fluttered in the wind. He was in high spirits, as if he had done something great. He handed the box to Qin Yin and said respectfully, "Your Highness, this is General's gift to His Majesty."
"Open it."
"Yes!"
The moment the box was opened, Qin Yin let out a low scream and turned around to throw herself into Lin Muyu's arms. Lin Muyu hugged Qin Yin with one arm and leaned over to take a look. To her surprise, there was a bloody human head in the box. The blood had already frozen into frost. The dead man's eyes were wide open, as though he had died with a grievance. It was as though he was about to come back to life at any moment. It was none other than Hu Tiening!
Lin Muyu's heart sank. He closed the box and held Qin Yin's slender waist with one hand. He turned around and asked, "General, how … how did Hu Tiening's head come about?"
Su Qin raised his eyebrows and said, "A few days ago, I ordered Zhang Santong to lead the elite cavalry to hunt down Hu Tiening and Long Qianlin's family members. We even intercepted their remaining members just now, so we chopped off Hu Tiening's head as a gift to His Majesty. Hmph, Hu Tiening was so daring that he minted coins privately. He deserved to die. Your Highness, what do you think of this gift?"
Qin Yin was startled by the 'gift' in the box. She regained her composure and said with a calm gaze, "I believe that … Father will be very satisfied with this gift."
"Haha, that's good!"
Su Qin raised his hand and drank another glass of wine. The red wine flowed down the corner of his mouth like blood.
…
Zhang Santong walked out with the box. Lin Muyu hurriedly chased after him. She stepped on the snow in the Governor-General's Manor and asked, "General Zhang, please wait a moment."
"What's wrong, General Lin? Is something the matter?" Zhang Santong asked respectfully.
"Since we caught up to Hu Tiening's body, then … do we have any information on Long Qianlin's whereabouts?" Lin Muyu asked.
Zhang Santong grinned and said, "Long Qianlin, that treacherous traitor … has probably died in the chaos? I didn't see him. "
"Then … what about Hu Tiening and Long Qianlin's family members?"
"We've captured them all. They're locked up in the Five Valleys City's Imperial Prison!"
"I see …"
"Yes! General, I'm going to check on them. Excuse me. "
"Hmm … alright."
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