Chapter 76: No One Can Outwit the Grand Commander
Chapter 76: No One Can Outwit the Grand Commander
Meng Qianqian and Lu Yuan buried Yin Hu and returned to Feng County.
From Qing Shuang, Meng Qianqian learned that Lu Yuan had rushed to the county office as soon as she left the military camp and had solved the case that had plagued the border for over a month in just one day.
This time, the Northern Liang people truly suffered a crushing blow. They had thought that the court had sent a scholar-official who had never seen a battlefield before, and that Northern Liang would surely win. Who would have known that they had kicked an iron plate this time?
Lu Yuan might not be adept at military strategy, but investigation and interrogation were his forte. In his hands, no case was unsolvable, and no mouth could remain shut.
He was bold and ruthless, unafraid of arresting the wrong person or executing the wrongfully accused.
"Where did the Grand Commander start his investigation?"
Meng Qianqian was also quite curious about the details of the case.
Qing Shuang said, "At the county office, the Grand Commander arrested the county magistrate and his family. Under intense interrogation, the magistrate confessed that he had hidden the gold, and that all but a few of the most important envoys among the thousand soldiers had infiltrated the rebel army."
Meng Qianqian suddenly realized, "So it was right under our noses. No wonder we couldn't find them even after searching for so long."
She had known that Northern Liang had sent soldiers to mix into the rebel army, but she had not expected that these thousand soldiers had also infiltrated.
This time, they had met their match in Lu Yuan. If it had been someone else at the border, they might not have been able to outwit Northern Liang.
Two days later, Lu Yuan and the Prince of Qi from Northern Liang agreed to meet ten miles outside of Yumenguan Pass for negotiations.
After the Northern Liang envoys disappeared, the Prince of Qi led his troops south to demand an explanation from Great Zhou. If they couldn't produce the missing people, they would attack Yumenguan Pass.
Both sides led thirty thousand troops each and waited anxiously in the valley.
Lu Yuan brought Meng Qianqian into the negotiation tent.
Lu Lingxiao frowned, "Are two bodyguards enough? The Prince of Qi has brought four experts with him!"
Although he and Lu Yuan didn't get along, the situation was critical, and Lu Yuan's death at the negotiation table would only harm Great Zhou.
Zhang Feihu patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Xiao Jiu is very capable! She's only a bodyguard because she doesn't want more. Otherwise, with her achievements, she could easily become a general!"
Lu Lingxiao didn't believe this.
He acknowledged that Meng Xiao Jiu was skilled, but fighting on the battlefield was not about individual bravery. The situation could change in an instant, and it was entirely different from single combat.
Perhaps out of all these soldiers, she was the only female bodyguard, so everyone was protecting her, and her achievements were exaggerated!
"Why is Xiao Jiu wearing a mask again?" Zhang Feihu stroked his chin and glanced at Lu Lingxiao, his eyes narrowing as he asked suspiciously, "It seems that every time you're around, Xiao Jiu wears a mask. Have you done something to Xiao Jiu?"
"I have no idea about her," Lu Lingxiao said, "I didn't do anything!"
Inside the tent.
Lu Yuan and the Prince of Qi from Northern Liang sat across from each other.
The Emperor of Northern Liang was elderly, and the Prince of Qi was his third son, already in his thirties.
This man was very belligerent, and the case of the envoys was directed by him behind the scenes. Those rebel soldiers, needless to say, were also secretly supported by him.
The fact that his several thousand rebel soldiers had fallen into the hands of a scholar-official was a huge embarrassment.
So he had come early in the morning, eager to see the scholar-official who had caused him such a setback.
He blatantly sized up Lu Yuan and coldly smiled, "Grand Commander Lu, you certainly have an imposing manner!"
Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Yu Zichuan."
Yu Zichuan pushed a person into the tent and casually threw him to the ground.
The man was so scared that he trembled and dared not lift his head.
Lu Yuan hooked his lips, "County Magistrate Zhong, now that you've seen a familiar face, won't you at least greet your in-laws?"
Yu Zichuan grabbed his hair, forcing him to turn his face towards the Prince of Qi.
The Prince of Qi's expression changed.
Lu Yuan laughed arrogantly, "Prince of Qi, you seem surprised. Are you unhappy to see your nephew-in-law?"
If the Prince of Qi had managed to maintain his composure before, the mention of his nephew-in-law completely shocked him.
The Prince of Qi's cousin had chosen a minor branch's young concubine from the clan and sent her to County Magistrate Zhong as a concubine.
This secret was so well-kept that even his brothers hadn't discovered it. How had Lu Yuan found out?
Zhong Xianling rushed forward and hugged the Prince of Qi's legs, sobbing, "Uncle Qi! Save me! Save me, please!"
Zhong Xianling was already in his forties, older than the Prince of Qi, yet he shamelessly addressed him as 'uncle'.
The Prince of Qi kicked him away disdainfully. "How dare you address me as 'uncle'?"
A guard by his side drew his sword and lunged at Zhong Xianling, but Yu Zichuan blocked his attack.
The guard was about to engage Yu Zichuan, but the Prince of Qi shouted, "Stand down!"
The guard sheathed his sword and returned to the Prince of Qi's side.
Lu Yuan casually said, "Pour the tea."
Meng Qianqian reached for the teapot on the table.
Lu Yuan blocked her with an empty hand. "Not you."
Meng Qianqian withdrew her hand.
The Prince of Qi glared at Lu Yuan, his chest heaving angrily. He turned to his guard and ordered, "Serve the Grand Commander some tea!"
The guard walked around the table and poured tea for Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan smiled without warmth. "Prince Qi, if you are dissatisfied, I can hand over those ministers, along with your nephew-in-law, to your father, the Emperor of Northern Liang. I wonder how he will view your acts of colluding with the enemy, deceiving your superiors, and instigating conflict between our nations?"
The Prince of Qi scoffed, "Do you think my father will believe you?"
Lu Yuan smiled. "I only need to spread the word. Whether or not he believes me is none of my concern. There will certainly be people who will ensure their safe passage to your father. If he doesn't believe me, will he not believe your brothers?"
The power struggle for the throne in Northern Liang was far more intriguing than in Great Zhou.
The Prince of Qi clenched his fists. "At worst, I will say that I couldn't swallow the insult and wanted to avenge my uncle, Rong En Wang! My father loves him more than his own sons. He won't blame me!"
Lu Yuan smiled. "But the one who killed Rong Enwang was you, Prince Qi."
The Prince of Qi jumped to his feet, pointing at Lu Yuan and shouting furiously, "You're spouting nonsense! It was clearly your Great Zhou's general who killed my Uncle Rong En!"
Lu Yuan's smile turned mocking. "If you hadn't poisoned him first and then leaked his whereabouts to Lu Lingxiao, how could he have met such a tragic end at Lu Lingxiao's hands?"
The Prince of Qi's face turned red with anger. "You're slandering me!"
Lu Yuan picked up his teacup. "Prince Qi, shall we wager on whether or not I can produce evidence of you framing your own uncle?"
The Prince of Qi's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
After a long while, he sat back down, breathing heavily. "What do you want?"
"Withdraw your troops," Lu Yuan replied.
The Prince of Qi gritted his teeth. "I agree."
"I'm not finished," Lu Yuan continued.
"What more do you want?"
Lu Yuan smiled. "I had only intended to make you withdraw your troops, but now, I feel like raising the stakes."
"Lu Yuan, don't get too arrogant!"
The Prince of Qi slammed his fist on the table, and the guard behind him lunged at Lu Yuan with his sword, only to be kicked out of the tent by Meng Qianqian!
Lu Yuan nonchalantly extended two long, jade-like fingers. "Add another 200,000 taels of gold, and I want your seventh brother to come to Great Zhou as a hostage."
The Prince of Qi glanced at Meng Qianqian, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes, and refrained from slamming the table again. "This is outright robbery! Besides, my father will never hand over my seventh brother!"
His father, the Emperor of Northern Liang, doted on two people the most: Rong Enwang and the seventh prince, born to the Jade Consort.
He could scrape together 200,000 taels of gold himself, but as for his seventh brother... If he dared to agree, his father would have his head!
Lu Yuan sighed and said earnestly, "A tiger may be fierce, but it won't devour its own cub. Your father won't take your life; he'll just ignore you for a while. This might not be a bad thing for you, Prince Qi. You can go with the flow, hide your ambitions, bide your time, and let the other princes fight among themselves. When they've exhausted themselves, you can be the fisherman who reaps the benefits. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
When someone is pushed to a dead end, even if you offer them a thorned rope, they will bite down and cling to it.
Meng Qianqian glanced at Lu Yuan.
When it came to scheming and understanding the human heart, no one could match this man.
Baoshu: Hmph!
(End of Chapter)
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