Chapter 82 Ten faces were dumbfounded. How could the wanted criminal be the emperor?

That very night, Prefect Liu wrote a letter and sent it to the capital by fast horse.

After a day and a night, and after three horses had died from exhaustion, the letter was finally delivered to Chen Jiulin's Grand Commandant's residence.

After the secret of his practice of replenishing yang through yin cultivation was leaked, Grand Commandant Chen was already feeling uneasy.

Unexpectedly, once Prefect Liu's letter arrived, the situation suddenly became so serious.

"Ugh, that bastard Liu Qianglin, what is he good for?"

How could such a thing be leaked to an old man like me?

Chen Jiulin knew in his heart that simply scolding Liu Qianglin was no longer useful. Even if he wanted to punish him, he should wait until they had safely weathered this ordeal.

Liu Laowu, my old friend, became emperor, and it was only the first year of his reign, which was the most crucial time.

This man loved the people like his own children, longed to do great things, and did not want the people of the world to suffer.

But he himself did it all, using hundreds of placenta carts to replenish yin and yang, all of which were pulled out of pregnant women's bodies with copper hooks while they were still alive!

These more than one hundred pregnant women lost their lives, plus the lives of unborn children—that's more than one hundred lives lost in a pregnancy!

If such a major case were to reach Liu Laowu, I'm afraid even this old comrade wouldn't be able to tolerate it.

Even if they manage to escape death by sheer luck, the entire Chen family will likely be crushed to the ground and never be able to rise again!

He finally escaped poverty, transforming his life from that of a poor man for generations to that of a rich man, and was even granted the title of Marquis.

How could Chen Jiulin let the wealth he had just acquired slip away again?

He immediately came up with a solution.

"That brat Liu Fu has been enfeoffed in Liaodong, and Liaodong has become his fiefdom. If this matter is investigated, it will be detrimental to me!"

"Now should be the best opportunity for me. The men that kid sent out to inspect have already learned about this, but they haven't reported it to Liu Fu yet. This is the opportunity! Liu Qianglin took the opportunity to delay these inspectors, which gave me the chance to make my move. I should immediately rush to Liaodong, mobilize troops along the way to block the news, and then go to Yanshan Prefecture to kill these inspectors of Liu Fu."

At this moment, a murderous intent flashed in Chen Jiulin's eyes:

"Liu Fu, Liu Fu, I'm sorry for killing a few of your people!"

Thinking of this, Chen Jiulin immediately ordered a fast horse to be prepared, and then wrote a memorial requesting leave and handed it to his son:

"Tomorrow I will attend court on behalf of my father. I will say that I am unwell and need to rest at home for a while. I will ask His Majesty for sick leave."

After saying this, Chen Jiulin put on the official robes of a Grand Commandant, took the tiger tally for mobilizing troops in his hand, and rode a fast horse with only a dozen guards, leaving the capital overnight and heading straight for Yanshan Prefecture in Liaodong.

Another day passed, and Chen Jiulin changed into the official robes of a Grand Commandant outside Liaodong. Holding the tiger tally, he mobilized three thousand Han cavalrymen, who split into three groups and headed straight for the vicinity of Yanshan Prefecture.

"I, the Grand Commandant, have come under the Emperor's secret orders to wipe out the rebels in Yanshan Prefecture. You shall divide your forces into three groups and proceed quietly, without alerting them. Once your three groups have surrounded the city, I, the Grand Commandant, will lead one group to set up an ambush with you."

"This great achievement will surely be rewarded in the future, so everyone, keep your spirits up!"

Three thousand light cavalrymen marched straight to Yanshan Prefecture overnight.

Chen Jiulin himself went straight to the prefectural magistrate's office and met Zhou Chunxuan, who was a high-ranking official in charge of the region.

"This humble official pays his respects to the Grand Commandant."

"Sure, how many soldiers do you have under your command now?"

The magistrate bowed and said:

"I have dispatched a large number of soldiers to guard the area, and I still have 1,500 soldiers under my command."

"very good."

"Take all your troops and follow me, Grand Commandant, to Yanshan Prefecture."

On the way to Yanshan Prefecture, Chen Jiulin inquired:

"Regarding the incriminating evidence against those pregnant women, I heard that many copies have been distributed. How many copies have you found so far?"

The magistrate shook his head and said:

"To be honest, sir, I haven't found a single one yet."

Chen Jiulin laughed heartily:

"You've all been fooled."

"That thief stole the evidence one day and was caught by you the next. How could he have made hundreds of copies of the evidence and given them to others in such a short time? It's probably just an excuse to save his life. Of course, it's right for you to be careful."

"Tonight, follow me, Grand Commandant, to kill these people. As long as you keep this a secret, it will be a great achievement. I guarantee you will be transferred to the capital within three years and appointed as a minister."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

Zhou Chunxuan was incredibly excited. If he could really be transferred to the capital and become one of the six ministers, the power would be far greater than being a regional governor in the provinces.

With Chen Jiulin's 1,500 men, 4,500 men immediately surrounded the entire Yanshan Prefecture City.

At this time, Prefect Liu was already waiting on the city tower.

Meanwhile, the treasure-hunting rats sent by Liu Fu had already been listening to every move outside the city.

"Chen Jiulin has indeed arrived!"

Liu Laowu sighed and walked out of the prison with Liu Fu and the others.

The dozens of yamen runners, who had been prepared in advance, changed into special official robes today and dressed up as the personal guards of the Loyal Martial King, who were sent by Liu Fu to inspect the area.

These dozens of people were carrying a horse-drawn carriage. Liu Fu, Liu Laowu, and Xiao Ying'er were all sitting in the two carriages, about to head out of the city.

Prefect Liu stood on the city wall, pretending to cooperate with Commandant Chen, but in reality, he was terrified and didn't dare to breathe.

Outside the city, troops that had been lying in ambush surrounded them from all sides. Chen Jiulin and Zhou Chunxuan stroked their beards and smiled.

As long as Prefect Liu lures these guards of the Loyal and Martial King out of the city, these soldiers can charge up together, chop them into mincemeat, and then bury them somewhere. It will be done without anyone knowing!

This case can then be dropped without a trace, and from now on, we can rest easy.

"Squeak, squeak"

The sound of carriages continued, and Liu Fu and his group of bait had arrived at the east gate of the city.

With a "click," the city gate was opened.

Prefect Liu immediately rushed over, adopting a pretentious posture:

"I respectfully see you off, esteemed officials. I would like to ask that you put in a good word for me before Prince Zhongwu. I entrust this matter to you brothers."

At that moment, Liu Fu also shouted in a high-pitched voice, deliberately making sure that Chen Jiulin, who was far away, could hear him:

"No problem, no problem."

"Lord Liu has treated us brothers so well these past few days, we really feel bad about it. When we see the Prince, we will definitely put in a good word for him and help Lord Liu get promoted and make a fortune."

"Don't see him off, Lord Liu, please wait. We brothers still need to escort this prisoner to see the Prince. The Grand Commandant has committed such a dirty deed. When the Prince finds out, he will surely tear him to pieces!"

After shouting loudly, everyone bowed and left.

Liu Laowu followed the main force directly out of the city, sitting in the carriage and laughing and cursing:

"You little rascal, you're quite good at putting on airs and coming up with bad ideas."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the gates of Yanshan Prefecture suddenly slammed shut!

Suddenly, thousands of torches lit up the darkness, and a large number of soldiers rushed out, instantly surrounding Liu Fu and his group of dozens of men.

"Don't move! Anyone who makes another move will be killed without mercy!"

At a shout, the prefect Zhou Chunxuan immediately fawned over Grand Commandant Chen Jiulin, binding all the dozens of people tightly.

At the same time, dozens of spears completely surrounded the carriage carrying Liu Fu and Liu Laowu, and hundreds of archers were also aiming their arrows at the scene.

"Men, lift the curtain for me, Grand Commandant. I want to see what these thieves look like!"

With a "whoosh," the curtain was lifted open.

Zhou Chunxuan and Chen Jiulin were both stunned, frozen in place:

"Your Majesty...?"