Use a substitute on your wedding night to scatter the ashes of your entire family

General Lou was a rough man with a face as hard as stone and a pair of fierce eyes. He followed his father to the battlefield in his early years and was a rare general in the court.

Over the years, he led the Liangzhou garrison to fight against the Liangshan bandits countless times, but was never able to find the bandits' lair, making it impossible to completely eradicate the bandit problem.

After hearing Hu Ting'an's intention, General Lou was not optimistic. He frowned and said, "Liangshan is in a dangerous terrain, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if we know the location of the old nest, it will not be easy to sneak in."

Hu Ting'an said, "Master Qi, General Lou, please rest assured. My grandfather has gained the full trust of their leader. He has been following my grandfather's orders these days. Otherwise, I would not be here today. When the time comes, we will work together inside and outside to catch these bandits in one fell swoop. I can avoid the guards and come here today, and I can lead the troops to sneak in late at night."

Qi Mingyuan and General Lou looked at each other, without any doubt, stood up, walked to the sand table, and began to discuss in detail.

……

The study room of the Gu Mansion.

As soon as Shu Wenbo stepped in, he saw his master carefully putting away a box. He glanced and saw a brand new purple dress inside.

Shu Wenbo couldn't help but look at Gu Xingyan a few more times.

Gu Xingyan pushed the box inwards, blocking Shu Wenbo's sight: "If you have something to say, tell me. If not, get out."

Shu Wenbo stood up straight: "Brother Jiu, our people have already arrived in Liangshan to help Cui Jingyu and Hu Zhenfang fight the bandits. It shouldn't be long before we get news."

"Ah."

"Master Cui asked you to bring a message to Miss Li. He has already put the letter away. We will just have to wait for Qi Mingyuan and General Lou to defeat those people and then present it to Emperor Jingzhang."

"Well, tell him that none of those bandits will be spared."

"Yes." Shu Wenbo glanced at the box blocked by Gu Xingyan again, "Jiu, Jiu Ge..."

Gu Xingyan raised his head: "Why, do you want to go back to Daliang first?"

Shu Wenbo straightened his back immediately: "No, no, I dare not. I just think that what does the Liangshan bandits have to do with us? Whether it's Ling Yao or Ling Ji, it's all their business in Northern Jin. The more chaotic Northern Jin is, the better. With war smoke everywhere and chaos all around, Daliang will have a chance."

"Why do you take this risk? Brother Nine, we have to go back sooner or later. If His Majesty knew what you did in Northern Jin, who knows how he would punish you..."

Gu Xingyan’s face became increasingly cold.

Shu Wenbo shut up.

Gu Xingyan looked at him and said, "Go on, why don't you say anything? If you have anything to say, say it all today. If you want to say it again after today, I won't give you a chance."

He knew that Uncle Ou and the people he brought with him were dissatisfied with him, but they didn't dare to do so, so they had to use Shu Wenbo's mouth to say it out loud today.

Yeah.

Shu Wenbo gritted his teeth and said, "Northern Jin has many harsh taxes, and there are either severe droughts or floods in various places. With natural disasters and man-made disasters, even a loyal minister like Hu Zhenfang has ended up like this. And General He, if it weren't for Miss Li's interference, and you immediately sent someone to help the housekeeper of the He family find the military clerk, and the elderly Madam of the He family, I guess General He's mansion would be a pile of dry bones by now."

"But the princes of Northern Jin, including their emperor, can't see these things at all. The only thing on their minds is the throne. They don't care about the lives of the people, loyal ministers, heroes, and generals."

"Unless a saint emerges in Northern Jin to turn the tide, the past two hundred years will be over. But, Brother Nine, isn't this a good thing for us in Daliang?"

"so what?"

"So, instead of helping Hu Zhenfang and his men to get rid of the banditry in Liangshan, we should kill Hu Zhenfang and his men, including Cui Jingyu and even the entire Jing'an Marquis's Mansion. Provoke a chaos in Northern Jin, and with the intelligence Uncle Ou has collected over the past few years, we in Daliang will be able to march south!"

The more Shu Wenbo spoke, the more confident he became, as if even the territory of Northern Jin was within his grasp.

Gu Xingyan did not stop him and let him continue. He knew that Ou Jianglin had "found" him not long ago and many people were dissatisfied.

"With internal and external troubles, Brother Nine, we can destroy Northern Jin without any worries! You were sent here by the Queen when you were young, and you have no connections in Daliang. Even if we go back, you won't have a place in Daliang's court. Why not take this opportunity to make a great contribution?"

"You got rid of Ling Yao today, but you also got rid of Ling Ji, Ling Xian, Ling Yun, Ling Yan, Ling Heng, and Emperor Jingzhang has six sons. At worst, there are other descendants of the Ling clan. What does their internal strife in Northern Jin have to do with Daliang? The more chaos, the better. Ninth brother, why do you have to interfere?"

Gu Xingyan snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and leaned back lazily in his chair: "Is that what you all think?"

Shu Wenbo knew that his words might not please Brother Nine, so he lowered his head and muttered softly, "Yes, Uncle Ou and the others couldn't figure out why you did this, but they didn't dare to tell you directly."

He raised his head, looked directly at Gu Xingyan, and said with his neck stiff, "So, even if you want to punish me today, I must tell you!"

Gu Xingyan looked at Shu Wenbo without any emotion on his face. He just repeated what Li Shuangwan had said: "Hu Zhenfang has been loyal to the Northern Jin Dynasty since their ancestors. General He and his ten men all died in the Yanshan Pass Gorge to defend the southwestern gate of Northern Jin. Is this the fate of such a loyal minister?"

Is this the fate of the General Guarding the Nation's family to be wiped out?

Is this the fate of Wanwan and his child?

If this is true, then what is the difference between their Daliang royal family and the Ling family of Northern Jin?

People cannot be so cold-blooded.

"But so what? No matter how loyal Hu Zhenfang is, he is still a minister of Northern Jin. He is loyal to the Northern Jin royal family, and the men of the He family are also defending the territory of Northern Jin. What does it have to do with us people of Daliang? Ninth brother, you have to recognize your identity!" Shu Wenbo said anxiously.

Gu Xingyan sneered: "Hu Zhenfang is not loyal to the Northern Jin royal family, but to the people of Northern Jin! If Daliang really wants to annex Northern Jin, people like Hu Zhenfang are indispensable!"

"Ten men of the He family died on the battlefield. They deserve to be called heroes by everyone in the world!"

Shu Wenbo seemed to understand but not quite. What he wanted to say suddenly became stuck in his throat and he couldn't say it out loud for some reason.

"And Cui Jingyu, the Marquis of Jing'an Mansion is a great family in Northern Jin, rooted in this land for hundreds of years. Do you really think that we can really kill them with just these people in Northern Jin? Do you think Northern Jin and the Marquis of Jing'an Mansion are paper tigers?!"

Shu Wenbo's face looked a little unhappy.

"Do you think Cui Jingyu is a reckless man? How could he have dared to rescue Hu Zhenfang and others in Liangshan without any precautions? Or based on the two things you mentioned, can they really cause chaos in Northern Jin?"