Chapter 82.1

Chu Chengji rode closer, the sound of the warhorse’s hooves striking the stone road was particularly clear in the night, each step seemed to resonate in the hearts of those present.

After the governor of Meng County spoke, no one responded.

The only sounds were the crackling of the resin torches and an unsettling silence that made one’s heart race.

Kneeling on the ground, the governor’s forehead was drenched in sweat, dripping onto the blue stone pavement, forming small dark spots.

He dared not even lift his sleeve to wipe it away.

The silence seemed to thin the air, making it difficult for the governor to breathe.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably as he knelt there.

The massive horse hooves stopped a few steps away, and a cold, chilling voice came from atop the horse, “Who is kneeling here?”

The governor hurriedly responded, “This humble official is Cai Hanchi, governor of Meng County, a successful candidate in the imperial examination in the third year of Jingshun.”

Chu Chengji’s prolonged silence made Cai Hanchi’s heart race with anxiety.

Previously, during the siege of Qingzhou by the imperial army, he had dispatched troops to ambush the former crown prince’s forces.

Now, he feared retribution.

Worried that the granary’s contents might not be enough to save his life, Cai Hanchi quickly offered all his accumulated wealth, “Since that rebel Li Xin occupied Bianjing, this humble official only pretended to surrender, mainly to protect the Meng County granary.

Now that Your Highness has arrived to reclaim it, I can say I have fulfilled my duty! I

have also accumulated some personal wealth over the years, which I am willing to offer entirely to Your Highness to aid in your restoration of the throne!”

Had Qin Zheng been present, she would have marveled at his sheer shamelessness.

Chu Chengji wasted no words and directly ordered, “Take him away.”

The tiger guards immediately stepped forward to seize Cai Hanchi, who frantically pleaded, “Your Highness, please spare my life! I will serve you with utmost loyalty!”

Chu Chengji’s expression remained icy, “One of my brave generals almost lost his life to your treachery. Why should I keep a turncoat like you who might betray me to Li Xin again?”

Cai Hanchi repeatedly professed his innocence, but the guards showed no mercy, gagging him and dragging him away.

Chu Chengji then ordered his soldiers, “Inventory the granary!”

The granary of Meng County stored the annual grain tributes collected from the Jianghuai region.

In times of war or famine in the south, the court would always dispatch grain from Meng County.

Conservatively estimated, the granary held at least five hundred thousand stones of grain.

This amount of grain could sustain an army of one hundred thousand for a full year.

Due to the sheer volume of grain, the inventory took considerable time.

Chu Chengji left a supervising officer to oversee the task and led his men to the governor’s mansion.

With Cai Hanchi captured, the army surrounded the governor’s mansion, and the women inside realized that Meng County had changed hands, resulting in a chorus of wailing in the courtyard.

Upon entering the mansion, Chu Chengji found the courtyard filled with beautifully dressed women adorned with jewels.

He frowned instinctively, “Who are these people?”

There were at least twenty or thirty of them, and it seemed unlikely that they were all Cai Hanchi’s wives and concubines.

The deputy replied, “These are all Cai Hanchi’s family members.”

Noticing Chu Chengji’s slight pause, the deputy wiped his sweat and explained, “Not counting the singers and dancers kept in the mansion, just the officially recognized concubines number twenty-six houses…”

This small Meng County governor’s mansion had a harem comparable to that of a local despot.

It was not hard to imagine how much wealth Cai Hanchi had accumulated in his own pocket over the years he had guarded Meng County.

Chu Chengji’s gaze turned cold as he asked, “How much silver has been roughly counted from the governor’s mansion?”

The assistant governor answered, “Without calculating the land deeds and properties yet, just the gold, silver, antiques, and paintings found in this mansion amount to at least two hundred thousand taels of silver.”

The annual salary for the position of Meng County governor was three hundred stones.

Cai Hanchi’s ability to amass such a fortune was solely due to one word: greed.

Once the land deeds and shop accounts were cleared, the total amount would be even larger.

No wonder Cai Hanchi had tried to use this wealth to save his own life.

Chu Chengji ordered, “Confiscate everything and transfer it to public funds.

As for the governor’s concubines, those willing to leave should be given money to go.

Those with children who cannot leave should be detained.”

The deputy agreed and then asked, “Your Highness, what should we do with Cai?”

Chu Chengji had only ordered Cai Hanchi’s arrest but had not yet decided his fate.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Chengji said, “Imprison him for now; he still has his uses.”

The deputy quickly acknowledged the order.

They worked until the latter half of the night before everything in Meng County was finally settled.

The granary was also accounted for, revealing exactly what Chu Chengji had expected: the Meng County granary held a total of 550,000 stones of grain.

After transporting 100,000 stones for the imperial army, which Chu Chengji had intercepted, 450,000 stones remained in the granary.

Chu Chengji dispatched an elite unit to guard the granary and repeatedly instructed the soldiers entering the city not to disturb the people of Meng County.

As the first rooster crowed, he finally finished writing the letter to Qingzhou, handing it to his personal guard with orders to have it sent to Qingzhou at dawn.

When he undressed and lay down, unfastening the waistband, he unexpectedly recalled the day Qin Zheng had given it to him as a birthday gift.

She had bowed her head to help him fasten the belt, exposing a smooth, white neck.

He only had to lean down slightly to kiss it, leaving a seductive red mark on that pale skin with a bit of force…

He couldn’t think about it anymore.

Chu Chengji rubbed his forehead, went to the bathroom, and doused himself with two buckets of cold water before returning to sleep.

……

Qin Zheng received Chu Chengji’s letter two days later.

Upon learning that Meng County had been successfully taken, Song Heqing almost cried with joy.

Wang Biao had successfully captured Huzhou, and Chu Chengji’s troops had seized the granary in the Jianghuai region from the imperial army.

Even though their current military strength was not as great as the imperial army’s seventy thousand troops, their chances of victory had increased significantly.

“Without Meng County’s grain supply, the imperial army’s seventy thousand troops will have to rely on supplies from Taiyuan.

Supplying seventy thousand troops for three months will require at least one hundred thousand stones of grain, and the troops transporting the grain will consume a significant amount along the way.

It’s likely that the thief Li is furious in Bianjing right now!” Song Heqing’s hands trembled with excitement as he held the victory report.

The other strategists were all visibly pleased, except for Cen Daoxi, who still frowned, seemingly worried about something.

Qin Zheng noticed and said, “This time, His Highness was able to successfully capture Meng County, and you, sir, deserve a share of the credit. When His Highness returns, I will surely report this to him and reward you generously.”

Cen Daoxi bowed and replied, “It is my duty as a minister.”

Qin Zheng asked, “I see a worried look on your face, sir. Is there something amiss?”

Cen Daoxi said, “Forgive me for troubling you, Your Highness. I was merely thinking about the flooding along the Jiang River caused by the recent heavy rains. I wish to personally inspect the area around the Yuan River.”

Scholars have historically tended to hold each other in slight disdain.

Cen Daoxi had a widespread reputation, but he looked quite young and had a rather eccentric personality.@@novelbin@@

Many strategists secretly competed with him, believing he was merely seeking fame.

Though his advice was successful this time, it was not considered a world-changing strategy.

Many strategists still did not accept him.

Now, he had brought up concerns about the flooding in Qingzhou without any context, which some saw as pretentious, leading to a few dismissive snorts.

Qin Zheng said, “Mr. Cen constantly cares about the people of Qingzhou and has a noble heart, which truly moves me. I indeed have plans to divert water from the Yuan River to dig underground channels for irrigation. Mr. Cen, please inspect the area on my behalf.”

With Qin Zheng speaking for Cen Daoxi, those who openly harbored hostility towards him quieted down.

The idea of building underground channels had been on Qin Zheng’s mind since the flood caused by the heavy rains.

Qingzhou had vast fertile land that required irrigation in summer.

In previous years, water was released from the reservoir at Daduyan into the river, allowing people along the river to draw water to irrigate their crops.

However, the efficiency was low, and villages far from the river could only watch their crops wither and die.

Building a network of underground channels using the Yuan River as the main artery would not only help with flood control during the rainy season but also provide irrigation during droughts.

Qin Zheng did not know why Cen Daoxi suddenly suggested inspecting the area around the Yuan River but felt he must have a reason, though it was not appropriate to say directly at the moment.

The meeting concluded with Qin Zheng rewarding Cen Daoxi with ten gold pieces.

After all the advisors left, Qin Zheng kept Song Heqing behind and asked, “Does Mr. Cen not get along with the other advisors?”

Song Heqing shook his head and sighed, “Talented people often have pride. Those who try to befriend him, if they do not meet his standards, he doesn’t even bother with pleasantries, naturally causing friction.”

Hearing this, Qin Zheng felt helpless.

She had noticed how difficult Cen Daoxi’s temperament was in recent days.

He seemed gentle and easygoing but could be extremely sharp-tongued, making one’s scalp tingle.

She couldn’t understand how Qin Jian, with his integrity inherited from the Duke of Qin, could be friends with Cen Daoxi.

In the capital city.

As Song Heqing had said, both Meng County and Hu State fell simultaneously.

The news reached Bianjing, and Li Xin was so furious that he overturned the imperial desk in the court.

The officials, fearing for their lives, knelt in terror.

However, being former ministers of Chu, it was uncertain if they truly supported Li Xin.

After court, Li Xin summoned a few trusted confidants who had followed him since Qi County to discuss countermeasures in the imperial study.

“With Marquis Lianqin eyeing us from the north and the remnants of the former dynasty pressing in from the south, what do you all suggest we do?” Li Xin paced back and forth in front of the imperial desk, his eyes shadowed with gloom.

“Marquis Lianqin’s hundred thousand troops are formidable, able to fight the Northern Rong.

They are not to be compared with the ragtag forces gathered by the former crown prince.

Your Majesty, we must not relax our vigilance against Marquis Lianqin,” an old minister said.

Li Xin’s eyes were bloodshot, and his cold gaze made people even more fearful as he swept his eyes over them: “And we just ignore the former dynasty’s remnants who have now taken Qingzhou, Xuzhou, and even Meng County?”

“The former crown prince used some underhanded tactics to take these three cities.

When it comes to facing the imperial army head-on, he might not necessarily win.

His recent victories are merely due to the rumor that he has the fate of his ancestor, Emperor Wuji.

They recently went to Yungang Temple to offer sacrifices on Emperor Wuji’s birthday, boosting their morale,” the old minister’s eyes gleamed.

Li Xin paused and asked, “How do we disrupt their morale?”

The old minister replied, “They have a legend that their founding emperor was the reincarnation of a martial god, which has won them the people’s hearts.

We can counter this by spreading rumors that a femme fatale will bring disaster to the country. Your Majesty, which do you think the people will believe?”

Li Xin pondered for a moment: “Are you suggesting we target the Qin family woman?”

The old minister smiled, “Your Majesty, don’t you remember? If it weren’t for spreading the rumor that Shen Yanzhi rebelled out of jealousy, would the Duke of Qin have been ostracized in court? The crown prince’s immorality would have been known to all.”