"Your Highness!"The officials looked anxiously at Prince Zheng.They all knew there was something fishy going on, but with the current unfavorable situation and no reasonable way to extricate themselves, they felt a bit at a loss, and instinctively sought guidance from their leader.Prince Zheng merely shook his head gently and said:"This place is not suitable for talking. Let's go to the Posthouse first."They had waited here for a long time, and Emperor Yongyuan's sudden dramatic display was truly difficult for them to bear.Gao Yanang, the County Magistrate of Caiyun County, actually dared to implicate Prince Zheng, even claiming to have incriminating evidence.As a mere County Magistrate, he naturally couldn't bring down Prince Zheng, but it was enough to damage Prince Zheng's prestige.It was unclear what madness had seized Gao Yanang for him to speak so unreservedly; he must have eaten a bear's heart and leopard's guts to do such a thing.Back at the Posthouse, Prince Zheng summoned those high-ranking officials to his room again.For this Southern Tour, the heads of the Six Ministries had mostly come; if not the Ministers themselves, then their Vice Ministers were accompanying them.In the Great Xing officialdom, nearly half of the high-ranking officials with real power had come.The remaining ones needed to maintain the functioning of the imperial court, and thus could only stay in the capital.Presumably, the entourage for this Southern Tour had also been carefully selected by Emperor Yongyuan, and there must have been a reason for it.Li Xuan, as yesterday, had followed Prince Zheng and the others early, and was already licking his paws on the roof of the Posthouse.It was fortunate that he had the foresight to flip his biological clock a day ago; now he was quite energetic."Your Highness, Gao Yanang's state is not right. Even if he's overly frightened, he shouldn't be so foolish. Is there something strange going on?"The voice was somewhat unfamiliar, and Li Xuan couldn't tell who it was.It was only the second day of the Southern Tour, and he still hadn't recognized many people; there were simply too many accompanying officials.Emperor Yongyuan had brought so many officials out this time. Although nominally it was an honor for them to tour the realm with him, it was more about transferring them from the capital to prevent them from causing trouble again during Emperor Yongyuan's absence.Currently, the capital was managed by the newly appointed Grand Secretary, personally promoted by Emperor Yongyuan.Li Xuan didn't know much about this new Grand Secretary, only that he came from a humble background and wasn't very old.Although he had been promoted to the position of Grand Secretary, he still couldn't command his subordinates and was often targeted in official circles.Taking advantage of the Southern Tour, it was unclear if he could bring some surprises to Emperor Yongyuan.Just as Li Xuan's mind wandered, he heard Prince Zheng's voice from beneath him again."The letters they received were incorrect; it seems they were misled.""One wrong step, and every step is wrong."Prince Zheng's voice sounded a bit weary.Two days into the Southern Tour, and he had had a headache for two days.Holding small meetings with the officials every day, if this continued, it would be difficult for Prince Zheng not to be exhausted by this Southern Tour.Everyone present at this moment clearly understood that Emperor Yongyuan's preparations for this Southern Tour far exceeded their imagination.Last night, the Internal Affairs Bureau captured assassins near the Posthouse, leaving a pile of bodies at the entrance.Although the officials didn't speak of it, they knew what was going on.But this was a private contest between Emperor Yongyuan and Prince Zheng, and they couldn't easily get involved, so they could only pretend not to know.However, the situation was becoming increasingly severe; Emperor Yongyuan was determined to deal with the corrupt officials along this route.They had controlled the government for so many years; how could they not know the character of the current officials?If this continued, sooner or later, the fire would burn them.At that time... the shouts of "exterminate the three clans" and "death by a thousand cuts" that they had just made would be shouted back at them.What goes around comes around.Of course, they were among the very top echelon of officialdom; if it came to them, the heavens of Great Xing would have to change.This was not something they could stop even if they wanted to.The several high-ranking officials present had different thoughts, but they tacitly cast their gazes towards Prince Zheng.Whether the heavens changed or not depended on him.Prince Zheng sighed and told them honestly:"It seems my messenger from last night also didn't escape harm, leading to this counter-stratagem.""But regarding Gao Yanang's matter, you all need not worry too much.""He's just a County Magistrate; if he dies, he dies.""People always have to bear the consequences of their mistakes."As he said this, Prince Zheng's eyes were calm, making it impossible to guess his thoughts."Then tomorrow..." someone asked."Let Gao Yanang bite wildly; he has to go crazy before he dies, but with his teeth, who can he actually bite?"Prince Zheng's tone was calm, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact.Gao Yanang was biting Prince Zheng, which had the biggest impact on him.The officials were so anxious just now also to take the opportunity to express an attitude.They could tolerate mistakes, but never betrayal.Gao Yanang might not have had to die initially, but now he was certainly dead.Even if Emperor Yongyuan could spare him, the official faction would not let him live."Since Your Highness already has an idea, then we are relieved."Since Prince Zheng, the person involved, had spoken to this extent, the others found it difficult to ask further questions.After all, Gao Yanang wasn't biting them.Moreover, with so many of them, it was impossible for Prince Zheng to fall, no matter who else did.They weren't afraid that Gao Yanang could harm Prince Zheng, but rather that if this matter wasn't handled well, it would open a loophole for those who followed.If Emperor Yongyuan spared Gao Yanang's life tomorrow based on his performance, and coupled with the previous case in Jinghou County, wouldn't everyone else follow suit?Gao Yanang was muddled-headed, biting an unshakeable golden Buddha like Prince Zheng.But what if someone later learned from this and went to bite other clay or wooden statues?At that time, Emperor Yongyuan, who already disliked them, could justifiably ensure they never returned to the capital.These officials were all smarter than the last; they instantly understood this point in the county office just now, which was why they were so agitated.Now that Prince Zheng had given his assurance, they no longer asked further questions.After all, if tomorrow's matters weren't handled well, Prince Zheng would suffer the greatest loss.The more solidified a group, the less it can tolerate wavering morale.The officials in Prince Zheng's room quickly dispersed, and Prince Zheng, attended by his close aides, went to bed early to rest.Although only two days had passed since they set out, Prince Zheng was already exhausted.By early evening, the Posthouse quieted down, with only a few officials who hadn't gone to sleep discussing the day's events.But the content was irrelevant, just idle chatter.Li Xuan sensed his surroundings and found the Posthouse to be quite deserted tonight."They didn't send any more hidden guards?"Li Xuan noticed no one around the Posthouse and couldn't help but look at the room below, deep in thought.But he soon shook his head, abandoning the impulsive plan that had just emerged."There can't be no backup plan, and it's not good to just kill him like that."Li Xuan had to admit, he had just considered acting directly, killing Prince Zheng to end everything and resolve the internal division crisis of Great Xing.But not to mention whether Prince Zheng had means of self-preservation, even if he could indeed kill Prince Zheng on the spot, this crisis would probably not be so easily resolved.Prince Zheng's followers, especially his loyalists, would certainly not give up.They had, after all, been preparing for many years, and at that time, they could still raise the banner of avenging Prince Zheng and continue their rebellion.Moreover, Emperor Yongyuan would also bear a bad reputation; at that time, all the chaos in the realm could be attributed to his incompetence, giving these rebels even more justification to raise the banner of rebellion.Unless absolutely necessary, neither Emperor Yongyuan nor Prince Zheng wanted to fight for "legitimacy."Li Xuan sighed, finding these matters truly too troublesome."If I were invincible, I wouldn't have to be so troubled."Li Xuan could only comfort himself in this way.Too many considerations meant he had to be so meticulously calculating.Li Xuan guarded the Posthouse for another half an hour, and seeing that nothing seemed to be happening tonight, he left the place to report the situation.This was also a pre-arranged course of action, and Li Xuan was merely acting according to the plan.Returning to the county office, Li Xuan saw Xu Lang on duty, so he first went to greet him."Meow.""Lord Li Xuan."Xu Lang replied in a low voice.He gestured to his Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, then followed Li Xuan to a quiet corner.At this time, everyone in the county office was resting, so they couldn't speak outside the door."Oh, I forgot how those people were captured earlier?""What about Chief Steward Shang? Has he returned?"Li Xuan had gone directly to tail Prince Zheng and the others earlier, and hadn't had time to ask Xu Lang for these details.Hearing Li Xuan's telepathic message, Xu Lang smiled slightly and said:"Lord Li Xuan, you wouldn't believe it.""Those few fugitives were trapped in a small courtyard by Chief Steward Shang using an illusion. They were all riding those small wooden horses that children play with, rocking so vigorously they were exhausted but wouldn't stop, leaving the brothers dumbfounded."Xu Lang couldn't suppress the smile on his face as he recalled the scene."We got the Chief Steward's message and went to the location to apprehend them.""Chief Steward Shang only lifted the illusion after handing them over to us, and that's how they appeared in the county office later.""I didn't expect Gao Yanang to lose his mind and even dare to implicate Prince Zheng."Xu Lang shook his head gently as he spoke, knowing that this person was likely in dire straits.But for them, this was a great thing."Did you get the evidence he mentioned?"Li Xuan was still more concerned about this matter."The so-called incriminating evidence in Gao Yanang's mouth was just a few letters and some rewards from Prince Zheng.""With just these things, it's hard to even make Prince Zheng apologize, but the Chief Steward already has an idea and has instructed others to take care of it."Li Xuan's eyes widened upon hearing this.But then he immediately accepted the reality."After all, they are professionals; their actions are swift."For Zhao Feng, fabricating evidence was as simple as eating and drinking.Li Xuan had witnessed this before.It's just that the degree needs to be carefully managed, both to make Prince Zheng suffer a loss and not to push him into a corner.Now, the focus should still be on weakening.Zhao Feng would naturally understand how to handle such matters.Otherwise, Li Xuan believed Zhao Feng was capable of producing a custom-made new dragon robe for Prince Zheng overnight.Li Xuan nodded; he was very relieved to leave these matters to professionals like Zhao Feng."Oh, where are those people being held, and is the guard sufficient?"Li Xuan couldn't sleep tonight and planned to find something to do after reporting the situation."Lord Li Xuan, rest assured, His Majesty has arranged for Great Inner Experts to personally guard them."The Great Inner Experts Xu Lang referred to were not part of their Internal Affairs Bureau system; they were another force controlled by Emperor Yongyuan.Even if Emperor Yongyuan trusted the Internal Affairs Bureau, he still needed to manage his forces separately, also to prevent Prince Zheng from figuring out their true strength.Figures like Lijing Gate and Emperor Yongyuan's lamp-carrying eunuch, Wang Xi, were among them.It seemed Li Xuan wouldn't be needed to guard the prisoners.Li Xuan wanted to continue asking, but Xu Lang answered first:"After Chief Steward Shang handed the people over to us, he should have returned to report, but I haven't seen the old man in the county office."Li Xuan nodded, asked no more questions, and entered the room to report the situation to Emperor Yongyuan.Emperor Yongyuan was still awake. Li Xuan relayed, word for word, the content of Prince Zheng and the others' discussion at the Posthouse earlier."It seems they intend to let the matter rest."Emperor Yongyuan couldn't help but smile after listening.Their offensive these two days had been very smooth, causing Prince Zheng to retreat steadily, and even Emperor Yongyuan couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.As frustrated as he had been in the capital before, he was now as joyful, finally regaining some confidence in being an emperor.Otherwise, he would truly have thought that being an emperor was inherently such a pathetic existence.Seeing that Emperor Yongyuan had no further arrangements for him, Li Xuan couldn't help but ask:"My schedule is completely reversed; I can't sleep at night. What else should I do?"Emperor Yongyuan smiled and replied, "I see you have nothing to do tonight. If you can't sleep, go accompany old Shang.""He went with Zhao Feng to investigate the residences of Caiyun County's officials. Go see if you can help."Hearing that Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng were together, Li Xuan also wanted to join in the fun.He really wanted to see what tricks Zhao Feng could pull off.Li Xuan was about to bid farewell to Emperor Yongyuan and leave when he suddenly heard a sound from outside the window.Bang —The sound of fireworks exploding came from outside the window. Li Xuan and Emperor Yongyuan's expressions changed instantly.They hurried out of the room and saw the fading fireworks in the sky.This was the Internal Affairs Bureau's emergency signal.Li Xuan looked at the direction; it wasn't towards the Posthouse, but towards the residential area of Caiyun County.He remembered Emperor Yongyuan's words just now, dared not delay, and vanished after leaving a single sentence."I'll go see, meow!""Li Xuan, be extremely careful!"Emperor Yongyuan hastily instructed, but Li Xuan's figure was nowhere to be seen."Tang Nu, you go too."After Emperor Yongyuan spoke, a voice immediately responded:"Yes, Your Majesty."At this moment, Wang Xi appeared beside Emperor Yongyuan from somewhere and advised:"Your Majesty, the night wind is cool; let's go inside and wait."Emperor Yongyuan knew Wang Xi was worried about his safety, nodded, and turned to go back inside.Wang Xi followed closely, closing the door tightly.At the same time, Prince Zheng's close attendant in the Posthouse also noticed the commotion in the city."Your Highness, the Internal Affairs Bureau is making a move."The attendant came to Prince Zheng's window and whispered.Prince Zheng didn't even open his eyes, just turned over and casually ordered:"Sleep."...Li Xuan arrived at the signal's location in the blink of an eye, only to find chaos there.Zhao Feng and Chief Steward Shang were battling with two teams of Flower-Clothed Eunuchs.And those they were fighting were not peerless experts, but countless slender shadows writhing on the ground, looking at first glance like thousands of venomous snakes piled together.The dark snake shadows surged towards the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs like a tide. No matter how many they cut down, more would surge forward, forcing them to constantly retreat, in perilous situations.Any clothing or skin touched by these snake shadows hissed and produced wisps of white smoke, clearly indicating extreme danger.Li Xuan stared at the snake shadows, his brows furrowing."What is this thing?"