225: Chapter 0225 Taking Drastic Measures

"General! You... did you see a ghost?!"

Lin Xiao was confused. "What kind of nonsense is that?"

After asking carefully, he learned that the house had been occupied by a deceased concubine.

The cause of death was having an affair with a lover, which cuckolded the former prefect, so she was beaten to death!

Before she died, the woman said that even if she turned into a ghost, she would remain in this courtyard to curse the Xu family.

Since then, none of the servants in the residence dared to go there, saying there were sounds of a woman crying in the middle of the night, and it was eerie.

And after Prefect Xu Meng was killed by Zhao Caiwei, everyone believed it even more—it really was a curse!

Lin Xiao naturally did not believe in ghosts and gods; he guessed that the money was intended for an elopement.

The concubine knew she would surely die, so perhaps she wanted to leave the money to the lover she was having an affair with.

What is love in this world? Even when facing death, she was still thinking of the man who abandoned her...

The irony was that, after all this, the money ended up in his hands.

Lin Xiao didn't take such a trivial matter to heart.

Two days later.

Imperial City, in the imperial court.

Emperor Hong rarely attended court, but he was in high spirits, looking down at the officials below with a glowing face.

The chief eunuch, Eunuch Zheng, was reading a memorial sent by Lin Xiao:

"The Prince of Yan is devoid of the Way, launching an army to E Prefecture in the dead of winter, causing suffering to the people and wastage of wealth, separating families, and inciting public outrage."

"The commander-in-chief of the Cold Iron Guard, Zhao Yunting, has abandoned darkness for light and is willing to lead the Zhao family, the Cold Iron Guard, and the soldiers of the Yan Region to surrender to the imperial court at Jingmen!"

"From now on, the Zhao family is willing to clear away the rebellious vassal kings for His Majesty and redeem our crimes through service!"

"Your subject, Lin Xiao, humbly holding the rank of a fourth-rank military official, asks how this loyal and righteous army should be handled and rewarded. I await Your Majesty's sagely decision..."

After it was read, all the civil and military officials were shocked!

Many whispered to each other, feeling it was unbelievable!

Previously, Prince Bai "losing Cang Province due to carelessness" was one thing.

But how long had it been since then? The Prince of Yan's greatest reliance, the Cold Iron Guard and the Zhao family army, had actually defected!?

Not only that, but they were also going to assist the Zhenbei Army in recovering the northern border!?

With one side gaining and the other losing, both Prince Bai and the Prince of Yan had effectively had a leg cut off!

Crown Prince Li Chenghao hurriedly walked to the center and cupped his hands with a joyful expression:

"Congratulations, Father! Congratulations, Father! Father is truly the Son of Heaven, and the hearts of the world turn to you!"

"Without spending a single soldier or a single arrow, Commander-in-Chief Zhao and the Cold Iron Guard have actually agreed to admit their guilt and surrender to the court..."

Crown Prince Li Chenghao even had tears in his eyes. "Heaven bless Father, Heaven bless the Great Gan!"

The assembled officials immediately followed suit, shouting, "Heaven bless Your Majesty, Heaven bless the Great Gan!"

"Hahahaha..."

Emperor Hong laughed heartily and told the officials to rise.

He hadn't heard such flattering words in a long time, and it felt very comfortable.

"The Prince of Yan was spoiled by the late Empress. General Zhao might be confused for a time, but he will not be confused for a lifetime!"

"I actually had the intention of recruiting the Zhao family long ago; I didn't expect Lin Xiao to beat me to it. It can be considered his stroke of luck."

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong stepped out at this moment and frowned: "Your Majesty, if General Zhao truly wishes to surrender to the court, why did he not send the memorial himself, but instead let Lin Xiao convey the message?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the officials on the scene quieted down.

"What do you mean, Prime Minister Yang?" Emperor Hong narrowed his eyes.

"Your subject has heard that General Zhao has been severely injured for many years. Could it be that the Cold Iron Guard's surrender to the court is just in name only, while in reality, they are obeying Lin Xiao?"

Inside the main hall, the air pressure suddenly dropped.

Emperor Hong said with a smile that was not quite a smile: "Are you saying, Prime Minister Yang, that Lin Xiao might be holding troops to threaten the court?"

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong said righteously: "Your subject knows that Your Majesty may not like to hear this, but the Zhenbei Army has built up its momentum too quickly. The imperial court cannot harbor a tiger that will cause trouble later!"

"Presumptuous!!"

Emperor Hong slammed the dragon throne and rebuked: "Even if Lin Xiao has truly taken in the Cold Iron Guard, how many tens of thousands of troops does he have?!"

"Never mind comparing him to Prince Bai, even Prince Qing and the Prince of Yan—which of them doesn't have more troops than him!?"

"Lin Xiao is merely a fourth-rank military official. As Prime Minister, are you also jealous of talent?"

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong immediately knelt down. "Your subject has no such intention! Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Father, please calm your anger. Prime Minister Yang is just being cautious."

Crown Prince Li Chenghao revealed a trace of mockery in the corner of his eyes and suggested: "Your son believes that to confirm the condition of General Zhao and whether he truly wishes to surrender to Father, we only need to send a reliable person to test them!"

"Then, who do you think is suitable to send, Crown Prince?"

Emperor Hong also felt that testing them was appropriate, so as not to reward them and end up raising an ingrate.

"This..."

Crown Prince Li Chenghao had no idea either. After all, it was a long way off; if he sent someone to E Prefecture and they never returned...

This kind of thankless job would offend whoever was sent.

"The inspector general of E Prefecture, Feng Yuzhang, once studied at the Imperial Academy and is the junior schoolmate of Minister Liu Zongfu of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. As far as I know, they have a very good relationship."

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong turned back to look at a dignified-looking man of the third rank.

Emperor Hong's eyes lit up, and he immediately said: "Minister Liu Zongfu, I appoint you as the imperial envoy to go to E Prefecture and verify the truth!"

Minister Liu Zongfu walked out, expressionless, and bowed formally.

"Your subject accepts the decree!"

Emperor Hong nodded with satisfaction and sighed: "If it is truly as Lin Xiao says, then the fourth-rank official position is indeed doing him a disservice..."

After the court session.

Emperor Hong was happy and invited several ministers to dine with him.

Although Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong had just been scolded, he was still called over.

A stick and a carrot; the monarch and his subjects all knew it well.

During the meal, Emperor Hong and the others drank two cups together.

Seeing this, Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong said with a smile: "Your Majesty hasn't had a drink in a long time, right?"

"Haha, yes, ever since I was angered by those rebellious subjects last year, the Empress hasn't let me drink."

"Fortunately, I have been in a good mood recently, and the imperial physician thinks it is fine, so the Empress has relaxed a bit."

Emperor Hong was a bit helpless. He was a man who loved wine; not letting him drink was truly tormenting for an emperor.

The Minister of Rites smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I heard that after spring begins, the northern border will hold the 'World's Number One Wine Festival'."

"At that time, famous wines from all over the world will gather, and master brewers from all walks of life will show their skills."

"If Your Majesty is interested, I am willing to send someone to bring those good wines back and present them to Your Majesty."

Emperor Hong was intrigued. "World's Number One Wine Festival? What is this? Why haven't I heard of it?"

"It was initiated by Lin Xiao of the Zhenbei Army and Prefect Sun Zhao of the declaration against prince bai. It is said that the Northern Trade Alliance has a type of wine that is the best among wines, and they want to meet the rare wines of the world to compete and see which is superior."

"Oh?"

Emperor Hong was even more interested. "It's that Lin Xiao again? This kid, fighting every day, and he still has time to study wine?"

"Your Majesty, Lin Xiao needs to support the Zhenbei Army, so naturally he needs to open up sources of wealth."

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong frowned: "But I always feel that it is truly inappropriate for the army to engage in business. It would be better for the Ministry of Revenue to send someone to supervise."

"Prime Minister Yang, you are at it again."

Emperor Hong laughed: "Even if the Northern Trade Alliance grows, it is only in the vicinity of Cang Province. There are many merchant firms in the world larger than it. Do I have to keep an eye on all of them?"

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong was speechless. That was not what he meant, but it was clear that Emperor Hong did not intend to suppress the Zhenbei Army for the time being.

To put it bluntly, Emperor Hong intended to administer strong medicine and finish off a few vassal kings first.

After all, no matter how good Lin Xiao was at fighting, he had no royal blood, so he could not stand on solid ground if he usurped the throne.

But the few vassal kings were different.

"World's Number One Wine Festival..."

Emperor Hong looked at the imperial wine in his cup, and he couldn't help but feel a trace of yearning in his eyes.

Meanwhile.

Far away in Tai Prefecture, Yan Region.

Lin Xiao led an army of 30,000, and after crossing a high slope, the city of Sanhe Prefecture appeared in front of them.

But as soon as they saw it, many in the army had their expressions change drastically!

Sanhe City actually had black smoke rising from several places?

An army was plundering around the city, and outside the city, some cavalry were chasing and killing the fleeing commoners?

"General! It's the Khitan people!!"

Several generals from the Yan Region who were familiar with the Khitan Army immediately recognized the attire of that army.

In an instant, the men of the Yan Region were furious, their hair standing on end!