Aunt Chen is back from the world of cultivation

(Nine hundred words were added to the previous chapter.)

On the second day after Nandu City closed its doors and slaughtered pigs, another major event occurred.

However, except for the guards at the north gate of Nandu and Chen Qingzhu himself, no one else knew -

Zheng Baizhan, the defender of Yangzhou, arrived outside the city of Nando with a mighty force of 10,000 naval forces.

The city of Nandu has been under blockade for the past few days, and news cannot be sent out. People outside the city of Nandu have no way of knowing what has happened.

Chen Qingzhu asked Hui'an to send a thousand garrison soldiers to create the illusion of besieging Cihang Temple, in order to test Zheng Baizhan's reaction.

No matter what his considerations were, Zheng Baizhan finally and firmly chose to besiege the garrison camp of Cihang Temple and rescue the believers of Cihang Temple.

Chen Qingzhu was satisfied with this point.

When the two sides were about to fight, she immediately appeared to stop it.

"Greetings to the God!"

The garrison soldiers were led by Zhu Changming, whose attitude was extremely respectful.

"Master! You are back!"

Zheng Baizhan was also very happy and quickly dismounted to pay homage.

After all, the capital is the capital, where talented people from all over the world gather and produce many capable people.

Emperor Yong'an suddenly had such a fierce conflict with the abbot that he even issued an imperial decree to label the abbot a traitor. He thought he had found another capable person who could kill the abbot.

He really had doubts in his heart as to whether the master of the temple could return safely.

But his son Zheng Yuannai was too deeply involved with the identity of the Lord of Du'e. He had no choice but to save the disciples of Cihang Temple and occupy the land with them or flee overseas.

But now that the master is back, the situation is very different!

With the ability of the temple master, their chances of winning against the imperial court were much greater.

At least, establishing one's own regime is not a problem at all.

"Yes, I have been back for a long time." Chen Qingzhu did not shy away from admitting this, and said, "Zheng Baizhan, you and Duke Dingguo made different choices, and I am very pleased."

When Zheng Baizhan heard this, cold sweat broke out on his back.

The temple master's words, while praising him, also gave him a severe warning.

It is obvious that the soldiers of the garrison camp deployed outside the Cihang Temple have completely obeyed the orders of the temple master.

Its purpose is unquestionable, and that is to test him.

What’s more crucial is the abbot’s words “a different choice from Duke Dingguo’s.”

What choice did Duke Dingguo make, and what is his situation now?

"The Duke... I actually led the troops to help you because I received your order..."

He explained.

Duke Dingguo had been very kind to him, so if he could save the other person, he would still try his best.

Chen Qingzhu curled his lips, his tone was light, but his words were frightening.

"He is now imprisoned in the Nandu government office. Before I showed up, it was Yan Qingzhi who imprisoned Duke Dingguo and stole his military orders to order you to lead troops to help."

Zheng Baizhan had also experienced many changes in officialdom, and upon hearing this, he immediately imagined the thrilling scene at that time.

After a long silence, he mustered up the courage to ask:

"How does the master intend to deal with the Duke?"

Chen Qingzhu naturally had plans for Duke Dingguo.

At least she was one of her followers who had followed her early on and helped in flood relief.

If he knew what was good for him, she would be more tolerant of him.

"If he is willing to hand over all the military power in his hands to you, I can let him keep the prosperity and wealth of the Duke's Mansion and live out his life in peace."

Zheng Baizhan was shocked, and his face was filled with joy and guilt:

"Thank you so much, Master!"

Immediately afterwards, Chen Qingzhu ordered Zheng Baizhan to leave 10,000 soldiers outside the city and go into the city alone.

When both of them returned to the city, Duke Dingguo, who had been imprisoned for several days, was taken to the Huangji Palace.

His hair and beard were disheveled, and he looked very miserable.

As soon as he saw the person on the high seat, Duke Dingguo was startled, and then he immediately kowtowed to the person on the high seat, his face aggrieved and excited:

"Master! You are finally back! You have to take care of this for me. That bastard Yan Qingzhi locked me up without any explanation, and we Taoist priests at Cihang Temple are helpless even though we wanted to send troops to rescue him!"

"He's using all means to gain credit! The new policy of the temple master has just been established, so we must not condone such evil practices!"

Chen Qingzhu propped his chin with his hand and listened to him nonchalantly before saying calmly:

"Okay, stop saying useless words. You know exactly what you were thinking at the time."

Duke Dingguo was about to make an explanation, but was choked back by her words.

"I have already returned to Nandu. I have witnessed all of your performances since the announcement of the decree."

Duke Dingguo's face suddenly turned pale.

No wonder the temple master began to purge the powerful people in Nandu.

Then...what will be the fate of this fence-sitter?

Chen Qingzhu continued:

"The entire Nandu City has been taken over by me, and Zheng Baizhan and his sons and their troops have also surrendered to me."

"You should be aware of what is happening in Nandu City now. Considering that you have served Cihang Temple in the past, I will give you two choices."

Duke Dingguo looked over nervously.

When he was imprisoned in the government office, he had already heard the imperial guards outside talking about how the gates of the Southern Capital were now blocked and all the dignitaries who had betrayed the abbot were having their property confiscated and being thrown into prison.

It is said that the Dali Temple is still investigating the past crimes of these people and they will be convicted and sentenced soon.

Among the officials and nobles of the Wei Dynasty, who can withstand investigation?

If they were to be dealt with according to the law, everyone would be sentenced to death.

He certainly doesn't want the Duke Dingguo's Mansion to suffer the same fate.

Therefore, he paid special attention to the two choices mentioned by Chen Qingzhu.

"First, pledge allegiance to the Wei court like Li Gengyuan did, and then be cut into pieces by me."

Only then did Duke Dingguo know that Li Gengyuan, who controlled most of the troops in Nando, had died, and his death was so tragic.

He quickly said:

"Master, you are joking. Duke Dingguo's Mansion is your devout believer. How could they betray you like Li Gengyuan did?"

Chen Qingzhu's expression softened when he heard this, and he even smiled a little:

"Oh, since Duke Dingguo is still somewhat loyal to me, then let's choose the second one."

"As long as you honestly hand over all the military power in your hands to Zheng Baizhan and help him control the entire army, I will not pursue the past crimes of your Dingguo Mansion, nor will I touch any of the Dingguo Mansion's property."

"As long as you know what's good for you, I will promise the Duke's Mansion a prosperous future for three generations."

Of the 30,000 naval forces under the command of Duke Dingguo, 20,000 were scattered throughout the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River for garrison and patrol.

Without his prestigious commander's call for mobilization, it would take a lot of effort to gather this part of the troops, and it would even be impossible to avoid large-scale casualties.

Therefore, she was willing to give the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion a chance to atone for their sins.

Of course, it is impossible for such a fence-sitter to become a loyal minister again.

Duke Dingguo's face suddenly turned ugly.

Although he is over sixty years old, he is still strong and has never thought of retiring from the army.

The reason why he admired Cihang Temple so much before was to obtain the elixir and divine power and to firmly grasp the military power in his hands.

Now, Chen Qingzhu asked him to hand over all military power to Zheng Baizhan, which was tantamount to asking for half of his life.