Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Instructor Meng, something terrible has happened!"

The next morning, Meng Gong, who had been busy all night, was about to rest for a while at the inn when he was awakened by a series of urgent shouts.

"What's up!"

Meng Gong suddenly woke up with a start.

"Instructor Meng, this morning, an old man disguised himself as a beggar and went out of town."

The guards who had seen him said that the man appeared to be Fan Gui, the governor's staff member who had not been arrested the previous night.

"not good!"

Meng Gong slammed his hand on the table.

"Hurry and catch up with him, and make sure he doesn't reach the Mingzhou camp."

"Reporting to Instructor Meng, we have already sent people to track them down."

Meng Gong was slightly relieved, but upon closer inspection, it still seemed inappropriate.

"Immediately notify the brothers of the Jingwei Division in the city and quickly send this message to the Chief Instructor in Suzhou."

"Yes!"

……

Inside Suzhou, Shen Lang and Liu Wu analyzed the overall situation of the officialdom in Jiangnan.

"Lord Zhenguo, I have heard the Prime Minister say that the officialdom in Jiangnan is already so corrupt that it is unfathomable. To change this situation, we must take strong measures to rectify it."

Currently, over 8,000 officials in Jiangnan are involved in the case, which is likely the largest case in the history of the Chu Kingdom for hundreds of years.

"However, I am concerned about one thing: with so many corrupt officials dealt with at once, how will the vacancies in the government offices throughout Jiangnan be filled?"

Shen Lang: "You don't need to worry about filling vacant official positions. His Majesty has already made preparations for this. After the recapture of Chang'an, in order to prevent the powerful clans of Guanzhong from continuing to grow stronger..."

His Majesty is already considering bringing in powerful clans from Guanzhong to fill the vacant official positions.

Liu Wu: "I'm afraid Prime Minister Ye will have some complaints."

Shen Lang smiled: "It's alright. Some of the officials from the Jiangnan gentry will also go to Guanzhong to take up their posts. In this way, we can maintain a balance between the two factions and prevent either one from becoming too powerful."

Liu Wu sighed, "In the end, it's just a balancing act by the emperor; it can't change the political landscape of the Great Chu Dynasty."

"Lord Liu, be careful what you say."

“Duke Zhenguo, I am an upright official and I always speak my mind. If you find these words offensive, you may simply leave.”

Shen Lang was taken aback, and then he understood why, apart from Ye Mo, few people in the officialdom were willing to deal with this guy.

Even at forty, he still held onto the same convictions he had when he first entered officialdom. He dared to speak out against injustice and unfairness, and he would not be hypocritical even when facing powerful figures.

Anyone who spends a lot of time with him will find him to be like a rock in a latrine—stinky and hard.

but……

Only by acting and speaking in a manner consistent with that of an official can a glimmer of hope be brought to the dark officialdom of the Chu Kingdom.

"Report~"

Just then, Jiang Chaoyun rushed into the inn.

"Lord Zhenguo, something terrible has happened."

Upon seeing this, Liu Wu immediately stood up and bowed to Shen Lang, saying, "Duke Zhenguo, I shall take my leave now."

After Liu Wu left, Jiang Chaoyun whispered to Shen Lang, "Duke Zhenguo, news has come from Mingzhou Prefecture that Yang family advisor Fan Gui..."

He fled Mingzhou City this morning and has not been captured yet; he must have headed towards Yang Shuang's army.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang immediately stood up: "Don't panic. Including today, Yang Shuang's army has only been marching for six days. Fan Gui is old, and it will take him some time to catch up."

Take this opportunity to immediately deliver this letter to Yang Shuang. Tell him that the rectification of officialdom in Jiangnan has nothing to do with him.

If he is willing to relinquish his military power, I am willing to recommend him, in the name of the Duke of Zhenguo, to succeed his brother as governor-general, and I will absolutely not harm his family in the slightest.

"This matter will require you, Commander, to make the trip yourself."

As he spoke, Shen Lang handed Jiang Chaoyun a prepared statement.

Jiang Chaoyun took the letter, turned around, and set off.

"Now, it's up to you, Yang Shuang, to choose. Hmph."

Just then, Wang Rui came in carrying a wooden box to report.

"Duke Zhenguo, I have completed the task you assigned me. Here is Chen Wanying's head. Please verify it."

As he spoke, he opened the lid of the wooden box.

A lifelike human head appeared before Shen Lang's eyes, appearing exceptionally quiet, clearly having been cleaned.

"Well done, it's got the attitude of the Jingwei Division now."

Shen Lang only needed one glance to approve of Wang Rui's work.

"Thank you for the compliment, Duke Zhenguo."

"What about the maid who serves Chen Wanying?"

"Reporting to the Duke of Zhenguo, his maidservant accidentally fell into the lake and drowned during a boat trip."

The body was collected and disposed of in the name of the Mingzhou government, and sixty taels of silver were sent to her family as a form of condolence.

"Ah."

Shen Lang nodded.

"You're not good enough for the position of commander-in-chief. When you return to Beijing, you can be a centurion."

Wang Rui was overjoyed and immediately knelt down: "Thank you for your promotion, Duke Zhenguo!"

"Alright, go and rest. Those two junior officers who were handling the matter should also be promoted to senior officers. The Jingwei Division is short-staffed anyway."

"Thank you, Duke Zhenguo!"

Wang Rui finally developed an absolute and profound admiration for Shen Lang.

……

Another day has passed, and Yang Shuang's army is still 400 li away from Suzhou.

After marching for only half a day, Yang Shuang was captivated by the surrounding scenery. He immediately ordered his troops to set up camp and then led his entourage to climb to a high vantage point to enjoy the view of the mountains and rivers.

at this time……

"General Yang!"

A familiar call came from afar.

Yang Shuang turned around and looked closely, then her face lit up with joy: "Oh my, it's Mr. Fan! What brings you here?"

He immediately went to greet him, and before Fan Gui could speak, Yang Shuang grabbed his arm and asked kindly, "Mr. Fan, did your brother ask you to send the army back to Mingzhou?"

Fan Gui shouted and waved his hand, "General Yang, something terrible has happened in Mingzhou City."

"What's the big deal?"

Yang Shuang was puzzled.

Fan Gui took a breath and said, "General Yang, the imperial army has taken control of Mingzhou City, and the entire family of the Minister has been imprisoned."

"Huh? How could that be?"

Upon hearing this news, Yang Shuang felt dizzy and speechless for a moment.

Fan Gui quickly helped him up and comforted him, saying, "General Yang, please calm down. Now, the fate of the situation rests entirely on your shoulders."

Yang Shuang was completely at a loss, and her anxiety was visibly obvious.

"Mr. Fan, are you saying that the imperial court has already led troops into the city, and my brother's entire family has been arrested?"

"It's absolutely true, all of this was done by Shen Lang."

"How about my family?"

Fan Gui was taken aback upon hearing this, and hurriedly said, "General, only you can turn this situation around right now."

Yang Shuang: "Mr. Fan, please speak."

Fan Gui: "General, you have troops under your command and are from a prominent family. You can use this status to persuade the families throughout Jiangnan to join you in resisting Shen Lang's actions."

Once the imperial court feels the pressure, it will surely remove Shen Lang from all his posts. In that case, the general will be unharmed, as will the Yang family and the entire Mingzhou officialdom.

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuang was immediately stumped.

"This is tantamount to rebellion."

Upon hearing this, Fan Gui became extremely anxious, his face turning red with embarrassment: "General, the imperial court is about to target the powerful families of Jiangnan, what are you still hesitating for?!"

Yang Shuang: "I know, but I still have three concubines waiting to be favored at home, and two daughters whom I love dearly. If this matter angers Shen Lang,..."

In a fit of rage, he raped my concubine and daughter. What am I to do?

Fan Gui was immediately filled with despair: "General, what should a great man worry about not having a wife? Please quickly seek help from the powerful families in Jiangnan, or you will regret it later!"

Yang Shuang paused, then said in a daze, "This matter is of great importance. Let me think about it carefully, very carefully."

Upon hearing this, Gan Rang said, "General, Mr. Fan is right. What is there to hesitate about?"

Yang Shuang: "Please do not disturb me. Let me think about it before making a decision."

With that, he left the crowd and staggered toward the military camp.

"Ugh!"

Seeing his indecisiveness, Fan Gui was so angry that he slapped his thigh, but he could only helplessly follow him.

Yang Shuang returned to the camp listlessly, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

He missed his beautiful wife and concubines at home, but dared not do anything that would defy public opinion.

A typical example is someone who is ambitious but lacks talent and is indecisive.

Half an hour later, Fan Gui entered the tent and asked, "General, have you considered this?"

Meanwhile, several military officers appeared outside the tent, anxiously awaiting Yang Shuang's reply.

"I……"

Yang Shuang looked up awkwardly, just about to say something.

"Report~"

A subordinate came to report.

"General, there is a man outside the camp gate who claims to be a subordinate of the Duke of Zhenguo and requests an audience."

"What, he's... a subordinate of the Duke of Zheng...?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuang was immediately at a loss for words.

Upon hearing this, Fan Gui frowned.

He immediately said to Yang Shuang, "General, this must be someone sent by Shen Lang to persuade you. You must not fall into their trap, lest you bring disaster upon yourself."

"Ah."

Yang Shuang pondered for a while, then tried to perk himself up and said, "Please come in quickly."