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

"Arrogant, huh? Why aren't you arrogant anymore?"

"Didn't you say that the Duke of Zhenguo was nothing special? Didn't you say that you scared him to tears?"

"Come on, smile for me again, can't? Look at me, yes, like this, cheese..."

"Wow, you're actually laughing?!"

Outside the private room, the shouts and calls of the gambling den could be heard incessantly.

Inside the secret room, Luo Hu was relentlessly attacked by Shen Lang, curling up in a corner and wailing incessantly.

Shen Lang rarely used torture himself anymore, and this time he was unusually angry.

He kicked and cursed, "A mere guard from a royal palace dares to provoke me? Do you think I, the Duke, was appointed by being kind and gentle?"

Come on, get up and keep being arrogant. I love seeing you act like a smug dog. Stop playing dead, get up, get up!

After another round of attacks, Luo Hu was beaten down to almost nothing.

At this moment, Ma Guocheng rushed over and grabbed Shen Lang: "Lord Duke, you've just had some wine and are a bit tipsy, please take care of your health."

There's no need to get angry with someone like that. Just leave him to me; I'll handle it perfectly.

Shen Lang then stopped what he was doing, turned around, grabbed a chair, sat down, and wiped his cheek.

As soon as I sat down, a delicate hand holding a handkerchief reached out to me.

"Lord Zhenguo, please wipe your hands."

"Thank you very much."

The woman speaking was Wu Siyue, the female knight-errant they had met outside Pingyuan County.

After being rescued by Jiang Mengxuan at the Huang residence, she took pity on her plight and kept her by her side. She then joined the Southern Garrison Command, where Mu Qingqiu worked, as a captain and a member of the Jingwei Division.

Since its reorganization, the Jingwei Division has added Left and Right Commanders in addition to the existing Junior Flag, General Flag, Centurion, Deputy Thousand-Household, Thousand-Household, and Commander-in-Chief. Above the Junior Flag, there is now a Strongman, and after the General Flag, there is now a Captain.

Currently, the main personnel of the Southern Garrison are martial arts figures, primarily responsible for intelligence gathering within the Chu Kingdom and protecting important individuals.

Wu Siyue, whose cultivation was at the peak of the Qi Opening stage, was also a suitable candidate for travel, and this time she was assigned to accompany Shen Lang.

At the same time, they assisted the Jingwei Division, which had been stationed within the Shu region, in resolving related problems.

This gambling den was the secret stronghold of the Jingwei Division in Shu.

"Captain Wu, you can go out now. We don't need you here for the time being."

"Yes."

Wu Siyue decisively retreated into the shadows.

Shen Lang took a deep breath, walked up to Luo Hu, squatted down, grabbed his hair, and stared at him quietly.

Luo Hu was panting heavily, his mouth, which had lost its front teeth, was full of blood.

Do you know why I'm looking for you?

"Lord Duke... could you spare my life...?"

"Hehehe..."

Shen Lang patted his face lightly, smiled, stood up, and walked towards Ma Guocheng.

bass--

Suddenly, a metallic scraping sound echoed, and a cold glint of light slashed directly towards Luo Hu's head.

"what--"

Luo Hu was so frightened that he screamed like a ghost.

Just an inch from Luo Hu's forehead, he was so frightened that he fainted.

"I thought he was a real man, but I didn't expect him to faint like this. Guocheng, wake him up."

"Yes."

At Shen Lang's command, Ma Guocheng stepped forward and pried open his fingers, bending them in one swift motion.

"Ah~"

Screams like those of a pig being slaughtered echoed in the sealed room.

"My lord, please spare me. I really didn't mean what happened yesterday. It was all the prince's instigation. He said he wanted to give you a hard time, so I did it."

Shen Lang patted his clothes and nodded, saying, "I understand what you're saying. Let's talk about something else that can save your life."

"What does the Duke wish to discuss?"

"No rush, let's take it slow."

Shen Lang pulled up a stool and sat down in front of him: "Your name is Luo Hu, right?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been serving the prince?"

“I have been by the Prince’s side ever since he entered Sichuan.”

"Then your master-servant relationship must be very close, right?"

"The prince has a bad temper and is actually difficult to serve, but he is never stingy when it comes to rewarding his servants."

"I see. Then I'd like to ask, what is the relationship between your prince and Wei Zang like?"

Luo Hu's cheek twitched, and he stopped talking.

Shen Lang remained calm and patiently said, "Don't misunderstand, I don't suspect your prince of colluding with Wei Zang or anything like that."

I'm just curious, after all these years of dealings between the Prince and Wei-Zang, has there never been any instance of them sending envoys to negotiate?

Luo Hu had no idea what Shen Lang wanted to ask, and simply said, "We have some dealings, but I really don't know the specifics."

Shen Lang: "I understand, I understand. After all, you're just handling things, how could you possibly keep track of what your lord is doing every day, right?"

"Now, let's change the subject. Some people outside are saying the prince seems to be plotting a rebellion. Is this true or false?"

Luo Hu shuddered and quickly shook his head: "Absolutely not."

Shen Langhu continued to ask, "How many soldiers does the prince have under his command? I heard he has a full 700,000 troops? Is that true or false?"

Luo Hu fell silent, not because he was unwilling to speak, but because his mind seemed a little overwhelmed.

"You can't say, right? Then let me ask you another question: What's the food like when you work at the Prince's mansion? Don't tell me that you can't say either."

Luo Hu subconsciously replied, "The food is alright. Ordinary guards get meat every few days, while we martial artists of higher ranks get meat almost every meal."

Shen Lang: "It's great to have meat at every meal. I also like to eat meat. I remember when I was still in the Bingzhou army camp, I wouldn't see meat for ten or twenty days at a time."

We managed to capture a wounded warhorse, slaughtered it, and ate it with a porridge of coarse rice and bran. The taste is still unforgettable.

He wore a wistful expression, as if looking back on that special period of time.

Luo Hu: "The Duke's life wasn't as good as it is now as a soldier. Although he couldn't have meat every meal, the rice he ate never went moldy."

Shen Lang: "Really? I don't believe it. Soldiers don't eat this well."

Most of the time, he would just have a big bowl of porridge with a few multigrain steamed buns to make do with a meal.

"You've never even seen what white rice looks like. Don't talk nonsense if you've never served in the military."

"My lord, I'm not lying!" Luo Hu confessed. "The rice and wheat used in the Shu King's army are specially selected; there's absolutely no possibility of them being filled with stones or sand."

"If you don't believe me, go and see the granaries of the Dongzhou camp, eighty miles away. There are a full two million shi of grain stored there!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang couldn't help but smirk.

I finally got the information I wanted.

"There are actually two million shi of grain in the Dongzhou granary. Hmm, this batch of grain must be used for training soldiers."

After a brief analysis, Shen Lang immediately came up with a plan to burn down the Dongzhou granary.

"Guocheng".

"What are your orders, Your Excellency?"

Shen Lang pointed at Luo Hu: "Let him go."

Ma Guocheng was taken aback: "Just like that? Your Excellency, he certainly didn't hold back in making fun of you at the brothel today."

"Is our country so petty?" Shen Lang's eyes hardened as he retorted to Ma Guocheng, "Just release them when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense. You should know you're still a criminal."

"Yes, I will take care of it right away. Please calm down, Your Excellency."

After saying that, Ma Guocheng took Luo Hu, who was already unconscious, out of the room.