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

"This humble official, Li Ye, Prefect of Yong'an and Chief of Staff of the Prince's Palace, pays his respects to the Duke of Zhenguo."

Inside the official residence, upon seeing Shen Lang, Li Ye immediately knelt down as if a mountain had collapsed.

Shen Lang closed his eyes and immediately stepped forward, raising his arms slightly.

"Prefect Li, what are you doing?"

"The daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo is also the current emperor. This is the proper etiquette for the Great Chu."

"No courtesy, get up."

"Thank you, Duke Zhenguo."

After Li Ye stood up, he went straight to the point: "Duke Zhenguo, you destroyed the military rations outside the capital, didn't you?"

Shen Lang's expression hardened, and he was about to speak when Li Ye stopped him.

"Duke Zhenguo, there's no need to rush to explain. I understand perfectly well. After all, the King of Shu has been holding military power and harboring rebellious intentions for a long time. As a confidant of the Empress, it is only natural for you, Duke Zhenguo, to help her eliminate this hidden danger."

"Although I am an official in Shu, I am still an official of the Great Chu court and am subject to the control of the Ministry of Personnel."

"I wholeheartedly support the Duke of Zhenguo's decision to punish the Prince of Shu and make him aware of the consequences."

Looking at Li Ye's "pure and kind" yet "sincere" face, Shen Lang was almost moved by his performance. He thought that Li Ye had been moved by the protagonist's halo as a transmigrator and had suddenly realized his mistake, but that he was only in Cao Cao's camp with his heart in Han.

However, thanks to the reminders from Jingwei Si and Ye Mo, he quickly put aside this old-fashioned idea that "a turtle can raise a call and bring all the heroes under its command."

After all, the elite battalion he personally trained had all betrayed him in the end. How could he expect an old fox who was no less capable than Ye Mo to immediately surrender after just meeting him for the first time?

Forget it, this is just another test.

So, with a gloomy face, he retorted, "Prefect Li, what do you mean by that? What do you mean I burned military rations? You need to have evidence to back up your claims."

Li Ye cupped his hands and replied, "Duke Zhenguo, there are no outsiders here. What you've done cannot be hidden from me, you..."

Shen Lang interrupted him directly: "Then tell me, what things have I done that I haven't hidden from you? Li Ye, I advise you to think carefully before you speak."

Although my reputation in court and among the people isn't great, I never take the blame for anything I didn't do. Since you say I burned the grain, can you produce any concrete evidence?

Li Ye stared blankly at Shen Lang, noticing his somber expression, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: This Shen Lang, you really can't judge a book by its cover.

"Duke Zhenguo, did you really not start that fire?"

"Go ahead and investigate. I only learned these past few days that the military rations being transported from the Dongzhou Grand Camp to the front lines were burned by villains, and I'm worried about the food and clothing of the soldiers at the front."

I never expected that Prefect Li would immediately accuse me of burning military rations upon arrival. Is he trying to frame me? Your Highness was ordered by the Emperor to lead the expedition to suppress the remnants of the Qiang rebellion.

As the Duke of Zhenguo and the Empress's husband, would I do something so despicable that I would lose my head? Prefect Li, based solely on your framing of me just now…

"I'm going to the court to impeach you, accusing you of distorting the truth!"

He said this without batting an eye, showing no remorse whatsoever for doing something wrong; he seemed like a wronged person making a desperate accusation.

Li Ye hurriedly bowed and said, "I apologize, Duke Zhenguo. I simply cannot stand the actions of the Prince of Shu, which is why I suspect it was you."

I hope Your Excellency, the Duke of Zhenguo, will be magnanimous and not hold it against me. I apologize in advance.

Shen Lang snorted coldly: "Fine, I'll remember this for now. You came to me for these kinds of things?"

Li Ye: "Duke Zhenguo, I would like to ask if the court is willing to allow the Li family to return to the capital to report on their duties?"

Shen Lang asked in confusion, "Returning to the capital, could it be that Prefect Li's family has committed some serious crime?"

Li Ye sighed: "To be honest, Duke Zhenguo, my father was also involved in the struggle for the throne among the seven princes back then."

In the end, the whole family was demoted to local posts and barred from holding official positions in the capital for life. However, in reality, my father's involvement in the succession struggle was a last resort.

After all, when the late emperor was critically ill, the court was in turmoil, and various forces were eager to make their move. Even if my Li family wanted to stay out of it, how easy would it be?

In the end, however, they were accused of factional strife and exiled to the frontier. If it weren't for the King of Shu intercessing, my Li family would likely have been stripped of our scholar status and barred from holding office for life.

How could I possibly be a mere prefect in this state? My father deeply regretted his involvement in the factional strife and, on his deathbed, hoped that I could receive His Majesty's forgiveness.

Returning to the court to continue serving the country, the Duke of Zhenguo is one of His Majesty's closest confidants. Has he heard that His Majesty intends to pardon the clansmen who were demoted during the struggle for the throne?

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang narrowed his eyes slightly.

Good heavens, he's still testing us even now. Li Ye's methods are truly impressive.

pity……

"His Majesty has made his own decision regarding what happened back then, and I did not inquire further. These are turbulent times, and even if His Majesty were willing to pardon the exiled officials..."

It wouldn't be at this time, unless the exiled person has made a great contribution to the country. I wonder if Prefect Li meets the conditions for this pardon?

If so, I will certainly inform His Majesty upon my return to the capital and have the rule prohibiting the Li family of Shu Commandery from entering the court abolished.

Li Ye's lips twitched. He had said so much, yet he hadn't gotten Shen Lang to budge an inch.

It seems that Shen Lang is even more difficult to deal with than rumored.

"Your Excellency Zhenguo is joking. Compared to your contributions to the nation, my achievements are insignificant."

Li Ye smiled and decisively changed the subject.

"Lord Zhenguo, you've come to Shu this time for the silk brocade matter, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang deliberately sighed and put on a troubled expression.

"I regret it as soon as I think about it. I thought it would be an easy job, but it turned out to be more difficult than I expected."

"Oh? What troubles has the Duke of Zhenguo encountered? Why don't you tell me? Perhaps I can help you resolve it?"

"I went to the warehouse to inspect the goods a while ago and found that the silk brocade supplied to the palace was not as good as the samples on display. Now the delivery date is approaching."

If I can't bring back these 105,000 bolts of Shu brocade on time, what will His Majesty think of me? Ugh!

As he spoke, Shen Lang slapped his forehead, leaned back in his chair with a tactical backrest, and looked worried.

Upon hearing this, Li Ye replied, "Duke Zhenguo need not worry about this matter. Since it is an order from the imperial court, the Prince of Shu will certainly prioritize the use of the finest silk for weaving."

Now that new silk is about to enter the market, there will absolutely be no more instances of poor quality.

"I hope so." Shen Lang shook his head. "If I had known it would be this troublesome, I shouldn't have agreed to His Majesty's request to come to Shu to take on this mission. Wouldn't it have been better to live in the palace and enjoy a life of luxury?"

Look at this sweltering heat, you're really making yourself suffer. It's tough.

Li Ye smiled and said, "The Duke of Zhenguo is a pillar of the Great Chu, so it is inevitable that he will have to work hard. It is an honor to be able to accompany His Majesty and share his burdens."

Shen Lang nodded: "You're right, Prefect Li. Do you have anything else to say? If not, I won't keep you for dinner."

"Lord Zhenguo, I have another matter to ask you."

"What's the matter?"

The smile on Li Ye's face vanished instantly.

"May I ask, Duke Zhenguo, why have so many grain-collecting teams suddenly appeared in various parts of Shu?"