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

"Your Highness, the female workers in the weaving workshop have come to ask when they will be paid their wages, which have not been paid for four months."

Yang Song stood before Jiang Chong, looking exhausted, and reported.

During this period, while making plans, Shen Lang also caused a lot of trouble for the weaving workshop.

As the person in charge, Yang Song had to deal with Shen Lang's inspection and acceptance of goods on the one hand, and ensure the normal operation of the weaving workshop on the other hand, which left him exhausted.

Currently, a large-scale strike has occurred in the workshop due to the failure to pay female workers' wages for four months, which has seriously affected the production of silk brocade.

He had no other choice but to come and discuss it with Jiang Chong.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chong, with dark circles under his eyes, said, "You still want wages? Not a single bolt of silk has been sold. Where am I supposed to get the money to pay wages?"

Yang Song looked troubled: "What should we do now? If we don't pay them, those female workers will take the looms away to pay us back!"

"Who dares!" Jiang Chong roared, "Everything in the weaving workshop is my private property, and no one is allowed to take even a single thing away!"

"But……"

"No buts. Tell them to wait another month. After just one month, I will double the wages they ask for!"

Yang Song pouted, as if he wanted to say something, but Jiang Chong's sharp gaze silenced him.

"Report!"

Suddenly, someone came to report from outside the Prince's residence.

"Your Highness, General Lin has come to report."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chong's expression immediately became excited: "Well? Has my army arrived?"

"Your Highness, General Lin said that he has visited various camps in the three prefectures over the past half month, but none of them are willing to send troops. Yanfu is far away, and a long march would require fare and three months' worth of military provisions."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chong snatched the letter from the messenger's hand and hurriedly opened it to read it.

Seeing that the above content was exactly the same as what the messenger said, he was so angry that he tore the letter into pieces.

"These opportunists must know that I am currently in a weak position, so they are dragging their feet and unwilling to respond. They are truly short-sighted and incredibly foolish!"

He had just finished venting when someone else came to report.

"Your Highness, an urgent report from Qidao!"

"Bring it here quickly so I can take a look."

Now he pinned all his hopes on the troops in Qidao, which were his main force and elite troops. As long as they did not desert, he still had hope.

However, after opening the letter and reading its contents, Jiang Chongren was completely stunned.

It turned out that when those soldiers withdrew from Qidao and were resting in a nearby village, they happened to meet the veterans who had retired from the Dongzhou camp.

After hearing their account of the treatment he received in the Central Army and his own situation, he completely broke down.

The auxiliary soldiers and their supplies immediately ran away and went home.

As for the soldiers, since they were registered in the army and could not leave at will, they decided to go directly to Shen Lang to plead guilty. At the very least, they could get a few bushels of rice and a few taels of silver for travel expenses.

Finally, when Cao Meng arrived, he tried everything—coercion, bribery, and persuasion—but only managed to convince a few thousand people to follow him back to the capital.

However, upon hearing that they were going to fight against the troops of the Dongzhou camp, many people fled.

In the end, only a mere twenty-odd people were willing to stay by Cao Meng's side.

"Damn it! They have all betrayed me! I will never let them get away with this!"

He vented his anger fiercely.

But after venting, I realized how lonely I was.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, Zhen Yi sent a letter through someone.

The letter stated that the silk workshop had promised to deliver silk to the people, but not a single bolt had been produced to date, and it was destined to be overdue this year. The letter demanded that the Prince's Palace compensate for all losses of 300,000 bolts of silk brocade.

This enraged Jiang Chong so much that he was completely disfigured. He really wanted to arrest Zhen Yi, this merchant, and execute him on the spot to vent his anger.

Soon, more bad news arrived.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from merchants in Guanzhong, saying that they no longer need Shu brocade for the time being. They hope Your Highness will understand."

This time, Jiang Chong did not go mad.

He calmly said to everyone, "You may all leave. Let me have some peace and quiet."

Yang Song and the others left the palace with worried expressions.

"Hahaha."

Once everyone had left, Jiang Chong couldn't help but laugh.

The laughter was filled with helplessness and self-deprecation.

"Jiang Mengxuan, I have lost, I have lost miserably, ahahaha..."

Then his eyes turned cold.

"But even if I die, I won't let you off easy!"

"Since you value Shen Lang so much, then before I die, I will drag him down to hell with me!"

"I will make you experience what it feels like to lose a beloved person!"

As he spoke, he took out the White Water Divine Sword from the storage ring between his fingers.

"Let this sword sever Shen Lang's head and bring this miserable life of mine to an end!"

With the divine sword in hand, he resolutely stepped out of the palace gates and headed towards the official residence to settle things with Shen Lang.

Inside the official residence of the imperial court, Shen Lang received a handwritten letter from Jiang Mengxuan:

"Ah Lang, how is the situation in Shu? A wife worries when her husband ventures into a tiger's den. After what happened in Blackwater City, I'm truly afraid of losing you."

Although the Jingwei Guard sends you intelligence about your situation in Shu at any time, I feel deeply uneasy without you by my side.

With everything in the capital stable, I took the opportunity to reclaim military power from the remaining eight vassal states and return them to the central government.

Now we await your good news. Sichuan is different from other places; it involves many aspects. I hope you will not act rashly. If anything unexpected happens, you can withdraw and plan another day. Do not let your wife be heartbroken.”

The handwriting is elegant and neat, each stroke conveying the longing and yearning.

Shen Lang then realized that, without realizing it, he had been in Shu for almost four months.

As September approaches, things in Sichuan will soon be calming down, and it's time to wrap things up.

Carefully putting away the letter, Shen Lang looked up at the many generals sitting in the hall.

They were all Jiang Chong's cultivated forces, and upon learning of the upheaval in the Dongzhou camp, they immediately pledged their loyalty to Shen Lang.

After all, the Prince's Palace has no grain at the moment, and Shen Lang has basically controlled all the new grain from Shu this year. If they join Jiang Chong in rebellion now, they have absolutely no chance of winning.

Rather than waiting for the imperial court to make trouble, it's better to take advantage of the current situation before it becomes irreconcilable and have everyone surrender to Shen Lang. Even if things don't go well, they can still become wealthy men.

"Gentlemen, since you are willing to relinquish your military power to the court, then I hereby assure you on behalf of His Majesty that your lives and property will be safe and sound."

The imperial court will also greatly reward you for your actions of understanding the bigger picture and prioritizing the overall situation.

Upon hearing this, the generals unanimously replied, "We will leave everything to His Majesty and the Duke of Zhenguo."

Shen Lang nodded slightly: "Very well, since you generals are willing to serve the court, you should also be aware of Jiang Chong's long-term plans."

Now, Jiang Chong's crime of amassing military power is undeniable; this alone constitutes treason. Soldiers, follow me to subdue Jiang Chong and send him to the capital for His Majesty's judgment!

"Yes!"

The generals rose and loudly accepted the order!

boom--

Just then, a sword aura flashed past, and the tightly closed door of the official residence hall was shattered into pieces.

The chilling sword energy emitted a series of clanging sounds, and the person standing in front of the door stared at Shen Lang, who was sitting in the head seat, with icy and extremely sinister eyes.

"Your Majesty?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, everyone was taken aback and quickly stepped back from their seats.

Jiang Chong then uttered each word slowly and deliberately: "Shen... Lang!"

"Humph."

His response was a disdainful snort from Shen Lang.