General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

On Cui Zhi's side.

Ever since he learned that Riyuan had been occupied by the rebels, he has been like an ant on a hot pan every day.

I can't stand up, and I can't sit still.

He was originally very confident that he could control them, relying on the agreement from back then and the trump card that was Li Yuan.

After all, as Liyuan is their stronghold, they wouldn't dare to act too recklessly as long as they have it in their hands.

But now the other side has quietly captured Riyuan. What are they planning to do? Are they really going to rebel?

Cui Zhi was unsure of what Shi Hui and his group were planning.

For a year he turned a blind eye to their expansion, and sometimes even secretly provided assistance, all so that one day they could defeat the imperial army sent to quell the rebellion.

Although it's a bit early now, it coincides with the outbreak of the plague in Longcheng. If he interferes slightly, Shi Hui and his men might have a chance to win.

But now, instead of biding their time and waiting for the right opportunity, they have taken it upon themselves to occupy Riyuan without obeying his orders.

He was both angry and confused.

But he's currently in Longcheng, so no matter how many doubts he has, it's useless.

No, he needs to find a way out as soon as possible and get to the bottom of this.

The messenger mentioned something about Lord Wu, which intrigued him. However, he spent several days at home thinking about it and couldn't figure out who it matched.

Besides the rebels, Wang Liang's actions also puzzled him.

It was bad enough that Longcheng was already in complete chaos, but for some reason, Lord Wang sent people to get involved without informing him.

Cui Zhi felt this was not a good omen.

Because he had a disagreement with Lord Wang about something a while ago, and they almost came to blows, and Lord Wang is a very narrow-minded person, could it be...?

Cui Zhi felt like he had a hundred thousand whys in his head, and every answer was very important and waiting for him to find it.

But the General Who Guards the Nation happened to live right next door.

He can't leave the city now, and can only sit in his mansion every day, anxiously waiting.

He was so anxious that two blisters appeared on his lips.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Cui Zhi was lying in a rattan chair, brainstorming, when a servant came to report: "Master, Lord Wu Ming has arrived."

"Let him in."

He almost forgot that Wu Ming and Wu Ju hadn't been heard from lately.

Wu Ming came to deliver tea.

"My lord, I bought some tea and brought it over for you to try." Wu Ming handed over the tea.

"Yes, it's rare to see someone with such filial piety," Cui Zhi said.

He waved his hand, and a servant took the tea leaves and brewed them.

As Wu Ming watched his movements, a shadow of gloom crossed his face, but it quickly disappeared.

The two chatted with each other.

"What's the situation outside?" Cui Zhi asked.

“Everything is normal,” Wu Ming replied. “I destroyed all the evidence as you instructed. Not to mention the General of the State, even the Heavenly King himself couldn’t find anything.”

"In my opinion, he came in with a fierce attitude, but he'll probably have to leave with his tail between his legs."

"That's good." This was the only thing that brought Cui Zhi some comfort.

The tea was ready, and a servant brought it over.

Cui Zhi picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The tea releases a refreshing aroma upon first sip, and with a slight aftertaste, the flavor not only doesn't diminish but becomes even richer and more mellow, leaving a pleasant and lingering fragrance in the mouth.

Cui Zhi paused for a moment, then took another sip.

He frowned almost imperceptibly, glancing at the person next to him.

Wu Ming was staring at him, waiting for his reaction.

"It is indeed good tea." Cui Zhi put down the tea, smacked his lips, as if savoring the taste.

"Where did this tea come from?" he asked.

Wu Ming did not tell the truth.

"Oh, a tea merchant came to the city to do business these past few days. After hearing about it, I bought it from that merchant."

"I see." Cui Zhi didn't call him out on his words.

With the plague raging in Longcheng, people are trying to avoid it. What tea merchant would risk their life for money to do business at this time?

And coincidentally, he had once drunk this tea at Lord Wang's residence; it was "Yue Tea," a special tea supplied to the capital.

"Have you been anywhere recently?" Cui Zhi asked, changing the subject.

Wu Ming thought for a moment: "I went out of the city a few days ago. I heard there was some unrest on the border of Liyuan County, so I took some men there to check it out."

"Oh? Did you find anything?"

"No." Wu Ming poured him more tea. "My men checked carefully, and everything is normal there."

"I see." Cui Zhi took a sip of tea and said nothing more.

Lord Wu...

If it were a Wu-surname general in the rebel army, he would probably be called General Wu directly. Why would he be called Lord Wu?

He looked at Wu Ming beside him.

Wu Ming was someone he had personally promoted, and he knew better than anyone that this kid was an ambitious person.

Cui Zhi took a sip of the tea in his cup, only to find that the usually fragrant and mellow tea was now difficult to swallow.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"So you led your men to arrest the messenger?"

After Sixteen arrived at the General's Mansion, the task of implementing the plan was handed over to him.

At this moment, he is talking to Nineteen about the progress of the current plan.

“That’s right.” Nineteen looked smug; he had done a great job this time even without Sixteen.

“When I arrived, I immediately took control of the post station here and intercepted the letters that Cui Zhi was sending to Liyuan.”

Although I can't understand it, at least I managed to capture it.

Sixteen, resting his chin on his hand thoughtfully, asked, "And then?"

"You'll find out later that when Li Yuan was attacked by the rebels, Li Yi sent someone to deliver a message to Cui Zhi, but I intercepted them."

"They even sent two people to speak to him at his cell, one calling himself General Zhao and the other Lord Wu, right?" Nineteen had already boasted about this part to him.

"Not only that, I also had someone deliberately create some disturbances at the border between Longcheng and Liyuan to lure Wu Ming there."

When he got there, he fell into the trap without even realizing it.

Grab the bamboo shoots.

Nineteen continued, "Yesterday afternoon, seeing that it was about time, I sent someone to rescue the messenger. He claimed to be Lord Wang's man and told him to come find Cui Zhi immediately..."

Sixteen listened attentively to the whole thing, then rested his chin on his hand and looked at Nineteen with a playful expression.

Nineteen felt a chill run down her spine as she watched.

"What are you looking at?"

Sixteen withdrew her gaze and chuckled twice: "Nineteen, you're getting more and more wicked. You can even come up with such a despicable trick. No wonder you've spent the most time with me."

Nineteen spread his hands, looking completely innocent: "This wasn't my idea; I was just the one doing the work."

"Oh?" Sixteen was taken aback. "Could it be our master's idea?"

"No, no, no." Nineteen shook his head. "To be precise, it was our master and his wife who came up with it."

"Master...and Madam?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

West of Longcheng, in the mountains stretching for hundreds of miles, a man in armor is riding a horse and leading a group of people at high speed.

"We bypassed the mountains and headed straight for the north of Liyuan."

This creates a pincer movement with Xiao Luo.