The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

"No, we don't know the purpose of these masterminds. It's hard to analyze who has the motive to kidnap these people," Dong Cheng said, shaking his head.

Lu Zhi knew that this matter couldn't be resolved in a day or two, so he stopped dwelling on it and instead asked Dong Cheng, "What are your thoughts on Lord Wang?"

Lu Zhi had long known that Dong Cheng and Wang Yun were not on the same page. Although Lu Zhi was not very good at politics in the past, over the years, due to his influence and his current position, he had gradually become more mature in political struggles. At this moment, his sudden question to Dong Cheng was not only a test of Dong Cheng's side, but also a warning to Dong Cheng to be careful with his words and not say anything inappropriate, otherwise no one would be in a good place.

"My lord," Dong Cheng said, "let me be frank. When you were Grand Commandant, although the court was beset by internal and external troubles, at least the central government was relatively stable. If it weren't for the Grand General's blunder, the court wouldn't be in this state now." Hearing Lu Zhi's warning, Dong Cheng remained unperturbed. He had always been a simple military man, but life had shaped him, forcing him to learn forbearance and strategy. Now, although he was the Grand Master of Ceremonies, he was still a military man, and his words were quite direct. He said to Lu Zhi, "Now, although Ding Yuan is dead, the power in the court is still in the hands of powerful ministers. Even so, the imperial edicts and decrees no longer extend beyond a hundred li of Chang'an. Beyond that range, who would heed the imperial edicts? Nobody!"

At this point, both Lu Zhi and Dong Cheng felt a sense of dejection. Indeed, who cared about the laws of the court these days? Apart from Chen Er of the Northern Autonomous Region, who might show some respect, but apart from imperial edicts that were helpful to them, the rest were either outwardly obeyed but inwardly disobeyed, or simply ignored.

"More importantly, the current empire is so powerful that the central government can't even collect taxes from a single prefecture. The country has become the domain of various local warlords. In particular, Yuan Shu attacked another regional governor without any reason. The court can no longer be maintained. Yet, even with such a court, Lord Wang still doesn't understand. Others may not know what Wang Yun is thinking, but do you think I don't know? Wang Yun just wants to be like Ding Yuan, but he can't do it yet because he doesn't have Ding Yuan's strength."

“Lord Dong, please be careful with your words.” Lu Zhi stood up and said to Dong Cheng. He walked to the door and closed it. Although this was Lu’s residence, no one knew whether spies from other forces might infiltrate Lu Zhi’s residence. If Dong Cheng’s words were to get out, Chang’an City would probably be plunged into another bloodbath.

"Lord Lu, I know that I, Dong Cheng, have no real ability and have only gotten to where I am today through nepotism. There has been some luck involved, but I, Dong Cheng, am truly loyal to His Majesty. Lord Lu, I beg you to save His Majesty."

Dong Cheng knelt down before Lu Zhi, who quickly helped him up and said, "Lord Dong, how could I not want to help His Majesty? But His Majesty does not trust me!"

"This..." As one of Liu Xie's most trusted people, Dong Cheng naturally knew why Liu Xie disliked Lu Zhi. However, Lu Zhi had no choice at the time, and this matter could not be entirely blamed on Lu Zhi. Dong Cheng said that he would go to the emperor and persuade him.

Lu Zhi nodded. He also felt that things couldn't continue like this. Now, almost all the ministers in the court had been bought off and controlled by Wang Yun. If no action was taken soon, Lu Zhi would really be squeezed out of the small court in Chang'an.

While Lu Zhi and the others were anxious and exhausted, Chen Er, far away in Youzhou, was laughing his head off. His plan had succeeded. The action team in Chang'an had successfully rescued all the targets and was now splitting into several groups, taking routes from Bingzhou, Yanzhou, and other places to head towards Jizhou.

When Chen Er received the message, he was lying on Ying Qiuyu's stomach, listening to the movements inside her. That's right, Ying Qiuyu was pregnant. This was a huge piece of news!

After leaving Qiu Yu's stomach, Chen Er saw the report sent by Li Zhong and exclaimed that it was a double blessing. He hurriedly summoned Xun Yu and others to tell them the news. When Xun Yu first heard that so many great scholars had come to the north, he was very happy. However, when he heard that Chen Er had invited these great scholars in such a way, the expressions on Xun Yu and the others' faces were quite interesting.

"My lord, you..." Guo Jia, who was always bold and reckless, didn't know how to talk to his lord at this moment. He looked at everyone helplessly and said, "I always thought I was the most bold and reckless person, but I didn't expect that my lord is even more so than me."

"Fengxiao!" Upon hearing Guo Jia's words, Chen Er's face turned green. How could anyone mock their lord like that? "Ah, my lord! Little Jia knows his mistake." Guo Jia finally realized that his lord was right in front of him. He didn't know what had gotten into him, daring to mock his lord like that.

Everyone laughed.

Chen Er asked Xun Yu, "Wenruo, what do you think of this matter?"

Upon being singled out by Chen Er, Xun Yu's face immediately fell. How could he possibly know what to do? At this moment, the usually rigid Tian Feng stood up. Tian Feng was always inflexible, but he was truly loyal to his lord. Even if his lord made a mistake, Tian Feng would try his best to make amends. This was what Chen Er valued most about Tian Feng. He often said that although Tian Yuanhao was blunt, he was truly sincere in his heart.

"My lord, I believe the most important person among these people is Mr. Cai Yong. If we can persuade Mr. Cai Yong, this matter can be resolved."

“Yuan Hao’s words are not wrong, but Cai Yong is known for his stubbornness. How should we persuade him?” Xi Zhicai asked.

"Well, I don't know." Tian Feng hadn't come up with a specific solution either; he was just offering a suggestion. However, finding a starting point meant that the matter was more than half resolved. The rest would depend on the wisdom of Chen Er and his advisors.

Chen Er immediately put his wisdom to use, and said to Guo Jia, "I'll leave this matter to Fengxiao. It just so happens that you've been too idle lately."

"Ah!" Upon hearing Chen Er's words, Guo Jia, who had not yet recovered from the panic, was about to cry. Why was he always the one who had to do these things?

Chen Er didn't care what Guo Jia thought. He was the lord, and all he needed to do was assign tasks. Whether they were completed or not was the business of his subordinates. At this moment, Chen Er made full use of his status and position: "This matter is decided. I still need to go and accompany my wife whom I haven't seen for a long time. My wife and I have only been married for a short time, and because of the war, I haven't had time to accompany her. I don't know if I will have time to accompany them again."