My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

The soldiers from Zhenbei City witnessed all of this while standing beside Chu Lengyu, and their hearts were filled with shock.

The scene of her summoning a rain of swords will be unforgettable for them.

The dazzling lightsaber, like a divine punishment descending from the heavens, carried irresistible power and instantly covered the entire Rong tribe camp!

The soldiers stared wide-eyed as they watched helplessly as the Rong soldiers who had once filled them with fear fell to the ground under the lightsabers, like a north wind sweeping across the land, destroying all vegetation!

Such incredible power surprised them, and at the same time, seeing those Rong tribesmen fall was truly gratifying!

For a long time, they had suffered from the incursions of the Rong tribes, and today they finally got their revenge.

However, amidst their excitement, a sense of unease inevitably arose in the soldiers' hearts.

Looking at Chu Lengyu's power, which was completely beyond that of ordinary people, they couldn't help but wonder what kind of being she was.

The soldiers looked at each other, uneasy but not daring to utter a word.

Finally, one of the soldiers mustered up the courage to ask Chu Lengyu about her identity.

She smiled slightly and took out an imperial edict.

The soldiers crowded around, and luckily some of them were literate.

When they saw the contents of the imperial edict, they were even more surprised—it turned out that this mysterious woman was named Chu Lengyu, and had just been appointed as the Imperial Preceptor by His Majesty!

None of them doubted the imperial edict, nor dared they. Once they were certain that she was a friend and not an enemy, their hearts finally settled down.

……

When Chu Lengyu's figure reappeared on the city wall of Zhenbei, the soldiers made way for her and looked at her with admiration.

However, a burly man with a face full of scars stepped forward.

He was the commander of the garrison, but he arrived late after the enemy attack had ended, and he was not wearing armor and his steps were unsteady.

Upon seeing Chu Lengyu's appearance, a look of greed immediately appeared in his eyes. The border region was desolate and impoverished; where had he ever seen such an outstanding beauty?

His gaze swept over Chu Lengyu, as if trying to see through her.

"Hmph, even if there really is a Grand Preceptor, once he arrives in Zhenbei City, he must obey my orders. Besides, she's just a woman; this isn't a place for her to run wild. Guards, seize her; I'm taking her back for proper interrogation."

The fat commander's voice was rude and arrogant; he seemed not to have truly grasped Chu Lengyu's strength or the emperor's decree.

Chu Lengyu raised an eyebrow slightly, but the surrounding soldiers remained unmoved.

"How dare you disobey my orders? Don't blame me for being impolite!" With that, he stretched out his thick hand and grabbed at Chu Lengyu's shoulder.

The next moment, the Unrivaled Sword was drawn like a dragon from its sheath, and a bloody gash appeared on the commander's throat.

His eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

He clutched his throat, making gurgling sounds, but couldn't utter a single word. Eventually, he collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.

Chu Lengyu watched him fall to the ground, her eyes calm and still, without the slightest fluctuation.

She's already killed so many outside the city, a few more inside won't make a difference.

The surrounding soldiers were surprised, but no one stepped forward to stop him, which showed that this commander was not popular at all.

Chu Lengyu turned to face the soldiers, and her voice rang out again, this time with a touch of gentleness: "To be honest, His Majesty sent me here to investigate the issue of military pay. If you have suffered any injustice, please tell me."

The soldiers fell silent in the face of her question.

Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore and stood up to say:

“I don’t care whether you are the Imperial Advisor or anyone else, I simply cannot bear this unbearable life any longer! Our military pay has been embezzled to the last bit, and we can barely maintain a basic standard of living. In the bitter winter wind, we don’t even have a thick winter coat; we can only wrap ourselves in tattered cotton-padded jackets to barely keep out the cold.”

"Yes, our rations are pitifully small, sometimes we can't even fill our stomachs," another soldier added, his face showing deep exhaustion and helplessness.

"Our superiors only know how to drink and have fun, and they don't care about our lives or deaths." Another soldier said angrily, "Although His Highness Prince An is brave, he is also extremely harsh on us. If we make the slightest mistake, we will be whipped. We really can't survive like this anymore."

More and more soldiers stepped forward and spoke out about the unfair treatment they had suffered.

Chu Lengyu wrote them down one by one and told them that the imperial court actually allocated tens of millions of taels of silver every year.

The soldiers were immediately in an uproar, their eyes turning red with anxiety.

She quickly stopped their argument and comforted them, saying, "You've both suffered. I will definitely report this to the Emperor and seek justice for you. However..."

She abruptly changed the subject, her voice dripping with murderous intent: "Those who deserve to die, there's no need to let them live through the New Year."

Upon hearing Chu Lengyu's words, the soldiers' anger erupted like ignited gunpowder.

Their long-suppressed discontent and resentment found an outlet at this moment.

"It's time for them to pay the price!"

Fueled by rage, the soldiers acted swiftly, taking down one by one the generals and officials who had embezzled military pay and engaged in corruption.

These officials, who usually acted arrogantly, were now like stray dogs, dragged from their hiding places by the soldiers. With nowhere to escape, they were eventually thrown into the huge chasm she had just carved out outside the city, leaving only desperate howls as they were gradually swallowed by the darkness.

Clearly, their patience had reached its limit, and if she hadn't come, a mutiny would have broken out in Zhenbei City.

With the arrest of the corrupt officials, soldiers searched their houses and seized a large amount of gold and silver treasures.

These were originally military funds and supplies allocated by the imperial court, but these corrupt officials embezzled them and appropriated them for their own use.

Today, these gold and silver pieces are piled up into small mountains, gleaming brightly, yet appearing exceptionally dazzling.

Some soldiers even wiped away tears.

This money could give them a hot meal, a complete leather armor, and a brand-new, fine bow.

Chu Lengyu knew that although the gold and silver could not make up for the suffering of the soldiers, it could at least improve their lives.

In the future, Zhenbei City will no longer need to defend against the Rong tribes, and these soldiers will probably no longer need to continue to guard this place day and night.

"These ill-gotten gains should be returned to the people and distributed fairly," Chu Lengyu announced, with an unquestionable authority.

The soldiers nodded in agreement. Their hands were stained with blood, which made them even more convinced that Chu Lengyu was "in cahoots" with them.

Under her supervision, the gold and silver were counted one by one and distributed fairly to each soldier, whose faces showed smiles of satisfaction and gratitude.

At the same time, Chu Lengyu did not forget the other people in Zhenbei City and asked, "Are there any merchant caravans here colluding with the city's officials to participate in unjust acts?"

The soldiers looked at each other, and one of them stepped forward and answered loudly, "Reporting to the Grand Preceptor, there are indeed caravans that have dealings with those corrupt officials, and the most conspicuous of them is the Lin family caravan."

Chu Lengyu nodded slightly, signaling the soldier to continue.

Encouraged, the soldier continued, "Those caravans colluded with corrupt officials, hoarding goods and selling them at exorbitant prices to reap huge profits."

She immediately ordered, "Bring the leader of the Lin family caravan here; I want to question him personally."