Catching Monsters

Chapter 411 Such Powerful Internal Force

"Lord Jiang, please accept the imperial decree."

With a smile on his face, Feng Yu handed over the imperial edict, and Jiang Yun quickly reached out and accepted it.

Feng Yu couldn't help but sigh, realizing that he hadn't misjudged Jiang Yun; his rise in rank was truly remarkable.

It should be noted that the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is a fourth-rank official, already considered a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Moreover, he holds the reins of a powerful department like the Eastern Garrison Command.

"Madam Tao, congratulations!" Feng Yu turned to Tao Yuelan and said with a smile, "The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion can now be described as having two outstanding generals."

"With the Duke of Zhenguo away from home, Jiang Yun guards the interior, demonstrating that the Duke's mansion enjoys His Majesty's deep trust."

Although Jiang Yun and Xu Suwen have not yet officially married, their marriage agreement was bestowed by His Majesty and cannot be changed.

Therefore, the vast majority of people regard Jiang Yun as a member of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Upon hearing this, Tao Yuelan smiled and quickly replied, "It's all thanks to His Majesty's trust in our Duke's Mansion. Our Duke's Mansion will certainly not let His Majesty down."

"Please have a seat, Eunuch Feng."

“No need for a seat, I have some other matters to attend to.” Feng Yu paused, glanced at Jiang Yun, and said, “Commander Jiang, remember to go to the Northern Garrison Command later and go through the procedures with Lord Li Wangxin.”

"In addition, Duke Xu is also on his way back to the capital."

Upon hearing this, both Tao Yuelan and Xu Suwen showed surprise on their faces.

The mission of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is to guard the northern border for His Majesty. Unless His Majesty summons them back, they cannot easily leave, no matter how important the matter is.

"Lord Xu is in for a lot of work. His Majesty needs Lord Xu to lead the Zhenchi Army to quell the coastal bandits."

Tao Yuelan asked with some concern, "If we recall Xiaogang, what will happen to the northern border?"

Feng Yu replied, "Your Majesty has only recalled 100,000 Zhenchi troops this time, while the rest will remain to guard the northern border."

"The northern barbarians suffered heavy losses and it will be difficult for them to organize an attack in a short period of time."

Hearing Feng Yu's words, Tao Yuelan nodded slightly and said with a smile, "I, a woman, don't know much about things like fighting."

Feng Yu glanced at Jiang Yun and said, "Jiang Yun, come with me. I have some things to tell you."

Hearing Feng Yu's words, Jiang Yun nodded and hurriedly followed her out.

Once they were in the courtyard, with only the two of them left, Feng Yu whispered, "Kid, something terrible has happened. The Fourth Prince has been kidnapped by those rebels."

Jiang Yun frowned slightly and asked, "Does Your Majesty intend for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to go and rescue us?"

Feng Yu shook his head and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty means that we should not rescue them for the time being."

"Not saving them for now?" Jiang Yun was stunned when he heard these four words. He looked at Feng Yu and said, "What does that mean?"

"Take a guess?" Feng Yu stared at Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I understand."

"Does His Majesty want to see if our Fourth Prince will betray us and go to the other side like the Sixth Prince?"

……

Haiyan City, where the Haiyan government office was located, had by then been occupied by the rebels and used as their office.

Of course, this is also an old tradition of the rebels, after all, in the entire Haiyan City, only this government office is the most luxurious place.

Regardless of which city they conquered, they used the government offices as their primary offices.

Inside the yamen, outside a lavish courtyard, the rebel strategist Chen Honghao, led by his men, was walking towards the location.

On the way, Chen Honghao's face showed a hint of excitement. He asked in a low voice, "Have you confirmed his identity? Is he really the fourth prince of Zhou?"

The subordinate who led Chen Honghao nodded and said, "It's absolutely true. When we captured him, many soldiers tried to protect his life."

"And after we captured him, two enemy generals led their soldiers in several attempts to take him back."

"And if he were a fake, he wouldn't dare to claim to be the fourth prince in front of so many people. It's probably true."

Hearing his subordinate's words, Chen Honghao's heart stirred slightly, but he still had a question. He said in a low voice, "Logically speaking, someone of such high status, even if leading troops into battle, should have many elite soldiers protecting him. It's impossible for us to seize it."

"This... I don't know."

As they spoke, the two had already arrived outside the courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, the sounds of several women playing could be heard.

"Brother Prince, come and catch me!"

"Come quick, I'm here."

Upon entering the courtyard, the Fourth Prince Xiao Jingfu showed no signs of being a prisoner. Dressed in brocade robes and blindfolded, he was playing with five beautiful women.

On the way here, Chen Honghao's men had told him that Xiao Jingfu would be quite arrogant after they captured this guy.

He claimed he needed beautiful women to accompany him, and they immediately arranged for some to be with him.

A smile appeared on Chen Honghao's face. A lecher?
Being attracted to beauty is certainly not a flaw; in fact, it's a wonderful quality.

It's the flaws that make things easier to control.

Chen Honghao stepped forward, and Xiao Jingfu, hearing the footsteps, rushed up and hugged Chen Honghao.

"Little beauty, it's a promise. If I catch you, I'm going to spank you hard."

As he spoke, he slapped Chen Honghao on the buttocks and then removed the blindfold.

"Grass."

Xiao Jingfu was startled. Upon seeing the man in front of him, he took several steps back and wiped his hands with his clothes: "What are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

The subordinate who had brought Chen Honghao over quickly introduced him with a smile: "Your Highness, this is our rebel army's strategist, Chen Honghao, Lord Chen."

Upon hearing the other party's identity, Xiao Jingfu's displeasure subsided somewhat.

He then frowned and said, "What a disappointment." Chen Honghao, seeing the other party's attitude, showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, he instructed his subordinates and the women, "You all go out first. I'll have a chat with His Highness the Prince."

After everyone had left, Chen Honghao sat down on a stone chair in the courtyard and said with a smile, "Your Highness, now that you are in our hands, I would like to have a good talk with you."

"What are you talking about? With my status, would I help you start a rebellion?" Xiao Jingfu glared at the other party, his face full of disdain.

"Don't you already have a reincarnated Daoist master? What do you need me for?"

Chen Honghao smiled and said, "Your Highness, Fourth Prince, that's true, but if things succeed, His Majesty Liu Yu can bestow upon you the title of King, for generations to come..."

Xiao Jingfu remained silent for a while before quickly asking, "What do you want me to do for you?"

"It's very simple," Chen Honghao said with a smile. "We just need to spread the word to the people that Xiao Yuzheng is now a corrupt and incompetent ruler, and that only His Majesty Liu Yu is the true Son of Heaven."

"As long as you cooperate, His Majesty Liu Yu will surely reward you with countless amounts of gold and silver."

If Xiao Jingfu agrees, it will be a great help to the rebel army.

At that time, Xiao Jingfu can personally go forward and publicize the coastal cities that have been occupied, including the cities that are about to be attacked.

When the time comes, people will see that even the prince of the Zhou Kingdom has joined the rebel army.

Whether it's local officials or the people of cities that have already been captured, they will have less resistance towards the rebel army.

Xiao Jingfu remained silent for a while, then asked after thinking for a moment, "Is this all you need?"

“That’s right.” Chen Honghao nodded: “As long as His Highness the Fourth Prince agrees, new beauties will be sent to you every day, and you will have an endless supply of delicacies.”

"I thought it was no big deal. Fine, hurry up and have someone gather the people. After I finish speaking, I still need to find those beauties to have some fun with," Xiao Jingfu said impatiently.

After hearing this, Chen Honghao's face lit up with joy: "I'll have someone arrange it right away."

Soon, the people of Haiyan City were mobilized, and a high platform was quickly erected in the most open square in Haiyan City.

Countless civilians were brought here by the rebels from the city.

Upon arriving at this place, the people all looked over and saw Xiao Jingfu and Chen Honghao sitting on the high platform.

Chen Honghao whispered a reminder to Xiao Jingfu: "Your Highness, just say what we agreed on."

"Do I need you to teach me?" After seeing that most of the people had arrived, Xiao Jingfu slowly stood up, coughed, and shouted loudly, "Fellow citizens, I am Xiao Jingfu, the fourth prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, the people present all looked somewhat surprised.

Then, Xiao Jingfu took a deep breath, looked at everyone, and said loudly, "This rebel army wants me to slander my father as a pledge of loyalty to them!"

"That's utterly delusional! I, Xiao Jingfu, am of royal blood; how can I allow myself to be threatened by these traitorous scoundrels!"

"Today, I will prove my loyalty with my death. No matter what, I will not allow these traitors to use me as a tool."

"May Heaven bless the Great Zhou!"

After shouting loudly, Xiao Jingfu suddenly made a move, drawing the sword from the waist of Chen Honghao, who was looking on in astonishment, and was about to slit his own throat.

Xiao Jingfu had no intention of agreeing to the request from the beginning. He knew that Haiyan City had just been captured, and there were still countless spies from the imperial court and the Embroidered Uniform Guard inside.

This provided an opportunity for Xiao Jingfu to put on a good show.

As for joining the rebels, to be honest, Xiao Jingfu really looked down on these peasants; they were simply incapable of gaining any real power.

He knew very well that it was because Wang Longzhi had run into trouble that these guys had an opportunity to take advantage of him.

Otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago.

He knew that in addition to ordering him to gather troops, his father was already preparing to mobilize troops from the north.

It's only a matter of time before these guys are wiped out.

Joining them now would be suicide, wouldn't it?
not to mention……

His ambition was to become the emperor, but these bastards were only willing to promise him the title of king.

Both were rebellions. The sixth brother went to Wang Longzhi's side, where the army was strong and well-equipped. The promise he made was that the sixth brother would become emperor in the future.

How could he be so spineless as to surrender to someone just because they were promised a kingship?

Do you think I'm that easy to fool?
Although he pretended to commit suicide, his movements were very slow, as if he was afraid of hurting himself. Finally, Chen Honghao reacted.

As the strategist of the rebel army, Chen Honghao was an extremely intelligent man, and he instantly understood Xiao Jingfu's plan.

Chen Honghao snorted coldly, thinking to himself that this guy was shameless.

He didn't try to stop him; instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, wanting to see if the guy dared to commit suicide.

Xiao Jingfu held his sword slowly, and many people below watched him intently.

Xiao Jingfu cursed inwardly, wondering why Chen Honghao hadn't stopped him yet.

Several seconds had passed between drawing the sword and committing suicide.

Suddenly, Xiao Jingfu's arm jerked, the long sword in his hand was knocked to the ground, and he flew backward, landing heavily on the ground.

He even used his internal organs to force out a mouthful of blood.

"puff."

Then, Xiao Jingfu gasped for breath and shouted, "Such powerful internal energy! Why won't you let me die? Why!"

Chen Honghao was stunned. He was closest to Xiao Jingfu. This bastard was clearly just putting on an act because he didn't dare to commit suicide.

I'm just a down-on-his-luck scholar who's even resorting to rebellion. What kind of internal strength do I have?
Xiao Jingfu ignored them, feigning serious injury and collapsing heavily to the ground.

"Alright, alright, I underestimated you." Chen Honghao's eyes were icy.

Meanwhile, below the platform, spies from several locations witnessed this scene. Upon seeing it, they immediately turned and left to send messages to the court.

(End of this chapter)