I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

Without further hesitation, Wang Dehua quickly tidied up his documents and prepared to go to the Directorate of Ceremonial to report back.

Before leaving, he looked at Sun Biao, who was eating and drinking heartily, and said in a deep voice, "You wait here for now. If you lack food or clothing, just tell the guards. I will do my best to plead for you. Even if you cannot escape punishment, I will ensure the safety of your family."

Sun Biao suddenly stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you so much, Eunuch Wang!"

Wang Dehua rushed to the Directorate of Ceremonial, only to find Wang Chengen attending to him in the Imperial Study. The matter was of utmost importance, and disregarding protocol, he went directly to the Imperial Study to request an audience. At that moment, Zhu Youjian was bent over, gazing intently at a map, his fingertips tracing the contours of Shandong's mountains and rivers, studying troop deployments.

The young eunuch tiptoed and whispered, "Eunuch Wang, Wang Dehua, the Director of the Eastern Depot, requests an audience."

Wang Chengen waved his hand at him, meaning not to disturb Emperor Chongzhen's thoughts, and then tiptoed out.

Without looking up, Zhu Youjian said, "There should be some progress in the case. Let him in and talk."

"yes!"

Wang Chengen arrived at the door and waved to Wang Dehua.

Wang Dehua hurriedly entered, knelt down, and bowed: "This servant, Wang Dehua, greets Your Majesty!"

"No need for that, just say it, what is it?"

Wang Dehua immediately reported the interrogation results in detail, focusing on how Sun Biao had been deceived.

After listening, Wang Chengen cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, although Sun Biao has committed a grave error, he was ultimately deceived. This old servant dares to beg Your Majesty to spare the lives of his family, considering his meritorious act of reporting the crime."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian raised his head, his brows furrowing slightly: "When did I say I wanted to punish him?"

Wang Chengen and Wang Dehua looked at each other, unsure of what to say next.

Zhu Youjian put down his vermilion pen and said solemnly, "I have long said that for those who rebel, only the ringleaders will be punished. Sun Biao has fought on the front lines for many years, killing enemies and serving the country. This time, he was misled. Why should he be punished? Not only will he not be punished, but I will also reward him handsomely!"

Wang Chengen looked troubled: "But this person did commit a wrong act and became an accomplice. If we reward him handsomely, I'm afraid the court officials will have objections..."

"Criticism?" Zhu Youjian chuckled, pointing to the map. "Dengzhou Garrison currently has eight thousand soldiers. If we were to suppress them according to conventional methods, there would inevitably be casualties. I want to give him a chance to prove himself!"

"Order Sun Biao to return to Dengzhou immediately. Changshan Guard will arrive soon, and if the two armies clash, it will be my people who die. If we can use Sun Biao to tell us the truth, we can subdue the enemy without a fight. At that time, Dengzhou Guard will only have a few rebel leaders left, which will be a piece of cake to capture."

Wang Chengen suddenly realized what was going on and knelt down excitedly: "Your Majesty is wise! This plan can not only avoid casualties among the soldiers, but also win back the morale of those who have been misled! This old servant will make the arrangements immediately."

Zhu Youjian added, "By my imperial decree, Sun Biao is promoted to Lieutenant General and granted the flying fish robe. Tell him that if he can persuade the soldiers of Dengzhou Guard to surrender, I will reward him handsomely!"

Wang Dehua quickly kowtowed: "This servant will take care of it immediately, but... what about Imperial Censor Du?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes: "Don't make any moves on his side yet. Instead, spread rumors that I'm biased towards the Imperial Guards and the secret police, and that I'm suppressing officials who speak out. I want to see how many people in the court are still secretly colluding with the rebels!"

Wang Dehua immediately replied, "This servant understands!"

After leaving the Imperial Study, he returned to the Northern Garrison Command without stopping and relayed Emperor Chongzhen's original words.

Upon hearing this, Sun Biao was shocked and asked incredulously, "Your Majesty really intends to release me? And even ask me to help quell the rebellion?"

"Of course it's true. His Majesty said it himself, how could it be false?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Biao burst into tears of joy, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed three times.

"Your Majesty is wise! My life, Sun Biao's life, belongs to Your Majesty from this day forward!"

He wiped away his tears, so excited he was almost incoherent: "I'm not going to die! My mother, my wife, and my children are saved!"

Wang Dehua helped him up and said solemnly, "There's no time to lose. I'll send you a few capable men to Dengzhou immediately. Remember, you must arrive before Changshanwei and tell the brothers the truth."

"Don't worry, Eunuch Wang!" Sun Biao patted his chest and assured him, "I've been in Dengzhou Garrison for over ten years, and the brothers there all trust me!"

After seeing Sun Biao off, Wang Dehua turned and went deep into the prison. In a secluded cell, Du Yang was curled up on a straw mat when he heard footsteps and suddenly looked up.

Upon recognizing Wang Dehua, his face turned deathly pale, and his lips trembled, rendering him speechless.

"Imperial Censor Du is in a difficult situation."

Wang Dehua feigned a sigh and gestured to the guards to open the prison door: "We've come to rescue you."

A flicker of wariness crossed Du Yang's eyes, and he sneered, "Why must Eunuch Wang toy with me? Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

"Imperial Censor Du has misunderstood."

Wang Dehua lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, we in the Eastern Depot are also wronged. We serve the court wholeheartedly, but in the end, we are disliked by everyone."

Du Yang's expression shifted slightly, but he did not reply.

Wang Dehua continued, "This time, the Emperor is furious, and the entire Eastern Depot has been implicated. We servants work diligently every day, just hoping to earn more money. Now we haven't earned any money, and we almost lost our lives. Can Censor Du show us a way out?"

A flicker of struggle crossed Du Yang's eyes, but he quickly regained his coldness: "Impeaching the Imperial Guard is my duty; please forgive any offense!"

Wang Dehua laughed and said, "Let me be frank, if the person behind you is going to start a rebellion, doesn't he need an inside agent in the palace?"

"This humble official does not understand what Eunuch Wang is saying..."

"Don't worry, Imperial Censor Du, we've already found a way to get Sun Biao, who lives in the Embroidery Spring Pavilion, released."

Du Yang then asked with some skepticism, "Really?"

"Absolutely true!" Wang Dehua nodded solemnly. "I guarantee it with my own life."

Du Yang quickly thought to himself, since the Eastern Depot had already found Sun Biao, arresting him would be a piece of cake.

After the interrogation, this person will surely identify me. At that time, I will be guilty of treason. Why bother with such hypocrisy?

Unless he really releases Sun Biao, Wang Dehua must feel very unbalanced, thinking about how he is usually suppressed by Wang Chengen.

They've seized this opportunity to turn their fortunes around, so they've come to pledge their loyalty to me?

He stared at Wang Dehua for a long time before finally saying, "How could Sun Biao believe you?"

"That's easy. I'll just say it was you, Imperial Censor Du, who arranged it, and he'll believe me. Don't worry, Imperial Censor Du, he's already out of the city and won't be discovered."

Du Yang pondered for a moment, then asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Wang Dehua chuckled softly: "Silver, our family needs lots and lots of silver!"

"Only money?"

"Our family is incomplete; we're destined to be deprived of the joys of family life. Everything we have besides money is meaningless!"

"Alright!"

After thinking for a long time, Du Yang finally made up his mind: "After this is done, you will have more money than you can spend, but there is one more thing to do now."

Wang Dehua quickly asked, "What are your orders, Imperial Censor Du?"

"Imposing the Embroidered Uniform Guard is not enough for me alone. There are several key figures in the court whom I need Eunuch Wang to help me contact..."

Du Yang named seven or eight people in a row, distributed among the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers. Their official ranks were not high, and they usually kept a low profile. However, if they were to launch a joint attack, they would have considerable influence.

Wang Dehua slowly stood up: "Don't worry, Imperial Censor Du, I'll go arrest them right away!"