A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

When Zhao Daxuan led Zhang Yong and his group back to Heishan Pass, it was already getting light.

When I woke up, it was already afternoon.

As Zhao Daxuan stepped out of the room, he smelled the aroma of food, and his stomach began to rumble involuntarily.

"I didn't expect to sleep so late, just in time for dinner."

Zhao Daxuan smiled slightly, washed his face, and followed the aroma of the food into the main room.

As soon as he stepped into the main room, a delicate figure bumped into Zhao Daxuan's arms.

"My lord, you're awake?"

The woman in his arms looked up; it was Li Weiwei. Upon seeing Zhao Daxuan, a smile appeared on her face.

"I was just about to wake you up for lunch, but you're already here. You have such a keen sense of smell. Come on in and take a seat, we were just waiting for you."

Zhao Daxuan smiled and nodded. Shen Qingci and the others had already taken their seats and were waiting for him.

Zhao Daxuan strode to the dining table and sat down. Looking at the standard three dishes and one soup in front of him, with both meat and vegetables, he nodded in satisfaction.

Since Zhao Daxuan's status was elevated, his family has never been without meat, and he also has personal space to store a lot of food.

Shen Qingci and his companions arrived at Black Mountain Pass, a remote place with scarce resources.

However, Zhao Daxuan was still able to continuously take out meat and vegetables from his personal space to ensure the quality of Shen Qingci and the others' daily meals.

With Lin Zhiqing's increasingly skilled cooking and Zhao Daxuan's constant acquisition of new seasonings from the turntable, the meals were varied every day.

Zhao Daxuan picked up a piece of Kung Pao Chicken. The chicken was spicy and fragrant, and the meat was tender. Served with the premium rice that Zhao Daxuan had brought out, it was simply a great pleasure in life.

After finishing several large bowls of rice, Zhao Daxuan put down his chopsticks with satisfaction. Shen Qingci and the others had already finished eating and were chatting idly on the side.

Zhao Daxuan wiped his mouth before looking at Shen Qingci and said, "Qingci, Leng Wuye and Chu Hanchuan have been captured by us, and last night, tens of thousands of troops outside the city were also taken control of Zhang Yong, a centurion under the general's command."

"This matter is of great importance, and I must personally report to General Yue."

Shen Qingci nodded slightly, "That is indeed the way to go. This matter is of utmost importance, and it would be best if you, my husband, went there in person."

Zhao Daxuan continued, "I'm just thinking about the gold mine. Leng Wuye and the others already know about it. I don't know how many people they've told, or what other tricks they have up their sleeves."

"So I'm thinking about the gold mine. Should we take the initiative to report it and say that it was discovered accidentally during the mining of iron ore? Otherwise, it won't last long."

Shen Qingci also looked in agreement.

"That's true. Now that your forces are growing stronger, and this place is far from the capital, even if we report it, it won't be easy for them to get a share of the spoils!"

Shen Qingci looked at Zhao Daxuan with a smile and said, "With Uncle Yue mediating, what's ours is ours, and no one can take it away!"

"Besides, my lord, you have always put the public good first, and all the gold from the mine has been spent on soldiers and city defense. We have a clear conscience. We just need to show the account books to Uncle Yue."

Zhao Daxuan nodded. "Alright, then I'll take the gold mine's ledgers with me when I go to Zhenbei City! I can use the proceeds from the gold mine to buy some supplies and weapons during this trip to Zhenbei City."

Afterwards, Zhao Daxuan chatted with Li Shishi and the others for a few more minutes before getting up and heading to the cell where Leng Wuye and Chu Hanchuan were being held.

Although the Black Mountain Pass is not a large place, it is complete even in its small size, and it does have a prison cell.

Moreover, the prison was built underground, making it not only incredibly sturdy but also extremely well-hidden.

Zhao Daxuan arrived alone at the dungeon entrance. Four soldiers stood at the entrance, watching the surroundings warily. Upon seeing Zhao Daxuan arrive, they quickly saluted.

Zhao Daxuan waved his hand and went inside. There were no separate jailers here; they were all people who were assigned after Leng Wuye and the other person were imprisoned last night.

After Zhao Daxuan entered the cell, he discovered that Li Erlong was already in the dungeon, interrogating Chu Hanchuan.

"Chu Hanchuan, you are no longer the Commandant of Zhenbei City; you are nothing more than a criminal who colluded with bandits and murdered imperial prisoners!"

"I advise you to obediently sign this, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Li Erlong's roar echoed in the dungeon's interrogation room.

Zhao Daxuan frowned and went inside.

Hearing footsteps, Li Erlong turned around and saw Zhao Daxuan. He quickly bowed and said, "My lord, you've arrived! This Chu Hanchuan is refusing to cooperate and won't sign anything. What do you think..."

"Were they tortured?"

Li Erlong looked helpless and stepped forward, whispering, "My lord, although Chu Hanchuan has been arrested, the court has not yet dismissed him, and I dare not take any action against him."

Zhao Daxuan nodded slightly, then looked at Chu Hanchuan, who had a disdainful expression.

Upon seeing Zhao Daxuan arrive, Chu Hanchuan sneered, "So it's Lord Zhao. Let me tell you, you're in deep trouble this time!"

"Last night I only received a secret report that someone was going to rob and kill the kidnappers, so I led a team there. Who knew that you would arrest me without even asking what happened?"

"Hmph! This is outrageous! I will definitely appeal to the imperial court! Zhao Daxuan, you are all doomed this time! I advise you to release me immediately, or this matter will not be over!"

Zhao Daxuan sneered, "Chu Hanchuan, you're so arrogant, do you think we won't dare to use torture? Today I'll let you taste the bitterness of 'rain drenching plum blossoms'!"

"Hmph! Erlong, go find some yellow paper!"

"Okay!"

In a short while, Li Erlong brought out several sheets of yellow paper, and Chu Hanchuan was pressed firmly onto the torture bench, unable to move.

With a cold look in his eyes, Zhao Daxuan soaked several sheets of yellow paper and then gently placed them on Chu Hanchuan's face. The paper was pressed tightly against his mouth and nose as soon as it was placed on his face.

Chu Hanchuan's face turned purple and blue instantly, and he struggled incessantly, a sense of fear welling up in his heart.

Zhao Daxuan just watched coldly until Chu Hanchuan's struggles became less and less intense, then he peeled the paper off Chu Hanchuan's face.

Chu Hanchuan was panting heavily, still shaken, and looked at Zhao Daxuan with fear in his eyes.

"You...you..."

Chu Hanchuan's voice trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Chu Hanchuan, to tell you the truth, we've already wiped out that kidnapper's hideout in Zhenbei City."

"That kidnapping leader already betrayed you, and now you've openly led so many people to rob and kill government prisoners. Do you understand that your crime is doubly serious?!"

Chu Hanchuan was taken aback upon hearing this, then revealed a disbelieving expression. "Impossible, you can't fool me!"

Seeing that he wouldn't shed tears until he was completely cornered, Chu Hanchuan casually took out an account book and showed it to him, even flipping through a few pages for him to see.

"Well? This ledger was found on that kidnapping leader. What else do you have to say?"