With wives as numerous as clouds and soldiers as numerous as a million, you say he's a useless

The People's Book...

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengye and the other two all looked surprised.

They simply couldn't understand whether Ye Cheng'an had made preparations beforehand, or whether someone in the royal court had tipped them off and revealed their impending arrival in advance.

If the people of the nine cities all sided with Ye Cheng'an, they really wouldn't be able to strip him of his royal status.

What are we going to do? Before leaving Beian City, they had repeatedly assured the Princess and the Crown Prince that they would definitely kill Ye Cheng on this trip, but they had only just arrived when they were slapped in the face.

The three looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Ye Cheng'an took in all their expressions, then sneered, "If the royal court sent three people for this matter, then your mission is complete. Everything I have done is for the people; I am not only without fault, but I have also rendered meritorious service!"

I don't care whether the royal court rewards me or not; what I care about is...

"These nine corrupt officials not only failed in their efforts to control the locusts, but they also secretly gathered troops from nine cities under the walls of my Yong'an City. What are they planning to do? Rebellion? Or murder the royal family?"

Ye Cheng'an's voice was powerful and resonated throughout the hall.

As the sound faded, a series of orderly yet solemn and dignified footsteps echoed outside the hall.

Then, the cold gleam of the iron armor was dazzling, and all the weapons and halberds pointed inward.

"Who dares to rebel? To plot against royalty, you must first obtain the Tiger Roar Camp's permission!"

Tiger Roar Camp...

These three words have been lost to the world's ears for a long time, long enough for people to forget the great achievements they once made.

So long that when people mention it again, they only laugh and mock their pathetic state of being ignored for a full decade.

No one could have imagined that when they reappeared, they would be so majestic!

They were all dressed in brand-new armor and held brand-new weapons; there was no trace of the disheveled state one would expect.

Is this really the Tiger Roar Camp?

Liu Chengye and the other two were stunned.

But after a brief moment of shock, Liu Chengye realized what was happening. "Young Master, what do you mean by this? By allowing your men to surround the Imperial Censor, are you plotting a rebellion?"

Ye Cheng'an chuckled and shook his head. "Lord Liu, you're mistaken. I must correct you. They're not surrounding you three censors, but rather treacherous officials plotting rebellion and murder of the royal family!"

"..." Upon hearing this, the Nine City Commander's expression changed drastically. "So, these troops are coming for us?"

Nie Chongshan roared, "Ye Cheng'an, what exactly do you want to do? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the Prince and Princess for indulging your troops like this?"

"Don't think you can act with impunity just because you've come to Liuzhou..."

"Shut up!" Ye Cheng'an glanced at Nie Chongshan with disgust, then gave Zhang Hanfeng a wink.

Zhang Hanfeng understood, and immediately took off his socks and stuffed them into his mouth.

Seeing this, the other eight city officials dared not act recklessly anymore.

Even Liu Chengye and the other two vaguely realized something.

The eldest son is no longer the pushover who always yielded and made concessions.

If he dares to treat Nie Chongshan like this, then he must not be afraid of them either.

"Young Master, what do you mean by this?" Liu Chengye asked tentatively.

"What do you mean?" Ye Cheng'an sneered repeatedly. "I was merely detaining the troops of the Nine Cities and extorting money, and I'm already being stripped of my royal status and targeted for execution by you all. Now, they've raised an army in rebellion and plotted against the royal family. What crime should they be charged with then?"

"I ordered the troops to surround this place to prevent those nine people from escaping right under the noses of the three imperial censors..."

"Now, the three of you can write back to the royal court and tell Father and that wretched woman Su Wanrou about the evil deeds of these people."

"What if we don't?" Yue Shichang said through gritted teeth.

Ye Cheng'an is clearly threatening them!

Damn it, he can't stand this!

I came all the way from Beian City to kill Ye Cheng'an, so I can't let him control me instead!

Ye Cheng'an laughed nonchalantly, "The three censors were misled by treacherous officials when they first arrived in Liuzhou and died in the line of duty... I am deeply saddened and order the Tiger Roar Camp to arrest the nine people and bring them to justice."

Is that enough?

"..." Damn, this young master really has some tricks up his sleeve when he's not backing down.

The expressions on Liu Chengye and the other two's faces immediately turned extremely grim.

"Young Master, do you think the Prince and Princess will believe you by doing this? You dare to kill the three of us! The Prince and Princess will never let you get away with this!" Yue Shichang roared.

"Does it matter whether they let me go or not?" Ye Cheng'an asked, narrowing his eyes. "What matters is that if the three of you don't do as I say, you will all die here today!"

"Not a single one will escape!"

The murderous intent in Ye Cheng'an's eyes made everyone realize that he was not joking.

At this point, the timid one began to beg for mercy, "Young Master, please don't do this... we don't actually have any deep-seated hatred between us."

"It's all Nie Chongshan's fault! He's the one who made us jointly submit a memorial to the royal court, impeaching you, Young Master!"

"We were wrong, we will never dare to do it again. As long as you forgive us, we promise that we will never dare to cause you any trouble again. Consider the 100,000 taels of silver as our tribute to the young master."

Ye Cheng'an sneered, "Do I need your tributes? This is what I deserve!"

"If it weren't for me, you bunch of bastards would have caused a locust plague and left countless dead, not just in Liuzhou!"

"I helped you with disaster relief, rescue, and good deeds, and you want to use this to destroy me? Don't blame me for turning against you!"

Having said that, Ye Cheng'an once again put pressure on Liu Chengye and the other two, "My lords, are you going to do as I say or not?"

"Today, either you all die here, or you send a message to the royal court, exposing the crimes of these nine men!"

As soon as Ye Chengan finished speaking, Zhang Hanfeng led his men into the hall and held knives to the necks of the three men.

Liu Chengye and his two companions had never been treated like this in the royal court before. They were immediately terrified and turned pale. They believed that it was better to die than to die themselves. The Nine City Lords could die, but they could not.

"Young Master, let's talk this out. We'll do as you say."

"Tell your men to put the knife away immediately. Swords have no eyes; it would be bad if someone got hurt by accident."

"Write!" Zhang Hanfeng didn't want to waste words with the group, so he had someone bring them pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, forcing the three of them to finish writing and handing it to Ye Cheng'an.

After Ye Cheng'an checked and confirmed that everything was correct, he said, "Go and send this document back to the royal court."

"Then we..." Liu Chengye asked, seizing the opportunity.

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Cheng'an interrupted him, saying, "You gentlemen are newcomers and haven't had a chance to properly experience the customs and culture of the Northern Territory. Until the royal court replies and punishes these nine traitors, you will all stay at the eldest son's residence. I will arrange a special guide to lead you around Liuzhou."

"Perfect timing. Weren't you here on the king's orders to cause me trouble? Stay here; perhaps you'll make some new discoveries."

Even so, Liu Chengye still felt that Liuzhou was not a place to stay for long.

If he had known that the eldest son would become so domineering, tyrannical, and cunning, he would never have wanted to come to Liuzhou.

"Zhongbo, Zhuyu, why haven't you taken the three gentlemen away and settled them in yet?"

"As for these nine traitors, throw them all into prison and await their fate!!!"

Ye Cheng'an had been displeased with these nine guys for a long time, but he had only just taken office in Liuzhou. If he were to kill the nine city officials at once, it would be difficult to explain to the royal court.

Therefore, this time, he intends to use their own methods against them and, through the royal court, eliminate the nine people!

As for Liu Chengye and his two companions, since they've already come this far, there's no way they'll leave alive. However, they can't die at their own hands; this game must continue...