We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

Below the tent.

When the guards relayed the message, the entire room erupted in uproar.

"One side forms an alliance, the other sows discord—is this really just a grand competition?"

"I can almost see the scene of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when the seven states vied for supremacy. The alliances and counter-alliances were complex and the situation unpredictable. It was truly a great show!"

"Although His Highness the Crown Prince is not good at leading troops, he is indeed a master strategist. He easily created discord among the three of them, which truly makes us ashamed!"

That's how civil and military officials are.

A sedan chair is carried by people.

Now that His Highness the Crown Prince has the upper hand, they naturally want to flatter him.

Just now.

Another guard rushed in, his expression extremely unpleasant.

Zhou Rui frowned and looked over, then gave a disapproving rebuke.

"What is it? Please speak freely."

The guard had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

"Xue Fan from the Ministry of Rites is out."

"The Third Prince led fifty cavalrymen to storm the Ministry of Rites' camp, successfully captured the flag, and Xue Fan was captured alive. He has now surrendered."

Upon hearing this, the previously lively scene fell completely silent.

Are you kidding me?

Fifty men stormed a camp of five hundred men, captured the enemy general alive, and forced the entire enemy army to surrender. What kind of joke is this?

Zhou Rui sneered repeatedly and turned to look at Qin Zhiang.

"My dear minister, how did your Ministry of Rites train its troops? They were subdued so easily!"

Who doesn't know the relationship between them?

Qin Zhi'ang, the Minister of Rites, is the maternal grandfather of the Third Prince Zhou Tianze!

Xue Fan's surrender was less a surrender and more a refusal to act!

Everyone present looked embarrassed, and many officials pretended not to hear, continuing to drink and eat as if they didn't want to get involved at all.

Qin Zhi'ang had a thick skin and remained calm.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us. The Ministry of Rites is not skilled in military affairs, and moreover, the Third Prince's force is cavalry. How could they possibly win?"

"His Highness is indeed a brilliant strategist. Despite the hardships he has faced, he has recovered so quickly, which is a testament to his wisdom and intelligence."

Zheng Rong burst into laughter.

"Brilliant and intelligent?"

"If the Third Prince is so capable, why did he lose over four hundred cavalrymen?"

"He was defeated by the Crown Prince even with horses and planks; does he deserve to be called wise and intelligent?"

Qin Zhi'ang's face darkened, and he turned his head away, refusing to look at Zheng Rong, as if he hadn't heard these words at all.

How could Zheng Rong possibly let him go?

The old Duke immediately stood up and stepped forward, standing directly below Zhou Ruitai, and bowed before speaking.

"Your Majesty, I have long heard of Xue Fan. He was a member of the Green Forest bandits. After surrendering, he was hired by the Ministry of Rites as a teacher in the Imperial Academy's Imperial Writing Department."

"He had experience leading troops in battle in his early years, and subdued many mountain bandits and brigands, which is how he obtained an official position. Now, he was easily captured by the Third Prince, which is simply ridiculous and damages the prestige of our Great Qian Dynasty. How can this person be qualified to serve as a teacher at the Imperial Academy?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that after the imperial examination, this person be stripped of his official rank, demoted to a commoner, and never to be employed again!"

Qin Zhiang immediately turned his head.

Before he could speak, Zhou Rui waved his hand.

"allow!"

Aren't you a dirty bastard?

Since your people are so useless, then stop using them and let them go back to being ordinary citizens!

Qin Zhiang remained silent, frowning as he pondered in his mind.

Losing Xue Fan gives us hope for the Third Prince, which is better than being eliminated altogether.

Moreover, it's still unknown whether the Crown Prince will live or die after the competition, so why worry about temporary gains and losses?

Therefore, he did not refuse; after all, he was just a bandit, and if he were gone, so be it.

At this moment, Zhou Rui spoke up.

"Since Xue Fan is about to be stripped of his official rank, who, according to the Duke's opinion, is suitable to take his place?"

Qin Zhiang's brow twitched.

Xue Fan hasn't even been kicked out yet, and he's already planning to place people in the Ministry of Rites?

He turned to look at Zheng Rong, who didn't stand on ceremony and directly recommended someone.

"In my opinion, my doorman Xinhua is qualified to serve as a teacher in the Imperial Class of the Ministry of Rites."

Qin Zhi'ang was immediately annoyed.

"You, a mere gatekeeper, are qualified to be a teacher? Are the officials of my Ministry of Rites so incompetent?"

Zheng Rong stood up straight, her face full of arrogance.

"Lord Qin, although Xinhua is only a gatekeeper, he has participated in hundreds of major and minor battles in the northern frontier, and his kill count is countless. His merits have long been recorded!"

"It's just that when I received the imperial decree to return to the capital, Xinhua resigned from his post in the northern frontier, only to accompany me and guard my home. It's not that he lacked ability, but rather that he prioritized loyalty above all else, which is commendable."

"Putting everything else aside, if he were in charge of troops, at least he wouldn't have led five hundred men to be captured alive by fifty!"

This is tantamount to rubbing Qin Zhi'ang's face on the ground.

Qin Zhi'ang was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Zhou Rui smiled.

"Such a talented individual! I grant his request!"

Zheng Rong then returned to her seat, resuming her previous calm demeanor.

You couldn't defeat the Crown Prince with 500 cavalrymen, and now you think you can defeat him with 500 infantrymen?

That's utterly delusional!

Instead, he seized the opportunity and directly demanded an official position. And Xinhua was the Crown Prince's man!

This is tantamount to driving a nail into the Ministry of Rites!

Thinking of this, Zheng Rong couldn't help but smile.

Now, it all depends on whether the Crown Prince can win the championship.

……

The camp where Shi Cheng is located.

Soviet revisionists came to report.

"General, the Crown Prince's men are outside requesting an audience."

Shi Cheng's face darkened, and he waved his hand.

"I won't see him! I never expected the Crown Prince to be so ruthless, resorting to such insidious and cunning tactics."

"Initially, the three-way alliance fell apart after he sent someone with a single sentence. Now he's sent someone again; I dare not listen to him!"

Su Xiu gave an awkward laugh.

"General, please don't speak in anger. This is, after all, His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Furthermore, His Highness the Crown Prince has sent people here this time, and I'm afraid he won't let General Hou and General Sun off the hook. If you don't see them, what will you do if they do?"

Shi Cheng snorted, naturally understanding that Su Xiu was right.

Since the intention was to sow discord, that one sentence spoken in public was only the first time.

Now that they have returned to their respective camps, the Crown Prince will surely send three more people to continue sowing discord; this is the second time.

He waved his hand, signaling Su Xiu to bring the person in.

The soldier who came in handed over a letter.

"To General Shi, this is a letter from His Highness. Please read it carefully."

Shi Cheng glanced at the soldier with a puzzled look, then took the letter, tore open the seal, and glanced at it casually.

Immediately afterwards, he sat up straight.

The letter didn't say anything else, only how Hou Feng arranged the camp.

Shi Cheng is a veteran, and watching him gave me goosebumps.

He's running around here and there, and you, Hou Feng, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are actually playing dirty tricks behind my back?

I'll give you a few more days. Do you want to build a city? Huh?

"Fine, fine! Hou Feng, you little bastard, trying to pull these tricks on me? I'll kill you!"

Shi Cheng was so angry that his teeth itched. After throwing the letter aside, he turned to look at Su Xiu.

"Quickly send someone to check on Hou Feng and Sun Tong. It would be even better if they could intercept the letter the Crown Prince was sending them!"

But how could it possibly be too late at this point?

The letter has been delivered to Hou Feng and Sun Tong!