Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

Da Zhou, the capital of Heng.

On the bustling street, Liu Wubing chatted with several soldiers from Tongliao as they walked, discussing their recent exchange of martial arts skills, their hearts filled with excitement.

As he walked, he suddenly paused, stopped abruptly, and looked at a passerby who was brushing past him.

His colleague was immediately puzzled and asked:

"You're not sick, what's wrong?"

"Someone is spreading rumors in Beijing!"

After saying this, Liu Wubing, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, chased after the passerby, grabbed his shoulder, and questioned him in a deep voice:

"explain!"

"Who exactly spread those rumors?"

"Wh...what rumor?"

In an instant, the passersby were terrified. After all, they could tell at a glance that he was no ordinary person, and the young men who came with him were exuding a murderous aura!

Liu Wubing glared angrily:

"Why were you speaking ill of the Champion Marquis just now?"

"Please calm down, Your Excellency."

Seeing their menacing approach, the passerby hurriedly explained:

"It's not that I deliberately spread rumors, but after hearing about it, we decided to report it to the authorities and have the person spreading the rumors arrested and severely punished!"

"The Marquis of Champion is so brave and mighty that we are fortunate enough to even meet him once in a while. How could we possibly deliberately spread such slanderous words?"

"Thanks to the Champion Marquis, we've all earned several times more silver this year!"

As Liu Wubing listened to the other person describe how, after his brother-in-law defeated the Hu people, many people, whether in the border regions or the capital, benefited from it.

After all, the Great Zhou Dynasty has decided to sell worthless or flashy items to the barbarians, so the common people can finally get rid of their collections that are neither useful nor worth throwing away!

So they are too grateful to even think about smearing him.

After hearing these words, Liu Wubing released his grip, quickly apologized to the passersby, and then turned to his colleagues to say apologetically:

"Gentlemen, I won't be able to join you for drinks and conversation later. I'm going to the palace now to personally request His Majesty to stop the rumors and arrest those who spread them."

Without waiting for his colleagues' response, he hurriedly left.

He had planned to go home and practice martial arts after meeting with his colleagues today, but now that's probably not going to happen.

……

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Diligent Governance.

When Emperor Dehong saw Zhou Kang walk in with a grim expression, he quickly stood up:

"Your Excellency must have heard about the rumors circulating about Lu Xiao, right?"

"My meaning is that those who deliberately sow discord among the people and the army should be exterminated along with their entire clan!"

He was genuinely furious.

Lu Xiao's appearance was like a godsend for the Great Zhou Dynasty. Without him, the Great Zhou would not know how long it would have taken to resolve the threat from the northern barbarians.

He couldn't bear to say a harsh word to such a formidable warrior.

Why do those guys who didn't suffer the loss of their wives and children or the destruction of their families because of Lu Xiao have the right to deliberately smear him?

If it weren't for Lu Xiao, many people would have been conscripted to the border to fill vacancies and pay even more taxes.

After all, no one could defeat the Hu people as quickly as Lu Xiao!

"Your Majesty, this old minister has come for the same reason."

Zhou Kang nodded slightly and recounted some of the things he had investigated:

"These rumors were not spread by the people of our Great Zhou, but by spies from the State of Chu deliberately sowing discord between the ruler and his ministers of our Great Zhou, in an attempt to force the Marquis of Champion out of Yun County!"

"This old minister has already ordered men to hunt down Chu spies and try to quell the rumors as soon as possible."

"Moreover, apart from those people, most ordinary people do not believe the rumors after hearing them. Only a few local ruffians and idle people have taken bribes from the Chu spies and embellished the stories."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Dehong breathed a sigh of relief:

"In that case, I'll trouble the Prime Minister to put in more effort and wipe out all the Chu spies in one fell swoop."

"Senior Brother!"

Suddenly, Liu Wubing barged in, and before he could even stand still, he immediately slid forward and knelt a short distance, arriving directly in front of Emperor Dehong:

"Senior Brother, you must stand up for my brother-in-law!"

"Oh? What's this...?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Dehong and Zhou Kang exchanged a glance, wondering what this kid was up to now.

They were already used to Liu Wubing's eccentricities.

Therefore, after regaining his senses, Zhou Kang shook his head inwardly and decided to leave immediately.

It's best not to be present in the emperor's family affairs.

But as soon as he turned around, he heard Liu Wubing crying out:

"There are rumors circulating outside that my brother-in-law is inclined to side with the State of Chu. Not only is he drinking and chatting with the old Chu general Xiong Zhao, but he has also deliberately led troops to pursue the fleeing Chu army, all so that he can later lead all the soldiers of my Great Zhou into the Chu's encirclement and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

"Please, Senior Brother, issue an order immediately to arrest those treacherous individuals!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Dehong and Zhou Kang smiled. The former even said that they already knew about this matter and were very clear that Lu Xiao would never betray the Great Zhou, so he could rest assured.

After a moment's thought, Emperor Dehong said:

"Wu Bing, since you are so protective of the Marquis of Champion, then you should personally select a few capable men to arrest those who spread rumors in the capital."

"To be honest, these rumors were deliberately spread by spies from the Chu Kingdom. Therefore, if you handle this well, it will be a great achievement, and I, your brother, will reward you handsomely!"

"promise!"

After Liu Wubing left, Zhou Kang also cupped his hands in greeting and smiled slightly:

"In that case, this old minister will take his leave."

"Your Excellency has worked hard."

……

After returning to the government office, Zhou Kang had barely sat down, preparing to continue his official duties, when a minor official entered to report:

"Your Excellency, your son... no, Zhou Qi, a clerk under Zhang Qingshan, the garrison commander of Ze Meng Camp, requests an audience!"

"Oh?"

Zhou Kang paused for a moment upon hearing these words, then waved his hand and said:

"pass!"

"Lord Xiangguo!"

A short while later, Zhou Qi entered the hall, led by a minor official, and bowed slightly with his hands clasped in greeting.

"I, Zhou Qi, have come to report to Your Excellency on the orders of the Marquis of Champion!"

"The Marquis of Champion has exposed dozens of heinous crimes committed by Wu Zeliang, the Prefect of Yun County, including embezzlement, corruption, and disregard for human life. I request Your Excellency to immediately send men to Yun County to arrest Wu Zeliang and bring him to justice!"

After he finished speaking, the hall remained silent for a long time.

Zhou Qi couldn't help but be suspicious. After slowly raising his head, he saw his father looking at him with a smile:

"Not bad, you've made some progress recently and know that you need to bow when you meet high-ranking officials of the court. However, there's still room for improvement in your etiquette."

"Let's leave that aside for now."

Zhou Kang was quite satisfied with the changes in his son. After all, before he hung out with Lu Xiao, the boy used to treat him with disdain and even wanted to rebel and become the head of the Zhou family.

So he's very happy now.

Coming to his senses, Zhou Kang asked curiously:

"And let me ask you, I am your father, and Wu Zeliang is your brother-in-law. Why do you insist on reporting this in your official capacity?"