Chapter 56: Never Seen Such an Arrogant Fellow

When Zheng Yi was drafting the memorial, Miaofa was present as well.

Initially, Miaofa had only been watching out for any potential loopholes in Zheng Yi's memorial.

Instead, he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of Zheng Yi's hidden personal motives.

Even though Dewey had once betrayed Zheng Yi, the latter chose to repay resentment with virtue, omitting any mention of Dewey's betrayal of the Qingwu Guard in the memorial.

This matter left a deep impression on Miaofa. With his shrewd intellect, he naturally thought of using it as leverage against Zheng Yi.

However, he ultimately chose to leave the final decision to Gao Changsheng.

What Miaofa never expected, however, was that Gao Changsheng would bring up the matter of Dewey right when Zheng Yi decided to offer his assistance.

While those words might have sounded like a consideration for the decade-long bond between Zheng Yi and Dewey, anyone could clearly perceive the underlying undertone of threat.

"Many thanks, Your Highness!"

Zheng Yi's voice was still lingering inside the medical hall.

Yet Gao Changsheng and the others had already departed one after another.

"Our Lord mentioning Dewey really took this poor Taoist by surprise!"

Miaofa said curiously.

"How so?"

"Does someone of your temperament also find My Lord overly utilitarian?"

Gao Changsheng asked with a teasing smile.

"This poor Taoist wouldn't dare!"

"It's just that Zheng Yi had already decided to assist Your Lord. Even if he hasn't pledged his allegiance, it is already the best possible outcome for now."

"Was Your Lord not afraid of achieving the exact opposite result and breeding resentment in Zheng Yi's heart?"

Miaofa asked, puzzled.

Hearing this, Gao Changsheng couldn't help but look at Miaofa, as if seeing this old Taoist priest for the very first time.

"Stop acting. Would someone like you really fail to guess My Lord's intentions?"

"Perhaps Zheng Yi is helping me out of gratitude for saving his life, or perhaps he is disillusioned with the court's current state and placing his hopes on me."

"Yet neither reason alone is enough to earn him my absolute trust."

"Besides, intelligence is notoriously difficult to verify as true or false. If he harbored malicious intent against me, should I simply walk blindly into a trap just because I knew it was there?"

"With Dewey as a hostage in hand, we can at least keep our esteemed Commander Zheng firmly in check!"

"Ultimately, one's life can only truly bring peace of mind when it remains in one's own hands."

Gao Changsheng offered a faint smile and walked away on his own.

Upon hearing these words, Miaofa stood frozen in place for a long while.

"My Lord is warning this poor Taoist!"

Miaofa gave a bitter smile and helplessly shook his head.

As time passed, a troop of soldiers entered Fengxi County.

Upon entering the town, these men headed straight for the medical hall.

When Zheng Yi laid eyes on the newcomers, his expression instantly turned flustered.

"Lord Lang Qingzao!"

He scrambled to his feet in a hurry, as if the pain in his body was utterly insignificant compared to the person standing before him.

"I heard you were heavily injured. How are your wounds?"

Lang Qingzao asked coldly.

"It is nothing!"

"If My Lord requires it, this subordinate can set off immediately!"

Zheng Yi stammered, covered in cold sweat.

"There is no need."

"My purpose in coming here is to take over the escort of the court's state criminals."

"However, before that, I must go and see Peng Hai first!"

Lang Qingzao's tone grew significantly colder.

Peng Hai was his subordinate, yet behind his back, he had committed the grave crime of intercepting and killing the court's state criminals.

Zheng Yi could already foresee Peng Hai's ultimate fate.

"My Lord, this subordinate has a presumptuous request."

Knowing full well that Lang Qingzao was in a fit of rage, Zheng Yi still took the risk to speak up.

"Speak," Lang Qingzao said in a deep voice.

"The Qingwu Guard in Linyuan County were merely deluded and coerced by Peng Hai."

"When the great army arrived, they too hesitated."

"Might I ask My Lord to show mercy and spare them!"

Zheng Yi swallowed hard, his nerves strung tight as he uttered these words.

"Hmph!"

Following a cold snort, Lang Qingzao strode directly out of the medical hall.

Yet the air inside the room felt as though it had dropped to freezing point.

At that moment, Zheng Yi already knew the answer.

The fate of those thousand-odd Qingwu Guard members would be no different from Peng Hai's—they were dead men!

***

"My Lord, General Dou and the Qingwu Guard have come to blows!"

Han Cong ran anxiously into Gao Changsheng's tent and shouted.

"What is going on?"

Gao Changsheng was filled with bewilderment.

Had Dou Yuan not always been terrified of Lang Qingzao?

To clash with the Qingwu Guard at a time like this—was he not afraid of Lang Qingzao coming after him for trouble?

"Let's go and take a look!"

"Call Miaofa along!"

Without time for further thought, Gao Changsheng immediately led Han Cong, Shi Meng, and the others straight toward the drill grounds.

The drill ground was a temporary facility set up by Dou Yuan.

Though called a drill ground, it was essentially being used to detain the thousand-plus state criminals of the court.

This way, he could use the pretext of military necessity to prevent commoners from breaking in.

Yet by the time Gao Changsheng rushed to the drill grounds, he was greeted by the heavy stench of blood in the air.

Just how many people had they slaughtered?!

Gao Changsheng sensed a bad omen and unconsciously quickened his pace.

"Lang Qingzao, do you have an imperial decree from His Majesty to privately execute the court's state criminals?"

Dou Yuan's furious roar could be heard clearly from hundreds of meters away.

The words "execute the court's state criminals" naturally reached Gao Changsheng's ears as well.

"Since the Great General knows I am Lang Qingzao, he should also know that the Qingwu Guard answers only to me."

"My men committed offenses, so naturally I shall decide whether they live or die."

Lang Qingzao said coldly.

"What an arrogant tone!"

"The Qingwu Guard belongs to His Majesty, not to you, Lang Qingzao."

"You commit murder inside my, Dou Yuan's, drill grounds without producing an imperial decree from His Majesty. If His Majesty holds us accountable, who will bear the blame?!"

Dou Yuan's anger flared even higher instead of subsiding.

He was, after all, a Great General of the Dayong Dynasty and the commander-in-chief of three armies.

For Lang Qingzao to barge into his territory and slaughter people without a word, while displaying such extreme arrogance—

If Dou Yuan failed to crush Lang Qingzao's overbearing attitude, his own prestige among the soldiers of the three armies would suffer severe damage.

This was why, despite fearing Lang Qingzao, Dou Yuan had no choice but to offend him.

"Blame?"

"Heh, could it be that General Dou is unfamiliar with the methods of the Qingwu Guard?"

"We serve His Majesty and have never concerned ourselves with whether criminals live or die; we require only the intelligence we need from their mouths."

"Has General Dou served as an official in the imperial court for decades only to learn of the Qingwu Guard's modus operandi today?"

Lang Qingzao sneered.

How utterly arrogant!

Gao Changsheng had transmigrated to the Dayong Dynasty for nearly half a month, and this was the first time he had ever witnessed someone so insufferably arrogant.

Disregarding life and death, stopping at nothing—

This was the true face of the Qingwu Guard.

No wonder the civil and military officials turned pale at the mere mention of the Qingwu Guard.

"If the Great General has nothing else to say, this Commander shall escort the remaining state criminals back to the capital."

"I ask the Great General to step aside!"

As soon as these words fell, hundreds of Qingwu Guard members sprang into motion.

If those Qingwu Guard agents were allowed to swagger away like this, Dou Yuan's prestige within the army would truly be wiped out entirely.

"Men, seize Lang Qingzao and the Qingwu Guard!"

Right at that moment, an authoritative shout rang out from the crowd.

Before the echoes of the voice had even faded, Gao Changsheng stepped out from the throng.

In an instant, numerous startled gazes converged upon him.

"What? Does this Military Counselor need to repeat himself?"

"Lang Qingzao and the Qingwu Guard intended to silence witnesses by murder, and are suspected of deceiving His Majesty."

"Seize them!"