Page 225

"Has Chen Qing really committed treason?"

Even now, with his army having left the Capital City, Weichi Peng couldn’t believe it and curiously looked at the Assistant Minister of Rites who had followed him.

This Assistant Minister was not Minister Yang, who staunchly advocated for the campaign.

In Great Jin, Magicians from Sorcerer Families inevitably held the positions of Chief of Staff in all six ministries.

To allow ordinary aristocratic families a chance to speak at the Imperial Court, one Assistant Minister position was set aside.

Minister Yang was the Left Assistant Minister.

According to ancient customs, the left was more prestigious than the right, and the Left Assistant Minister was indeed ranked higher than the Right Assistant Minister.

Great Jin followed this custom, but everyone knew that within the six ministries, it was actually the Right Assistant Ministers, born of Sorcerer Families, who held more esteemed statuses.

In the future, only the Right Assistant Ministers could ascend to the Chief of Staff position. ..

The Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, surnamed Luo, was merely 45 years old, a very rigid and upright young man...

Yes... a young man. In Sorcerer Families, anyone under fifty was considered young.

"I don’t believe it..." Before the other could reply, Weichi Peng shook his head, "I’ve not known Chen Qing for long, but I can tell, he’s not a man of great ambition. I think the Imperial Court has overreacted this time!"

Luo Yi looked up at him and sighed, "If the Duke has already found his answer, why bother asking me?"

"I just think it’s absurd..." Weichi Peng frowned, "The court is already short of troops. Instead of using the forces to support the northern battlefront, they’re causing trouble for a Magistrate in Jiangnan out of thin air. I think it’s excessive."

"Why is the Duke so restless?" Luo Yi said indifferently, "It’s just to make clarification. If Chen Qing is willing to return with us to the Capital City, then he will be the youngest Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War since the opening of the dynasty. What an honor would that be?"

Weichi Peng fell silent. The words were not wrong, but with the current situation at the Imperial Court, would Chen Qing really be safe if he entered the Capital?

It had been a year since he last saw Wang Ye!

The official statement was that Wang Ye needed to be reviewed again, so he was temporarily imprisoned. But it had been a whole year, and the position of the junior chief at the Judicial Court was still hanging. There had to be some explanation, right?

Back then, Wang Ye had taken a great risk to investigate Jiangnan. Now what? This was his fate?

What would be the fate of Chen Qing, who had successfully prevented the Princess Royale from taking over Jiangnan?

Weichi Peng dared not think further and felt somewhat powerless.

He had once beaten his father in a fit just because he didn’t want to be tied down by his family.

He wanted to be in charge of many things himself, but now.

.. he found himself as powerless as when he was a child.

His friend was in trouble, and not only could he not help, but he was also part of the pressure upon him.

At this thought, he could only silently vow that if Chen Qing did return with him, he would definitely ensure his safety this time and not let him end up like Wang Ye!

The majority of the troops were light cavalry; with the vanguard of ten thousand, it took five days to reach the outskirts of Jiangnan.

By then, Assistant Minister Luo Yi had a high-altitude view, looking down at the vast fog that seemed to envelop the entirety of Jiangnan, and he sighed to himself, "Just as my mentor said, Jiangnan... has been touched by ancient powers!"

He was not born into a noble family, but because of his exceptional aptitude, he had been recruited as a son-in-law by the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Rites and received the support of a top aristocratic family.

The children of that generation in the Chief’s family were not outstanding, so they heavily fostered this son-in-law who had married into the family.

Although he was not of their bloodline, he was highly valued.

In the Imperial Court, he was even the successor to the next Minister of Rites.

He was quite aware of some matters in the Capital City.

The Princess Royale had been planning for years, and gaining command this time, there were not a few noble Sorcerer Families in the Capital City who supported her.

And the reason she could pull such support, her mentor speculated, was perhaps because the Princess Royale herself was related to the ancient powers of Jiangnan.

It had not been thought that his mentor’s words would come true, that the Princess Royale would be so ruthless. She had turned three hundred thousand Golden Dragon Guards into the living dead but also increasingly confirmed to his mentor that the Princess Royale was colluding with ancient powers.

The current situation at the Imperial Court was strange; not only the noble Sorcerer Families but even those aristocratic families loyal to the Emperor were holding back their forces, all watching for the right opportunity.

This new dynasty that had been founded for only twenty years already showed signs of division!

"Lord Luo, haven’t you seen enough?" Weichi Peng asked, frowning beside him.

As one of the few Military Generals who could fly to great heights, he too was shocked by the vast fog below. But had Luo Yi been watching a bit too long?

Luo Yi nodded, began his descent slowly, and Weichi Peng, folding his wings, followed suit. Ahead of the main army, the two of them flew towards the outskirts of Jiangnan.

Luo Yi looked at the map, and then said, "The fog is indeed dissipating. According to the battle report previously sent by Duke of Qin, the dense fog in Jiangnan, which encompassed an area extending to Jiubian City and separated from the West Sea, is now divided into two parts—one isolating Jiangnan and the other isolating the West Sea, and they are different from each other. The fog in Jiangnan has also retreated to the position across the river from Nanming Prefecture. Looking at this, it certainly won’t be long before the fog in Jiangnan clears. "

So, what exactly lies beneath the ancient fog?

Are they just a horde of human-eating zombies? If it’s just this, isn’t that too simplistic?

"Put the prepared imperial edict inside," Luo Yi stated.

Weichi Peng nodded, opened the large wooden box he was carrying on his back, and a giant wooden bird flew out. It then soared into the sky over Jiangnan at great speed. This was the latest creation from the Ministry of Works, modified from the puppet craft legacy of Mister Hua Pi.

The wooden bird circled in the sky, releasing countless sparks that fell like dye, forming massive characters slowly descending over the entire sky of Jiangnan.

Heaven-graced, the Emperor decrees: Magistrate of Lyuzhou, Chen Qing, brimming with talent, outstanding in governance, and protecting the people of Jiangnan amidst great disaster with his sole effort, serves as a model for civil officials of this era.

He is to be promoted by six ranks forthwith, appointed as the Assistant Minister for the Military Department.

Given the tense situation and difficulty distinguishing loyalty from treachery, Magistrate of Lyuzhou, Chen Qing, must respond to the Imperial Court within one day and receive the imperial edict. Heed this!

Fireworks cascaded over Nanming Prefecture, and as the wooden bird gave a long cry, preparing to fly elsewhere to continue setting off fireworks, a black dot suddenly struck!

Weichi Peng, mid-air, felt a chill down his spine and quickly dodged aside. He felt a gust of wind pass closely by him, shooting straight up into the sky with precision, hitting the wooden bird that was just taking flight. The colossal force destroyed it with a single blow!

It wasn’t until then that Weichi Peng realized what had flown towards them was a colossal crossbow arrow, strangely shaped and at least three meters long, likely from a huge military crossbow within a ballista. What baffled him, however, was the altitude—this was ten thousand meters in the sky!

What ballista could shoot a crossbow arrow so high?

And with such power?

Weichi Peng was well aware that such a device had not existed before. If it had, the Weichi Clan would not have been so heavily relied upon!

This kind of aerial capability was the natural nemesis of the Weichi Clan!

The wooden bird shattered in an instant, and Luo Yi, watching from a distance, was also silent for a long time.

Being knowledgeable in mechanics, he was well aware of the level of craftsmanship required for such a crossbow arrow. To penetrate so far heavenward, what terrifying combat power would it have if shot across a battlefield on flat ground?

If the formation were not well managed, wouldn’t this single arrow pierce through a hundred men?

After some time, Luo Yi regained his composure, looked at Weichi Peng who also seemed to be in a daze, and said in a low voice, "Does Duke Weichi now believe that Chen Qing is plotting a rebellion?"

Weichi Peng was silent. For Chen Qing’s Jiangnan to possess such a thing was definitely not as simple as a militia force.

There must be enormous military support behind it. But who was behind him? Duke of Qin? People from other states?

While he pondered, several figures walked out of the mist...

All of them were walking on air, and upon closer inspection, it seemed as if the layer of fog over Jiangnan was carrying them...

And the person leading them was none other than Chen Qing, whom Weichi Peng had been pondering over.

"Greetings to the imperial envoy!" Chen Qing led the way in saluting, glanced at the remnants of the wooden bird falling from the sky, and said, "I apologize, the arrival of your wooden bird was sudden, and it released such dazzling characters. My subordinate couldn’t distinguish friend from foe at first and shot it down with a military crossbow.

Recently, Nanming Prefecture has been actively preparing for war, and the guards responsible have become overly tense and sensitive. .."

Luo Yi, watching him, frowned deeply, "Are you Chen Qing?"

"This humble official is indeed Chen Qing..." Chen Qing smiled and said, "Greetings to the sir..."

Meanwhile, Weichi Peng was even more shocked by the two people standing behind Chen Qing. One was dressed in black and looked like a scholar or an advisor, and the other was clad in silver armor, magnificent and imposing.

Could they be the people he knew best?

Gong Cheng? Fei Hu?