Chapter 290: The Proper Path and the Wild Path

Liu Ji may be lax, but his troops' discipline is extremely strict.

The tall, thin scout who heard the order departed, and not long after returning, he had already brought the Zhoufu envoy from outside the city straight into Yanwuchang.

The three arrivals were all young, with well-proportioned builds and straight shoulders, climbing the steps side by side, their steps orderly and their bearing upright.

From the moment they entered the city, they never glanced left or right, maintaining extreme composure and restraint throughout......

In Yanwuchang, the militia of varying heights and simple demeanor, compared to them, the gap is obvious.

The sunlight was gentle, the breeze light, the clouds thin.

On the high platform, Liu Ji remained lazily reclining on the bamboo chair, his posture unchanged.

He still bared his chest, his posture relaxed, one hand casually resting at his side, the other pillowing his head, appearing unrestrained and carefree, seeming inattentive as he slowly lifted his gaze, leisurely observing the three envoys approaching at a leisurely pace.

His expression was lax and unrestrained, but beneath that hint of lazy smile lay an inseparable layer of gloom.

From childhood he had mingled among the neighborhoods, his skill at reading people and their qi etched deep into his bones.

Thus, from the moment the three entered his field of view, Liu Ji had already silently taken in their stature, steps, and breath.

At the same time, the three envoys were likewise sizing up the group on the high platform without showing any reaction.

Their gaze swept over the unrestrained, unsoldierly Liu Ji, then over his second brother nearby, whose expression was tight and whose bearing bore bandit-like ferocity, and glanced at the neatly arrayed, high-spirited militia below, their expressions remaining calm and undisturbed.

As specially selected elite envoys, they possessed excellent dispositions; no matter how unexpected the scene before them, their faces never showed a hint of flaw.

Having arrived three steps from the chair, the three stopped in unison, their movements uniform, simultaneously raising their hands in a fist-and-palm salute, the ceremony complete, their voices calm and clear, neither humble nor arrogant:

"I have heard that Horizontal City has changed hands; may I ask if you are the new magistrate of Horizontal City, Lord Liu Ji?"

"By order of the noble of the prefecture, I convey the command: you must immediately enter the prefecture to report for duty."

The words landed, calm and waveless, yet carrying an official dignity that brooked no objection.

Seeing this, Liu Ji suddenly let out a low laugh.

He accordingly leaned back slightly, both arms fully tucked behind his neck, his posture becoming even more languid and unbridled, raising his eyebrows at the three before him, his tone still consistently lax, even mixed with a subtle, hard-to-detect teasing:

"Now the world is in turmoil everywhere, all places unsettled; does the prefecture still have leisure to bother with these empty formalities of reporting for duty?"

"If I recall correctly, just a few days ago the prefecture's interior erupted in great chaos; the unrest has not settled, the disorder not ceased. Your superiors should be busy cleaning up the wreckage and stabilizing the situation, managing their own mess, so how do they have time to meddle in our Horizontal City and Pure City's trifling border matters?"

The second brother standing nearby, already somewhat dissatisfied with the envoys' high-and-mighty attitude, upon hearing this could not suppress his anger and immediately bellowed in agreement:

"You're absolutely right! What reporting for duty is nothing but a deceitful pretext! Put plainly, it's just raising a palm upward, watching our two cities grow a bit more stable, then coming to extort money and grain from us!"

He has long resented the prefecture's gang of corrupt officials; over the years the prefecture has lorded over them, extorting and making things difficult for mountain‑wild forces like theirs, and the grudge has seeped deep into his bones.

At this moment his emotions could no longer be contained, and he shouted in condemnation:

"That bunch of do‑nothing dog officials in the prefecture, greedy and selfish, utterly worthless, not a single clean one among them!"

Those words were like a fuse, instantly igniting the surrounding atmosphere.

The few trusted brothers standing around the high platform were originally ordinary folk, driven to desperation by heavy taxes and levies, only recently taking to the mountains as bandits, and they have long harbored resentment toward the prefecture.

Now, as the second brother's words fell, everyone clenched their fists, waiting only for the county lord's order before rushing forward to beat an old master to death with three punches.

The atmosphere in the arena almost instantly turned to swords drawn and bows bent, faintly showing a stance of confrontation and conflict.

Anyone could see that if the other side uttered even a half‑sentence of disrespect or rebuttal, the years‑long pent‑up resentment would erupt completely.

Yet facing the arena full of killing intent and anger, the three Zhoufu envoys remained expressionless, showing not a trace of panic or fear.

Their expression unchanged, they simply raised their hands calmly, again performing a slight fist‑and‑palm salute, the ceremony still complete, their tone still calm and waveless:

"Your information is already long out of date."

"Now the entirety of Yongzhou has, by imperial decree, been wholly granted as a fief and income to the current princess."

"All the corrupt officials and malfeasant functionaries of the former prefecture have been ordered by the princess herself to be apprehended and executed; the old prefectural forces have been completely eradicated. Today's summoning of you to report for duty is not to blame or make difficulties, but simply the new officeholder's routine administration of subordinate officials, a standard official inquiry."

One bombshell statement fell, and the tense atmosphere on the high platform abruptly stalled.

Before the crowd could fully digest it, the envoy spoke again, revealing another earth‑shattering secret that utterly shattered their understanding.

"Furthermore, during the prefecture's disturbance a few days ago, Magistrate Liu repeatedly sent people to sneak into the prefectural city to scout the situation—this is true, isn't it?"

He gazed calmly at Liu Ji, his tone frank, without the slightest deliberate coercion, yet each word precise:

"The scouts under Magistrate Liu's command have on several occasions accidentally collided with the princess's guards who were suppressing the prefecture's rebels, causing entanglements. The princess is fully aware of this; in summoning you to the prefecture, besides the routine reporting, she also wishes to hear you personally explain this matter clearly."

His words having completely fallen, the entire high platform instantly fell into dead silence.

The wind ceased, the dust settled; the previously surging hostility, tense anger, and confrontational sharpness all froze in the air.

On the high platform not a sparrow stirred; whether the burly man called the second brother or the surrounding brothers, all stood frozen in place, faces full of bewilderment, unable at once to react to this earth‑shaking change.

They had anticipated the prefecture's harassment, extortion, and pursuit of blame, had anticipated a new round of repression and confrontation, but never imagined——

The old prefectural officials were all executed, Yongzhou changed hands, and fell into the hands of a current princess……

Princess?

What princess?

This Yongzhou, which could hardly be squeezed dry, when did it produce a princess?

He had earlier seen the prefecture's smoke of war rising everywhere, and indeed also harbored some thoughts of fishing in troubled waters, wanting to send people to see if any profit could be made……

But how did he end up bumping into a princess?

No wonder that pair of men and horses never returned; it turns out……

The matter was so great that even Liu Ji, who usually appeared lax and harbored secret schemes in his heart, slowly drew back the arms he had been pillowed behind his neck, leaned his body slightly forward, and that unrestrained, unbridled expression showed a noticeable fluctuation for the first time.

His brows furrowed slightly, his tone carrying a hint of incredulous hesitation, and he spoke in a low voice to press further:

"...... Princess?"

Seeing this, the three envoys kept their composure proper and calm, patiently explaining:

"She is the sole surviving orphan of the deposed crown prince Huang of the Yin dynasty, a true princess more legitimate than the pretender dynasty, of noble status and orthodox lineage, and is now the ruler of all Yongzhou."

One sentence, only one sentence, without extra elaboration, yet carrying the weight of a thousand jin.

Anyone with a bit of sense knows how important Du Shanü's identity is.

Liu Ji's face changed completely, but the lead envoy gave him no time to think.

The lead envoy bowed slightly, raised his hand in an inviting gesture, gave him full respect, and said:

"Sir Liu, we've said all there is to say... It's getting late; please come with us to the Zhoufu."