Chapter 57: Prince Qi's

The next morning, as the morning sun just peeked above the horizon, Lord Lord Murong led the group through the main gate of Shangmu County. In the dawn light, the county town had already awakened, with scattered pedestrians beginning their busy day.

By this time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had long received news of Lord Lord Murong's return and had been waiting anxiously at the city gate for quite some time.

Upon seeing Lord Lord Murong's figure, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face instantly lit up with joy; he took three steps in two, rushing forward to embrace him warmly.

"Brother Lord Murong, you've finally returned! Was this mission a complete success?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked excitedly, his face beaming with a happy smile.

"Thanks to Brother Jiang Xingqiu's wise deployment, Tu Tu Kesiluo and I successfully completed the mission and did not disappoint you." Lord Lord Murong's face also showed a hint of pride.

"That's wonderful! Your actions this time will surely bring earth-shaking changes to Shangmu County. All the people of the county should be grateful to you!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu praised happily.

"You flatter us; we merely followed orders. Brother Jiang Xingqiu is the true hero." Lord Lord Murong waved his hand modestly, unwilling to monopolize the honor.

"Enough, Brother Lord Murong, you are too modest. I've been waiting impatiently; tell me the details of the success quickly!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu, full of curiosity, urged eagerly.

Just as the two walked and talked, a "clang-clang" drumming sound suddenly erupted outside the dilapidated yamen. The noise was so loud that everyone involuntarily turned their heads to look, appearing startled.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Lord Lord Murong exchanged a glance; both eyes revealed alertness and suspicion.

This sudden drumming seemed to warn that something major was about to happen in Shangmu County again!

Their faces changed instantly; they immediately ended their idle chat and hurried toward the source of the drumming...

At the yamen entrance, the skinny Wu Xiao'er and the burly Li Goudan stared fixedly at the simply dressed old woman before them, both wearing an expression of hidden helplessness.

"Elderly lady, the Imperial Envoy is indeed not in the yamen; please come another day." Wu Xiao'er tried to persuade her as politely as possible.

How could the old woman believe him? She stared at the two and said firmly, "I know the Imperial Envoy is sleeping right now, but I have an urgent matter and must see him. Go quickly and announce that it concerns the Envoy's life and death; he will definitely see me."

Wu Xiao'er helplessly glanced at the large cart behind the old woman; the two unconscious men on the cart caught his attention.

Just as he was about to persuade the old woman to leave again, the crisp sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the distance. Wu Xiao'er immediately said excitedly, "Look, the Imperial Envoy has returned; did I not lie to you?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was seen hastily dismounting and striding over. Sensing that the atmosphere at the gate was not quite right, he quickly asked, "Xiao'er, Goudan, what is going on?"

"My lord, this old lady came early this morning to beat the drum and see you, saying it was a major matter. I told her you were not here, and she wouldn't believe it. It's just an old lady; there can't be anything major." Li Goudan responded quickly.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu paid no attention to Li Goudan's muttering; he strode straight to the old woman and asked gently, "Elderly lady, speak quickly if you have something; I will do my best to help you."

The old woman immediately knelt down and said, "My lord, do you not remember me? On the street before, it was you who helped me recover the money stolen by thieves; I will forever be grateful to you!"

Only then did Jiang Jiang Mingyu realize the truth; he hurriedly helped the old woman up and, looking at the two men on the cart, asked in confusion, "I remember you now, but what is going on? Tell me quickly."

The old woman immediately became extremely agitated; she wrinkled her withered nose and snorted coldly, "These two fellows are absolutely not good people!"

Putting aside her anger, the old woman recounted the story from beginning to end while recalling, like an old grandmother chattering a story to her grandson: "Last night, these two came to my house asking for lodging. At that time, I happened to go bring them water and unintentionally overheard them talking."

Seeing the old woman's agitated emotions, Jiang Jiang Mingyu patiently asked, "Elderly lady, exactly what did they say? Tell me slowly."

The old woman recalled slightly: "Yes, that's how they put it; they said they came from some ghost place."

"They were ordered by someone called Qi, the Prince Qi, yes, ordered by Prince Qi to make the Envoy look bad."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart suddenly skipped a beat; it seemed this Prince Qi still had no intention of letting him go.

His face darkened, and he quickly asked in a low voice, "What happened next? Did they say anything else?"

"They arrogantly said they would teach you a lesson, which made me very angry!" the old woman said with righteous indignation. "You are our great benefactor in Shangmu County; how can we let them insult you so!"

"So, while they were fast asleep, I called several young men from my family and gave each of them a heavy blow with a club, knocking them unconscious directly. They woke up a few times in between but were subdued again by my young men."

"Until just now, after bringing them to the county yamen, the young men went back to sleep."

Speaking to this point, the old woman excitedly grabbed Jiang Jiang Mingyu's hand and said in a mournful tone, "My lord, you must severely punish these villains; you must not be soft-handed!"

Deeply grateful for the old woman's actions, Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately bowed solemnly and said, "Elderly lady, you saved my life; I will keep this debt of gratitude in my heart and surely repay you."

After deep consideration, Jiang Jiang Mingyu decided to suppress this matter first: "Regardless, this matter must not leak; you must keep it secret." "You have worked hard; go home and rest immediately. Another day, I will certainly visit to express my thanks."

The old woman smiled kindly: "This old woman knows what to do; I am leaving now."

Watching the old woman's stumbling figure depart, Jiang Jiang Mingyu ordered his attendants in a heavy voice, "Keep these two villains under strict guard and lock them in the prison; remember not to relax your vigilance."

Hearing this, Lord Lord Murong's face also became solemn...

Lord Lord Murong changed his usual carefree attitude and said with utmost seriousness, "Brother Jiang Xingqiu, what is destined to come cannot be avoided!"

"I do not care about any Imperial Princes or Kings; I only know that you are the hope of our Great Feng."

Speaking to this point, Lord Lord Murong could not help but show a bitter smile: "Did you not ask me before why I insisted on staying in Shangmu?"

"The Emperor once told you that I returned home to observe mourning; it was my father who was killed by foreigners."

"I must avenge my father; I swear to kill all foreigners who invaded Great Feng. As long as the enemy remains at large for one day, Lord Lord Murong will swear not to enter the earth!"

When saying this, boundless killing intent and coldness instantly gathered in Lord Lord Murong's slender eyes.

But in an instant, he returned to his usual warm smile: "I believe you will surely help me avenge this wrong!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu heavily patted Lord Lord Murong's shoulder: "Good, the day of revenge is not far off."

"Let's go to the prison and meet those two 'special envoys' sent by Prince Qi."

"But do not let Goudan and the others know about this matter for now, to avoid causing panic among the people of the county." Jiang Jiang Mingyu decided to keep the matter secret.

Lord Lord Murong nodded understandingly: "I know what to do; naturally, I will keep my lips sealed."

The two quickly arrived at the prison; Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately sent Goudan and the others away at the gate to avoid being seen.

Lord Lord Murong scooped up a basin of cold water and poured it over the heads of the two unconscious men, finally causing them to slowly wake up.

However, the dim prison cell and unfamiliar faces left the two men completely confused, unable to grasp the situation for a moment.

After a good while, the man with a fiery red birthmark on his left face spoke in a very hoarse voice, "What the hell is this place?" His voice was as raspy as if he had not drunk water for several days.

Even more noticeable was that this man also had a pair of particularly large cross-eyes, looking quite ridiculous.

Hearing the birthmark man's unremarkable opening line, Jiang Jiang Mingyu chuckled lightly and said, "Shangmu Prison."

Hearing Jiang Jiang Mingyu calmly speak the four words "Shangmu Prison," the birthmark man instantly trembled with fear; staring at Jiang Jiang Mingyu with doubt and alarm, he stammered, "You... you know who we are, yet you dare lock us up?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was unhurried and smiled leisurely: "This official naturally knows your origins. Did you not come under Prince Qi's orders to make things difficult for this official?"

The birthmark man instantly panicked, his face turning pale: "You... you are that Jiang Jiang Mingyu?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head, looking mockingly: "Coming to trouble this official without even knowing who this official is, isn't that too funny?"

The birthmark man knew the situation was now irretrievable, so he simply sneered and acted tough: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you know we are Prince Qi's people, yet you still dare to be presumptuous!"

"I'll tell you plainly, His Highness the Prince of Qi is still waiting for our brothers' good news. If you dare touch a single hair on our heads, the Prince of Qi will absolutely not spare you!" the birthmark man threatened viciously.

"Hurry up and let us go, and even treat us to good food and drink; perhaps we will spare your life. If you dare say the word 'no' again, we will make your life worse than death!"

Immediately, the other one who had been silent also opened his mouth: "No... that's right, hurry up and let... let... us go."

"Surname Jiang, don't... don't... don't..."

This stuttering voice left Jiang Jiang Mingyu speechless; after listening to his rambling for so long, the other man still hadn't made any sense.

After quite a while longer, the stutterer finally finished the rest of his sentence: "Don't... be... given... face... and... not... want... face."

The birthmark man seemed long accustomed to the mute's way of speaking; he took up the thread and said viciously, "My brother speaks the truth."

"Don't be given face and not want face. Speaking to you nicely and negotiating is giving you face."

"If you dare to continue pestering us, once we see the Prince of Qi, we will ensure you do not die well."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu calmly straightened his clothes and spoke indifferently: "Do you think you can still return to see the Prince of Qi?"