Chapter 77: Begging for Mercy

When Tuke Tuke Siluo's blade pressed against the Prince of Qi's throat, the Prince's face instantly shifted from smug triumph to sheer terror, cold sweat streaming down his forehead as he stood helpless and bewildered.

The personal guard squad, just about to strike, saw this scene, their mouths gaping wide as they hastily raised their weapons and shouted loudly.

"Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you traitor, release His Highness the Prince of Qi!"

"We have already surrounded you. If you do not release him, death is your only path."

"What are you still staring at? Release him quickly!"

"..."

Seeing this, the several hundred city defense camp soldiers who had finally snapped back to their senses quickly drew the long swords at their waists, holding them aloft with furious eyes: "Why do you not lay down your weapons?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled calmly, mocking the Prince of Qi, whose face had turned ashen: "Your Highness, your skill in training your subordinates is truly impressive. In the blink of an eye, I have gone from Imperial Envoy to traitor. This script is quite brilliant."

After a brief moment of tension, the Prince of Qi regained a shred of his wits: "Script? What nonsense are you spouting? Jiang Jiang Mingyu, do not be so arrogant."

"You are threatening this Prince so blatantly; do you still claim not to be a traitor? Haha, truly laughable!"

"You see it yourself; my brothers are united in hatred. Even if you kill me, you will not be able to leave alive."

"Why do you not lay down your weapons yet? Once my brothers attack all at once, it will be mutual destruction."

As he spoke, a hint of murderous intent flickered in the Prince of Qi's eyes, and his fist unconsciously clenched.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered: "Prince of Qi, with such composure and ability to adapt, even this official cannot help but admire you; you truly have some skills!"

The Prince of Qi sneered back: "A spy colluding with enemies and betraying the country still has the face to speak cold words? If you know what's good for you, kneel down and submit to arrest immediately; this Prince can show mercy and let you die quickly!"

"If you dare to be so reckless again, this Prince will make you know that even wishing for death is a luxury."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu calmly scanned the hundreds of blades and swords before him reflecting cold light and smiled: "Brothers of the city defense camp, do you remember the matter of the military pay being withheld a few days ago?"

"That was all done by your Prince of Qi. He stuffed into his own pockets the silver you fought desperately to earn, and even the compensation for fallen comrades. Do you know this?"

"The evidence is right here; look through it as you please."

Having finished speaking, he pulled out a ledger he had prepared long ago from his robes and threw it fiercely before the soldiers.

The ledger was quickly picked up, and the face of the one flipping through it slowly changed color.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu continued: "Not only that, but he also ate the court's empty rations by falsely reporting troop numbers, using the names of your fallen comrades to seek private gain. Do you know this?"

"The military pay I just delivered is sitting in the main hall; the situation is clear at a glance."

Seeing that his words were reasonable and well-founded, and the soldiers had fallen silent, the Prince of Qi's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, however, had no intention of stopping: "To say this official colluded with foreign tribes is even more baseless."

"Having killed so many foreigners, they already hate this county magistrate to the core; colluding with them would be less painful than committing suicide directly."

As soon as he finished speaking, several soldiers flipping through the ledger immediately asked loudly.

"Prince of Qi, is this true?"

"What outrage! Is that all? It must have been Ma Ma Defake who did it; this Prince had no knowledge of it!"

"This Prince, a noble feudal lord of a region, would need to embezzle your meager military pay? It is utterly ridiculous!"

Seeing the situation, the Prince of Qi immediately shifted the blame onto the already dead Ma Ma Defake, relying on the fact that the dead cannot refute the charge.

"Embezzling the military pay we earned with our lives—is he even human? We should dig up his grave; such a conscienceless man should not be allowed a whole corpse."

"Yes, Prince of Qi, he was promoted by you personally; you must give us an explanation!"

"..."

The hundreds of eyes overflowing with hatred and murderous intent made the Prince of Qi, covered in cold sweat, understand that he must give an explanation to the vast number of border soldiers, or it might cause a military mutiny! Even though he was a royal relative, he might not be able to save his own little life.

"Rest assured, this... this Prince will definitely give you an explanation!" the Prince of Qi said, trembling.

But inside, ten thousand grass mud horses were galloping; he had absolutely no idea how to give an explanation. Helplessly, he could only turn his pleading gaze toward Jiang Jiang Mingyu, hoping he would let him off the hook.

"Jiang Da Ren, I am a royal relative; you cannot kill me. Release me first; I have words to say to you."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu remained silent for a moment, then said: "Tu Tu Kesiluo, release the Prince of Qi first."

Upon hearing the order, Tu Tu Kesiluo slowly lowered the blade from the Prince of Qi's neck.

The Prince of Qi walked up to Jiang Jiang Mingyu and whispered: "Jiang Da Ren, this Prince admits defeat. Now only you can help me. If you assist me, this Prince promises that today's matter will be forgotten, and I will definitely not cause you trouble in the future."

"Your Highness, if you knew this would happen, why did you act as you did in the beginning?"

"Jiang Da Ren, consider this Prince begging you. If this Prince meets his end here, a military mutiny will surely occur. When the foreign tribes learn of it, they will invade. With no leader, the people will suffer greatly; this is not what you wish to see, is it?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought for a moment; indeed, if something really happened to the Prince of Qi, he himself would have a hard time explaining. If the border became chaotic, the people of the entire Great Feng would be implicated.

"Your Highness, it is not impossible for this subordinate to help you, but..."

"But what? Whatever your demands, this Prince will agree."

"Very well, since that is the case, this subordinate will reluctantly help you once. Just remember, whatever this subordinate says next, Your Highness the Prince of Qi must nod and agree immediately."

"Agreed." The Prince of Qi, knowing matters had reached this point, could only grit his teeth and nod in agreement.

"Brothers of the city defense camp, please calm down and listen to this official speak one word. This matter is understood by me; it was Ma Ma Defake who previously embezzled and pocketed the military pay of all the officers and soldiers. The Prince of Qi should not have known."

"I have just discussed with His Highness the Prince of Qi. Regarding the military pay Ma Ma Defake previously embezzled, His Highness the Prince of Qi admits he failed to investigate in time and bears responsibility for the oversight. The owed military pay will be made up and distributed to all officers and soldiers by His Highness the Prince of Qi."

"Additionally, His Highness the Prince of Qi also stated that from now on, this official will temporarily manage the military affairs of the city defense camp. This official guarantees that future pay distribution will be open and transparent, and such a situation will never occur again."

After Jiang Jiang Mingyu finished speaking, the officers and soldiers were instantly speechless, looking at each other with expressions of disbelief.

"Your Highness, is this true?" Xiao Sanzi asked, trembling. He truly could not believe the Prince of Qi would compromise, and that the position of Commandant he had just obtained would now be handed over.

At this moment, the Prince of Qi was grinding his teeth in his heart. What a fine Jiang Jiang Mingyu, making him lose money and part of his military power. But he was now in a predicament from which there was no escape; with extreme helplessness, he could only nod and say.

"Yes, everything shall be done as Jiang Da Ren has said."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Upon hearing the Prince of Qi's promise, all the officers and soldiers were overjoyed.

At this moment, Jiang Jiang Mingyu waved his hand and said: "Tu Tu Kesiluo, distribute the pay..."

After stabilizing the city defense camp and making relevant arrangements, Jiang Jiang Mingyu returned to the city to continue supervising the house construction.

Tu Tu Kesiluo also hurried to Green Dragon Stronghold to continue teaching the laborers martial arts and horsemanship, and everything returned to calm.

As night fell, the entire Shangmu County sank into sleep.

Meanwhile, the man with the handlebar mustache and the bamboo-pole man inside the inn, both clad in night gear, were ready.

The two exchanged a silent glance; the bamboo-pole man spoke in a deep voice: "Let's move. Tonight, we end Jiang Jiang Mingyu."

Having already scouted the terrain of Shangmu County during the day, they arrived before the county yamen in no time.

Just as the two prepared to scale the wall, another thin, small-statured man in black suddenly appeared.

This person glanced silently in all directions, and seeing no movement, he then lightly vaulted over the wall.

Startled, the man with the handlebar mustache, hidden in the shadows, lowered his voice: "What's going on? Is he here for Jiang Jiang Mingyu too?"

The bamboo-pole man shook his head: "Judging by this person's movements, he seems like an ordinary petty thief, probably here to steal."

The man with the handlebar mustache looked confused: "Then what do we do?"

Facing the cold wind, the bamboo-pole man thought for a moment: "The situation has changed; let's wait first."

"If this person alerts Jiang Jiang Mingyu and we rush in recklessly, we'll have no choice but to deal with some trouble."

"Wait until this person comes out, capture him first, ask about the situation inside, and then make our move."

The man with the handlebar mustache said nothing more, merely adjusted his robe and nodded silently again.

The thin, small-statured man in black, clearly very familiar with the layout of the county yamen, vaulted over the wall and headed straight for the bedroom.

Seeing the empty bedroom, the man in black searched everywhere; finally, the small-statured man in black smiled: "There you are."

"As long as I take you back, there will surely be a heavy reward. With the silver, I can enjoy myself for a while."

This person was sent by Xiao Sanzi. Jiang Jiang Mingyu had stripped him of his Commandant authority, and he bore a grudge. The Qi King's promise to Jiang Jiang Mingyu that he would not be touched did not mean Xiao Sanzi dared not act.

The Imperial Envoy lost the token bestowed by the Emperor; what crime is that? Anyone would know. Once discovered, Jiang Jiang Mingyu would have only one path: death.

As long as Jiang Jiang Mingyu died, Xiao Sanzi was confident he could regain everything he had lost.

Taking the token, the man in black did not linger; he returned directly by the same route and vaulted over the wall.

But as soon as his feet touched the ground, a cold short blade pressed against the back of his neck: "Don't move."

The sudden turn of events nearly made the small-statured man in black wet himself; he stammered: "I won't move, you two don't move either."

"You two are here at the county yamen to make some money too, right? In that case, we're kindred spirits. You're not planning to rob a thief, are you?"

The bamboo-pole man smiled kindly: "Don't be nervous. We have no interest in your things. How is the situation inside?"

The small-statured man in black immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "They're all sleeping like dead pigs. Even the one who stole their great..."

Realizing he had said the wrong thing, he quickly shut his mouth in time.

The bamboo-pole man quickly asked: "Great what? Speak quickly."

Feeling the chill from the short blade on the back of his neck, the small-statured man in black had no choice but to tell the truth: "It's Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great seal."

The bamboo-pole man gave a dry smile: "Interesting. It seems you're not an ordinary petty thief. Hand it over, and I'll spare your life."

The small-statured man in black looked troubled: "This..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a chill at the back of his neck; then his entire body slowly grew cold.

Wiping the short blade, the bamboo-pole man shook his head: "I told you, hand it over and you wouldn't have to die. Why bother?"

He pulled the token from the corpse's chest and said with a faint smile: "End Jiang Jiang Mingyu, then take this thing back to report."

The man with the handlebar mustache nodded; the two leaped lightly and landed on the wall.

However, before they could jump down from the darkness, a rugged, large face suddenly appeared before them.

Then, Tu Tu Kesiluo smiled foolishly: "In the dead of night, are you here to find me?"