The Wu Family's Great Trouble

As the sun rose in the east, Wu Qi and his companions stood on the site of the Royal Capital.

However, by this time, the area had been buried again by the sea of sand and had become part of the vast desert.

Everyone was very glad that they had heeded Wu Qi's advice and withdrew yesterday evening.

Otherwise, even with his ability to fly, Wu Qi would have had a hard time saving everyone in such a sudden and unexpected situation.

Chen Nan, however, was heartbroken.

If she had known there would be a landslide at night, she should have packed up her valuables beforehand and just left with them.

Unfortunately, she scattered the gold and silver when she was counting them last night.

They left in haste, taking only a few items with them.

Chen Ping and Qiangu Changkong, as if possessed by a master of disguise, solemnly declared, "We left in a hurry and didn't bring anything with us."

"What a pity, we came away empty-handed."

That's not the case; they had already stored the treasure in their Soul Tool.

What happened last night gave them an impeccable excuse.

Wu Qi cautioned, "At least we can leave alive. Think of those Exiles buried in the sand."

"What good is it to seize gold and silver treasures? If you have the life to take them but not the life to spend them, it's all for nothing."

With the farce over, everyone's next destination was the same: the Oasis.

Beforehand, Wu Qi surveyed the direction of the riverbed and, following the Compass, headed in a west-east direction.

Large numbers of Exiles were drawn to the treasure hunt, and along the way, there was no sign of any Exiles squads being stationed.

It is likely that, apart from the Exiles have already reached the Oasis, the remaining Exiles, upon hearing the news, all voluntarily headed towards the Royal Capital, only to be buried beneath the sea of sand.

No one knows if this is a conspiracy by the Spirit Hall. When the Royal Capital opens again, it is estimated that a large number of Exiles will rush in to search for the treasure.

Meanwhile, in Heaven Dou City.

After Prince Xue Xing repaid Dugu Bo's favor, he had no more powerful figures by his side.

He was already at a disadvantage in his struggle against Xue Qinghe, and now that Dugu Bo is gone, the balance of power between the two sides has been disrupted.

If Xue Ye hadn't still been alive, the uncle and nephew would probably have been dealt with long ago.

In a desperate struggle, or perhaps clinging to unrealistic fantasies about the Imperial Throne, Prince Xue Xing naturally sought to win over the officials in the Imperial Court who had not yet chosen sides.

Wu Qinan of the Wu Family was considered a breath of fresh air in the Imperial Court.

Originally a military man, he remained remarkably low-key after gaining power, rarely interacting with other officials in the Imperial Court.

Unsurprisingly, he became a key figure in Prince Xue Xing's eyes, someone he wanted to win over.

But now, the Wu Family is facing a series of misfortunes.

Back then, the Wu Family was just a Baron family. After Wu Qinan inherited the Noble Rank from the old Baron, he joined the army.

He once led troops to suppress bandits at the Hagen-Dazs Palace, during which time he discovered a mine containing precious metals.

At that time, Wu Qinan had just inherited the title of Baron, and there were many people in the family who had opinions about him.

In order to obtain start-up capital for his political career and to gain a foothold within the family, he deliberately concealed the fact that he was trying to seize the mineral deposits for himself.

Later, he made great contributions in suppressing bandits and was granted the title of Earl upon returning to the Heaven Dou Empire.

His career progressed smoothly, and there were no more voices of opposition within his family. For a long time afterward, Wu Qinan gradually forgot about that mine.

More than a decade ago, Wu Qinan once again led his troops into battle.

It was then that he heard a soldier say, "Sir, my father and uncles served under you in the past. It is a great honor for me to serve under you as well."

At that time, Wu Qinan didn't even know who the soldier's father and uncles were.

During a skirmish, the soldier risked his life to save him. It was then that he learned that the soldier's father and uncles had fought alongside him in the Hagen-Dazs Kingdom and suffered lifelong disabilities.

Before dying, the soldier didn't blame him, but instead said that his son was about to come of age and wanted to join his ranks.

At that time, Wu Qinan understood that the so-called military merits and the so-called Earl were all achieved by climbing up step by step over the corpses of these soldiers.

Perhaps feeling deeply guilty, after returning to Heaven Dou City, he began to pay attention to the family situations of the soldiers who had fought alongside him.

Of these soldiers, a small number were left with lifelong disabilities and survived; the majority, however, died on the battlefield.

With the breadwinner gone, these families face a miserable existence for the rest of their lives.

Unable to bear the thought, he once again set his sights on the Mine Mountain. As long as mining continued, he would have money to subsidize the families of these soldiers.

However, unauthorized mining is a serious crime under the empire's laws, involving the theft of state assets, Wu Qinan cannot easily show his face.

To this end, he arranged for his trusted confidant, Charles's deputy, to lead men back to the Hagen-Dazs Palace to secretly mine ore.

He didn't know what happened after that, and he never personally went to inspect the Mine Mountain.

In fact, Charles had already died on the way to the mine, and many of his disciples who went to the Wu Family with him were also long gone, including Wu Qi's parents.

However, this intelligence report did not appear on Wu Qinan's desk.

Looking at the Gold Soul Coin that kept coming in every now and then, and the Letter Charles sent back from time to time, Wu Qinan thought everything was going smoothly.

Until recently, Xue Qinghe discovered something amiss while inspecting the mines within the empire's territory.

At the same time, the butler also came to report that Charles had gone missing and that the Wu Family members at the Mine Mountain had been killed overnight.

Now, Wu Qinan seemed to realize that Xue Qinghe already knew about his affair.

According to the law, the empire has no obligation to support the families of fallen or wounded soldiers; at most, it will only provide a one-time subsidy.

Wu Qinan's actions have seriously violated the law.

Distributing subsidies privately to the families of fallen and wounded soldiers is clearly an attempt to win over the hearts and minds of the people and prepare for a rebellion!

If someone with ulterior motives interferes, he will be accused of treason.

Wu Qinan was unaware of the progress of Xue Qinghe's investigation. If he were to send another trusted confidant to the Mine Mountain now, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting guilt without being asked?

Xue Qinghe didn't bring this up, possibly because he was waiting for him to obediently comply; or perhaps Charles had already dealt with the mess, and Xue Qinghe hadn't even investigated the Wu Family at all.

However, at this critical juncture, the Wu Family should not make any moves whatsoever.

When Prince Xue Xing extended the invitation, how could Wu Qinan dare to accept?

He even wanted to get rid of Prince Xue Xing's entanglement and stop himself from being in the eye of the storm.

"Sir, the soldiers' families are extremely grateful to you and did not betray you. They have no complaints about the suspension of subsidies and even understand your difficulties."

Hearing the butler's words, Wu Qinan felt a warmth in his heart.

At least, these family members weren't ungrateful; they didn't stand up and accuse him of stopping the subsidies during his time of crisis.

However, if he doesn't handle the aftermath properly, and is caught red-handed, he will inevitably be forced to leave the Imperial Court in disgrace, and the families of these soldiers will be forgotten by the people.

For the sake of his supporters, he had to clean this up!