Zhang Ziqian inwardly drew a sharp breath. This lad was truly ruthless. Could he be planning to slaughter every official in Azure Cloud County?
"Please don't misunderstand, Lord Zhang," Hu Xiaotian said. "I intend to place all the suspected officials under house arrest. Once the Prince of Zhou and the delegation have departed safely, we can decide what to do next!"
Zhang Ziqian pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Go ahead and do whatever is necessary. Whatever happens, I will take responsibility."
"Lord Zhang, unfortunately, I haven't been in Azure Cloud long. Those clerks and bailiffs are all their trusted men. Resolving this matter won't be so easy."
How could Zhang Ziqian fail to hear that he had come asking for help? After a moment's thought, he removed a command token from his waist and handed it to Hu Xiaotian, who hurriedly accepted it. There was no such thing as too many gifts. Although he had already received An Dequan's Blackwood Command Token, that was something to save for a critical moment.
"This token was bestowed by the Commander-in-Chief," Zhang Ziqian said. "Seeing it is the same as seeing the Commander-in-Chief in person. Just display it, and if any of those clerks dare disobey, kill them without mercy!"
Delight spread across Hu Xiaotian's face. Now this is a treasure! It carried supreme authority in Western Sichuan. His future father-in-law was the local emperor here, and in Western Sichuan, his token was the equivalent of the Imperial Sword.
"This is no small matter," Zhang Ziqian continued. "I will leave for Western Prefecture immediately to report to the Commander-in-Chief in person and begin arranging escorts along the route. To make things easier for you, I will also leave Liang Qing and Xu Heng at your disposal. Both are highly skilled in Martial