"General-in-Chief Xu Zhong?"
Lin Yi understood at once. So that was it.
He had already discovered the thirty thousand troops outside Northern Liang City. They had reportedly been stationed there after his father left, presumably to protect him, the heir.
But instead of coming to see him himself, Xu Zhong had sent Huang Yuntao to relay his message. The man seemed rather arrogant.
"Why didn't he come himself?"
"Well..." Huang Yuntao had no answer.
Hmph!
Lin Yi sneered. This Xu Zhong was something, all right, but he had just narrowed his own path.
Ignore me today, and tomorrow I'll be far beyond your reach. You only have thirty thousand troops, yet you're putting on airs like some aloof master.
Once I claim the mission reward for Northern Liang City, I won't even care about your thirty thousand men.
Judging by this purge, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry under Ma Chao's command was every bit as capable in battle as the Northern Liang Guard, perhaps even a little stronger.
That showed just how formidable Ma Chao was. One man could elevate an entire cavalry force. That was undoubtedly the ability of a supreme general.
With Ma Chao the Splendid around, who needed a general-in-chief whose background he knew nothing about?
"Ah!"
Huang Yuntao had no answer to that question.
The heir was still only the heir, after all, not the actual Prince of Northern Liang. The general-in-chief really had no reason to fear him.
He sighed and offered a word of advice. "Your Highness, I've delivered the message. Also, although you had legitimate grounds for this purge of Northern Liang City, you killed over three thousand people in one go. I'm afraid the next few days won't be peaceful."
With that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
With the prince absent, he could not sway the heir's thinking either, so he would not invite a rebuff.
"Your Highness, Huang Yuntao has always been one of the prince's men. He probably came specifically to warn you this time," Han Song explained from beside him.
Lin Yi nodded slightly, unconcerned.
Although this governor of Yongzhou served his father, he did not serve Lin Yi himself. Naturally, he would not obey Lin Yi's every word. Such people were awkward to use.
Still, the warning showed some consideration.
In fact, he had long known there would be trouble. He had killed so many people in one go and even taken their property. It would have been strange if they had accepted that.
"Wang Yue!"
"Here, Your Highness!"
"Send men to watch the Ran Clan and see what they're up to. Also, have the Northern Liang Guard monitor all of Northern Liang City. Report back to me at the slightest unusual movement."
He had already removed these people's claws and fangs. At most, only a few fish had slipped through the net. They clearly lacked the strength to stir up trouble now, so their most likely option was impeachment.
After all, this affair had crossed the line somewhat. If the emperor wanted to pursue it, he would have grounds.
But Lin Yi's memorial would arrive first. As long as Emperor Li Anlan was not a fool, he would not fall out with Northern Liang over an assassin.
Another man here to steal my rice bowl?
Meanwhile, Han Song stood there dumbfounded, staring silently at Wang Yue's retreating figure.
He could sense a powerful threat from Wang Yue, which meant the man was formidable, certainly no ordinary figure.
But that raised a question: where had this fellow come from?
First there had been Ma Chao, a ridiculously fierce man who killed from horseback as easily as slaughtering dogs. Now Wang Yue had appeared, another powerful fighter. Had their heir really been hiding so much?
Who knew how many more people he had behind him? The heir was badass!
At this rate, Han Song would probably lose his job. He had to prove his worth, or he would be cast aside.
With the Northern Liang Guard's cooperation, Wang Yue soon got a clear picture of the situation.
"Your Highness, I've discovered that quite a few people in the city have banded together. Not only have they written a large number of impeachment memorials, they also seem to be preparing to join forces to impose sanctions on you!" he said grimly.
Had he not remembered his assignment, Wang Yue would have wanted to kill them outright. These people were outrageously brazen.
Impeachment!
At those words, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu stiffened, feeling thoroughly miserable.
Every time the heir had been impeached before, the three of them had taken the beatings. Now that their third brother was laid up, only the two of them were left to bear it.
But the heir had caused a major incident this time. They could not take the punishment for this.
Boo-hoo!
Both men were on the verge of tears. Were they going to suffer again?
Han Song, however, sneered. "Your Highness, should we send men to intercept those memorials? Our warhorses can definitely catch the postal relay riders."
There were relay stations throughout the Great Ning Dynasty, used to transmit messages quickly.
But apart from military dispatches and matters of the utmost urgency, other memorials could only be carried by ordinary horses. Those horses were easy to catch, so intercepting the impeachment memorials was entirely possible.
Uh!
Seeing how practiced Han Song looked, Lin Yi's mouth twitched. He gave a dry laugh. "From your tone, it sounds like you've done this quite a few times."
"Heh heh!"
Han Song's weathered face reddened, and he laughed awkwardly. "Northern Liang belongs to the prince. Some people don't know any better and don't understand that you shouldn't air the family's dirty laundry. As a member of the Northern Liang Guard, it's only natural that I ease the prince's burdens."
"Don't air the family's dirty laundry! What a line!"
Lin Yi did not know whether to laugh or cry. That excuse was even more outrageous than his own.
Still, it made sense. In practice, Northern Liang was effectively an independent regime.
Though it owed allegiance to the Great Ning Dynasty, actual power remained in his father's hands. If his father did not want news getting out, it really would be difficult for it to spread.
As for this impeachment, however...
Lin Yi shook his head and smiled. "Their impeachment won't work. Unless all three hundred thousand troops of Northern Liang lay down their arms, the emperor won't use something like this to make trouble."
Assassination was, in fact, taboo among those at the top. Even the imperial family was wary of it.
To put it plainly, once someone abandoned the rules of honorable conduct, the Prince of Northern Liang was no pushover either. When that happened, the Great Ning Dynasty would probably know no peace. Even imperial princes could be assassinated.
Many things still had to be done openly and honorably. Otherwise, they would gain no recognition and would only make the situation worse.
If a vassal prince abandoned the rules of honorable conduct, even the emperor would probably lose sleep.
Boo-hoo!
Hearing the heir's words, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu felt their hearts sink. The heir must have been determined to make them take the blame. Was that why he was so relaxed?
They gave their heir a resentful look, feeling as though the sky had fallen.
"Your Highness, when we brothers take the blame this time..."
"Pah, I mean, when we're being punished, you must tell them to go easy on us, or we're dead."
This was a colossal disaster. Killing over three thousand people in one go was one thing, but it had also offended more than half the powerful clans and wealthy families in Northern Liang City.
They had killed according to the Northern Liang Guard's files, and few of the people listed there were ordinary figures.
This was far too much blame for them to shoulder.