On the official road from Qing Province to Xu Province, Qin Longyang rode alongside the seasoned generals Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song.
Unexpectedly, this twist of fate brought two more brave and intelligent leaders to Qin Longyang's camp, proving the adage true: "Great trials bring great rewards."
Along the way, Qin Longyang recounted the entire series of events. Huangfu Song, surprised, exclaimed, "I never imagined Dong Kui would be so bold as to plot against a court official!"
Lu Zhi shook his head and countered, "No, I don't think Dong Kui has that kind of courage. He might be acting under someone's orders. "
"The Lord offended Zhang Rang at court, and since Zhang Rang is secretly in league with Dong Kui, it seems likely that Zhang Rang instigated this plot."
"I agree with Mr. Zigai," Qin Longyang nodded approvingly. "Zhang Rang probably promised Dong Kui a high position and great wealth, tempting him to kill. But regardless of who is behind this, they probably all believe that I have been taken care of."
With that, Qin Longyang furrowed his brow and said, "I have something I wish to ask you both."
"Speak freely, my Lord."
"Do you think the Yellow Turban Rebellion is good or evil?" Qin Longyang looked at the two with a neutral expression, catching them off guard.
"The Yellow Turban rebels attack cities, pillage, and massacre civilians. Of course, they are evil! Why would you ask such a question, my Lord?"
"No..." Qin Longyang took a deep breath. "I think the Yellow Turbans are neither good nor evil..."
"After being pushed off the cliff by Dong Kui, it was a remnant faction of the Yellow Turbans that saved me. Their leader is someone we have never heard of—the Saintess of the Yellow Turbans!"
"The Saintess?" the two said in unison.
Qin Longyang nodded and recounted his experiences in the Yellow Turban camp in detail. Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi found it incredibly surprising.
"The Yellow Turban cult isn't as vicious as we thought. Most of the members are starving commoners who had no choice but to rebel against the court. "
"Some are bandits and robbers from various provinces who take advantage of the chaos, committing heinous crimes under the Yellow Turban banner. That's why our impression of them is so poor."
"But I believe the Yellow Turbans are plotting something big," Qin Longyang paused again.
"Zhang Yao told me that she had a high-ranking official in Luoyang speak ill of you two to the Emperor, which led to the imperial decree summoning you back to the capital. But since you two resigned and went into hiding, it disrupted her plans."
"My Lord, are you suggesting that the Yellow Turbans are colluding with court officials to eliminate political rivals?" Lu Zhi was the first to react.
Qin Longyang nodded, "That's pretty much it. General Zhu Jun, who holds the same rank as me, was not affected because he sided with Dong Cheng and others. But I angered Zhang Rang in court, so I became a thorn in his side."
"Eliminating rivals and undermining the court..." Huangfu Song muttered.
"Nothing is a coincidence; someone is behind all these events. For now, we can't change anything. We should quietly lie low in Xu Province and wait for the right time when everything will come to light."
Qin Longyang smiled, and the two nodded thoughtfully.
...
Langya County, Xu Province, lies at the crossroads between Qing Province and Xu Province. It borders the provincial capital of Xiapi to the south and the provincial capital of Beihai to the north.
Given its strategic location, it should have been bustling with merchants and trade, and the city should have been prosperous.
However, after several days of travel, the group finally stood before Langya City, all wearing grim expressions. The shabby, low green stone walls and the flimsy gates made the city look unimpressive.
The few guards at the gate were lazy and exuded a thuggish aura, indicating the poor state of Langya's military preparedness.
"If it weren't for Tao Qian's presence in Xu Province, the Yellow Turban Rebellion would have severely affected the region. With Langya in such a state, it probably couldn't withstand the Yellow Turbans for even two days,"
Qin Longyang sighed, thinking of his strong and disciplined army in You Province. The contrast made him feel even worse.
"I'll go in alone. You two wait outside the city with the troops," Qin Longyang suddenly turned and instructed the two.
"Why, my Lord?" Huangfu Song was puzzled.
Qin Longyang squinted at Langya with a mysterious smile, "If I don't send someone to call you within half an hour, attack the city and seize the county office."
"This..."
Without waiting for further questions, Qin Longyang rode ahead alone, leaving the two behind.
"Who goes there?" The gate guards had been on edge, seeing Qin Longyang's entourage at a distance and fearing an attack. But when they saw him approach alone, they relaxed and dared to step forward and question him.
Qin Longyang snorted, adopting an arrogant posture. He took out his waist token and flashed it before the guard's eyes, "Can you see clearly?"
"This is..." The guard's exaggerated expression showed disbelief at seeing Qin Longyang in Langya. He exchanged a glance with a deputy, who quickly ran into the city.
"So, it's the new prefect. My apologies for not recognizing you!" The guard, now deferential, held Qin Longyang's reins and led him in, eager to show him the way to the county office.
"Hmm," Qin Longyang responded indifferently, not bothering to look at the guard.
Inside the county office, the nearly seventy-year-old former prefect Ouyang Lei was drinking and carousing with two close advisors, watching dancing girls. It was a scene of decadent luxury.
"My lord! My lord, something's wrong!" The deputy burst in, falling to his knees before Ouyang Lei.
"What's all this fuss about?" Ouyang Lei, slightly drunk, set his cup down.
"The new prefect has arrived!" the deputy reported.
"What?" Ouyang Lei's face turned pale as he stood up, his advisors equally shocked. "Didn't he pass through Taishan?"
The deputy shook his head, "No, he seems to have come from Qing Province!"
Ouyang Lei, shocked, quickly sobered up. "Where is he?"
"He should be near the county office by now."
Ouyang Lei took a deep breath and waved his hand, dismissing the dancing girls through the back door. "Yin Li, gather the troops!"
"Yes!" Yin Li, one of the advisors, left.
Ouyang Lei dismissed the remaining people and quickly tidied his appearance, pretending to read documents at his desk. Before long, the guard led Qin Longyang to the county office entrance.
"My lord, please wait here. I'll announce your arrival," the guard said obsequiously.
"Thank you," Qin Longyang replied with a fake smile.
"My lord, he's here," the guard whispered to Ouyang Lei, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
Ouyang Lei nodded, "Did he bring troops?"
"About a thousand, but they're outside the city. He came alone."
"Hmph," Ouyang Lei snorted. "Let him in."
...
"Senior Ouyang, it's admirable that you still work diligently despite your age. It puts us younger ones to shame."
Qin Longyang entered the county office with a smile. "I'm Qin Longyang, sent by the Emperor to take over as prefect. You can rest now."
Ouyang Lei shakily set down his brush, standing up with a mix of emotions.
"I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival, General Qin. You wouldn't believe it, but the last few officials sent to replace me all died at the hands of bandits in Taishan. Five of them, all court-appointed officials, were killed."
"Is that so!" Qin Longyang feigned shock. "Fortunately, I came from Qing Province and didn't pass through Taishan, narrowly avoiding disaster."
Ouyang Lei's smile stiffened. He gestured for Qin Longyang to sit. "Since you're here, the position is yours. These are the documents I've been working on, along with all the accounts of Langya. Please review them. If everything is in order, I'll start preparing to return home."
"Good, please wait while I take a look," Qin Longyang said, unceremoniously taking the seat of honor and flipping through the accounts.
Ouyang Lei's smile faded, expecting some politeness. But Qin Longyang seriously examined the documents, making the atmosphere tense.
Breaking the silence, Ouyang Lei nervously approached, "General Qin, I have some personal matters to attend to. May I..."
"Hmph," Qin Longyang sneered, "Are you eager to escape with your ill-gotten gains?"
"How dare you!" Ouyang Lei's face darkened, attempting to maintain dignity. "I've served the court for over fifty years. How dare a junior like you slander my reputation!"
"Then, explain these large sums collected from the city," Qin Longyang pointed to the marked entries.
"These... these funds were for repairing the city's defenses, so they weren't recorded," Ouyang Lei stammered.
"Really?" Qin Longyang smiled coldly. "Then why are there similar entries on later pages? Does Langya's wall break down every few days, requiring constant repairs?"
"This..."
"Stop pretending. Even if you'd spent a single penny on repairs, the walls wouldn't be in such disrepair. You haven't left the city in a long time, have you?"
Qin Longyang straightened up, threw the account book on the desk, and sat seriously in the main seat, glaring at Ouyang Lei.
"Langya has always been a treasured land, but now it's filled with starving people and rampant bandits. If I'm not mistaken, you conspired with the bandits of Mount Tai long ago, murdered the incoming Prefects, plundered their wealth, and then cut off the townspeople's access to information. You extorted the people time and time again, which led to Langya's current miserable state!"
"You old scoundrel, from the moment I set foot in Langya, I saw corpses along the official road. Those refugees had nothing, not even a decent set of clothes. They starved and froze to death—do you understand that?"
Qin Longyang slammed the desk and shouted angrily. Ouyang Lei was startled and took a few steps back.
"You!" Having heard enough, Ouyang Lei couldn't maintain his composure; his face turned ashen. Before Qin Longyang could relish the moment, more than a dozen soldiers dressed in official uniforms suddenly poured in from the side doors of the hall.
"Why waste so many words with him!" Yin Li entered from the main door, arms crossed, glaring viciously at Qin Longyang. "You little brat, I didn't expect you to avoid Mount Tai Prefecture. Clever of you! But coming here alone, you won't escape with your head intact!"