e difference between heaven and earth."All ministers, you may rise."Li Chen raised his hand, and after he finished speaking, the civil and military officials all stood up.With his hands clasped behind...Chapter 209: The Second Morning Court

Sitting in the Xizheng Hall, Li Chen glanced at the three treasures, raised his teacup and took a sip, saying: "This trip, you must have killed quite a few people. The smell of blood on you is very strong."

The Three Treasures hurriedly said, "Indeed, I killed some traitors and rebels. As a servant, I should bathe thoroughly to cleanse myself before seeing Your Highness. I have soiled Your Highness's eyes, and I am guilty of ten thousand deaths."

With a light chuckle, Li Chen said, "It's fine. Go on, tell me, what's the situation like in Xishan Province these past few days"

San Bao's eyes flashed, and she said, "After I rushed to Xishan Province, I saw that the situation was much more serious than expected."

"Taiguan, Yangqu, and Xiangding counties had already fallen, and the rebel army was growing rapidly. Taking advantage of the natural disasters, many people joined them every day. The size of the rebel army had increased from tens of thousands to nearly 100,000 in this period. When I left, they were already attacking within a hundred miles of Datong Prefecture."

"Wherever the rebels went, officials and soldiers were terrified and offered little resistance. They even used the slogan 'Kill the powerful landlords and return land to the people,' which attracted many followers. Many ordinary people who didn't know the truth were misled by them, and for a time, their influence was overwhelming."

Bang!

Li Chen grabbed the teacup in his hand and smashed it on the ground, his face contorted with rage. "What are that West Mountain Province's magistrate and the commander of the Military Command doing! They just stood by and watched as the rebels seized control of West Mountain Province!"

"That Datong Prefecture is over in Xishan Province. These rebels started in Taishen, Yangqu, and Xiangding counties and marched from north to south, nearly sweeping through the entire Xishan Province! Are you just going to sit there and wait for them to attack!"

"Third Treasure gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, the West Mountain Administrative Commissioner, Tao Rui, fled in fear of punishment. After I arrived at the West Mountain Province, the first thing I did was to go find him. I found that the place was empty, but after searching every corner, I finally managed to catch Tao Rui. He is currently awaiting judgment in the Dongchang prison."

Li Chen laughed angrily, saying, "Good, good, very good!"

"This son of a bitch, under his rule, there was a rebellion that almost took over the entire Xishan Province. And what does he do He just pats himself on the ass and wants to leave! What a catch!"

Seeing Li Chen's anger rising, the aura he emitted sent shivers down San Bao's spine. He was even more grateful that he had brought Tao Rui back; it was an incredibly wise decision.

"Your Highness, shall I have Tao Rui killed immediately" asked Sanbao.

“Keep him alive for now, let him live another night. Tomorrow, this palace will use him as an example to warn others,” Li Chen said coldly.

"Your servant obeys."

"Moreover, on this trip, the servant girl discovered that the Dongchang branch in Xishan Province was destroyed. It wasn't done by rebels. Those rebels are nothing more than a rabble. If they wanted to do it, they couldn't possibly allow the skilled Dongchang branch, which excels at hiding and intelligence gathering, to be destroyed without a trace or any news getting out."

The Dongchang's Xishan Prefecture branch was meticulously planned by experts, and the assassins completed a bloodbath in one night...

"Throughout the Qin dynasty, there were no more than five people capable of such skill! But as to who did it, this servant is incapable and has yet to trace the culprit."

Li Chen's mind flashed with the shadow of King Ning, and he said in a low voice: "You don't need to investigate this matter any further."

Samba was stunned.

"You think those rebels, maybe could seize half of Xishan Province during the chaos But do you think they could keep something like this so secret Someone must be secretly covering for them and helping them."

Li Chen sneered, "This matter concerns the prince. You needn't concern yourself with it for now."

Prince!

Sān Bǎo only felt a shiver run down his spine. He quickly suppressed the many thoughts in his heart and said, "This servant understands."

"You go and summon all the ministers in Beijing. Tomorrow, this palace will hold a second early court session."t from Langting has been completely destroyed."Hearing this, the general whose face had been beaming with joy just a second ago suddenly widened his eyes. It felt like he had made a fortune doing busi...