Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 94 Execute those below the fourth rank first, report later!

Lu Zhiyan was breathing rapidly, his face filled with disbelief.

"You? Qiu Ming, the Embroidered-Robe Commander? How is that possible!"

Qiu Ming looked at Lu Zhiyan calmly. In the past, Lu Zhiyan was high and mighty, a favored son of heaven.

He distinguished himself in the army as a young man and was chosen by Prime Minister Ning to be his son-in-law.

From then on, he soared to great heights and rose to the position of Grand General at a young age.

Qiu Ming used to only look up to Lu Zhiyan.

But now, he has become the commander of the Embroidered Robe, completely overshadowing Lu Zhiyan.

This was something that the proud General Lu simply could not accept.

"No, impossible! The Embroidered Robe Commander must be personally appointed by the Emperor. The Great Zhou Dynasty currently only has three commanders."

"Who do you think you are, Qiu Ming? How could you possibly catch the Emperor's eye?"

Qiu Ming sneered inwardly; he truly was not worthy of the Great Zhou Emperor's attention.

But he was lucky; he met Zhou Wei and the Eldest Princess!

Seeing that Qiu Ming remained silent for a long time, only looking at him coldly, Lu Zhiyan became even angrier.

Amidst the chaos of his thoughts, he suddenly remembered the incident at the Golden Pavilion that day, and his mind instantly cleared.

"So that's how it is! I understand now. You must have sided with that lowly servant Zhou Wei and become a lackey of the Princess's residence, haven't you?"

As he spoke, Lu Zhiyan burst into laughter.

"Qiu Ming, you are, after all, a descendant of loyal officials. Your Qiu family has rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor. Although you are not good at management, your family is still considered noble and respectable."

"You actually bowed and scraped to that lowly servant Zhou Wei for the sake of a commander's position. Do you have any shame?"

Qiu Ming was amused by Lu Zhiyan's words.

"General Lu, my Qiu family is indeed loyal and virtuous, loyal to the Great Zhou royal family!"

"As a member of the imperial family and possessing the title of Protector of the Nation, what's wrong with me siding with her?"

"What? You're allowed to rise to prominence by leveraging Miss Ning's influence, but someone like me isn't allowed to serve a wise ruler?"

"They're all just currying favor with the powerful and wealthy; who's more noble than whom?"

When Qiu Ming touched a nerve, Lu Zhiyan flew into a rage.

"How dare you! My achievements today are all due to my military exploits, and have nothing to do with the Ning family you speak of."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces were quite interesting.

Even Lu Zhiyan's subordinates looked at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

How Lu Zhiyan rose to power is known to everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

He actually dared to shamelessly say that his status had nothing to do with the Ning family.

That's incredibly shameless!

Qiu Ming was too lazy to argue with Lu Zhiyan. Whether he accepted the matter or not, it was already a done deal.

Now, I am a third-rank Embroidered Robe Commander!

By order of the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, act as you see fit.

Even if Lu Zhiyan was dissatisfied, he could only suppress it.

"General Lu, stop with the nonsense. We, the Embroidered-Robed Envoys, will take over this place. You should find another place to rest."

The military tents for resting were set up by the Five Cities Military Command, and there were only a few of them to begin with.

This one is the biggest and most luxurious, but now Qiu Ming is going to snatch it away.

Lu Zhiyan was naturally unwilling!

"Qiu Ming, this military tent is not allowed. You will have to find another place."

This time, before Qiu Ming could speak, Wang Wu drew his sword and slashed directly at Lu Zhiyan!

Every strike was deadly, aimed directly at vital points.

This terrified Lu Zhiyan, who immediately drew his longsword to defend himself.

His men rushed forward to try and stop Wang Wu!

Wang Wu roared, "Get out of my way! The Embroidered-Robe Commander has the authority to act expediently; he can execute officials below the fourth rank without prior approval!"

"I am a third-rank general, how dare you use your power of execution first and reporting later on me?" Lu Zhiyan was furious.

Wang Wu, however, looked at him with a grin.

Unlike Qiu Ming, he was a seasoned veteran among the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and even the Emperor of the Great Zhou had met him several times.

They have absolutely no respect for such high-ranking officials!

"General, the Embroidered-Robe Commander can indeed only execute officials of the fourth rank or below, but don't forget that His Majesty has granted my master special permission to act as he sees fit."

"If you don't understand these four words, my sword can teach you."

"Do whatever you want" means: do whatever you want, take it easy!

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyan's expression changed, and he remained motionless for a long while.

Finally, persuaded by his subordinates, he reluctantly uttered a harsh remark and turned to leave the military tent.

Wang Wu watched Lu Zhiyan's retreating figure and spat fiercely.

"Bah! What kind of thing dares to talk back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"Sir, you are too concerned about the face of your colleagues. If we brothers were given someone like Lu Zhiyan, we would make it impossible for him to move an inch."

The Embroidered-Robe Envoy has the power to monitor all officials; if they want to punish someone, that person will surely suffer a fate worse than death.

What Wang Wu disliked most in his life was "in-laws" like Lu Zhiyan!

Taking advantage of his wife's high position, he turned around and cursed her. Is he even human?

If such people treat their wives this way, how can they be loyal to the emperor?

It's best to kill them as soon as possible to prevent future trouble!

Qiu Ming said, "Lu Zhiyan's official position is nothing to fear, but he is still the son-in-law of Prime Minister Ning. Prime Minister Ning has worked hard for the Great Zhou all his life, so the Embroidered-Robe Envoy should still give him this much face."

Wang Wu pursed his lips, took out a cloth from his sleeve, and wiped his knife.

“Then I’ll wait and see. If Lu Zhiyan ever loses Ning Xiangguo’s support, I’ll see if the instruments of torture in the Zhaoyu Prison can make him submit.”

Lu Zhiyan was forced to give up his military tent, and when he came out, he ran into Su Yunjin.

As soon as Su Yunjin saw him, she frowned and started complaining to him incessantly.

"Ayan, why do I have to serve tea and water? I have to stand all the time, and my back and legs ache."

"And what are those maids? How dare they yell at me like that?"

"Ayan, I don't want to serve tea anymore. How about I stay in your military tent?"

Su Yunjin's voice, which was usually gentle and soft, was unusually loud and shrill today.

Lu Zhiyan had just been humiliated and was in a bad mood, so he said impatiently, "Su Su, today's situation is very serious, so you should just stay put and not cause me any more trouble."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin's eyes immediately filled with tears.

Lu Zhiyan actually yelled at her again?

Since the last time at the Golden Pavilion, when Lu Zhiyan yelled at that lowly maid Zhou Wei, is this happening again?

Seeing Su Yunjin's tears, Lu Zhiyan felt no pity as before, only extreme irritation.

Su Yunjin's waistline, in particular, was noticeably thicker than it had been two days ago.

When a person gains weight, their throat also becomes thicker.

This caused Su Yunjin's once melodious voice to change, becoming completely devoid of beauty.

Lu Zhiyan covered his forehead, trying to suppress the irritation in his heart.

He comforted her, saying, "Su Su, I'm really busy. If I don't keep a close eye on this huge event with tens of thousands of people, it could easily cause a big problem."

"Go serve tea first. Once the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess come out and no one is paying attention, I will call you to the military tent."

Su Yunjin was about to wriggle her body and throw a little tantrum.

Then they heard footsteps approaching, and when they turned around, they saw Zhu Zhen, the leader of the Golden Guard, walking over.

"General Lu, the Crown Prince and the Princess's entourage is almost here. Quickly prepare to welcome them."

With Zhu Zhen arriving, Lu Zhiyan had even less energy to pay attention to Su Yunjin.

He simply told her to stay put and then followed Zhu Zhen away.

Su Yunjin stood there resentfully, feeling extremely aggrieved, until she heard the official's voice.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived! His Highness the Eldest Princess has arrived! His Highness the Third Prince has arrived!"

"All, kneel to welcome the Emperor!"