"Impudent!"
"What do you want to do?"
"Who gave you the audacity to arrest people at my official residence?"
Zhao Jianzhi was almost driven mad with rage, furiously scolding the soldiers who had burst into the Zhao Family.
However, these soldiers remained unmoved by Zhao Jianzhi's reprimand.
When he saw Chen Wu, the Prefectural Military Administrator of Huaizhou, arrive in armor, Zhao Jianzhi's anger reached its peak: "Chen Wu, what do you want?"
Chen Wu did not waste words with Zhao Jianzhi. He simply raised his hand, revealing the warrant he held, and bellowed: "By order of Lord Feng, temporarily detain everyone in the Zhao Family, from top to bottom! Any who resist will be killed without mercy!"
"Detain?"
A cold glint flashed in Zhao Jianzhi's eyes. "Good one, Feng Min! Killing my son wasn't enough; now you want to murder my entire family!"
Damn him!
Could that dog Feng Min really be throwing caution to the wind?
If that were true, then things would be terrible.
Chen Wu looked up at Zhao Jianzhi. "Brother Zhao, I am merely following orders. Lord Feng should arrive very soon. For the specific reasons, you can ask Lord Feng directly!"
He, of course, knew the specific reasons!
But the incident was sudden, and the current situation was still unclear, so he couldn't say much.
Whether Zhao Jianzhi was colluding with Prince Ji to rebel would only be known after interrogation.
Zhao Jianzhi was furious at these words and was about to speak when a fierce sound of fighting suddenly erupted from behind the house.
Chen Wu's expression changed, and he immediately ordered loudly: "You few, follow me!"
With that, Chen Wu immediately led a few soldiers and rushed in the direction of the fighting.
By the time they arrived, the fighting in the backyard had stopped, and several injured soldiers lay on the ground.
"Where are they?"
Chen Wu rushed forward, demanding loudly.
"They climbed over the wall and escaped!"
The injured soldier replied, enduring the pain.
"Useless things!"
Chen Wu cursed, then used a boost to rush forward two steps, quickly stepping on the courtyard wall and flipping over.
But when he got outside, there was no trace of the fleeing person.
Chen Wu was enraged, punching the courtyard wall with his backhand, then returned to the Zhao Family with a face full of frost.
"It seems you really are planning a rebellion!"
Chen Wu stared at Zhao Jianzhi with cold eyes. "The one who just escaped was your accomplice, wasn't he?"
"Nonsense!"
Zhao Jianzhi roared, "You, Chen Wu, you dare to collude with Feng Min and falsely accuse me of rebellion!"
Zhao Jianzhi's initial joy had long vanished, and he was panicking.
How could they know about this?
He couldn't admit it!
He absolutely could not admit to the rebellion!
Feng Min must be throwing caution to the wind!
Let him make a fuss!
The bigger a fuss he made now, the worse he would die when the imperial court came to punish him!
Watching the credit slip through his fingers, Chen Wu was full of anger, and hearing Zhao Jianzhi's words only made him angrier.
Bang!
Chen Wu stepped forward and punched Zhao Jianzhi hard in the stomach.
Zhao Jianzhi grunted, his body instantly arching like a shrimp.
"On the verge of death, and still so stubborn?"
Chen Wu glared at Zhao Jianzhi, then ordered: "Pass down the order! Immediately search the entire city for Zhao Jianzhi's accomplices!"
"Yes!"
The messenger immediately took the order and left.
Just then, Feng Min arrived with Madam Su.
Seeing the two, intense hatred instantly surged in Zhao Jianzhi's eyes. "You, Feng Min, to curry favor with the Su Family, you actually..."
"Stop the nonsense!"
Madam Su looked at Zhao Jianzhi with cold eyes. "Zhao Ying and the people who were waiting for him at the tunnel entrance have all been arrested! Your precious son has confessed everything! Do you still want to deny it?"
What?
Zhao Ying and the others were arrested?
How could this be?
No, they must be lying to him!
But...
But if they were lying, how would they know that those people were waiting for Zhao Ying at the tunnel entrance?
Zhao Jianzhi's head buzzed.
He didn't dare to believe Madam Su's words, but Madam Su spoke with such certainty that he couldn't help but believe her.
What to do?
What should he do now?
Confusion, doubt, grief, despair...
All sorts of emotions intertwined in his heart, making him suddenly feel an urge to kneel and beg for mercy.
However, his remaining sanity told him that at this point, begging for mercy was meaningless.
He could only try to steady himself, so as not to collapse to the ground and become a laughingstock.
Seeing Zhao Jianzhi's expression, Feng Min sighed in his heart.
It seems there's no need for further interrogation!
Feng Min dared not delay, and quickly took out a memorial from his wide sleeve and handed it to Chen Wu. "Immediately send someone to deliver this memorial to the imperial court via 800-li urgent dispatch! This matter is extremely urgent, not a moment to be delayed!"
"Yes!"
Chen Wu accepted the order.
Feng Min turned back, his gaze cold as he looked at Zhao Jianzhi. "Your brother-in-law, he's also your accomplice, isn't he?"
Zhao Jianzhi's mouth opened slightly, but he didn't utter a single word.
Yes!
His brother-in-law was indeed their accomplice.
Even he himself was tricked by his brother-in-law.
If it weren't for his brother-in-law being Prince Ji's man from the start, he probably wouldn't have come to this point.
When his brother-in-law made his choice, he no longer had a choice.
Now, it was the same principle!
With their plot exposed, whether his brother-in-law was their accomplice or not was meaningless!
Collective punishment!
This was the inevitable outcome!
Amidst his bitterness, Zhao Jianzhi laboriously raised his head again, a sneer appearing on his face. "Do you think you've won? Prince Ji still has an army of 100,000 soldiers; he will never surrender without a fight! The outcome of victory or defeat is still unknown!"
This was Zhao Jianzhi's last act of defiance.
He knew he wouldn't survive.
But he also didn't want to see Feng Min and the others gloat too much.
"An army of 100,000?"
Madam Su snorted, "You think too highly of Prince Ji! If he truly had an army of 100,000, he would have raised an army long ago!"
Always talking about 100,000 soldiers?
Where are there so many 100,000-strong armies?
The imperial court wasn't foolish; how could they allow a regional vassal prince to possess an army of 100,000?
She estimated that Prince Ji secretly developing thirty to fifty thousand troops would already be quite impressive!
"Don't celebrate too soon!"
Zhao Jianzhi gritted his teeth, looking at Madam Su. "Even if Prince Ji doesn't have 100,000 soldiers, as long as Prince Ji raises an army, do you think the surrounding nations won't take advantage of the chaos? I won't survive, and you might not either!"
Listening to Zhao Jianzhi's words, Madam Su's face immediately fell.
"Bang!"
Madam Su kicked Zhao Jianzhi to the ground. "Then let's wait and see!"
"Bind him!"
Feng Min said no more, immediately ordered his men to tie up Zhao Jianzhi, and assigned people to guard him at all times.
"I won't survive, and you might not either! Haha..."
Zhao Jianzhi seemed to have forgotten his fear, laughing loudly.
It seemed only this could bring him a little balance in his heart.
Listening to Zhao Jianzhi's unrestrained laughter, Feng Min and Madam Su's expressions grew even uglier.
Although Zhao Jianzhi was a scoundrel, what he said was the truth.
Prince Ji would never surrender without a fight!
Once Prince Ji raised an army in rebellion, if the imperial court couldn't eliminate him quickly, it would inevitably lead to internal strife.
At that time, the surrounding nations of Great Zhou would all make a comeback!
Years ago, when the Emperor first ascended the throne, these nations took advantage of Great Zhou's internal strife to plunder!
Great Zhou had endured years of continuous warfare, and it had only just stabilized for a few years, not yet having fully recovered.
If it were to be attacked by the surrounding nations again, the people of Great Zhou would likely once again fall into dire straits...
