To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 261? You want me... to investigate the remnants of the Chu Kingdom?

The courtiers were filled with doubt and uncertainty, and discussions erupted, instantly bringing the atmosphere to a freezing point.

On the dragon throne.

Ying Zheng coldly looked down.

I wonder what he's thinking!

Faced with the shock of the assembled officials, Zong Yu lowered his head and sneered.

He bowed deeply and, with a righteous and awe-inspiring air, volunteered:

"Your Majesty! The remnants of the Chu state harbor treacherous intentions, posing a grave threat to the very foundation of our nation!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request your permission!"

"Immediately dispatch the Black Ice Guard to Kuaiji County to thoroughly investigate this matter and eradicate these traitors!"

In fact, even Zong Yu himself did not expect such an unexpected gain.

A few days ago!

His original intention was to send out his spies to secretly track the coal that had been transported from Changzi County.

They wanted to find evidence that Zhang Fan and local officials were embezzling public funds and reselling Daqin goods!

As a result, the spies followed the clues all the way to the source!

Instead of intercepting the coal, things took an unexpected turn.

Following those strange caravans, they discovered the Xiang clan, who were secretly preparing their army in Wu County!

That coal eventually ended up in the hands of the remnants of the Chu state!

When Zong Yu received this information, he was so excited he was practically going crazy!

But he's not stupid.

Zhang Fan has just performed the feat of destroying a country for the Qin Dynasty!

They brought back an endless silver mountain, and their fame was at its peak!

If he were to jump out now and truthfully report that the coal mined by Zhang Fan had flowed to the remnants of the Chu state...

Given His Majesty's favor towards Zhang Fan, coupled with this immense achievement of destroying a nation,

His Majesty will surely use the excuse of "inadequate investigation"!

The merits and demerits are directly offset, major issues are minimized, or even the matter is completely suppressed!

and so.

I absolutely cannot bring up coal directly, and I certainly cannot bring up Zhang Fan directly!

He wanted to bring the Xiang clan's rebellion to the forefront in an extremely abrupt way!

It's completely blown up!

As long as we force His Majesty to use the Great Black Ice Platform to conduct a thorough investigation!

When the time comes, the Black Ice Guard will naturally find out where the Xiang family got their coal and steel weapons!

By then, the evidence will be irrefutable!

Even if you, Zhang Fan, have extraordinary abilities, you can never clear your name of the crime of "aiding the enemy and betraying the country, colluding with the remnants of the Chu Kingdom"!

As Zong Yu's report fell...

The court officials whispered amongst themselves, their discussions growing increasingly tense.

"His Majesty!"

A civil official stepped forward anxiously, cupped his hands, and said:

"The remnants of the Chu state are like a centipede that dies but does not fall down!"

"The Xiang clan are descendants of Xiang Yan, a famous general of the former Chu state, and they wield considerable influence in the Jiangdong region!"

"Now they are secretly hoarding provisions, plotting something sinister!"

"This is a sharp blade hanging over the head of our Great Qin, seriously threatening the very foundation of our Qin state!"

"Bullshit! A few rats hiding in the gutter dare to call themselves a threat?"

A hot-tempered military officer suddenly stepped forward and roared:

"Your Majesty! Why go to such trouble!"

"Give me 30,000 iron cavalry, and I will immediately lead the troops to completely besiege Wu County in Kuaiji Commandery!"

"I don't care about the Xiang clan, I'll slaughter them all, leave no one alive!"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Immediately, a civil official stood up and loudly refuted:

"These remnants are no ordinary rebel bandits!"

"To evade capture, they have already broken up into smaller groups, often blending in and disguising themselves among ordinary people!"

"You're sending 30,000 troops to encircle and annihilate them, and you won't even find their main force!"

"Such a large-scale troop movement will surely alert the enemy and force them to act rashly!"

Upon hearing this, the other civil officials immediately echoed their agreement.

"That's right! If we send a large army to invade without distinguishing right from wrong, it will easily cause panic among the local people!"

"If we incite a popular uprising, it will play right into the hands of those traitors!"

"Then what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch them rebel right under our noses?"

"That's just reckless courage! This matter must be investigated discreetly, and we must proceed cautiously..."

The arguments between military officers and civil officials were intertwined, turning the once majestic Qilin Hall into a noisy marketplace.

Just then.

"That's enough!"

On the high dragon throne, Ying Zheng lowered his gaze slightly and uttered two words without any emotion.

The sound wasn't loud!

But in an instant, the ministers below, who had been arguing heatedly, fell silent.

Everyone's backs were instantly soaked with cold sweat as they realized just how rude they had been!

Instantly!

All the civil and military officials knelt down and prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We have behaved improperly before the palace; we deserve to die!"

Ying Zheng slowly withdrew his gaze and immediately gave the order:

"Since the remnants of the Chu state prefer to hide in the shadows, then we should deal with them using appropriate methods."

"Issue my decree!"

"Order Yu Miaoyan, the Black Ice Guard, to immediately select elite troops and go to Wu County, Kuaiji Prefecture, to thoroughly investigate this matter!"

"We must thoroughly investigate the Xiang clan's background and the location of their supplies and manpower; there must be no errors!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" The officials kowtowed loudly.

in the crowd.

Zong Yu, kneeling at the front, kept his head down, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

Become!

Once the Black Ice Police are deployed!

The first step of the plan has been successfully completed!

Zhang Fan, your death is fast approaching!

……

at the same time.

In the shadows of Xianyang City, at the Black Ice Terrace headquarters.

Yu Miaoyan has a slender figure and a cool, aloof face!

He was holding the newly delivered imperial edict in both hands, frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.

She stared wide-eyed at the contents of the imperial edict, her mind buzzing.

"what!"

"You want me... to investigate the remnants of the Chu state?"

"Are you investigating the supplies secretly stockpiled by the Xiang clan?"

Yu Miaoyan's lips twitched violently, and she felt completely numb.

Did something go wrong?

How could a weak woman (a top-tier assassin) take on such an absurd task?

The most important thing is!

The inside story of this matter!

Others might not know, but how could Yu Miaoyan not know?

Back in Changzi County, she personally watched Zhang Fan, that guy, get entangled with that Mi clan witch from the remnants of Chu!

The Mi clan's enchantress must also be related to the Xiang clan!

Moreover, she had already reported this matter to His Majesty in detail long ago!

Although they concealed the fact that the two had something inappropriate for children!

after all!

I am a woman!

How could I possibly say something like that?

His Majesty was clearly aware of the whole matter, and even tacitly approved it at the time.

"So what exactly does this imperial edict mean?"

Holding the imperial edict, Yu Miaoyan paced anxiously back and forth in the hall, feeling like her head was about to explode.

Since His Majesty already knew that the remnants of the Chu Kingdom had a close relationship with Zhang Fan!

Why send her to investigate so openly and publicly in the imperial court?

Who are they investigating?

Investigate the remnants of the Chu state?

Investigate Zhang Fan?

Or... investigate that Zong Yu?

"The emperor's will is unpredictable... truly, serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice..."

Yu Miaoyan rubbed her temples in distress and let out a long sigh.

Although I was completely bewildered...

I can't fathom what kind of grand scheme His Majesty is playing!

However, the Black Ice Guard's ironclad rule is absolute obedience; imperial orders cannot be disobeyed.

She took a deep breath, her eyes regaining their coldness and murderous intent.

"Someone come here!"

Yu Miaoyan gave a cold shout and put the imperial edict into her sleeve.

"Immediately mobilize three hundred elite Black Ice Guard troops, and have them all change into civilian clothes!"

"Target: Wu County, Kuaiji Commandery!"

"Let's go now!"