“Little brother, continue to work like this. If you don't understand something, ask Father. If Father is tired, come and ask me. Your brother is here now, and I'll help you as much as I can.

After all, I'm still a member of the Sun family.”

After all… I've already despaired.

Sun Ying leaned his head against the door panel. He would never forget the day that man barged into the Sun residence and trampled his dignity so thoroughly.

He used to disdain and even despise those who felt powerless and thus engaged in petty schemes. But the problem was that after he struggled and fought hard, he received the exact same feedback, the exact same ending.

Perhaps,

This is fate.

The national strength of Yan is like this, the luck of the Marquis of Pingxi is like this?

“Brother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing this time. I'll never make decisions on my own again. Besides, I wouldn't dare. Brother, you should say good things to Father, and I'll help you too. You still have a wife, children, and descendants. How can you stay here forever?”

“Whether I can come out isn't up to Father. Just do your job well. When the time comes, I'll be able to come out. Actually, it doesn't make much difference whether I come out or not. Anyway, there's food and drink here.

Also, there's something I want to remind you of, little brother.”

“Brother, tell me.”

“The matters of the Prince's Residence, our Sun family, must not get involved in.”

“How would I dare to?”

“I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about our father. He seems to have taken things lightly, but he can sit back and watch the remnants of the former Da Cheng Kingdom… Heh, remnants, they're already declining. But who knows, when he sees the Prince Cheng's Residence about to collapse, Father might be swayed by old feelings. At that time, Father might act impulsively and not even care about the safety of our Sun family.”

“Ah, how could that be…”

“Nothing is impossible. Father seems indifferent, but in his bones, he still has that persistence. That's why you need to use some of the servants in the mansion, some of the useful subordinates, and even some of my people. You can use them to keep a close eye on the family and, appropriately, keep an eye on Father.

When that time really comes, you'll have to stop Father.”

“Can… can I do it?”

“What can't you do? I'm a useless person. Isn't the future of the Sun family still going to depend on you? Besides, Father is old, and the servants all understand.”

“I know, I know.”

“Actually, our Sun family is considered to be in a good situation. Father can retire whenever he wants, but the Prince's Residence, no matter how it retreats, it's still there. Heh, if the people in the Prince's Residence can calmly accept this situation, then that's fine. The Yan people still need them to set up a facade for the rulers of Chu, Qian, and those small countries to see.

But the problem is that they can't live in peace.”

“Brother, the Prince is still young, how could he…”

“The Prince is still young, but the people around the Prince are not young. In the past, they looked down on me, but now, I look down on them. There's something I'm going to tell you now, but don't tell Father.”

Sun Liang immediately looked around nervously.

Sun Ying, separated by the door panel, sighed again helplessly,

And said:

“Tell them to step back.”

“Step back, all of you step back! I have more to say to my brother!” Sun Liang shouted.

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

“Brother, is it alright now?”

Sun Ying looked at the servant who had carried him out earlier. The servant nodded, indicating that the guards had retreated.

“Little brother, do you know why I said you were smart earlier?”

“I… I don't know. I know that I've been dull since I was a child, not even a fraction as good as my brother…”

“In this world, those who don't think they're smart are already smarter than more than ninety percent of the smart people. It's important for people to know themselves.”

“Thank you, brother… for the praise.”

“Some people just don't know themselves. It's fine if they're not content, it's normal for them not to be content. I even think that the Yan court can allow our Prince's Residence to be restless to a limited extent. After all, even the soundest sleeper will inevitably turn over, right?

But the problem is that we're Jin people. The distinction between Yan and Jin will only completely disappear after at least two generations.

In these two generations, we have to keep our heads down and our backs bent. This is our duty, understand?”

“I understand, brother.”

“No, some people have forgotten their duty. They don't dare to stand up straight and reach out for things themselves. Instead, they're kneeling on the ground, but they like to twist their necks and interfere in other people's affairs.

They don't even know,

Aside from that layer of glittering identity,

What are they?

Are they even worthy?”

“Brother, are you talking about…”

Sun Ying took a breath,

And said:

“Don't tell Father about this. I think I understand now, I won't compete anymore. I can't win anyway. I only hope that the Yan people won't really be like the Chu people and create something like slaves. At least, give us some face.”

“Brother, I don't quite understand?”

“Understand? I'll explain it to you clearly. Someone in the Prince's Residence has made contact with people in Yanjing. They're dreaming, dreaming that one day they can fly up, but they don't know that in the eyes of those pulling the strings, the Prince's Residence is just a toy.

This matter,

You hide it from Father and find an opportunity to tell the Marquis of Pingxi.”

“Brother…” Sun Liang panicked.

“What's wrong?”

“If I go and tell him, wouldn't we also be interfering in other people's affairs?”

“Heh, alas, heh…”

Sun Ying, behind the door panel, laughed for real this time, with tears in his laughter,

And said:

“Although the Marquis caused me to be in such a miserable state,

This time,

I'm really betting that the Marquis of Pingxi has a hard life,

Betting that the future of Jidong,

Will be his Marquis's Residence's territory!”

…………

Ran Min rode his horse, leading all the armored soldiers of the Twelve Divisions of the City Patrol Department, and marched mightily towards the Prince's Residence.

The Yan people's rule over Jin territory, especially over important cities, emphasized inner strength and outer weakness.

Any decent city would have military garrisons stationed outside it. Usually, the military numbers were equal, like Yingdu City, with two Jin camps and two Yan camps at the four gates. But in reality, the number of Jin soldiers was two to three times that of the Yan soldiers.

However, within the inner city, the City Patrol Department, a series of agencies that originally belonged to the public security system, was almost entirely staffed by Yan people. Even if they absorbed some Jin people, they were all those who had surrendered to Yan early on and were thus their own people.

Therefore, this made the City Patrol Department, which was only equivalent to yamen runners in Yan territory, have first-class weapons and equipment in Jin territory.

Ran Min was now the Commandant of the City Patrol Department. According to the Yan people's system of different ranks for the same position, his current rank was actually not inferior to those outside commanding officers.

This difference in rank for the same position was equivalent to the difference between the Caravan Escort Colonel in Tiger Head City and the Gate Guard Colonel in Yanjing City.

Once upon a time,

Ran Min was a criminal who had committed murder. In the county yamen of Nan'an County, he drank and sang with that constable named Yan Xiaoliu.

If the Great Yan had not been conquering foreign lands at that time, and he had been drafted into the penal labor camp, he might have been beheaded at that time.

He should have been assigned to Sheng Le City, but by a twist of fate, he was temporarily assigned to the civilian labor camp. Then, he fought his way up, from civilian laborer to auxiliary soldier, then from auxiliary soldier to regular soldier, then to squad leader and platoon leader. After that, he was appreciated by Mao Mingcai and obtained an official position.

Two years of management,

Plus the dike breaching he led last year in Wangjiang, the job was done so cleanly and beautifully that he now had the rank of Commandant of the City Patrol Department.

He had fallen before, but he had always gotten back up.

If you didn't look at the Marquis of Pingxi, who was rising so rapidly, then Ran Min was actually a true grassroots success story.

Now,

He was leading his troops,

And had arrived in front of the Prince Cheng's Residence.

The new Prefect Xu Wenzu had already moved into the Prefect's Residence.

Prince Cheng Situ Yu, who shouldn't have come out but had, had also returned to his Prince's Residence.

Ran Min waited for a while.

He knew that the Prince's Residence wouldn't tie up its own guards and hand them over to the City Patrol Department;

First, if the guards were tied up, who would do the tying?

Second, the Prince's Residence couldn't do such a thing itself. It would be tantamount to cutting off its own wrists, isolating itself from the outside world.

But,

When it was time to wait, he still had to wait.

When the time came,

Ran Min came.

The soldiers of the Yingdu City Patrol Department were not only well-equipped, but they also had some siege equipment.

Ran Min ordered people to push forward two small battering rams. At the same time, there were also heavy weapons such as ballistae, all lined up.

The transition of new and old superiors,

He, as a confidant of the previous dynasty, was actually in the most awkward position, but it often meant new opportunities.

With his good sense of smell, he had already sensed that Xu Wenzu was not someone who would smooth things over. If the superior was impatient, then the subordinates had to quickly sharpen their knives. The more people the knife killed, the better the job was done, the greater your chances of advancement would be.

As for the saying "when the birds are gone, the good bow is stored away," that was a matter for later. He needed to climb to that position first.

The gate of the Prince's Residence wasn't tightly closed. Several rows of guards stood at the entrance. When the soldiers of the City Patrol Department pressed forward, the guards drew their swords and formed a line.

Ran Min, riding his horse, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

He didn't really enjoy the pleasure that power brought.

What he really liked,

Was the joy of trampling everything that was once noble, sacred, and invincible under his feet.

Oh,

The Prince's Residence,

The former imperial palace of the Da Cheng Kingdom,

In the past few years,

They were real crown princes, princes, and grandsons.

But no matter how he reacted in his heart, Ran Min's expression remained calm. He was a straightforward person who liked to make friends and had a high reputation among his subordinates. But because he always had a stern face when he was on official business, he had the nickname "Cold-Faced Commandant."

Ran Min knew that there were definitely many eyes watching here, to see if the new Prefect's knife was really as sharp as he said it was.

However, Ran Min didn't care about what others thought. He only needed to show it to Xu Wenzu now.

Straightening his back,

Ran Min said:

“The Prince's Residence guards have failed in their duty. Now, according to the registered establishment of the Prince's Residence guards, all of them are to be arrested.”

As he said that,

Ran Min stretched out his hand, pointing at the guards in front,

“If you surrender now, only one of you will die. Anyone who dares to resist will be charged with treason and their entire family will be implicated!

If you're a real man, then put down your swords yourself. Of course, you can choose not to. My brothers haven't had fun in a long time. Maybe your female relatives all have delicate skin and tender flesh, and even some of your mothers have the scent of powder on them;

Brothers,

We don't mind,

Anyway,

It's up to you,

It all depends on whether you're willing to give us a chance to taste some new meat!”

After speaking,

Ran Min raised his hand,

And all the archers immediately prepared.

“Clang!”

The guards dropped their swords.

They were actually very confused because the person in charge of the Prince's Residence hadn't come forward.

They weren't afraid of death,

Because they had a choice back then. They could have joined the army to earn military merits or been arranged to go to other places. They were originally guards inherited from the palace. No matter where they went, it would have been very easy back then;

But they chose to stay, to stay in this declining Prince's Residence, to continue to be loyal.

If Prince Cheng came forward at this time,

No,

Even if just a steward came forward and shouted, "Kill," they would definitely charge out.

But the problem was, there was no one.

In this situation, they had to consider their wives, children, and parents.

Ran Min waved his hand, and a group of City Patrol Department soldiers stepped forward to tie up these guards.

These people were actually very skilled. If they really fought, the scene would definitely not be pretty. It was just a pity that they had followed the wrong master.

Who told your master not to listen and run out again in violation of the Marquis's orders?

“Enter the residence and arrest people!”

“Yes!”

The soldiers rushed into the Prince's Residence. Perhaps they had been informed in advance, so the scene of palace maids and eunuchs screaming and running around didn't happen as expected.

Ran Min dismounted and led his soldiers forward.

At this time,

A furious shout came,

“Impudence!”

The Queen Mother, dressed in luxurious clothes, walked out slowly from behind, supported by maids.

Several eunuchs in front held up a canopy for her, while those behind her pulled her skirt.

She had once been a proper empress. Putting aside everything else, this aura of hers, when properly groomed, was really no less than Xiong Liqing's.

It was just that,

The Regent Prince behind the princess was powerful, and no matter what, he had managed to prop up the Chu Kingdom again. But the Da Cheng Kingdom was already a thing of the past, so the grandeur was grandeur, but it ultimately had a hint of forced pretense.

“I want to see who dares to be impudent in the residence. I also want to ask His Majesty the Emperor of Great Yan if the late Emperor of my Cheng Kingdom entrusted Cheng Kingdom to him incorrectly!

Could it be that my orphans and widow,

Have to suffer such bullying!”

For a moment, the City Patrol Department soldiers didn't dare to continue forward and all turned back to look at their Commandant.

Ran Min smiled,

Signaled his subordinates to move aside,

And walked forward himself,

Kneeling down:

“Subordinate Ran Min, Commandant of the City Patrol Department, pays respects to the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother be blessed!”

The Queen Mother lowered her eyes slightly,

And said with a snort:

“Commandant of the City Patrol Department, what great prestige you have.”

“Subordinate wouldn't dare. Subordinate is only acting on orders. The Prince's Residence guards have been ineffective in protecting the safety of the Prince and the Queen Mother, and they should be punished!”

“The guards of the Prince's Residence are my own slaves. How can I allow you, a mere Commandant, to come to my door to arrest people!”

Ran Min was neither arrogant nor humble,

And shouted:

“Responding to the Queen Mother, Ran Min is indeed a mere Commandant, but Ran Min is loyal to Great Yan, loyal to the court, and loyal to His Majesty. Ran Min is willing to be the hawk and hound of Great Yan, willing to be His Majesty's hawk and hound!”

“You……”

What Ran Min meant was,

Yes,

The guards are your own slaves,

But don't forget,

Your entire Prince's Residence now,

Are also the dogs of the Yan Emperor!

Everyone is a dog, who do you look down on?

It had to be said that in this era, the Yan people's self-confidence was extremely inflated. There was no way around it. The barbarians had been suppressed by them for a hundred years. Immediately afterwards, they had reached the capital of the Qian Kingdom, the Three Jin had been destroyed by them, the savages had been beaten by them, and the capital of the Chu Kingdom had even been burned by them.

The Great Yan Iron Cavalry had swept across the world,

So how could they not be inflated?

It was impossible for the Great Yan Iron Cavalry to keep winning battles abroad, but when their own people faced people from other countries, they would bow and scrape and willingly be inferior, right?

There was no such logic in this world.

When Mao Mingcai was in office, he used a way of smoothing things over to cover up or bridge the contradictions between Yan and Jin, but in their bones, the Yan people really looked down on the Jin people.

“Good, good.”

The Queen Mother pointed to the pillar beside her,

“Believe it or not, I'll crash my head against it right here,

I want the world to see,

How you Yan people are bullying our orphans and widow,

I will definitely make His Majesty the Yan Emperor remember,

The words in the edict that were read at the late Emperor's state funeral!

I also want to ask you, this little Commandant of the City Patrol Department,

Whether your little shoulders,

Can bear this responsibility!”

Ran Min was kneeling on the ground,

His head lowered,

But in his heart,

He was really laughing heartily.

Stupid woman, what a really stupid woman.

She had once been the master of the inner palace, and now she was the master of the inner residence of the Prince's Residence, but apart from the things associated with her status, she herself was actually useless.

She was even less useful,

Than that Taohong that he had summoned to his red tent a few days ago.

That girl knew what she had to do to keep the guest and get the reward money, how to please the guest to achieve her goals.

But this woman,

Was she angry?

She was actually just trying to vent her anger at this time?

Ran Min, who had already been immersed in the officialdom, couldn't help but shake his head in his heart.

What good was it to threaten a mere Commandant like me?

Besides,

She had actually spoken out her grievances so directly, instead of just thinking about them in her heart.

Did she really think this was still the world of the Da Cheng Kingdom?

Did she really think Situ Lei was still alive?

Did she really think that His Majesty the Emperor of Great Yan was a good-natured and gentle person?

As a subject,

He understood the principle that if the ruler wanted the subject to die, the subject had to die.

How dare she be so openly disrespectful to His Majesty, have grievances against the Son of Heaven, and dare to use affection to coerce the Son of Heaven,

Hahahaha,

With all that fine food and clothing, and beautiful makeup,

Couldn't she feed her own brain?

In the morning, after receiving the order from Xu Wenzu, Ran Min had actually been thinking, thinking about the situation he would encounter and the way he needed to deal with it.

But he really hadn't expected,

That things,

Would be so simple.

What Ran Min was most afraid of, or rather, what the Yan officials in Yingdu, including the former Prefect Mao Mingcai and the current Prefect Xu Wenzu, were most afraid of was that when things came to this point,

The Queen Mother and the Prince Cheng, mother and son, would kneel there,

Sobbing softly,

Cooperating fully,

Without the slightest complaint,

While also shouting that the thunder and rain were all the grace of the ruler.

Not fighting, not complaining, not hating, not resenting, being completely compliant, thoroughly letting go, that was the real control.

Situ Lei had left behind a large amount of goodwill,

But goodwill,

Emphasized imperceptible influence, understanding in the heart,

But shouting it out loud,

Would only make people feel disgusted.

Heh,

Ran Min reached out and took off his saber, throwing it on the ground.

“Bold, how dare you…” The Queen Mother took two steps back in fright.

Ran Min pointed very calmly at the saber he had thrown on the ground,

Lifted his head,

And looked at the Queen Mother very frankly,

And said:

“This subordinate knows that if anything unexpected happens to the Queen Mother, any mishap, it would be this subordinate's great crime and mistake, one that I cannot escape.

Therefore,

If the Queen Mother is really determined to crash herself against this pillar,

Then,

This subordinate will immediately draw his sword and commit suicide, without any delay!”

After speaking,

Ran Min drew his sword,

Placed it on his neck,

And looked coldly at the Queen Mother,

Even,

Tilting his head slightly,

Meaning:

“Please, I'm waiting to commit suicide!”

“……” The Queen Mother.