Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 173 Assassination

When Lu Shang arrived in Fancheng, he saw the Ye Mansion, which had been burned to ruins. The broken walls and embers were still rising and wisps of white smoke.

"Reporting to my lord, Ye Yu refused to surrender and burned his own mansion to the ground, destroying everything except for one woman whose whereabouts are unknown."

Lu Shang gave Pan Yue, who had just replied, a meaningful look. Why was he so skeptical?

"Where is the Prefect of Cangzhou?"

"Zhen Yuan resisted stubbornly and died in the chaos of battle. His son is still on the run. I have a plan to lure him into our trap!"

What plan?

“If Zhen Yuan’s body is hung on the city gate for all to see, Zhen E will surely come to steal the body.”

Lu Shang frowned, unable to hide his disgust. "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. Bury him. If he has the guts, he will come to the headquarters to assassinate me or contact his old subordinates to reclaim Cangzhou and atone for his crimes to Emperor Xuan. At that time, there will be a chance to deal with him. Otherwise, why bother with a mere brat?"

"Should Ye Mingzhu offer a reward for her capture?"

Lu Shang chuckled lightly, "I don't care about the young master of Cangzhou, so what trouble can a fifteen-year-old girl cause?"

Pan Yue, however, was still worried. "After all, Ye Mingzhu is the betrothed Crown Princess of Xuan Kingdom. If..."

“If she flees to Xuandu, someone will take care of her.” Lu Shang smiled meaningfully.

Pan Yue lowered his head in agreement, his eyes dark and unfathomable, and he made a mental note of it.

After the change of leadership, life had to go on for the people. After three days of cleanup and rectification, the streets slowly came back to life, and peddlers and laborers began to work hard for their livelihoods again.

A young man in coarse linen clothes mingled among the crowd, seemingly passing by the ruins of the Ye family mansion unintentionally. Only when he turned into a small alley and was alone did he dare to cover his mouth and shed tears.

Ye Mingzhu never imagined that her impulsive departure from home would lead to the destruction of her family and the separation of her from her loved ones within a few days. Her last meeting with her father and brothers was an argument, without a proper farewell.

Meanwhile, after Lu Shang took over the military and political affairs of Cangzhou, Pan Yue was also promoted to Sima. The Zhen family's mansion was not greatly damaged. After some minor repairs, Pan Yue moved into the Zhen mansion in a grand manner.

Those who knew the truth kept their distance and secretly spat, thinking, "What a petty person who has gotten away with this!"

A little beggar watched as Pan Yue strutting confidently into his new post, then turned from the street into a secluded house...

"boom--"

Zhen E slammed his fist on the table in anger, his eyes bloodshot and his teeth clenched, "How dare you, you scoundrel!"

On the day the Jing army attacked, Pan Yue gave false military intelligence, causing Zhen Yuan to make incorrect deployments. The young and passionate Zhen E immediately donned his armor and joined the army in the battle. However, Pan Yue took advantage of Zhen Yuan's unpreparedness to launch a sneak attack and kill him. The Cangzhou army was immediately leaderless and its morale collapsed. The Jing army took advantage of the situation to defeat them and, together with Pan Yue, easily captured Cangzhou.

Amidst the chaos of war, Zhen E was powerless to reverse the situation and could only lead his troops out of the encirclement to lie low for the time being.

"Young master, please calm down. The fact that we were able to disguise ourselves and infiltrate the city so easily is most likely the work of the traitor Pan, who intended to lure you into a trap!"

At this moment, Zhen E couldn't hear anything. "The hatred for killing my father is irreconcilable. I will take his head to appease the spirits of my father and my dead brothers in heaven!"

Ali opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more. His young master was impulsive and eccentric, and never listened to advice.

That night, relying on his familiarity with Fancheng, Zhen E evaded the city patrol guards, jumped onto the wall of the Zhen residence, and sneaked into the inner courtyard.

"Congratulations on your promotion to Sima, sir!"

"Hahaha~ Come, I've finally waited for this day, let's drink a big toast!"

Pan Yue was drinking and enjoying himself with his beautiful concubine in Zhen Yuansheng's former courtyard, while entertainers played music and danced.