ming from inside, clearly reprimanding the guards for their negligence.Ye Li raised her eyebrow in thought, recalling that the current commander of the Imperial Guard seemed to be Leng Haoyu’s elder b...161. Changing the General

161. Shu Mimi Jing's Changing of Generals

"This concubine is not afraid to burn Xi Yang, so I am also not afraid to kill a few more useless officials!"

The words caused everyone present to shake in shock, raising their heads abruptly to look at the young woman in blue attire before them. Her fair features were cold as ice, and her aura of killing intent seemed tangible, making their hearts chill with fear. Any remaining slight contempt vanished instantly. Sun Xingzhi's face first turned pale then flushed red. They had not yet received news from Xi Yang; they had only just received the message to welcome Ye Li at the city gates. Hearing that Ye Li burned down Xi Yang now caused them a great shock, but none of them wished to lose face in front of the officials and merchants of Hong Zhou City. After all, he was an important official appointed by the imperial court to oversee the Northwest region. In the Northwest, his rank was the highest.

Sun Xingzhi's complexion changed slightly as he said, "Princess Consort Ding! Xi Yang is the largest city in our Northwest. You burned it down without even consulting me, do you not have any regard for the imperial court or His Majesty"

Ye Li smiled faintly and replied, "Consult This concubine was indeed looking to consult someone. However... I wonder where Minister Sun was at that time"

"This...," Sun Xingzhi became somewhat flustered as he shifted his eyes, but quickly regained his composure and said firmly, "I am the governor of the Northwest; naturally, I cannot always be stationed in Xi Yang."

Ye Li mocked coldly, "But this concubine heard that Minister Sun left Xi Yang on the very first day it was breached. Do you know how many innocent civilians suffered and died then"

"This...," before he could reply, Ye Li continued, "Less than one in ten of Xi Yang's citizens survived; tens of thousands were killed or injured. As an official appointed to govern the Northwest, Minister Sun should have shared hardships with the people there. Why are you still alive when they died" Her words left Sun Xingzhi pale and green-faced as he finally noticed the icy killing intent emanating from those following Ye Li. He trembled inwardly, unwilling to say anything further. Qi Anrong hurried forward to say, "Princess Consort, please calm down. We kindly invite you to enter the city for a rest..." Ye Li glanced at him coolly, successfully silencing him before stepping towards the city gate. Zhuo Jing, who was following behind Ye Li, stopped in front of Qi Anrong and said coldly, "All officials should return to their duties; Princess Consort likely has no time to attend the welcome banquet." Finished speaking, he turned around to follow Ye Li into the city without minding Qi Anrong's expression.

Qi Anrong was taken aback, and somewhat at a loss as he looked at Sun Xingzhi. "Your Excellency Sun, this…"

Sun Xingzhi snorted lightly and said, "This northwest region still belongs to the emperor!" He then swept his sleeve and followed into the city.

After entering the city, however, the sight of Hongzhou left the officers of the Mo Family Army unable not to be enraged. The city could hardly be called peaceful, yet looking at the defenses and soldiers guarding it, no one could tell that this was a military force and fortress about to face an invasion by powerful enemies. The loose fortifications, and the lackadaisical attitude of both the soldiers and their officers made the generals following Ye Li behind her faces turn grim. It must be divine favor keeping Hongzhou from being taken over by Xi Ling people for now. Before they even reached the governor’s residence, Ye Li said coldly, "Bring me the commander of Hongzhou."

"Yes."

Upon entering the governor’s residence, a group of maidservants and slaves welcomed them immediately. A few elegantly dressed noblewomen, accompanied by equally adorned young ladies, came forward to greet Ye Li: "Your humble wife respectfully welcomes Lady Consort…" Glancing at them casually, Ye Li knew from the high rank of the clothes worn by the leading noblewoman that these were Sun Xingzhi and Qi Anrong’s wives. Originally, Governor Sun’s mansion was located in Xin Yang; after bringing his family to Hongzhou, he had been temporarily residing here. With some annoyance, she glanced at the bedecked women before waving her hand, "Take them away!" Then, without a word, she walked past the women frozen in place and towards the main hall.

The efficiency of the Mo Family Army’s operations was beyond question; by the time Ye Li and her entourage reached the governor’s residence main hall, the commander from Xin Yang had already been brought to the door. Glancing at him, Ye Li saw that he wasn’t among the people who welcomed them outside the city gate just now. Stepping into the main hall, she walked behind the desk and sat down; Sun Xingzhi and Qi Anrong followed in one after another. Seeing Ye Li seated high on the dais, Sun Xingzhi’s face changed slightly as he said, "Lady Consort, to treat a guest like this is no way for a host!" Ye Li frowned tightly; she was growing tired of this fearless man named Sun Xingzhi. Did he think that since she was someone close to Mo Jingqi, she wouldn’t dare do anything to him

"Your Excellency Sun, if there’s nothing else, please take a seat elsewhere first; I’ll chat with you after I’m done with my business," Ye Li said.

Sun Xingzhi was unhappy and said, "Lady Consort is but a woman. She should stay in the women's quarters managing matters for His Royal Highness and taking care of King Ding’s residence. Why does she now occupy an official position and even have people capture General Wang"

"Why not" Ye Li sneered coldly, "Because I am the highest commander of the Mo Family Army in the northwest right now."

Sun Xingzhi widened his eyes in disbelief and said, "You must be joking. The commander of the Mohist army would never be a woman. Even if you are Consort to King Ding… you have no authority to dictate orders in Hongzhou City!" Ye Li was too tired to pay him any more attention and nodded at Qin Feng. He understood her meaning and waved his hand; two guards stepped forward, grabbed Sun Xingzhi from both sides, and sat him down on a nearby chair. Despite being a scholar, Sun Xingzhi could not resist the strength of two young guards; he was immobilized. With anger in his eyes, he glared at Ye Li as she took a sip of tea and smiled lightly, "If you insist on disturbing this Consort’s business, don’t blame me for my rudeness towards an important official." Sun Xingzhi gritted his teeth and said, "This official will surely report to His Majesty about the King Ding王府!"

"Go ahead," she replied. Under such circumstances, did it really matter whether he reported or not Ye Li turned her gaze to another captured military officer beside Sun Xingzhi. "General Wang General Wang Duo, the governor of Hongzhou What is your relationship with Imperial Concubine Wang"

After struggling fruitlessly for a few moments, Wang Duo raised his head and glared at Ye Li, saying, "Imperial Concubine Wang is my cousin. What does Consort mean by this Let go of me! Don’t forget that I am the governor of Hongzhou."

Ye Li flipped through some documents on her table, tossed them casually onto the floor where they landed in front of Wang Duo and said, "From now on, you are no longer the governor. Take a look for yourself."

Wang Duo did not pick up the documents from the ground but angrily replied, "What does Consort mean by this My position was personally appointed by His Majesty; do you think it can be easily revoked based on your word alone" Ye Li smiled and held up a jade pendant. She said with a smile, "Then what about this By the decree of Emperor Taizu, in times of war, anyone holding the Yazi jade pendant granted to King Ding’s household may exercise command over all generals below the rank of Grand General of Chu. Or is it that you are not a general of Chu"

"That…" Wang Duo was well aware of this edict left behind by Emperor Taizu. Even though loyalist officers might not necessarily heed his words now, before His Majesty officially repealed the edict, they could only pretend to comply and would never dare to oppose him publicly.

Ye Li retracted her jade pendant and said to Feng Zhiyao, "Feng Three, I entrust Hongzhou’s defense to you." Feng Zhiyao smiled at Wang Duo who was in a daze before nodding. "I accept the order. I will immediately adjust the city’s defenses," he stated, then waved his hand and left with several generals following him.

Only when Feng Zhiyao had exited did Ye Li turn to look back at Wang Duo and Sun Xingzhi again, smiling brightly. "Alright, now that General Wang has been relieved of duty, what do you have to say" Wang Duo said resentfully, "The troops under my command will not follow a general who doesn’t hold a formal rank!" He was referring to Feng Zhiyao. Although Feng Zhiyao was acknowledged as the right-hand man of Yao Moxiu in the Mohist army, he didn’t have an official rank within it.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Whether they listen is a matter for General Feng; you don’t need to worry about that." Wang Duo snorted but had nothing else to say.

Turning her head sideways towards Sun Xingzhi, she asked with a smile, "Does Commissioner Sun have anything he wants to say"

Sun Xingzhi sneered and said coldly, "With Consort’s authority, how could this official dare speak up" Ye Li smiled slightly as she said, "Since you are afraid of speaking, then there’s no need for words. Commissioner Sun should rest assured in Hongzhou. When the war is over, I will send someone to escort you back to the capital. If unfortunately… Hongzhou falls, I will give you an opportunity to share the same fate as it." Upon hearing this, Sun Xingzhi’s face twisted with anger and he gritted his teeth. "Thank you, Consort!"

After sending off Sun Xingzhi and Wang Duo, only Qi Anrong remained in the hall, looking somewhat nervous as he looked at the woman seated above. With a fawning smile on his face, he said, “Dowager Consort…”

Ye Li looked at him with an ambiguous smile on her face, saying, "Magistrate Qi, you must be feeling very comfortable in your position as the governor of Hongzhou, no Even Lord Yu would envy you."

"No...no..." Qi Anrong said apologetically. Ye Li casually flipped through a dossier in her hand and said, "Been serving for six years, with over a million taels worth of property. One wife and twelve concubines, four sons and six daughters… No wonder people say three years as an official brings in ten thousand silver coins in bribes. You must have earned more than that this year, right"

"Dowager Consort... your subordinate, your subordinate…" Qi Anrong wiped his sweating forehead repeatedly. Ye Li casually threw the dossier to one side and said with a smile, "Magistrate Qi, there's no need for you to feel nervous. I don't have any interest in your property or family."

Hearing this, Qi Anrong’s eyes lit up as he looked at Ye Li expectantly. She lowered her gaze and said coolly, "We are about to go to war with Xi Ling…"

Qi Anrong quickly understood the situation and hurriedly said, "It is my duty to cooperate with Dowager Consort against the bandits of Xi Ling. Please give me your orders."

Ye Li raised her gaze, arched an eyebrow, and said with a smile, "Will this make things difficult for Magistrate Qi"

Qi Anrong smiled, saying, "Not at all! As long as Hongzhou is safe, isn't that beneficial to everyone Please give me your orders."

Ye Li nodded in satisfaction. "Very well, I won’t make things difficult for you either, but as long as Magistrate Qi manages Hongzhou well, the other matters will be taken care of by me."

"Your subordinate understands. Your subordinate will not disappoint Dowager Consort," Qi Anrong said.

“Good, then you may leave,” Ye Li said.

After sending off Qi Anrong, Zhuo Jing looked disdainfully at his retreating back and asked, "Dowager Consort, are you really letting this Qi Anrong off so easily"

Ye Li smiled coldly. "Letting him go That depends on whether he knows when to quit or not. We just arrived in Hongzhou; we can’t offend everyone at once." does the person who wrote this verse also experience struggles and pain like himThe next morning, the Western Capital army surprisingly did not resume its attack. Ye Li sat in her study sorting out v...