Wei Ci chuckled and said, “We are the same. How can anyone compare to Jing Rong when it comes to being evil?”

Comparing their ability to scheme and devise strategies, Wei Ci was honestly inferior to Yang Si. Moreover, their styles were also different.

Both had ugly hearts, but the difference was in whose heart was uglier.

Yang Si was depressed, his mood as dark as the crows in the sky. Wei Ci, the stupid, sly fox, dared to laugh at others for having an evil heart.

What about his dignity?

Overwhelmed with government affairs, Wei Ci and Yang Si were so busy that they had no time for anything else.

The prisoners of wars numbered over 40,000. Jiang Pengji needed to come up with a way to settle them down. If not, as time passed, things would change.

Following the earlier plan, some were dispatched to Fengyi County to do hard labor. The rest remained here.

Fengyi and Shangyang counties lacked manpower. Chengde County, which they just occupied, also had manpower issues.

After they conquered Chengde County, the matter of saving this country in dire straits must be prioritized.

From the high-ranking ones to the lower-ranked ones, everyone was as busy as bees.

Jiang Pengji assigned a special assignment to Wei Ci. It was neither extremely important nor was it an inconsequential matter.

“…Previously, we promised An Cui one-tenth of our wealth and servants. It is now time to fulfill that promise. The Red Lotus Group’s assets will require a few days to be accounted for. As for the prisoners of war…” She tabulated the number of war prisoners they’d captured during the battle, counting about 81,000 of them. Most of them were average citizens. Wei Ci would have to pick out 8,000 men to form an army as a gift to An Cui. “…Do as you deem fit.”

Wei Ci received the task respectfully.

During the afternoon of the fourth day, they conquered Quiyu County. An Cui and his sworn brothers exited their hideout.

“Big brother, Magistrate Liu has captured many prisoners of war. The least he can do is award us with 7,000 to 8,000 men. Will he be willing?”

The group of brothers had a deep discussion. There was much uncertainty in their hearts.

An Cui answered them calmly, “Even if he cannot bear to, he must give us our due. If Liu Xi doesn’t even have that extent of a magnanimous heart, he will not achieve much.”

The group of people reached Qiuyu County and were identified by the guards on patrol. When they made themselves known, Jiang Pengji came out to receive them personally.

“Young Brother Liu, I hope all has been well with you.”

A few of them, including An Cui, had stayed in the deep mountains for some days. They hadn’t had time to wash up and therefore appeared rather disheveled. If not for their unique aura, one might think that they were beggars. Compared to Jiang Pengji, who appeared “young and promising,” An Cui’s outward appearance was honestly quite unsightly.

An Cui’s sworn brothers kept silent as An Cui spoke.

“As your brother, I will speak directly. We came here intending to allow you, our virtuous brother, to fulfill your end of the promise.”

Instead of both sides hypocritically testing each other and exchanging blows, why not head directly to the other side and express one’s intentions for visiting?

Without any signs of frustration, Jiang Pengji answered, “Brother An, you came at the right time. I was about to send men to invite you over. Thanks to Brother An’s help, which enabled me to take down Chengde County so quickly, we captured a total of 81,0000 Red Lotus Group prisoners of war. Regarding the assets that were confiscated, the account book is here. Brother An, please check through it. Based on our agreement, we will give you one-tenth of the servants and assets. I will certainly not put Brother An at a disadvantage.”

She knew very well that she had been able to take down Chengde County so quickly because An Cui had played a big part in it.

Even if he hadn’t come personally to “collect the debt,” she would have sent someone to invite him.

An Cui received a thick account book. He was speechless with astonishment. This was perhaps the most extravagant account book he had ever seen.

The account book wasn’t bound together by bamboo slips. Instead, it was sewn together from bamboo-paper of equal sizes.

Such a fancy item like bamboo paper was unheard of in Dongqing. If it was resold to Nansheng, the value would increase further.

He flipped through a few pages, finding that the records were extremely detailed. Every account was meticulously recorded.

Jiang Pengji was so forthcoming that it made An Cui and his men seem rather petty.

Sensing this, An Cui did not meticulously flip through the entire account book. Quickly, he returned the thick book to Jiang Pengji.

“We will leave everything for our virtuous younger brother to arrange. Young Brother Liu is an upright person. What’s there that this foolish brother has to doubt?”

On the surface, he wore a pleasant smile. He made the atmosphere amicable again.

As the two talked, Wei Ci entered from outside the hall. The matter he reported was related to An Cui.

The 8,100 men that they intended to offer to An Cui had been chosen.

An Cui furrowed his brows slightly. His other sworn brothers also reacted to this. They looked at one another with dismay and felt like they were being cheated.

If they let Liu Xi choose for them, who knew if she had chosen soldiers who were aged, handicapped, and severely injured?

If they took these soldiers back, what use would they be?

As if she hadn’t caught the change in their facial expressions, she took the initiative to invite An Cui.

“Coincidentally, I am about to head over there. Why doesn’t Brother An accompany me over to have a look?”

He smiled reluctantly. “Your foolish brother will accept it graciously.”

When they reached the military drill ground, An Cui realized it was he who had measured the stature of a great man by the yardstick of a small man. All the prisoners of war Jiang Pengji had chosen for him had all four limbs intact, were of prime-age, and all seemed to have similar physiques. Although these men appeared rather lethargic, that could be attributed to them being defeated prisoners of war. They all felt hopeless and lost about their futures… Such an outcome was completely something An Cui never could have expected.

He cast his sights into the distance. With one look, he could tell that these prisoners of war had been painstakingly selected.

“Virtuous Brother Liu…”

An Cui didn’t know how to respond, he was too pleasantly surprised and overjoyed to find the words.

Amongst all the men, An Cui observed many of the Red Lotus group’s young cadre. They were significantly stronger than the average man.

If they were subjected to good training, they would certainly form an impressive army.

She stopped him from commenting. “It is good that Brother An is satisfied enough to prevent any conflicts that would be detrimental to our brotherhood.”

When Yang Si heard this, his expression became unsettled.

He held it back for a long time. Finally, he found an opportunity and secretly pulled Wei Ci to one side. He was almost seething with anger. “Wei Zixiao, did you receive any benefits from our enemies?”

Wei Ci was confounded. “Jing Rong, why do you say this? Since when does Ci side with the outsiders?”

Yang Si replied, “Then why did you choose these men for An Cui?”

Disregarding all else, all these young men had identical characteristics. Some even looked strong and muscular.

“Oh, you’re talking about that…” Wei Ci laughed as he continued, “The lord also approved of this, don’t worry. Please look beyond the superficial side of how good these people seem. Behind the scenes, they are not what they appear to be. Most of them are the Red Lotus Group’s loyal followers or small gang leaders who exploited the citizens and bullied their neighbors. They have committed many sins. If they remained with us, it would negatively influence the entire atmosphere in Wanzhou. We needed to give up on them.”

Most importantly, they were severely brainwashed by the Red Lotus Group’s religious doctrine. They were poisonous tumors and must not be kept close.

Yang Si was in shock. He was so astonished that he couldn’t speak.

Wei Ci narrowed his eyes and expressed his loyalty. “…I would rather sacrifice my flesh and blood, even give my life, before I would hurt my lord in any way in this lifetime… An Cui can still be made used of. If we use those old and frail troops to fool him, I’m afraid he will bear a grudge against my lord. However, if we offer these 8,000 young and strong men to him, he will not be able to see any problems and we will be able to make use of him a couple more times… Jing Rong, what are you looking at?”

With much effort, Yang Si regained his composure. He felt bizarre because of what Wei Ci had said.

His line of vision fell on Wei Ci’s back. Wei Ci was first confused, then he became anxious.

When he turned his head, he saw someone with an innocent look leaning against the wall further down the hallway.

Jiang Pengji wore an expression that said: “please continue your conversation, I am just admiring the scenery.”

Wei Ci was silent.

How long has she been eavesdropping on the conversation?

He rolled his eyes and looked at Yang Si.

Yang Si secretly shrugged. He was also very innocent as he had only just discovered her standing there.