My house was confiscated and I was exiled. I emptied the emperor's warehouse and fled.

Uncle Qin looked quite dissatisfied and glared at Qin Mu fiercely.

He frowned frequently when listening to Qin Mu's story just now.

These things happening outside shouldn't be told to Su Yunwan, a woman in the back house.

Now seeing that Su Yunwan was willing to give Qin Xinglang a lenient punishment, he thought that she was indeed too soft-hearted.

But what's wrong with Qin Mu? Why did he commit the taboo of being too soft-hearted?

Qin Mu saw his dissatisfaction and explained, "Qin Hongyi's status is not ordinary, and he has a backup plan. If we kill him now, my father's adopted sons will definitely feel disappointed and uneasy. They are now in important positions, which is not conducive to the stability and unity of Youzhou."

In fact, the dozen or so adopted sons of the former prince who were scattered across Youzhou were indeed in a panic and restless state when they heard about the rebellion of the side branch.

They had witnessed and even participated in the previous prince's harm to their ancestor's adopted son. Now the only three people who were included in the family could not escape either, and it was inevitable that they would feel sympathy for their own kind.

How will I be abandoned one day in the future?

This sense of crisis is growing day by day due to the instigation of people with ulterior motives.

A few days later, they received a transfer order jointly issued by Uncle Qin and Qin Mu: hurry and pack up to go to Youzhou Prefecture.

Everyone thought of the words "Hongmen Banquet" and "Single-Sword Meeting" at the same time.

However, even if the Qin family had the possibility of setting up a tight net to catch them all, everyone immediately began to arrange their official duties and set off as quickly as possible.

After everyone arrived, Qin Mu described the rebellious acts of those side branches in detail, and traced back to their premonitions many years ago.

No one at the meeting was surprised, and no one expressed any doubts.

As far as they knew, the struggle between those three men and their adoptive father began when their adoptive father was still the crown prince.

The ancestor advocated the spirit of the wolf and put his adopted sons and his biological sons to compete together.

Although the late prince was the eldest son, he not only did not receive any preferential treatment, but was treated even more harshly.

Whenever the former prince lost to his brothers in a martial arts competition or military deduction, he would be punished more harshly than others.

And Qin Hongyi is his strongest opponent.

The relationship between the two can be imagined.

Qin Mu carefully observed the expressions of the crowd, then told them about Qin Hongyi's backup plan, and pointed at the white paper on the table, saying, "These days, I believe there must be a reactionary voice around you. Now write down the list and give it to me."

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to start.

Uncle Qin swept the whole audience with a dignified look and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, if they are truly innocent, I will clear their name. But if they are Qin Hongyi's men, you will be guilty of harboring and conspiring, and will bring disaster to the entire clan. Weigh the consequences carefully!"

Everyone's heart sank, and they all grabbed their pens and started writing.

The content includes who said what, in what occasion, and their subjective judgment, no matter how big or small.

After finally finishing writing, several people were already sweating profusely, waiting for the final verdict.

Seeing that they were quite cooperative, Qin Mu took out the handwritten letter that Qin Junyi had left behind and circulated it among everyone.

In the letter, Qin Junyi expressed his gratitude for the contributions made by several uncles in the clan, and adopted a conciliatory strategy, hoping to eliminate past grievances and unite the entire clan to advance and retreat together.

But if his uncle launched a rebellion while he was on an expedition, he would deal with him according to clan rules and military law and make those involved get what they deserve.

Qin Junyi also emphasized that he has always employed people based on their talents. His father's status as his adopted son only helped to build the brotherly relationship between them and would not affect their official duties.

As long as they remain true to their original intentions, he will remain the same.

After reading the handwritten letter, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. While they felt relaxed, they also felt a sense of shame.

They should have known long ago that with the prince's broad mind and character, he would never do anything to harm others without reason.

Now they hold important local positions, which is enough to prove the prince's trust in them, but they came to the meeting with the tragic mentality of certain death, imagining that the prince is so despicable, they really deserve to die!

"I thought of someone else." A young man picked up a pen and paper with red eyes and started writing again.

Seeing this, the others all agreed: "We must not let go of any clues."

After saying that, some people fell into deep thought while others began to write, wishing they could show all their memories of the past few days to Uncle Qin and Qin Mu.

With everyone's unreserved cooperation, those who were hiding in the dark and stirring up trouble were quickly caught in one fell swoop.

Since then, the hidden dangers left by the rebellion have been completely eliminated.

On the other side, Qin Junyi led a large army and defeated the Northern Di army, making it retreat step by step, and it seemed that the country was about to be destroyed.

Finally, the King of Beidi could not bear the pressure and sent a letter to cede territory and seek peace.

In order to prevent the Zhou Dynasty from taking advantage of the situation, Qin Junyi did not want to fight and agreed to seek peace, but asked for changes in the conditions.

The grassland tribes lived wherever there was water and had no fixed place to live, so it was difficult for them to establish an effective administrative mechanism. Even if they gained territory, they could only continue to adopt the local tribal system and delegate direct rule to the tribesmen.

However, indirect rule cannot last long, and incorporation is doomed to fail.

As for long-term garrisons, due to the limitations of the grassland climate and environmental factors, it is impossible to open up land for military farming, and the troops can only rely on the transportation of food and fodder from the inland, which is extremely costly.

Qin Junyi did not want to cede land, but exchanged it for silver and war horses.

After some tug-of-war negotiations, the two sides reached an agreement.

Beidi paid a compensation of 10 million taels of silver and 100,000 war horses. Qin Junyi withdrew his troops and returned home.

As for the request of the Northern Di King to stop the war for ten years, Qin Junyi sneered: "How many years did the last ten-year ceasefire agreement work?"

The minister representing the King of Beidi blushed, but still argued: "That's different! Back then, the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty frequently mobilized troops and seemed to be attacking our country, so our king had to take the initiative."

Qin Junyi said in a resounding voice: "No matter how you argue, you can't wash away the evil behavior of the King of Beidi who broke his promise, tore up the contract and invaded the Great Zhou. He has no credibility in my eyes!"

What a joke! He and the King of Beidi are still in vengeance for murdering their fathers!

How is it possible to have a ten-year truce?

The King of Beidi also realized this and therefore did not hold out any hope.

Moreover, even if the two sides really signed a ten-year truce agreement.

He was able to unilaterally tear up the contract in the past, and Qin Junyi can do the same in the future!

The King of Beidi could only hope that the civil war in the Great Zhou would last as long as possible to give him time to recuperate.

Half a month later, the compensation and war horses arrived, and Qin Junyi returned home.