Huang An lowered his head and said quietly, “I heard it was Assistant Magistrate Qu Chao who reported it to Chang’an.”

Beigong Chun slammed the table hard, his face showing thin anger. “I said long ago that Qu Chao is narrow-minded and selfish. Our lord should have killed him early on.”

Huang An waited for him to finish venting, then asked, “General, what do we do? Do we continue staying in Chang’an waiting for news, or continue on to Yuzhou?”

Leaving at this time made Beigong Chun uneasy, so he prepared to stay.

His eyes showed fierce determination. “If they truly want to harm our lord, even if we must force our way through the checkpoint, we’ll return to Liangzhou.”

He didn’t dare force the checkpoint—first for the sake of the brothers he’d brought, and second because of Zhang Gui. He couldn’t implicate Zhang Gui in unrighteousness.

But if Zhang Gui were to be removed from office, then forcing the checkpoint would be preferable. If they rebelled, so be it.

Beigong Chun was becoming fierce, but before he could proceed to the next step, Registrar Yang Dan from the Office of the Inspector of Liangzhou rode swiftly to Chang’an. He didn’t look for Beigong Chun but went directly to find the Prince of Nanyang. In his presence, he directly cut off his own ear with a blade, placed it on a plate, and presented it to the Prince of Nanyang, appealing: “Great Prince, Inspector Zhang has been framed. Though he fell ill, it’s not serious. Recently he’s still been able to handle government affairs. How could it reach the point of replacing the inspector?”

He also said, “Inspector Zhang is diligent in governing and loves the people. The people of Liangzhou all view him as a parent. He has been utterly loyal to his superiors. The court has faced difficulties several times, and he has given his all to assist. If the court replaces the inspector because of one minor illness, wouldn’t this break the hearts of all loyal officials in the realm?”

The Prince of Nanyang was frightened by his actions, his face somewhat pale. His advisor also said, “Your Highness, if even a registrar from Liangzhou is so resolute, if we truly replace Zhang Gui, I fear the Liangzhou army will become restless. The Xianbei already covet our Central Plains with predatory intent. Once we lose the Liangzhou army’s restraint, Chang’an will face the Xianbei threat directly.”

“Why not advise the court to temporarily not replace the inspector and let them struggle among themselves? Whoever wins, we’ll confer the title on them.”

The Prince of Nanyang thought about it and agreed. So he reluctantly softened his expression and said to Yang Dan, “Registrar Yang, please rise. I understand this matter and will memorialize the court.”

He sighed. “I truly didn’t expect there to be so much internal intrigue, with Inspector Zhang being harmed by treacherous people. I will certainly report this to the court and give Inspector Zhang his due.”

Only then did Yang Dan relax. He then went down to bandage his wound, with half his face bloody.

When Beigong Chun learned of this, he immediately went to see him.

Yang Dan had already wrapped up his ear and was leaning against the bed with a pale face. Seeing Beigong Chun, his eyes immediately reddened, and he tried to get up to perform the courtesy.

Beigong Chun quickly stepped forward two paces and pressed him down, also very distressed. “You—why go to such lengths?”

Yang Dan pursed his lips. “Liangzhou is in crisis. Without this strategy, I might not even have been able to see the Prince of Nanyang, let alone persuade him.”

Beigong Chun hurriedly asked, “How is our lord’s health?”

Yang Dan said, “He’s already improved. Previously it was an acute illness—he lay in bed unable to move. But his will is firm, and with the physician using medicine properly, he can now get out of bed.”

His face showed thin anger. “Though the Inspector fell ill, the Young Master is there, and Liangzhou affairs haven’t gone wrong. But Qu Chao betrayed the Inspector, colluding with outsiders to frame him.”

“As long as he’s improved, that’s good.” Beigong Chun said. “The court still needs Liangzhou to resist the Xianbei—they wouldn’t dare greatly offend the Liangzhou army.”

Yang Dan touched the gauze on his head and nodded slightly. He thought the same.

Looking at Beigong Chun again, he felt somewhat sad and momentarily fell silent.

Beigong Chun also fell silent. With Liangzhou in such difficulty now, how could he mention returning to Xiliang?

Yang Dan couldn’t bring himself to speak either. He naturally knew Beigong Chun had been seeking ways to return to Xiliang. Before falling ill, the Inspector had also been trying to find solutions, but now with Xiliang in a difficult position, they couldn’t afford to antagonize the court further and simply couldn’t speak up.

With Beigong Chun’s wholehearted loyalty, Xiliang probably couldn’t repay him.

The two sat facing each other in silence. Beigong Chun understood Yang Dan and Xiliang’s difficulty, and Yang Dan comprehended Beigong Chun’s consideration. Their eyes met, and Beigong Chun forced a smile, standing up. “You’re injured and shouldn’t travel anymore. Rest first. I need to return to the military camp to check on those mischievous youngsters.”

Yang Dan responded with difficulty. Just as Beigong Chun was about to walk out the door, he hurriedly called out, “General, Chang’an is not a place for long residence. You can… seek temporary shelter elsewhere.”

Beigong Chun stood with his back to Yang Dan, his eyes red-rimmed. He forcefully held back his tears but couldn’t suppress the catch in his voice. “Very well.”

With that, he strode away with large steps.

Yang Dan’s tears fell instantly, streaming down his face, his heart aching terribly.

Huang An was waiting outside the hostel. Seeing Beigong Chun walking toward him with a dark expression and large strides, he hurried forward in a small run. “General, how is Registrar Yang?”

“He’s fine.” Beigong Chun mounted his horse and, leading Huang An, returned to their quarters. Once inside, he said, “Prepare, prepare. Once Registrar Yang leaves, we’re going to Yuzhou.”

Huang An was stunned and asked, “Why are we going to Yuzhou? Can’t we return to Liangzhou with Registrar Yang?”

Beigong Chun shook his head. “The Prince of Nanyang has already agreed not to replace the Inspector of Liangzhou, but they haven’t dealt with those who framed our lord. Clearly they want to sit back and watch the tigers fight. At this time, they won’t let us return.”

With Beigong Chun in hand, Zhang Gui would become even more formidable, like a tiger with wings. Whether it was Chang’an and Luoyang, or the opposition faction to Zhang Gui in Liangzhou, they would all do their utmost to prevent him from returning.

And Zhang Gui was currently struggling to protect himself—clearly he couldn’t help. The return journey seemed endless…

Chang’an truly wasn’t a place for long residence. Besides here, after calculating all the places Beigong Chun had traveled these past two years, only Zhao Hanzhang remained as someone he could turn to. Otherwise, he could only lead the Xiliang army to become bandits.

This… was absolutely unacceptable!

Historically, Beigong Chun probably had to surrender to Liu Cong ultimately precisely because of this. But now, he had a second choice.

Registrar Yang was worried about the situation in Liangzhou. Though he’d cut off one ear, he only rested for two days before setting out to leave.

The moment Yang Dan left, Beigong Chun led his men out of the city, ostensibly to collect grain and supplies, then led the Xiliang army straight toward Yuzhou at a gallop. They were gone.

Wu Erlang, traveling with them, was so excited his face turned red. He dispatched guards ahead to notify Zhao Hanzhang.

The group had only just left Chang’an when they encountered Geng Rong, who was bringing money and gifts.

Hearing that Geng Rong had brought money to Chang’an specifically to clear connections for his passage, Beigong Chun was stunned. Seeing Geng Rong, he asked, “Miss Zhao said she would help me clear connections to leave?”

“Yes.” Geng Rong said, “Our lord said that rarely does anyone in this world not love wealth. She told us to just throw money at the problem—we’d eventually be able to break through a path for the general.”

Beigong Chun stood dazed for a good while, then began to laugh. His laughter grew louder and louder until finally he threw back his head and laughed heartily for some time. “Excellent!”

He shouted loudly, “She has shown me such consideration—I will certainly not fail her. Men, follow me to Yuzhou to establish great achievements!”

The Xiliang army roared in unison in response.

The Xiliang army had always felt they were forced by necessity to choose Yuzhou and Zhao Hanzhang, but at this moment, their dejected spirit vanished completely.

So what if they couldn’t return to Xiliang?

In Yuzhou, they could equally establish great achievements.

Beigong Chun directly ordered a forced march. “Reach Yuzhou within three days!”

“Yes!”