Chapter 456: Escorted to Beijing
Upon hearing this, the guards all responded respectfully, "Yes!"

The leader bowed slightly and smiled, "Please rest assured, Commander Lu, I will remember your instructions."

Then he flattered him, "Commander Lu is now the commander of the Shenwu Army and is quite trusted by Commander Xiang. We will have to rely on Commander Lu more in the future."

"I see how hard you all work, and I will tell you the truth in front of the commander, and explain how hard you all work."

Lu Qiyan did not refuse this kind of opportunity to sell something good.

Upon hearing this, the other party smiled happily, "Thank you, Commander Lu!"

As he spoke, he escorted Lu Qiyan out even more respectfully.

The two chatted and laughed all the way, but An Jingzhong's face was extremely gloomy as he walked into the house.

Lu Qiyan has been promoted from deputy commander to army commander?
Doesn't this mean he's taking over his position?
What is father going to do?
Could it be that you have given up on him?
No, not possible!
But the annoying Lu Qiyan actually took his position for himself...

An Jingzhong was angry and threw all the teapots and cups on the table to the ground.

The crashing sound was extremely loud, but everyone outside was used to it. Even Lu Qiyan and the guards continued to chat and laugh.

It was as if there was no such person as An Jingzhong here at all.

Lu Qiyan raised his eyebrows slightly, a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. After exchanging a few more words with the leader of the guards, he mounted his horse and headed towards the military camp.

An Leiting breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that everything had been settled.

Time is a wonderful thing. Anything touched by it, no matter how deep the mark is, will gradually become smooth without a sound.

Therefore, no matter how big An Jingzhong’s problem is, it is not a problem. As long as enough time passes, he can return to the military camp again.

By then, his temperament will have been tempered, and all the roads in the army will be paved very smoothly, and An Jingzhong will be able to have a smoother future.

Just when An Leiting was looking forward to better days in the future, an imperial decree came from the capital.

An Leiting had previously learned from his connections that the emperor approved of An Jingzhong's meritorious service in suppressing bandits. Even if he would not directly order his reinstatement, he would exempt him from responsibility for the previous incident involving military supplies and medicinal materials.

I have been worried about An Jingzhong's matter these days and have been unable to rest day or night. Now, finally, something good is going to happen.

An Leiting let out a sigh of relief and went to receive the order with joy in his heart.

But the content of the imperial edict made An Leiting stunned.

"An Jingzhong, the son of An Leiting, the commander of the Border Army, was previously convicted of embezzling military supplies and medicinal materials. He did not reflect enough and became even more ruthless. He killed a total of 253 people in Fengjiazhuang, Guojiazhuang, Huaishu Village, etc. in order to gain military merit. Now he has also killed Cui Wendong, the fifth son of the Cui family. This is a heinous crime. An Jingzhong will be immediately escorted to Beijing, imprisoned, and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial and punishment in accordance with the law. I decree this!"

After the imperial edict was read out, An Leiting's eyes went dark.

How?

How did the original reward become a punishment? The massacre of the villagers by An Jingzhong had been dealt with long ago, and even the village was razed to the ground. No outsiders would know about it. The people involved were all An's personal soldiers, and they would not spread the news. How did the emperor know about it?
As for the matter of An Jingzhong killing Cui Wendong, the Cui family has already given up on it. Why would the emperor pursue it to the end?

An Leiting's mind was full of questions, but also full of worries.

An Jingzhong was to be taken to the capital's prison, and the case would be tried by the Ministry of Justice. What about An Jingzhong's life...

When An Leiting thought that all his plans regarding An Jingzhong had come to nothing during this period, he felt a pain in his chest and almost couldn't breathe.

After swaying several times, he was finally supported by Zhuo Dingsheng, thus avoiding falling to the ground.

The one who came to announce the decree was the Doctor of the Ministry of Justice, Ren Daren. He ignored An Leiting's pain and squinted his eyes and said, "This is written by the emperor himself. I must take the prisoner An Jingzhong away immediately. The commander of Anxiang, please send him out now, so that I don't have to go and arrest him in person and cause a lot of discussion."

An Leiting did not respond immediately, but was quickly thinking of a countermeasure in his mind.

Lord Ren continued, "I advise the Commander of Anxiang not to have too many ideas, otherwise it will backfire and be very disadvantageous to the Commander of Anxiang."

"To be honest, Commander Anxiang, when I came from the capital, I heard the emperor say that if a son is not well educated, it is the fault of his father. An Jingzhong killed innocent people and took human lives lightly because Commander Anxiang, as a father, did not teach him well. Logically, Commander Anxiang should be guilty of the same crime as An Jingzhong."

"It's just that the emperor thought about the great military exploits and hard work of Commander Anxiang over the years, and that he had devoted all his energy to serving the country and the emperor, and that he inevitably neglected to discipline his children. Therefore, he did not pursue the crime of dereliction of duty as a father."

"But if the Anxiang Commander is too clever for his own good, the Emperor will be furious and his position will be in jeopardy."

This made a lot of sense. An Leiting's mind was as clear as a mirror, and he could tell what was important and what was not.

After a deep sigh, An Leiting gave up all his thoughts, respectfully received the imperial edict, kowtowed and apologized, "I have failed to educate my son properly, I am willing to accept the punishment."

Afterwards, he ordered Zhuo Dingsheng and Lu Qiyan to take Doctor Ren to see An Jingzhong.

He didn't want to go, nor did he dare to go.

I can't even imagine how sad and painful it was when An Jingzhong was taken away, screaming at the top of his lungs as his life and death hung in the balance, and how powerless he, as a father, was to do anything.

Doctor Ren curled his lips and bowed to An Leiting, "Commander An Xiang is of high character and integrity, which is admirable."

An Leiting no longer had the energy to pretend. He just bowed slightly, his expression as cold as ice in the coldest days of winter.

Doctor Ren didn't care. He just laughed and followed Zhuo Dingsheng and Lu Qiyan to capture An Jingzhong.

An Jingzhong was a proud person, and he felt depressed because he was being detained. He had been looking forward to leaving this place as soon as possible, but what he got was the imperial edict to escort him to the capital. His anger can be imagined.

Although Zhuo Dingsheng and Lu Qiyan were on guard, An Jingzhong still beat the guards in rage, snatched the sword, and slashed at Doctor Ren.

Fortunately, Lu Qiyan was quick-witted and hit An Jingzhong's wrist with a hidden weapon, thus saving Doctor Ren and avoiding a disaster.

Even so, Doctor Ren was still extremely angry and shouted, "The criminal An Jingzhong disobeyed the emperor's order and flouted the law. His crime is even more serious! When I return to the capital, I will definitely submit a memorial to inform the emperor of this matter!"