Even hearing the Regent's name, the person on the bed merely turned over and continued to embrace his concubine, asleep.
Lord Luo had held the position of Fengdu Prefect for several years, and he was promoted from the local officials after the young emperor ascended the throne.
Lord Luo had spent his entire life in Fengdu, never once visiting the capital, which led him to have no impression of Xiao Wangye.
He was also aware of the Regent's plan to return to his fiefdom, but no order had been issued.
In his opinion, a prince who lived a life of pampered luxury in the capital, with no real power and no achievements, could not accomplish anything significant.
He was merely a prince without power or influence. As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake; Lord Luo truly did not take him seriously.
Arriving in Fengdu at midnight, he paid no mind to the matter and continued to sleep, preparing to wear down the other party.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wangye and his entourage had settled into the prefectural office. Although it was empty, they could at least rest.
Ye Qingcheng had been seated for about half an hour when Xiao Wangye had turned the entire prefectural office upside down, discovering that all the necessary items were still prepared, though it seemed no one had been there for a long time.
Returning to the main hall, Xiao Wangye frowned as he looked at the deserted doorway in the chilly autumn wind.
Logically, when he, the prince enfeoffed to Fengdu City, arrived at his fiefdom, all local officials, high and low, should have come to pay their respects. Why was there no one after such a long time?
It wasn't just the prefect; all other officials were also shrewd. Seeing their superiors making no move, they naturally wouldn't be the first to act and stayed obediently in their own residences.
Recalling the tragic state of the city, Xiao Wangye secretly assumed that the local officials were too busy to attend to him, the prince who had suddenly arrived.
Tilting his head slightly, he spoke to the soldier who had led them there earlier:
"Go and send someone to urge them again. Let the local prefect and others come to see this king as soon as possible."
The soldier accepted the order and called for a few of his accompanying brothers to rush to the residences of the various lords.
These soldiers were minor figures and had no idea about the calculations in the officials' minds, so they could only go to their residences one by one to announce their arrival.
The result was predictable. Another round of excuses and disregard. Instead, they detained the urging soldiers, none of whom returned.
They had arrived at the gates of Fengdu City close to midnight. After some commotion and waiting, it was almost the end of the Chou hour.
The journey, which had been a non-stop rush, was inherently tiring. Ye Qingcheng was now sitting on a chair, nodding off intermittently, her head bobbing.
Xiao Wangye was fine; as a martial artist, he was not so delicate. But seeing Ye Qingcheng so exhausted, he felt a pang of concern.
He then looked towards the doorway, still deserted.
At this point, what else could he not understand?
It was simply that these officials wanted to show him some deference.
Immediately, Xiao Wangye's face darkened, and an aura of anger gathered around him.
He had initially thought that these officials were busy handling city affairs and had been delayed, unable to come.
Now, with no one even sending a reply, it was clear that they intended to show off to him, the prince, and give him a taste of their authority.
In the capital, he still had to consider the young emperor. Now that he was in his own fiefdom, how could he possibly endure this meekly?
With that thought, Xiao Wangye stood up, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, perk up!"
The somewhat drowsy guards immediately straightened up and looked at him spiritedly.
Ye Qingcheng, still groggy, instinctively followed behind Xiao Wangye, her mind a complete blur.
Fortunately, Xiao Wangye held her hand, preventing her from falling behind.
At Xiao Wangye's request, the soldiers led them towards the residence of Prefect Luo.
All the guards from the carriage procession followed behind as per Xiao Wangye's instructions.
The carriages and their provisions were left at the prefectural office, with a few people assigned to guard them.
The group walked along the road, a rather impressive sight. However, it was the middle of the night, and the main street had been deliberately cleared by Lord Luo's men, with no one in sight.
"Your Highness, this is Lord Luo's residence."
The leading soldier pointed towards the mansion for Xiao Wangye. He slowly stepped aside, revealing a rather grand mansion.
While this mansion was a few tiers lower than Xiao Wangye's royal mansion, not a single official of the same fifth rank in the capital dared to build such a large residence.
Seeing that the vermillion-lacquered main gate and the surrounding walls were all new, he wondered how much the common people's blood and sweat had been squeezed to build it!
Xiao Wangye's anger grew with every thought. He glared at the main gate with sharp eyes and shouted, "Guards, break open this gate for me!"
Behind him, three people immediately responded and strode towards the main gate with fierce momentum.
The guards accompanying Xiao Wangye were all skilled in martial arts, and breaking open a gate was not a problem for them.
With a "bang," the tightly locked main gate was kicked open, revealing a dark interior.
The entire Luo mansion had already gone to sleep. Suddenly hearing a loud noise, they were all startled awake to investigate.
Xiao Wangye led the way into the Luo mansion, his imposing presence making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him. The servants of the Luo mansion could only avoid them.
Behind him, the guards drew the swords from their waists, their faces stern as they surveyed the crowd. If anyone dared to step forward to stop them, they would certainly attack.
Where had these low-ranking servants ever seen such a display?
They all huddled to the sides, not daring to breathe, staring at them blankly.
Suddenly attacked, Lord Luo, who had been sleeping soundly in his bed, was also startled awake. With the help of his concubine, he quickly dressed and walked out.
Upon seeing a group of people with weapons charging into his mansion, Lord Luo panicked for a moment and quickly called for protection.
The mansion still had some guards, but their presence was far inferior to that of Xiao Wangye's guards, who had truly killed and seen blood.
"You are Luo Qin Quan, the Prefect of Fengdu City?"
Xiao Wangye stopped not far from Lord Luo and his entourage, his hands behind his back, looking at him with narrowed eyes. His expression was unreadable.
Ye Qingcheng had sobered up when the gate was broken down. Looking at the scene, her mind had not yet registered what had happened.
"This humble official is indeed Luo Qin Quan, the Prefect of Fengdu. Your Highness has traveled far and undergone hardship. I beg your forgiveness for not personally greeting you." Since they had come to his door, he could only bear this matter with a bitter heart and bowed towards him.
Facing Lord Luo's sudden change in attitude, Xiao Wangye snorted coldly, having no intention of letting him off easily.
He gave a look to Yang Ming, who understood and stepped forward, raising the imperial edict issued by the young emperor.
"His Majesty has decreed that I, the Regent, shall go to my fiefdom to assume control and investigate the recent outbreak of the strange illness. You, Luo Qin Quan, as the local prefect, have managed poorly, leading to the deaths of so many citizens, while you yourself slept soundly in your mansion, indulging in pleasure."