Unsheathed

The messenger who had caused a scene outside the Ministry of Revenue gulped following the departure of the head minister and the assistant minister. He was a smart individual who had managed to obtain silver from the Ministry of Revenue, after all, so he copied the elderly head minister's shamelessness and said, "Esteemed Imperial Preceptor, you definitely can't execute me! I was simply fulfilling my duty."

Cui Chan nodded and replied, "Not only did you not do wrong, but you in fact did very well. I'll remember your name, so make sure to keep up the good work. Perhaps you'll become quite successful in the future, and you at least won't have to grit your teeth and buy a new set of clothes for the sake of one trip and for the sake of not embarrassing the army.

"After you leave, go to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for the cost of the clothes back. This wasn't money that you needed to spend, and it's something that the scholarly officials of the imperial court owe you. In terms of the military funds that you obtained from Song Yan, you can bring all of it with you when you leave the capital, apart from the silver that was initially set aside for the teachers and scholars."

There was incredulity on the messenger's face as he asked, "Esteemed Imperial Preceptor, is this truly all?"

As for why the powerful imperial preceptor of the nation was aware of a matter as trifling as him buying new clothes, the messenger was so astounded that he no longer had the time to think about this.

Cui Chan smiled and said, "Of course this isn't all. This matter caused me to become distracted, and it further caused me to feel slightly displeased. Since I can't blame you, a messenger, and with Head Minister Han being such a slippery person who doesn't give me any chance to punish the Ministry of Revenue, I can only target the general who you serve.

"During the southward expedition, he's been involved in some matters that can be punished or ignored. I plan to hold Su Gaoshan to account for the matters. When you get back, tell him that the imperial court will rescind his merit for destroying the Night Wandering Nation, so even though he was almost certain to become a military governor before, that's looking a little shaky now.

"Su Gaoshan and Cao Ping will need to launch a united attack on the Luminous Vermilion Empire soon, so remember to tell Su Gaoshan to put in more effort. If he can breach the defenses and lead his army into the capital of the Luminous Vermilion Empire first, this will count as a huge contribution. He started off as a woodcutter, and he's fond of chopping the thrones of emperors into firewood, isn't he?

"I can promise Su Gaoshan one thing today. If he manages to reach the walls of the capital before Cao Ping, then that most valuable throne in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent will become his firewood. After swallowing that throne in flames, the fire python that he's raising will have an opportunity to advance to the Golden Core Tier."

The messenger's expression instantly fell when he heard this.

Cui Chan was very clearly forcing General Su to risk death and charge forward at all costs.