Kang Luo summoned Wu Congzhou.

He thought nothing of the De Emperor, but he thought plenty of the De Emperor's silver.

Several dozen carriages of gold, silver, jewels and fine silks. Only a fool would turn that down.

In Yangzhou, the former Prince Xiang's residence had become Kang Luo's own.

Wu Congzhou's procession made a grand entrance into the city.

Kang Luo hadn't massacred Yangzhou's people after taking the city.

But he hadn't gone easy on the ones who resisted, either. Plenty of them had died.

Kang Luo was a very smart man. He knew exactly where Ning Chen drew the line.

And he was still very wary of Ning Chen.

If Ning Chen ever fought his way into the Great Xuan's capital and became master of the Great Xuan... knowing Ning Chen, a massacre was the kind of thing he'd settle accounts for after the harvest.

Still, life wasn't easy for the common people of Yangzhou City.

They were people of the Great Xuan, and with the Nanyue occupying Yangzhou, they were slaves... And a slave was the lowest thing there was in this world. Whether a slave lived or died was entirely up to his master.

Word went around that an official of the Great Xuan had entered the city.

The people thought their days as slaves were about to end!

"A great official from our own Great Xuan is here. We can go back to the Great Xuan!"

"Wonderful... Long live the De Emperor! No more suffering at last!"

"Soldier sir, is Nanyue giving Yangzhou City back to the Great Xuan?"

Nanyue soldiers stood guard along both sides of the street.

The people could only watch from the roadside.

A stooped man excitedly asked the Nanyue soldier holding them back.

A Nanyue soldier sneered, his face full of contempt. "You're getting ahead of yourselves. This procession really is an envoy from your Great Xuan.

But it isn't here to take you home. It's here to bring gifts to His Highness our crown prince.

Your emperor is begging our Nanyue to team up with him against Ning Chen."