Map of the Kingdom's Warfare.

Summary

In Zhongdu, the Qi Wang Mansion serves as both the residence of Qi Wang and the official office of the Northern Sui army. Liu Lan Cheng arrives to investigate rising grain prices after Zhang Xuan decides to establish the Imperial Guard. A chaotic scene unfolds outside as a crowd throws stones at Lu Yu's grain shop. Liu Lan Cheng devises a plan to restore order and investigate the price hike, which he suspects is linked to rumors about military defeats. Lu Yu reveals that the price increase was triggered by a message about the Turkic army's advances, which Liu Lan Cheng realizes is a deliberate attempt to incite panic. He learns that the He Luo Rice Shop may be involved in spreading the rumor. Upon returning to the Zi Wei Palace, Liu Lan Cheng discusses the situation with Du Ru Hui and Ling Jing, who suggest capturing the rice shop's manager to avoid alerting the enemy. Meanwhile, Shen Chun, the shopkeeper, narrowly escapes being caught as he returns home but is soon confronted by Liu Lan Cheng, who intends to extract information from him.

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