The imperial edict came down very quickly: considering the past contributions of Qin Hu's ancestors, the death penalty was commuted, but corporal punishment was unavoidable. He was exiled to Youzhou to serve in the army, retaining his title to demonstrate future performance.
However, upon arriving in Youzhou, he was quickly assigned to the front lines—to await orders at the vanguard tents.
After running these events through his mind, Qin Hu essentially figured it out. This had to be a trap.
Chapter 369