The so-called having a just cause, Lin Yuan actually didn’t quite understand it. After all, modern people preferred to believe that power came from the barrel of a gun, but the ancients didn’t seem to think so, just like the Xiao Ming Emperor, or other rebels. They must all hold up a banner, either that of the noble descendant of the Song Dynasty, or that of a god descended to the earth, it was always necessary to find a good-sounding reason for oneself, even if the reason was ridiculous, it was better than no reason.

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Moreover, it was always easy for ordinary people to believe in these weird titles. So long as ordinary people believed it, their goal would be achieved. As for scholars, they were a minority, and it didn’t matter whether they believed it or not.

Probably having already transmigrated over for quite some time, Lin Yuan’s thinking gradually approached that of the people in this era.

But it was not so much that his thinking became close to theirs, it was that once something happened, what Lin Yuan thought was how to implement his plan in a way that was easy for the people to accept.

Dictatorship was simple for him. The people sincerely believed that he was a bodhisattva who descended to the world, and what the bodhisattvas said was naturally what they should listen to. As for whether it was right——this was not something they bothered to consider.

But Lin Yuan himself hoped that his dictatorship would be more humane, and he did not want to end up being a political machine without emotions.

“My Lord, a letter from General Chen.” The servant handed it over, bowed his head and retreated.

After reading the letter, a smile stretched at the corners of Lin Yuan’s mouth. He handed the letter to Song Shizhao. Song Shizhao read through it and said, “Congratulations, my Lord, you have a wise general!”

There were several types of generals.

Fierce generals, tiger generals, and wise generals.

Fierce generals were common, tiger generals were rare, and wise generals were even rarer.

There were people who were not afraid of death and dared to put their lives on the line, but there were not many people who were not afraid of death, dared to put their lives on the line, and possessed intelligence. People who were calm, intelligent, and attentive to detail were even fewer.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “I thought my nanny brother and my sworn brother were the same kind of people.”

Song Shizhao’s expression became a bit distorted.

He knew who Lin Yuan was talking about, Li Congrong! A person who had been foolish for half his life but had impressively good luck. And although foolish, he was very loyal to Lin Yuan, so among so many generals, Li Congrong had the most carefree life.

Other generals were afraid to marry a wife because of various worries, and even did not dare to touch the maidservants.

Only Li Congrong, who fell in love with the daughter of a small household and followed after that lady like a bum beetle. However, he also paid attention to etiquette and never been alone with her unaccompanied, but he never held back in giving her gifts either. That family had fled over from another region and was quite poor. Li Congrong just caught a glance at her on the street and decided that he fell in love at first sight and that he would not marry anyone else but her.

The gifts he sent were all kinds and varied, ranging from small to large, small ones being pots and pans, as well as bed sheets and bedding.

The large items included tables, chairs and stools, as well as some gold and silverware. He also sent food and money, and was very happy in the gifting.

He was happy, but he almost didn’t scare the woman’s family to death.

After all, this was a big general and their daughter was from a small family. The family thought that Li Congrong was just looking for a concubine.

Was it so easy to be a concubine? If they were in other places, they might actually agree. After all, the daughter could shelter the family after marrying over. But under the South Bodhisattva’s rule, so long as they were willing to work, they would not starve to death even if they were crippled and lacked arms or legs. There was no need to sell their daughter for a living.

So the more generously Li Congrong pursued, the more frightened the family became.

In the end, it was Yang Zi’an’s idea to tell Li Congrong to go and sing a serenade outside the wall of their courtyard, which finally caused the daughter of that family to sprout amorous feelings. Thus, Li Congrong finally managed to marry the beauty.

Lin Yuan was in a daze when he heard about it.

With Li Congrong’s tone-deaf singing, a voice that would even sound like a granny’s when singing a simple ballad, just how did he use this to capture a wife?

This was simply a bizarre and fantastical event.

Among the several generals, Li Congrong turned out to be the first to marry, and it really shocked many people’s jaws into dropping. After all, Li Congrong’s mouth never had much tact, and his reputation outside might not even be as good as Chen Baisong who was known as a death god.

Song Shizhao sometimes felt that Li Congrong had put all the luck in this life on the matter of sworn brothers.

He could also be regarded as having a wise eye and recognizing a diamond in the rough, joining Lin Yuan when he was still an ordinary landowner.

It was said that adding flowers to brocade was easy, but it was difficult to send charcoal in snowy weather. So long as Li Congrong did not make a big mistake in this life, Lin Yuan would not move against him.

It could be seen that a foolish person had foolish luck indeed, not to mention that this foolish person also had some ability to lead soldiers and never formed factions. He could even be called a pure official.

Sometimes a person’s luck was really unpredictable, and Song Shizhao was also a little envious.

How much effort did he put in to become Lin Yuan’s confidant?

But look at Li Congrong, he didn’t have to work hard, just showed his true feelings. After all, a fool couldn’t pretend to be a genius. The more foolish he was, the more assured the person at the top would be, moreover he also had his own intelligence.

Since Lin Yuan moved to Gaoyou, he had ceased to call Lin Yuan as his sworn brother. He now called Lin Yuan ‘my Lord’ or ‘Boss’. He didn’t need the name of a sworn brother to seek benefits for himself. Towards this kind of person, it was not surprising that Lin Yuan favored him.

Song Shizhao suddenly said: “General Chen has matured.”

Previously, Chen Baisong could only fight wars, and he hadn’t read many books on warfare. Fighting was all based on his own intuition. And what was shocking was that his intuition was always accurate.

Lin Yuan sat down to drink tea and looked out the window: “I haven’t been out for a walk for a while.”

Song Shizhao was startled, and quickly said: “My Lord! It’s dangerous outside. Without me or a general it doesn’t matter much, but without you it is different! The noble son does not sit in the hall in person!”

Lin Yuan: “…..I didn’t plan to wander around just anywhere either, I mean, I intend to personally go to Ru Ning, and I will come back when the resettlement is completed.”

Song Shizhao breathed a sigh of relief, he was only afraid that Lin Yuan would refuse to listen and did things willfully.

“I have been idle for a long time, and even my bones are now brittle.” Lin Yuan let out a lazy stretch. Only in front of Song Shizhao, he was so careless about his image, always having to present himself decently outside.

The people loved a bodhisattva-like leader.

This “Bodhisattva” title has now become something concrete. He had to wear a compassionate smile, like a perfect statue. He only needed to be a little more stiff and he could be worshipped at the altar.

Lin Yuan had been acting the part for a long time, and over time, it really felt a bit like he had become the part.

Sometimes when facing the surface of waters, he could be startled by his own smile in the reflection, which aroused goosebumps all over him.

Too horrifying! Was it really him in the reflection? That smile was almost like that of a perverted murderer in a horror movie.

But the people seem to like this kind of thing. So long as Lin Yuan showed such a smile to them, they would want nothing more than to offer Lin Yuan two sticks of incense immediately and place Lin Yuan on a pedestal.

Lin Yuan himself felt that he was becoming more and more unfamiliar. He was also afraid that he would embark on a path of no return. He chose to go to Ru Ning and was not prepared to take the familiar people around him.

Besides, Chen Baisong was the nanny brother of the original owner, and the relationship with the original owner was different from others. Although Chen Baisong was half-servant and half-brother, the original owner had a good temper and a good heart. He had never treated Chen Baisong with the requirements of a servant. Therefore, Chen Baisong had no fear of Lin Yuan today.

In getting along with such a person, Lin Yuan would not break away from the category of “human”.

The people around him, including Song Shizhao, no longer regarded him as a human being. They all saw him as an all-knowing and almighty God.

Only Lin Yuan knew in his heart that he was just taking advantage of his transmigration side-benefits.

If he didn’t have any memory of history, he would just be an ordinary person. Perhaps he would still be holed up in the countryside struggling to make a livelihood, and every day looking forward to when he could go back to the modern times. After all, there was no famine in modern times. One could make a livelihood with one’s own hands and feet.

The more he thought about it, the more panic Lin Yuan felt.

He was walking on a very narrow road, and he was also deceiving himself while deceiving others.

It was like when a liar lied to others. After having lied too much, even they themselves believed it.

One of his former colleagues was quite good looking, but with good working abilities. However, he had a clever mouth, and managed to date a rich second-generation girlfriend.

The girlfriend was fat and had a bad temper. She always beat and scolded when in a bad mood. She would even smash tableware and flip tables in front of an outsider while angry. So his colleague could only coax and say things like “I love you the most in my life” and “You are my darling, I can’t do anything without you.”

Having said such things so often, his colleague even believed it himself. Lin Yuan personally watched as his colleague was being tormented into a trance, while muttering that he loved his girlfriend.

They got married in the end, and Lin Yuan was also invited to visit his home as a guest.

His colleague had carried his wife, who did not want to eat, in a princess hold out of the room.

His colleague was one hundred and forty pounds, and his wife was one hundred and eighty pounds.

Once, his colleague became drunk, and when his wife was absent, he sobbed in pain while at the same time expressing his love and loyalty to his wife.

The men in the whole work unit all had lingering fears from his crying fit.

Lin Yuan also got goosebumps at the time.

The highest rank of a liar was that he himself also believed in his lies.

Lin Yuan felt that he also seemed to be making his way to being a high-ranking liar now.

Song Shizhao said from the side: “My Lord, it is still best to bring more people, if there is danger on the road…..”

Lin Yuan nodded, he would not joke about his life: “Mister, don’t worry, I have my own measures, but I must trouble Mister to look after things here.”

Only now did Song Shizhao discover that with Lin Yuan leaving, he was the biggest figure here. At that time no matter how he wanted to make it difficult for Wu Changqing, he could do as he wished. Song Shizhao blinked his eyes and instantly felt extremely excited.

“Although Wu Changqing has a lot of problems, I still have to use him. Muster, don’t just leave me half a person when I come back.” Lin Yuan reminded him with a smile on his face.

Song Shizhao held his breath: “We are officials under the same lord. Although there are some conflicts between District Head Wu and I, it is not impossible to resolve…..”

Lin Yuan interrupted him: “However, with his temperament, Mister can temper it a bit, don’t let him remain so proud and arrogant.”

Song Shizhao was excited again.

Lin Yuan smiled helplessly.

How could he not know that Song Shizhao’s hostility towards Wu Changqing was purposely shown to him? It might not be a pretense, but of the ten points of hostility Song Shizhao felt towards Wu Changqing, only about three points were likely true.

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The other just wanted to reassure him that these officials with real power would not collude and commit crimes.

The harder they fight among themselves, the more it would benefit Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan knew, but he could only pretend not to know.

In life, there were times one needed to be seldomly muddleheaded.

AN: This is probably similar to me. Although I know that my cat just likes the dried fish that I feed, I just pretend not to know and think that my cat just likes me. (TN: LOL)

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In a big city like Ru Ning, there were so many big affluent households there that even Gaoyou could hardly compare. The big households were inextricably linked, relying on marriage and cooperation with each other. They might fight amongst themselves in peacetime, but twist into one rope and stand united when Chen Baisong came.

Since Ru Ning was no longer under the control of the imperial court, they naturally wanted to grab some advantages and benefits from Chen Baisong’s hands.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Was it better to kneel down or stand and ask for benefits first? Most of them chose the former. They didn’t think Chen Baisong would kill them all.

In their view, they were different from the common people. The common people were pigs and dogs, while they were the people in power who needed to be won over.

Zhang laoye thought the same before entering the military camp.

If the new people in power wanted to take over a big city naturally they would need the help of people like them. Was there anyone who knew Ru Ning better than them?

However, most of them were just tough on the surface, spitting out ruthless words, but in fact their gifts continued to flood into the barracks.

Chen Baisong looked at the box in front of him and asked his personal guard to open it.

There were more than 30 boxes sent in by families with different surnames. There were countless gold and silver treasures, exquisite brocades, and even a group of women standing behind the boxes. Most of these women were servants of those families. Their looks were not necessarily top-notch, but in the barracks where no women could be seen, even common flowers would be regarded as celestial fairies but the salivating soldiers.

“No matter how tough their words are, the money is still given rather quickly.” The personal guards did not understand, “They act so tough on the surface, so how come they still send gifts to our general? Isn’t this slapping one’s own face?”

Another personal guard joked next to him: “You don’t understand? Those big households must have come up with the idea together, so how can anyone dare not follow? Some are afraid of offending other big households, so they can only oppose our general but they also fear attracting our general’s hatred. Naturally, they will have to give gifts to our general in private. These people are like this, treating others as fools.”

Chen Baisong picked up a pearl garment. Pearls were a rare thing. There were not even enough offerings to the imperial capital every year, so there were less pearls among the common folks. These large families having such a piece in their possession was enough to be envied by people. In this age without artificial cultivation, the output of pearls was originally very small, and it was even more difficult to find pearls that were of the same size and shape. So just such a piece of pearl garment sometimes couldn’t even be bought with money.

“Ru Ning is wealthy.” Chen Baisong threw the pearl garment back into the box with no expression on his face. “Send someone to invite the patriarchs of these families and inform them that I want to hold a banquet and discuss the affairs.”

The personal guard froze for a moment: “General, why give them such face? Ru Ning has already been captured. From now on, it will be our South Bodhisattva’s territory. Who do they even think they are? Actually asking our general to meet them personally? They are not worthy!”

Chen Baisong: “What nonsense are you talking about, if I tell you to go then go, are you the general or am I the general?”

The personal guard quickly admitted his mistake: “This subordinate…..”

Chen Baisong: “Go quickly.”

The personal guard breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly left with the other personal guards.

Another personal guard stood next to Chen Baisong. He had a smile on his face, meat on his cheeks, small eyes with a flat nose, and freckles. He did not appear all that old, but he did look shrewd. He said lowly, “General, why not tell them to bring their younger generation with them?”

Chen Baisong shook his head: “I can’t call them all, and the barracks can’t fit them all anyway.”

If the patriarchs of those big families dared to come, then it was the same as putting aside life and death. If they died, they would stand on the side of righteousness. Although nowadays, whoever had the big fist had the speaking power, the benevolent name of the South Bodhisattva had spread far and wide, and if they really caught this point to make a debate, causing the South Bodhisattva’s reputation to change from good to evil, the common people’s hearts would also change. The rebel factions in this world were not limited to the South Bodhisattva after all. So why lose the big goal because of a small temporary advantage?

It was better to keep them locked up instead.

“They don’t want to return home and want to stay in the barracks. Is it our fault?” Chen Baisong said with a smile, “but even though they are in the barracks, their families must still be filial. The barracks do not feed idlers. If they want to stay then naturally they will need to eat. Where does the food come from? Surely they are not asking me to feed them?”

The personal guard’s eyes widened——he had always thought that his general only knew how to fight wars, but he didn’t expect that the general also had such shrewdness.

Inside the city of Ru Ning, the Deng family’s mansion.

“Dad, you can’t go!” The Deng family’s eldest son hugged his father’s leg, his sobs earth-shattering, his eyes swollen into walnuts, his heart of filial piety could even touch the heavens. Snot flowed down to his mouth, but he couldn’t reach out to wipe it. He continued to sob loudly, “Dad, that surnamed Chen is a hungry wolf! If you go, he will not let you come back safely!”

Father Deng sighed, his hair was all white, he held a car in his hand, and even walking was a chore. He needed the help of his servants to support him as he walked. After his son’s repeated crying and begging, he said, “That side has sent someone over to invite us. If we don’t go, then it is us who has no reason.”

The eldest son: “What reason?! You are old, it is the time to care for oneself for one’s allotted life span! What reason can be more important than this? If the people outside want to say something about this, just let them say it!” (TN: care for oneself for one’s allotted life span=to retire)

Father Deng looked at his eldest son who was not so smart, but was filial and honest. He was assured and worried about handing over the family and the inheritance to such a child. What was assuring was that the child would do what he was told and taught. What was worrying was that after his death, if this child was deceived by someone with ulterior motives, with his temperament he would not be able to hold onto this huge family business.

Just like now, that side having sent an invitation over, even if they knew that the tiger’s den awaited them, they still had no other choice but to jump down.

Father Deng had his servants to help his eldest son up. Then he said earnestly: “Listen to Dad, that General Chen sent the invitation out of respect for talents. If we don’t go, the bad name will be on our side. At that time, when he enters the city and kills our family, even if he is criticized, it will not affect him all that much. If he has nothing restraining him anymore, he naturally will have no worries.”

“Do you think that he dares to oppose the people of the world? Do we dare to oppose the people of the world? Think about the Zhao family ten years ago.”

The eldest son fell into a daze, the Zhao family?

It was clearly only ten years ago, but he could hardly remember it anymore.

Ten years ago, the Zhao family was at the peak of power. Several streets in the city of Ru Ning belonged to the Zhao family. The Zhao family also had the most fertile lands on the edge of the city. But the wealth and business built by many generations of the Zhao family was overturned within just a dozen days.

When the large building collapsed no one would shed a tear for them. The people watched the excitement and rejoiced over the destruction of a family.

How did the Zhao family fall?

At first, it was just mixing sand with the porridge being given out as charity.

Many large households had done this before. The people at the bottom wanted to embezzle so they replaced the new grain with uneatable old grain. And the profits from this would be put into the pockets of these people.

And then? It seemed that the beggars and refugees began making trouble.

Someone hired beggars and refugees to guard the Zhao manor’s door day and night and throw dung as soon as someone came out.

The Zhao family wanted to catch these culprits, but these people ran quickly away after throwing the dung, and couldn’t be caught.

Aside from this, when the Zhao family went out, there were also people in the crowd who would throw dung at them as well.

After that, the Zhao family stopped going out.

There were also people constantly looking for faults in the businesses owned by the Zhao family. The Zhao family wanted to refute these faults, but the common people had already come to believe that this family was rotten down to the roots.

The officials above would not speak for the Zhao family because they had received benefits and gifts from other families.

In the end, the Zhao family sold their shops and land, went far away, and never came back.

But when people leave their hometowns, leave the land where their roots were, go to other places that already had an established social network, how much hope was there to return to the glory of the past?

The eldest son covered his face with his hands. It was not that he didn’t understand this reasoning. Sometimes people’s tongues could also be sharp weapons, turning into knives that could be used for murder.

Father Deng patted his son on the head: “Dad must go. Only if Dad goes will our family have reason on our side. If Dad dies there, our family can get more benefits. That South Bodhisattva has worked hard all this time to maintain his reputation and is not a stupid person, so he will naturally understand this. Therefore Dad will not die, and that General Chen will treat Dad as a guest.”

The eldest son was struck into a daze again. He didn’t understand, and didn’t dare to say that he didn’t understand, so he could only lower his head.

Father Deng sighed again: “Listen to Dad, if Dad goes there and dies, you must wear a sackcloth and perform filial piety, let everyone know whose hand your Dad died at. This way our family will have reputation and with reputation, even if the family must lay dormant for a while there is no need to fear. One day our Deng family will get up again.”

“But if we don’t even have a reputation, when General Chen enters the city, our family will be finished.”

The eldest son nodded: “Dad, I understand, whatever you say, this son will do it!”

In Ru Ning City, it was not only the Deng family that was playing out scenes of parting as all the big families have received invitations. After careful thought, most of them went. Only four to five claimed to be ill and could not leave the city.

There was no need for Chen Baisong to even deal with these households as other families would join forces and chip away at them.

Most of the patriarchs came. They rode out of the city in carriages and then entered the barracks together.

Deng laoye thought he could see the rumored brutal and ruthless General Chen, but he waited in the tent with a group of old men for a long time. Don’t even mention General Chen, there wasn’t even any sign of the personal guards around him. There were only the little soldiers in the barracks there to keep a watch on them.

The little soldiers didn’t talk to them, they would deliver food to them when it was mealtimes, and they would take them to relieve themselves if they needed to.

But they dared not ask——everyone wanted to live longer.

If they died now they wouldn’t get any benefits.

They didn’t dare to act arrogantly at the soldiers and put on airs.

They still understood the reasoning that people must bow their heads when under the eaves.

Deng laoye sat on the wooden bed, covered with the quilt he had brought with him, holding a cup of hot water in his hand. Inside he was very anxious and panicked, but he didn’t dare to show it. He could only sit crouched into himself.

Several laoyes from other households were a little envious of his quilt. As they got on in years, weather that felt just right for young people felt cold to them instead.

There were no quilts prepared for them in this tent, so if they hadn’t brought quilts themselves, they could only suffer the cold.

“Deng laoye even brought a quilt, your thinking is more attentive than ours.”

“I wonder why Deng laoye thought to bring a quilt.”

“Could it be that you already had some interactions with General Chen?”

Deng laoye’s face turned green, and he quickly said: “It’s my son who is worried about me. I am old and my son prepared it for me. If you don’t mind, please come over and cover your legs with me.”

He knew that if he continued to let these people talk, he would become a traitor. At that time, don’t even mention this quilt being allowed to cover his legs, he wouldn’t even be able to hold onto it at all.

These people had always been like this. They gathered together to convict someone, and then have people publicize it. In this way, the convicted person would be completely ruined.

Either because they coveted other people’s shops or coveted other people’s land.

They used this method handily, and with so many repeated successful attempts, Deng laoye did not dare to confront them.

The family members of these old men in Ru Ning City were waiting for the news of their death.

If these old men died, then they would have more confidence when negotiating terms.

However, the news of death did not arrive, instead a messenger was sent to them by Chen Baisong.

“Your family’s elder insisted on staying in the military barracks. No matter how much we persuade them to go back to the city, they are still unwilling to return. And so it would not be reasonable to ask our general to feed them, yes?”

Every family heard these words.

So countless food carts were pulled from the city to the military barracks.

Chen Baisong looked at the grains. There were old grains and new grains, but the amount was sufficient. The grains brought by dozens of carts were enough to feed the entire military barracks for a month.

Just when the families in the city thought that they had been forced to bleed heavily and felt painfully distressed, Chen Baisong’s envoy came knocking at their doors again.

“Your family’s elder has a good appetite and eats a lot. The food you gave before is already gone.”

Everyone was dumbstruck.

This was simply asking them to hand over all their food.

“We can’t give it to them!”

“If we continue to give, they will continue to ask for more. Their appetite will never be satisfied! We can’t give it!”

“What can we do if we don’t give them the grains? That’s your father. Do you want to be an unfilial and immoral person?”

“Filial piety is the first priority, if even filial piety can be abandoned. At that time, you will be the one blamed for forcing your father to die!”

“What can we do then?”

“Give food? If we can only continue to give, there won’t even be enough wealth in the family to fritter away!”

Before the elders left, the younger generations all hoped that the elders could come back safely.

But at this time, all of them actually hoped their elders would die sooner than later.

“It’s too late! If we do not give food now, it will be us family members who will be blamed for their deaths at that time. The sending of food cannot be stopped, continue to deliver it!”

Chen Baisong looked at the newly delivered grain carts and had someone open it for inspection. There was less grain, but there was more gold and silver to make up for the grain.

But the importance of gold and silver was obviously not as much as food at this time.

He said to the soldiers: “Since they think gold and silver are edible, you shall go over and have them try eating it themselves.”

The soldiers took the order and the gold and silver to find the big households in the city to “buy food.”

Could they say they didn’t want to sell?

Although the elders of various families could not act at will in the military barracks, they were given food and drink. They could not enjoy any luxuries, but life was guaranteed. Even if they became sick, Chen Baisong would call over a military doctor to treat them.

Deng laoye’s quilt was eventually still snatched away. Fortunately, the clothes he brought were thick enough. He went to bed in the clothes every day, and felt that it was still tolerable. But when people got on in the years, there would always be all kinds of problems. For example, if someone urinated or defecated, then the smell would last all day in the tent. And that was not even mentioning other issues.

Deng laoye couldn’t stand it after living for a few days. He would rather sleep in the wild than squeeze in a tent with these old fellows.

It was a pity that his words were useless here. No matter how he begged the soldiers outside, and said all the good things, no one was willing to grant his request.

They also didn’t know that their families had sent food over. They only thought that General Chen did all of this as a show of power. Shutting them up here to temper their expectations. Every one of them gritted their teeth and vowed to overcome this difficulty. No matter what, they could not bring shame on the family.

Chen Baisong looked at the continuous delivery of food, and finally let go. He had someone send quilts to that group of elders. The food was also better than before. At any rate, there was meat. Before, they didn’t even have vegetables and every day was sweet potatoes and potatoes. These two things were delicious to eat occasionally, but they could not be eaten every day.

“We can’t send anymore!”

A group of people gathered together to discuss.

They looked indignant: “What is he? He is a bandit! He is worse than a bandit!”

The Deng family’s eldest son said in a low voice, “I remember that General Chen used to be a bandit…..”

When everyone looked at him, Deng eldest was taken aback. He shrank his neck and pretended to be a quail. He didn’t dare to speak anymore, but he couldn’t help thinking, “What’s the use of pretending to be tough in front of me? When they asked for food earlier, none of you dared to speak up. And now you want to push a fool to be the first to stop with the food delivery, who is so foolish?”

The room became quiet again. At this time, someone said: “We don’t give food together, I don’t believe that he’ll really dare to hurt the elders! What do you all say? “

“Since An gongzi has said this, we will naturally follow An gongzi.”

“Yes, they bully people too much, they simply bully people too much, we can’t be led by the nose by them all the time.”

“Exactly, they are just relying on the fact that we will not ignore the elders. Even if we stop giving food, l I don’t think they will dare to do anything.”

“Good! Then we won’t give food!”

Deng eldest returned home at night. His wife brought over an alcohol sobering soup, and asked in a soft voice: “Husband went to discuss matters today. What results have been discussed?”

Deng eldest took a sip of the sobering soup and shook his head: “They all want to treat others as fools. How can there be so many fools in this world?”

His wife asked in puzzlement: “What do you mean?”

Deng eldest shook his head and said, “They said that we should all stop sending food, but you just wait and see, see which family really won’t send food.”

When the day came to deliver food, Deng eldest didn’t want to make enemies with everyone, so he had his servant send the food out of the city late at night. Now the guards of the city gates were all Chen Baisong’s people, so he was not afraid that other families would find out.

As a result, when the servant who delivered the food came back to report, he said that when he went out of the city, he encountered a lot of other families’ food delivery carts. Although he didn’t know which families they belonged to, the amount of food delivery carts were not less than before, but actually more.

Deng eldest laughed loudly at home: “I just knew it would be a strange thing if these people actually had the courage to not send the food! All of them are just waiting for others to come forward, so what was the point of discussing anything?”

But his wife said with a troubled expression: “There are no more grains at home, even the old grains from previous years. If this continues, we can only buy more.”

It was not so easy to buy grain. The grains were all in the hands of the big households. If even the big households were out of grain, was it possible to find any people to buy grains?

Even if the common people still had grains in stock, it was unlikely they saved much. At most, it was enough for a family’s rations for a few months. If they really sold these rations, wouldn’t they starve to death?

Deng eldest lowered his head: “Continue to send.”

His wife raised a hand to wipe her tears, her eyes red: “Husband, even if not for the sake of the family, you should also think about the children. If father-in-law knows, he would also be unwilling that such a big family…..”

So long as they were willing to pay then food could eventually be bought. But after their family had no more food there was money left. If there was no money, what was left?

In the end, ruin would be waiting for them.

Deng eldest looked at his wife: “It’s no longer a matter of sending or not. If I didn’t deliver food today, tomorrow that group of soldiers will rush into the manor and charge me with unfilial piety. At that time, don’t even mention the money and food at home, we won’t even be able to keep the shops and the lands! In fact, even our lives will be lost!”

His wife looked at him in a daze: “It is actually like this…..”

Deng eldest smiled bitterly: “I originally thought that General Chen was just a boor of a man, but now it seems that it is we who are too stupid. Even if we had to report illness, we shouldn’t have let Dad go out.”

Wife: “…..But everyone has gone…..”

“The ones that had not gone…..now…..”

Deng eldest looked at the night sky outside the window, and his heart was desolate. If he wanted to save his father, then the Deng family would be ruined, and he might not even be able to save him in the first place.

If he didn’t plan to save his father, the Deng family would equally not be able to escape ruin. It was a dead end no matter if he advanced or retreated. He could only choose which way to die that would appear more decent.

Deng eldest learned the next day that there was really a family that did not deliver food. This family was not all that respectable in Ru Ning City. There were too many large households and this family could only be regarded as a small fish. There was no one among the family and relatives who had ever been an official. They only had some money, and the family business also could not be compared with that of other families. Don’t know how they considered the situation, they really didn’t send any food at all.

Although they didn’t send food, they were also not given any trouble.

The big households in Ru Ning City seemed to have received some kind of message, and they really began to not deliver food one after another.

Chen Baisong did not send soldiers to find trouble with them.

“I just knew it, maybe he really doesn’t dare to do anything? If he really killed our elders, the spit of the people of the world could drown him!”

“That’s right! Now that we don’t deliver food, isn’t there no problem at all?”

Deng eldest didn’t dare to stop sending food. He had lived in his father’s palm all his life. He didn’t dare to think about what would happen if his father really died. He could only have the servants continue to send the food secretly, make detours after the city curfew.

Fortunately, the military barracks still accepted it.

Deng eldest’s wife did not understand him, and neither did his brothers and sons.

Weren’t the others who didn’t send food still fine? Why did their family continue to send food? There was no benefit after sending it, and there was no harm after stopping.

But after all, it involved their elder, and they were connected by blood, so they dared not really open their mouths to stop Deng eldest from delivering food.

One month later, Chen Baisong finally made a move. The army entered the city and seized all the households that did not send food.

Once the charges of unfilial piety were announced, the soldiers arrested the people as well as seized all their shops and lands.

“Laoye!” The servants scurried aimlessly about in the courtyard.

Deng eldest was already a little unsteady on his feet. He heard the news, and felt indescribably fearful. Although he sent food, he was afraid that General Chen would also take this opportunity to seize and confiscate the Deng family as well. At that time, would someone plead and find justice for the Deng family?

Just when Deng eldest was in a panic and didn’t know what to do, the soldiers had already walked in.

The soldier with flesh on both cheeks smiled and said to him: “Our general said, eldest young master Deng is very filial and a model son. Our general has told us to send Deng laoye back.”

“Those who are unfilial are detained now, so I have to trouble eldest young master Deng to visit them from time to time. As a model son, teach them more about filial piety. What do you think?”

What else could Deng eldest say?

What could he say?

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

He could only stand there stupidly nodding, and stupidly say: “I will naturally share the worries for the general.”

The soldier encouraged him: “There are not many large affluent households in Ru Ning now. If eldest young master Deng is interested, please help our general deal with those troublesome matters and win a good name in the meanwhile. Is this not a fine thing? “

Deng eldest swallowed: “I shall follow the general’s orders.”

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“General, someone has come over from that side.”

The personal guard stood outside the tent. At this time, the sky was still dark, the fog filling the air and the sky appeared as dark as ink. Chen Baisong opened his eyes. He had clearly just woken up, but his eyes appeared alert as if he was never asleep in the first place. He sat up in a big cloak, put on his shoes and socks and went out. The cold wind blew violently, and with it blowing in his face he became even more wide awake and energized.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Chen Baisong looked into the distance and asked, “Who was sent over?”

The personal guard: “An old man with a big beard.”

Chen Baisong frowned: “I asked for his identity, who asked for his age?”

The personal guard paused: “He said that he is the father of the arrested Zhang laoye.”

Chen Baisong: “Settle the person down first.”

The personal guard nodded and left directly.

Chen Baisong then went back to put on his clothes again. In the military camp, he wore armor which weighed more than 30 kilograms. It was always a hassle every time it was worn. It was necessary to have two of his personal guards assisting him together so that he could get dressed quickly. And everytime he took it off he was always covered in sweat, his clothes wet through with it. But there were no conditions to take a bath every day in the army, and even Chen Baisong himself felt that he almost permanently stunk now.

A personal guard held up a breastplate and put it on Chen Baisong. When he got close, he wrinkled his nose and smiled: “If the general marries a wife in the future, I am afraid that the bride will fall into a dead faint from the smell on the wedding night.”

The other personal guard also laughed: “The general being willing to marry a wife or not is another story. Our general is a peerless hero so how can there be women who won’t love him?”

“Now it’s you who don’t understand. All women love literary scholars.”

Chen Baisong finished putting on his armor: “Since you have so much to talk about, then stay in this tent today and have a good chat. Don’t  even stop for a moment.”

The personal guards looked at each other and quickly said: “General, I have nothing to say to him. If we have the energy to gossip then why not kill a few more enemies on the battlefield instead, right?”

Chen Baisong took a step forward, followed by the personal guards.

He had captured  Ru Ning a few months ago. Lin Yuan had not sent anyone to take over the governance, so he could only remain stationed here and guard it for him first. Although Chen Baisong knew how to fight wars, he didn’t know how to govern. The method he came up with was quite simple, stationing the army outside the city and not allowing the soldiers to enter the city to harm the people, nor let the people inside come out. Ru Ning was a big city, and the farm fields inside were enough for food. Even if it was laid siege for a few years, the people inside wouldn’t die from starvation.

As for the original officials of Ru Ning, they were now under strict supervision in the military camp.

Ru Ning had been difficult to capture. Chen Baisong had to chip away at them for half a year. Don’t know how many battles both sides engaged in with each other. It took quite a few twists and turns to win.

But in the end, it was largely due to luck that they were able to capture the city. There were countless wealthy households in Ru Ning City, strong troops, sufficient food and rations. Moreover the city wall was also quite high. If they were to forcefully hold on, Chen Baisong really wouldn’t have any solution.

After all, it was difficult to hold a siege against a city. Even if there were siege devices, if the inside persisted in not opening the city gates and instead used their lives to hold on, Chen Baisong’s 100,000 army would eventually have to go back where they came from.

One hundred thousand soldiers consumed quite a lot of food and rations. If they could not capture Ru Ning, it would be very difficult to rely solely on the army rations delivered over.

Fortunately, Ru Ning was unwilling to drag on first. If it kept dragging on, Chen Baisong would be the one in trouble.

Ru Ning had a total of 50,000 troops. These 50,000 troops did not include the auxiliary soldiers as well, and they were all young and strong. They did not recruit the old, weak, sick and disabled to thicken the numbers. The weapons in their hands were also all sharp weapons, not to mention that they were backed by a big city like Ru Ning. They could both defend and attack, hide in the city when the situation was not good, and send archers to help them grab enough time to escape back into the city.

Chen Baisong walked into the big tent and saw the old man sitting inside. The old man was wearing simple commoner clothes. He didn’t appear to have come from a rich family at all. He had a long white beard, and looked rather sage-like. It was a pity that Chen Baisong was used to the pretentious appearances of that group of half-immortals headed by Chen Half-Immortal, and he really couldn’t muster any respect.

“On what business have you come here?” Chen Baisong sat behind the low desk.

The old man stood up and cupped his hands at Chen Baisong: “Greetings to the general, this old man is seventy-four this year and does not have many years left to live. I came here today to ask for grace for my Zhang family.”

Chen Baisong’s eyes were like torches: “Oh? Please speak.”

The old man said calmly: “I dare to ask the general, why do you not lead the army into the city?”

Chen Baisong smiled and said: “You came to ask me for grace, but question my actions instead. I wonder who is the winner and who is the prisoner here?”

The old man laughed: “The general does not need to use these words to embarrass this old man. If the general has the courage, then just lead the army into the city. Why station the army on this barren land outside the city instead? As long as the general releases my son, this old man will have every family keep their own family members in control and welcome the general into the city. The general will have both face and practical benefits, so what can you have against this?”

“My son is not an important person either. If the general lets him go, it will benefit the both of us. Isn’t this a good thing?”

Chen Baisong nodded: “It is a good thing.”

The old man’s expression did not change, but he still breathed a sigh of relief.

“How many sons do you have?” Chen Baisong asked.

Old man: “This humble old man does not have good health, and only has this one son, otherwise I wouldn’t have come to beg the general today.”

Chen Baisong smiled and said: “Since you have come here, there is no need to be in a hurry to leave. You can first go to meet your precious son and express the affection between father and son.”

The old man paused. Before he had time to speak, Chen Baisong called his personal guards over: “Take this old man to see Zhang laoye and then clean up a residence for him to stay for a few days first.”

When the words fell, the old man wanted to say something more, but the personal guards were already standing in front of him. The two soldiers were both big and tall, with a fierce face and a murderous intent that had been honed on the battlefield. The old man could only shut his mouth and follow them outside the tent.

“My lord, is my son alright?” The old man asked as he followed after them.

He had only one son, which was very different from other big families in the city who still had other sons if they lost one. Even if several sons died one after another they would still not be afraid that there would be no son to inherit the family name and continue the family. But he only had one son and he himself was already over seventy years old. He couldn’t give birth to another son even if he wanted to.

The personal guard laughed at him: “Were you not so arrogant in front of our general just now? Thought our general would be afraid of you? If you ask me, we should just castrate your son, use his thing to soak in wine and send it over to you as a gift. Then you’ll know that our general is not that easy to provoke.”

The old man’s face went green.

He wanted to scold and curse loudly, but one must bow their heads under the eaves. He was the beggar here therefore he must lower his attitude and posture.

The personal guards took him through the network of tents and came to a clearing. Naturally, a cell could not be built here, but the cage on prison carts could still be made, though this was more uncomfortable and shameful than a cell. In a cell one could still move around while in a cage, at most, one could only lay sideways. Eating and drinking and excreting all happened inside the cage. The soldiers came up with a way, in order to facilitate the cleaning, the cage was padded with dry straw, which was changed every few days.

When the old man saw this his tears came down immediately.

“My son, my son!” The old man rushed to the cage and looked at his son who was sitting inside. He was so dirty and smelly it was truly unbearable. His originally decent and refined looking son now had his face covered with a wild beard, though he didn’t seem to have lost much weight. But looking at him now he really did appear like a savage.

The old man cried painfully: “My son!”

“Savage” Zhang laoye also rushed to the bars of the cage. The man in his thirties cried with tears and snot, “Dad, dad, save me! This is not a place for people to stay!”

The old man’s well-maintained hands grabbed his son’s hand: “Son, listen to your dad, and bear with it some more. Dad will definitely save you. Dad said to the general that if he lets you out, I will welcome him into the city. But he still didn’t give me a positive response.”

Zhang laoye widened his eyes: “What does he want then? If he won’t even agree with this, then what does he want?”

“Son, you’ve been here for so long, you don’t have any idea why he keeps you locked up?” The old man whispered, “He has locked you all up, so he must intend to use you all to exchange for some benefits, but I don’t know what benefit he wants to exchange for.”

Zhang laoye also lowered his voice: “If it’s not for money, then it’s for people!”

“Since he doesn’t want to enter the city, he must definitely want gold and women, dad, give it to him, give it to him, and tell him to let me go.”

The old man nodded again and again: “I will give it all to him, give it all, as long as he can release you, dad will give him everything.”

Zhang laoye also breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his family would definitely find a way to save him, but he had also been worried that the family would not dare to use all their wealth to rescue him. After all, he had a son and even if his son was still a child and could die prematurely, he was still of the Zhang family bloodline.

The thought even came to him that if he did not have a son, or if his son died, maybe he would have a higher chance of being saved.

“Finished yet?” The personal guard rolled his eyes and lifted the old man up by his arm. “If you’re finished then leave. You really think that the barracks are yours and that you can do whatever you want to do, and can stay as long as you want to stay?”

The old man quickly said: “I’m leaving now, soldier sir, my son has not suffered much before, and he also hasn’t done anything bad. Please don’t keep him here. Let him share a tent with me, please? We are in the barracks, and we can’t run away. We also don’t dare to run.”

The personal guard laughed: “Old man, you are very interesting. Come on, come with us now. The general hasn’t spoken so no one in the barracks will dare to accept your request, even if you have gold, no one will dare to accept it.”

The old man paused in digging through his pockets, and he didn’t know whether the gold he held in his hand should be taken out or not.

The personal guard: “Here, old man, you are already of such old age. The air is bad here and continuing to stay here is not good.”

When not mentioned, he hadn’t noticed it. Once it was said however, the old man also found the smell here to be really unpleasant. The Zhang family was also an affluent family in Ru Ning, with everything that wealthy families had. There were hundreds of servants serving them so there was no need for the masters to personally do anything.

There was the smell of excrement and urine, and there was also an indescribable stench, all adding up to make people dizzy.

Father Zhang subconsciously took a deep breath, his legs softened and he almost fainted.

The personal guard supported him: “Old man, you are at such an old age, why not enjoy the good fortune at home, why come out? Children and grandchildren have their own path to walk, right?”

Father Zhang covered his mouth for fear of vomiting out.

He looked at the smile on the soldier’s face, and wanted to spit viciously at the man, and then order a servant to drag him out and give him a board beating. It would be even better if he was directly beaten to death.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

But now, he could only say to the soldier with the mud on his legs barely even washed off: “Soldier sir, let me take a rest, let me take a rest and I will go.” (TN: mud on the legs=poor farmers, a term of contempt)

Father Zhang sat on a block of stone on the side, his hands trembling nonstop.

What does General Chen want?

Money, power, beauty?

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It was so quiet there was not a sound to be heard. Hong Xiu was sitting next to the bed. She lived in a very small room and shared a big bed with six other palace maids. There was no separate closet and no separate dressing table. This was perhaps Hong Xiu’s most hard-pressed living conditions in her nearly twenty years of life; since she began seeing clients she only enjoyed the best resources of the brothel, becoming the top courtesan.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

For Hong Xiu, her destiny was already decided. The best future she had imagined was to catch a man at her best age. This man might be a rich merchant or a young master, and he would redeem her from the brothel. She would then move from a larger cage to a smaller one.

She would be favored, and then fall out of favor. Her background meant that she could not become the lawful wife of anyone, married with all the rites and trappings of an official wife.

Or maybe she would not be redeemed. When she got old, she would become an old lady that would clean and sweep the floors in the brothel, her back bent over as she wiped the steps and the ground. No one would know that she was a graceful beauty when she was younger.

She had thought a lot, but never had she thought she would sit in such a place, and never had she thought that her past experience would become capital she now relied on.

“An Xiu, don’t keep sitting, come and go to bed.” The maid squinted her eyes while lying on the bed and called to her, “We have to get up early for work tomorrow.”

Hong Xiu climbed onto the bed and covered herself with the quilt, pulling it up to her nose. The maids whispered quietly about the day.

“I can’t sleep, the supervisor punished me to kneel in the afternoon, and my knee still hurts.”

The little palace maids were the daughters of minor officials. They had not enjoyed the luxurious life of nobles and those in power. The only difference they had from the daughters of the common people was that they didn’t have to go hungry. But they still had to do work as minor officials’ salary plus money from bribery was not enough for the family to really enjoy any luxuries.

“The supervisor is so fierce…..”

“They are hiding the empress!”

The senior palace maids were in charge of everything around the empress and they acted as her eyes and ears. They suppress the little palace maids underneath, just because they were afraid that if they climbed up the ranks, they themselves would have to come down. After all, the positions around the empress were limited.

But in the naive imagination of the little palace maids, the empress was being hidden by the senior palace maids.

Hong Xiu listened quietly, without saying a word.

“The empress has a good temper. I heard that she doesn’t punish people with a board beating even when they make a mistake.”

“The empress doesn’t beat us, but if the supervisors want to beat us, it still hurts even when it’s hitting our palms with a stick.”

“I heard that if the palm is hit twenty times it will be swollen, and if it is fifty times it will be crippled.”

“We can’t make mistakes. A beating is a small thing but the embarrassment is a big thing. My family is still waiting for me to come out of the palace!”

Although they would be much older when they finally left the palace, girls who had been in the palace received better marriage prospects.

It was a proud thing to be able to enter the palace.

“I heard that Consort Li is the most favored, and the emperor goes to her every day.”

“Consort Li looks beautiful! They all say Consort Li is more beautiful than Noble Consort Yang!”

“Would the emperor love her if she was not beautiful?”

“Go to bed, we have work tomorrow, don’t wake up the supervisor.”

The little palace maids stopped talking. Some closed their eyes to sleep, and some kept their eyes open. When meeting the equally open eyes of a fellow little sister next to them, they would bury their heads in the quilt and giggle.

The sun was shining on the earth, and this temporary small imperial palace city awakened from the dark night. The eunuchs and the palace maids moved about in hurried steps. The spring morning cold had yet to disperse so they walked in the imperial palace city wearing cotton-padded clothes. Hong Xiu followed the other maids with her head bowed as they walked forward. Their eyes always looked in front of them. On the road, no one knew what was ahead, who was ahead.

“An Xiu, you come with me.” The leading palace maid called over Hong Xiu.

Hong Xiu walked up to her in a practiced manner in accordance with etiquette. Hong Xiu had her head lowered, her eyes confused and uneasy, just like every young nervous girl.

The palace maid smiled at Hong Xiu: “I see that you are honest and well-behaved. It happens that there was an older sister who left the palace and the Empress’s palace is missing a tea-serving palace maid.”

Hong Xiu’s eyes brightened, and she looked very happy. She said carefully: “I bought rouge for Sister Zhang.”

The palace maid’s surname was Zhang, and she pretended to cough: “I was not aiming for this benefit, I just looked at your obedience and decided to give you a chance.”

Hong Xiu nodded repeatedly: “I know, I know, it’s sister who is thinking of me.”

She had given the palace maid Zhang a lot of benefits, and almost all the gold she brought into the palace was given to her. Only then did she manage to reach this point.

If palace maid Zhang did not fulfill her promise, then she would be in a more difficult position in the palace. At that time, she could only send a letter to An Laosi and the others to come up with a new method, as the original plan failed and she could only become one of the informants they had in the palace.

The palace maid Zhang took the small box of rouge that Hong Xiu handed over, pursed her lips and smiled: “If you gain the favor of the empress in the future, don’t forget me.”

Hong Xiu: “I will take sister’s good words to heart, if one day I’ve done well for myself, I will not forget sister’s great kindness.”

“Let’s go.” The palace maid led the way and told Hong Xiu, “You have to be more cautious after going to the empress’s palace. You are smart so I don’t need to mention anything else, just remember one sentence. You don’t have to worry about others except for Lady Zhao. Be careful, she has the most face next to the empress. It won’t be much of a problem if you offend others. But if you offend her, you won’t even know how you died.”

Hong Xiu asked in a low voice, “Is Lady Zhao very fierce?”

The palace maid Zhang led her through the small door. No one passed by here and it was considered a blind spot. She looked around and made sure that no one was passing by before pulling Hong Xiu over and saying, “Lady Zhao has been serving the empress for a long time.”

“Before the empress entered the palace, she was already the most favored person around the empress.” The palace maid Zhang said, “She doesn’t love money, so don’t think of giving her gifts. Lady Zhao likes honest people.”

Hong Xiu understood, and smiled sweetly, “Thank you, sister.”

The palace maid Zhang smiled and said: “If you do well, I will be better too, won’t I?”

Those who did well in the palace and managed to be seen by the master, might actually even be able to come back to the palace to serve as senior palace ladies even if they had already married and had children. If one was lucky and the master had a child, one could even come back to be a nanny, which was practically the same as reaching the sky in one step.

So long as one could be remembered by the master, everything else was empty and superficial.

There was not much that the tea-serving maid could do, it was just brewing tea for the empress. If the maids next to the empress had the intention, then one would not even have the chance to bring the tea to the empress.

But even so, those who were vying for this position fight fiercely for it.

“Lady Zhao, this is An Xiu.” The palace maid Zhang brought Hong Xiu to Lady Zhao, as all the palace maids in the empress’s palace had to go through her.

Lady Zhao was in her thirties. She had a stern face and a stiff manner from her older age. Her lips were thin and made her look a little bit mean. Her back was slightly stooped, the result of years of bending over. No matter how much face she had in front of the empress, and how much power she held in her hand, she was just a servant who couldn’t straighten up when facing her master.

Lady Zhao just took a look at Hong Xiu, and said mildly: “Be honest and obedient, do what you should do, and don’t think about what you shouldn’t.”

Hong Xiu lowered her head, and she could only see her skirt: “Yes, thank you Lady for your teaching.”

Lady Zhao: “It’s not to that extent. Follow me.”

Hong Xiu had learned some tea skills before and her tea art was very good. As a courtesan from a brothel she must be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Being a high grade prostitute in ancient times was also a kind of technical job.

“Not bad.” Lady Zhao drank a sip of tea, and finally made such a comment, “The craftsmanship is passable.”

Hong Xiu showed an appropriately measured expression of excitement.

Lady Zhao glanced at her sideways, and Hong Xiu shrank her neck and tucked in her chin.

Lady Zhao: “Such unsteadiness, how is that seemly? This is the empress’s palace, the place of example for the women of the world!”

Hong Xiu lowered her head: “Yes.”

Lady Zhao looked away: “You are a servant of the empress, and you must be loyal to the empress. If I learn that you have been communicating information to the outside, I will let you know that while you may have come in here vertically you will be going out horizontally.”

After Lady Zhao finished making her warnings, Hong Xiu was led away by other palace maids.

Although it was the palace of the empress, it was actually not all that big. After all, Anfeng was only a county and it could not be compared with most cities, nor could it be compared with the real imperial palace city. It was just that everyone pretended that this was the imperial palace city. After pretending for a long time, this palace also seemed to have become more magnificent.

Hong Xiu looked at all this calmly, but in her heart she was full of contempt.

The women here took pride in being the empress’s maids, and they tied their own personal honor and disgrace to one person.

If this person tells them to live they will live, and if it is to die then they will die.

How similar was it to herself once upon a time?

She once also placed everything about herself on men.

But then she discovered that her life must be in her own hands if she wanted to live happily.

Just like with her standing here now, not because she wanted to bring honor to the family, nor because she was forced to be helpless. She had chosen all this by herself.

So she could face all the advantages and disadvantages that came of this choice.

These women couldn’t.

If the empress fell from grace, their lives would also be over, and they wouldn’t even know what they did wrong.

Hong Xiu stood in the tea room with countless tea leaves behind her. The room was filled with a strong tea fragrance. Her wrists were very thin and white. She was wearing a palace dress and her hair was pinned up in the most ordinary hairstyle. She had no expression on her face and the surrounding maids also all did their own things. No one made a sound, as if they were standing in a mausoleum instead.

The empress’s palace sounded honorable on the surface, but what was so honorable if only the empress was present in the palace?

It was only honorable wherever the emperor was.

People outside all say that the empress was kind and benevolent, but no one had ever thought deeper. If the empress was really that kind and benevolent, why was Consort Li still not pregnant despite having the emperor’s favor every night? The emperor was young and strong and virile and yet there was no prince or princess being born in the palace. Consort Li was also at a ripe age with imperial physicians at her call and the most favor from the emperor. It was natural for the coupling of man and woman to result in children.

The corners of Hong Xiu’ lips were curved in a smile.

She was not afraid of the empress’s cruelty and greed, but she was afraid that the empress really had no wants and desires.

A person who had no wants and desires was the most terrifying person.

If this person didn’t want anything at all.

Then how could others seek what they want from her?

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The more fierce she was, the more likely it was that Hong Xiu would climb up the ranks.

Hong Xiu took a deep breath.

It was not a day’s cold that could freeze three feet deep of ice. She must continue to lay dormant, and take things slowly and gradually.

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Unlike Gaoyou, all of Pingjiang’s policies were slowly and imperceptibly changed by Lin Yuan. He was now used to calling a bunch of people over to discuss matters, and then choose to adopt the suggestions that spoke to his own heart. This way it would not seem like a dictatorship, but in fact it was still a dictatorship. His own policies were just being spoken from another person’s mouth.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Lin Yuan now finally understood why the people above would not listen to the opinions of the people below.

The eyes of the people below were easily confined to the small acre of land in front of them. There were few people who possessed a big picture of the overall situation. Everyone had a mouth, had their own thinking, and had interests they wanted to fight for.

If results were to be achieved, everyone had to think in one direction, work hard towards the same goal, each performing their own duties, neither asking too much nor thinking too much. Only this way would things be done quickly and beautifully.

Lin Yuan knew that he was walking on a very dangerous road. Once he made a mistake, it would be the common people who didn’t know anything paying for his mistakes. But he also knew that he had to walk this way, and he had to firmly believe that the path he was taking was correct.

Recently, Lin Yuan has become more and more taciturn. The more he thought, the more thoughts he had, the feeling he gave people changed even more.

Song Shizhao faced Lin Yuan every day, and he could sense the feeling most obviously. In Song Shizhao’s words, Lin Yuan was “reserved and introverted.”

“Before you were like a blade. Although sharp, it was also fragile.” Song Shizhao poured tea for Lin Yuan while saying, “Now you have a scabbard.”

After washing away the restless impatience, Lin Yuan became more and more steady and unflustered.

Lin Yuan looked at Song Shizhao earnestly. He hadn’t looked at people so earnestly for a long time. Was Song Shizhao so old?

“These years, it’s all thanks to Mister,” Lin Yuan said earnestly.

Song Shizhao has also changed recently. His temper had improved, Lin Yuan could feel it. Last year Song Shizhao was not as amiable as this year. At that time, he probably regarded everyone as imaginary enemies, wishing nothing more than to tear everyone apart, leaving only him being of use by Lin Yuan’s side.

But Song Shizhao’s loyalty was beyond doubt.

Lin Yuan took the tea that Song Shizhao handed over. The monarch and the minister sat by the window and drank tea together. There was a square table under the window sill and a chess board on top. Lin Yuan had become interested in Go recently and would play it occasionally.

Song Shizhao put down a black stone and said without looking up: “The north has been settled. Whether it is the imperial court or anyone else, they won’t be able to cause any storms in the next few years. But not in the south. Various forces from all quarters are eyeing each other covetously.”

Lin Yuan nodded and placed down a white stone. The two sides exchanged moves back and forth.

Song Shizhao smiled and said: “My Lord’s chess skills have become more and more exquisite. Given time, it may be difficult to find an opponent.”

Lin Yuan laughed: “This flattery is layed beautifully.”

Song Shizhao also laughed.

Song Shizhao sighed: “I wonder when Xiao Ming Emperor and Liu Futong will…..”

Most of the rebels now rebelled under the name of the Red Turban Army. Where did the Red Turban Army come from? From the White Lotus Sect. Who was the orthodox Red Turban Army? Naturally, it was Xiao Ming Emperor. Although Han Shantong died, his son succeeded his position and Xiao Ming Emperor was the continuation of orthodoxy. Even if Liu Futong now held the most power in the regime by representing the Xiao Ming Emperor, he would not dare to kill Xiao Ming Emperor and succeed him.

The reason was simple. If even the so-called orthodox ruler could be killed, then as he himself was not even orthodox, wouldn’t he be even easier to kill?

Just like the Yuan Dynasty, after the first case of rebellion, subsequent rebellions emerged endlessly.

If Liu Futong himself set an example of killing the monarch, there would be many people who would also want to do the same and replace him.

In addition to this, there was another point and that was resistance to Liu Futong. Among those who followed Xiao Ming Emperor, there was also a faction that supported Han Shantong and the so-called orthodoxy.

Once Xiao Ming Emperor fell, the Red Turban Army would no longer “have a just cause”. Although those who held power would not let go of their power and authority, the common people did not understand these kinds of things. At least within a short period of time, the Red Turban Army would suffer heavy losses.

At that time, it would be their opportunity.

The more Song Shizhao thought about it, the more he wanted to just rush over to Liu Futong or Xiao Ming Emperor and tell them to kill each other.

So long as he was allowed to go over, he would definitely encourage the ambitions of one of them and instigate them to fight each other to the death!

Ai! If it hadn’t been for Pingjiang having too many things to deal with back then, he would have set off on his own a long time ago, so how could he have asked An Laosi to go instead?

Song Shizhao lowered his head. It seemed that he should assign the tasks and responsibilities to those below. He suppressed the people under him and did not let them emerge. But when something really needed to be done, not even one could be found to handle things.

Lin Yuan looked at Song Shizhao’s expression and knew what he was thinking. He said with schadenfreude amusement, “Now you know that one person can’t do everything?”

Song Shizhao crinkled his old face into a smile: “That’s also because my Lord cares about this official.”

Lin Yuan also earnestly said: “Then don’t become too proud and spoiled from the favor.”

Song Shizhao also answered playfully: “Ai, the young man’s heart is like an intangible wind, and this official is now old, not as good as the wild flowers and grass outside. How can I keep the heart of the young man without using some means?”

Lin Yuan drank a sip of tea, motionless like a mountain: “You just want nothing more than to be the only one of use in this world, but you are already at this age and you should know to combine work and rest. Otherwise once you fall down from tiredness, the people below will still jump out. And at that time when I use them you will become jealous again.”

Song Shizhao suddenly stopped talking.

Lin Yuan’s half-joking words sounded in his ears and landed in his heart, his nose suddenly stinging a bit.

He discovered that Lin Yuan had really been showing tolerance for him and caring for him all this time. He had been occupying the position beside him in a domineering way and it was not that Lin Yuan didn’t know this, he just didn’t mind indulging him.

This caused Song Shizhao’s heart to surge like the waves, and it was difficult to calm down.

Lin Yuan asked him: “Is there anyone under you who can be of use?”

Song Shizhao didn’t hide it this time, and said, “I have looked them over. Some can only be minor officials and I’ve found jobs for them already. There are also a few good ones, only that their tempers are too hard and need to be polished.”

Lin Yuan nodded, suddenly saying, “I remember there was one named Zheng Qingfeng, how is he?”

“A man who has been frustrated for half his life.” Song Shizhao’s eyes had a tiny trace of pity in them, but this bit of pity wasn’t worth all that much. “Being a civil official is enough.”

“He would make a clean and uncorrupted official.”

Lin Yuan: “That’s fine, there just happened to be a need for a district head.”

Pingjiang had its administrative work units replanned——village heads, town heads, county heads, district heads and city mayors.

As for Lin Yuan, he did not yet have a clear political title. Everyone called him Lord, and the common people called him South Bodhisattva.

Although ambiguous, it was not a bad thing.

Song Shizhao also agreed.

According to Song Shizhao’s words: “Even if my Lord has not yet been named emperor, he is already holding the emperor’s power. As long as he has power, the title is not as important.”

The district head did not seem to have much power, but in fact he was considered to be half a senior provincial official. The city mayor looked to have a lot of power, but his power was divided.

Generally speaking, the district head had more real powers than the city mayor, but the city mayor also had the power to supervise and inspect. The district head did not need to be transferred, but the city mayor must be replaced every five years.

“Zheng Qingfeng has finally met with great lucky.” Song Shizhao thought in his heart, if the monarch was someone else, who would use such an official? Just based on what he did before was enough for him to be left out in the cold until his death.

Lin Yuan placed down his last white stone: “The people under you, find a place for them as soon as possible, and make the best use of them, otherwise it’s a waste of food.”

Song Shizhao quickly responded: “Yes.”

“And Wu Changqing.” Lin Yuan didn’t have any expression, “Go and give him a reminder, lest his head get too big.”

Song Shizhao lowered his head, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Wu Changqing meeting with misfortune makes him very happy!

Wu Changqing was talented, but there were also drawbacks. Lin Yuan used him because of his talents, but because of the drawbacks in his personality, he dared not trust him.

He had a common problem common to ordinary scholars, he loved power. He also had a common problem common to all sycophantic officials, he loved to play with power.

Now that Wu Changqing had a certain prestige among scholars, he was eager to challenge Song Shizhao in the arena.

But Lin Yuan was not willing to help him.

To be precise, Wu Changqing did not have the same importance as Song Shizhao did in his heart.

He could be sure that Song Shizhao would not betray him no matter what situation he was in. Even if he died, so long as his bloodline was still alive, Song Shizhao would be loyal to his bloodline.

But he was not sure whether Wu Changqing could do the same.

Besides, there was only one Song Shizhao, whereas there were tens of millions of Wu Changqings.

Without Wu Changqing, he would let out a few regretful sighs at most, bestowing his family a gift during the New Year’s every year, and then forget him after a few years.

But without Song Shizhao, he might have a headache for a long time, and maybe he might never find a successor to take Song Shizhao’s place.

Song Shizhao drank the last sip of tea and said to Lin Yuan: “My Lord wants to give him a warning, then why not promote one of the people under him? Aren’t those scholars gathering around him just for this chance?”

Lin Yuan raised his eyebrows: “Mister already has a candidate.”

His words were an affirmative statement, not a question.

Song Shizhao lowered his head, and said humbly: “I just observed more and inquired more, all to share the worries for my master.”

Lin Yuan didn’t bother to pick on this matter with him either: “Tell me.”

Song Shizhao: “Now there is one in his manor, whose surname is Yang, and his name is Yang Shaocheng. I am not clear how he is as a person, but he was an advisor who had handled many cases before. He is quite good at solving cases and we lack such a person.”

Lin Yuan thought for a while: “Have him go work as a lizheng.”

Lizheng was a new name. It had been implemented in Gaoyou, and basically meant a judge. Lin Yuan divided the power, different departments managed different things, and personal power would be reduced. Although he was not sure whether this would be better than before, it at least would not be worse.

——

“How bold of him!” Wu Changqing nearly fell down with anger, “I had treated him very well!”

Wu Changqing’s eldest son looked at his father’s face, and hurriedly went over to console: “Father, don’t be angry, it will be bad for your health. People like him originally only came for this.”

Wu Changqing was so angry that he slapped the table, his veins popping out: “Yang Shaocheng! Despicable villain, shameless rascal!”

The eldest son did not dare to speak, his father had the biggest say in the family, and whenever his father was present, no one could override his words.

“How vexing! How vexing!” Wu Changqing clutched his stomach, his stomach hurting with anger, “I shouldn’t have let him stay in the manor!”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The once guest of the old days had now climbed up the sky ladder, and this sky ladder that he stepped on was him, Wu Changqing. He had to send him off with a smile on his face, but without outsiders, this anger finally exploded.

He might not be ignorant of the mindset of those above.

But he could not hate Lin Yuan, he could only hate Yang Shaocheng.

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The fire in the barracks had not yet been extinguished and the soldiers sat chatting around the bonfire. They were wearing newly handed out cotton-padded clothes——all of the same color and the same size. They were tightly tightened with their belts so the thinner ones could also wear it with no problem. Holding a cup with hot water in it, many even took off their shoes to roast their feet by the fire.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Soldiers couldn’t leave the barracks without order. Even the commanders above would face execution if they secretly ran out of the barracks. They were strictly managed, and those who executed the military law did not give face to anyone. And because of this, the common people living near the barracks didn’t have to be so scared or on edge.

The soldiers must stay in the barracks for a month before they could get two days off. For these two days, they also had to report their itinerary clearly.

But there were also a lot of entertainment activities in the barracks——for example, Lin Yuan had people create game sport equipment like basketballs and cuju (TN: ancient Chinese football). There were also some simple fitness equipment, similar to the equipment found in gyms. So after their required training for the day was over, soldiers could also find things to amuse themselves.

Zhao Laosi was holding a cup of water. He pulled out a sweet potato from the embers of the extinguished fire under his feet, peeled it and ate it in two bites.

The person next to him laughed at him: “You actually still hid one, what are you so anxious for? It’s not as if you won’t have anything to eat, in fact there will be meat broth tomorrow. Isn’t that better than just eating this alone?”

Zhao Laosi finished the sweet potato in two bites and didn’t feel all that full. He had fled over here as a refugee and his wife and children died on the road. He had nowhere to go and had no relatives in Gaoyou. He knew that being a soldier was dangerous and risky but he still gritted his teeth and joined the army.

“Such a good thing, there will actually be more tomorrow?” Zhao Laosi licked his teeth, wanting to lick any remaining sweet potatoes from his teeth.

His colleague laughed at him: “How is this considered a good thing? Nowadays, it is planted the most outside.”

“This thing grows faster, and its yield is quite a lot.” His colleague was also a farmer in the past, and when mentioning this topic he became particularly energetic. He moved closer and chatted with Zhao Laosi in detail, “Every day the growth is visible to the eye!”

“Just a little bit, and you can harvest so much.”

The skin of the colleague was dark, and when he smiled all of his teeth were exposed.

Zhao Laosi said: “I like to eat sweet potatoes the best.”

The people around him said: “I also like to eat sweet potatoes. Regular potatoes are not as sweet as sweet potatoes and not as fragrant.”

“Then sweet potatoes and potatoes, can it only be grown here?” Zhao Laosi asked in a low voice.

Colleague: “These two things aren’t picky on the land very much. You can grow it even on inferior land, and still their harvest is more than that of the others.”

Zhao Laosi’s eyes widened: “Then…..Then on my way over here, I didn’t see anyone planting it.”

With the rapid increase in the production of sweet potatoes on Lin Yuan’s land, the consistently high food prices had slowly begun to fall down. However, Lin Yuan had been keeping the prices of sweet potatoes and potatoes from decreasing too much so that people would know that planting these two crops could still make money. People were naturally profit-seeking, perhaps when still hungry, they would think it was a good thing to grow sweet potatoes and potatoes, but once the problem of filling the stomach was solved, of course they would want to earn more.

Now, other than a few big cities that could achieve a balance of income, self-producing and self-consuming, other small cities still had to rely on him for handing out food supplies.

As a result, the sweet potatoes and potatoes did not spread beyond his territory, after all, his own people still didn’t have enough food.

It was not that no one wanted the seeds. There were many inquiries from various forces.

Rations and fodder were the top priority no matter when. Soldiers would only be obedient and have the strength to be able to fight on the battlefield when fully fed.

But not even three years had passed since the last time Lin Yuan carried out executions and established his prestige. The merchants were tempted, but few really dared to make any moves. They were all staring at each other and wanted to see when someone else would make a move.

Sometimes violent deterrence could indeed bring relatively long-term stability.

“Some people will be drawn to visit the town in three days. How will they make the draw this time?”

The soldiers were still chatting. Zhao Laosi was a newcomer, and he didn’t understand what the others were talking about, looking at his colleagues blankly.

His colleague explained: “It is to bring food and clothing to those in the poor mountains and remote areas.”

Zhao Laosi was taken aback: “Why bother, isn’t that…..” A waste?

Colleague: “Do you know whose soldier you are?”

Zhao Laosi wondered: “The general’s soldier?”

The colleagues laughed loudly: “We are the soldiers of the South Bodhisattva! You don’t even know this? Our South Bodhisattva was born with a Buddha’s heart, and can’t bear to see anyone suffer. That’s why we are sent to save those who are suffering.”

Zhao Laosi was even more puzzled.

These soldiers actually sincerely love that South Bodhisattva?

Wasn’t the truth in the world that good people would be deceived, and good horses would be ridden by others?

Zhao Laosi had also seen good people, and most of them had no good ending. On the contrary, the selfish, the mean and the cruel people lived better.

“Without the South Bodhisattva, I would have died from starvation a long time ago.” His colleague pointed at his own nose, “I was thin and lame at the time. But after entering the army, it was all thanks to my colleagues for taking care of me and helping me recuperate. Back then, who would waste food on me?”

The crowd was noisy and lively. Don’t know who started talking first, but the topic soon turned to talking of the time before, and the idle chatting quickly turned into a memorial meeting.

When the soldiers were called early the next morning, Zhao Laosi was also selected for the visit to the town.

The comrades in the same squad all expressed their envy to Zhao Laosi after the training.

“It’s a rare visit outside the barracks, so don’t frown. Although traveling on the road is a little rough, it’s also quite interesting.”

Zhao Laosi felt strange: “Interesting?”

His colleague hooked his shoulders and said: “It’s better than being bored in the barracks. You can also compete in hunting and all the prey you hunt is yours. If there is no prey, you can eat dry rations. Traveling during the day and camping at night. It’s tiring but it’s a rare, happy kind of tiring.”

However, Zhao Laosi said: “I don’t want to go out, I just want to stay in the barracks.”

He really liked the barracks. There were thick and warm clothes, at least two sets a year. He could eat his fill every day and even if there was no meat, he could eat as much sweet potatoes and potatoes he wanted. Each person had his own bed and although it was small, there was no problem fitting a grown man and even turning over was not difficult. No one had ever slept in a bed back in his old home.

He was afraid of going out this time, what if he was left behind halfway on the road? What if he got lost? He wasn’t familiar with the area, maybe he might starve to death on the road.

Zhao Laosi couldn’t sleep. He was afraid of being dragged away in the middle of the night, and he didn’t want to go anywhere.

When it was time to gather in line, the officer in charge who counted the number found that there was a missing person. The military discipline in the barracks was strict, and there was no such thing as being late or leaving early. Moreover, the system was squad based so it was not easy for people to have the courage to make mistakes as it would implicate the entire squad.

“Zhao Laosi? Which squad is this? Where is the squad leader?! Call the squad leader over!”

The squad leader was also very speechless: “I heard him say before going to bed yesterday that he didn’t want to go out, but I didn’t expect him to have the guts to be a deserter.”

It was impossible for such a big living person to disappear from under people’s eyes in an instant.

“I’ve said before that it’s best not to select new recruits.”

Recruits all had this problem. They would stay in the barracks happily at first, and would be unwilling to take a step out of the barracks even if beaten to death. Only when they got acquainted with the rest and knew the operations inside the barracks would they become at ease.

There were no deserters here——but soldiers who were unwilling to leave the barracks were no different from deserters to some extent.

Zhao Laosi was finally found under his bed. Don’t know how he squeezed in and now he could barely even get out, so they could only take apart the bed. Zhao Laosi didn’t dare to move and lay on the ground crying. While crying, he said: “I don’t eat a lot of food, I won’t go out, don’t drive me away…..”

A big grown man crying with tears and snot, it really gave people goosebumps.

The squad leader could only say to the officer in charge: “He probably won’t be able to go like this.”

The officer sighed: “If you ask me, newcomers shouldn’t be given this chance to go out.”

Zhao Laosi got his wish and did not follow the team out. He preferred the small dormitory and the same training every day.

Replacing Zhao Laosi was also a new recruit in the same batch. His name was Feng Gousheng. He was chosen because of his good performance, not too weak looking physique, and being more courageous than Zhao Laosi. Feng Gousheng was carrying a backpack, each soldier was carrying this thing on his back, which contained dry rations and some other necessities.

These backpacks were all sewn by women. They were made of the strongest coarse cloth and had a large capacity. There were two shoulder straps and a cloth strip underneath which could be tied around the waist, making it much easier when traveling or marching.

Feng Gousheng had traveled on the road before, but he never traveled like this. Back then, his stomach was always deflated and he was always thinking about whether he could find work after he reached the destination. Now his stomach was full and although tired, his body still had energy. He even had the energy to look around the farmland when the team rested.

“This has been barren for several years.” Feng Gousheng looked at the barren land, feeling distressed.

Others sighed: “One can’t eat enough while staying on this land.”

Farmers planted the land, but they abandoned the land and left their hometown because they couldn’t have enough to eat. This sounded like a joke but it was very true.

Feng Gousheng remembered that when he was in his hometown, his parents were busy farming all year round, like hard working oxen. They never had a rest day. When it came time for harvest, the field would be covered in golden wheat, rustling in the breeze. But in contrast, their granary would always only have a little bit of grain.

At that time, he didn’t understand why he still couldn’t get enough to eat despite there being so much food in the field.

Feng Gousheng bent down, pinched a handful of soil, and put it in his mouth. He said to the person next to him, “This land is good, it’s fertile land.”

“You also have the ability to distinguish soil?”

“Don’t only old verteran farmers know this?”

Feng Gousheng smiled shyly: “Not necessarily accurate, I just know a little bit.”

“By the way, since there are so many fields here, why don’t I see any villages?” Feng Gousheng stood up and looked into the distance strangely.

Someone replied: “The original people here either fled or died. Few people remember what the village was originally called.”

“But I estimate that it will get better in the future.”

Feng Gousheng asked: “What do you mean? Those people will come back?”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“That’s probably not going to happen, but the South Bodhisattva will definitely have people come over.”

“Yes, the South Bodhisattva is here, so people will definitely come.”

“The South Bodhisattva is just too kind-hearted.”

“It’s all thanks to the South Bodhisattva…..”

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