I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 72 As long as Fang La launches an attack, everything will be fine

Zhao Zi said that he had calmly accepted the deficit left by County Magistrate Li and only asked to complete the handover of his duties as soon as possible.

Against this backdrop, Magistrate Li's departure was incredibly quick. Just three days after receiving the official document from the Ministry of Personnel, he left Suzhou.

Zhao Zi said that he did not realize at the time that the speed of this handover actually set a record in recent years among the prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River.

Originally, even if the successor official wanted to take office as soon as possible, seize power and make money as soon as possible, he would have to struggle, test the waters and bargain. Ten days or half a month would be considered fast. How could the former county magistrate run away on the third day?

Such a quick handover also quickly brought about two chain reactions, which had both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is, of course, that Zhao Zicheng will be able to take power as soon as possible, and in a temporarily unconstrained position - because after he was transferred to the position of county magistrate, the position of county magistrate that he originally held became vacant.

When the Ministry of Personnel made these personnel adjustments, they also assigned a new county magistrate to Gusu County. However, the problem was that the new county magistrate's appointment time followed the normal process, and he had a three-month transit period. His term would only begin when he arrived in Suzhou, so he would still have to travel for another month or two.

(Note: The date of arrival in Suzhou and the date of handover are counted as part of the term of office. However, the days spent on the way to Suzhou before arriving are not counted as part of the term of office. This is clearly defined in the laws of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, you can delay on the way, as long as you arrive within the given time limit. Last year, Zhao Zi said that he also delayed on the way. After reporting to the local place, you must take office as soon as possible.

The imperial court made this rule to account for varying distances and to allow time for those traveling. Each law was a response to historical flaws. In earlier dynasties, the conflation of travel time and handover time led to numerous tragedies.

For example, officials rushing to take office quickly and hold power for a longer period of time may cause them to travel too fast, forcing themselves to travel despite being ill, and eventually die in accidents along the way. After so many tragedies, legislators, for the benefit of everyone and themselves, will amend laws that are clearly outdated.
Therefore, for the next month or two, Zhao Zicheng would be the sole person in charge of Gusu County, temporarily holding both the top and second-in-command positions, without any deputies to hinder him. This would allow him to do a lot more.

Of course, as a county attached to the capital, even if the top two leaders have centralized power, their influence is actually limited, as there are still the prefect, the magistrate, and even the Yingfeng Bureau watching over them.

In the first two or three days after County Magistrate Li left, Zhao Zicheng seized the opportunity, worked day and night, and made many small moves and deployments that would be helpful for his future preparations for war.

After talking about the pros, the disadvantages are also very obvious, and they are something Zhao Zicheng had not expected before.

That is, within the county government, and even throughout the officialdom of Gusu, rumors about him, some statements that were unfavorable to his reputation, began to spread gradually. This spread was not instigated by anyone, but was purely spread spontaneously by everyone.

"I didn't expect that County Magistrate Zhao seemed so dedicated to the country and the people last year, and that he was not greedy or possessive. It turned out to be all an act."

"He's so eager to take office and get Magistrate Li out as soon as possible so he can monopolize power."

"Duke Zhou feared rumors, and Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne. Last year, the money for corvée labor and agricultural labor was all raised through donations, with no forced taxes or levies. Now that we've finally gotten through this, I don't know how to earn it back. Alas."

The people who said these things included ordinary officials from various departments in the county, as well as other people of all kinds, all of whom were talking secretly behind Zhao Zicheng's back. But they didn't know that Zhao Zicheng had become very sharp-eyed and had a very keen hearing since he started practicing martial arts, so many times he could hear the whispers of people outside from across the courtyard.

People said it privately to save Zhao Zicheng's face, and Zhao Zicheng didn't want to shout it out publicly, as that would only make things worse. Besides, people's words are scary, and the law does not punish everyone. He could only play it safe for the time being and pretend not to know.

But the depression in his heart was very heavy.

"Alas, it seems I'm still inexperienced in officialdom. I just wanted to get my work done as quickly as possible without any hindrance, and fully prepare for war. I didn't expect that in the eyes of those fools, any official eager to take office regardless of the cost would be stereotyped as someone who just wants to get corrupted as soon as possible. Who can I turn to for justice?"

Zhao Zicheng couldn't help but feel angry and thoughtful every time.

There's really no way to explain this rumor, except to say, "To test jade, you need to burn it for three days, and to identify the material, you need to wait seven years." After Fang La rebelled, those who didn't understand him would naturally realize how far-sighted and selfless Magistrate Zhao was.

Who made the civil servants who did this before the Song Dynasty all of them were greedy? If you insist on saying that you are the only exception, no one will believe you for a while.

Zhao Zi said that although he was depressed, he didn't take it too seriously.

However, this little episode also gave Zhao Zicheng two ideas.

First, he had a stronger motivation in his heart, hoping to find out when Fang La would rebel. This would give him a head start and allow him to join forces with the magistrate Wei Xian to petition the emperor to abolish the Flower and Stone Gang and gain a lot of fame.

No matter what kind of setback his reputation has suffered at the moment, as long as he submits a memorial requesting the abolition of the Flower and Stone Tax, the people of Jiangnan will be able to rally their support. All the rumors that he is greedy and wants to collude with Zhu Zhen will be self-defeating. This is the most effective and most effective trick to cut off the root of the problem.

Secondly, Zhao Zicheng increasingly felt that he needed to win over some civil servants and clerks who could know him well and help him with his work.

So far, he had been traveling through time for over a year and had been in the officialdom for over half a year, and the confidants around him were all just warriors. For those matters involving swords and guns, he had his die-hard friends to help him with things, even the most treacherous ones.

However, he did not have any confidants in the civil service system. On the one hand, his official position was too low, and he was not worthy of having civil servants to join him. On the other hand, it was also because Fang La had not yet rebelled, so he could not discuss many of his ideas with scholars.

He made many deductions and predictions. If he told them to military men, they would believe him. But if he told them to scholars, not only would no one believe him, but he might also be reported.

It seems that I can only overcome difficulties, do things myself, and endure for another six months.

As long as Fang La raises his army, the situation of winning over the civil servants' confidants can be broken.

……

Zhao Zi said that he had been busy in the county government office all day, and had thoroughly sorted out the deficit left by County Magistrate Li, as well as the remaining money and grain that should have been paid in the summer and autumn of this year but could now be paid. He had a clear idea of ​​the situation and was ready to rest.

The so-called "money and grain that should have been paid in the summer and autumn of this year but can now be embezzled" can be translated into plain language as "If Fang La had not rebelled this year, then these money and grain should have been turned over to the court. But as long as Fang La rebelled, the money and grain in the areas affected by the rebellion would naturally have to be left behind and used to fight the rebels on the spot." The amount of money involved naturally became a confusing account, and no one would check it in the future.

Zhao Zi said that he had thought of all these factors a long time ago, so he started thinking about how to save a little here and there more than half a year in advance and concentrate all the resources that could be mobilized to prepare for war.

Under normal circumstances, if Fang La hadn't started his rebellion until October of this year, the autumn taxes in Suzhou might not have been collected and submitted, but the summer taxes could have already been collected and sent for transport. Zhao Zicheng, acting with care, could have delayed the summer taxes until Fang La started his rebellion, thus eliminating the need to pay these taxes to the court.

These tasks were strictly confidential, and he couldn't even tell any county officials about them. He had to do them all himself. So when he first took office, he was exhausted, and he didn't sleep well for several nights just evaluating the accounts of previous years.

"No, I will collapse if I continue like this. Even if I have to do everything myself, I can't do this. It's uncomfortable to eat, drink, and sleep in the county government office. I'd better go back to the Murong family secretly."

Zhao Zicheng took a nap in the bedroom in the backyard of the government office for a while and felt uncomfortable all over. Finally, he decided to go back to Murong's house tonight.

After assuming the office, he spent the first three to five days living in the county government office, to avoid being accused of having illicit connections with the county's wealthy families. As usual, the backyard of the government office housed a residence for the magistrate and his family, but because officials did not maintain government offices, the conditions were relatively poor, certainly inferior to the private residences of the wealthy.

Zhao Zi said that he usually did not care about enjoying life, but on this day, because things were too complicated and he was not understood by others, and he also heard the petty officials gossiping behind his back, he was under multiple pressures and felt exhausted.

It was around midnight, which was a little after eight in the evening. He opened the backyard alone, untied the BMW he had brought back from Tokyo, and quietly rode back to Murong Villa without taking any followers with him.

The guards and servants of the Murong family did not expect the new magistrate to come so late, but they all knew the friendship between the new magistrate and the mistress and the young master, so of course they would not stop him and immediately welcomed him in quietly.

When Zhao Zicheng arrived in the hall, a beautiful girl who looked like Murong Yan soon came out to greet him. She repeatedly ordered the servants to bring him midnight snacks and prepare a bucket of soup for bathing and other things.

Zhao Zicheng glanced at the other person and felt a little awkward, but he couldn't put it into words, so he didn't take it to heart.

Ever since he'd spoken frankly with Duan Yuyan last winter, promising to marry her when he left Suzhou, the two had seen less and less, and Murong Yan had become somewhat shy. Later, Zhao Zi cited his busy schedule, especially the recent handover between the county magistrate and the county magistrate, as the reason for their absence in over a month.

Zhao Zicheng couldn't help but recall the scene when they first met over a year ago. Back then, Murong Yan was dressed as a man, and there was really no flaw at all. A fifteen-year-old girl, with a developmentally retarded constitution, her figure was small and delicate, but there was nothing else that stood out.

But after more than a year, the girl has changed a lot. It would be extremely difficult for Murong Yan to pretend to be a man now.

The last time I last saw him, it was just over a month, and it seemed like some visible changes had accumulated.

"Yan'er, I hope I didn't disturb your rest." Zhao Zicheng sat down, took a sip of the porridge handed to him by the other party, and sighed with concern.

"My brother is busy with all kinds of affairs every day, worrying about the people of the county, and he never has a rest. What's the big deal if I sleep a little late?" Murong Yan's voice was still as soft as before, and it was a little more gentle than usual.

Zhao Zicheng nodded, staring blankly ahead. He subconsciously took another sip of porridge, but it only satisfied his hunger but not his stress. He casually asked, "Why is there no wine?"

Murong Yan was slightly surprised, and hurriedly ordered the maid to bring wine, and also quietly reminded him a few words. After a while, the maid brought the wine. She poured it for Zhao Zicheng personally. After Zhao Zicheng drank it, he found that the wine was very mellow, not as strong as usual, but with a hint of warming and nourishing medicinal aroma.

Zhao Zicheng's heart moved. He knew Murong Yan too well. She was always straightforward and open-minded. If she drank, she would never drink such soft things.

So after drinking this sip of wine, combined with the various subtle differences he had observed before, Zhao Zicheng could see that no matter how similar the other person looked, the girl opposite was not Murong Yan, but her twin sister Murong Qiu.

However, since the other party didn't want to point it out, he didn't point it out either, just treating it as a small talk. Because just a few words, he found that Murong Qiu's mind was more delicate than Murong Yan's. Murong Yan was impulsive and didn't notice many things.

Murong Qiu saw that he still had a look of resentment in his eyes after he finished drinking, so he took the initiative to talk him through it gently: "Brother, did you encounter something unpleasant in the county? That's why you want to drink to drown your sorrows. If you really feel unhappy, I can switch to stronger liquor."

Zhao Zicheng waved his hand. "That's not necessary. It's nothing. My original intention was to quickly hand over the matter to Magistrate Li so I could flex my muscles. But the county officials, with their own petty judgments, assumed I was out to seize power and reap the benefits. Things like this can't be explained away. Over time, the innocent will be cleared up."

Zhao Zi said that he had never thought of discussing such topics with women. In ancient times, most women had few opportunities to study and had no way of learning political knowledge.

This time, Zhao Zi said that it was because he could not recruit his trusted team from the civil servants group for the time being, so he could only hold it in by himself, which made him feel really uncomfortable, so he just said it casually.

He didn't expect the other party to give him any advice, he just thought of it as a casual talk to gain some emotional value.

Murong Qiu listened quietly to him until he finished speaking. He didn't respond immediately, but thought carefully for a moment before speaking gently, "Brother, your actions are different from those of ordinary people. It's not surprising that ordinary people can't understand you. I'm also curious, why do you hold so much power in the county and act so drastically? Is it because... as you said before, you're worried that Zhu Zhen's excessive taxation will lead to instability in Jiangnan? So you want to be on guard in advance?"

Zhao Zicheng expressed the idea of ​​"worrying that some people in Jiangnan would be driven to rebellion by Zhu Jie's heavy taxation" in a small circle with his absolute confidants, including Murong Yan. She probably told her sister in private, but did not tell outsiders.

Among the warriors around Zhao Zicheng, Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, Lu Da and Li Jun all knew about it, but no one else knew about it.

Murong Qiu brought up the subject again, but Zhao Zicheng didn't point it out, simply acknowledging it. "If you don't plan for the future, you'll have immediate worries. Last year, there were some bandit movements in Huaixi, blocking the strategic intersections of the Bian River, Ru River, and Huai River. This year, the bandit situation in Shandong has also changed significantly. In Hebei, due to the war between the Liao and Jin kingdoms, many Liao soldiers have entered the country to plunder, perhaps joining forces with the bandits already in our Song territory. In these troubled times, it's not certain that the dramatic changes in Jiangnan will occur this year."

Zhao Zi said he had laid out this topic before, but not as clearly as he did tonight. Tonight was the first time he had pointed it out in public: Fang La's rebellion was likely to happen this year. He was just short of mentioning Fang La's name.

As a time traveler, many things cannot be planned in advance, or if you plan in advance, they may not be understood by others. Even if they are understood, they don’t know their true urgency, which is very painful.

Only when it is late at night and everyone is asleep, and the other person is definitely your confidant, can you confide in your stress.

After hearing this, Murong Qiu's expression finally became serious.

Will there be a rebellion in Jiangnan this year? Although she had never been far away, she knew the local customs and was a little skeptical. So she comforted him:
"Am I worrying too much? Perhaps I don't need to push myself so hard. Although Zhu Zhen is cruel, the people of Suzhou and Hangzhou can at least survive..."

Zhao Zicheng sipped another glass of medicinal wine and waved his hand, saying, "Of course, we won't start in affluent places like Suzhou and Hangzhou, but what about the impoverished, mountainous areas of western Zhejiang? Zhu Jie used the Flower and Stone Gang to plunder the various prefectures south of the Yangtze River, and he didn't let go of some prefectures simply because they were poor. You've never traveled far, and you don't understand the local customs, so you don't know the extent of the situation in the mountainous areas of western Zhejiang."

After hearing this, Murong Qiu seemed to be thinking about something and stopped refuting. Instead, he tried seriously to understand Zhao Zicheng's analysis.

After a long while, she realized she had understood, and continued to comfort him gently, "So, what is the most difficult problem for you, brother?"

Zhao Zi said, "Now that things have come to this, I will not hide it from you. I predict that there will be a popular uprising in some of the areas in western Zhejiang that are being oppressed the most this year. I want to take advantage of this opportunity before the uprising, speak out for justice, plead for the people, and find an opportunity to petition to abolish the Flower and Stone Gang.

If this succeeds, even if the civil unrest escalates in the future, I can protect Suzhou and Xiuzhou from danger, because I can use this to greatly win the hearts of the people in the nearby prefectures and win great prestige.

At that time, I will raise my arms and call for resistance against the rebels. Furthermore, if the Bianliang official is not so incompetent and, in this critical moment, is willing to issue an edict abolishing the Yingfeng Bureau and show repentance, I will then spread the word of your majesty's repentance. Given my reputation by then, I will surely convince the people of the surrounding prefectures. In this way, Su, Xiu, and other places will be saved.

But to accomplish this, the risks are also enormous. The key is not to submit the petition too far in advance. If I do so too early, and the uprising doesn't happen, but Zhu Zhen launches a frenzied counterattack, then with my humble position as a seventh-rank county magistrate, I will inevitably suffer vengeance and torture. How can I then talk about serving the country and saving the people?

Even more troubling is that if Your Majesty were to heed the advice and abolish the Yingfeng Bureau before the civil uprising, it would certainly be a great joy for my country and the nation, and I would honestly welcome it. However, it would be a bad thing for my personal future, because by then, the civil uprising wouldn't have happened, and Your Majesty's hatred for Zhu Jie wouldn't be as strong. After the incident, Zhu Jie's chances of reinstatement would be very high. Even if Your Majesty abolished the Yingfeng Bureau, he wouldn't have stripped Zhu Jie of his position, but would have simply transferred him to a lower position.

In this case, Zhu Jie will still be in power, and I will inevitably suffer his cruel revenge. Although for the sake of my country and the world, I should expect this to happen, it is just exchanging my honor and disgrace for the stability of the people in Jiangnan.

But if the government doesn't learn from this and doesn't correct its mistakes, it will only take a few years before it reverts to its old ways. And if my future is ruined, who will then set the world right?"

When Zhao Zicheng said this, he was a little confused, and he didn't want to say anything too outrageous.

Because from a selfless perspective, if it could nip Fang La's threat in the bud and allow Jiangnan to get rid of Zhu Zhen without having to go through war and bloodshed, then Zhao Zicheng should indeed support doing so, even if it would damage his own future.

Who told the best doctor to treat illness before it happens? That’s why he didn’t achieve such a great feat. If Fang La hadn’t rebelled, no one would have understood how much the people who stopped Fang La’s rebellion paid and how much they accomplished.

However, he also knew that such a thing was practically impossible, and at best only a theoretical possibility. At this point, Fang La's rebellion was inevitable, with less than six months remaining.

Murong Qiu listened to his analysis quietly and roughly understood the contradictions and conflicts between personal interests and the interests of the country and the world.

She was relatively weak and frail since childhood, and her family had never asked her to learn martial arts to support the family. Therefore, compared to her twin sister, she had basically no martial arts skills, and her mind was spent on reading, inheriting her mother's erudition.

At this moment, she had a rare opportunity to show her strengths, so she combined the classics and history she had learned throughout her life, drew lessons from the past, and repeatedly thought about it, and she actually came up with some clever ideas.

However, she had never had the opportunity to offer advice to anyone before. This was her first attempt, and she was somewhat nervous, so she chose her words carefully:

"Brother... I haven't read much, and my knowledge may not be accurate, but I still have a few words to say."

Zhao Zi said, "My dear sister, please feel free to tell me. I will take it into consideration."

Murong Qiu pursed his lips, composed his words, and mustered up the courage to speak: "Brother, what you said is all based on your imagination and speculation. I think that someone in western Zhejiang might cause chaos this year. Since you have a speculation, why not send someone to secretly verify it?
For example, where do you think the people in western Zhejiang are being exploited the most and where resentment is heaviest? Now that you have Commander Yang and a host of other heroes under your command, it would be better to let them investigate the various areas themselves than to wait in Suzhou for news from everywhere.

If we get any clues about any unrest, it won't be too late to decide when to submit a letter to impeach Zhu Jie and request the abolition of the Flower and Stone Gang."

Zhao Zicheng's eyes lit up slightly. He had indeed not paid enough attention to this point before. Mainly because he felt that he was a time traveler and had already predicted that the rebel was Fang La. Normally, the rebellion would happen in October of this year, so there was no need to inquire about it.

Even if Fang La rebelled, he would not attack the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas immediately. There would always be a buffer period of two or three months. Therefore, the specific day when Fang La started the rebellion was not very important to him.

However, it now seems that since the starting time of Fang La's rebellion is closely tied to his own impeachment to gain reputation by taking advantage of the time difference, his intelligence work should be strengthened as soon as possible.

Furthermore, Murong Qiu's remarks were merely generalities; she had no idea which prefectures in western Zhejiang were high-risk areas. Zhao Zicheng could, however, make a far-fetched argument and find an excuse to focus on Muzhou, where Fang La was stationed. This would greatly increase the effectiveness of the espionage.

As long as the excuse of "why the focus on Muzhou" is solved and his subordinates don't notice the young marquis's foresight, it will be fine. This problem should be easy to solve, and Zhao Zi said he would definitely find a solution later.

Zhao Zicheng quickly thanked her gratefully, "My dear sister, you are right. It is I, the one in charge, who have been confused. Since I intend to impeach Zhu Jie, I should also put more effort into investigating the people's sentiments and have my officers secretly act as spies to investigate everywhere."

"And from what I've observed, the most unusual behavior in the various prefectures south of the Yangtze River right now is from the Zoroastrians. Last year, when we wiped out Shi Sheng of the Haisha Gang in Suzhou, we discovered he was also a Zoroastrian. The Zoroastrians are colluding with one another and spreading far and wide. If anything were to happen this year, these evildoers would be the most likely to cause trouble."

Murong Qiu had hardly ever had the chance to chat with Zhao Zicheng before, nor the opportunity to showcase his talents. Seeing that his first suggestion had actually been adopted, he couldn't help but feel secretly delighted and quite a sense of accomplishment.

Who says that women's education is useless? If women read more classics and history, they can also make suggestions and give advice. Murong Qiu couldn't help but think of his mother when she was young. It was said that she also guided the martial arts world, and many heroes admired her martial arts knowledge. He didn't expect that he would have the opportunity now.

She was feeling proud, and inspiration suddenly came to her mind. Soon, she said, "Since my brother is planning to send out spies to investigate the people's sentiments in the various prefectures in western Zhejiang, I have thought of another idea that may be able to complement each other."

Zhao Zicheng no longer looked down on her, but bowed solemnly and said, "Please teach me, my dear sister."

Murong Qiu: "Brother, since you suspect the Zoroastrians are the most likely to start a rebellion, the Zoroastrians' organization is naturally far superior to ordinary bandits. So as long as they have made preparations for a rebellion, they will inevitably not stop and will eventually launch an uprising.

Throughout history, only bandits, pirates, and ordinary robbers could be stopped from causing chaos. However, the rise of evil sects had been long-planned and could not be stopped. Whether it was Zhang Jue's Taiping Dao or the Five Pecks of Rice Sect in Shu, they were both lessons from the past.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Jue's Taiping Dao had already been reported to the Forbidden City by Tang Zhouzhi several months in advance, and Ma Yuanyi and others from Luoyang had been killed. Zhang Jue had no choice but to force the rebellion ahead of time and could not stop.

Judging from the past, if my brother found out that the Zoroastrians were showing signs of rebellion, he could have made two preparations. On the one hand, he could have petitioned His Majesty in advance to abolish the Hua Shi Gang and the Ying Feng Bureau, and on the other hand, he could have spread rumors in the places where the Zoroastrians gathered, saying that His Majesty had repented and was ready to accept advice.

If this news reached the ears of the Zoroastrian leader, what would he think? He would undoubtedly worry that after the Flower and Stone Gang was abolished, he would have no excuse to rebel again. If Zhu Zhen was really dismissed from office, no one would respond to his call.

As mentioned earlier, a rebellion by evildoers is different from a rebellion by bandits. They have been planning for a long time, not just on impulse, and they will never stop. Therefore, they are forced to start the rebellion early without sufficient preparation, which may reduce the harm they cause.

Zhao Zicheng was shocked after hearing these words.

Why didn’t I think of the logical difference between “a rebellion by bandits and a rebellion by organized evil believers”?
The rebellion of Fang La's followers cannot be compared to that of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, because Chen Sheng and Wu Guang did not have the mental control to deceive people.

According to the criminal law theory of later generations of Americans, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang committed crimes with "second-degree intent," acting on impulse and passion, while Zhang Jue and Fang La committed crimes with "first-degree intent," acting with deliberate planning and long-term intent.

Since Fang La was a Manichaeist, he should be compared to Zhang Jiao. The biggest characteristic of Zhang Jiao's rebellion is that "even though he knew it had been leaked, he couldn't stop and had to go all the way to the end", because there were too many loopholes left in the early preparations, and even if he stopped, they would be discovered sooner or later, and he would not have a good end in the end.

In this case, he could follow the precedent of Tang Zhou denouncing Ma Yuanyi and forcing Zhang Jiao to launch an uprising in advance without sufficient preparation, and force Fang La to launch an uprising in advance as well.

Therefore, although the specific day when Fang La will launch his rebellion seems to be an unknown variable that will be affected by the butterfly effect, the rope that controls this butterfly can be held in Zhao Zicheng's own hands.

The emperor didn't want to abolish the Yingfeng Bureau before he saw any rebellion, but that didn't matter. He could create a misleading message and make Fang La mistakenly think that the emperor wanted to do so.

Whether the emperor wanted it or not was one thing, and whether Fang La thought the emperor wanted it or not was another. As long as the latter cognition was misled, Fang La would be desperate and do something desperate.

Therefore, the plan after further improvement became "spying on whether Fang La was ready for rebellion" and "after the above impeachment, spreading false information to Fang La and the surrounding prefectures, so that the locals would mistakenly believe that Zhao Zicheng's impeachment would be successful and that they would have no excuse not to attack Zhu Jie."

When espionage and rumors are combined, the effect is definitely twice as good with half the effort, and the sum of the two is greater than the sum of the two.

"I didn't expect my virtuous sister to be so well-read. She can draw lessons from the past and see things so clearly... I'm truly ashamed of myself for having stumbled upon a treasure trove. I'll arrange for someone to gather information over the next few days and contact Judge Wei to consider formally impeaching Zhu Zhen!"

Murong Qiu blushed at the praise and quickly said modestly, "I am just a fool, but sometimes I get it right. It is you, my brother, who is a man of integrity and ambition who speaks up for the people.

Regardless of the schemes used, as long as you dare to impeach Zhu Zhen, you will be a rare hero in the world. If you can really bring down Zhu Zhen, the people of Jiangnan will all be grateful.

The Murong family had also been severely extorted by the Yingfeng Bureau a few years ago, and their property had been dispersed for several hundred percent. Murong Qiu also felt deeply hurt by the thieves of the Yingfeng Bureau.

She didn't expect that after a chance chat tonight, she would be able to come up with ideas to overthrow Zhu Zhen. Although it was just talk for now, she couldn't help but feel very excited and had a heroic sense of participating in history.

No wonder my sister is so attracted to Master Zhao. This kind of hero who is both good and evil, bold and reckless, but who dares to take responsibility and speaks up for the people is so charming.

Although he does things by any means necessary, his purpose is indeed upright, which is to save people from danger, not out of selfish motives.

After Zhao Zicheng finished his banquet, Murong Qiu asked her maid to take him to bathe and rest. She also went to rest, and both of them tacitly did not reveal their identities.

-

PS: This is a long chapter of 8,000 words. I actually had a long writing problem, mainly because I didn't want to make the protagonist's decision-making process seem all-knowing and omniscient. That would lack drama and conflict. But before Fang La's rebellion, the protagonist couldn't discuss these matters with any civil officials. That would be too treacherous.

In the end, I had to deal with it like this, please forgive me. I hope everyone doesn't think that women who read too much and are well-versed in history and current affairs will be too much for the show. I think it is reasonable for Duan Yuyan's daughter to be well-informed and knowledgeable.

(End of this chapter)