Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

The sun is rising, the sky is full of rays of light, and the banks of the misty river are bustling with people, with calls and shouts coming one after another.

A few days ago, the Jiazhou government office issued a notice: those who participated in the dredging of the Wulan River would receive a 10% tax reduction. As soon as this notice was released, the people rushed to spread the word. In the past, the government only forced the white plague to be levied, so how could such a good thing happen?

The people were working hard when suddenly someone dug up a huge rock on the beach. After digging for a long time, they still couldn't find the root of the rock. People around came over to help and after half an hour, they finally dug out the huge rock completely.

Every side of the boulder was densely engraved with words, and those who could read immediately recited aloud: "Prefect Huang Dai..."

As the news was read out one by one, the people were immediately in an uproar!

What? Last year the imperial court exempted Jiazhou from taxes, but the prefect not only did not exempt them, he even added 20%?

What? There was a severe drought two years ago, and the imperial court allocated relief funds, but Huang Dai pocketed all of it?

What, there was a murder case at the Cheng’s Clinic in the west of the city, the entire Cheng family was slaughtered, and the murderer was not the clinic’s waiter, who was tortured into confessing by the prefect, so the real murderer was someone from Renjitang?

What? The one who beat Mr. Chai to death in the street and abducted Mrs. Chai was the magistrate’s brother-in-law, but the magistrate lied and said it was a bandit?

What? The chubby boy the magistrate just got is actually Huang Dai's son? Huh...

……

There was so much shocking news that the people were stunned. If all this was true, what kind of rubbish officials did they have? They might as well have been pigs!

A cloud of dust rose from the nearby official road as more than twenty soldiers, mounted on tall horses, galloped towards them. They saw the river filled with civilians, pointing and talking at a large rock. Even the yamen runners who were maintaining order stood by the rock to watch the excitement. The soldiers, puzzled, pulled their reins and looked toward the river.

The leading general's beard was as thick as a halberd, and he wore heavy silver armor and a red cloak, exuding a subtle sense of authority. This man was Cai Zhen, the commander of the Southwestern Army. He stopped the soldiers who were about to watch the fun and said in a deep voice, "I have official business to attend to. I cannot tolerate your fooling around. Where is military discipline? You will each receive ten military sticks when you return to camp." With that, he rode ahead towards the city gate, and the soldiers followed him on their horses.

Kang Huaiyuan, trailing at the end of the group, sneered inwardly, yet also felt a slight sense of pride, a sense of sobriety among the rest. He turned back to the river, praising Huang Dai for his prudent conduct. He had never expected these foolish people to believe so much in the so-called visions. It was a shame he couldn't see the stone with his own eyes. But thinking that there would be something better to watch soon, he kicked his horse's calf and chased after him.

When Cai Zhen and his party entered the city, they found something unusual. The city gate, which used to be bustling with people, now had only a few people coming in and out. Everyone was strictly checked, and even the bags they carried with them had to be opened and checked one by one. The streets in the city that were once crowded with people were now empty, with only the city guards patrolling from time to time passing by.

Once inside the government office, they were surrounded by guards, creating a chilling atmosphere. Everyone was wary, except Kang Huaiyuan, who was cheerful. Huang Dai truly was someone who could accomplish great things.

The guard who led the way led them to the reception room of the government office and then respectfully withdrew. Cai Zhen and others took their seats in turn, but after waiting for a cup of tea, Huang Dai still did not come to see them.

Cai Zhen secretly resented the fact that many civil officials in the Dongling court had always looked down on these rough and tumble warriors. They often said, "Writing is better than holding a spear, and writing is better than wielding a sword." Huang Dai was no exception. Although he and Huang Dai had served in Jiazhou together for many years, they had little friendship. Huang Dai, a fourth-rank prefect, was not particularly respectful to him, a first-rank general.

However, this morning, Huang Dai had someone send an invitation to a banquet for him and his lieutenants, with a note stating that Emperor Yingtian had recently issued a secret order to the Jiazhou government office, requiring the cooperation of the Southwest Army. This matter would be discussed after the banquet. He had to come because of the imperial order.

Cai Zhen had arrived with his lieutenants, but Huang Dai had left them hanging, clearly trying to intimidate him. He slammed the table in anger and said coldly, "Since Lord Huang is so busy with official duties, we will return to camp first!"

Kang Huaiyuan, who was sitting at the bottom, hurriedly advised, "General, calm down. It's likely that Lord Huang was delayed by something, not intentionally ignoring us. Besides, we wouldn't be able to explain ourselves if we delayed the Emperor's mission. Why don't we wait a little longer?" In his heart, he cursed Huang Dai bitterly. He had finally coaxed him here, and according to the plan, Huang Dai should have appeared next, but he didn't know where he was. Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance, otherwise today's Hongmen Banquet would not have been held.

Cai Zhen glanced at Kang Huaiyuan with suspicion. Today, Kang Huaiyuan seemed a bit out of character. He didn't usually seem to have any close relationship with Huang Dai, but today, he was constantly interceding for Huang Dai. Cai Zhen had initially been reluctant to come after receiving the invitation this morning, but Kang Huaiyuan had urged him to, even suggesting he bring all his lieutenants with him so they could become acquainted with the local officials and make things easier for the brothers. Thinking of this, Cai Zhen's doubts grew even more intense.

Kang Huaiyuan suddenly stood up and walked out, pointing at the guard at the door and shouting, "Why hasn't Master Huang shown up yet? He doesn't even have a pot of tea. How can you be so rude?"

The guard trembled and replied, "General, Master Huang is in Concubine He's room..."

Kang Huaiyuan shouted angrily: "This is nonsense!" He turned his head to look at the reception room, and lowered his voice and said: "Go and call Lord Huang over, and bring a pot of tea immediately." He wanted to chop Huang Dai to death. It was such a time and he was still acting so nonsense. If the big thing was accomplished, he could have any woman he wanted!

The guard trotted out of the courtyard and returned breathlessly moments later, shakily carrying a tea boat with a teapot and several cups on it. Kang Huaiyuan took the tea boat and dismissed the guard. He walked to a deserted corner, opened the teapot, sprinkled a packet of powder into it, picked it up and shook it, then stepped into the reception room. This powder was a gift from Huang Dai during their last secret meeting. It was said to have been developed by the Fengqian royal family.

Kang Huaiyuan poured a cup of tea for everyone in the hall, and was so attentive that he seemed like a different person. Usually, Lieutenant General Kang was arrogant and would definitely not bother to serve tea or water to others.

After a long journey without a drop of water, they were already thirsty and eager to pick up their teacups and guzzle them down in one gulp. Even then, they still felt unquenched. These poor scholars preferred to sip from their pinhole-sized cups for a long time, but how could they compare to the larger bowls in the camp? Unfortunately, there was only one pot of tea, and everyone had already shared a cup.

Cai Zhen looked at Kang Huaiyuan with suspicion, but Kang Huaiyuan had always been loyal to him, and the two of them were as close as brothers, with a deep affection. Although Kang Huaiyuan was a bit arrogant, he was indeed capable. He no longer doubted and picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

Kang Huaiyuan was overjoyed when he saw everyone drinking tea. In just a moment, these people would become lambs to be slaughtered. What great generals, what martial arts masters, what military strategies, all of them could go to hell!

Once this matter is resolved, he will be able to take over the Southwest Army upon returning to camp today. With a force of 100,000 men under his command, he will be able to rival that old villain Jiang Zhong. Humph, Jiang Zhong is almost finished too. If this great event succeeds, he, Kang Huaiyuan, will be credited with following the dragon and will become a powerful general in Dongling.

Or, even further, didn't the Dongling royal family also conquer the world through military commanders? Perhaps he could emulate the Chu ancestors. If Dongling could also be divided into several parts like the Dafeng Kingdom, he could just take one. Then, he would never be like the foolish ancestors of the Jiang family, giving up the kingdom that was within his grasp...