On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Inside the county government office, the doors and windows were tightly closed, blocking out the initial noise from outside.

The air still lingered with the faint smell of blood and the astringent scent of ink from last night's interrogation of Wang Youde.

Lin Zhen changed into a simple and elegant moon-white suit, stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, and looked at an old locust tree in the courtyard that was stubbornly sprouting new buds in the midst of ruins.

The morning light filtered through the window lattice, casting a layer of pale gold on his tall figure.

Xiao Hanzhou stood not far away with his hands hanging down, his new indigo Confucian robe making his figure look like a pine tree.

He frowned slightly, as if he was digesting the recent upheaval, his eyes filled with the solemnity and contemplation of someone who had just dabbled in political intrigue.

After experiencing the excitement of becoming a disciple in the royal palace, this newly crowned top scholar faced such naked and cruel political manipulation for the first time. One can imagine the shock he felt in his heart.

"Han Zhou." Lin Zhen's voice broke the silence. He did not turn around, his eyes still fixed on the window.

"Disciple is here." Xiao Hanzhou quickly bowed and responded.

"How do you think we can make this chess game more effective?"

Xiao Hanzhou took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind. He quickly sorted out everything he had seen, heard, learned, and thought in the past few days, and replied cautiously, "Master, I believe the most urgent task is to feed the people. The people are pale and thin, poorly clothed, and have no energy to walk. How can we talk about construction? Therefore, I believe we should first open the granaries to release grain and set up porridge stalls to feed the hungry. Once the people's strength has recovered, we can then start building roads. Master said long ago that to get rich, build roads first. I believe this is a very true saying. However, without the energy to feed the hungry, how can we build roads?"

He paused and added, "And I've observed that the people of Hu County look numb, their eyes dull, as if they have completely given up on the government. If we rashly conscript them into labor service, it might provoke unrest and be counterproductive. Therefore, providing porridge relief is also a way to win over the people."

Lin Zhen listened quietly, his face expressionless.

After Xiao Hanzhou finished speaking, a meaningful smile slowly appeared on the corner of his mouth. In that smile, there was a clear understanding of the world and a hint of tolerance for his disciple's still immaturity.

"Han Zhou, you see the importance of keeping people alive, the benefits of building roads, and the dangers of public sentiment. Very good."

He walked closer, his voice low and clear, "But you've forgotten one thing, or rather, you haven't truly understood one thing yet."

He stopped, his gaze piercing, staring directly at Xiao Hanzhou: "Officials, especially those who wish to undertake extraordinary undertakings, must learn to utilize not just money and labor, but the emotions surging deep within people's hearts! These emotions are not meant to teach you to do evil, but to guide, ignite, and use them for your own benefit!"

Xiao Hanzhou's eyes flashed with enlightenment, but he was still more confused: "Emotions? Master, you mean..."

"Wang Youde!" Lin Zhen's voice suddenly turned cold, like an ice knife scraping past.

"He's been entrenched in Hu County for years, like a thorn in the flesh! The people are no longer numb to him, but instead harbor a deep hatred for him! A surging resentment! But this hatred and resentment, buried under long-term oppression and despair, is like magma surging from the ground, needing only an outlet to vent!"

He walked to the desk and tapped heavily on the "Confession" and "Bribery List" signed and sealed by Wang Youde with his bloody fingerprints!

"Wang Youde, the evidence is irrefutable, he deserves death! But letting him die now would be too easy for him, and such a waste!"

Lin Zhen's eyes flashed with a cold and shrewd light:

"I want him to live like a toothless, skinned, mangy dog. I want to put him in a prison van and parade him through the streets of Hu County in front of all the people he has oppressed!"

"Let the humiliation, anger, and hatred that have been pent up for decades erupt like a volcano! Let the people witness with their own eyes how this once high-ranking official has become a fallen dog, hated by everyone. Let them vent their anger with spit, rotten vegetable leaves, and mud! Let them curse! Let them feel the joy of revenge!"

His voice carried an incendiary power.

"And I, the prince, am the upright judge who upholds justice for them and brings them light! I am not another corrupt official who comes to Hu County to extort money, but a savior who upholds justice for them and redresses their grievances! Only in this way will the people truly believe in me! Only in this way will they feel that by following me, Lin Zhen, they have hope, a way to survive, revenge to be taken, and grievances to be redressed! Only in this way will their numb hearts be rekindled! Only in this way will they willingly, even with a kind of gratitude-like enthusiasm, throw themselves into the great wave of construction that we are about to launch! This is what truly living people are like. What lives is their spirit! It is their hope!"

Xiao Hanzhou was shocked when he heard this!

He had never imagined that human hearts and emotions could be analyzed, guided, and utilized so accurately!

The master's methods are not just political schemes, but are closer to manipulating people's hearts!

He subconsciously bowed, sincerely convinced: "Master, you understand people's hearts and make plans. I will learn from you! But..."

He raised his head, a trace of worry in his eyes. "This public humiliation of Wang Youde has completely shattered his prestige. He will still be needed to preside over the auction in a month. As a county magistrate, he must earn the trust of merchants. How can this man with such a shattered prestige still…"

"Prestige?" Lin Zhen scoffed, interrupting him, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Han Zhou, you're still too young. When it comes to absolute profit, merchants have sharper noses than dogs! They never care about the prestige of the county magistrate! They only care about two things—the huge profits brought by the Xirang Sacred Soil, and whether this auction is endorsed by the court and whether it is legal!"

He picked up the "Auction Notice" (drafted by Zhang Li) stamped with the seal of the Hu County government (already controlled by Mao Mengji) and waved it in front of Xiao Hanzhou:

"Wang Youde is nothing more than a puppet on the stage! A tool for stamping! A chess piece that will be discarded! What does his life or death, his prestige, have to do with this auction? Merchants will only see that the auction is presided over by the Hu County Magistrate and is stamped with the county seal! Behind it stands me, Lin Zhen, the Regent Palace, and the will of the court! That's enough! As for Wang Youde himself? After the auction, he can die! What prestige does a dead man need?"

Lin Zhen's tone was filled with a kind of indifference that looked down upon everyone:

"As for the merchants' doubts? Ha... Faced with Xirang, a sacred land that could make their families prosper for a hundred years, faced with the enormous temptation of thirty years of monopoly rights, and faced with the endorsement of the court personally presided over by me, Lin Zhen, those doubts are nothing but bubbles in the sea of ​​greed! They will only rush in, fearing that if they are a step late, someone else will snatch away this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! This is human nature! This is what merchants are like!"

Xiao Hanzhou understood completely!

The master's layout is interconnected, cold and precise!

Use Wang Youde to arouse public anger and win over the hearts of the people; then use Wang Youde as a legal cover to lure businessmen into the trap; finally, after squeezing out all his value, discard him like garbage!

Every step is taken on the most vulnerable point of human nature!

He took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and bowed, saying, "Disciple understands! Master is very far-sighted and has planned everything out! Disciple will arrange for the prisoner carriage to be paraded through the streets! I will make sure the people of Hu County get to know this County Magistrate, Wang!"

"Yeah." Lin Zhen nodded with satisfaction.

"Go ahead. Make a big noise, a lively scene. Let the people's emotions boil over!"

"Yes!" Xiao Hanzhou accepted the order, turned around and left quickly, with a hint of determination and excitement in his steps after being enlightened.

After watching Xiao Hanzhou leave, the cold expression on Lin Zhen's face eased slightly.

He walked to the door and called out to Cheng Xuan who was standing outside, "Cheng Xuan."

"Your Highness!" Cheng Xuan appeared at the door like a light butterfly and responded coquettishly.

"You will personally lead a team of Jinwu Guards to Wang Youde's house immediately! Seal all the doors! Front door, back door, side door, corner door! Don't let any of them slip through! No one is allowed to enter, no one is allowed to leave! No one in the house is allowed to leave! No outsiders are allowed to enter! Anyone who forces their way through will be killed without mercy!"

He paused, then added, "Remember, this is just a blockade! No arrests for now! Let the people inside make a scene! Let them panic! But no one is allowed to escape! Especially Wang Youde's family and confidants! Do you understand?"

Although Cheng Xuan didn't quite understand why Lin Zhen didn't arrest him immediately, she always followed Lin Zhen's orders meticulously and immediately responded in a crisp voice, "Yes! I'll do it right away!"

She turned around, her steps brisk but with the efficiency peculiar to a Tiandao killer, and quickly assembled a team of elite Jinwu Guard soldiers, and rushed towards Wang Youde's mansion.