Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Since becoming sworn brothers with Chu Yunshan, the interactions between the rebels in Shu County and Wu Jie have become much closer.

Just then, Wu Jie received a reply from the Jingwei Division, instructing him to feign compliance with the enemy and try to draw out as many masterminds as possible so that the court could capture them all in one fell swoop.

As a result, Wu Jie began to frequently contact the rebels and provided them with certain assistance. Gradually, he gained the trust of the higher-ups within the Shushan Sword Sect, and the social status of those he came into contact with also rose.

While Wu Jie fraternized with these people, shouting slogans like "Down with the Empress!" and "We will not be lackeys!", he also began to organize and compile materials, writing down their crimes in a book to be submitted to the court in the future.

However, to Wu Jie's surprise, in addition to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, there were also quite a few Shu County gentry members on the list of these rebels.

"These parasites!"

Wu Jie felt deeply disheartened. After suppressing his anger, he quickly calmed himself down.

"Hmph, fine, since you're going to make trouble, then let's make it bigger, so you can die more peacefully."

……

Railway construction site in late March.

While the workers were working hard to meet the deadline, a group of uninvited guests suddenly appeared.

Suddenly, a wealthy young man jumped onto a high platform, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Fellow villagers, please stop what you're doing and listen to me for a moment."

The shouts quickly attracted the attention of the workers, especially the three idiots carrying the sleepers. After hearing the voice, they stood there dumbfounded, carrying the sleepers and staring at him. The short one in the middle wrapped his legs around the sleepers and simply watched the commotion.

When the foreman saw that someone was about to cause trouble, he instinctively took the baton from his waist and flicked it lightly as if to teach the cerebral palsy person who was disrupting the progress of the project a lesson.

But soon, he was pulled aside by two other supervisors who gave him a look that said, "Let's see what happens first."

Seeing that people had gathered around, the wealthy young man shouted, "Fellow villagers! Stop working! Seeing you all suffering like this makes us, the people with aspirations, feel terrible!"

The imperial court and government officials are truly inhumane; they don't treat you like human beings at all. Look at everyone, you're covered in sweat. When have you ever suffered like this, been so exhausted?"

Just as he was about to continue speaking, an elderly man surnamed Qin standing directly below immediately asked, "Young Master Ma, are you planning to give us money? If so, I'm quitting right now."

Young Master Ma's cheek twitched slightly, but he ignored what Master Qin said and continued to give his opinions.

"Fellow villagers, think about it carefully. Life used to be so good, and we weren't this busy. But now..."

Working under the scorching sun and in the wind and snow, doing such heavy work, it pains me to see it all, you..."

Before Young Master Ma could finish speaking, Old Master Qin immediately interrupted him: "Stop talking! Young Master Ma, are you planning to pay us to support you? As long as you give us money, we'll all listen to you. What do you all say?"

"Yes, Uncle Qin is right. We don't want to suffer either. Young Master Ma must be planning to give us money to get us out of this misery, right?"

"We've long heard that Young Master Ma is incredibly wealthy; he must be planning to help us. Let's all thank Young Master Ma!"

"Yes, how much money does Young Master Ma plan to give us? Is it a lump sum or in installments? We've agreed that we won't do it if you don't give us enough."

A burst of mocking agreement immediately erupted from the crowd, leaving Young Master Ma unsure how to incite them to strike.

He wiped his sweat and waved his hand, saying, "Gentlemen, we are all people of Shu. The people of Shu should decide their own future. How can we let outsiders ruin it?"

"Look at this land, everyone. It used to be so beautiful with green hills and clear waters. Look at what it's become now!"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Qin immediately retorted, "What green hills and clear waters? I, Old Qin, have lived for fifty-seven years and have lived around here for over forty years."

I didn't see any green hills or clear waters, all I knew was the unbearable mosquito bites every summer. Now, with this, life is much more leisurely.

You've probably never been here before, have you? Do you know how many people who went into the mountains to forage for wild game were bitten by mosquitoes, ants, and poisonous insects?

Young Master Ma's cheek twitched slightly. He felt that this Old Master Qin seemed to be deliberately going against him.

Suppressing the urge to beat him up, Young Master Ma took a deep breath and continued to incite the crowd.

"Fellow villagers, as the sage once said..."

He rambled on and on with a bunch of nonsense, and the people watching him simply sat still, looking at him with expressions of utter disbelief, and grinning at him.

In the midst of his passionate speech, Young Master Ma was completely oblivious to the strange behavior of the workers in front of him. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he assumed they were infected by his enthusiasm and spoke even more energetically.

Finally, he clenched his fist, raised his hand, and shouted loudly with a flushed face: "Therefore, we people of Shu must rise up to resist tyranny, we must fight for our rights, what do you all say!"

"Croak, croak..."

A gentle breeze blew by, and the cawing of a crow echoed through the air, followed by a deathly silence.

No one responded to the fool's words; they just stared at him in disbelief.

"hehe."

Seeing this, the foreman felt relieved. He scooped up a spoonful of the flowing spring water from the vat, took a sip, found a stool, and sat down to watch his performance.

Young Master Ma was extremely embarrassed. Seeing that no one responded to him, he immediately raised his arms and shouted again: "The people of Shu should be able to decide their own destiny!"

However, the scene remained deathly silent.

Meanwhile, the three idiots sat by the sleepers, laughing and chatting with each other.

"This person spoke so well, but I didn't understand a single word he said."

"How can you think what he said is good if you didn't understand it?"

"That's precisely why it's so well-spoken, because you can't understand it."

"Never mind, maybe it was just some wealthy family's opera troupe that got kicked out."

"But this doesn't look like a theatrical performance, does it?"

"What do you know? The tastes of wealthy families are beyond the comprehension of us common folk. Maybe they just like it that way."

"Oh, that's it."

At this moment, Young Master Ma, who was standing on the high platform, was already drenched in sweat.

He had considered countless possibilities, such as being insulted by angry people, or being taken down by the overseers and guards who arrived halfway through his speech.

I never expected these people to have such expressions.

Just then, Grandpa Qin picked up an iron bar and tapped the platform footing under his feet.

"Young Master Ma, are you finished? If you are, can you tell us what brings you here?"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Young Master Ma was so angry he almost vomited blood.

I've gone on and on here for so long, my throat is practically burning, and you're asking me what it's all about?

"Young Master Ma, I, Old Qin, have been a doorman my whole life and consider myself a man of some standing, but I didn't understand a single word you just said."

Perhaps we are just farmers, and we don't understand the fancy words of you rich kids. Why don't you just be direct and tell us what you want?

"I……"

Seeing Grandpa Qin's sincere expression, Young Master Ma's face almost twisted in disgust.