We bear people have power

Ultimately, Guan Bo agreed to Wu Meiniang's suggestion.

Faced with this blatant attempt to seize power, Guan Bo thought about it seriously for a moment, and then he quickly sorted out his thoughts.

The establishment of Sickle Hammer City wasn't about him wanting to play a farming game as a transmigrator for fun; it was a genuine desire to change the lives of ordinary people in this world. Power truly meant nothing to Guan Bo, and he certainly wouldn't learn how to manage a city for that purpose.

In Nie Shuhuan's words, this is putting the cart before the horse.

Guan Bo is no ordinary emperor. Even though all positions in Sicklehammer City are controlled by the samurai family, it's impossible for them to sideline him as the city lord. At most, they can only play some petty tricks to deceive their superiors and gain some small advantages.

But such tricks are meaningless to Guan Bo. With his innate supernatural powers, all human thoughts are laid bare before him. Therefore, the Wu family members probably have no other options but to shine in their respective roles.

This is Guan Bo's confidence; he possesses the power to overturn the table and start over, so why would he fear that his subordinates might have ulterior motives? Furthermore, the Wu family members have received a formal education in officialdom from a young age; setting aside character issues, in terms of ability, they are indeed more suitable than anyone in Sickle Hammer City.

In this way, Guan Bo had no reason to refuse.

“I can agree, but only if you can persuade the Wu family to join Sickle Hammer City,” Guan Bo agreed.

"Don't worry, they wouldn't dare not join." Wu Meiniang was full of confidence, but the next moment her face changed and she said, "If they dare to say a single word of dissent, I'll kill them!"

Guan Bo: "..."

The panda spirit couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Is it really a good idea for such a lunatic to be the deputy city lord of Sicklehammer City?

Wu Meiniang showed no sign of resting, pulling Guan Bo along as they headed towards Lizhou. Guan Bo believed that this future empress, having mastered leadership skills, was eager to display her unparalleled brilliance.

Guan Bo didn't mind traveling through the night, since he could sleep for a month at a time and then go for several months without sleeping.

The Wu family of Lizhou is currently shrouded in gloom. Not long ago, they received devastating news: their second young lady, Wu Zhao, had disappeared from the capital city.

Indeed, because Guan Bo transformed into a giant beast and stormed the imperial city, everyone is currently focused on that matter, and Wu Meiniang's escape is only circulating as a rumor. Therefore, the Wu family is unaware that their daughter voluntarily escaped the imperial city and even mingled with the monster who forced her way in.

Even so, this news was enough to terrify the Zhengwu family.

If Wu Zetian had simply died in the power struggles of the harem, there wouldn't be too much to worry about; at most, it would just be the loss of a rather important pawn. But if it was for some other reason, and His Majesty the Emperor investigated, the Wu family would be in deep trouble.

After Wu Shiyue's death, the head of the Wu family became Wu Shiyue's wife, Lady Li. At this moment, all members of the Wu family were gathered together, discussing matters concerning Wu Meiniang.

"Is Fourth Sister really missing? Could it be some kind of misinformation?" asked Wu Yuanqing, the son of Lady Li and Wu Meiniang's brother.

"Whether it's true or false, we must treat it as if it were true. The slightest mistake could lead to the annihilation of our entire family and clan," Li said solemnly.

"Hmph, I knew he wasn't a good person, and now he's even dragging the family down with him," Wu Yuanshuang said disdainfully, sitting at the lower end of the table.

Wu Yuanshuang and Wu Yuanqing were brothers born of the same mother, both sons of Lady Li, while Wu Meiniang was the daughter of another lady, Lady Yang. After Wu Shihuo's death, the Wu family neglected Lady Yang, and Wu Meiniang and her daughter did not live a good life.

Yang was also present at the family meeting. Although she was furious at Wu Yuanshuang's words, she was powerless and could only grit her teeth and endure it.

Although Madam Li also disliked Madam Yang, she still slammed her cane down heavily and said loudly, "Now is not the time to blame others. We need to think clearly about how to deal with this. Do you think a few words can erase the charge of confiscation of property and extermination of the clan?"

These words hung like a heavy cloud over everyone's hearts.

In the end, Wu Yuanqing, being slightly more cautious, suggested, "I recommend that we take the young men of the Wu family to our subordinate's manor for temporary accommodation. If all goes well, we can bring them back. If anything goes wrong, we should send them to the Western Regions. Our Wu family's trading company has some connections there, and we need to leave some bloodlines behind. As for my younger sister, send more people to find out the situation. If we find someone who knows the truth, whether through bribery or coercion, we must make my sister's disappearance a fact that is in our favor."

"How is it advantageous?" Wu Yuanshuang asked.

“If my little sister was forcibly abducted by that monster who stormed the imperial city, then it’s not the Wu family’s fault,” Wu Yuanqing explained.

Mrs. Li looked at her son with approval. He was indeed worthy of being the heir of the Wu family. He could still deal with the situation calmly in a crisis. It was worth all the years of teaching she had given him.

What Wu Yuanqing said was probably the only way. The Wu family discussed the details for a while and then decided to proceed with the plan.

The next moment, a servant announced from outside the hall: "Miss Wu Zhao has returned to the manor."

These words startled everyone in the hall. Even Wu Yuanqing, who had been talking eloquently, turned pale, as if the person who had come was not his sister, but a ferocious beast that would devour anyone.

The analogy isn't wrong; if Wu Meiniang returned to her residence on her own, the claim that she was abducted by a demon wouldn't hold water. If word got out and the emperor found out, the Wu family would surely be wiped out.

Wu Yuanqing was still young and couldn't quite handle such a sudden change. But Li Shi, being older and having experienced countless trials, was the one who calmed down the fastest.

The matriarch of the Wu family slammed her cane down and commanded, "Let that unfilial brat get in here!"

After saying this, he whispered to a maid beside him, "Eliminate all those who were just reported and those who saw Wu Zhao. Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

The maid looked unremarkable, but after hearing Li Shi's order, she retreated with a fierce glint in her eyes.

With a single word, many would lose their heads. This wasn't just about the imperial majesty; powerful families could also wield life and death power within the palace walls. Perhaps things were a little better in Chang'an, where everyone was more restrained and wary under the emperor's nose.

But in a remote place like Lizhou, far from the reach of the emperor, the Wu family members were practically like livestock, so killing a few was no big deal.

Wu Meiniang, dressed in plain white with no makeup on her face, walked in simply. She paid no attention to the angry glares from the Wu family members.

Wu Meiniang first went to her mother, Lady Yang, and said, "Mother, your daughter is back."