After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

Although most people thought that Baili Ce's encouragement of agriculture was just a formality.

But when they saw her skillfully and easily arrange the carriages and horses, take inventory of the people, and travel light, their impression of her changed drastically.

Especially when the patriotic and dedicated face changed, even the old agricultural official, who was known as the strictest and looked down on the scions of aristocratic families, immediately became friendly towards her.

"This young lady is so free and easy; she is not from a noble family."

"Oh, what do you think a scion of a prominent family should be like?"

"Young masters from noble families... Sigh, never mind, never mind~"

"However, farming is a vital matter of people's livelihood and cannot be taken lightly. If you have any questions about farming, young lady, please be sure to ask everyone."

"Don't worry, sir. You are all experienced farmers. Even if you didn't ask, I would still want to learn from you. I'm just afraid that you will find me asking too many questions and be unwilling to teach me."

"Hey, what are you saying... Wait, what did you call me?"

Bai Li Ce jumped off the carriage and bowed respectfully, "Mr. Cao, please give me your guidance on the essentials of farming."

"Haha, this is the first time someone has called me 'sir'!"

Feeling respected, the old agricultural official laughed and patted Baili Ce on the shoulder, instantly letting go of his resentment.

"We'll teach you, we'll teach you anything, young lady!"

"..."

Ignoring the watchful eyes behind him, Baili Ce chatted casually with everyone, and before he knew it, they had arrived near the outskirts of Beijing.

On the city tower, Baili Ming stood against the wind in the morning light, her beautiful face showing more worry than anything else.

Feng Lan came to her side to report, and as soon as she got close, she smelled the fragrance of flowers after the rain.

"Young Miss, everything has been resolved."

"As expected, they should still have people on the way."

"That's beyond our control." If she still wouldn't dare to make a move outside the capital, then she shouldn't be called Baili.

Looking at the empty spaces at the city gate where vendors had just been hawking their wares, Feng Lan asked in confusion, "Young Miss...why don't you show yourself?"

His gaze drifted into the distance until he could no longer see the road below the distant mountains. Only then did Baili Ming pull himself out of his thoughts, turn around, and walk down the city wall.

"You know perfectly well that we've been arguing since we were kids."

"It's usually fine, but she's going on a long trip soon, what... is there to argue about?"

Feng Lan smiled inwardly, but did not expose Baili Ming's little scheme.

"Is the young lady going back to the manor now?"

"hold on"

"What are you waiting for?"

"Let's see if there are any idiots who are being used as stepping stones without even realizing it."

But how can a severe depletion of vital energy be enough?

Some people will not be willing to suffer such a huge loss in silence.

“But…” Feng Lan hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

He Shoufeng may be unwise, but he is shameless enough.

"Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily; young lady, you shouldn't be too hasty."

"is it?"

Bai Liming smiled nonchalantly, her expression more innocent and childlike than that of a three-year-old. "But I think there are people who are much more anxious than me~"

......

When people are most angry, they usually don't make a scene or lose their temper with anyone.

And Lu Jian is in this state now.

Half an hour had passed since Lin Yuchuan and the Ministry of Justice submitted their reports, and he hadn't said a word.

Like the gloomy, oppressive sky before a downpour, the Vice Minister of Justice standing outside the main hall felt as if a huge dark cloud was hanging over his head, and that he would be in big trouble as soon as the hall doors opened.

Lin Yuchuan, who was also waiting nearby, was initially quite nervous, but seeing how guilty the Vice Minister of Justice looked, he suddenly felt less anxious.

About half an hour later, the eunuch who was ordered to check the files hurriedly entered the main hall.

The Vice Minister of Justice looked at it and unconsciously raised his sleeve to wipe his sweat. The back of his official robe was also slightly damp with sweat, as if he was afraid that there was something about him inside.

Seeing that he was really scared to an absurd degree, Lin Yuchuan whispered to comfort him, "Don't worry, my lord, His Majesty is just worried about the affairs of the country and doesn't really want to punish you or me."

"Furthermore, the Vice Minister is an honest and upright official, so there is nothing to be afraid of."

The Vice Minister of Justice swallowed hard. "Yes...yes."

He understands the reasoning, but he's just too timid.

Besides, what if they actually find out something... God help me, God help me...

"Your Majesty, this is a petition from the Kyoto government office that has been lodging a complaint recently."

"There is indeed a scholar surnamed Zhang in the case, accusing Li Dafu, the son of the richest man in Liuzhou, of bullying men and women, forcing women into prostitution, and colluding with the local government..."

After the eunuch finished reading out Li Dafu's fifteen crimes, Lu Jian was so angry that he laughed.

He originally thought that although the He family's businesses were large, they were not out of control.

But after just two days of investigation, he became deeply aware of the seriousness of the matter.

Not to mention, the He family actually has a "mastermind" behind them.

Exhausted, he slumped into the dragon throne...

For a moment, Lu Jian suddenly felt that all his self-righteous iron-fisted methods had hit cotton.

It appeared ruthless and swift, leaving no room for retreat, but in reality, it didn't even scratch those people's bones.

"Is Your Majesty tired? Perhaps we should allow..."

Lu Jian raised his hand to stop the eunuch, "Let Lin Fusi come in."

"Yes"

At the same time, I secretly gave myself a boost and mustered my spirits.

"Summon Lin Fusi to an audience."

"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Upon entering the hall, Lin Yuchuan was greeted by the noble and dignified Lu Jian.

"Flat body, give me a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty"

"Minister Lin, what are your thoughts on the matter of the hidden kilns in the capital?"

"..." Lin Yuchuan remained silent.

Lu Jian lowered his brows and said, "Speak, and I will pardon you."

Lin Yuchuan then cupped his sleeves and said, "I believe that instead of trying to intimidate someone, we should address the root cause of the problem."

"..."

Seeing that Lu Jian did not answer, Lin Yuchuan thought he had said something wrong, so he quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I have offended you and beg for your punishment!"

Logically speaking, these are things that the Criminal Investigation Division should not be saying.

But now that things have come to this, if he doesn't speak up, probably no one else will.

So he paused for a moment, then simply said everything he wanted to say, "But every word I have said comes from the bottom of my heart!"

"The sheer number of underground kilns operated by the He family is truly astonishing."

"The number of officials, wealthy businessmen, powerful local gentry, and others involved is too numerous to mention."

"The daily income is as high as 100,000 taels!"

"And of this money, aside from the portion used for bribes, 60% of the He family's business costs have gone missing, I'm afraid..."

Lin Yuchuan took a deep breath and finally said, "If we don't eliminate them now, it might shake the foundation of the nation."

After Lin Yuchuan finished speaking, the main hall immediately fell into a deathly silence.

The eunuchs serving nearby all gasped in shock.

He thought to himself that Lin Fusi was probably going to offend all the rich people in the world.

"..."

Lu Jian stared at Lin Yuchuan for a long while, seemingly not intending to reject his suggestion.

But if I really have to make this decision...

For him and for the entire country, this is undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble that cannot be turned back, cannot be lost, and cannot be settled.

As he stepped down from the hall, Lu Jian asked him, "Prefect Lin, do you know what you're saying?"

......