Who understands? He traveled through time with a high-spec spatial ability.

The night was as dark as ink, and icicles formed under the eaves of the Xiangcheng Prefectural Governor's Mansion, clean, transparent, and quite beautiful. Qiao Jingjing pulled the gilded hand warmer closer to her chest, and suddenly noticed that Tantai Zhou's knuckles were white as he gripped the report.

"A censor from Yan State banged his head against a pillar in court?" She leaned closer to the candlelight to examine the report. "This censor named Lin Jingming said in court that the Empress Dowager was embezzling military funds to build a summer palace?"

Tantai Zhou stirred the charcoal brazier even brighter, sparks crackling as he spoke: "Empress Dowager Yan had three officials who had seconded her opinion beaten to death on the spot. But those blood-written proclamations..." He suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the rustling snow outside the window.

Qiao Jingjing followed his gaze.

Several red plum trees in the courtyard were in full bloom, and under the branches bent by the weight of snow, a pure white homing pigeon was pecking at grass seeds.

Her heart skipped a beat; the pigeon's leg was tied with gold thread, clearly a unique way of sending messages.

“You’re right. Empress Dowager Yan is digging her own grave. She doesn’t need the Great Liang to do much; she can destroy the Great Yan on her own,” Qiao Jingjing said.

Tantai Zhou had already slipped to the corridor. A white dove obediently landed on his shoulder, revealing the two characters "Langya" embroidered in the tail feathers.

As he unfolded the secret letter, a rare ripple appeared in his usually cold and stern eyes.

"There's news."

His voice was deep and serious, “On his way here, Tuoba Jun actually opened all the prisons in the cities he passed through and released the prisoners. Not only that, he also captured people everywhere and temporarily gathered a lot of young men from various counties. Now, his army has expanded to 30,000 men.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Jingjing hurriedly asked, "Then what exactly is his plan? Is he trying to outflank us?"

Tantai Zhou did not answer immediately; his gaze remained fixed on the secret letter, as if he were carefully studying its details. After a while, he slowly said, "It seems he has headed towards Yandu. He probably wants to take advantage of the Empress Dowager Yan's current internal and external troubles to reap the benefits."

Qiao Jingjing nodded thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand as she analyzed, "This is indeed a good opportunity. Empress Dowager Yan is currently busy dealing with opposition within the court, and probably has no time to attend to external threats."

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, making her feel that something was wrong.

"Wait a minute," she said, puzzled. "Didn't they say during the day that Tuoba Jun was heading south towards us? Why has he suddenly turned back now?"

Tantai Zhou nodded slightly in agreement, then said thoughtfully, "Indeed, and along the way he has been constantly recruiting soldiers and horses, his momentum is becoming more and more powerful, and he may really cause a great uproar in Yandu."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Based on my understanding of Tuoba Yong, he is very likely to mobilize the Imperial Guard and some of the surrounding garrisons to the capital to ensure his own safety. I estimate that this force will only number around 20,000."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Jingjing thoughtfully analyzed, "The Emperor of Yan allocated five thousand troops to Tuoba Jun, clearly placing high hopes on him and expecting him to achieve something. However, Tuoba Jun seems not to have taken any substantial action. He simply went out for a stroll, strengthened his troops, and then returned home. The reasons behind this are truly intriguing."

Tantai Zhou slowly folded the secret letter and put it into his pocket, then said, "That's why I suspect that those rumors were probably spread by Tuoba Jun on purpose. As for whether he wants to take over or has other plans, it is still unknown."

At this moment, the snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, and the few red plum blossoms looked even more beautiful in the snow, as if foreshadowing an upcoming change of fortune. Meanwhile, inside the Xiangcheng Prefectural Governor's Mansion, the two were plotting a new scheme for the benefit of the Great Liang in this cold night.

"They're just going to ignore the prisoners of war? Doesn't this old emperor know what those 70,000 people mean to them?"

Tantai Zhou sneered: "A hypocritical scoundrel. He wouldn't care about these people's lives. He's afraid of dying himself, so naturally he can't care about these people."

After a moment of silence, Tantai Zhou spoke again: "No matter who this person is, this rumor is to our advantage. The Empress Dowager of Yan refused to open the granaries to distribute grain. Now that the rumors have spread, coupled with the Emperor of Yan's disregard for prisoners of war, the people of Yan will definitely be even more dissatisfied with the court. We can take this opportunity to increase publicity about opening the granaries in Xiangcheng to distribute grain, so that the people of Yan can see the benevolence of the Great Liang."

After hearing this, Qiao Jingjing nodded repeatedly in agreement, "That's right. In this way, the people of Xiangcheng will definitely be more inclined to us, and it might even attract people from other parts of Yan to come and join us."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xuan Yi, covered in snow, burst through the door: "Your Highness, the Yan army in the northwest corner of the prisoner-of-war camp has mutinied and wounded dozens of our guards!"

He was panting heavily as he wiped the snow water off his face. Beads of sweat mixed with the melted snow water slid down his cheeks.

Upon hearing this, Tantai Zhou suddenly stood up from his seat, the tassel of his black iron sword striking the table with a crisp clanging sound.

Seeing this, Qiao Jingjing quickly reached out and pressed his wrist, saying softly, "Don't rush, sit down and talk slowly."

As she spoke, she took out a small celadon bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Xuan Yi, saying, "Have the military doctor send this Snow-Freezing Ointment to the wounded soldiers. This medicine is very effective in treating wounds."

Xuan Yi took the porcelain bottle, nodded, but did not leave.

Seeing this, Qiao Jingjing smiled slightly and comforted him, "It's probably because those Yan soldiers couldn't accept being abandoned by their motherland and were heartbroken that they mutinied. You don't need to be upset about it. Send the medicine over first, and I'll discuss it with His Highness."

Xuan Yi accepted the order and withdrew, while Qiao Jingjing pulled Tantai Zhou back to sit down. At this moment, the faint fragrance of winter plum blossoms floated in the air, adding a touch of warmth to this cold winter day.

The sword tassel on Tantai Zhou's sword gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

Qiao Jingjing tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, as if she was thinking about something.

After a while, she suddenly smiled and suggested, "Why don't I go and see those Yan army prisoners? We need to think of a way to comfort them. After all, they are human beings too, and it must be hard for them to be abandoned."

Moreover, that's 7 people! In an era where the survival rate was already low, manpower was extremely important!

Moreover, these 70,000 people are all young and middle-aged adults, and they are an important force in terms of both labor and reproduction.

Tantai Zhou frowned and pondered for a moment before slowly nodding, "Alright, you might be able to calm them down. But you must be careful. I'll have Xuan Yi and a few highly skilled guards accompany you." Qiao Jingjing smiled and agreed, then hurriedly led the guards to the prisoner-of-war camp.

Upon arriving at the prisoner-of-war camp, they found it in complete chaos, with the Yan army prisoners filled with resentment and shouting all around them.