Chapter 237 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Thirteen): How to Become a Super Strategist...

Meanwhile, in the imperial city.

The leaves of the mulberry trees outside the Zichen Palace rustled in the evening breeze. Wei Shaosu picked up two secret letters from Shiguan County, which were stacked on the table. The envelopes bore the personal seals of Gao Chengfeng and Chu Xiaoer, respectively. He glanced at his personal eunuch Deng Ping, his expression flickering in the candlelight.

"Your Majesty, it is late at night and the dew is heavy. Would you like some hot food?" Deng Ping reminded him softly.

“Alright, go ahead and make the arrangements.” Wei Shaosu withdrew her gaze and opened Gao Chengfeng’s secret letter first.

Gao Chengfeng's handwriting was as strong and forceful as his personality. The contents of this letter revealed a hidden worry between the lines. He not only listed Song Ce's deeds of whipping Master Li to death and killing Fang Yuanshan, but also added his own opinion at the end: "If the government is too strict, it may lose the hearts of the people in the long run."

Wei Shaosu's expression didn't change much. He simply pushed the letter aside and picked up Chu Xiaoer's secret report.

The letter, though written in hasty handwriting, was earnest in every word. Besides detailing Song Ce's harsh methods, it also meticulously listed his efficient administrative measures and the county's economic recovery: "Corrupt officials were dismissed and replaced; new talents were selected from among the poor scholars; a supervisory system was established; and cases were tried immediately. The price of coarse rice in Shiguan County dropped by 50% within three months; more than two thousand migrants returned home; and 129 shops reopened..." At the end of the letter, a note was added: "In the county, doors are left unlocked at night; the people praise its fairness."

Wei Shaosu laid out the two secret letters side by side and remained silent for a long time.

Four months ago, Song Ce wrote to him, saying that there were serious vacancies in the official positions of Shiguan County, and asked him if it was necessary to transfer a group of officials from the capital to fill the vacancies. At the time, he was busy with government affairs and only casually replied, "Let my dear minister appoint them as he sees fit." He never expected that Song Ce would give him such a big surprise.

In less than a year, that seemingly frail scholar actually managed to clean up the mess in Shiguan County.

"Deng Ping, convey my decree: summon Wu Gongyuan to the palace immediately," Wei Shaosu chuckled and gave the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

At the second watch of the night, Wu Gongyuan, the Chamberlain of the Imperial Secretariat, braved the autumn wind and stepped into the Zichen Palace.

After hearing Wei Shaosu's account, the elderly minister, already in his sixties, stroked his beard and sighed, "Your Majesty, while Magistrate Song's actions have been effective, they have been too harsh. As the Spring and Autumn Annals says, leniency tempers severity, and severity tempers leniency, and thus governance is harmonious. If we continue to use severe punishments, I fear it will sow the seeds of future trouble for our Great Li Dynasty!"

"Hidden danger?" Wei Shaosu strolled slowly to the window, gazing at the night view of the imperial city, and said indifferently, "Does Minister Wu know how many wronged people were imprisoned in Shiguan County before Song Ce took office?"

Wu Gongyuan's expression turned serious, and he carefully replied, "About... several dozen?"

“My dear minister, you are mistaken. Fang Dahong has only been in power for a year, and the number of wronged people has increased by 378. Half of them were imprisoned because they owed taxes to the government and were unable to pay them.”

After saying that, Wei Shaosu turned and stared at Wu Gongyuan, "If such a corrupt official is not severely punished, how can the people trust him?"

Wu Gongyuan shook his head and bowed, saying, "This... Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I did not say this to defend the corrupt official. It is just that the law is fixed. Magistrate Song's act of killing an official without authorization is suspected of being a form of private punishment and may set a bad precedent!"

Wei Shaosu sighed softly, "In his letter, Chu Xiaoer said that every time Song Ce punished someone, he would post the crime list in front of the county government office and allow the people to watch the trial. You mentioned that this was a case of private punishment. When Master Li whipped a civilian to death, did anyone speak up for the innocent civilian? Fang Yuanshan forcibly seized farmland and drove several people to their deaths. Why did previous county magistrates turn a blind eye to this?"

Wu Gongyuan was momentarily speechless upon being asked the question, and finally sighed, "Your Majesty is absolutely right, but the essence of governance should be to prioritize moral transformation! This old minister believes..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Shaosu waved his hand to interrupt him and questioned, "When the late emperor was in power, corruption among officials was rampant, powerful families ran rampant, and the common people had nowhere to appeal, leaving them homeless. If we do not use thunderous measures to deter the wicked, how can we let the people of the world see my determination to reform and establish a new order?"

Wu Gongyuan was taken aback, but finally bowed again, saying, "Your Majesty is wise; it was this old minister who was confused."

"You flatter me, my dear minister." Wei Shaosu stepped forward and personally helped Wu Gongyuan up, saying gently, "I hereby convey my decree to promote Song Ce to the position of Prefect of Dali, while he will continue to serve as Magistrate of Shiguan County for the time being. He will be promoted to the full title when he comes to the capital to report on his work at the end of the year, and will be granted the authority to act at his own discretion. In addition, he will be granted a purple robe and a golden saddle to recognize his outstanding achievements in governance."

Upon hearing this, Wu Gongyuan was immediately taken aback.

"Your Majesty, is this reward too generous?" To be promoted directly from county magistrate to prefect is already a promotion that far exceeds the standards of the imperial court, not to mention the supreme honor of wearing purple robes and golden saddles.

"Having Song Qing is like Liu Bei meeting Zhuge Liang." Wei Shaosu smiled slightly and continued, "Minister Wu, I entrust this matter to you personally."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wu Gongyuan accepted the order and withdrew.

On the other side, Song Ce had just finished dealing with county affairs when he saw Chu Xiaoer walk in from outside, carrying a sword.

"My lord, I have found the whereabouts of your elder brother, Song Jing."

Song Ce paused abruptly, his hand holding the brush still. He then looked up at Chu Xiaoer and said seriously, "Speak."

Chu Xiaoer took out a yellowed book from his pocket and frowned, saying, "Three months ago, the Meng family army fought against the Liang King's army in Sishui. They lost two thousand soldiers before barely winning. Song Jing also lost a leg as a result and was assigned to the auxiliary army battalion under the Liang King's army as a prisoner of war. He is currently serving as a laborer in Tuhui Mountain."

Song Ce was silent for a moment, then sighed, "How far is Tu Hui Mountain from Shi Guan County?"

"If it's a fast horse, it will arrive in three days." Seeing Song Ce's solemn expression, Chu Xiao'er quickly added, "My lord, there's no need to worry. The auxiliary troops don't directly participate in the battle. Since your brother is doing manual labor, he should be safe."

Song Ce got up, opened the window, looked at the peaceful and serene scene outside the courtyard, and said calmly, "Prepare the horses, I'm going to Tu Hui Mountain."

"My lord, please calm down." Gao Chengfeng appeared at the doorway at some point, frowning as he said, "We have received news from the capital that in five days, the Imperial Attendant-in-Ordinary, Lord Wu, will personally come to Shiguan County to read out the imperial edict of your promotion. How can you possibly miss such an honor?"

Song Ce paused, pondered for a moment, and said, "In that case, I will trouble General Gao to temporarily receive the imperial decree."

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengfeng hurriedly stepped forward, "No! Times have changed. Your Excellency is of noble birth; how can you personally venture into such a dangerous place? I am willing to go to Tu Hui Mountain in your stead and bring your elder brother back!"

“No need.” Song Ce’s gaze was calm. “I must go on this trip.”

In the original owner's eyes, Song Jing was her own brother, and before her specific role was clear, she absolutely could not allow him to make any mistakes.

That afternoon, Song Ce handed over the official seal to Gao Chengfeng for temporary safekeeping and embarked on his journey with Chu Xiaoer, heading towards Tu Hui Mountain.

During a rest stop on the road, Chu Xiaoer explained to Song Ce everything he had learned about Song Jing's life and everything that had happened after he joined the army.

As a qualified bodyguard, even if the person ordered by his superior to investigate is his own blood brother, he cannot be negligent or make any mistakes.

"Good job, very well done."

Having learned about Song Jing, Song Ce felt a familiar dizziness again, but this time he didn't faint. Instead, he watched the entanglement between the original owner of the body and Song Jing as if he were watching a movie.

After the original owner of this body and Wenxiu consummated their marriage with the witness of the Song family elders, they lived together in a daze for more than two years. Just one month before the original owner of this body climbed up to Meng Tianxi, Song Jing, who had a limp, fled back to the village from Tu Hui Mountain.

On his journey back from his escape, Song Jing endured much hardship. However, upon returning home, he discovered that his intended wife had become his second brother's concubine and was pregnant. Although heartbroken, he silently accepted the situation and gritted his teeth to allow the original owner of this body and Wenxiu to be together.

But what Song Jing didn't expect was that after the original owner climbed up to Meng Tianxi, she abandoned Wenxiu and instead went so far as to propose marriage to Lu Zixi, the younger sister of the strategist Lu Ying.

Song Jing originally wanted to take the two elders and Wenxiu to their home to argue, but everyone in the village knew that the original owner of this body and she had not gone through the wedding ceremony, so they had the de facto marriage but no formal marriage. In the end, Wenxiu knelt down and begged for forgiveness, and the matter was dropped.

Wenxiu later gave birth to a baby boy, but Lu Zixi unexpectedly found out. Lu Zixi was filled with jealousy and hatred, and directly sent people to brutally murder Wenxiu and her son.

Song Jing, who had been silently protecting Wenxiu, suddenly went mad. He grabbed a woodcutter's knife and was about to fight Lu Zixi and her group to the death, but he was no match for them and was killed by an arrow through the heart by an unknown soldier.

...

After reading the fragments of Song Jing's memories, Song Ce was so angry that he laughed, not knowing how to evaluate the original owner of this body.

The original owner of this body in his memory knew nothing about the ordeal suffered by Wenxiu, her son, and her brother Song Jing. However, in his opinion, even if the original owner had known, he might have been able to harden his heart and let them be slaughtered by Lu Zixi. He might even have thought they were being irresponsible and hindering his future.

After traveling at full speed for three days, Song Ce and Chu Xiaoer finally arrived at Tu Hui Mountain.

Tu Hui Mountain is located in the northern part of Liang Army. Two days further south is the heartland of their newly established territory. Therefore, there are many checkpoints along the way, and the inspections are very strict.

Song Ce changed into inconspicuous clothes, looking no different from an ordinary merchant traveling in Dali. Chu Xiaoer disguised himself as his assistant, hiding only a short blade at his waist, and followed closely behind.

Just as the two were about to find a way into the mountains, they suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats not far away. Song Ce and Chu Xiao'er exchanged a glance, quickly spurred their horses back into the woods, and one of them hid in the bushes by the roadside.

Before long, a troop of Liang cavalry clad in black armor roared past, and the leading general shouted sternly, "You all keep a close eye on things! Don't let any suspicious person get away!"

"Yes, General!"

Only when the sound of horses' hooves had completely faded into the distance did the two emerge from the bushes. Chu Xiao'er whispered, "Sir, the Liang army's outpost is just ahead."

Song Ce nodded, gazing at the soldiers faintly visible in the distance, and said calmly, "Be careful. We'll enter the mountain after nightfall."

"yes!"

As darkness fell and the guards became less vigilant, Song Ce and Chu Xiaoer secretly infiltrated the heart of Tu Hui Mountain.

It was dinnertime in the auxiliary troops camp, and hundreds of prisoners of war, dressed in tattered prison clothes, were being driven by Liang soldiers with whips to get their food. These prisoners were all emaciated and covered in wounds; any slight delay would result in severe beatings by the Liang soldiers.

Chu Xiaoer's gaze swept across the crowd, then fell upon Song Ce's increasingly cold and stern expression, and his heart sank lower and lower.

My lord, you must hold back!

Song Ce searched carefully among the laborers, but could not find Song Jing anywhere.

Just then, a lame laborer tripped over a stone and fell heavily to the ground. The overseer soldier, seeing this, smiled coldly and immediately raised his whip, lashing out fiercely at him!

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Author's Note: [Shrugs]