Chapter 241 Traitors in Chaotic Times (17) How to Become a Super Strategist...

Upon hearing this, Li Shizheng looked at Liang Ziqi with great gratitude.

He was usually arrogant and thought that Liang Ziqi had no great ambitions and was rather conservative. He thought that after King Liang passed away, he would be barely fit to be a king who maintained the status quo... But now it seems that he does have some of the benevolence of the ancient sages.

Thinking of this, Li Shizheng quickly chimed in, "Your Highness, Young Master Qi is right! Mr. Guo has served Your Highness for many years and is utterly loyal. Perhaps there really is some misunderstanding here. Why don't we do as Young Master Qi suggests and invite Mr. Guo over so we can ask him about it in person!"

After pondering for a moment, the King of Liang said with a somber expression, "Very well, someone, go and invite Mr. Guo over!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Before long, Guo Xiaotian strode into the main tent. He first glanced at the account books scattered on the ground, then subconsciously looked at the Liang King, whose expression was unreadable, sitting on the high seat in the main tent, and his heart tightened immediately.

"Your Highness, may I ask why you have summoned me here?"

King Liang snorted coldly, his expression growing even more stern. He pointed to the account book on the ground and said sternly, "Guo Xiaotian, take a look for yourself. What's going on with these accounts? Why is my Liang army's grain supply inexplicably 30% more than in previous years?"

Guo Xiaotian was taken aback at first, then bent down to pick up the ledger on the ground and quickly flipped through a few pages.

After a moment, Guo Xiaotian frowned and said in surprise, "Your Highness, this is impossible! I am extremely careful every time I count and distribute the grain; there is no way such a mistake could have occurred!"

"Impossible?" King Liang laughed angrily, his tone becoming more forceful: "The account book is right here, how could it be fake?"

Guo Xiaotian immediately knelt down and kowtowed, earnestly saying, "Your Highness, please understand! I am utterly loyal to Your Highness and have absolutely no intention of embezzling funds! I suspect there must be some misunderstanding! Please give me a chance to investigate this matter!"

King Liang narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "This matter concerns the army's provisions and supplies, and we must not be so hasty. Li Shizheng, I will now entrust you with personally going to the supply depot to verify the situation, what do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shizheng glanced at Guo Xiaotian with concern, then stepped forward and said calmly, "Your subordinate obeys."

King Liang waved his hand, looking at Guo Xiaotian's face which turned deathly pale, and sneered inwardly, "Mr. Guo has worked hard in the army these past few years, why don't you go back to your tent and rest for a few days? As for the army's provisions, I will temporarily entrust them to Mr. Li."

Upon hearing this, not only Guo Xiaotian, but even Li Shizheng was stunned.

"Your Highness, what...does this mean?"

Guo Xiaotian staggered back a step, looking at Prince Liang in disbelief: "I have followed you for many years, and I am absolutely not, absolutely not the kind of person who abuses my power for personal gain! I beg Your Highness to investigate!"

"It is precisely because you have been by my side for so many years that I have not punished you. I am merely giving you a few days' rest!" King Liang said calmly, waving his hand at him. "Step down."

A moment later, the tent was so quiet that the crackling of the candlelight could be heard.

Cold sweat beaded on Guo Xiaotian's forehead. As a senior strategist to the Prince of Liang, he knew that arguing at this moment would only add fuel to the fire. Yet, for the past few years, he had devoted himself to the Liang army without a single mistake, and now he was to be stripped of his authority for a crime whose investigation was still pending! How could he accept this!

"Your subordinate is not convinced." Guo Xiaotian kowtowed deeply, his expression extremely solemn. "I only beg Your Highness to investigate this matter thoroughly and restore my innocence... and justice."

King Liang snorted coldly and turned his face away. "Alright, go down!"

Guo Xiaotian sighed deeply and dragged his heavy steps out of the main tent. Outside, the biting night wind rushed into his chest through his clothes, making him shiver involuntarily.

After a long while, Guo Xiaotian raised his hand to pull his clothes tighter, feeling a chill in his heart.

Meanwhile, with Wei Shaosu's unreserved support, Song Ce seized the opportunity to launch a second round of sweeping reforms in Shiguan County.

Last time, after he rectified the officialdom of Shiguan County, he dismissed many mediocre officials and selected many talented people from humble backgrounds, making the county's official ranks both clean and efficient.

After these new officials had grown up, Song Ce vigorously developed the economy, not only by building water conservancy projects and encouraging agriculture and sericulture, but also by opening up the mountains and lakes and reducing the taxes of the people in the county, which made the treasury of Shiguan County increasingly full.

These two reforms aim to revitalize education and culture.

Of course, Song Ce not only wanted to establish many free academies, but also to allow all the children of farmers, artisans, and merchants below the rank of aristocratic families to study in the academies, promote free education, and dedicate himself to restoring the cultural order of this place during peacetime.

His reform measures stirred up a hornet's nest, directly provoking the nerves of the entire privileged class in the Dali Dynasty.

Therefore, when news of Song Ce's second reform reached the capital, it was accompanied by a petition jointly signed by all the powerful and incompetent officials in Shiguan County.

The letter was strongly worded, listing all the "crimes and drawbacks" of Song Ce's reforms, revealing dissatisfaction and resentment towards the reforms in every word.

Faced with such overwhelming anger and the fact that the petition was directed at Song Ce, an important strategist whom he had personally recognized, Wei Shaosu, though inclined to favor him, could not make it too obvious. So he kept the joint petition on his desk for seven whole days, during which time he summoned several trusted ministers to discuss the matter repeatedly, and the candles in the Zichen Palace burned almost every night until dawn.

“Your Majesty! Although Song Ce’s move may seem rash, it is for the long-term benefit of the Great Li dynasty!” Minister of Personnel Wang Zixian stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “Although I come from a noble family, I must say that nowadays, the imperial relatives and nobles monopolize education, and it is difficult for children from poor families to rise up. If this continues, the Great Li court will be in stagnation.”

Upon hearing this, Kong Deqing, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, coldly objected: "Minister Wang, you are mistaken! The powerful families have deep roots and are spread throughout the court and the countryside. They cannot be shaken overnight! Song Ce's forceful implementation of reforms has caused such turmoil. He is really acting unilaterally! Shiguan County is the northwest gateway of our dynasty. It is already home to many powerful families. If Song Ce forces them to unite and take risks, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Wei Shaosu frowned slightly, tapping the armrest of the dragon throne lightly with his fingers.

"Your Majesty!" Wu Gongyuan spoke up at the opportune moment, "This old minister believes that Minister Wang's words are absolutely correct. Since the founding of our Holy Dynasty, it has been an indisputable fact that scions of aristocratic families have monopolized the officialdom, making it difficult for talented individuals from humble backgrounds to realize their ambitions. Song Ce's implementation of educational reforms in Shiguan County may seem reckless, but in reality, it is to help Your Majesty broadly seek out pillars of the nation!"

Kong Deqing snorted coldly and retorted, "Seeking talent widely? In my opinion, he is courting death! Your Majesty, the petition has already been sent to the capital, which shows that his reform measures have aroused public anger! If Your Majesty does not restrain him, I'm afraid it won't be long before Shiguan County is in chaos! I hope Your Majesty will reconsider!"

Wei Shaosu sighed softly and remained silent.

In truth, he knew that Song Ce's reforms had touched upon the interests of too many people, and it was to be expected that they would be opposed. But he also understood that the drawbacks of the aristocratic families' monopoly on education had long been apparent, and if they were not changed, the foundation of the Dali Dynasty would only continue to decline.

"I'll consider this matter further..."

"Your Majesty! You have suppressed this petition for more than seven days. If you hesitate any longer, it may cause turmoil in the court and the country, and the situation may become unstable!" Kong Deqing said loudly.

Upon hearing this, Wei Shaosu wearily waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave as soon as possible.

"Song Ce, you have truly posed a difficult question for me." As the monarch, how can I appease the powerful clans while simultaneously supporting Song Ce in continuing his reforms?

The next morning, Wei Shaosu got up and changed his clothes with a worried expression. After having breakfast, he passed by the Imperial Garden and happened to see several eunuchs surrounding Prince An, performing the play from the storybook.

Eunuch A: "You audacious brat, do you know what crime you have committed?"

Eunuch B: "Grandpa King, spare my life! I didn't know! I didn't know!"

Eunuch A: "Hey! Stop with your sophistry! Your neighbor Li Er has denounced you to me, saying that when you were alive, you sowed discord, slandered and harmed people. Now that you're dead, you should be thrown into the Hell of Tongue-Pulling to suffer this punishment! Where is Li Er? Where is Li Er?"

Eunuch C: "I am here! I am here! It was this man who stirred up trouble and caused my untimely death. I died unjustly! I beg you, Grandfather Wang, to punish him quickly!"

Eunuch B: "Grandpa Wang, I have no right to say that! I have lived a life of honesty and diligence, how could I possibly be such a glib-tongued person? Please, Grandpa, investigate thoroughly!"

Eunuch A: "You two have conflicting accounts; how am I supposed to distinguish between you?"

Eunuch B: "Grandpa Wang, I am willing to go through fire and water to see Lord Fengdu and beg him to uphold justice for me!"

Eunuch C: "How dare you! How dare you, you wicked brat, see the Lord of Fengdu as you please?"

...

Wei Shaosu stood quietly under the corridor of the Imperial Garden, watching and listening to the eunuchs' dramatic performance. His long-furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. He turned around leisurely and whispered to his personal attendant Deng Ping, "Go and convey my decree, instructing Wu Gongyuan to go to the Zichen Palace to wait immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Before long, Wu Gongyuan hurriedly came over from his residence.

Wei Shaosu gestured to Deng Ping to present the newly written edict to Wu Gongyuan, and then said in a low voice, "I wonder if Minister Wu would be willing to go to Shiguan again for me and personally escort Song Ce back to the capital?"

"Your Majesty, what did you say?"

"I say, I will personally interrogate Song Ce in the imperial court."

Wu Gongyuan suspected he was getting old and his ears were playing tricks on him. Otherwise, why would he hear His Majesty say that the favored minister Song Ce, who had been promoted four ranks, was to be escorted back to the capital and personally interrogated?

...Wait a minute! In person?

His Majesty's move may seem like an attempt to appease the powerful families and relatives, but in reality, it was to give Song Ce an opportunity to personally present his case in court!

Thinking of this, Wu Gongyuan suddenly felt enlightened. He quickly bowed and loudly replied, "This old minister obeys the decree! I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

After receiving the imperial edict, Wu Gongyuan dared not delay. After a brief rest, he led a team of imperial guards and rode swiftly to Shiguan County. They traveled a long and dusty journey, and by the time they arrived at the Shiguan County government office, it was already evening nine days later.

At this moment, Song Ce was drawing a topographical map of the county in his study. Upon hearing that Wu Gongyuan had visited again, he smiled faintly, stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Come, follow me to greet him."

"Yes, sir!"

Song Ce, accompanied by Gao Chengfeng and Chu Xiaoer, arrived at the entrance of the county government office, just in time to see Wu Gongyuan, supported by his attendant, ascending the steps. He smiled, stepped forward a few paces, straightened his posture, and said gently, "My lord, you have come from afar. I am truly ashamed that I have failed to greet you properly. I hope you will not take offense."

Wu Gongyuan looked somewhat tired. He smiled and helped Song Ce up, saying with an ambiguous tone, "Lord Song, you seem to have no surprise at all that I have returned to Shiguan?"

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Author's note: It's raining so hard today! [crying][crying][crying]