Unlike the peaceful and tranquil Qihuai County, Beijing seems to be in a peculiar state every moment after winter sets in.

The sudden and high-profile invasion by the Northern Region delegation put everyone on high alert, causing considerable anxiety.

But before people could rejoice for long after the great poet won a great victory on his own, another thing suddenly came to light.

The death of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was like a pebble falling into an already turbulent pond, instantly creating a huge ripple.

Even ordinary people could sense that after this incident, a thick gloom seemed to have settled over the capital.

Wanfu Plan.

Two young men were sitting in the hall drinking. They had only ordered a plate of braised pig's head and a dish of peanuts. They were gazing at the snowflakes outside the window and chatting casually.

“I heard from my aunt’s nephew that the coffin that was sent to the Prime Minister’s residence a few days ago contained the body of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.”

The person speaking was acting mysteriously.

"Really? The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review isn't exactly a minor official, is he? Could you have heard some false information?"

"Impossible. That kid is currently working in the Ministry of Personnel. I heard that the Minister of Personnel was furious because of this matter, which caused a bunch of people under him to be scolded. Reading has been in a bad mood these past few days, like a powder keg."

"How did you die?" the man asked curiously.

The person who gave the information glanced around mysteriously and noticed a man drinking drunkenly at a table not far away.

After making sure the other party wasn't eavesdropping, he whispered, "I heard it's the Poet Immortal..."

"How could that be!" This news was immediately refuted. "The Poet Immortal is a good person, how could he do such a thing?"

"Do you know who the people who delivered the coffin to the Prime Minister's residence that day were? They were all county magistrates from Yingzhou. In fact, they were all Lord Tang's neighbors. And it's not impossible, since Lord Tang has always been at odds with the Prime Minister, it's quite normal for him to take action against the Prime Minister's people now."

"Can……"

"Let's drink, let's drink." Seeing someone else come in through the door, the person who had given the information immediately changed the subject and stopped talking about it.

The drunken guests at the next table stumbled to their feet and walked out of Wanfuji.

He wrapped his clothes tightly around himself and walked through the heavy snow.

A cold wind blew by, which dissipated much of the effects of the alcohol, and I became slightly more sober.

"Although it cannot be confirmed whether the person was killed by Lord Tang, this matter was definitely caused by him. A Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review died just like that, and he was even a disciple of Cui Renshi..."

Wan Xin couldn't help but feel annoyed for Tang Huan when she thought about this.

He didn't know how to resolve this situation. Even if he had rendered meritorious service and gained the emperor's favor, risking the life of a court official was a serious matter.

This completely offended the prime minister's faction.

"But why hasn't the prime minister taken any action these past few days? That person was given a grand funeral, but the news that's been released to the public is that he died in an accident."

Wan Xin was not a government official, and he didn't even have complete control over the Wan family, so he had limited information.

His collaboration with Tang Huan, and their not-so-bad relationship, made him unable to resist inquiring about and caring about this matter.

Braving the wind and snow, Wan Xin headed towards the southern district.

After the first batch of houses were completed before winter, the young master of Wanfuji would still occasionally come to visit, offer his condolences, or bring some food.

The project will not resume until spring, and many people are still living in poor conditions.

After spending more than an hour meeting the people of the southern district, Wan Xin prepared to leave.

But the approaching figures made Wan Xin frown. He stepped aside and passed by them discreetly.

After the group entered the South District, Wan Xin couldn't help but look back, muttering to herself:

"The one leading the group seems to be Reading. What's he doing in the South District?"

Wan Xin really wanted to follow and see what was going on, but in the end she suppressed her curiosity and didn't do it rashly.

The wind and snow intensified, gradually dissipating only by evening.

But what followed was an even more unbearable cold.

The group that had come to the South District in the afternoon finally left in a hurry. They made no attempt to hide anything and went straight to the Prime Minister's residence.

Inside the study, Reading removed his hood, revealing a gloomy face.

Beside him were officials from the prime minister's faction, dressed similarly, who had accompanied him on his investigation in the southern district.

At this moment, the expressions on everyone's faces were not very good, as if a large dark cloud had gathered.

Seeing the emotions of the crowd, Cui Renshi calmly said, "Tell me what happened."

One person said helplessly, "The South District renovation plan before winter made Tang Huan a savior in the eyes of the people of the South District. Everyone talks about him as if they are talking about a bodhisattva. People's respect for him has reached its peak."

Cui Renshi sighed, “The people in the southern district are the easiest to win over. Give them food and a place to sleep, and they will speak and act for you wholeheartedly. But these people are not that important. When someone else offers the same price, they will immediately switch sides.”

Reading said in a deep voice, "But besides the Southern District, the attitude of the people in the capital towards Tang Huan is also worth noting. Ever since he won the competition for Daqing, he has disappeared. Even so, the people still talk about him every day, regarding him as a savior. Now his prestige in the capital is already very high..."

How high was he? None of the civil and military officials in the court could compare to him.

Reading had even witnessed two commoners getting into a fight over something serious, simply because they disagreed with someone praising Tang Huan.

It seems that in Beijing these days, only good things about sugar can be said, and no one can say a bad word about it.

Cui Renshi sighed, "He ran away very quickly, directly asking His Majesty to let him hide back in Qihuai County. I was originally planning to cause him some trouble, but he ran away fast enough."

Reading couldn't help but ask, "Prime Minister, are we just going to let this go like this? If what those people said is true, Lord Zhang was hacked to death by Tang Huan in broad daylight, his body dismembered..."

"There's no other way. We can avenge him, but not now."

Cui Renshi's expression was solemn as he revealed to everyone, "Right after Tang Huan committed the murder, the imperial edict was sent to Qihuai County, along with a certificate of merit and iron token."

"An imperial edict?" Redding couldn't help but stand up, his face filled with shock.

"How is this possible? Daqing has never issued a certificate of merit in all these years. How could it be given to a mere county magistrate? What is Her Majesty thinking?"

"Has Tang Huan already won the Emperor's favor?"

The group immediately started discussing among themselves, each voice filled with disbelief.

Cui Renshi said calmly, “We underestimated him before. From now on, everyone must take Tang Huan seriously. He is now an opponent worthy of our respect.”

It's a wonderful feeling to watch him grow from a nobody to a big shot.