Local military and political affairs were governed by the Commandery, with the Deputy Commander in charge.

Such a third-rank official position is already considered very powerful in military and political affairs.

He was considered a deputy commander of a local military region, which shows how powerful this so-called old man from the Sun family was, having lived through two dynasties.

Therefore, this must not be an ordinary local gentry, but a truly powerful and influential one.

One can imagine the kind of influence he would accumulate in the local military and political arena during his tenure as the second-in-command.

What kind of connections does he have?

What kind of wealth has he accumulated over the years?

Although he is now retired and has returned to his hometown of Hekou County, he lives a peaceful and stable life as a local gentry and landlord.

However, his past glory and all the conditions he had accumulated would surely allow his family to maintain a very high level of success.

It was because of this that he possessed the ability to secretly carry out such a large number of things in Hekou County.

It also possesses motivation.

It's understandable that such a once-important figure would want to quietly stir up trouble in Hekou County, and do so so subtly, causing headaches and frustration for the imperial court and local authorities.

Inside the inn, in the room, were only Zhu Yuntong and Zhao Qingzhu.

Zhu Yunwen wore a slight smile, while Zhao Qingzhu said:

"Your Highness, you yourself said he was a big tiger, so why were you so relaxed after you learned his identity?"

Zhu Yunwen said, "You don't understand, do you? Actually, sometimes, big tigers are much easier to deal with than small tigers. The interests of these small tigers are not as great as those of the big tigers."

Because the interests of the smaller tigers are not significant, but their groups are numerous, causing widespread repercussions and making them difficult to deal with. However, the larger tigers essentially monopolize all the benefits, becoming the sole power.

So, to deal with him, as long as your methods are stronger than his, you can easily bring him down. And when such a big tree falls, it's like the tree falling and the scattering of its branches.

The other interest groups that depend on him are obviously not very loyal to him, because the bigger the tiger, the more greedy it becomes, and its subordinates may not be able to get much.

Sometimes, when a big tiger falls, it's actually a good thing for the little tigers under his command, as they become much easier to deal with. Simply put, the big tiger is relatively weak.

The interest groups under his command aren't overly dependent on him; they're not that united. But if it were a bunch of smaller, more powerful figures doing these things, they would unite, and that would be much more troublesome.

Zhao Qingzhu couldn't understand what Zhu Yuntong meant by "big tiger" and "little tiger," so she could only rub her head and pout to show that she had a headache.

Zhu Yunwen smiled, then said without offering any explanation:

"Besides these, what other information was uncovered during the investigation?"

Zhao Qingzhu shook her head and said:

"Apart from that, there isn't much news. After all, even if they were having some kind of affair, it would be something they discussed in private, and ordinary Beggar Clan disciples would have no way of knowing about it."

Oh, right, there's one thing I learned from some Beggars' Sect members: they did indeed steal the sweet potato and potato seeds from those fields.

Moreover, the number of Beggars' Sect disciples secretly hiding in Hekou County has increased significantly during this period. It's likely that this so-called elder of a branch has mobilized Beggars' Sect disciples from other areas.

It was done so discreetly that there was absolutely no clue as to it.

Zhu Yongtong nodded slightly and said:

"They really did it carefully. No wonder there didn't seem to be many beggars in Hekou County. I was wondering if such a small number of people could have managed to steal all the sweet potato and potato seeds."

It turns out that in order to avoid being discovered, they deliberately transferred more Beggar Clan disciples from other places and hid them all.

He certainly has some intelligence, but unfortunately, nothing stays hidden forever. Anything that leaves even the slightest trace will be investigated and uncovered.

Zhao Qingzhu then asked:

"So what should we do now? Now that we know who is doing this and who is behind it, can we go directly to the county government office, reveal our identities, and ask the magistrate to lead the troops to resolve this matter?"

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said:

"No evidence!"

Zhao Qingzhu said, "What I just said is all evidence."

Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "That's what you know, but it can't be brought to the forefront. How can it be used as evidence? You have to understand that this is in a place far away from the capital."

In a place like this, even as the Crown Prince, I can't just convict someone and resolve the matter with a single sentence, can I? We need to produce evidence. We need to convince those behind the scenes.

Zhao Qingzhu thought for a moment and then said:

"How about this, I'll just go and kill the old man of the Zhao family, kill that elder of the Beggars' Sect, and eliminate all the people behind this. Then this matter will naturally calm down."

Zhu Yunwen smiled wryly and said:

"Although this method is feasible, it can only solve the problem in this one place. Don't forget what I told you before: the affairs of Hekou County are being watched by countless gentry and landlords throughout the Ming Dynasty."

If we resolve this matter haphazardly, it won't deter them at all. On the contrary, we should resolve the problem openly and transparently, making the entire problem-solving process public.

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