Chapter 47 The Mastermind

The hand covering the eyes moved very gently, and it took a long time before it was removed.

After a long while, Chu Jiubian finally opened his eyes.

His eyelashes drooped slightly, his gaze sweeping over the man's hand hanging at his side before returning to his own.

"I'm going in for a bit." He didn't look at Qin Xiao, and after saying that, he turned and walked towards the Taoist temple.

Even if the Taoist temple were given to him, the people would not believe in a "god" they had never heard of, let alone who was standing right in front of them.

Unless this god has truly helped them personally, or someone around them keeps telling you "this god is really powerful!"

What Chu Jiubian needs to do now is to find an opportunity to make the more influential people among these disaster victims believe that he is a god and to help him spread his divine name.

Moreover, he needed to convince the disaster victims that he could genuinely help them.

For example, we could provide them with food, or cure their illnesses...

Inside the Taoist temple.

The old doctor administered acupuncture to the erratic Dan Niang, and she visibly calmed down.

The person has indeed stopped making a fuss, but their eyes are empty and lifeless.

She took the pearl flower from her hair and held it in her hands, stroking it over and over again, ignoring everyone else, as if her whole world consisted only of that pearl flower.

This is when Danniang "awakened".

Saying he's sober is just a euphemism for him; he's stopped making a fuss, but he looks even more unsettling than when he was being disruptive.

"Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Zhao." After saying this, the woman looked at Dan Niang and sighed deeply, "What a tragedy."

The other women also looked on with sympathy and pity.

How did such a good person and such a good family end up like this?

Doctor Zhao sighed, asked everyone to look after Dan Niang, and then slowly walked towards his room.

There weren't many doctors and physicians in this world, so the Taoist temple assigned him one.

The disaster victims in the temple all looked up to him and prepared a room for him separately.

He did not disappoint everyone, spending the entire day treating the disaster victims.

People's health was already compromised by years of hard work, and now, with the weather so bad and people not having enough to eat or wear, many people are suffering from various ailments.

For rheumatic pain, as well as high fever due to wind-cold, and gastrointestinal upset...

Sigh, this world is truly unbearable.

Dr. Zhao went back into the room, didn't lock the door, and went to the table to pour himself a glass of water.

The door behind me suddenly opened and closed, as if someone had come in.

Doctor Zhao thought that some disaster victims had come looking for him, so he turned around to look, only to be blinded by a burst of white light. He quickly raised his hand to block it.

The white light gradually dissipated, and the old doctor lowered his hand, squinting as he looked at the doorway again.

This time he saw clearly that there was a man standing at the door.

The man was dressed in a dark robe, with short black hair, but long, silky silver hair cascading down his shoulders, and he was soaking wet.

He should have looked somewhat disheveled, but the old doctor didn't notice any of that. He only saw the other person's handsome face, which seemed like that of an immortal, and his noble and aloof demeanor.

Dr. Zhao was momentarily stunned.

Then he saw the man extend his hand, palm up.

The next instant, a small bottle of unknown material appeared out of thin air in the palm of his hand!

Chu Jiubian spent five points to make a deal with the system, asking it to help lift the medicine bottle out of thin air and slowly deliver it to Doctor Zhao.

The system controlled Dr. Zhao's hand, making him catch the medicine bottle.

"Bang--"

The old doctor had never seen anything like this before, and his legs went weak, causing him to kneel down. Luckily, he didn't faint on the spot.

==

Qin Xiao watched Chu Jiubian walk into the Taoist temple, passing through the crowded people.

For some reason, the crowd seemed not to have noticed Chu Jiubian, yet they all made way for him.

Qin Xiao gently rubbed his fingertips, on which seemed to still retain the dampness from the young man's eyelashes.

God?

He slowly clenched his fist, but felt the aura belonging to another person dissipate uncontrollably.

Not long after, Chu Jiubian came out of the Taoist temple again and walked up to Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao didn't ask him what he had done; he simply put the umbrella over his head again.

He didn't ask, and Chu Jiubian didn't answer either, only asking, "Where will you stay tonight?"

"The magistrate's office has already ordered people to tidy up the courtyard," Qin Xiao said.

The magistrate of Huai County had committed many evil deeds in his daily life, and this flood made him even worse. He watched as the people under his command struggled to survive but the granaries were not even opened. In order to please his superiors, he almost helped Zhou Boshan fill the dike with the people.

Fortunately, Qin Xiao arrived in time, thus preventing a tragedy like that of Puxian.

Therefore, the magistrate of Huai County was guilty of heinous crimes, and he was among the officials executed outside the city gate.

The premise of "misfortune should not extend to family members" is that the benefits should not extend to family members. However, the magistrate's family, young and old, have lived a comfortable life for so many years thanks to him and the people's hard-earned money he embezzled. Even the magistrate's mansion occupies almost an entire street.

In Da Ning, there were specific regulations for officials' residences, which could not exceed the prescribed standards.

However, the regulations required a "multiple entries and exits" system, so these officials simply expanded their residences horizontally, always finding a way to make themselves more comfortable.

Now that the magistrate has been executed, all his property has been confiscated, and the rest of his family members have been imprisoned, they will be exiled once the disaster victims are settled.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao arrived at the county magistrate's residence together.

For convenience, the two did not live in separate courtyards, but rather in separate bedrooms.

The servants had already prepared hot water and food. After the two of them washed up and changed into dry clothes, they came to the main room to eat.

Inside the room, only an oil lamp was lit on the table between them. The wick had been burning for a long time, so the light was somewhat dim.

The rain pattered softly outside, and the two finished their meal in silence.

After rinsing their mouths, they strolled slowly around the main room.

The servants cleared the plates from the table and served tea to the two of them.

The two of them were left alone in the room again.

In the main room, facing the door, there are two chairs and a table in the middle, which is the host's seat.

There were three chairs on each side below, for receiving guests.

Chu Jiubian walked to the seat of honor and sat down. He picked up the teacup on the table next to him, took a sip, and tasted a faint sweetness.

"Did you put sugar in it?" He looked up and saw Qin Xiao walk over and sit down in another seat.

"I heard it from Xiao Xiangzi," Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian didn't like the slightly bitter taste in tea and preferred to add some sugar.

Although it sounds like a bizarre or unusual dish, it actually tastes pretty good.

“Actually, it would be even better with some milk,” he said.

Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

But his expression clearly showed that he didn't accept it.

"I'll make it for you another day," Chu Jiu argued.

Qin Xiao smiled slightly.

Chu Jiubian didn't notice as he placed the teacup back on the table and asked, "How's the dam construction going?"

Qin Xiao's smile vanished, and he said in a deep voice, "The damage to the dikes in Huai County is much more severe than in Pu County."

In Puxian County, the breach could be sealed using the traditional "standing blockage method," but in Huaixian County, the damaged dike was located at a point where the water flow was rapid, and the sealing materials would be washed away by the swift current as soon as they were thrown in.

Chu Jiubian frowned. He had thought of a solution, but he hadn't been to the scene yet and didn't know if it would work.

Outside the main hall was a connecting corridor, similar to the east courtyard of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Qin Xiao arranged for two soldiers from the city's defense forces to take turns guarding the area outside.

At that moment, a soldier knocked on the door of the main room and said, "Sir, Lord Jian has arrived."

"Come in."

The door opened, and Jian Hongzhuo and an official from the Ministry of Revenue named Song Feng walked in one after the other and bowed.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao stayed up most of the night, mainly waiting for this Lord Song.

Chu Jiubian was somewhat surprised by Jian Hongzhuo's appearance; he had thought the other party was keeping an eye on the dam repair project.

His gaze dipped slightly downwards, and he saw that Jian Hongzhuo was holding a roll of blueprints, and he understood immediately.

It seems that Minister Jian has been drawing plans here all this time, trying to find a way to repair the dike. He must have come here so late at night to find a solution.

To reach the position of Minister of Works, one must possess genuine talent and ability; Chu Jiubian was genuinely looking forward to his answer.

"Have a seat," Qin Xiao said to the two of them.

"Thank you, sir." After the two men thanked him, Jian Hongzhuo sat down in the lower seat.

Song Feng did not sit down, but stood upright in place, bowed and said: "Reporting to you gentlemen, all the items in the magistrate's mansion have been inventoried. Six thousand taels of silver and treasures and paintings worth about twenty thousand taels have been found."

He stepped forward a few paces, handed the booklet he had been carrying all the way to Qin Xiao, and then stepped back.

Qin Xiao took it, looked it over a few times, and then handed it to Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian also glanced at it briefly.

He didn't look closely enough and believed that Song Feng wouldn't dare to falsify the accounts.

Because Chao Shun had a high fever at the post station, it was this Lord Song who stayed behind to take care of him.

The other party not only witnessed the brutal scene of the guards taking Chao Shun away, but also personally witnessed Chu Jiubian's miracle of borrowing sunlight at night, so he naturally hid all his other thoughts.

Chu Jiubian turned to the last page and saw the shocking numbers.

It's astonishing that a mere county magistrate could embezzle so much money in a wealthy county.

And this is only what they see now. In the decades that they did not see, the expenses of this county magistrate's family for food, clothing and other necessities were even greater.

For example, Zhao Qianhe, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, embezzled hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Yet he was a high-ranking official of the second rank in the capital, and the Ministry of Personnel was such a lucrative department.

However, this magistrate of Huai County was just a minor local official, not even a prefect or county magistrate, yet he had already embezzled so much.

This shows just how corrupt the officialdom in Daning had become.

The confiscated money will certainly be used for disaster relief, but a specific plan needs to be drafted to determine where it will be used.

Qin Xiao ordered Song Feng to liquidate all those precious treasures and paintings so that they could be used elsewhere later.

Song Feng accepted the order and withdrew.

Chu Jiubian placed the account book on the table and looked at Jian Hongzhuo, asking, "Lord Jian, have you come up with a plan to control the floods?"

“I have indeed come up with a solution.” Jian Hongzhuo got up and walked over, spreading the drawings on the table for Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian to see.

"I'm thinking of finding some large ships, arranging them upstream, connecting them with ropes, and filling them with gravel," Jian Hongzhuo said, pointing to the blueprints. "Just like this. Then we can have skilled sailors simultaneously scuttle and sink the ships..."

Qin Xiao listened attentively, but Chu Jiubian knew what Jian Hongzhuo was going to do as soon as he heard the beginning.

This is the "sinking ship interception method." When faced with a breach in a dam that is difficult to block due to its rapid flow, only such heavy objects can effectively intercept the flow. Then, people are ordered to work day and night to reinforce the breach with shovels, which are objects made of reeds, soil, and stones, to completely cut off the water flow.

Once the flood season is over, the dikes can be rebuilt.

Chu Jiubian couldn't help but glance at Jian Hongzhuo a couple more times.

This Minister Jian usually keeps a low profile, but he is truly capable, and this method is what Chu Jiubian just thought might be feasible.

However, diverting the river by damming the sunken ship would be too costly.

Just by looking at this picture, you can see that the breach in the dike in Huai County is indeed quite large, requiring at least fifteen to twenty boats to plug it.

Hexi County is adjacent to Ninghe River, and some county residents do indeed make a living by fishing, but they all use small boats.

The government can assemble large ships in a short time, but the manpower and resources required to build each ship are enormous. It would be too risky to destroy so many ships just to block the dike.

If Jian Hongzhuo doesn't handle things well, he could very well lose everything.

These sacrificed official ships will require the court to allocate funds to rebuild new ones, which is a huge burden for the current Da Ning court.

It's too big for anyone to take the risk.

Even Chu Jiubian was unsure whether he should agree.

However, after listening to Jian Hongzhuo's explanation, Qin Xiao only asked one question: "What are the chances of success?"

After a moment of silence, Jian Hongzhuo cautiously said, "Seventy percent."

"Go ahead." Qin Xiao immediately agreed and even gave him his personal seal and official seal.

Jian Hongzhuo didn't waste any time. After receiving the order, he immediately led his men to coordinate and supervise the matter.

After everyone left, only Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao remained in the room.

Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao agreed to the task of "intercepting a sunken ship" without much hesitation, despite the risk and expense involved.

Furthermore, he directly gave Jian Hongzhuo his personal seal and official seal, which were previously only kept by Qin Chaoyang.

Qin Chaoyang did not come with them this time, but stayed in the capital to take care of Baili Hong, so Qin Xiao kept both seals himself.

But given the current situation...

How could Qin Xiao trust Jian Hongzhuo so much?

Aren't you afraid that the other party will take this opportunity to embezzle a sum of money from the disaster relief funds?

Qin Xiao turned his head to meet Chu Jiubian's thoughtful gaze, his expression softening slightly as he asked, "Thinking about why I believed him?"

"Is he one of yours?" Chu Jiu asked, guessing.

Qin Xiao nodded: "Everyone knows that Jian Hongzhuo is the descendant of a meritorious official and the last surviving member of a family of loyal martyrs."

He got up and walked to the window, looking out at the tall figure receding into the distance: "But no one knows that he was entrusted with the care of my grandfather. And he himself was a close friend of my father."

Previously, Qin Xiao was able to cooperate with Qin Feng in the palace coup and push Baili Hong to the throne, which was not without the secret support of this Minister of Works.

Jian Hongzhuo was a free spirit. If Qin Jingzhao and his wife hadn't suddenly died in battle, he would have already resigned from his post and wandered the world with his lover.

But life is unpredictable. His best brother died in a conspiracy, leaving behind the elderly Grand Commandant Qin, and the young siblings Qin Feng and Qin Xiao.

He naturally couldn't stand idly by, so he stayed in the court, clinging to his position as Minister of Works, waiting for the right moment to protect the Qin family and even try to find out the truth about Qin Jingzhao and his wife's deaths in battle.

But he never expected that the Qin siblings would be so capable that, after his mentor, Grand Commandant Qin, passed away, they would go all out and seize that supreme position directly into the Qin family's hands.

Although he did help in some way, he was amazed by the decisiveness of the siblings and their grasp of the political situation and people's hearts.

Jian Hongzhuo felt more confident as a result, thinking that once Baili Hong was in a stable position and the cause of death of Qin Jingzhao and his wife was found out, he would resign.

Therefore, he maintained his usual "laid-back" attitude and did not let anyone discover his relationship with Qin Xiao.

In this way, he will be able to withdraw unscathed from this chessboard in the future.

However, the flood had clearly caused Qin Xiao a great deal of trouble, and with so many people in the two counties suffering because of it, Jian Hongzhuo could no longer stand idly by, which is why he unexpectedly stepped forward.

However, after returning from this disaster relief mission, he, who had been so idle that he was almost marginalized, could no longer remain aloof.

Once you step into the vortex of power, you can only move forward; no one can escape unscathed.

Chu Jiubian walked to Qin Xiao's side and looked out the window with him.

Among the so-called "pure" officials in the court, from Zhao Qianhe, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel who has already been exiled, to Jian Hongzhuo now, not one of them is truly "pure".

What about Su Sheng?

Was the high-ranking official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue able to remain in power for so many years truly due to his outstanding abilities?

Does he really have no way out at all, daring to share the profits with the Su family and the four great families?

If so, then his only way out seems to be those seven vassal kings.

Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at the person next to him. The man's eyes were deep and dark, and his whole body was shrouded in a profound loneliness that Chu Jiubian could empathize with.

The regent, who is second only to the emperor, carries too much and too heavy a burden.

He could rely on no one and had no way out; he could only walk alone in the power struggle surrounded by wolves.

In the case of this flood, if it weren't for Jian Hongzhuo, this hidden pawn, stepping forward to help him build the dikes, who else could he trust? And how should he resolve this crisis?

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes slightly.

He and Qin Xiao are very similar in some ways.

The two remained silent for a long time, their shoulders very close together; if either of them moved even slightly closer, they would touch.

However, neither of them crossed that line, maintaining a restrained distance.

The lights inside grew dimmer.

Swaying, it casts the two figures on the wall, sometimes leaving gaps, sometimes overlapping.

Like two lonely, solitary souls.

The pattering rain never stopped.

A servant rushed over through the rain and knocked on the door, breaking the silence of the room.

The two turned around to look.

Qin Xiao responded, and the servant pushed open the door and came in, bowing his head and respectfully handing the two a letter wrapped in oilcloth.

Then he quietly left and closed the door.

Qin Xiao took out the letter and walked back to the oil lamp with Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian moved closer to him, and their shoulders and arms touched.

Beneath the thin clothing, Chu Jiubian could feel the man's firm muscle lines.

His gaze shifted slightly for a moment before returning to the letter.

The letter was sent from the prefectural city, and it was signed by Kou Zimo, a senior official in the Ministry of War. He had been kept in the prefectural governor's mansion by Qin Xiao in order to investigate the truth behind the prefect Lü Yuan's "suicide out of fear of punishment."

It has now been found.

The investigation should begin with Zhou Boshan.

He is a well-known son-in-law of the Xiao family, and also a rising star whom the Xiao family recently promoted through the dam repair project.

During this flood, fearing responsibility, he ordered the killing of civilians to be used to fill the river embankments.

If this behavior is discovered, he will surely die a horrible death, and it may even implicate the Xiao family, tarnishing their reputation.

If it were someone else investigating, the Xiao family might still have room to maneuver, but the person who came was Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao was just worried about how to target the powerful families. Now, with such a big mistake, not only would the reputation of the Xiao family be affected, but even Xiao Wendao, the Vice Minister of Works in the capital, might be implicated.

Therefore, these evil deeds cannot be related to Zhou Boshan or the Xiao family.

What will the Xiao family do?

Just then, Kou Zimo discovered the correspondence between Lü Yuan and Baili Yue, the King of Huguang, in a hidden compartment in the study of the prefectural governor's mansion.

Lü Yuan was also a well-known member of the Xiao clan, but these letters indicated that he might have betrayed the Xiao clan and secretly colluded with the Prince of Huguang.

Kou Zimo's first thought was whether the Xiao family had discovered this, so he took this opportunity to kill Lü Yuan.

Firstly, he could be used to pin the crime on Zhou Boshan; secondly, this traitor could be eliminated.

As for the third—

Once the position of prefect is vacant, the Xiao family can promote Zhou Boshan, who is the prefectural assistant, to the position, and then Hexi Prefecture will still be under the control of the Xiao family.

A triple win.

This seems to be the truth.

However, Kou Zimo was a cautious person, and with officials from the Ministry of Justice around, they did not make a hasty decision, but continued to investigate, not letting go of any clues.

Upon investigation, they indeed discovered new suspicious points—

The handwriting on these letters is very fresh!

Although the writer of the letter tried his best to imitate Lü Yuan's handwriting, there were still some differences in the details.

Therefore, these letters in connection with the Prince of Huguang were clearly forged by someone else.

The handwriting of the person who forged the letter was identical to that of the person who wrote the "suicide note".

Was it done by the Xiao family?

Did the Xiao family kill Lü Yuan and then fabricate a secret letter between Lü Yuan and the Prince of Huguang, making everyone believe that Lü Yuan was not actually a member of the Xiao family?

In this way, even if Zhou Boshan's evil deeds were attributed to Lü Yuan, it would not implicate the Xiao family, but would instead implicate the King of Huguang.

With so many disciples and relatives in the Xiao family, it's reasonable to assume they shouldn't abandon Lü Yuan, who is already a prefect, for the sake of Zhou Boshan, who hasn't even made a name for himself yet.

However, since Lü Yuan was not of the same surname, he could become a member of other factions.

Zhou Boshan is the son-in-law of the Xiao family, so his reputation will inevitably be affected.

It's not impossible for the Xiao family to abandon Lü Yuan for the sake of their reputation.

Kou Zimo briefly explained his reasoning process, and his final conclusion was:

The Xiao family forged letters, turning Lü Yuan into a man of the King of Huguang, and then forged a will, making Lü Yuan admit to all the crimes.

This cleared Zhou Boshan of suspicion and preserved the Xiao family's reputation.

The handwriting on the letter was so fresh because everything had happened so suddenly.

The Xiao family never expected that Zhou Boshan was both stupid and wicked, capable of doing so many immoral things. They could only come up with this method to protect him in a short time.

Qin Xiao burned the letter.

The last glimmer of light from the oil lamp grew dimmer, and the room became even darker.

Chu Jiubian could barely see the furnishings in the room anymore; only Qin Xiao beside him stood out more clearly in the dim firelight.

The man turned his head to look at him, his voice somewhat deep: "Do you think it's the Xiao family?"

Chu Jiubian pondered for a moment and said, "If it is the Xiao family, why would they involve the Prince of Huguang in the forged letter?"

The powerful families control the court and maintain a delicate balance with the regional princes. The Xiao family is not powerful enough to do whatever they want, so how dare they involve the princes?

Moreover, he was the most powerful and difficult to deal with among the princes of Huguang.

If the Xiao family offends him, they will be putting themselves in a precarious situation, caught between a rock and a hard place. Would they be that stupid?

“If I were Xiao Yao, I would have given up on Zhou Boshan immediately after learning what he had done,” Chu Jiu argued.

He was a son-in-law of a collateral branch of the Xiao family, and it just so happened that he was in Hexi County, which gave him the opportunity to follow the Prince of Jiannan and gain merit.

Given their current stupidity and malice, protecting them would only bring trouble; it would be better to eliminate them directly.

On the other hand, they felt more comfortable and at ease using Prefect Lü Yuan, and there was no need to forge any letters to make him take the blame.

As for the Xiao family's reputation, and the possible punishment Qin Xiao might impose on them, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

There's plenty of time; we can plan slowly.

Qin Xiao looked at the young man, the firelight reflecting off half of his face, making it appear and disappear.

He said, "So there is a 'third person' behind this."

This third person wanted to frame the Xiao family for Lü Yuan's death and, incidentally, use the letters to sow discord between the Xiao family and the Prince of Huguang.

One was the most powerful of the aristocratic families, and the other was the most powerful of the vassal kings. When these two sides clashed, it was like the snipe and the clam fighting.

Then the third person can become the beneficiary "fisherman".

Chu Jiubian frowned and asked, "Could it be one of the other three aristocratic families? Or perhaps a vassal king?"

He actually prefers the latter.

The situation in the capital was unclear, and no one, including Qin Xiao, Chu Jiubian, and the four great families, wanted to involve the vassal kings at this time.

Therefore, this matter was very likely the work of a certain feudal lord.

The King of Huguang wouldn't be foolish enough to put himself out in the open, so it could only be one of the other six.

Qin Xiao paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "I asked Henan for grain yesterday."

Henan.

The fiefdom of Baili Ming, the Prince of Anhuai.

Chu Jiubian's eyelashes trembled: "What are the conditions?"

The Hexi Commandery is out of grain, and recently the grain from the two commanderies has been sold to the south. The places that can send grain the fastest now are Beizhili and Henan.

Even at Chu Jiubian's pace, it would take three days for grain to be transported from Beizhili.

Moreover, with no one in the court capable of handling the matter, Qin Xiao had no way of guaranteeing that the grain wouldn't be embezzled.

It would be better to borrow grain from Henan, which is right next to Hexi County. There would be no need to worry about embezzlement. He only needs to get the required amount of grain. Moreover, there are large granaries in Huaiyang Prefecture, which is only a day's walk from Hexi County. It would only take one day to transport the grain.

But the Prince of Anhuai wouldn't send him grain for nothing; the other party would definitely want some benefits in return.

“He wants Hexi County,” Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian's heart skipped a beat.

In an instant, everything seemed to make sense.

If Prince Anhuai is the third person, then he had planned everything from the very beginning.

He devised a plan when he learned that the King of Jiannan had come to repair the dike.

He tried every means to transport or destroy the grain from Hexi County and surrounding counties, and then destroyed the dikes.

When the dam was destroyed, the first family to be held accountable was the Prince of Jiannan, namely the Xiao family.

As a member of the Xiao family's faction, Prefect Lü Yuan's suicide would clearly confirm the Xiao family's guilt of "embezzling project funds."

With the dikes destroyed and no food available in Hexi Prefecture, the imperial court had no choice but to transfer grain from Henan.

In this way, the Prince of Anhuai could legitimately request the Hexi Commandery.

The location of Hexi Commandery was very clever, as it was situated at the intersection of the northern and southern Zhili provinces and the connection between Henan and Shandong. Moreover, it was a prosperous commandery, making its geographical location very important.

In the face of food shortages, the imperial court either agreed to give him Hexi Commandery or directly transfer grain from Beizhili.

However, if grain were to be transferred from Beizhili, the process would be very slow, and the Prince of Anhuai could then send people to incite the disaster victims to launch an uprising.

At that time, the Xiao family's reputation will be ruined, the people will riot, the court will lose the support of the people, and they may even be falsely accused of being divine punishment caused by the emperor's illegitimate accession to the throne or by Qin Xiao's relatives in power.

These are the things that Qin Xiao fears most, so he is very likely to agree to the Prince of Anhuai's proposal.

The plan is excellent. If this operation is carried out, the Prince of Anhuai may indeed take over Hexi County.

But he forgot to count Zhou Boshan.

This person is both stupid and wicked; he actually thought of using ordinary people to fill in the dam.

With such a huge calamity, Qin Xiao will definitely investigate it carefully when he arrives, and may uncover more inside stories, even leading back to the Prince of Anhuai.

Prince Anhuai had no choice but to make another move and change his original plan.

That's why Lü Yuan and the King of Huguang forged the letter. He wanted to frame the Xiao family for Lü Yuan's death, and then involve the vassal kings, making the situation in Hexi Prefecture even more complicated.

In this way, he can better conceal himself.

The number of disaster victims decreased sharply simply because Zhou Boshan killed too many people.

In addition, Chu Jiubian was the one escorting the silver and grain this time. He rushed as fast as he could, and by a stroke of luck, the grain that Hexi County had on hand lasted until the day the disaster relief grain from Beizhili arrived.

The Prince of Anhuai may have worried that he would not be able to exchange grain for Hexi Commandery.

But it seems he has achieved his goal. There wasn't enough food, so Qin Xiao eventually asked him for more.

Chu Jiu argued, "Since he wants Hexi County, then we will not give it to him."

Qin Xiao looked into Chu Jiubian's eyes but didn't say anything.

If the other side can transport grain to the southern border without anyone noticing, they can certainly deliver it here as well.

“As long as they believe in me, I can save them,” Chu Jiu argued.

The faith value is slowly increasing, which is probably thanks to Doctor Zhao.

But he needs more.

He also wanted to exchange for more medicine and food, and buy high-yield sweet potato seedlings so that the people of Hexi County could plant them and quickly restore their vitality.

After returning to Beijing, he had many more things to do, all of which required faith.

"Do you want more Taoist temples?" Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian discovered that he and Qin Xiao were indeed very compatible in many ways. They didn't need to explain themselves; it was as if they understood each other's thoughts.

“We don’t need a Taoist temple,” Chu Jiu argued. “A dilapidated house will suffice.”

The form doesn't matter; as long as the people believe in "Chu Jiu Bian," he can gain faith points.

They stood facing each other, their eyes locked.

The dying oil lamp finally went out, plunging the main room into complete darkness.

There were two people in the room, and they could have easily asked someone to light another oil lamp, which could have been replaced before it went out. They even had tinderboxes on them.

However, no one made a move; from the very beginning, they had been tacitly waiting for this moment of darkness to arrive.

Darkness deprives us of sight, thus amplifying our senses and urging us to do things we wouldn't normally dare to do, and say things we wouldn't normally dare to say.

Chu Jiubian could only vaguely make out the outline of the person opposite him, but he could also feel that the other person was staring at him.

He seemed to be anticipating something, yet also appeared to be fearful.

After a long while, the man's voice finally rang out.

"Will you get hurt?" he asked.

Chu Jiubian knew he was referring to the day he was assassinated, when he fired a gun and tore off his fingernails.

"Won't."

After a long while, Qin Xiao finally moved.

He turned and walked outside, taking out a tinderbox and lighting it.

"Rest now, I'll go make the arrangements." He didn't turn around, opened the door and strode out.