After noon, a slender shadow cast down.

He crossed his left arm across his chest, looked at the visitor with a casual and cold look in his eyes: "Miss Ruan, my son has not returned to the capital yet, please go back."

Ruan Luo was disappointed. She had come here for several days in a row. Visiting him three times was a good thing, but visiting him more than three times was just nonsense.

"Master Chang Zuo, can't you write a letter to inform the Imperial Master that I have been waiting for him?"

Chang Zuo's expression remained calm upon hearing this, and he said directly, "Miss Ruan, I've told you that my master only has one disciple, and he won't accept a second one."

"I have talent!" Ruan Luo was eager to prove himself, "Why can't you give me a chance?"

Chang Zuo was helpless: "Miss Ruan, it's useless for you to tell me. I remember telling you twice that my master asked not to disturb him with trivial matters. He will come back when he is supposed to."

After dealing with Ruan Luo, Chang Zuo carried the chair back home.

The door of the Imperial Master's Mansion was closed again. -April 26th.

Zhaoyang County.

County government, dungeon.

Helian Yu stood in front of the rack, holding a sharp meteor dart in his hand, with a teasing expression on his young face.

She used the meteor dart to gently scrape the girl's face on the rack. Under her horrified gaze, she spoke slowly, "What a beautiful face, isn't it?"

“…”

"Is this a disguise or does he really look like this?" Helian Yu asked curiously.

The girl on the rack ignored him and said in a very cold manner: "You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you."

"That's great, you have some knowledge." Helian Yu put the meteor dart into his waist, and stroked the girl's face with his small hand, coaxing her, "Pretty, consider switching sides. What future can you have by following the traitor?"

"Daxia has imposed heavy taxes and levied heavy taxes on the people. It will soon be destroyed! We are here to plead for the people!"

Helian Yu took back his hand: "Exorbitant taxes and extortion of the people's wealth are the actions of local officials. There is no law that allows them to do so."

"Three years as a clean magistrate, 100,000 silver coins." Helian Yu pinched the girl's chin with her small hand, "Exploitation cannot be eradicated. How do you think the superior people come from? How can you be the superior people if you don't eat people?"

"You-you are a princess, aren't you? How can you say such things! Aren't you afraid..."

"What should I be afraid of?" Helian Yu spread his hands lazily, "Life is nothing more than an experience. After completing the tasks at each stage, we will eventually return to sleep."

Ci Dong followed behind him and felt that something was not right no matter what he heard.

"Don't you understand?" Helian Yu sighed softly, "I read the novels all night yesterday, alas, they are all dead."

Ci Dong: “…”

girl:"……"

Ci Dong was worried that Helian Yu's nonsense would reach the ears of the Imperial Master, so he quickly wiped her fingers clean and took the opportunity to say, "Master, Sister Xingchun has been hidden by them and has not been found yet."

Helian Yu raised his chin slightly: "Don't worry, I asked Master to calculate Xingchun's location last night, and I have sent someone to pick her up."

Ci Dong breathed a sigh of relief and praised: "Master, you are thoughtful and kind."

Helian Yu nodded without any modesty, and then cast his gaze on the face that looked exactly like hers: "I'll give you another half day to think about it. If you don't confess, the injustice behind you will not be cleared up, and you will also die."

"Oh, the royal family is really cold-hearted! You can kill me or rob me if you want, but you can do whatever you want! In the future, there will be millions of people who will overthrow you!"

"There have been so many dynasties throughout history, and the later dynasties overthrew the previous ones. Wasn't Daxia also established by overthrowing the previous dynasties? Even if you overthrow Daxia, can you guarantee that you will not follow the old path? Giving you a chance to redress your grievances and clean up the local customs is a better choice."

Helian Yu was talking about the current facts. Rebuilding a new dynasty is far more troublesome than reforming the old one.

The first hurdle is to win over the local families and guide the people to identify with the new royal family.

Moreover, human hearts are unpredictable. Who can guarantee that the talents of the new dynasty will have no selfish motives, and after taking office, they will ensure that the people live in peace and will not extort a penny of the people's money? People are inherently complex and stubborn.

Before Helian Yu turned around, he glanced at the girl again, his dark eyes were dark and unkind: "Think about it carefully."

Leaving the dungeon, the sun shines on me.

Helian Yu raised his head and stretched out his arms, sighing: "I feel so kind at this moment."

Ci Dong: “…”

I have to complain to the Imperial Master. My master's brain is a little abnormal from reading the storybook.

At lunch, Chang An brought Xingchun back.

Xingchun was not injured, but was extremely angry.

While eating, Helian Yu listened in surprise to Xingchun's dancing and angrily recounted what she had heard.

"This is simply outrageous! The magistrate of Changfeng County, Chen Bang, is just a lowly seventh-rank official, yet he extorts money from the people and sets taxes privately! He also has seventy-six concubines!"

"In addition, Chen Bang also raised boys for his own entertainment!"

"I heard that Jiang Yan, the newly appointed magistrate of Qingfeng County next to Changfeng County, was one of Chen Bang's...boys. After Jiang Yan took office, he learned Chen Bang's style and helped the tyrant to commit atrocities. It's simply appalling!"

"Chen Bang had many concubines, so he had many children. This old beast! He sent his children, who were only a few years old, to the prefects or local officials to do... that kind of thing!"

Xingchun was so angry that his face turned red. After speaking a long paragraph, he was out of breath, his head was buzzing, and he wished he could eat Chen Bang and others' flesh and drink their blood.

Helian Yu poured her a glass of warm water and said, "What Changfeng County and Qingfeng County did is terrible. The people have no way to sue them, so they will indeed go to extremes."

"Master, what do you think?"

Xingchun knew that her master could not just ignore such a thing.

"Lingchi is better." Helian Yu supported his chin with one hand, and said in a voice as light as a feather, "Each of you cut him once, and the remaining head will be hung in Caishikou for ten years as a warning. How about that?"

Xingchun nodded hurriedly: "It's enough to appease the public anger, but there is no precedent..."

"This is a precedent, and it will set a precedent for the future." Helian Yu said bluntly, "Yesterday, my master pressed my head to read, and I saw a historical example. A prisoner was sentenced to be beheaded at Caishikou for murder. When he was stripped of his clothes and prepared to be beheaded, the people saw that he had a muscular body and begged for his life in public."

Xingchun was confused: "Master, how could there be such people? Is this really a historical example?"

"Of course." Helian Yu put down the spoon with his other hand and continued to speak leisurely, "Due to the people's pleas for mercy, the local government really released him. Later, this man became a local rich man, drank human milk for a long time, and married one beautiful concubine after another."

"Human beings are very complicated." Helian Yu sighed again, "There must be something hateful about pitiful people. What's the point of believing one side's words? However, if the county magistrate does something like Chen Bangjiangyan, he should be killed."

"Master, should we report this matter to the capital and let His Majesty make the decision?" Xingchun asked.

"Execute first and report later." Helian Yu made the final decision, "lest there be more trouble at night."

Xingchun wanted to stop him: "Your Highness, isn't that too reckless..."