"Sima, why did you leave those women from the Western Regions behind? What if they reveal our whereabouts?"
As the procession moved, the leader approached Li Jue, who was puzzled as to why Li Jue had spared the lives of those women from the Western Regions.
"You usually seem so shrewd, how come you've become so stupid? In this vast desert, they have neither horses nor camels, where could they possibly find out our whereabouts?"
Li Jue chuckled and launched into a merciless mockery of the person in charge.
Looking at Li Jue's appearance, the steward was speechless. Ever since his master, Sima, was forced by the Marquis of Dingbian to read a few books, he always liked to put on an unfathomable act, and he had no choice but to play along.
The official in charge couldn't help but ask, "Sima Gaojian, why keep them there?"
Li Jue said slowly, "Those women were kidnapped by bandits from somewhere, and it's impossible for them to go home now. When we go back, we'll take them all with us!"
The person in charge nodded in agreement. "Sima is right. These women from the Western Regions are highly sought after by the young masters of noble families, and they can fetch a good price!"
"Pah! All you care about is money! You think you can sell anything? We're not human traffickers!"
Li Jue glared, and spittle flew from his mouth and sprayed all over the manager's face.
"Um... then why are you taking them back?"
Li Jue glanced at the person in charge and said, "Of course, we're taking them back to be wives for the brothers. So many of our brothers are still single; it's time for them to settle down! Let's try to take as many back as possible, one for each of them!"
The other soldiers around them also lit up when they heard Li Jue's words.
This mission was totally worth it! I not only made a fortune but also found a wife!
In no time, the news spread like wildfire, and soon everyone in the team knew about it, their eyes gleaming as they stared into the depths of the desert.
...
In Deyang Palace, Liu Hong's face was terribly gloomy. He never expected that Li Ru's matter would take such a turn for the worse.
How did he suddenly get involved in the illegal sale of refined iron? If Liu Hong hadn't sent someone to inform Xun Shuang, Li Ru would probably already be beheaded by now.
"Zhicai, have you found out anything about that person?"
Xi Zhicai shook his head. "No, after that person left Luoyang, he returned to Heyang and never had any contact with anyone!"
Liu Hong snorted coldly, "Hmph~ They've been hiding it well enough to sell off all the refined iron in the treasury right under Wen You's nose. These people are really troublesome!"
Xi Zhicai nodded. "Your Majesty is right. Those behind the scenes are indeed very well hidden, but they have also revealed a clue because of Wen You's matter!"
What does Zhicai mean by this?
Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "Wen You is a scholar from a poor family personally appointed by His Majesty. Dragging him into this is simply to tell others that His Majesty is bad at judging people and that people from poor families are unreliable. We can only rely on them. In this way, we only need to target people with these two kinds of ideas!"
Liu Hong nodded, then sneered, "We don't know, but perhaps someone else does!"
"What does Your Majesty mean?" Xi Zhicai looked at Liu Hong with some confusion.
"Let them treat us the way they treat Wen You. Let them fight like dogs!"
"Won't this harm innocent people?" Xi Zhicai asked with some concern.
"Innocent? There are plenty of innocent people out there, it's not their place to complain. Besides, they're taking up too much space, they need to be moved!"
Although many members of aristocratic families are loyal to the Han dynasty, most prioritize the interests of their families. The series of policies that Liu Hong plans to introduce in the future will inevitably affect the interests of their families.
Conflicts between the two sides are inevitable. People from powerful families cannot be ignored, but they cannot be overused.
"Your Majesty is right, but this matter should not be rushed; we must proceed slowly!"
Liu Hong nodded, then chuckled, "That's right, but it's still necessary to create some friction for them! We can't let those people be a monolithic group!"
Xi Zhicai spoke up, saying, "I believe that we can establish several censors to inspect various regions and specifically investigate the conduct of officials and their corruption and inaction!"
"Hmm! That's a good idea!"
After careful consideration, Liu Hong said, "Let's put the inspecting censors under the control of the Court of Justice! After all, they have experience!"
"As for the Imperial Censor, does Your Majesty have a suitable candidate?"
"For the time being, Yuan Chang, Jian Gong, and Chang Wen will take on these roles,"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Xi Zhicai chuckled. Ever since the emperor ascended the throne, he had indeed become more and more cunning.
Zhong Yao, Sima Fang, and Chen Qun are all from prominent families, so it's best to leave this kind of potentially offensive task to them.
Then Liu Hong looked at Xi Zhicai and said, "Zhicai, send someone to Jia Xu and tell him to protect Wen You along the way. Also, tell Wen You to rest assured that I will definitely help him get justice!"
Xi Zhicai nodded: "Yes!!"
Then Liu Hong looked at Zhang Rang beside him: "Zhao Yangqiu is to come to court! Keep it a secret!"
"promise!"
Zhang Rang bowed in agreement and then quickly left Deyang Palace.
Changshan
After Liu Yan was taken to Luoyang, the affairs of the governor's office were temporarily handed over to Tian Feng, and Jia Xu also left Ye City after Liu Yan's arrest and came to the Yuan family of Changshan.
In the south of Yuanshi City, where the city's residents lived, a figure wandered through the alleys at night, eventually arriving at a house.
This man was none other than Li Hu, who followed Jia Xu. Noticing that no one was around, Li Hu pushed open the door and entered.
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