Before General Li was falsely accused and imprisoned, he had close relationships with almost all the generals in the court.
Therefore, Li Dingbang knew perfectly well which of the generals in the court were loyal and which were Sima Lie's lackeys.
"yes."
Zhu Fei withdrew.
After he left, Qin Yu opened a secret letter sealed with beeswax.
When he unfolded the letter, the signature inside was none other than Zhang Tang.
In the letter, Zhang Tang wrote down every detail of the situation in the southwest.
Now the situation in the southwest is gradually stabilizing. With the imperial court's disaster relief and Zhang Tang's introduction of a large number of merchants to trade medicinal herbs, furs and other goods in the southwest, there is also a subsequent replenishment of grain.
Although the situation in the southwest region is not as dangerous as before, it is still frequently turbulent.
Because powerful clans still controlled a large amount of land and trade sovereignty, and the local chieftains maintained a confrontational stance against the imperial court, trying to force the court to offer better terms to win them over.
In this situation, even if Zhang Tang can stabilize for a period of time, it cannot last.
Once the disaster relief food runs out, the disaster victims may launch an even stronger uprising than before.
"Indeed, these powerful families are a cancer on the dynasty!"
Qin Yu snorted coldly.
In the history of China, powerful families had plagued the Central Plains dynasties for over a thousand years.
Even now, the Great Xia Dynasty is still unable to escape the control of these powerful families.
Qin Yu had previously told Zhang Tang that they could use refugees to control the powerful families.
This tactic had indeed worked before.
However, in his reply this time, Zhang Tang also pointed out the drawbacks of this method.
While using refugees can intimidate powerful families, the problem is that refugees are an uncontrollable group.
These people could easily turn from civilians into bandits. In doing so, instead of affecting the status of the aristocratic families, they became rebels, causing great harm to ordinary people.
Qin Yu had already anticipated this, looking at the contents of Zhang Tang's letter.
He continued reading, and after discussing the situation in the southwest and the various difficulties, Zhang Tang also inquired about the palace examination.
In his letter, he solemnly emphasized that Qin Yu must obtain the right to set the questions for the palace examination, otherwise he would be choosing a lackey for Sima Lie.
He probably knew that Qin Yu couldn't come up with any good questions, so he also included the questions he had come up with in the letter.
Looking at the topics that quoted classical texts and the discussions on current affairs, Qin Yu shook his head.
It wasn't that Zhang Tang's question was bad, but rather that it was too good, so good that Qin Yu felt he couldn't select the talent he wanted using that question.
Having confirmed this, Qin Yu put the secret letter aside and picked up a piece of paper to write a reply to Zhang Tang.
The first matter concerns the powerful families of the Southwest.
Qin Yu had already come up with a solution to this matter, and this solution would not provoke a counterattack from the powerful families of the Southwest.
Clan Records!
When Qin Yu picked up his pen and wrote these three large characters, he did not expect that these three characters would one day unleash a huge storm in the Great Xia Dynasty.
After finishing the clan history, Qin Yu brought up the method of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials.
As for the third issue of the refugees, Qin Yu thought it was even simpler.
"You might as well raise a bandit to enhance your own prestige!"
Qin Yu wrote those words without the slightest hesitation.
If a normal emperor knew that his ministers were harboring bandits to enhance their own power, he would probably be filled with anxiety and fear.
Emperor Qin Yu, however, actively asked his ministers to harbor bandits to maintain their own dignity. If people knew this, they would probably think he was crazy.
But Qin Yu had no doubt about Zhang Tang's loyalty.
When the bandits in the southwest are finally subdued, the only ones who will be worried are the powerful and wealthy families of the southwest.
After writing a long and detailed essay on three pages, Qin Yu finally put down his pen.
"Phew, my calligraphy is still not good enough. I'll have Anfu get me a few quill brushes tomorrow."
Looking at the rather crooked calligraphy on the paper, Qin Yu had no choice but to make do.
After sealing the letter, Qin Yu hid it in his sleeve.
As for the letter Zhang Tang sent him, he burned it.
Meanwhile, in the Begonia Palace.
"Did you find it?"
Sima Jing looked anxious as she gazed at Ru Yan, who had just returned.
Ruyan shook her head.
“This servant has already inquired, and the murderer in the assassination of Commander An has not yet been found. As for the woman and the city defense soldier you mentioned, this servant heard that the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Capital Prefecture are also investigating, but the two of them have completely disappeared since that night, and no one has seen them since.”
Upon hearing Ruyan's words, Sima Jing's expression changed.
She thought the two of them might have already been captured, and was thinking about what she could do to rescue them.
But then the two of them disappeared without a trace!
For a moment, Sima Jing couldn't help but feel flustered.
She worried that the two of them might fall into Sima Lie's hands.
If that's the case, not only will the two of them surely die, but she will also be in dire straits.
If Sima Lie finds out that she is investigating the Northern Darkness Sect, he will never let her go.
For a moment, Sima Jing felt her body tremble slightly.
The painful memories of being tormented by Sima Lie over the years had long since instilled in her an instinctive fear of him.
"Ruyan, from today onwards, you will focus on this case. If you have any news about those two people, report it to me immediately."
After a moment's thought, Sima Jing decided to hold back for now.
She could only pray in her heart that Zhou Ning and Xiang Lan had escaped the capital and had not fallen into someone's hands.
Seeing Sima Jing's keen interest in the matter, Ru Yan couldn't help but reveal a hint of doubt in her eyes.
She had just told Sima Jing about An Yuntai's situation, and An Yuntai was assassinated that very night.
Sima Jing's continued focus on this matter makes it hard for her not to be suspicious.
"Your Majesty, could it be that you..."
Ruyan couldn't help but ask.
But before she could finish speaking, she saw Sima Jing's eyes suddenly turn icy cold.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was too talkative. I will give the order right away."
Ruyan hurriedly knelt on the ground, her body trembling as she spoke.
"Go."
Sima Jing waved her hand.
Ruyan then withdrew as if granted a pardon.
After she left, Sima Jing couldn't help but sigh.
"Although I now know who my enemy is, I am outnumbered and outmatched. How can I possibly take revenge?"
Sima Jing's eyebrows furrowed tightly.
After learning that Sima Lie was her enemy, besides the pain of being deceived, Sima Jing felt only a deep sense of powerlessness.
She was a weak woman and had no chance against a behemoth like Sima Lie.
Moreover, even though she is the daughter of the former head priestess of the Northern Darkness Sect, she cannot mobilize any members of the Northern Darkness Sect now.
She had absolutely no leverage for revenge.
For a moment, Sima Jing felt as if her mind was a complete mess.
But at that moment, she inexplicably thought of Qin Yu.
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