That place seems to be cursed; once you go there, you can't escape.
He never understood this question until his death!
With a head full of questions, Old Master Hong listened to the interrogation of himself in a daze.
Instead of being executed by slow slicing or being paraded through the streets, he was removed from his wooden cangue and escorted to the prefectural city for a court hearing and review.
Hong Jingtian felt a pang of sorrow. With one more person presiding over the case, the officials whose records and achievements were handled could write a brilliant new chapter in their careers.
Eliminating a traitor colluding with the Di people is a tremendous achievement, one that cannot be claimed by one person alone. One might even have to send him, along with the dozen or so Di people, to the capital.
People are alive, but the suffering in between is endless.
Song Liyun was also confused about the verdict; she had received a reward of one hundred taels of silver.
She doesn't refuse money, the more the better, but what does it mean to let her manage Tianxiang Tower?
I am a military household member, so why is it that the government is arranging and managing things for me?
There has always been discord between the government and the Zhenbei Army. If you listen to someone, then you don't know which side you belong to.
So, the trial ended, and Song Liyun returned to Suijin Town with a head full of questions.
In the guest courtyard behind the county government office, Zhao Ashi was still gently waving his folding fan, gazing absently at the tree full of fiery red pomegranate blossoms.
Jiang Feng came to find him without changing out of his official robes.
"Third Young Master, I have already submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Revenue requesting to remain as the magistrate of Qili County. The Ministry of Revenue has approved it, and the appointment letter will be issued soon."
If a sixth-rank sub-prefect is not suitable, he should go to a county with a bad reputation, a place that everyone is afraid to associate with, to become the county magistrate. Everyone likes such a good person.
Zhao Tingduo turned her head and bowed to him, saying, "Congratulations, sir!"
"Third Young Master, you only have three years. I will fully cooperate with your arrangements. If I cannot achieve what you say and bring peace to the grasslands..."
Zhao Tingduo said solemnly, "I will lead my tribe to surrender to the Wu Dynasty!"
"Alright! Let's high-five and pledge our oath!"
The two palms slammed together.
Song Liyun had no idea how the missing person Zhao Ashi had appeared at the county government office and even claimed to have amnesia in front of her.
However, she understood the proceedings clearly today; Zhao Ashi was nowhere to be seen throughout the entire process.
The story has been revised.
A woman from Suijin Town went up the mountain with her hired workers to pick mushrooms. She accidentally discovered a corpse and reported it to the garrison, which led to the discovery of bandits who colluded with the Di people and had ulterior motives.
The credit belongs to the Suijin Guard.
Upon returning to Suijin Town, Song Liyun went to the garrison to inform Luo Baihu of the case's outcome.
She had barely started talking about Tianxianglou when she heard even more surprising news.
Qing'an Prefecture is in grave danger!
Since Pingliang Fort was occupied by the Di people last winter and has not been recovered for a long time, many people who had fled from the grassland tribes gathered there, and together with some refugees and bandits from the Wu Dynasty, their numbers have been increasing.
Meanwhile, the Xuanwei Army and the Zhenbei Army, who should have been sending troops, were still locked in a power struggle.
Under the emperor's watchful eye, Xuanwei Army drove away refugees and invading Di barbarians while simultaneously diverting the Zhenbei Army, which was supposed to be "assisted by imperial decree," to do useless work. They even secretly sabotaged the Zhenbei Army, hoping to make it suffer losses.
The Zhenbei Army wasn't stupid either; they concealed their strength and maneuvered cautiously, making concessions as they went.
This dragged on for several months.
After the Wuda tribe returned last winter and defeated several tribes on the grassland, they finally settled down in the summer pastures. Only then did the Dilu royal court, which had been quietly observing the situation, shift its attention.
On the grasslands, these minor tribal disputes, with one side gaining and the other losing, occur every year. The major tribes that make up the royal court do not interfere, and some even welcome them.
The weaker other tribes are, the easier they are to control, unless their interests are involved.
Seeing an opportunity on the border of the Wu Dynasty, the royal court, now with some free time, seized the chance to attack the Wu Dynasty while the Xuanwei Army was not paying attention. Several tribes gathered an elite cavalry force of 800 men and marched into the Wu Dynasty, heading straight for Qing'an Prefecture.
The wheat that had just been harvested and stored in the granaries of more than ten townships in three counties along the way was all looted. Now the cavalry has stationed themselves under the city walls, attempting to attack the city.
Meanwhile, the Xuanwei Army, responsible for the defense of Qing'an Prefecture, was still entangled with the bandits and refugees in the Pingliang Fort area...
News from the civilian population hasn't arrived yet; this is still military intelligence.
It was only when Song Liyun asked why the Qili County government had entrusted Tianxiang Tower to her management that Luo Baihu revealed the answer; even the government officials probably didn't know yet.
Song Liyun's face turned deathly pale: "Commander Luo, we are here..."
She didn't dare to continue... Was there any danger in Broken Gold Town?
Luo Baihu waved his hand: "That's Qing'an Prefecture. It was Xuanwei Army that did this. It was Tang Ying who did it."
“Our Pingyang Prefecture has always been under the jurisdiction of the Zhenbei Army. Although the prefectural government has had its share of conflicts with the military camp in recent years, Prefect Zhang Mingyang is not so foolish as to seek his own death, especially now…”
“Jiang Feng is from the capital, and his eyes are set on the imperial court… cough cough cough!”
Luo Baihu coughed, but he couldn't really explain what was wrong with him.
He was shocked when the Third Young Master told him before he left that Jiang Feng was the Crown Prince's man.
It seems that the timid and submissive crown prince, who was always on the verge of being deposed by his father, was not truly weak and incompetent; he also had spies among the officials.
"It was the garrison's achievement in capturing Hong Jingtian, so I asked Jiang Feng for Tianxiang Tower."
"Hehe, the dishes you made were quite delicious. I'll set up a restaurant for you to try."
"It's just that Qili County can't openly hand over the operation of Tianxianglou to the garrison, so it can only entrust the management to you. This can also be seen as an opportunity to ease relations with the Zhenbei Army."
Luo Baihu said this with a sneer: "We risked our lives in the front, and now we're building a dead building to fool people."
Song Liyun remained silent: Tianxiang Tower is not a dead building. Although it may not be a fortune, it is still one of the most profitable businesses in Qili County.
“Song girl! The waters in Qili County are very deep, and it will take some time for Jiangfeng to clear them. Don’t get too attached to Tianxianglou.”
Tianxianglou is said to be given to the garrison, but the actual property rights are still in the hands of the government. They haven't handed over the land deeds, so don't do their bidding for their benefit.
"You have performed meritorious service this time but have no credit for it. It is the garrison and the government that have let you down."
Well, I won't say much else. Just focus on making money first, and I won't treat you badly later.
There's one more thing I need to say: it's okay to hit those stupid people, but please don't kill them.
"If this gets out of hand and Lord Jiang and I can't cover it up, you'll be severely punished."
Luo Baihu waved his hand as he said this, indicating that he was determined to execute Song Liyun if she caused any trouble.
"Okay, making money is the priority, don't cause trouble!" Song Liyun smiled.
With more men under his command, Commander Luo began to speak more tactfully.
Saying that if someone dies, it can't be contained is just a euphemism for saying that as long as no one dies, everything will be fine!
Song Liyun wasn't one to fuss over trivial matters. Although she hadn't gained much overtly, the fact that she was being secretly protected and manipulated by the garrison and the government was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so making money was still the priority.
Luo Baihu was very satisfied with her insight.
Song Liyun entered the garrison in a daze, and she came out in the same daze.
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