My lord, spare his life!

"Using Lu Bafeng's name to stage a coup and seize power could indeed deceive everyone and extricate Tianyue County from the situation, but the question is, can Lu Yuan be trusted?" Uncharacteristically, Zhang Yang did not immediately agree. "She might be fickle."

Fan You's eyes lit up slightly.

That little bit of light dispelled the weakness caused by the wrath of the stars, like a bright pearl shining in the darkness.

He asked with delight, "Why do you say that, my lord?"

The lord may not be highly educated, but he has a good eye for people.

He didn't think highly of Lü Bafeng either. He was cunning and could endure what ordinary people couldn't. These were qualities that a warlord in a chaotic world should possess. But to be able to recognize his enemy as his godfather for many years without batting an eye and to be driven by him, even if he had no problems in his heart, he would have developed problems from holding it in.

Fan You was very worried about Lu Yuan's mental health.

Tian Yue and she share a common enemy, so they can naturally cooperate happily. However, if it harms her interests in the future, and Lu Yuan becomes powerful, Fan You worries that he might betray her at a crucial moment. Managing such a person is no easy task.

Fan You glanced at Zhang Yang discreetly.

If the lord is decisive and cunning, suppressing a mere Law Master wouldn't be difficult. A blade isn't necessarily better the sharper it is; it depends on whether the wielder can perfectly control it. If they can't, the sharp blade might harm them instead.

Zhang Yang: "Intuition."

Actually, I looked at Lu Yuan's data. Compared to his sworn brother Guan Zong, Lu Yuan's moral loyalty was 50/50, and the title given by the game system was very intriguing: "Successor of Marquis Lü Wen".

Click on the title to see its description.

[Title: Successor of Marquis Lü Wen (No job change, no salary increase. This title does not grant you the bravery of Marquis Lü Wen, but it automatically upgrades your lord to adoptive father/adoptive mother)]

Zhang Yang did not yet have the title of "adoptive mother".

However, once you subdue Lu Yuan, another hidden description of this title will be automatically triggered - as a godfather/godmother, you must always pay attention to the mental health of your godchildren and provide them with loving education from time to time, otherwise they may turn against you.

[Title: Godfather/Godmother (Wearing this title will give you a powerful adopted son/daughter, but there's also a chance you'll be killed by your adopted son/daughter, and your critical hit rate will increase by 50%. We recommend you be cautious about adopting children.)]

Zhang Yang did not know who Lü Wenhou was.

They had no choice but to ask someone about the other person's life and deeds.

You wouldn't know unless you asked, and when you did, she fell silent.

Fan You fell silent upon hearing Zhang Yang's answer, a sense of disappointment washing over him. However, he had long known that his lord's education level was not high, so he wasn't too disappointed: "It doesn't matter if she's fickle. Use her for now, and if she's no longer useful, then break this knife."

Lu Yuan is dishonest, and they are not sincere either.

Both sides are evenly matched.

Zhang Yang: "That's fine then, but who should we send to persuade them?"

Guan Zong was the closest and most trusted advisor to Lü Yuan among her subordinates, so logically, sending Guan Zong to persuade him would have been the safest option. However, Guan Zong was too ambitious; based on the existing intelligence, he had participated in the Dongxian Rebellion and made significant contributions.

If he were to appear, the Prefect of Chesi County should be on high alert.

She was wary that Lü Yuan might become emboldened by Guan Zong's appearance and no longer be able to restrain him; this was not what she wanted to see.

Fan You said, "Let Xiu Ying go."

This top saleswoman hasn't finished her business in the mountain counties yet. If it weren't for the Tianjiang County incident that brought her back, Xiao Sui would still be operating in the mountain counties. She also has a lot of contact with Lü Bafeng.

Zhang Yang had no objection to this arrangement.

She cared about another point: "If we support her in seizing power through a coup, we need to send in some experts to keep things under control, right?"

Fan You nodded: "That's natural."

Zhang Yang counted on his fingers and said, "Jun Du needs to train troops to guard Tianyue. Guan Zong can't show up openly because of his status, and Dong Su, as the county magistrate, can't leave. His strength might not be enough either... After thinking it over, is it only possible for me to go?"

Fan You said, "No, there is one more person."

Zhang Yang's face fell: "Is Egg Bro as reliable as me? He wouldn't agree to it, would he? He has no vested interest in this matter."

Guan Si had absolutely no reason to help fight this match.

"He'll agree; I have something on him."

Zhang Yang: "Easter Egg Bro's weakness???"

Fan You calmly replied, "Youzheng revealed it privately."

Yuan Xie's ability to live in seclusion in the Dongfan Mountains and navigate his dangerous neighbors with ease speaks volumes about his skills. In fact, Guan Sidu could be considered Yuan Xie's former employer.

Where is there no way out for someone who acts as a strategist?

Zhang Yang: "...Won't this infuriate people?"

Fan You chuckled.

He naturally understood this principle.

"Guan Siyin appears to be impervious to both soft and hard tactics, but in reality, he responds better to gentle persuasion than force. As long as we have the Hundred Ghosts Guard under our control, we have no fear of him disobeying us," Fan You said with a wink and a smile. "Otherwise, who do you think is allocating the Hundred Ghosts Guard's pay, my lord?"

Those treatments were comparable to those of the lord's personal guards.

Zhang Yang couldn't help but think of the Hundred Ghosts Guards planting trees and flowers on the official road, and then he thought of Guan Si's complicated expression at that time and the favorability prompt that popped up in the system log. He raised his hand and gave Fan You a thumbs up.

"Well done!"

Then she changed the subject.

"One Easter egg guy isn't enough, is it?"

Zhang Yang wished he could write his name on his face.

Fan You said, "You are my lord."

Zhang Yang: "I am the lord, therefore I have the final say!"

Regarding the "Lord" role, Zhang Yang also had a reference point: isn't it the base leader of each survivor's base? Base leaders are usually inspiring and in charge of the rear, protected by many high-strength NPCs. When danger comes, they are the first to evacuate from dangerous areas, ostensibly to ensure the integrity of the system's command.

however--

The base commander cannot be attacked, and she is a player character.

No matter what type of game it is, what game has players surrounded and protected by NPCs? What's the point of playing that? Especially since this is an action role-playing game, the greatest fun is leveling up and fighting monsters, not being a useless mascot.

"Has Your Majesty decided how to deal with Wang Qi?"

Zhang Yang: "..."

Fan You could tell at a glance that she hadn't thought of that.

"This Wang Qi is nominally a hostage, but he is actually unruly. At present, only the lord and Guan Si can suppress him."

If Zhang Yang and Guan Si both went to Che Si County to fight, who would keep an eye on Wang Qi, that mad dog who could go berserk at any moment? Tian Yue County is a rural place, lacking resources, and can't withstand Wang Qi's destruction. If it weren't for Wang Qi, he couldn't stop Zhang Yang from going anyway.

It would be good if Guan Zong could suppress Wang Qi.

But judging from what the lord just said, Guan Zong is no match for him.

Zhang Yang: "..."

This is like lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own foot.

Fan You softened his voice: "We'll discuss this later."

Before we could even welcome our lord back from his business trip, let's set aside these heavy and tedious matters. Seeing that Fan You's stamina had plummeted to the brink and he was about to faint if he didn't recover soon, Zhang Yang had no choice but to nod.

"Then you should rest first."

As soon as I climbed onto the roof, I saw a gloomy face.

Zhang Yang said calmly, "Hello, Easter Egg Bro."

"Ignoring both soft and hard approaches, yet swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force?" Guan Si knew Zhang Yang was certain he was nearby, yet she dared to scheme against him with the strategist without intervening. Was she incredibly audacious, or something else entirely?

Zhang Yang said, "Shuyan wasn't wrong either."

She has a clear conscience, so there's no need for her to avoid NPCs.

Zhang Yang is considered lucky.

Other players would write fanfiction about NPCs or other NPCs in front of the NPCs themselves, but Zhang Yang only mentioned him when discussing serious matters with Fan You. What's the big deal?

Guan Si: "..."

Zhang Yang: "Your Hundred Ghost Guards are all pitiful children. They've never had a peaceful day or a decent meal in their lives. In your eyes, they're all going to die killing people anyway, so what's wrong with them having a good last meal before they die?"

Guan Si, embarrassed and annoyed, said, "You—"

"I'll ask you to do something, but I won't make you work for free."

Their players are the most fair; they will give corresponding rewards to anyone who runs errands, and they will never maliciously delay payment.

Guan Si had nowhere to vent his anger.

Zhang Yang's words made sense, but he still felt frustrated.

He said with a cold face, "You treat me like I'm nothing, summoned and dismissed at will. What do you take me for, Guan Siyin?"

If you want to use him, then you must demonstrate your strength to subdue him and win his heartfelt submission. If you don't have that strength, then don't bother approaching him and provoking his disgust.

Zhang Yang falls somewhere in between.

I really don't know if she did it on purpose or intentionally.

Zhang Yang looked bewildered: "What?"

"snort!"

Guan Si turned and left.

Guan Si's favorability towards you has decreased by three.

Zhang Yang glanced at the overall favorability rating of the "Easter Egg Bro," and it hadn't even fallen below 70, let alone the passing grade, so she didn't need to care.

Thanks to the mountain path through the Dongfan Mountains, supplies were continuously being sent to Tianyue County. In addition, with the arrival of traveling merchants drawn by its reputation and the slight relaxation of restrictions in Tianjiang County, life in Tianyue improved. The county government's welcome banquet was also quite impressive.

County Magistrate Xu Jin and County Lieutenant Du Fang also received banquet invitations.

The main meat dishes at the banquet were chicken and duck.

With the large iron pot, various seasonings, and recipes that had somehow ended up in the game's inventory, Zhang Yang gave the chef a lot of time to master new dishes and collect all sorts of ways to cook chicken and duck: pan-frying, stir-frying, cooking, deep-frying, stewing, boiling, steaming, and roasting.

Wang Qi questioned, "Why are there no bears, tigers, deer, or leopards?"

Simply put, he prefers to eat wild game.

However, the dishes served were all kinds of chicken and duck.

Zhang Yang replied, "Because Tianyue County is currently strongly supporting the chicken and duck farming industry, it has not yet involved the bear, tiger, deer, and leopard you mentioned."

Wang Qi: "..."

He disliked the food, yet found it smelled delicious.

Finally, he reluctantly picked up a piece.

With just one bite, the crispy duck skin, coated in the special sauce, spread throughout his mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance. He wasn't highly educated, but he simply found it delicious. He even tore the baked salt-baked chicken leg apart with his hands.

"It tastes good, the chef gave me one."

"...Why send a cook? Can't you learn how to cook yourself?"

Every player could easily master life skills, except for her, the fake player. For some reason, the food other players made was so delicious it made people's mouths water, and the taste was exactly the same, but Zhang Yang just couldn't learn it. She couldn't understand how agate, jade, wild herbs, meat, and bones could be used to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Zhang Yang also went to the kitchen to watch the NPC chefs cook. For the same dish, the ingredients used by the players and the NPC chefs were completely different.

Players won't kidnap an NPC cook just because they can't concoct any delicious food or medicine; similarly, Wang Qi can't take her cook away.

However, Wang Qi can learn on his own.

"Me? Learning to be a chef?"

"What's wrong with being a cook? Are you discriminating against me because of my profession?"

Wang Qi: "..."

Seeing the servants still serving dishes, Wang Qi decided not to argue with Zhang Yang and to finish this meal first before thinking about other things.

Aside from the lack of singing, dancing, and drinks, it was perfect.

Little did they know, there was originally alcoholic beverages served.

However, Du Guan stopped them.

The story of Wang Qi killing his two brothers with a single blow while drunk was so shocking that they were worried he might do something similar while intoxicated.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

After the welcoming banquet, Zhang Yang quickly washed up and lay down in bed, falling asleep within three seconds of closing her eyes. The others didn't have such good sleep quality, such as Du Guan's husband.

Xiao Sui wanted to have a late-night talk with Du Guan by candlelight, so he couldn't stay.

He sheepishly took a blanket and went to sleep in the side room.

After washing up, Xiao Sui and Du Guan, both dressed in their nightgowns with their long, damp hair flowing freely, discussed matters primarily concerning Tianyue's internal reforms and external expansion plans. Xiao Sui also received some good news from Du Guan.

Qin Huang's troops were tied up.

There's no time to worry about Tianyue right now.

Qin Huang didn't ask why Xiao Sui hadn't been heard from for so long.

"Did Ruxin say that?"

"Yes, she's been preoccupied with the war lately. How could Qin Shiming possibly have time to care about you, who's been exiled to this remote and impoverished place?"

Xiao Sui smiled and said, "That would be best."

Du Guan paused for a moment, then said, "This is good news."

"What about tomorrow?"

"If Qin Shiming can successfully overcome these hurdles, he'll likely rise to prominence and surpass the other warlords." Du Guan frowned slightly, his chess piece tapping the table unconsciously. "Then, will they turn around and come after us again?"

Xiao Sui's smile gradually faded.

"We must take over the mountain counties before that."

Du Guan: "I'm afraid this matter will fall on your shoulders again. Given my situation, I'd like to help you, but I'm powerless to do so."

She could only work as a housekeeper in the logistics department.

A mad ghost is someone who is so obsessed with something that they forget about life and death.

This effect can be used not only against outsiders but also against oneself. The more attached, passionate, and desirous one is, the easier it is to be consumed by obsessive thoughts and ultimately fall into the traps woven by these thoughts. The only effective solution is extreme self-control.

She had to force herself to let go of everything she had pursued in her youth.

Power, status, and reputation—if you want to climb higher, you can only endure it; you can't fight for them, you can't grab them, you can't take the initiative, you can only wait passively.

Xiao Sui said, "It's alright. I also quite enjoy dealing with Lü Bafeng. He's really an... interesting guy."

"interesting?"

"Her beauty was like a magnificent robe; she invited me to admire it with her."

Du Guan: "..."

Even Xiao Sui, who was once the most flirtatious woman, never did such a thing.

She chuckled: "How does Xiuying plan to persuade her?"

Xiao Sui rested her chin on her hand, pondering her next move in the game. In the candlelight, her profile alone was breathtakingly beautiful. After a long while, her slender hand deftly placed a chess piece down with a soft thud, as clear and crisp as her voice: "I... I wish to present her with a set of armor."

Fine clothes are only for pleasing the eye and for sharing joy with others.

Armor, however, makes one impervious to swords and spears, and allows one to fight alongside others.

If this person is not enlightened, he is probably just an ordinary person.

??|??w?`)

Xiao Sui: We'll have this unspoken understanding, right?