My lord, spare his life!

The scene fell into a strange stalemate.

Lu Yuan's expression was as colorful as a palette.

He opened his mouth several times, then hesitated to speak.

She knew that Zhang Yang, as the lord of her sworn brother Guan Zong, was unlikely to harbor any ill will towards her, nor did he intend to humiliate her. The possibility of him embarrassing her in public was extremely small. But precisely because of this, Lu Yuan couldn't understand the other party's motive for calling himself "godmother." Surely it wasn't because Lu Yuan had a label on her forehead that said "anyone can be her father/mother." Lu Yuan's breathing quickened, and she closed her eyes to suppress the complex thoughts in her mind, trying to salvage this absurdly awkward situation.

"Although it is said that one should serve one's lord as one's father and one's mother, I come from humble origins... Your Excellency acted righteously and helped me avenge my family's death. I wholeheartedly respect you and dare not presume to be a superior." On the surface, Lu Yuan remained calm, but in reality, his back was sweating and countless chaotic thoughts were swirling within him.

The left side of my brain was trying to reassure him, saying that the magistrate meant no harm.

The right side of my brain is screaming—

This isn't malicious intent. What would be malicious intent?

Lu Yuan has already made it very clear.

If Zhang Yang had simply accepted the situation, both sides could have pretended nothing had happened. However, she overestimated Zhang Yang's knowledge. It's important to understand that written reading ability is not the same as dictation ability, and players' brains automatically filter NPC dialogue. If Lu Yuan had written the previous paragraph down, Zhang Yang would have understood that she herself had skipped important dialogue, leading to a huge misunderstanding.

However, even if they knew, they would pretend not to know.

All of this was for the precious title of "adoptive mother".

Zhang Yang asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by 'climb'?"

Looking at the NPC adopted daughter who was much older than herself, she recalled some complaints from her observation subjects, such as giving red envelopes to children when visiting relatives during the Lunar New Year. If this was the case with ordinary relatives, how much more so with people who had formed families later in life?

She hasn't given out red envelopes yet.

As she touched the game backpack, she recalled the lesson she had learned from the observed sample—gifts should not be given to those you like, but to those the recipient likes. This is similar to how the observed sample preferred giving homework rather than money, while the observed sample's relatives' children preferred receiving money rather than hateful homework.

Similarly, it can be concluded that Lu Yuan may not like what she likes.

But, there's definitely something that Lu Yuan likes.

Zhang Yang's outstretched hand changed direction. While untying the porcelain white bottle from his waist, he said softly, "I originally wanted to give you something else, but I think you would prefer to receive this. Rather than throwing this thing to the shooting range as a target, I'll let it entertain you."

She solemnly handed the porcelain white bottle to Lu Yuan's palm.

The fear emanating from the porcelain white bottle intensified.

Realizing what was in the porcelain bottle, Lu Yuan's eyes widened, both sides of her brain simultaneously ceasing their debate. Her breathing quickened, she stared intently at the bottle, her shoulders trembling slightly: "Does the Lord mean to give me this... so I can deal with this person?"

Zhang Yang nodded: "Yes, I think you'll like it."

A sudden inspiration struck her, and she understood.

The porcelain white wine bottle is a key item for the task of adopting a goddaughter.

Zhang Yang looked at Lu Yuan with apparent anticipation, but in reality, she was staring at the system logs, waiting for the task to be completed and for the system to award her a title.

Why didn't Lu Yuan immediately agree to call her godmother?

It's definitely because the NPC's storyline hasn't ended yet, and they're still progressing through the plot.

Everyone else's attention was also focused on this.

Ritsumoto: "..."

Overwhelmed by hatred, she almost crushed the porcelain vase, but reason restrained her impulse. She wanted the old man to suffer a fate worse than death to vent her anger. This thought forced her to calm down, and she looked at Zhang Yang with a different kind of emotion.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and acknowledged this adoptive mother.

"Thank you for the gift, godmother. I like it very much."

Guan Si's pupils dilated in shock: "..."

Wang Qi slightly opened his mouth: "..."

Zhang Dagu nearly pecked his own flesh with his beak: "..."

Xiao Sui raised the knife-fan to cover her face with one hand, then covered the knife-fan with her sleeve, turning her whole back as if she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground.

Lu Yuan's former colleagues were completely speechless.

How shocked were they? Shocked that even though they knew the porcelain bottle contained its former owner, they didn't try to snatch it, or even utter a sound.

How could Rikuhachika utter the words "adoptive mother" so fluently?

They've gone mad, they've all gone mad.

But some people started to have doubts.

No wonder Lu Bafeng is such a ruthless person. She could recognize her enemy as her father for many years in order to seek revenge, calling him her godfather. Why can't she recognize a godmother for revenge now? At least compared to her godfather, this godmother doesn't have any deep hatred for her.

"Then congratulations to the Mountain Spirit on the birth of his beloved daughter?"

Wang Qi was fearless and wore his provocation on his face.

Zhang Yang couldn't read it, so she simply smiled in a very human way and said, "Congratulations to you too, I hope your wish comes true as well."

The system log has displayed the settlement message.

Congratulations on receiving the title of "Godmother"!

Zhang Yang readily accepted the new title.

[Godmother: Wearing this title will grant you a life free of pain, surrounded by countless children and grandchildren. Who in the world doesn't have children? Everyone can have children!]

Wang Qi: "..."

Xiao Sui had already calmed down, managing to stay rational through deep breathing. Lu Yuan couldn't understand Zhang Yang's swift and decisive move of accepting a goddaughter on the spot, and neither could Xiao Sui, as the strategist. It wasn't suppression, it wasn't humiliation; it even seemed somewhat sincere.

Sigh, if only junior Fan were here.

He has followed his lord the longest, so he should know best.

Aside from the unexpected turn of events involving the adoptive mother and daughter, the rest of the process proceeded smoothly, and Lü Yuan successfully took over the prefecture. Former colleagues who were willing to surrender were accepted, while those who refused were executed. In addition, the bodies of those killed by Wang Qi needed to be disposed of; given the current hot weather, the corpses would quickly rot and infest with maggots. The night passed peacefully, but there were still some tough battles to fight in the coming days.

Zhang Yang did not go to sleep.

She took Zhang Dagu to explore the map.

The house that was massacred by Wang Qi might hold some secrets.

To outsiders, this action was seen as her worry that the confiscated property would be embezzled, and she needed to personally oversee things to feel at ease. Lu Yuan had no objection to this, and those who did dare not voice their concerns. Remarkably, the entire amount of property confiscated this time was sent to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan didn't sleep all night.

The next day, looking at the boxes that almost filled the courtyard, she casually opened a few, and the contents made her gasp in astonishment. Xiao Sui also came over for a glance, but before she could speak, Lu Yuan handed her a booklet: "This is the complete list."

Xiao Sui: "..."

They didn't say they wanted the money.

Che Si County is nominally under the jurisdiction of Lü Yuan, but in reality it belongs to Tian Yue. Tian Yue is still hoping that Lü Yuan, as his agent, will take over all the counties within the county. Naturally, he has to give Lü Yuan some benefits and leave behind funds for governance. How could he take these away?

Lu Yuan clearly didn't think that way.

She said, "These need to be shown to my godmother."

Xiao Sui pressed the handle of her sword-fan against her forehead, trying to ease her headache: "My lord's temperament is quite different from ordinary people. The matter of recognizing relatives might not be what you think. We can find an opportunity to explain it to her later..."

Lu Yuan was somewhat tempted, but then shook his head and declined.

"If this can put my godmother at ease, it's no big deal to call out a couple of times. It's more comfortable than calling out to that old man." After a night, Lu Yuan had almost digested the matter.

Xiao Sui: "..."

This is really hard to explain.

With the county's troops all in Lü Yuan's hands, plus her own elite personal guards, taking over the other counties wouldn't be too difficult. However, to reduce the difficulty and unnecessary casualties, Lü Yuan, following Xiao Sui's advice, used the old man's name to send notices to the county magistrates and military officers before the counties received the news, thus luring them to the front lines of this year's imperial proclamation.

The counties did not have much doubt.

It was customary for county magistrates to report to the prefectural government, and their prefectural governor, who wasn't outwardly agreeable, dared not delay. Even those who harbored doubts dared not disobey. Not going to the prefectural government would be tantamount to openly rebelling against the prefectural administration; what could the small number of troops within the county possibly do then?

If they were to be purged, their fate would be a gruesome death. Even if they wanted to join forces with others, Xiao Sui had already anticipated this and had sent people to monitor them under the guise of escorting them.

The county magistrates and county lieutenants were taken into custody as soon as they arrived in the prefecture.

Seeing the elite troops, fully armed and lined up on both sides, the county magistrate immediately panicked and asked, "What are you doing?"

"How dare you! Who gave you permission to act like this?"

"Could it be that the prefect intends to harm us?"

This idea was rejected shortly after it began to linger.

Instead, another guess emerged—

The county seat has changed hands!

If that's the case, then I wonder who the new master is.

It was most likely one of the former prefect's children or confidants; only they had the means to stage a coup, and only they could maintain the secrecy. The answer was finally revealed amidst anxious waiting.

The newly appointed Prefect of Chesi County is Lü Yuan, whose courtesy name is Lü Bafeng.

This answer brought a sigh of relief to many, yet also felt somewhat expected. It made sense that the mutiny was orchestrated by Lü Yuan; she certainly had ample reason to turn against her predecessor. The only surprise was how sudden and unexpected her move was.

There hadn't been a single word about it before.

Some chose to submit, while others were furious and cursed.

The reasons are nothing more than those few.

Lu Yuan ignored the curses, simply holding the knife to the other person's neck, enjoying the comical expression on their face as the curses abruptly ceased. She said, "I won't say anything more. If you dislike me and want to pledge your loyalty to the old man, you can try to ram your neck against my knife; I won't stop you. If you can accept me replacing him, then shut your mouth!"

The person who was cursing turned pale, then red, then black.

They knew Lu Yuan's temperament all too well. She wasn't threatening them, but stating a fact: if they truly had the guts to die for their master, she would absolutely not stop them; death was death.

The two locked eyes for a few breaths.

No tragic suicide attempt involving a knife was made.

Seeing that things were going well, Lü Yuan stopped and did not continue to hold the knife to the other person's neck. She sheathed the knife and said, "You have no choice but to accept it. The current Che Si County has changed its surname to Lü."

"...Do you really think no one has seen through your trick?"

Lu Yuan: "When I tricked you into coming here, I had already sent people to take over. Instead of wasting your time cursing me, you should save your energy for how to report on your achievements over the past six months. I'm not some old codger who can be bought off; I'm serious."

Magistrates: "..."

Isn't this just an excuse?

Of course, this is not an excuse.

Looking at the different expressions on everyone's faces, Lu Yuan thought to himself.

It's true that she has a good understanding of the counties in Chesi Commandery, but Tianyue doesn't. Since he wants to control Chesi Commandery, he naturally needs to have a clear understanding of everything within the commandery. This time, the purpose of the performance review was genuine—to deceive the county magistrates and commandants, and also to make them give their reports.

The old man was nominally the governor of Chesi County, but his territory was actually much larger than Chesi County, and now it had all been given to others. Among his most valuable "legacy" was one of the trade routes connecting the mountain counties with the outside world.

With the trade routes blocked, the northern regions of the mountain counties were essentially cut off from the outside world. Xiao Sui suggested that the trade routes be closed for a while.

Lu Yuan asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Xiao Sui said, "We need to be wary of Dongxian."

Although Dong-Ham won't send troops now, what if they do?

Lu Yuan accepted this reason, but also reminded Xiao Sui of one point: "It's not just Chesi County that wants to use this trade route; there are other regions as well. If you block the trade route, they will be the first to object."

Xiao Sui waved her knife-wielding fan: "I'll eat all of their goods."

I'll eat anything, no matter what it is.

So what complaints could there be?

As for the reasons, the new appointment of Lu Yuan is the most obvious reason, and this blockade is not long-term, but only for short-term stability considerations to prevent any remaining traitors from escaping to the outside world.

Dealing with these issues will reopen trade routes.

Of course, this was actually buying time for Lu Yuan to consolidate her power. She could reopen Che Si County only after she had completely taken control and eliminated the threat of the mutiny. Even if Dong Xian received the news, it would be difficult for them to take advantage of the situation.

"Xiuying has considered my situation so much; how could I refuse?" Since the massacre of her family, there are few people left who truly care about her, and she cherishes each and every one of them. "Everything will be as Xiuying says!"

Xiao Sui was very pleased to hear this.

Strategists appreciate people who are both good listeners and capable of action.

These past few days have been incredibly busy, but Lu Yuan didn't forget that she had been assigned to contain the troops of the Zongzheng and Zongren prefectures. She immediately sent someone to negotiate a ransom. She had some tacit understanding with the Zongzheng and Zongren prefectures, so this shouldn't be difficult. However, before her messenger even left the prefectural capital, a message arrived on her desk.

"What did you say?"

Lu Yuan stared in astonishment at the messenger before him.

The messenger claimed to be from Zongren County.

"Tell me slowly, what exactly happened!"

Lu Yuan sent someone to invite Zhang Yang and Xiao Sui over.

Xiao Sui thought something unexpected had happened, while Zhang Yang thought the plot had been triggered again, so they immediately put their search progress on hold.

When the two arrived, Lu Yuan's expression was quite complex and varied.

Xiao Sui: "What happened?"

Lu Yuan first bowed to Zhang Yang and greeted him, then greeted Xiao Sui. After the two sat down, he said, "I just received news that the troops that were holding back the two prefectures of Zongzheng and Zongren have disappeared."

"Missing?"

Xiao Sui knew about that army.

While they couldn't compare to the elite troops personally assembled by Lu Yuan, they were still quite good and a valuable asset to their lord. Losing them would be a significant loss. It's important to understand that training an ordinary adult commoner into a soldier capable of fighting is no small undertaking.

Zhang Yang had been observing the subtle expressions on Lu Yuan's face.

Question: "Do you have any suspects for my son?"

She addressed this question in a declarative tone.

Lu Yuan closed her eyes and thought for a moment, vaguely suspecting someone. She didn't hide anything: "To be honest, godmother, there is indeed someone."

No, to be more precise, it's a caged bird.

??(?w?)