My lord, spare his life!

"What...what did you do to Uncle Cong?" The other person sensed something unusual, and their voice trembled noticeably.

Lu Yuan didn't want to answer, but after seeing the other party's serious and tense expression, a hint of malice arose in her heart: "What can I do for him? He just lived under an assumed name, spent a few happy years with me, had a child, that's all."

Startled, the man's eyes widened even further.

It felt like there was a foreign object stuck in my throat, and I couldn't make a sound.

After a long silence, his voice became hoarse, like a set of rusty gears being forcibly turned: "You said—you imprisoned your uncle for many years, toying with him? Lü Bafeng, you are truly a beast!"

He completely snapped.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell into a coma.

Lu Yuan was almost speechless.

"...and still so short-tempered."

It was indeed the right judgment to dislike the other party back then because they were prickly to the touch.

If he were in the same situation, he would have hanged himself on the very first day he was imprisoned after being faked dead. Why would he choose to endure humiliation and raise her child like his uncle did?

Lu Yuan had indeed made the decision to entrust her orphaned brother Guan Zong to her sworn brother if the coup failed, but what no one knew was that this decision had not been changed for long. Before Lu Yuan and Guan Zong reunited, her will actually instructed the caged bird to escape with her only trusted confidant.

No matter how much he hates him, it doesn't change the fact that the child is his only bloodline, and he will raise the child to adulthood even if he has to grit his teeth. Entrusting the child to the biological father is a way out.

Unfortunately, Lü Yuan later had a better option.

However, there's obviously no need to mention these things to outsiders.

Because Lü Yuan was the de facto head of Che Si County, Zhang Yang delegated authority to her without much interference. She would return to Tian Yue County to oversee operations once the county magistrates finished their reports. At most, it would only delay things by ten days, which Fan You could handle.

To her surprise, the internal affairs of Chesi County were much better than those of Tianyue County. Not only were the finances healthy, but the county governments of each county were also functioning normally. However, the quality of the county magistrates was far inferior to that of Tianyue County. After a little thought, Zhang Yang understood the crux of the problem. The county magistrates in Tianyue County had too little power and were constrained by local powerful families in various aspects. No matter how good the data panel looked, they could not demonstrate their own abilities.

Some people with ability but no background were thrown over here.

For example, Xu Jin.

Unlike Che Si County, the position of county magistrate in various places is a trap, a predetermined one. To get promoted, one either needs connections or the ability to count money, so the overall level is actually lower. Zhang Yang sat behind the screen, listening to the reports of several county magistrates. She was getting dizzy and yawning constantly. She was so sleepy that her eyelids were about to close, but she still stuck to her post, which made Xiao Sui feel moved.

Fan Xuedi's judgment is not entirely accurate.

Although this ruler has a low level of education, his attitude is commendable. Isn't he much better than those hands-off managers who don't care about state affairs all year round? Knowledge can be improved through learning, but a bad attitude is beyond saving. Old habits die hard.

Little did they know, Zhang Yangqiang's reasons for insisting on this were simple and unpretentious.

The system logs will help her take meeting minutes.

It's okay if she's feeling sleepy now; she can check the system logs when she's not sleepy anymore, and the results will be the same.

"Report—"

A loud noise came from outside.

Lu Yuan appeared calm on the surface, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She really disliked these things, but her adoptive mother was listening nearby, leaving her no chance to slack off: "What is it?"

"My lord, a troop of soldiers has been spotted outside the city."

Lu Yuan sneered, "Where are you from?"

Her first thought was that the old woman's remnants were gathering troops outside and now they were coming to attack her. Lu Yuan scoffed at these fools' overestimation of their abilities. She had already decided to deal with them one by one once she had the chance. She hadn't expected these people to not only not flee, but to deliberately come running to their deaths—utterly foolish. Just then, a messenger delivered a token, and Lu Yuan stood up in shock!

Lu Yuan hurriedly asked, "Who is the leader?"

After saying that, he realized what he had said and sent the person giving the report away.

On the other side, Zhang Yang walked out of the screen, looking very energetic.

Q: "Is there another problem?"

At this moment, Lu Yuan's expression became extremely complex, a mixture of confusion, bewilderment, and horror... all converging into a slightly ferocious angle. After a long while, Lu Yuan finally murmured a sentence in a tone as if waking from a dream.

"It's... He Feiye."

Zhang Yang had never heard of this name.

"Who is that?"

Xiao Sui has finally figured out who is who these past few days.

"What is not wild? What is its nature?"

"……Um."

Upon receiving the reply, Xiao Sui whispered a reminder to her lord: "This person is nameless, so it's normal that you don't remember him. He Feiye is the one who was imprisoned by Bafeng for several years. It's true that the troops that disappeared from the Zongren and Zongzheng prefectures were taken away by him. I just don't know if he's leading his troops back to settle scores with Bafeng or if he has some other purpose."

Zhang Yang: "It's only reasonable to fight back."

Anyone who has been imprisoned for many years will seek revenge.

She looked at Lu Yuan and said, "You are indeed in the wrong in this matter, but I will not take your side now, my son, don't worry. Since he is here, it saves us the trouble of finding our eldest grandson."

Lu Yuan's lips trembled, and he swallowed back the words he wanted to say.

"Thank you, godmother."

"You're welcome, but this is a one-time exception. Imprisonment is wrong, after all." Zhang Yang didn't hold Lu Yuan's past actions against her, but she couldn't ignore her future actions; one thing at a time. As parents, we should be magnanimous and give each child a chance to reform.

Yes, that's what the observation samples say.

Zhang Yang deeply agreed.

Everyone, including Lu Yuan, thought He Zhi had come to settle scores with her, but they couldn't start a fight before they even met. They had to go through the proper procedures and dampen the opponent's spirits. So what if He Zhi brought this army? Without logistical support or supplies, how could he attack an impregnable city?

Furthermore, Lu Yuan also had his daughter on his mind.

She immediately sent someone to negotiate.

The messenger also carried a token. This token was an accessory taken from He Zhi's nephew; if He Zhi hadn't been sensible, his nephew's life would have been in danger. When the messenger met He Zhi, He Zhi was wearily feeding his child.

His movements were very practiced.

The child lowered his head and was very well-behaved.

The envoy, unaware of the child's identity or the affair between Lu Yuan and He Zhi, made no attempt to speculate. He simply stated his identity in a formulaic manner, only to be interrupted by He Zhi after a few words. The other's pale face showed a hint of impatience: "No need to introduce yourself. I know who you are. We're all acquaintances, why pretend you don't know me?"

The envoy looked embarrassed.

He Zhidao said, "I know you are one of Lü Bafeng's people."

"My lord would like to know why Lord He has brought his troops here."

Unexpectedly, He Zhi coldly put down his bowl: "My lord? The lord you speak of is Lü Bafeng? I have no interest in seeing her. I didn't come here for her, I came to see my lord."

The messenger was momentarily stunned: "The former prefect has already perished."

No one knew that Lü Yuan had become a target, but everyone knew that the former prefect of Che Si was dead, killed in the mutiny that night. In the end, wasn't He Zhi simply seeking revenge for his former master? And wasn't the one who killed the former prefect Lü Bafeng?

He Zhi: "I want to see the person behind Lu Yuan."

The messenger was enraged by He Zhi: "Absurd! Ridiculous!"

He Zhi's emotions were surprisingly stable, and his voice remained unchanged: "What's absurd? What's ridiculous? It's absurd that Lü Bafeng abandoned these troops! It's ridiculous that he deserted in the face of battle! Ask Lü Bafeng, do you want everyone to know about this? They are kept in the dark and don't know anything, but there are always bystanders who see things clearly."

There must be someone behind Lu Yuan.

He Zhi wanted to see this person.

The envoy's expression changed abruptly. Fearing that He Zhi might utter even more outrageous words, he could only suppress his anger and present the token. He Zhi simply opened the box, glanced at it, and then closed it again. No matter how the envoy observed him, he remained completely unmoved.

He still has the same demand.

He wanted to meet the people who supported the Lu Yuan coup.

Zhang Yang hadn't expected that He Zhi was coming for him.

How did he know I was there?

Xiao Sui: "Would the lord like to see him?"

"Yes, of course we should meet. Let's set a time and place for tomorrow."

Since everyone has already pointed out her presence, why should Zhang Yang hide? An NPC who can be imprisoned by Lu Yuan must possess considerable strength, so Zhang Yang has even less reason to be intimidated. She can trust Lu Yuan's people to arrange the itinerary.

Lu Yuan went up on his own.

To be precise, she went to see her confidant.

She needed to find out what had happened: how He Zhi had escaped the heavy surveillance and how he had managed to lead his men so far, taking with him the remnants of the troops that had been delaying the two prefectures. Fortunately, his trusted confidant was still alive.

She even looked puzzled when she saw Lu Yuan.

"Your subordinate has met with your parents."

Lu Yuan led her to a secluded, desolate forest.

"Tell me, what happened?"

The confidant paused for a moment, then recounted the matter in detail.

Just as her confidante had feared, she couldn't hide it from He Zhi, who also guessed that Lü Yuan intended to launch a coup. The outcome of a coup was either success or failure. If it succeeded, everything would be fine; but if it failed, Lü Yuan went straight to the point and questioned her confidante.

She gave you the order to kill me.

He Zhi’s tone was firm, which made his confidant break out in a cold sweat.

"Don't try to defend her. I know her better than you do; she's a heartless bastard." He Zhi didn't dare raise his voice, afraid of waking the neighbor's child, and continued to lower his voice, "Tell me the truth about what she's going to do."

The confidant chuckled: "You can't say that."

She thought to herself that He Zhi was also an unpredictable person.

Knowing that her parents had secretly ordered her to kill He Zhi, how could He Zhi remain so calm? Isn't that strange?

He Zhi sneered: "What can I, a dying man, do even if I knew? Do you think I could escape your clutches?"

Mentioning this trusted confidant gives me confidence.

With her fighting skills, killing He Zhi would indeed be no difficult task.

He Zhidao said, "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But if I were to commit suicide in front of your young master, guess what the outcome would be?"

The confidant felt a chill run down his spine.

He didn't say anything before he committed suicide in front of the young master. If He Zhi had said something before he did, it would have been disastrous.

The child will be closer to whoever raises him. Compared to his mother, who only appears a few times a year, the young master naturally trusts and relies more on his loving father, He Zhi, with whom he spends every day. If He Zhi really did something like that, the confidant didn't dare to think about the consequences and was forced to speak by He Zhi.

However, the confidant did not reveal much.

She only said that Lü Yuan would find an opportunity to weaken the defenses of the prefecture, and then launch a surprise attack to coordinate with the people inside the prefecture to stage a mutiny. She didn't say anything more.

After that, I don't know what He Zhi was thinking—

The confidant said, "Lord He persuaded his subordinates to lead the guards left behind by the head of the family to the front lines, where he took over command. He feinted through the two prefectures several times, then detoured back through the Imperial Throne City. Lord He tricked the gates of the Imperial Throne City into opening, and then hurried back via the official road. Lord He said that the young master is too young to be separated from his parents and wanted to reunite you and your mother, but how could the parents..."

This was the part that puzzled his confidants the most.

The parents came to see me in a very aggressive manner.

She doesn't look like she's in a good mood at all.

Ritsumoto: "..."

"Don't you know that the messenger sent from the city during the day was thwarted by He Zhi? Why would he be so kind as to hope for a reunion between mother and daughter?" As Lu Yuan spoke, her confidante suddenly realized that He Zhi had never told her the truth from beginning to end, and was suspected of keeping secrets from both sides.

"Your subordinate, your subordinate—"

His confidant turned deathly pale.

"I was not present during the day and have no idea—"

She tried to recall the scene of being persuaded that day, but couldn't remember the specific details. She only remembered that He Zhi did it for the sake of his parents and the young master. Lu Yuan had been incredibly kind to her, saving her family's lives, so naturally she didn't want anything to happen to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan pressed her shoulder to calm her down.

She said, "Never mind, this is not your fault."

He Zhi is not easy to deal with, and someone easy to deal with wouldn't be regarded as the mastermind by the old man. Lu Yuan was able to imprison him back then by some trickery. If the other party had known about the plot earlier, He Zhi might have been able to tell the old man in private and put him in a cage.

We'll find out his purpose tomorrow.

It's just another night anyway.

The old man is now imprisoned and used as a target by her, and his foundation has been uprooted. Even if He Zhi rescues him, he will be useless. Besides, Lu Yuan doesn't think He Zhi values ​​the old man much.

What exactly is the purpose of He Zhi?

Lu Yuan tossed and turned all night, pondering this question.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, I received a message.

She was massacred at her villa outside the city.

Lu Yuan was still sleepy and his mind was still foggy.

Reflexively, I asked, "What villa?"

"Outside the city, at the villa."

"Who lives at the villa?"

Why massacre people in such a place?

The steward hesitated, his expression conflicted. Lu Yuan, with half a biscuit dangling from her mouth, forgot to chew. If she remembered correctly, her inner palace servants seemed to be stationed at the villa outside the city. These servants were all gifts from the old man, and also his spies. Lu Yuan wanted to launch a coup, so naturally she couldn't keep them by her side as potential bombs; she found an excuse to send them to the villa.

I've been so busy these days that I haven't thought about them.

They didn't even think of bringing them back.

Then, in the first half of last night, my house was broken into and I was bloodied.

The message has only just arrived.

"Who did it?"

Zhang Yang knew the answer much earlier than Lü Yuan.

Because the murderer who committed the bloody crime turned himself in to her.

"It was indeed He who committed the crime."

"reason?"

"It's just a matter of reciprocity."

Zhang Yang: "..."

??(?w?)