My lord, spare his life!

Is this news true?

The magistrate paused, his brush pausing, and ink dripped down.

The clerk leaned close to the magistrate's ear and whispered, "It's absolutely true."

The magistrate looked down at the stacks of books on his desk, the most important ones written on expensive paper. Normally, the county government wouldn't use paper for routine office work to save costs. Using paper was only for the convenience of sending it to Lord Boyuan later.

He blinked slowly, trying to process Dian Shi's words.

"How many people did you kill?"

The clerk said, "The person who escaped didn't say anything, only that the men under Bo Yuan Gong captured people, threw them in one place, closed the gates, and slaughtered them. The person who escaped just happened to have an upset stomach and crawled into a latrine to avoid the search."

Magistrate: "Is there more to the story?"

The clerk was so frightened he almost cried: "What other secrets are there?"

How many lives have been lost here?

Magistrate: "..."

"Lord, we were lucky to escape with our lives." The clerk wiped his forehead with his sleeve, feeling extremely fortunate. "Lord Boyuan was not a kind person. Although I don't know why he spared us, the massacre of the eunuch county still serves as a reminder to us."

We must not overlook the inherent cruelty of Zhang Yang just because he appears mild-mannered. The clerk's warning only reached the magistrate's ears, not his mind. He said somewhat irritably, "I already know about this matter. Send someone to inform everyone."

The clerk said, "They have better access to information than we do."

If the county government already knows about it, then that's definitely considered outdated.

The magistrate said, "They should be informed even if they know."

He didn't think those men would completely submit. The moment Lord Boyuan left with his troops, they'd forgotten the pain of their past. Only the massacre of the eunuch prefecture would truly terrify them. Before the clerk had even left the county hall, the stout middle-aged man rushed in to find the magistrate, stumbling as he was pulled along by the stone.

"My lord, my lord, what should we do?"

The magistrate said, "The news may be erroneous; we should verify it."

"Verify? Verify with whom?"

"Lord Boyuan".

The portly middle-aged man looked at him with a horrified expression: "Are you crazy, or am I? You're going to go and verify this with Zhang the thief... Zhang Jun?"

The magistrate said, "Lord Boyuan is not such a cruel person, and the one who launched the massacre was a general under her command, not someone she ordered..."

The plump middle-aged man blinked: "Is there a difference?"

The magistrate said, "Lord Boyuan may have been deceived, or there may be hidden motives."

The portly middle-aged man said nothing, only taking a slight step back, his eyes fixed on the magistrate as if he'd seen a ghost. Fear gripped him, and he kept muttering, "Crazy, you're really crazy."

Little did he know that the magistrate had also faced an extremely difficult decision.

The wait for a reply was agonizing.

Zhang Yang's reply was brief.

There are only two words above—

【rumor.】

The magistrate breathed a sigh of relief.

"...Actually, it's not exactly a rumor; Wang Hongtu really went on a killing spree. You know, he was killing all he wanted, but he didn't even bother to find a place to urinate so anyone could escape." When Zhang Yang wrote her reply, she was already in the capital of Hu County. The capital was poorly defended, with only four hundred elderly soldiers over forty years old guarding the city, and no young or strong soldiers in sight.

Besides the elite troops, many young men in the city also followed the governor of Hu County and fled, and the wealthy families in the county moved away as much as they could.

When Zhang Yang arrived, the ground of the prefectural government office was covered with a layer of silt about half a finger's width thick from the flood, and the air reeked of a foul stench. There wasn't a soul in sight inside or outside the government office; two buildings were partially collapsed, and various furnishings were scattered about, a testament to the chaos of the evacuation.

Xia Gengshi and his men cleared out a house that was barely habitable.

The magistrate's letter and Wang Ba's military report arrived one after the other.

Xia Gengshi sat to one side, his expression serious and wooden.

As time went on, her expressions became increasingly vivid and detailed, and she would occasionally stare blankly at something. When Zhang Yang asked her about it, Xia Gengshi said that the thing looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen it before. However, she only felt familiar with it; she couldn't recall the memory.

Xia Gengshi: "Who did Wang Hongtu kill?"

Zhang Yang: "He killed those in the eunuch prefecture who feigned surrender but secretly colluded with the remnants of Sun Zhaoruo's forces. Wang Hongtu was shrewd and didn't fall for their feigned surrender. Since it was a real fight to the death, and they still wouldn't surrender, he had no choice but to kill them."

It cannot be ruled out that Wang Ba found it troublesome and wanted to eliminate the problem completely.

Along with the military report came a letter from Wang Ba.

Zhang Yang said, "The eunuchs in the county have deep-rooted interests with Sun Zhaoruo, and many of them have formed marriage alliances with her clan. This is one of the reasons why they are unwilling to surrender. Another important reason is that they have taken too much of the benefits, and Wang Hongtu finds it troublesome."

If you can't figure it out, just cut the Gordian knot.

Xia Gengshi was momentarily dazed upon hearing the name "Sun Zhaoruo".

She knew Sun Ban was a major threat to her lord, but for some reason, she didn't feel much ill will towards the name. The first time she heard it, Xia Gengshi even felt a strange admiration. This odd feeling gradually faded as she spent more time with her lord. Now, hearing it again, the emotion was far less intense than the first time.

"Too much trouble?"

"When the amount of bad debts becomes so high that resolving them becomes prohibitively expensive, then the only solution is to deal with the debtors themselves. The people in the Eunuch County refuse to abandon Sun Zhaoruo and submit to me, let alone cooperate with my work." Zhang Yang looked at the letter Wang Ba had written. "They won't be as sensible as they were in the previous county; they'll only obstruct me at every turn and cause me trouble. Wang Ba's actions are actually exactly what I wanted—"

Xia Gengshi was a good listener.

Zhang Yang put a finger to her lips and whispered, "We can't tell Uncle Yan this. If he finds out, he'll start nagging again."

Although Fan You's bottom line was more flexible and his thinking more agile than the pedantic scholar's, he was still no match for the players. For any player, completing a task in the fastest and most convenient way was all that mattered, regardless of whether it involved violence, deception, or anything else. But in Fan You's eyes, that was ruthless.

If Fan You had known, he would have certainly advised against it.

Zhang Yang will listen, but he won't change.

Therefore, it's best if Fan You doesn't know.

Xia Gengshi didn't understand, but he still honestly replied, "This humble general will keep his mouth shut and will definitely not reveal a single word to him."

Zhang Yang said, "I knew we were in cahoots."

Wang Ba's troops, in coordination with the Imperial Throne City, captured the Eunuch County. Neither Wang Ba nor Chao Tan were benevolent men; they slaughtered everyone involved in the feigned surrender.

His face darkened when he heard that someone had escaped by hiding in the latrine.

"You think you're so shrewd? Yet you were careless! Luckily, the one who escaped was insignificant. What if it had been some orphan? Wouldn't that have left a great threat to our lord?" Chao Tan ordered his men to clean up the corpses and search out all the spoils of war, sort them, and send them to Zhang Yang. Wang Ba, to avoid suspicion, did not participate.

He just didn't expect Chao Tan to make things difficult for him.

He said, "Who knew a latrine could hide someone?"

Even a normal person could drown or suffocate if they fell into a latrine.

Chao Tan asked, "Do you know who spread this rumor?"

Rumors were circulating all around that the eunuch prefecture had been completely massacred, which was utterly alarmist. Chao Tan and his men had merely eliminated a few troublemakers; they hadn't oppressed or plundered ordinary people. The soldiers were even given orders that anyone who disturbed the peace would receive twenty strokes of the military rod.

But these rumors spread like wildfire, as if they had sprouted wings.

Wang Ba sent people to investigate, and the investigation eventually led to several private schools. As a book lover, he had a certain bias towards scholars and would not provoke them unless absolutely necessary.

"They're nothing more than a few scholars."

Chao Tan: "Scholars? What kind of classics are you reading? Since we entered the eunuch prefecture, have we disturbed a single household?"

The rumors and gossip became increasingly outrageous as they spread.

The current versions all say that no one survived in Eunuch County, and some morbidly curious versions even claim that the lord, a tyrannical and cruel ruler, required bathing in the blood of a hundred living people daily to maintain his normal appearance. The more exaggerated the claims, the more fearful the common people became. Few people in Eunuch County even mentioned the lord leading the relief efforts anymore. This event was also misattributed, directly attributed to Sun Zhaoruo.

How could a demon who kills hundreds of people every day to prolong his life possibly do good deeds like disaster relief? Only someone like Sun Ban, who comes from a prominent family, is kind-hearted, and wise and powerful, could possibly care for the common people.

Only such influential people would have so much spare money and time.

Chao Tan was furious when he heard this.

What angered her even more was that some of the parties involved gave false testimony.

I initially thought someone was impersonating a flood victim, but after some questioning, I learned that they were a firsthand witness to the event and could clearly recount how they sought refuge in the mountains and how the rescue soldiers protected them.

"Then you're mistaken. The person who saved you wasn't Sun Zhaoruo."

Chao Tan initially thought the other party was lying, but upon closer observation, he discovered that they genuinely believed it was Sun Ban's troops who had done it. Their reasoning was also absurd: Sun Zhaoruo was from Dou County in the mountains, while Zhang's origins were unknown—why should they save a local?

"...Didn't they tell you who they were working for?"

"I'm just an honest man, I don't understand these things."

Chao Tan: "..."

No matter how Chao Tan pointed out the flaws in the other person's words, the other person always managed to steer the conclusion back with a bewildered yet self-righteous expression. The other person had their own set of logic, only believing in their own judgment and refusing to listen to any nonsense Chao Tan was spouting. If pushed too far, they even felt that Chao Tan wanted to kill them to silence them. Chao Tan was both angry and furious, but he had no choice but to release the person.

"...Forget it, why bother arguing with these ordinary people? Facts speak louder than words." Chao Tan clutched his chest, quite angry.

Wang Ba sneered, "You're still young."

Chao Tan: "...What are you saying, you old codger?"

Wang Ba said nothing, but simply reached out to Chao Tan, demanding a portion of the spoils. Seeing Chao Tan's wary expression, Wang Ba said, "Didn't you want to protect Zhang Boyuan's reputation? Give me the stuff, and I guarantee her reputation will be fine in a couple of days."

Chao Tan: "...What are you going to do?"

Wang Ba does nothing.

He was merely using the spoils of war to curry favor; whoever praised Zhang Yang would receive two ounces of millet.

The elderly and infirm should be given priority, followed by the young and strong.

For a time, the streets and alleys were filled with songs of praise and celebration.

Wang Ba clapped his hands: "The city is short of food. Given Lord Boyuan's soft heart, she can't possibly abandon them. She'll probably provide disaster relief, distribute food, and arrange work for them. In that case, why not have them sing praises and spread the word? This task is easy for the old and weak."

Chao Tan: "...You can do that?"

"Money can make the devil turn the millstone, let alone buy the mouths of a group of people? No matter what they think in their hearts, at least they don't say bad things anymore." Wang Ba has not managed Dongxian for nothing over the years, and has long summarized a set of rich experiences suitable for him.

Chao Tan: "But this is not true popular support."

Wang Ba smiled but remained silent.

It's good to be young. Young people have all sorts of naive ideas, unlike an old hand like him who has been through countless trials and tribulations and has long been taught to be honest by reality: "You only need their bodies, what use are their hearts? As long as they can honestly pay taxes and perform corvée labor, that's enough."

Chao Tan: "..."

Something about that statement doesn't quite make sense, yet it does.

Zhang Yang captured Hu County and Huanguan County with little effort, forcing Sun Ban to shrink his defensive lines. The army faced an imminent food crisis; the original granaries had been destroyed by Guan Zong, and large quantities of grain had spoiled and become inedible. Sun Ban simultaneously reorganized the remaining troops and sought solutions.

The immense pressure only eased when the fleeing troops from Hu County joined her. By the time she heard the devastating news from the eunuch county, she could no longer muster any anger. Sun Ban said, "Zhang the traitor has quite the methods."

The governor of Hu County also brought her some news.

Sun Ban noticed the strange look in the other person's eyes and asked, "Whether the news is good or bad, I can handle it. Just tell me."

The prefect of Hu County said, "According to rumors, Zhang has gained a burly and fierce bodyguard who used to be under Zhao Ruo's command."

Sun Ban frowned and sighed softly, "Everyone has their own ambitions. Zhang is a ruthless and bloodthirsty traitor. Falling into the hands of such a person means either life or death. It's only natural that his former subordinates had to serve Zhang to make a living, and there's nothing wrong with that..."

She didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer.

The prefect of Hu County said, "That man is no ordinary person."

Sun Ban asked, "Who is it?"

It wasn't boasting; she truly had a considerable number of talented individuals under her command. Although she harbored ambitions to expand outwards, she hadn't yet taken any action. The limited territory she held prevented these talents from fully utilizing their abilities, and some were simply unusable. And since they were unusable, Sun Ban was naturally unfamiliar with them.

She couldn't decipher what the other person was saying in a second.

Sun Ban tentatively named three or four people.

These men had all disappeared during that night's battle, their fates unknown. Zhang Yang's side did not display their bodies in a grand display to boost morale, and Sun Ban had no way of knowing whether they were dead, captured, or simply lost.

The prefect of Hu County shook his head: "Neither."

Sun Ban, lacking patience, asked, "Who is that?"

"It's Ge Zhou."

Upon hearing the unfamiliar name, Sun Ban tried to recall any related memories, but found no clues. However, she couldn't directly say she had no recollection, so she could only purse her lips and lower her eyelids. The Prefect of Luohu County could see her displeasure.

The Prefect of Hu County said, "Zhao Ruo once saved Ge Xidan, but I never expected her to be so cowardly and disregard such a great kindness."

Sun Ban: "A life-saving grace?"

"If Zhaoruo were kind-hearted, she probably wouldn't have taken such a small matter to heart. Ge Xidan's family was poor, and she was so desperate that she took the blame for someone else's crime to make a living, and she almost got executed. If it weren't for you, Zhaoruo, investigating to the end and finally clearing her name, allowing her to recant her confession and save her life, where would she be today? Back then, I thought she was a grateful person, but I never expected that she was also a sycophantic and cowardly villain."

Sun Ban: "..."

Oh, now that you mention it, I vaguely remember it.

However, it can hardly be considered a life-saving favor.

The official handling the case was Sun Zhaoruo's chosen target; she remembered him as a young man who aspired to be incorruptible. After suffering a severe blow, he'd taken on any shady, disreputable job imaginable. Sun Zhaoruo, not wanting to get herself involved, decided to eliminate him as a convenient option…

Even if they did save Ge Zhou, it would only be incidental.

The Prefect of Hu Commandery said, "Perhaps we can persuade Ge Zhou to defect."

As long as Ge Zhou still has a shred of conscience.

? ?|??w?`)

I've eaten almost 50 jin (25 kg) of Dongkui bayberries in the last two weeks, and my back molars are sore from eating them. Ge Zhou, courtesy name Xidan, his name originates from "Duke of Zhou Dan".